http://store.steampowered.com/steamos

This is something that gamers have been talking about for a while now. Gaming on Linux.

Worldwide there’s an issue with software piracy – while games are pirated too the OS (Windows) is one software package that’s pirated the most. Even people that legitimately own Windows crack it at times due to Microsoft’s activation and licensing model. While games are also pirated there are a lot of gamers that buy their games but not their OS.

Valve Corporation is probably most known for their Half-Life game series. They are also the makers of STEAM which is a content delivery platform for games. What this allows is reinstallation of all your purchased games at any time with all your serials and installation files held in the cloud on your account. This means no need to worry about writing down serials or making multiple copies of installation discs – just remember your STEAM ID and password.

While Linux users have been using tools like WINE and CEDEGA (now under the GameTree Linux umbrella) persons that are not very Linux savvy would have issues getting things working properly.

Why would you want to switch to Linux? Well – for one thing – Linux is FREE SOFTWARE. There’s no need to purchase the OS and since it’s community driven it’s got drivers for almost everything. Support is in the community. And (mostly) Linux just works.

Valve has taken a huge leap into developing on Linux and has now released STEAM-OS. This is a Linux-based OS that gives you the freedom to play games without worrying about your Windows license. This means less crashes and more stability overall – but since this is new and still in beta, don’t expect miracles. Some things may not work the way you expect.

Head over to their site and get the necessary tools to test it out. Please bear in mind that the installation of Linux will require some computer know-how and may erase all the things on your current system. My recommendation is to have another machine to test this. If you have some computer knowledge or repair knowledge then use a different hard drive – disconnect your primary drive(s) – then do the installation. Remember to check the requirements for the installation as there are two options available. One will require a 1TB drive while the other will be setup just like a regular Linux (Debian/Ubuntu) installation.

Personally I’m glad that Valve/STEAM did this – more power to the gamer!

SOURCE: http://www.avg.com/campaign-landing-pages/ww-en/lenovo-superfish

Based on the information on that link you should remove this software immediately if you own a Lenovo PC.

Something to note – Lenovo and IBM are not the same company. IBM sold their PC business to Lenovo some time ago.

A copy of the information from the AVG website is below for your convenience.

How to remove Superfish
and its certificate from your Lenovo^® PC

Which computers are affected?

According to Lenovo, Superfish may have been pre-installed
on the following models:

E Series:

G Series:

S Series:

U Series:

Y Series:

Z Series:

Edge Series:

Flex Series:

MIIX Series:

YOGA Series:

E10-30

G410, G510, G710, G40-70, G50-70, G40-30, G50-30, G40-45, G50-45, G40-80

S310, S410, S40-70, S415, S415Touch, S435, S20-30, S20-30Touch

U330P, U430P, U330Touch, U430Touch, U530Touch

Y430P, Y40-70, Y50-70, Y40-80, Y70-70

Z40-75, Z50-75, Z40-70, Z50-70, Z70-80

Edge 15

Flex2 14D, Flex2 15D, Flex2 14, Flex2 15, Flex2 Pro, Flex 10

MIIX2-8, MIIX2-10, MIIX2-11, MIIX 3 1030

YOGA2Pro-13, YOGA2-13, YOGA2-11, YOGA3 Pro

Source: Lenovo

Will restoring from a backup help?

Superfish has been pre-installed by Lenovo. Therefore, restoring your computer to factory condition from either a backup partition or a backup DVD will not solve the problem if Superfish is also part of your backup. Superfish would only be reinstalled, too.

So if you ever use a backup to restore your system, you may need to again remove Superfish and its root security certificate from your system.

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In a previous entry we talked about recent viruses and spyware that have been on the rise in 2015. Here we will go through the installation of a program that we want which is bundled with spyware.

PowerISO is a disc image application for managing ISO and other images. It can be used to modify an image (add/remove files) and mount images as well. The problem is that it has bundled spyware in the installer. While some installers may have good programs bundled, the fact is that you don’t want any third-party programs – just the one that you downloaded. So let’s start the installation from the downloaded file.

We agree to the license and continue.

This is something that we don’t want – so we skip.

We don’t want this either – so go to CUSTOM and uncheck this then hit NEXT.

TuneUp Utilities is a good piece of software and was acquired by AVG who makes an antivirus package. While it is good, personally I don’t trust installing through a third party – so uncheck the box and click NEXT.

After all of that we finally get to where the files will be installed – and hit NEXT.

Once it’s done – NEXT.

Once we get to this point we’re done! Set up the virtual drives if you want  – select the files you want to associate with the program and integrate with the Windows Shell if you want. I’d recommend unchecking the update option so that you don’t accidentally download and install anything you don’t want to. Just repeat the steps above if you do actually update.

If the options have changed in any newer versions in the future then just be sure you uncheck and skip all additional installations.

Recently we’ve found that persons have had some issues with audio – particularly in games. Turns out that at times either accidentally – or intentionally by someone playing a prank – the volume for a particular item may be disabled or turned down.

So let’s take a look at what your typical volume controls look like. From the desktop section of your PC (Windows 7 and below) you should see your speaker icon in the bottom corner.

If you’re using Windows 8/8.1 then you can access this by first going to DESKTOP after your device has booted.

Next you want to either click on the icon then click on MIXER.

Or – right click then go to OPEN VOLUME MIXER.

Once this is up your default view should look like the one in the pic below.

However – any application you launch may appear in the mixer. That happened even with the screenshot app that I was using – PicPic.

I had then launched an old game called ONI that the younger gamers wouldn’t know about. Even with this old game a separate volume control came up for it. So next I launched L4D2 through STEAM.

Here you can see that I’ve turned down the volume for L4D2while the rest of the system sounds are working. The mixer even put an entry for STEAM itself.

Now if you ever find yourself in a situation where a game or app gives no sound – but the sounds work everywhere else and in everything else – or if you find that the sounds are lower in one app or player than another – check the mixer. You may have to run the game then ALT+TAB away from it to check the mixer, but after this inconvenience once you shouldn’t have to do it again.

Hope this helps if you’ve had any sound issues. Let us know in the boxes below!

Viruses & spyware are things which have evolved over time to become what they are today. Bad stuff for your PC. How do you protect yourself in today’s world of this? It’s not easy if you’re looking for solutions online, but very easy if you already know exactly what you want and where to get it. So let’s see if we can help everyone be safer online and safer overall.

VIRUSES & SPYWARE DEFINED

These are nasty little bugs that get on your system. While different people (and companies) will have different definitions for each, and some will even group them all in the same category, they do have some slight differences and the names of each also depend on what they do.

Viruses in general harm your system by compromising some key components and usually tries to duplicate itself. You’ll find that some spyware does this too, but while viruses typically harms your system or covertly replicates itself spyware is blatant about being present – but in a nice way.

Let’s get some definitions in this. Courtesy of Google.

Virus – a piece of code that is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data.

Spyware – software that enables a user to obtain covert information about another’s computer activities by transmitting data covertly from their hard drive.

Malware – software that is intended to damage or disable computers and computer systems.

Scareware – malicious computer programs designed to trick a user into buying and downloading unnecessary and potentially dangerous software, such as fake antivirus protection.

Ransomeware – a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.

And believe it or not – there’s more. For each method used you’ll find a different definition. For the purpose of this post however we’re going to just use the two broad categories of viruses and spyware.

So let’s break it down for clarification. Viruses and spyware may behave in similar ways, but viruses act behind the scenes while spyware is more up-front. Usually spyware will install itself bundled with something that’s good or that you want. A typical example of this is the Conduit Search spyware which is bundled with a lot of different things that you may want to use – like Crystal DiskInfo.

The software you’re installing is good, but the installer package that the programmer uses may just have garbage bundled with it. Most end-users are programmed by technicians to “just click NEXT, YES or I AGREE” and as such they do this. The problem is that the “bundled offers” with most packages are the things that mess you up, and then trips to the store for multiple unwanted popups or unable to change your home page or similar things come up. Stuff that finds things to fix on your PC but you have to pay for the software to get the supposed fixes. Then once your credit card info is obtained – you’re stuck with them for life.

In order to keep yourself protected and have minimal down-time if you get infected we’re going to give you three steps. Not necessarily simple steps, but three that should be fairly easy to do.

1. Always have a system backup.
2. Practice safe browsing.
3. Use protection.

The steps are not listed in any particular order – it’s just how we put it while typing them out.

1. SYSTEM BACKUP

This involves two things you need to have. First is your actual system or factory image/backup and the other is a backup of your files.

Most persons have a desktop or laptop that they use. If it’s a laptop then half of your work is done. If it’s a desktop that’s a custom build – meaning not a Dell, Acer, HP or any other factory-made machine – then it’s a little harder.

For laptops and factory machines you should have an option to create your factory or system recovery discs. This entails purchasing DVD discs or an external drive (for systems without CD/DVD drives) and running the manufacturer’s software to create your recovery/factory image. Once this is done you will always be able to restore the laptop/desktop to the way it was when you just purchased it.

For desktops that are custom built you will need third-party software from Paragon or Acronis. While both will have paid solutions you can find a free solution from Paragon.

Create the backup disk image using the software of your choice and then we’re on to the next phase – the file backup.

Click on START then on RUN. For persons with Windows 8/8.1 press and hold the WINDOWS key on the keyboard and then press R. This keyboard shortcut can be done from any edition of Windows but is specifically needed for Windows 8/8.1 as they have no start menu. If you do have a start menu but can’t see the RUN option just use the same shortcut key. Type in %UserProfile% and click on OK or press ENTER on the keyboard. This should bring you to your user profile folder. Copy the entire contents to DVD or an external drive. If using DVDs you may need multiple depending on the size of the folders – an external drive is highly recommended.

Once these steps are done keep the backups in a safe place. Make periodic updates to your backup of the folders from the %UserProfile% folder to keep things current. This will ensure that you can always get your system back up and running and your files will always be safe.

2. PRACTICE SAFE BROWSING

This is something that can’t be stressed enough. Check your email. Check your social media. Check forums and such. Don’t click on the pretty flashing ads. Just don’t.

While infections can come from any angle the bulk of new infections come from clicking on things that you think are harmless. There have even been some FaceBook viruses (scripts) that hijack your account and replicate themselves by posting random things to your wall for others to click on. Some of these include porn-related things for celebrities, stating that the account holder won money and you can get a share, photos of friends that you caught that they don’t have and other such claims.

While it seems like being paranoid – and it kinda is – in some cases it’s needed. If you see something that you like, check it out by running a search about it first. If you’re still not sure then go to a reputable site – like Download.com from CNet – and search for the program there. If it’s not listed then it’s probably not safe – that’s not a rule to live by, but it’s a start. One example of a good app that’s not on CNet would be Explorer++. It’s not bundled with any spyware (at the time of this writing) but it’s not listed on CNet.

So…………..basically you just need to read the things you’re installing. Stay within the zone you’re accustomed to. Don’t download and use things that you’re not familiar with.

3. USE PROTECTION

Finally – we suggest the use of free protection if you can’t afford to buy protection at this time. Free things to use include AVG and Avast! antivirus. Paid versions of most antivirus software will work, and other popular ones include Norton, Kaspersky and Bit Defender.

ALREADY INFECTED?

If for some reason you believe you’re already infected then download and install one of the antivirus packages mentioned above and run a full scan. If you think you still have an infection then use SUPER AntiSpyware and MalwareBytes Anti-Malware – not one or the other – BOTH. Download and install then run a full scan with one then the other. If you find that this has not cleaned your system then you’ll need to perform the steps in #2 to get your files off, and use the backup created prior to an infection in #1 to get your system back up.

CAUTION

At the time of this writing it’s been brought to our attention that some of the reputable sites – like Download.com – may have started to bundle installers with some of their downloads. As a result ensure that you’re only installing things that you WANT and not additional bundled items. Here’s a few names to look out for and avoid when you’re downloading or installing stuff.

Babylon toolbar
Conduit Search Protect
Delta search
Delta toolbar
Facemoods
Qvo6
Search Assistant SearchWeb
Search result
Snap.do
Trovi Search Protect
Vitalia installer

Norton has provided a tool to remove some of these toolbars free of cost.

Hopefully with the information provided here you’ll not be needing a format/reinstall or restore from backup, and if you do end up needing it then hopefully the information here will prepare you for the worst.

Yes. We know. There’s been a lot of inactivity due to a larger focus on the ticket system. We greatly apologize for this and will be making a greater effort to keep this alive.

We now have a ticket system integrated into our site! By going to the link -> http://catsinja.com/ticket/ <- you can create a new ticket or view the progress of your existing ticket. This means that any work done can be easily tracked online right up to completion. Once done you can opt to pick up the device or have it dropped off. Remember that delivery around the town is free but based on availability.