Tag Archives: memtest86+

Updates 2011-02-08

Posted on by

Hey folks!

Microsoft released a dozen updates today covering stability and security issues in Windows, Internet Explorer and MS Office. This includes security updates. A restart is required. Use Windows Update to obtain these updates.
  http://update.microsoft.com/

Adobe released critical security updates today for Adobe Reader and Acrobat. Use the Help, Check for Updates function. A restart is required. If you don’t have the current major build of Adobe Reader, get it from:
  http://get.adobe.com/reader

Apple released iMovie 9.0.2, iDVD 7.1.1, and MacBook Air, which consists of primarily stability and compatibility updates. These are not security updates. Use the Apple Updater to get the most current versions of all affected software.

Looking for an upgrade?

As many of you know, I do a lot of local PC and tech support. You wouldn’t believe how often people forget their passwords – or don’t remember how many accounts they have for a certain server. Over the last couple weeks I’ve seen people forgot they had both a personal and a business account at PayPal (and misplaced $2k in one of them), forgot their Gmail passwords (x3!), or suffered due to new and improved password requirements for one service or another that require more complex passwords than they’re used to using.

This is a trend that will only continue to get worse. Instead of relying on your mind to remember your many passwords (difficult!), using the same password everywhere (very insecure and doesn’t always work), and struggling to remember your account details…do yourself a favor and install RoboForm. It’s supported by most operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android and Linux – and in any scriptable browser (pretty much all current browsers). It encrypts and backs up your passwords, too, and helps you keep notes and other information about your accounts – like who your favorite musician was, your first pet and all that stuff so you don’t have to struggle to pay your phone bill just because you were having a “Cindi Lauper day” when you created the account. Hey, it happens to all of us.

Anyway…RoboForm is simply an amazing plugin that I don’t know how I would function without. We manage well over 200 websites with it, in addition to the many product and service websites we use as well. It’s secure, stable, and constantly improved. And you can share your accounts across as many devices as you want for only $10/year (called “RoboForm Everywhere”). Check it out:
  https://12pd.com/click?re

Important Notes

Everything above this section should be checked by everyone on every computer. Chances are good that close to every single computer you touch will be affected by those updates. This is not the case with the items below, though you should still check each line item below to see if it applies to software you have installed.

Please remember that while I list many different applications within these updates, most people should ONLY install updates for a program if they already have a previous version of that program installed.

It is essential to maintain all the applications you have installed on your computer, but often you can minimize the time investment and the potential for exploitation simply by uninstalling software you do not need.

Also note that using the applications own “check for updates” function, when available, will best preserve your current settings, and often avoid any crapware that might come with a fresh installer. Use this option if it’s available to you.

Driver Updates

If you’re using this hardware – these updates are for you.

nVidia 266.58 adds software support for 3DVision to capable hardware, DirectX compatibility details, additional hardware and performance updates. This is not a security update.
  http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index5.aspx?lang=en-us

Email Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

OutlookAttachView 1.56 adds visual improvement to the interface. Recent changes also include the ability to seed the folders you wish to scan through a CSV file to minimize the time required to perform the PST file attachment scan and export. This is not a security update.
  http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/outlook_attachment.html

Internet Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Skype 5.1.0.112 corrects camera issues and crashes at startup for some users. This is not a security fix, but if you have Skype installed, this could make it operate much better.
  http://www.skype.com/intl/en/home

EA Download Manager 7.3.0.87 doesn’t provide a changelog, so it should be treated as a security update. If you have EADM installed, install this update.
  http://eastore.ea.com/store/ea/html/pbPage.welcome

Codec Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Win7 Codec Package 2.7.4 updates included codecs and improves default options. To install the update, you must uninstall and reinstall the application. Don’t forget to uninstall the Bing toolbar this software installs in the background after you install the update. This is not a security update.
  http://shark007.net/win7codecs.html

Win x64 Codec Support 2.7.8 updates included codecs and improves default options. This update applies only to 64-bit computers, and requires either the Win7 Codec Package or the Windows Vista Codec package. Don’t forget to uninstall the Bing toolbar this software installs in the background after you install the update. This is not a security update.
  http://shark007.net/x64components.html

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ImgBurn 2.5.5.0 adds additional hardware support, new logging and performance options, and corrects a DLL load order vulnerability. This is a security update.
  http://imgburn.com/

iTunes 10.1.2 adds important stability and performance improvements. This is not a security update. Use the Apple Updater to install the most current version (preferred), or use the link below:
  http://www.apple.com/itunes/

MPC HC 1.5.0.2827 updates most integrated codecs, and corrects a couple dozen stability, interface and consistency bugs. This build also adds support for additional subtitle handling, QT and alternative processor encoding of media files. This is not a security update. Download the build appropriate to your CPU at the link below:
  http://sourceforge.net/projects/mpc-hc/

VLC Media Player 1.1.7 adds security, codec, demuxer, subtitle and visualization updates. This is a security update. Get the most current build here:
  http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html

Office Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to most people.

OpenOffice.org 3.3.0 adds extended password support, a number of interface changes, better PDF handling, and many bug fixes. This is a security update.
  http://download.openoffice.org/

Notepad++ 5.8.7 corrects the zero-length langs.xml bug that many have experienced with an improper shutdown. If you’ve already experienced the error, you may have to delete the langs.xml file, then reinstall 5.8.7 to get around the bug. This is not a security update.
  http://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Kindle for PC 1.4.1 Build 31629 adds touch support for capable Win7 devices, community commentary, built-in dictionary and improved library management. This is not a security update.
  https://12pd.com/click?kindle4pc

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Fraps 3.2.8 significantly improves performance, 64-bit crash issues, and counter display problems. This is not a security update.
  http://www.fraps.com/

VideoCacheView 1.85 adds support for Firefox 4 Beta. This is not a security update.
  http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/video_cache_view.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 8.0.7.3 improves Blu-ray and PS3 compatibility, and makes several other minor changes. This is not a security update.
  http://www.dvdfab.com/en/download.htm

Any Video Converter 3.18 corrects the DVD menu “burn” bug, optimizes YouTube downloading and improves the Win7 interface. This is not a security update.
  http://www.any-video-converter.com/

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Daemon Tools Lite 4.40.2 fixes BSOD bugs within Advanced Emulation and an error during driver initialization. This is not a security update.
  http://www.daemon-tools.cc/eng/products/dtLite

RoboForm & RoboForm2Go 7.2.0 corrects an initialization bug and a version comparison issue in Chrome. This is not a security update.
  https://12pd.com/click?roboform

Goodsync & Goodsync2Go 8.6.1.1 fixes an NTLM authentication bug, merges processing of Analyze + Sync, and correct an issue in the Browse dialog. This is not a security update.
  https://12pd.com/click?goodsync

CCleaner 3.03.1366 adds multiple additional applications, improved browser, MS Office and Windows Search handling. This is not a security update.
  http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

Speccy 1.08.218 adds additional hardware support, extended OS profiling, improved network details, PCI Data, minor bugfixes and GUI improvements. This is not a security update.
  http://www.piriform.com/speccy

GPU-Z 0.5.1 adds a bunch of new hardware to detection and improves automatic update check. This is not a security update.
  http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/GPU-Z/

LogMeIn Mac 4.00.1162 reduces Java dependencies and improves networking, performance and multiple security improvements, as well as a large number of other changes. This is a security update. Use the LogMeIn Updater to install this update.

Memtest86+ 4.20 adds a failsafe mode (F1 at startup), support for newer hardware and multiple bugfixes. This is not a security update.
  http://www.memtest.org/

NirCmd 2.47 fixes a bug with the sendkeypress command pushing Function keys.
  http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html

Nmap 5.50 greatly extends scripting capabilities, adds echo mode, multiple broadcast scanning scripts, and dozens of other features. This is not a security update.
  http://nmap.org/

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

MySQL x64 5.5.9 adds default authentication support, as well as several dozen bug fixes. This is not a security update.
  http://www.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/

Web Package Updates

These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.

WordPress 3.0.5 is a security update. This version corrects user-escalation vulnerabilities, permissions issues, upload and input sanitization. This is a critical security update.
  http://wordpress.org/download/

BuddyStream 1.0.3.2 corrects import and post-from-forum and reply issues, and updates libraries. This is not a security update.
  http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddystream/

phpMyAdmin 3.3.9.1 corrects a path disclosure vulnerability. This is a security update.
  http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/downloads.php

DotNetNuke 05.06.01 corrects a dozen bugs, adds 301/canonical support, Razor scripting, and Child Portal aliases, as well as multiple security issues. This is a security update.
  http://dotnetnuke.codeplex.com/

That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/

Updates 2010-05-11

Posted on by

Hey folks! Patch Tuesday is here again.

Windows Update this month includes three updates – one for Windows, one for Microsoft Office and one for Outlook Express, Windows Mail, and Windows Live. These are each security updates. Late last month, Microsoft re-released two updates for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. One of the updates addresses random lockups during shutdown. If you’ve experienced this issue, it will automatically be added to your update list the next time you run Windows Update, and is likely already installed. An update to support SD cards larger than 32gb was also released as an optional update. Also updated is the Windows 2000 security update for Windows Media Services.
  http://update.microsoft.com

Apple released security updates for all current versions of OSX as well as updates to Digital Camera Raw Compatibility, Aperture, Final Cut Server, Mac Pro Audio and various driver updates. This includes security updates. Use the “Apple Updater” to get the most recent versions of all the affected software.

___

Looking for an upgrade?

I regularly receive requests for recommendations on upgrades and new computers. This is definitely the season of discontent: It seems everyone has been disappointed with their computer performance recently. Operating systems and applications each consume so many more resources than they did just a couple short years ago. If application developers had anything to say, we’d probably be forced to upgrade our computers every month! While the computer linked below is NOT for everyone, it’s something that has so many features and so much power out of the box, that it would likely last anyone purchasing it at least 5+ years, and for many people, over 10 years.

HP Pavilion Elite HPE-120F Desktop PC
  https://12pd.com/amazon?B00318CG5K
Quad-core 64-bit processor, 1 terabyte drive, 8 gb of RAM, and a video card that supports three simultaneous displays, including DVI + VGA + HDMI. It’s over 20% off right now, weighing in at around $850.

___

Important Notes

Everything above this section should be checked by everyone on every computer. Chances are good that close to every single computer you touch will be affected by those updates. This is not the case with the items below, though you should still check each line item below to see if it applies to software you have installed.

Please remember that while I list many different applications within these updates, most people should ONLY install updates for a program if they already have a previous version of that program installed.

It is essential to maintain all the applications you have installed on your computer, but often you can minimize the time investment and the potential for exploitation simply by uninstalling software you do not need.

Also note that using the applications own “check for updates” function, when available, will best preserve your current settings, and often avoid any crapware that might come with a fresh installer. Use this option if it’s available to you.

___

Driver Updates
If you’re using this hardware – these updates are for you.

nVidia GeForce 197.75 drivers provides support for newer hardware and games, as well as bridging of up to 4 SLI devices and support for 720p output. This is not a security update.
  http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index5.aspx?lang=en-us

ATI Catalyst Drivers 10.4 improve performance on some hardware, correct over a dozen bugs, and adds support for higher resolutions up to 4kx2k on some hardware. This is not a security update.
  http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

___

Security Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

AVG Free Edition 9.0.819 provides several changes to the AVG browser toolbar, including the ability to disable it in IE without removing and reinstalling AVG. This is not a security update.
  http://free.avg.com/us-en/download-avg-anti-virus-free

Avast! Free Antivirus 5.0.545 provides a number of minor bug fixes, including features related to VPN compatibility, Outlook integration and rootkit detection. This is a security update.
  http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

MalwareBytes’ AntiMalware 1.46 improves speed and performance, and corrects several bugs. This is not a security update.
  http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam-download.php

SuperAntiSpyware 4.37.1000 adds blended 32/64 installer, portable scanner, updated scanning engine, and improved rootkit detection. This is not a security update
  http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html

___

Codec Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Win7 Codec Package 2.4.9 updates several codecs. This is a security update.
  http://shark007.net/win7codecs.html

Vista Codec Package 5.6.9 updates several codecs. Note that this package DOES work for Windows XP. This is a security update.
  http://shark007.net/vistacodecpackage.html

Win x64 Codec Components Package 2.5.5 updates several codecs. This is a security update.
  http://shark007.net/x64components.html

___

Internet Updates
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Yahoo! Messenger 10.0.0.1264 is the fourth minor update the the 10.x series. This should be considered a security update.
  http://messenger.yahoo.com/

SmartFTP 4.0.1108.0 adds several new features, more than a dozen bugfixes (including proxy support), and improved security options and settings. This is a security update.
  http://www.smartftp.com/download/

Opera 10.53 corrects several dozen bugs across all aspects of the software, including several issues with broken interfaces after scrolling. This is a security update.
  http://www.opera.com/

Trillian for BlackBerry is in Beta right now, so if you’re an avid Trillian user, as I am, and you’re a BlackBerry user, check it out!
  http://blog.ceruleanstudios.com/?p=1278

Skype 4.2.0.166 corrects over a dozen bugs, primarily stability and reiability issues, as well as at least one crash bug. It also adds HD video, call transfer to another Skype contact, mobile or landline, and call quality tools. This is a security update.
  http://www.skype.com/download/skype/

Miranda 0.8.22 improves default settings with Yahoo and GaduGadu, and bugs within Yahoo, ICQ and zlib. This is a security update.
  http://www.miranda-im.org/download/

AIM 7.2.7.2 adds Facebook support. This is not a security update.
  http://products.aim.com/

Google Earth 5.1.3534 doesn’t provide a changelog, so please assume that it’s a security update. If you have Google Earth installed, update it now.
  http://earth.google.com/

___

Media updates:
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

iTunes 9.1.1 corrects a crash bug when used with some 3rd-party hardware, AAC conversion bugs, as well as several other security and stability issues. This is a security update. Use Apple Updater or download the newest package below:
  http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

QuickTime 7.6.6 is a stability and security update. This is a security update. Use Apple Updater, or download the newest package below:
  http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

Silverlight 4.0.50401.0 is a major version upate, adding offline DRM, advanced databinding, and comprehensive printing support, among other features. This is not a security update.
  http://www.microsoft.com/getsilverlight/

CDBurnerXP 4.3.2.2140 adds multiple media formats, nrg-to-iso conversion, cue player, UDF, language features, and other minor bugfixes. This is not a security update.
  http://www.cdburnerxp.se/

Picasa 3.6 Build 105.65 adds drag and drop in Collage Maker for Mosaic, Frame Mosaic, and Grid. This is not a security update. Use Help, Check for Updates, or download the newest package below:
  http://picasa.google.com/

Paint.NET 3.5.5 corrects a bug when saving 8-bit images, improves performance and adds support for .NET Framework 4.0. This is not a security update.
  http://www.getpaint.net/

IrfanView 4.27 improves performance for many features, including window sizing, keyboard controls, and plugin updates. This is a security update.
  http://www.irfanview.com/

SUPER v2010 build 38 adds IFO/BUP rendering, TAK, JTV and SHN support, and corrects several bugs. This is not a security update.
  http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html#Dnload

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0.3 is a security update. This is a security update.
  http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4610

Adobe InCopy CS4 6.0.5 provides fixes for INCX, Scripting, Tables, Text import, multiple-story placement, the UI, page items, PDF and graphic import, layout and hyperlinks. This is a security update. Use Help, Check for Updates, or download the update package below:
  http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4670

Adobe InDesign CS4 6.0.5 is a compatibility update. This is not a security update. If you do not share files with other users, you may wish to avoid this update, as it can cause some of your placed items to appear to be repositioned. If you publish through a third party, or share files for editing, however, you will want to install this update right away. Use Help, Check for Updates, or download the update package below:
  http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4668

___

Utility Updates
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Goodsync & Goodsync2Go 8.2.5.7 fixes issues with relative path mapping and multi-variant filter. This is not a security update.
  http://www.goodsync.com/download/affs/goodsync-x12pd.exe

UpdateChecker 1.037 from FileHippo was released yesterday, adding multi-language support. This is not a security update.
  http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/

HijackThis 2.0.4 fixes a couple parsing bugs which might result in incomplete scans. This is not a security update.
  http://free.antivirus.com/hijackthis/

CCleaner 2.31.1153 improves performance and support for several applications, fixes several bugs, and improves cookie handling interface. This is not a security update.
  http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

Microsoft has released updates to several SysInternals utilities, including AccessChk, LiveKd, and LogonSessions. This is not a security update.
  http://www.sysinternals.com/

Wireshark 1.2.8 adds several additional protocols, corrects various parsing issues, and fixes a number of bugs, including crash and overrun bugs. This is a security update.
  http://www.wireshark.org/

Slingshot 1.1 adds the ability to disable the URL shortening service. This is not a security update.
  http://slingshot.commanigy.com/

Memtest86+ 4.10 adds support for the i7, i5, i3 and AMD 6-core processors, as well as various other hardware updates. Corrects a crash bug, and several other bugs, and now provides a USB-key installer.
  http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

___

Developer updates:
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

TortoiseSVN 1.6.8 corrects about a dozen bugs, including several crash bugs and reliability for cloning and copying trees. This is not a security update.
  http://tortoisesvn.net/downloads

___

Web Package Updates:
These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.

phpMyAdmin 3.3.3 corrects a dozen bugs, mostly cosmetic in nature. This is not a security update.
  http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/downloads.php

That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/

Updates 2009-10-13

Posted on by

Hey folks!

Patch Tuesday has come again, including anywhere from three to thirteen updates for Windows and Office. If you haven’t installed these updates already, do so now. These are security updates.
  http://update.microsoft.com/
Please be sure to install all the necessary “optional” updates, which can only be included if you select “Custom” or “view available updates” when the page initially loads.

Yet another critical security vulnerability has been discovered in multiple Adobe products. Exploits are actively being published by malicious websites and are, unfortunately, being promoted through ads and into pages within the “top ten results” on most search engines. If you have ANY Adobe products installed (Adobe Acrobat, Reader, Flash, Shockwave, AIR, or others), you are hereby warned to be *very careful* online and scan your machine often. If it starts to misbehave, or if you are unable to use the updating functionality within any of the programs, you are advised to shut your computer off immediately and seek technical assistance. At least one of these vulnerabilities can be avoided by disabling the Javascript parsing within Adobe Reader (which should be done ANYWAY!), but that will not prevent infection from the other vectors.

Adobe says they “may” release updates to correct this issue today and that they “may” not be able to release patches until next month. In either case, check for updates early and often. Checking on a daily basis until these patches are released does not make you Chicken Little. 🙂

Apple has released quite a few updates this month, including “security, stability and bug fix” updates for:
  Mac OSX 10.6.1
  Patch 2009-005 for all other OSX versions
  iTunes 9.0.1
  QuickTIme 7.6.4
  Various Mac hardware drivers & firmware updates
  iWork 9.0.3
  Logic Express & Pro 9.0.1, and 9.0.2
  Main Stage 2.0.1
  Apple Remote Desktop 3.3
As usual, you can access these updates through the Apple Updater for those applications you have installed, and can access the website below to install additional features and applications:
  http://support.apple.com/downloads/

Trillian released patches for the Yahoo plugin, as well as opening a new beta for the Astra series (4.1). This is a security update. If you are using Trillian you should use the Help, Check for Updates feature to install either the 4.0.118 or 3.1.14 version. Or get it here:
  http://trillian.im/

Skype 4.1.0.179 corrects a security issue within the extras manager, and fixes a freezing bug within the video shortly after video starts to play. If you have Skype installed, install this update before you launch Skype again.
  http://www.skype.com/download/skype/

FileZilla 3.2.8 & FileZilla 3.2.8.1 both came out over the weekend, resolving a couple crash bugs, cosmetic issues and introducing a new method of resuming uploads for certain types of servers. If FileZilla is your FTP client of choice, you can use the internal “Help, Check for Updates” feature, or download the installer here:
  http://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client

Notepad++ 5.5.1 fixes some memory leaks, and adds “.txt” to new text documents, among other minor changes. As “simple” text editors go, I’m more and more impressed with Notepad++ each time I explore the features. If you need use Notepad even remotely as often as I do, consider playing with this. It’s a perfectly capable HTML (and many other script) editor, with hundreds of additional features you’ll need – uh – someday. 🙂
  http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm

Google’s browser, Chrome, had another milestone as it released yet another patch for a non-interactive vulnerability. Version 3.0.195.24, update now if you have Chrome installed, corrects this, while the 4.x branch remains in beta.
  http://www.google.com/chrome/

NVidia released the next minor build of their driver platform, Forceware 191.07, with WHQL certification. It’s a large update, but if you’re using any video-intensive games or applications, this could increase performance on your machine, if, of course, you have an NVidia video card.
  http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Media updates:
Most people only require one or two of the following applications.

Picasa 3.5 was released last week, introducing better image tagging and tag management, as well as what Google describes as “better sync support.” While I wouldn’t rely on most software-based image synchronization tools, Picasa has proven itself within my own toolset, so I do intend to give it a chance. If you’re just now getting into digital photography, this would probably be the best way to go.
  http://picasa.google.com/

CDBurnerXP 4.2.6.1706 was released earlier this month, adding support for additional audio formats and CD-Text. This is not a security update.
  http://cdburnerxp.se/en/download

Vista Codecs 5.4.6 was released, correcting issues with certain AVI subtypes, MKV and patching the Gabests and ffdshow filters. Since it includes the ffdshow patch, it should be considered a security update – but should ONLY be installed if you’re using a previous version of this codec package, or none at all.
  http://shark007.net/

ImgBurn 2.5.0.0 is a free, powerful and quite extensive media burner. While CDBurnerXP supports many of the same features, some things are just simpler in ImgBurn:
  http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download

DVDFab 6.0.7.0 was released a couple weeks ago, primarily performance updates. This is not a security update.
  http://www.dvdfab.com/download.htm

If you don’t trust Apple anymore than I do, you’re probably using QuickTime Alternative – and they’ve released version 3.0.0 this last week. This is an update to the core processing, so it could correct issues you are having with newer quicktime-based files. However, it is not a security update, and since it’s the first release of the 3.x branch, I would be wary of installing it until the first patch is released.
  http://www.filehippo.com/download_quicktime_alternative/

Utility updates:
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Filehippo has released UpdateChecker 1.035, again, touting “internal performance improvements.” Had I not seen and used this myself months ago – and experienced problems with the UpdateChecker program as a result, I’d have a little more faith. The bytes are different, so it could be that they simply mis-labeled something at some point. It seems to be stable enough, now:
  http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/

Sun has released VirtualBox 3.0.8.53140, correcting more than thirty issues, though most are things few people would experience. It does include security updates. If you’re using VirtualBox, you should install the update – especially if you’re one of the few that had it stop working on them completely when installing 3.0.6. Oops. 🙂
  http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

I released Syncaid 1.1.0.4 two weeeks ago, introducing several new features and correcting a bug that affected the use of both the “child” and “extract” options simultaneously. New features include “last”, “limit”, “type” as an alias for “extensions”, “assume” is now treated as an array (as are several others). Read more here:
  https://saferpc.info/syncaid/

The SysInternals team has released several updates to their tools package including an important update to Autoruns, and a new feature “Disk2vhd” which enables you to create a virtual machine from the *running* operating system on your computer! This is something that will save me hours of porting machines through various P2V and VM applications. If you have been keeping an older machine around because the new one just doesn’t support one of the applications you “need” to run on it – consider using this tool as an alternative. It’ll save you electricity, space, and frustration.
  http://sysinternals.com/

MyDefrag 4.2.2, yet another defragmentation tool, was released last week. While I normally don’t pay any attention to defragmentation tools anymore (they’re rarely really necessary on newer computers – and can take quite a while to run if you’re using even a significant portion of your newer hard drive), this one really got my attention when I read that it can run as a screen saver. Quite an ingenious use of processing time, while making sure it’s as hands-off as you want it to be.
  http://www.filehippo.com/download_MyDefrag/

MemTest86+ released their first major version, 4.0, in years. This version reduces the time for the first pass, which is often all that is necessary if you suspect bad memory on a machine. It can reduce the detection time from an hour to only a few minutes if RAM is bad, and still provides the “let it run forever” mode to give you the peace of mind that can only be obtained from running memory diagnostics iteratively for several hours and numerous passes.
  http://www.memtest.org/

Web Package Updates
These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.

phpMyAdmin 3.2.2.1 and 2.11.9.6 were released yesterday. These are security releases for an attack that is active and in the wild. If you have phpMyAdmin installed, update NOW:
  http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/downloads.php

eCommerceTemplates 5.8.3 was released for both ASP and PHP, including over 20 updates, several of them directly related to correct processing of payments. You should update immediately to correct validation and potentially failed transaction issues…however, be aware that some users are complaining that this patch is preventing some of their customers from accessing their own profiles. That might be enough to make me wait for 5.8.4. 🙂
  http://www.ecommercetemplates.com/updaters.asp

Whew. Isn’t that enough for now? Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/