Bryans Blog

If you have been noticing those pop-ups that alert you to an update of either Adobe Reader or Adobe Flash, do not ignore it.  These updates address critical issues that could affect the security of your PC (and your companies PC’s).  The updates take less than 5 mins to download and install and may require a reboot, but in the time it takes it update and reboot will be much better than cleaning up a compromised PC or network.

The same goes for Windows Updates.  Microsoft puts out security and program updates every 3rd Thursday of the month. For very critical updates, deemed important for a sooner release, they will be released on a daily or weekly basis.  Having these updates installed will protect not only you and your PC, but your companies servers and possibly everyone in your address book also.

If you have any questions about an update, call 800-672-4806 or email the CCS Retail Systems Support Department to address your questions or concerns

-Bryan

From an article originally published at http://webworkerdaily.com by Simon Mackie

"I’m always amazed that more people don’t know the little tricks you can use to get more out of a simple Google search. Here are 10 of my favorites.

1.Use the “site:” operator to limit searches to a particular site. I use this one all the time, and it’s particularly handy because many site’s built-in search tools don’t return the results you’re looking for (and some sites don’t even have a search feature). If I’m looking for WWD posts about GTD, for example, I could try this search: GTD site:webworkerdaily.com.

2.Use Google as a spelling aid. As Rob Hacker — the WWD reader I profiled last week — pointed out, entering a word into Google is a quick way to see if you have the right spelling. If it’s incorrect, Google will suggest the correct spelling instead.

Additionally, if you want to get a definition of a word, you can use the “define:” operator to return definitions from various dictionaries (for example, define: parasympathetic).

3.Use Google as a calculator. Google has a built-in calculator — try entering a calculation like 110 * (654/8 + 3). Yes, your computer also has a calculator, but if you spend most of your day inside a browser, typing your calculation into the browser’s search box is quicker than firing up your calculator app.

4.Find out what time it is anywhere in the world. This one’s really handy if you want to make sure that you’re not phoning someone in the middle of the night. Just search for “time” and then the name of the city. For example, try: time San Francisco

5.Get quick currency conversions. Google can also do currency conversion, for example: 100 pounds in dollars. It only has the more mainstream currencies, though — if you’re trying to see how many Peruvian nuevos soles your dollars might buy, you’ll be out of luck.

6.Use the OR operator. This can be useful if you’re looking at researching a topic but you’re not sure which keywords will return the information you need. It can be particularly handy in conjunction with the “site:” operator. For example, you could try this search: GTD or “getting things done” site:webworkerdaily.com

7.Exclude specific terms with the – operator. You can narrow your searches using this operator. For example, if you’re looking for information about American Idol but don’t want anything about Simon Cowell, you could try: “american idol” -cowell

8.Search for specific document types. Google can search the web for specific types of files using the “filetype:” operator. If you’re looking for PowerPoint files about GTD, for example, you could try: GTD filetype:ppt

9.Search within numerical ranges using the .. operator. Say, for example, you want to look for information about Olympic events that took place in the 1950’s, you could use this search: Olympics 1950..1960

10.Area code lookup. Need to know where a phone number is located? Google will let you know where it is, and show you a map of the area, too. For example: 415"

So..If you were ever wondering if the spelling on your resume is correct, type it into Google to double check if your spell checker is not giving you what you would expect.  Google can do more than what is listed here, give some different things a try and I bet you will be surprised that a search engine can do more that just "search".

As always, if you have PC or System questions email the CCS Retail Systems Support Department or call 800-672-4806

-Bryan

According to Symantec (The makers of Norton Anti-Virus and other Security Software), Seattle is the riskiest city for cybercrime.  There’s a downside to being one of the country’s most tech-savvy cities – being more vulnerable to cyberattacks. The most vulnerable, actually. According to a new study from Symantec, the anti-malware company, Seattle is the "riskiest" city in the U.S. for cybercrime. Our neighbor to the south, Portland, was No. 10.

Here’s the top-10 list:

Seattle
Boston
Washington, D.C.
San Francisco
Raleigh, N.C.
Atlanta
Minneapolis
Denver
Austin, Texas
Portland, Ore.

"At the top of the rankings," Symantec’s news release states, "Seattle claims the dubious distinction of America’s leading riskiest cybercrime city. Placing near the top in categories such as cyberattacks and potential infections; online behavior that can expose people more to cybercrime, such as online shopping and banking online; and wireless Internet access."

The rankings were based on Symantec Security Response data and outside research by research firm Sperling’s BestPlaces. In general, less-wired cities ranked lower. Detroit came in last because they were "less likely to participate in risky online behavior," Symantec said.

Here are the rest of the rankings:

11. Honolulu
12. Charlotte, N.C.
13. Las Vegas
14. San Diego
15. Colorado Springs, Colo.
16. Sacramento, Calif.
17. Pittsburgh
18. Oakland, Calif.
19. Nashville-Davidson, Tenn.
20. San Jose, Calif.
21. Columbus, Ohio
22. Dallas
23. Kansas City, Mo.
24. New York City
25. Indianapolis
26. Albuquerque, N.M.
27. Miami
28. Omaha, Neb.
29. Virginia Beach, Va.
30. Los Angeles
31. Cincinnati
32. Houston
33. St. Louis, Mo.
34. Phoenix
35. Chicago
36. Baltimore
37. Oklahoma City
38. Philadelphia
39. Jacksonville, Fla.
40. Tulsa, Okla.
41. San Antonio
42. Milwaukee
43. Cleveland
44. Tuscon, Ariz.
45. Long Beach, Calif.
46. Fort Worth, Texas
47. Fresno, Calif.
48. Memphis, Tenn.
49. El Paso, Texas
50. Detroit

Do you agree with these results?  Check out the new CCS Retail Systems User Forum (registration required) and voice your opinion.  I believe that the more people go online they will have a greater chance of being infected naturally.  Also being one of the most "tech-savvy" cities should mean that "we" are smarter than the average user and should know how to protect ourselves.

-Bryan

On March 15, 1985, a Massachusetts computer-systems firm registered the first ".com" Internet domain name.

Although Symbolics.com didn’t spark an instant gold rush, the event planted the first seed of a transformation that has changed the world into a Web-fueled digital river of news, commerce and social interaction.

On Monday, exactly 25 years later, life B.C — Before .Com — is already a distant memory, especially in tech-centric areas.

In 1985, only six entities registered a .com, one of six top-level domain names created a year earlier in a reorganization of the early Internet’s naming bureaucracy. At the time, .cor (short for corporate) almost beat .com as the designation for commercial Internet addresses.

Do you remember "life B.C"?  Register and sign up for Author status here.  CCS Retail Systems and our customers would love to hear your comments and stories.

-Bryan

Adapted from an story published in the Seattle PI

A Microsoft researcher has won the $250,000 Turing Award, one of technology’s most coveted prizes, for his work helping design and build what is widely considered the first modern personal computer.

While at Xerox Corp.’s famed Palo Alto Research Center, or PARC, in the 1970s, Charles Thacker led the hardware development for the Alto, which featured innovative display and other technologies that helped inspire future generations of computers.

Thacker, 67, was also co-inventor of the Ethernet networking technology for connecting computers.

The Turing Award is funded by Google Inc. and Intel Corp. It is named for the mathematician Alan Turing.

For system or pc questions call the CCS Retail Support Department at 800-672-4806 or email us.

-Bryan

 

Radiant has officially released the new P1515 POS terminal!

The Radiant P1515 Point-of-Sale is the newest member in the Radiant Systems family of open retail platforms. The terminal utilizes Intel’s ATOM processor, 945GSE chipset. The highly efficient ATOM processor offers great performance, but with lower power consumption for a more reliable design.

Open Platform Highlights
o Standard Intel Architecture
o Industry standard storage (Hard drive or uSSD), DDR2 memory, and USB/RS232 connectivity
o Multiple operating systems including Windows Embedded Standard and Windows Embedded POS Ready
o OPOS drivers available

The countertop enclosure provides many benefits, including a small footprint and multiple mounting options. The cable management system provides for ease of installation, controlled access to connectors, and concealed cable routing for better reliability. This all-in-one solution provides very tight integration of core point-of-sale hardware including a touch screen, magnetic stripe reader, and much more. This package includes a 15” active matrix, color, 1024X768 main display with a resistive touch screen. The 15” display is a 56% increase in surface area over the 12” models which allows for faster transactions due to less toggling between application screens, more application design flexibility, and better resolution. The bright active matrix screen provides the best possible display quality, with excellent contrast and brightness.

The P1515 resistive touch screen provides a very durable, accurate, and fast touch interface even with a gloved hand or stylus.
The P1515 offers several connectivity options including two RJ12, two DB9, four USB, and one dedicated cash drawer port. This provides expansion capabilities if new devices/peripherals need to be supported without having to buy an add-on expander. Also, the powered serial ports eliminate the need for power bricks, thereby reducing another point of potential failure.

The retail hardened design offers a spill resistant, high impact enclosure that is built to withstand tough in-store conditions with continuous operation. The fanless configuration increases reliability by preventing forced air through the unit, thereby reducing contaminants in the system. The P1515 can be configured as a silent, thin-client, fanless, solid-state terminal for maximum reliability.
The P1515 supports multiple operating systems including Windows Embedded Standard and Windows Embedded POS Ready. The P1515 provides full support for TCP/IP networking on a 10/100/1000 BaseT Ethernet network.

Product Stability.
By using Intel’s embedded processor family, the P1515 offers

guaranteed product stability for many years unlike traditional consumer desktop and mobile PCs that have short processor life spans of only a few months. This benefit provides a consistent configuration which is critical for rollouts that might last several years.

Features and Benefits

Intel Atom N270 (1.6Ghz)
Fast performance, very low power, and support for multiple operating systems. Long lifecycle commitment from Intel.

Intel 945GSE Chipset
Fast, high-bandwidth 533mhz front-side bus. Supports dual, independent video displays, USB 2.0, and up to 2 GB of 400/533 MHz DDR2 system memory. Intel® DVMT 3.0 supports up to 224 MB shared video memory.

Radiant countertop enclosure
Fully integrated, low-profile, water and tamper resistant housing for high functional retail interaction

CableStrap™ System
Cable management system that uses a cable strap to secure cable connections for better reliability

Dual-Bulb, Active Matrix, XGA LCD primary display
Excellent brightness, contrast, and color depth. Enables the proper display of high-quality graphics to ease use and decrease training time for retail employees or to directly engage the consumer

Software-adjustable brightness and contrast control for main display
Better display characteristics for user as well as significantly increased bulb life for main display

Integrated resistive touch screen controller
Resistive screen offers low-cost option with superb ease of use. Can be used with instruments other than fingertip, very high durability, does not “drift” over time.

Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR)
Integrated 3-Track encrypted MSR for credit and loyalty cards.

3.5” Hard Drive or Flash Storage options
3.5” large capacity 160GB hard drive for high reliability and greater mass storage or solid-state disk drives.

System Management features
Supports ACPI, SMBIOS, DMI, SNMP, WfM, and PXE. Also supports metering, remote desktop, remote execution, BIOS update, system inventory and asset management.

4 serial ports (2 RJ12 powered and 2 DB9 non-powered)
Provides data I/O with any RS-232 peripheral and power, minimizing failure points

4 USB 2.0 ports
Provides data I/O with any USB peripheral. Fast data rates with USB 2.0 at 480 Mbps

1 Dedicated Cash Drawer Ports (RJ9 12v)
Provides port for direct drive cash drawers (12 volt)

 

1 DVI port
Provides port for second display (digital or analog)

If you would like more information or pricing on the new P1515, or any other Radiant Systems hardware or software, email the CCS Retail Systems Sales Team or call 800-672-4806.

Have A Great Weekend
-Bryan

Adapted from a Seattle PI article.
 

It’s not all sequins, triple lutzes and Apollo Ohno – viruses and malware are lurking for fans of Olympic skating events.

According to a study by Internet security company McAfee, six of the top 10 most dangerous Olympic athletes to run a search on are competing in skating events – from speed-skating to ice dancing.

"The Olympics presents the perfect opportunity for cyber criminals who know people around the world will be searching for stats and images of their favorite athletes," Shane Keats, Research Analyst at McAfee, said in a news release.

Tops on the list: American speed-skater Jennifer Rodriguez. McAfee says searching for Rodriguez "poses a one in four chance of being infected with a virus, spyware or adware."

Japanese long-track speed-skater Sayuri Osuga was second.

Other Americans on the list include figure skater Sasha Cohen (who is not competing in these games), hockey player Jack Johnson and ice dancer Ben Agosto.

The study found that female athletes are more dangerous to search than males, which doesn’t explain why Agosto made the list but his partner, Tanith Belbin, did not. Go Figure.

If you need help checking your system and making sure your A/V signatures are up to-date, call or email CCS Retail.

-Bryan

There is a new virus/malware out that could cause problems with your emails.  Once your PC is infected it will send out tons of spam messages that will more than likely get your company or home PC’s "black-listed" for sending spam.  Being black-listed is not the end of the world but it will keep you from sending emails.  Your emails will be returned because your Internet address is put on a list (The Black List) that email servers check to make sure you are not a spammer.  Once on the black-list you will need to make sure your PC is clean and visit the site that blacklisted you and follow the steps they require to have your IP or mail server removed from the black-list.

The file name of this new virus is "netuza32.exe" and is usually located in your start-up folder (i.e. C:\documents and settings\programs\startup). As with most virus/malware it is possible that the name and/or location might change.  After deleting the file, updated scanning tools must be run to get the rest of the malware removed.  Just deleting the file will NOT clean your PC.

If the scanning does not find any other infections or files, you will probably need to take your PC to a professional to complete the cleaning.  If your PC is not completely clean, with the next reboot you will notice the the "netuza32.exe" file is back sending spam once again.  Since this virus/malware is fairly new, it may take a couple of days for all the AV/Spyware makers to update their virus patterns to detect and remove this threat.

If you think you are infected, remove your PC from the network ASAP and start cleaning or call the CCS Retail System Support Department @ 800 672 4806 or email me to discuss either picking up your machine or help removing this pest.

-Bryan

Have you ever plugged in your USB flash drive and it does not show up in Windows Explorer?  There could be a couple of reasons for this.  If your computer has more than 1 drive installed (which most do), or you have another USB device plugged in your problem could be a simple fix.  Windows remembers what drive letter it assigns to removable drives (USB Flash Drives, External USB connected devices). When you plug in your USB drive Windows assigns it a drive letter, lets say the letter "G".  The next time you plug in your drive it will assign the letter "G" again. If you have not used your USB drive in a while and you have plugged in a external hard drive for your backups which you leave plugged in,  Windows will assigned it the letter "G".  When you plug in your USB drive you may not find it.

What has happened is that Windows wants to assign your USB drive the letter "G" but your backup drive has taken that letter.  The fix will require you to change the drive letter of either your backup drive or the USB drive.  To accomplish this, you can use the built-in tools in Windows "Drive Management" console.  This can be accessed in Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 by right clicking "My Computer" then selecting "Manage".  This will open the Computer Management snap-in.  From there you will see the "Disk Management" utility.  You should be able to right click on one of the external drives for the option to change the drive letter.  After this is complete, the next time you plug in one of those drives it will remember which letter you choose.This is the most common reason for a USB drive not showing up.  

I found another reason by a trial and error troubleshooting.  CCS has a customer who uses USB Flash drives to backup the daily documents they work on. After a user installed a USB printer the drive stopped showing up in where it was normally found.  This was just a basic printer, no media card readers (which do get assigned a drive letter), no scanner, just a printer.  After checking the Disk Management settings, I noticed that the drive did not show up at all.  The culprit was the power supply of the computer. 

Most USB Flash drives (as well as some other USB Devices) get power from the computer rather than a separate power supply.  Even though the printer did have its own power supply, it still received enough power from the PC to cause the flash drive to not receive any power. It acted like it was broken. Once the printer was unplugged from the USB port, and the Flash Drive plugged in, it was able to be accessed as usual. Sound weird? You betcha… I would have never guessed that a USB device with an external power source could drain enough power from the PC to cause a USB drive not to work. But believe me, I have seen weirder things transpire by adding a simple device to a PC.

If you have any questions about your system, send me an email or call the CCS Support Department at 800-672-4806. We are here to help.

-Bryan

Over the last couple of weeks, I have had a few customers ask about PC Maintenance Programs.  Programs that scan the registry, temp folders/files and clean your system so it may boot faster or run faster all around. As there are many of these types of programs around, research should be done before choosing one.  Like many "system scanning" programs, it will usually take more than one to completely "clean" your system.

I will recommend a few of these programs for you, but I do encourage you to do a little research before just downloading and running these programs.  I would read some of the user reviews to see the pros and cons of each program to decide if a particular program is right for you and your system.

Most of the Maintenance Programs do pretty much the same thing you can do manually, with the exception of registry "cleaning". They will do things like clean out your temporary Internet files, your cookies, and check for broken shortcuts that were not deleted during an uninstall of a program.  They will scan the registry for broken links. 

You must be careful when messing around with the registry. One wrong move, whether done manually or with a program, can render your system unbootable or unusable. Back in Windows 95/98, registry cleaning was more of an issue.  Microsoft has come a long way since then. Although there still is a registry, it has less of an effect on boot times than it did a few years ago.

I’m one of those type of people who believes if it is not broke, don’t fix it when it comes to registry "cleaning". Because of the damage that can be done, I’m not trying to scare anyone into not using these programs, I just want to be sure you understand what they do.

If you don’t want to use a program to "clean" your PC, there are some things that can be done by you with just a few minutes of your time.  Internet Explorer has tools that allow you to delete cookies, temp files, and history.  They can be found in the Internet Options Properties by clicking the Tools settings with Internet Explorer open.

If you have Windows XP, or newer, you can run a defrag on your hard drive using the disk management snap-in. Defraging will "re-align" the files and folders for faster access.  You should uninstall any programs you no longer need, using the add/remove program option in your control panel.  A Google search on the programs you have installed can help you decide whether you still need the software on not.  It is best to do all the removals and cleanups before defragging your system to get the most value from it..

If you are interested in programs to do much of the above tasks for you, here are some recommended software you can take a look at.  These come in shareware or commercial professional versions.

·         Glary Utilities: http://www.glaryutilities.com/gu.html 

·         Innovative Solutions: http://www.innovative-sol.com/products.htm

·         Ccleaner: http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

If you have any experience with any of these or other programs, I’m sure CCS and our other customers would like to hear about them.  Register for free at www.ccscentral.com and write a review or your experience with these tools in the CCS website blog area.

As always, if you have any questions, send me an email or call the CCS Support Department at 800-672-4806.

-Bryan