http://www.definitivesolutions.com/bhodemon.htm
Exploits against one's Web browsers are as exquisitely annoying as a hangover, and most are realized through Browser Helper Objects, explained in the indexed site, along with the provision of a tool called BHODemon which allows you to remove unwanted BHO's.
While anti-spyware/adware software is the usual court of first resort in these cases, they don't always work, so having some additional weapons in your arsenal is never a bad idea. Here is a discussion site featuring another BHO-removal tool:
http://wwwspywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html
A tool which prevents homepage hijacking [as, does, incidentally, a buried setting in Spybot Search & Destroy] can be downloaded here:
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/bhblaster.html
Another more general computer security site which offers a forum on BHOs is:
http://www.computercops.biz/index.php
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,114030,tk,dnWknd,00.asp
PCs need maintenance, and it is always useful to have a handy guide to which you can direct students, which this is.
Supporting such a maintenance guide are utilities which help keep your PC in tip-top condition, as reviewed here:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,113743,pg,1,tk,dnWknd,00.asp
One of the first indications that your PC is suffering from some sort of ailment is a gradual slowdown of processes -- here are some tips for reversing that situation:
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,114164,tk,dnWknd,00.asp
Here is another article on PC self-help, along with links to free and commercial sources of information, hardware, and software used in managing and maintaining PCs:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1544176,00.asp
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1523357,00.asp
With spyware [and related browser hijacking] becoming increasingly severe as a problem, the variety of tools to combat it have proliferated. This article discusses a comparative test among 14 anti-spyware programs. Treated as well are the characteristics of spyware, how to avoid it, and how to tell if you have been infected by it. This is a good one-stop-shop for determining resources and strategies for dealing with these pests.
The article should be valuable as a discussion starter for those studying basic InterNet security, as well as giving directions on how to find the best tool to actually use in a given case.
http://www.WindowSecurity.com/pages/article.asp?id=1150
This article looks at four tools used for security scanning and patch management [Shavlik HfnetchkPro, GFI LANguard N.S.S, eEye Retina, and Microsoft SUS], providing a description of their operation, extensive screen shots, and a link to their home page. Given the importance of such tools in network administration, it is useful to expose students to their use, and if licences to teach these tools cannot be arranged, on this site they can at least get some 'look and feel' experience.
http://news.com.com/2009-7344-5157470.html
While much of the focus in open source software development is placed on Linux, open source development of tools and back-end applications is also ongoing, and is becoming a powerful influence in the computing arena. Confusing Linux and open source is therefore not a useful pedagogical tactic. The absorbing thing about open source, as this article reveals, is its Janus nature: IT companies are attracted to it even though it can threaten their core competencies. Yet failure to come to grips with open source may mean corporate extinction anyway, producing a severe dilemma.
http://www.debugmode.com/wink/
"Wink is a Tutorial and Presentation creation software" with a primary focus on creating tutorials on software use. It is a free download, and there is an on-site tutorial to show you how to do it. The application can capture screenshots and export images, executables, or pictures. The output produced is compressed, making typical presentations small.
This is definitely worth trying if you are in the online teaching biz -- it looks like the ideal way to create demo instructions on how to use an application, and might be adapted to teach basic computing skills as well.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1490486,00.asp
A review of Sun's STAR OFFICE v.7 suite which competes with Microsoft's version for a considerably lower price [at least 20% of the cost of OFFICE on an individual licence basis, and nearly 1/3 of that in buys of 10,000 ore more] with considerably more latitude on which machines each copy can be installed, which comes up with a strongly favourable verdict.
The key here is that while usability, capability, performace, manageability, scalability, and security are all rated "good", interoperability is rated "excellent". The only caveat is for those organizations with a lot of VBA [and I would expect, .NET as well] applications integration, who will not be able to make the switch away from Microsoft without considerable pain.
There are two things worth noting about this:
1) There may be a high and hidden cost to using Microsoft development tools, particularly to implement application integration and automation, because you are locking yourself into a monopoly which is clearly out to extract the top dollar possible; and
2) Many of the organizations which will be least affected by such considerations fall in the small/medium/home office category -- this is a large aggregate market which should have every reason to switch rather than fighting, and this is a market which Microsoft has treated and contintues to treat with less than tender loving care. There is a marketing opportunity there [of course, IBM, no mean marketers themselves, got shot down in flames over OS/2, so that is in itself no guarantee] -- one wonders who will take advantage, or if advantage will be taken.
http://www.mywebattack.com/gnomeapp.php?id=106380
The URL indexes a download area for a free, lightweight network scanner which allows you to listen to TCP ports, check for shared drives, and observe a number of network issues which are worth learning about. Good for all flavours of Microsoft Windows. Even better, the download page lists similar freeware programs to try, as well as a sidebar of related categories of software.
There is hours of downloading fun here -- the real fun is trying all these out, and evaluating which works best for the particular learning application you need to support.
A blog which serves as an OS tweaking site with help on a wide variety of operating systems, plus some resources for imaging and Visual Basic. Searchable with news articles and downloads. Well laid-out, with an interesting block showing the IP address you are using to contact the site, the browser being used, and what language is set in the browser.
http://adtmag.com/article.asp?id=8606
While this article mentions the importance of operating system emulation software for developers, the fact is that it is equally important to educators and students [for the latter, it is a particularly elegant solution to home network training]. This article reviews and contrasts the two top contenders: VMWare, which is capable of a wide variety of emulations while being quite costly; and Virtual PC from Microsoft, which currently only emulates Microsoft's OS, but is considerably cheaper.
This software category is one with which applied IT instructors should be familiar.
http://www.macalester.edu/~fines/batch_tricks.htm
Back in the bad old days of DOS ["When men were men, and computers knew their place"], just about the only way to do any repetitive and complex computer task was through batch files programming. While I even have a book on the subject, in fact, my batch file prowess was middling -- but you did have to do it. Even though batch-file programming may now seem as useful as shoeing a horse, there are still places where you might need it, and it does have some intrinsic interest. This site has a whole whack of batch file trickery to admire and adapt.
For those wishing to reach for a more powerful tool more appropriate to GUI interfaces, the following might be worth a look:
KiXtart (http://www.kixtart.org ) is a scripting tool specifically designed for writing logon scripts
Since I do not use it myself, I cannot tell if it promotes rust or not, but those whose bent aligns this way are competent to assess it for themselves.
URL indexes a single floppy distribution Linux firewall designed for Ethernet connections to the Internet (cable or xDSL), allowing connection sharing. This would be a good example of a class project which students could use for home purposes as well, providing extra motivation.
http://www.foundstone.com/resources/freetools.htm
While security tools are useful adjuncts to classroom teaching, their cost can be prohibitive. Here is a link indexing a page of useful security tools for assessment, forensics, intrusion detection, scanning, and stress testing. When the the menu sections are accessed, a page with a short description of each of these utilities displays.
The cost is hard to beat, since they are free.
http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/features/
Search engines have become a standard part of anyone's Web surfing experience. There are lots from which to choose. The link enables the distinctive features of dozens of search engines to be compared, allowing all and sundry to see what's what.
http://www.ertl.jp/ITRON/home-e.html
Things I would never know if I did not surf the Net relentlessly -- turns out the most "popular" OS in the world is not UNIX, not Windows, but ITRON, a Japanese-developed embedded systems operating system which is used in millions of devices in Japan alone. The project home page gives details of the system and news about it, in both Japanese and English.
http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2121720
Article reporting on the first conference on agents in networking, displaying areas of success [principally financial markets] as well as areas where the application is more speculative, but has much broader payoff effects. This area of research is well worth constant attention of networking folks for two reasons:
1) It represents a major opportunity for more effective control of highly complex networks; and
2) If successful, it will cost most of us our jobs.
The agent concept is one which hitherto has not reached its considerable potential, and progress may be about as frustrating as with speech recognition, but it is nevertheless something which could become a dominant feature of our future lives.