I wish I’d posted this last week, since many of us see one set of relatives at Thanksgiving and a different set at Christmas (and perhaps New Year’s). Here are things you can do as preventative maintenance for relatives whose computers could use a little help. Read more
Hostsman makes it easy to block malware with a hosts file
I’ve written before about using the hosts file to block domains that are hosting malware. The idea is pretty simple. There’s a known list of domains that are either hosting or controlling malware, so by blocking your computer from accessing those domains, you make it much harder to get infected in the first place, and in the event that you do get infected, at least you block access to the command and control servers.
The problem is that Windows doesn’t make this easy. Well, I found an easy way: Hostsman. You can have it up and running in minutes.
Update: Don’t mess around with hosts files. It’s more efficient and more effective to change DNS servers instead.
Getting a proper Start button back even when Microsoft doesn’t want to give one
Are you putting off switching to Windows 8.1 because you don’t want to relearn everything from scratch that you’ve known since 1995? I saw Windows 8.1 on Thanksgiving, and you have to do some asinine downward swipe with the mouse to bring up Control Panel. Yeah, that’s easier.
But even though Microsoft insists on shooting itself in the foot with a nuclear missile, Classic Shell fixes what Microsoft refuses to fix. Want Windows 8 to act like Windows 7? No problem. Want it to look like XP? Yeah, you can even do that.
So I highly recommend it. Yes, Windows 8.1 with Classic Start. Here’s why. Read more
Upgrading a D-Link DIR-615 to DD-WRT
Last year I bought my mother in law a D-Link router, an oddball DIR-615 revision E1 that was only sold at a few stores. It was supposed to be a Fry’s exclusive, but I bought hers at Micro Center. It worked for a while, then gave her trouble, so this year I was working with it again, and when I was setting it up, I noticed it had some security vulnerabilities–remote code execution, UPnP vulnerabilities, and who knows what else. So that got me some practice upgrading a D-Link DIR-615 to DD-WRT.
DD-WRT’s track record and attitude towards security research could be better, but I’d rather trust my mother in law to DD-WRT’s B+ security than D-Link’s F.
An easy fix for a Lionel ZW with dead posts
I helped someone troubleshoot a Lionel Trainmaster ZW transformer this week, because my Lionel ZW transformer had exactly the same problem. It seems like it’s pretty common, so maybe others have the problem too.
The Lionel ZW, as you may know, has four pairs of posts on the back for power. You can use it to run four trains, but what many people do is use the inner posts to power accessories and fine-tune the voltage output. The problem with my ZW was that one of the pairs of posts didn’t work. Sometimes two of them might not work.
Here’s a slick trick to try, and if it works, the fix is super cheap and easy and doesn’t require you to open it up. Read more
Beware the Black Friday electronics
Ars Technica ran an aptly timed article today called How to talk your family out of bad consumer electronics purchases. (link removed in retaliation for Conde Nast’s 11/3/2025 layoffs–sorry not sorry) It’s definitely worth a read, to steer you away from bad Black Friday electronics.
There’s a great tip in the article. If a doorbuster item has a model number that isn’t available the rest of the year, you don’t want it. That’s a good rule.
A Thanksgiving story that will make you laugh so hard you’ll cry
Last night, Rob O’Hara made cookies. Then he wrote about it. Many of Rob’s projects turn out spectacular. His cookies? Well, nobody will mistake him for Martha Stewart. I quote:
I handed the tray to Susan and said “make these into cookies!” and she did by placing in the oven and later removing them.
You’ll have to read the rest over at Rob’s place.
And it looks like OCZ is no more
Last night I saw reports that OCZ’s main creditor is forcing it to liquidate, and OCZ has an agreement to sell most of its assets to Toshiba.
How to get started in regulatory compliance
Testing gift electronics before wrapping them is an excellent idea
The late, great Consumerist blog recommended testing a Playstation 4 before gifting it. That’s always a good idea anyway, given that most failures happen very early in the life of an electronics gadget. If they survive the first 24 hours, they are much more likely to have a long life. It’s a good idea with any game console, such as a Nintendo Switch.
This is called burning in.