IT

Genuine Windows Validation Error with Microsoft Security Essentials

Genuine Windows Validation Error with Microsoft Security Essentials
I cannot get Microsoft Security Essentials because I am getting the Genuine Windows validation errors.
Steven
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Answer

This issue may occur if the WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) engine does not have permission to access the data.dat file. In order to confirm this point and resolve the issue, let’s refer to the following steps:

1. Log on to the computer using an Administrator user account
2. Click Start and click My Computer
3. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options
4. Click the View tab.
5. Under Hidden files and folders, check on Show hidden files and folders
6. Click to clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box, and then click OK
7. We will find the file named data.dat under the following folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data

8. Right-click the data.dat file, and click Properties
9. Click theSecurity tab

 

Note: If the “Security” tab cannot be viewed, please refer to the information after Step 12.

10. Click Advanced

11. In the Name tab, please check if Everyone is listed. If so, please click the Exit button, and check on Full Control. If Everyone is not listed, please click the Add button, enter the name Everyone (without the quotation marks), press Enter from the keyboard, choose Full Control in the pop-up window, and click OK.

12. Please click OK to accept the changes

Please also check the information below regarding viewing of the Security Tab in Window XP Professional Edition.

Note: You will need to restart your computer into Safe Mode to be able to view the Security Tab. To do this, repeatedly press F8 after restarting your computer. Select Safe Mode and log into Windows with an Administrator account.

1.   Click Start, and click My Computer
2.   On the Tools menu, click Folder Options
3.   In the View tab, uncheck the option Use simple file sharing (Recommended) at the bottom of the list

Click OK

Keith
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Original

MAC Defender fake antivirus program for Apple Macs

Do not click continue if you see this!!!!!   It is a scam to steal your credit card details.

Images from intego.com

For more details http://blog.intego.com/2011/05/02/intego-security-memo-macdefender-fake-antivirus/

also here http://www.businessinsider.com/mac-defender-virus-scanner

Gmail Access Methods and Login Link URLs

If you’re using Gmail, also known as Google mail, a free Webmail and POP3 e-mail service provided by Google, you may be familiar with this url:http://www.gmail.com/. However, the URL or link location is just one of the many ways or methods where you can access your Gmail inbox or account mailbox. Due to enhancement of features, naming issues and cross platform Gmail availability, there are plenty of Gmail access URLs and access methods that you can remember and use.

Here is a list of possible Gmail login access URLs:

  1. http://www.gmail.com/ – The public Gmail domain which is for universal access on PC or mobile device. Although the page is non-SSL, the login process is secured.
  2. https://www.gmail.com/ – The Gmail SSL universal login page for computer or mobile browsers.
  3. http://mail.google.com/mail/ – Gmail canonical URI which is the URI you most likely to see after login to Gmail webmail interface. This URL can be used on PC as well as portable mobile phone devices. It becomes simple HTML mode depending on the browser used to access it.
  4. https: //mail.google.com/mail/ – Same as above, but the secure SSL version.
  5. http://gmail.google.com/gmail/ – Old canonical URI.
  6. https://gmail.google.com/gmail/ – Old canonical secure SSL URI.
  7. https://mail.google.com/mail/?nocheckbrowser – Force Gmail to load in standard interface without checking for the type of web browser. Normally Gmail will check for supported browser, and if none is found, it will automatically load with simple Basic HTML interface mode.
  8. http://gmail.google.com/gmail?nocheckbrowser – Old URI or link location of the above.
  9. https://mail.google.com/mail/?nochat – Force Gmail to load in Standard Gmail interface without chat services.
  10. https://gmail.google.com/gmail/?nochat – Old URL of the above.
  11. http://mail.google.com/mail/h/ – Simple or Basic HTML mode.
  12. https://mail.google.com/mail/h/ – Secure SSL Gmail webmail that automatically load into Basic HTML interface.
  13. http://m.gmail.com – Link for Gmail Mobile interface optimized for portable wireless phone devices or PDA.
  14. http://mail.google.com/mail/x/ – Another link URL for mobile wireless devices.
  15. https://mail.google.com/mail/x/ – Secure SSL edition of the above link.
  16. https://mail.google.com/mail/feed/atom/ – Gmail inbox feed URL for reading with Atom Feed or RSS reader.
  17. Gmail for mobile devices or mobile phones – A Java client app that downloaded to mobile devices and provides advance Gmail user interface, synchronization of emails in mailboxes, and ability to view attachments such as photos, documents and .pdf files.
  18. Gmail also allows POP3 and SMTP access by using desktop email clients.

If you think the list is not long enough, note the the “gmail” and “mail” in the URL are both interchangeable, although the whatever you use will finally be redirected to the canonical URI at http(s)://mail.google.com/mail/. Beside, with Google Apps for Your Domain, where one of the hosted service include Gmail, you will be getting hundreds in not thousands of different hosted domain sign in URL.

 

From http://www.mydigitallife.info/gmail-access-methods-and-login-link-urls/

Google SEO changes are you getting what you paid for?

I have had a few customers ask me about SEO recently, so I  decided to put up a few links into keep people informed.

Google made some changes that effected SEO results recently, I noticed that a lot of SEO companies have not caught up.

So there is a lot of people spending good money on bad results.

Here is a link from Google Blog about the change

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/finding-more-high-quality-sites-in.html

And a link for one of the main reasons for the change

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/business/13search.html?_r=3&hpw

Telemarketing scam: your computer has a virus!

Just got a lovely call from Microsoft (Indian Voice), telling me my computer had a virus and they were going to help me get rid of it. I have heard a few people getting them at the moment around Melbourne so I thought I would add a few links with details.

SCAMWATCH DETAILS
Telemarketing scam: your computer has a virus! click for details

Latest update
New twist on computer error message/virus scams: joint warning click for details

If you get a call just hang up!

Trust me microsoft will not call you to help you fix your computer, they would rather you just by a new one.

Thats how they make money!