Tinkernut is a great site for how to videos on everything in PC land. They make quality videos with simple language. Anyway, they recently got hacked and decided to share how to make things secure so it doesn’t happen again.

You need to spend time protecting you PC from hackers and other nasties. Believe me, its time well spent. It is always a matter of when, not if you get hacked.

Have a look at this video for some straight forward tips on defending your geek life.

Take a moment and think about all of the sensitive data kept on your computer.  Account passwords, addresses, phone numbers, access to bank accounts and other financial services, and maybe even your social security number.  Almost every aspect of your identity is kept on this little machine.  Now imagine you want a new one.  So, you go out and buy a shiny new laptop.  What do you do with the old one?  Just toss it, right?

Wrong!  If you just throw out your old computer, all of that personal information is still available to any tech-savvy thief.  Merely deleting a file in the traditional fashion will not truly “delete” it.  With a few techniques, a file sent to the recycle bin and emptied can be recovered if the deletion was recent enough.

So how can you erase a hard drive completely?  Well, there a few techniques that anyone can employ to protect their identity.

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that the following software and techniques will ERASE your hard drive and you will not be able to get your data back.  That’s the whole point.

Formatting

Most people’s first instinct would be to just reformat their drive to get rid of data.  But there are all sorts of formatting that can be done.

First, you can perform what is called a high level format.  Sometimes, this is referred to as a quick format.  This method is not secure seeing as it only erases the boot sector and partition table, thus leaving all of the other files intact and accessible through purpose built software.

There is also low level formatting, referred to officially as “disk reinitialization.”  This process goes through your disk and sets values to zero and will erase a hard drive completely.

For more advanced users, you can also change the number of passes that the format goes through.  The more passes, the more secure it will be because the format goes through the disk the specified number of times and writes over the information with junk.

As you would expect, more passes take more time, but more passes means your data is better scrambled and harder to recover.

This process sounds like it would do the trick, but there are some catches.  If you use a different file system than the one used to originally format the disk, or if you have multiple partitions, not all of your data will be thoroughly erased.

Thus, formatting the disk is not the preferable way to really, securely erase your data.  Instead, there are some freeware tools you can use to make sure your information is gone.

If you do want to go the reformat route, MakeUseOf already has some good articles on how to do that here and here.  You may have to use your OS disk, or software that came with your drive to perform the format you want.

Darik’s Boot And Nuke

If you checked out Varun’s article linked above, you’ll notice he mentions Darik’s Boot and Nuke.  Let’s take a closer look at that tool.

DBAN, as it is shortened, is a nice little application that lets you completely erase your data.  You can download it for Intel/AMD machines and Apple Power Mac machines by clicking “Downloads” at the top of the home page.  You should see the following.

Download the ISO for your system and burn it to a disk.  Next, pop the disk into your hard drive and boot from it.  This may require you to press F12 at the BIOS screen (the first screen you see when your computer boots up) and choose to boot from your CD/DVD drive.  After the CD boots up, you should see the following.

Hit Enter and the program should boot a few things up before settling on the next screen.

Hit Space when the arrow is pointing at the disk you want to wipe and hit F10 to start the process.  The process will start and you should see something like this.

Let it run through the whole process and you should get a screen letting you know the process was successful.

DBAN is easy and performs well.  There are other options to get rid of your data for good.

Get Physical

The absolute best way to make sure your data is completely gone is to just destroy the drive.  Clearly, this is only an option if you are going to dispose of the drive afterwards.

There are a few ways to go about this.  You could get some high powered magnets and wipe the drive a few times with them.  This scrambles all the data that is written magnetically on the disk.

Another option is to wail on the drive a few times with a hammer.  Please remember to wear proper safety accessories such as safety glasses when using tools.

Finally, you can always take the drive apart to make sure the disk gets completely demolished.  To do this though, you will probably need a special T9 torx screwdriver.  Or, you can try to simply pry the thing apart, but please, as before, use proper safety measures.

On top of making sure you completely sure your information is gone, this can work out to be a good stress reliever.

Now you have the tools to make sure your identity is safe if you want to get rid of an old hard drive.  Know of any other tools or methods?  Let us know in the comments below.

[itk-eticker]via MakeUseOf[/itk-eticker]

One of the lesser-known features of Gmail is its ability to help with multitasking. Frequently, I find that I need to find an old message while I’m composing an email. When this happens, I click on the “new window” icon to pop my compose area into its own window:


There’s only one problem — it’s been slow! Today, we’re rolling out a change that will fix this (reload your account to make sure you get this change). Now, popping out a window is much, much faster. No more “Loading…” progress bar.

There are a number of places you can pop up new windows in Gmail.

• In chat, there’s the little upward arrow in the title bar:
  
  


• When writing a message, hold the “Shift” key while you click on the Compose Mail, Reply, Reply All or Forward links and you’ll get a new window for your new message. (Holding the “Shift” key while typing the keyboard shortcut — in other words typing “C” “R” or “F” — has the same effect.)


• When you’re reading your mail, hold the “Shift” key while you click on a message to open the conversation in a new window. (Same holds true for the “Shift” key and the “o” or “Enter” shortcuts.)


• If you’re reading an email and want to save it for later, you can click the “New window” link in the upper-right hand corner of the conversation view:
  
  

Keep in mind that the popped out window does not outlive the closing of the original Gmail window, although we’re working on a way to make that better. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make this work in Internet Explorer, so to see the speed-up, you’ll need to be using Mozilla Firefox, Apple‘s Safari, or Google Chrome.

….Or iPhone for that matter. Symbian S60 v4 will be here in the next six months with handsets being released in the Q3-Q4 of 2010. They have made the much needed changes to the interface and this is, in my opinion, Nokia’s last chance to wow us. Why? Well around the exact same time, Microsoft are releasing their flagship ground breaking OS. Or will it be?

That’s a lot of pressure for both companies, especially given the ground Apple and Android have gained so quickly. With that in mind, it will a regular feature to see both companies “leaking” videos of each stage of development to keep interest. Here are two videos.

I have always maintained my stance on Apple, that I am not an Apple man… Recently, the launch of the iPad got me excited and made me feel, for about 2 hours, that this is the future. But then the comments were made and reality set in and I remembered that this is the iPod and the iPhone all over again.

iPod

See, if there is one this thing Apple do well.. it’s marketing!!! I always disliked the iPod. Yet they sold billions of them. I own three different types. But I hated Apple for it because they claimed enormous battery life and it didn’t exist and then forced all to use their iTunes… not buts!!! Other manufacturers understated battery life and let you do whatever you wanted.. cause it’s yours!!!

iPhone

This is when I dug my heels in. I said this phone would never sell. I was working in Carphone Warehouse at the time. I meant, it would never sell in Europe. It was made for Americans. Why?

They released a phone that did not do MMS, did not have 3g, had a crap 2.0 mp camera, did not have copy/cut and paste and it was big! And yet the damn thing sold like hot cakes with melted Dairygold butter!!! In Europe, the year prior to the iPhone launch, we had all those missing features in advanced stage.

iPad

And here we are again – they release something with so much fanfare that people will go out and buy it and then ask: What The H…?? Where is multitask?? I thought there was a camera on this thing..?!  What do you mean I have to close this app to open another!!???!!

And it will still sell like crazy.. and that’s why you will buy one.. cause everyone else is… Am I wrong?

I am now looking back to Android and the Dell tablet. We’ll see…..

Apple have finally unleashed the details of their new tablet. I am not really an Apple fan nor an iPhone fan despite how good it actually is, however this is cool and something that might pull me to the Apple world. Anyway… the is the spec they released is below.Its like a large iPhone with true multi-touch screens. And its coming in at $499. I have not found anything concrete on when it will hit the European shores and more specifically, Ireland!

Oh and by the way, I hate Engadget. Ya ya, I know they give great news stories and show off cool gadgets. But I hate them for that. They already have a full hands on of the iPAD!!! Maybe someday that’ll be Tech N Life… A blogger can dream, can’t he?

This is the Engadget breakdown:

Here are some initial thoughts on the iPad:

• It’s not light. It feels pretty weighty in your hand.
• The screen is stunning, and it’s 1024 x 768. Feels just like a huge iPhone in your hands.
• The speed of the CPU is something to be marveled at. It is blazingly fast from what we can tell. Webpages loaded up super fast, and scrolling was without a hiccup. Moving into and out of apps was a breeze. Everything flew.
• There’s no multitasking at all. It’s a real disappointment. All this power and very little you can do with it at once. No multitasking means no streaming Pandora when you’re working in Pages… you can figure it out. It’s a real setback for this device.
• The ebook implementation is about as close as you can get to reading without a stack of bound paper in your hand. The visual stuff really helps flesh out the experience. It may be just for show, but it counts here.
• No camera. None, nada. Zip. No video conferencing here folks. Hell, it doesn’t have an SMS app!
• It’s running iPhone OS 3.2.
• The keyboard is good, not great. Not quite as responsive as it looked in the demos.
• No Flash confirmed. So Hulu is out for you, folks!

Stay tuned for a lot more — including a full video walkthrough!

Technical Specifications

Size and weight

Height:

9.56 inches (242.8 mm)

Width:

7.47 inches (189.7 mm)

Depth:

0.5 inch (13.4 mm)

Weight:

1.5 pounds (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model;

1.6 pounds (.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model

Display

• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
• 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Wireless and Cellular

Wi-Fi model

• Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Wi-Fi + 3G model

• UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900,1800, 1900 MHz)
• Data only²
• Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Location

• Wi-Fi
• Digital compass
• Assisted GPS (Wi-Fi + 3G model)
• Cellular (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

In the Box

• iPad
• Dock connector to USB cable
• 10W Power Adapter
• Documentation

Environmental Status Report

iPad embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

• Arsenic-free display glass
• BFR-free
• Mercury-free LCD display
• PVC-free
• Recyclable aluminum and glass enclosure

Capacity

• 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive

Processor

• 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip

Sensors

• Accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor

Audio Playback

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• User-configurable maximum volume limit

TV and Video

• Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable
• H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Mail attachment support

• Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Languages

• Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian
• Keyboard support for English (US) English (UK), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese (QWERTY), Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian
• Dictionary support for English (US), English (UK), French, French (Canadian), French (Swiss), German, Japanese, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin), Russian

Accessibility

• Support for playback of closed-captioned content
• VoiceOver screen reader
• Full-screen zoom magnification
• White on black
• Mono audio

Battery and Power

• Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
• Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
• Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

Input and Output

• Dock connector
• 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
• Built-in speakers
• Microphone
• SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)

External buttons and controls

• On/Off, Sleep/wake
• Mute
• Volume up/down
• Home

Mac system requirements

• Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
• Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
• iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
• iTunes Store account
• Internet access

Windows system requirements

• PC with USB 2.0 port
• Windows 7, Windows Vista; Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
• iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
• iTunes Store account
• Internet access

Environmental requirements

• Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
• Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)