There are many things that can effect your Internet connection speed. In any network you are only as fast as your weakest link.

These weak links are typically called bottle necks. Even if you have a broadband connection your connectivity speed can be limited by bad connections, a router that is limited by it’s own internal connection limitations, or even the type of cables which supply your connection.

If you have ever wondered actually how fast your internet connection is? Now you can test your internet connection and review your test results using a free application.

This application tests your connection speed by evaluating your download and upload speeds. Once you have tested your connection you can review the test data against the connection speed data provided by your ISP.

If your connection is lagging comparatively to your ISP documentation you can then take steps to troubleshoot as to what may be the possible cause and then take the appropriate action.

To test your connectivity try our new Internet speed test.

I previously reported on an incident where an automatic update provided by Symantec for their Norton Antivirus program identified two system files in the Simplified Chinese edition of Windows XP as malware, and quarantined them.

Symantec decided to provide free upgrades of their software to the affected users. Of course I would always be weary of accepting a free software license for a program title which already compromised my system. Symantec did not see it my way though.

Symantec’s upgrade offer was widely criticized by the Chinese press when it was first announced.

As of late Symantec has declared the compensation offer a success, but they declined to identify how many users had accepted their offer. Considering they only offered the compensation for two and a half weeks starting from June 27 .

Symantec has extended its offer for individuals who could not or did not access the upgrade. Of course this offer is on an individual basis. Each incident must be reviewed and approved to extend the upgrade offer.”After this date anyone who missed the registration date should contact Symantec Customer Support or email symantec.authorised.support.cn@clts.com and we will give consideration to extending the date for that individual customer.”

Considering it was their blunder from the beginning I would think they would bend over backwards to satisfy the affected customers. At least thats what I would do.

Does anyone else find it hard to pick up work after vacationing? Having completed a weeks worth of vacation I am back to the grind….well….sort of.

I am using this day to read up on new stories and technologies for new content on the site. Please bare with me while I compose myself and get my head out of the vacation cloud. Of course this is not easily done…

As you can see from the last post we are now taking posted questions to better serve our users. As well I would like to add if there is a new technology or concern you would like for me to address please post a comment to this blog. I would be happy to research and address topics for our users.

After all….It is you the end user for which we create the content.

Has anyone else heard the news of the update provided by Symantec which seemed to cause havoc for the chinese version of Windows?

Apparently on May 18th Symantec authorized and update for one of their programs which it turns out identified two system files as malware and subsequently quarantined them. The issue apparently effected somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 Pc’s.

Symantec says this issue seems to be caused by an automated process. Hmmm!

Users who lost data due to Symantec’s faulty update demanded compensation. I cannot say that I blame them.

After at least two lawsuits were filed Symantec saw fit to respond. Symantec decided to offer license extension and product upgrades for the blunder. If it were me…well I would not want to continue use of a program which has already put a halt to productivity and damaged my operating system.

Symantec has been nice enough to have alloted just a couple of weeks for effected users to accept there upgrade offer as well.

I wonder if this will effect their credibility in other regions?

In order to alleviate hardware issues in Windows Vista, Microsoft has added a few diagnostic utilities to aid in the detection and prevention of such failures.

To aid you in keeping your PC running smoothly without a lot of effort Vista contains several built-in diagnostics. These utilities help resolve external problems that affect the way Vista performs. These utilities provide diagnostic scenarios which include Network Diagnostics and troubleshooting—to help address the most common issues as well as other types of failure detection software.

Built-in diagnostic scenarios in Windows Vista include the following as described by Microsoft:

Disk Diagnostics. The built-in Disk Diagnostics in Windows Vista detects impending disk failures and guides you through data backup, disk replacement, and data restoration procedures. When Windows Vista detects a potential disk failure, it warns you of the problem and guides you through the backup and recovery process to minimize the likelihood of data loss.

Memory Diagnostics. Defective computer memory is difficult to diagnose. It can mimic software or operating system problems. Memory Diagnostics in Windows Vista works with Microsoft Online Crash Analysis to detect crashes that might be caused by failing memory. It provides guided support and prompts you to schedule a memory test the next time you restart the computer.

Network Diagnostics and troubleshooting. The Windows Network Diagnostics tool in Windows Vista helps you identify the top potential issues preventing network connectivity—and it automatically takes appropriate steps toward correcting them.

Resource Exhaustion Prevention. Occasionally when you are running a large number of applications, the computer will simply run out of system resources, leading to hangs, crashes, and data loss. Resource Exhaustion Prevention warns you when critical resources are low—before a hang or crash occurs. It also identifies which processes are consuming the largest amount of a given resource and helps you reclaim that resource, it logs events in the event log that include detailed data useful for subsequent analysis.

Microsoft seems to be understanding the needs of users. These utilities can aid users in resolving issues commonly faced by the end user.

Having problems with Windows Vista?

Windows Vista has a unique feature embedded in the operating system. This feature is the Reliability and Performance monitor. If for any reason you are experiencing difficulties with Vista or a third party program that is installed this utility can be used to help identify the source of the issue.

The Reliability and Performance Monitor is a Microsoft Management Console snap-in that includes tools for analyzing system performance. You can monitor hardware and application performance in real time. Also available is the ability to customize what data you want to collect. You can define custom triggers for alerts, automatic actions, generate reports, and view past performance data.

The Reliability and Performance Monitor combines many functions of previous stand-alone tools such as Performance Logs and Alerts, Server Performance Adviser, and System Monitor. It provides a graphical user interface for the customization of Data Collector Sets and Event Trace Sessions.

Reliability and Performance Monitor contains three monitoring tools to aid you in determining a root cause of performance issues such as Resource View, Performance Monitor, and Reliability Monitor. Data collection and logging is performed using Data Collector Sets which must be defined to capture any required information.

Reliability and Performance monitor will be a useful utility for identify issues that may slow performance or cause instability.

Having acquired years of experience with windows and how well it performs (or not) I can assure you it will be in my arsenal of diagnostic utilities for Vista.

If you are thinking about upgrading to Windows Vista there is more to it than just buying the cd. First you have to consider which version you want buy. You will need to review the features available in each individual version in order to make an informed decision.

To review features available please click here Options available in Windows Vista versions.

Once you have decided which version is right for you the process has just started. You will still need to review the system requirements for your version and compare those against your current configuration.

An easy way to accomplish this is to use the Microsoft upgrade adviser. This utility will scan your PC for compatibility with Windows Vista versions. As well the utility will give a detailed report on your hardware compatibility as well as program compatibility.

The program compatibility test will detail the software on your computer that may not work with Windows vista and will prompt you to contact the manufacturer about upgrade offers.

To use the upgrade adviser click here.

Now that you have chosen a version and tested your PC and programs for compatibility issues your next step will be to purchase. Microsoft has provided two different options for upgrading. You can simply purchase in store and now you may even purchase and upgrade online.

If you are considering upgrading online you may use the following link to purchase directly from Microsoft. To upgrade online please click here.

Microsoft has announced the new Windows Live Mail program which combines features from previous versions of Windows mail applications. After looking over Live Mail it’s abilities include pulling messages from Web mail and other accounts, its photo e-mail composition option, and other new features. Of course the new application still leaves room for improvement.

Once again as with many Microsoft products (even fully released versions) we are beta testers. The program does have many new updated features, but I would recommend waiting until they have had at least one major update for the program.

With a little tweaking it does run pretty well. The photo message option is a nice feature, but photo mail does not seem to be compatible with some other mail providers. When reviewing a test email the photo did not appear correctly.

Live Mail does seem to be much better than any version of Outlook Express. Until fully released I would recommend backups of email as you may end up as one of those users who experiences issues. Now what do they call those again?…………… Oh Yeah! Beta testers.

A users favorite utility for removing spyware and adware; Lavasoft has updated it’s Ad-Aware program. Improvements  include better detection, a scanning engine that does not use so many system resources, and a new updated interface.

Scanning has definitely been improved. Scan times (At least in my case) dropped by approximately 45%. This new version is supposed to have a new ability to seek out and delete rootkits and other threats that have been previously difficult to remove.

A privacy tool has been added so you can remove all traces of your Internet browsing history from your system. This feature supports the Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera browsers.

You will also notice the program’s new interface which is available in all versions. It includes more than just cosmetic changes. You will find tools and tweaking are much easier. The new version of Ad-Aware also implements an improved handling of definition updates.

All this and it’s still free. Of course their are more options and protection available with the pay versions. Such options include:

Real-time protection

Ad-Watch RegShield- provides improved protection against attempted Registry changes

Hosts File Editor- which blocks advertisement sites, prevents browser hijack attempts, and offers limited parental controls.

The Scheduler- allows you to set automatic scans and updates.

The Pro version has even more protection; Such as tools to identify keyloggers and prevent identity theft, and as well a network option to scan multiple PC’s on a network.

Note: New versions of Ad-Aware 2007 do not currently support the Vista operating system. Vista-compatible versions are slated for release in August 2007.

Ad-aware 2007 has been much improved. Once the release of the Vista compatible version is made available I will test the version and blog my findings.