Nellie2

I hope you are keeping an eye on the Windows Vista Team Blog, there were a few problems with the SP1 pre-requisite and Microsoft have released further KB article in case you are one of the unlucky ones.

Another thing to be aware of is that Microsoft have released KB935796, a list of programs that are known to have a few problems when they are run on a Windows Vista SP1 PC.  This list isn’t exhaustive.

If you run one of these programs then please make sure you check for updates, as far as I know the developers of these programs have managed to develop work arounds for the Vista SP1 problem.  You should be updating your security software regularly anyway… so you have no excuse.

I love the ‘Send to’ context menu, it’s so handy. Although I do wish notepad was in there by default!

Finding the ‘Send to’ menu folder isn’t easy though. In XP you have to enable viewing of files and folders, then you will the folder in the Application Data folder.

In Vista it’s disappeared all together… well I couldn’t find it!! But today I came across a brilliant Vista Tip… and I just had to share it with you.

In Vista, the Send To folder is easily opened by using the Shell command. In the Start Search line of the Start menu, enter “shell:sendto” without the quotation marks. Note that there are no spaces in the command and there is a colon after “shell”. When the SendTo folder opens, you can drop in short cuts for any new folders or programs you wish to add. If you prefer to use the old Run line, the shell command works there also.

Source | Windows Tips and Tricks: Adding functions to the “Send to” menu in Vista

One of the things that has always seemed to worry people when they post a hijackthis log on a security forum is the multiple instances of svchost.exe in their running processes. It has always been a bit of an area of confusion as it’s not always apparent what exactly svchost.exe is doing.

In very simple terms, svchost.exe is required to help a dll run as a service. It needs a bit of a leg up as it can’t do it on it’s own.

So how can you tell what all the svchost.exe that are present in your running processes are doing? There are a couple of ways, you can either run a command prompt, or you can run Process Explorer.

Am I going to tell you what command prompt to run, or what exactly to look for in Process Explorer.. well no, because someone else has already done it. Watching the Net have recently published an excellent tutorial telling you exactly how to go about identifying your svchost.exe’s - How To Identify What Programs Started svchost.exe in Windows.

If you use plain old FTP to update your website or transfer anything from your machine to the server (and back again) then you are sending your FTP password over the internet in clear text. Anyone with a little know how could get hold of it, get into your server and cause havoc!!

So what can you do? Secure FTP using a pair of encrypted keys is a good start. You keep your personal key on your machine… and the public key is installed on the server you want to access. When you connect, the public key checks that it matches your personal key… if it does then you are away.

It all sounds very complicated… well not really, all you need are three freely available programs and a nice server admin!

1. Downloads

• PuTTYgen - this will generate the public and private keys
• Pageant - we will use this little charmer to load the private key
• FileZilla - free and open source FTP program, my FTP program of choice… I love it!

2. Generate Your Keys

Run PuTTYgen by double clicking on the .exe file you downloaded (there is no need to change any settings) and then;

1. Click the Generate button to generate your keys
2. Enter and confirm a passphrase.. you will need to be able to remember this passphrase.
3. Save your public and private keys somewhere safe. Perhaps a folder in My Docs called Cats… or even better on a password protected USB key that you aren’t going to loose!!

3. Contact Your Friendly Server Admin

It’s at this stage you should contact your server admin (if you aren’t sure what to do serverside.. or you don’t have the right access), send him/her your public key (zipped) and let him/her know what your FTP user name is and ask them to assign you a port for your secure transfers. Once you hear that this has been set up and you have the information you requested.. then you can continue.

4. Create a Desktop Shortcut for Pageant

Navigate to where you saved the Pageant file and right click on it and choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut). Then go back to your desktop and you should have a nice shortcut like the one below.

5. Install and Set Up FileZilla

Installing FileZilla is easy peasy, just double click the file you downloaded and follow the prompts.. the only thing I suggest you change at this stage is in the Choose Components screen, add a tick to the Desktop Icon box.

Then doubleclick the desktop icon to run FileZilla… you will get a nice message asking you to report any bugs.. OK that and then the FileZilla window will open. Go to File > Site Manager to get started.

In the Site Manager window you need to do the following to configure your site connection:

1. Click the new site button and name your site something relevant. For demonstration purposes I’ve called the one in the screenshot - myftp
2. In the Host field, type your ftp address.
3. In the Port field, enter the port number your server admin gave you.
4. In the Servertype field, choose SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol from the drop down list.
5. In the Logontype field, choose Normal from the drop down list.
6. In the User field, input your FTP user name.

   LEAVE THE PASSWORD FIELD EMPTY - YOU DO NOT NEED TO ENTER A PASSWORD

7. Click OK to save your settings.

6. Load Up Your Key and Connect

Now double click on the Pageant shortcut you created earlier and the Pageant icon will appear in your taskbar.. down by the system clock. Right click on that icon and choose Add Key from the menu.

A browse window will open up, browse to the folder where you saved your private key, highlight it and select open.

You will then be prompted to enter your passphrase when you have done that all windows will close but your Pageant icon will still be sitting in your task bar. You can now go back to Filezilla, open the Site Manager window again, click on your site to highlight it and then click connect……….. and away you go!! When you have finished using your FTP program, don’t forget to shut down Pageant as well by right clicking on the icon in your taskbar and choosing Exit.

The only thing you need to remember is to load up your key in Pageant before you try to connect to your site using Filezilla.

I’m sure there are other ways of doing this.. but this method works for me, is compatible with Vista and is easy on the brain and easy on the pocket!

ps…. Big thanks to JimW for talking me through this in the first place

If you were wondering what juicy goodies the imminent arrival of Vista Service Pack One is going to bring to your system then keep an eye on this beta test report.

But remember, one of the main purposes of beta testing is to iron out bugs and problems before the product goes final, so hopefully we will see all the improvements and the not so good stuff will have been sorted out by the time SP1 reaches the consumers desktop.

I must admit though, I’ve got to echo the final comment on that article……… When will we see Power Toys for Vista?

Microsoft have announced the release of Windows Vista Service Pack One for the first quarter of 2008. Whilst SP1 will contain valuable updates to Windows, you don’t need to wait until it has been released to enjoy Windows Vista today.

If you are thinking of upgrading your current PC then you can check whether your hardware is up to it using the Upgrade Advisor although I would encourage a fresh install rather than over the top of XP.

There is a whole load of information about what Windows Vista SP1 will include, I could post it here but it’s probably better if you get it direct from the horses mouth as it were at the Windows Vista Blog and the Vista Service Pack 1 White Paper.

There will also be a service pack released for Windows XP in the first half of 2008, it won’t include any new features apart from Network Access Protection, but it will roll up all the hotfixes and patches that have been released since SP2.

By the way, as a recipient of the Microsoft MVP award I am in no way obligated to push or even like Microsoft products.  In fact I am positively encouraged to be as critical as I feel the need to be.  But apart from the UK pricing issues, I do believe that Windows Vista is a better, more secure, family friendly operating system.

Vista comes already loaded with IE7, so I hadn’t really looked at the blog in IE6. But the other day I needed to test a website and went on the hunt for something that would enable me to do that with Vista.

Microsoft have made available a Virtual PC image for Virtual PC 2007 and it was exactly what I needed. When I looked at the blog though, I noticed it wasn’t rendering properly in IE6. So I decided to find a new theme.

I really like Corbodo Green Park.. but I can’t get it to display properly, so until I figure out the problem I thought I would use Suhweet 1.0 from Solostream. I quite like it though, so I might decide to keep it.