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Sydney Tech Guy » Entries tagged with "Windows 7"

Bit Locker has NOT been cracked

December 21st, 2009 | Add a Comment

windows7logo

Its taken me a little while to get around writing this, but I thought that its worth noting that the recent claims that Windows Bit Locker encryption has been cracked are more about hype then truth.

For a start, the encryption has not been cracked, your PC is as save today as it was yesterday or last week, and that the key statement, “save today as it was yesterday”

The news isn’t even ground breaking, the way they “cracked” the encryption is that they managed to dump the password from the ram of a running system. When you boot up an encrypted computer, it keeps your password in memory, this is to stop the machine to repeatedly asking for authentication. This is something we want, we don’t want to be continually annoyed by a password prompt, but the flaw is that if someone can get a hold of your running, logged in machine, the encryption may not help you. Remember if someone has physical access to your running, logged in machine you should consider all bets off regardless of other types of protection being used.

The article is in the typical Microsoft haters style, claiming that the company is to blame, incompetent and completely insecure, the problem with that is, this has been a known attack method for hackers, crackers, and anyone after your data regardless of if its running Bit Locker or True Crypt or any other type of encryption software, but you know it doesn’t make the news until someone mentions Microsoft.

Just be careful with your computer equipment and never think its totally secure no matter what your software your using, because someone will always find a way

Microsoft has released a security article about this issue.

Filed under: Bit Locker

The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool is back!

December 11th, 2009 | Add a Comment

Microsoft has re-released the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool, this time under GPL v2.

 

Windows7USBTool

When Microsoft originally released the tool, it was found to have violated several GNU General Public License terms, which when pointed out to Microsoft from Rafael Rivera, they promptly pulled the tool from download to investigate and amend the situation.

After a couple of weeks, its been re-released the tool under GPL v2 on Microsoft’s Codeplex.

The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool allows you to create a copy of your Windows 7 ISO file on a USB flash drive or a DVD. To create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive, download the ISO file and then run the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool. Once this is done, you can install Windows 7 directly from the USB flash drive or DVD.

 
The ISO file contains all the Windows 7 installation files combined into a single uncompressed file. When you download the ISO file, you need to copy it to some medium in order to install Windows 7. This tool allows you to create a copy of the ISO file to a USB flash drive or a DVD. To install Windows 7 from your USB flash drive or DVD, all you need to do is insert the USB flash drive into your USB port or insert your DVD into your DVD drive and run Setup.exe from the root folder on the drive.

 
Note: You cannot install Windows 7 from the ISO file until you copy it to a USB flash drive or DVD with the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool and install from there.

 
The copy of the ISO file that the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool creates is bootable. Bootable media allows you to install Windows 7 without having to first run an existing operating system on your machine. If you change the boot order of drives in your computer’s BIOS, you can run the Windows 7 installation directly from your USB flash drive or DVD when you turn on your computer. Please see the documentation for your computer for information on how to change the BIOS boot order of drives.

Filed under: Featured, Windows 7 USB Tool

Windows 7 Family Pack Available in Australia

December 10th, 2009 | Add a Comment

Merry Christmas Steve Ballmer

Microsoft has finally released the Windows 7 Family pack in Australia, but only for a limited time.

When Microsoft launched Windows 7 the US was privileged to get a family pack, which was 3 upgrade licenses for the price of one, but Australian Windows users wanted to know “why not us too?”

Well Microsoft has finally decided to release the family pack to Australians, but don’t celebrate too much, cause its only in limited supply. While the limited supply doesn’t make much sense and its clearly a response to Apple’s Family pack for Snow Leopard, it is nice to know there is acknowledgement that Windows 7 is just too damn expensive.

The Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack is $249 and will only be available at the following participating Australian retailers, while stocks last: Betta Electrical, Bing Lee, David Jones, Dick Smith, Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi, Myer, Officeworks, Retravision, The Good Guys, WOW Sight and Sound.

Filed under: Microsoft