Latest AV-Comparatives Test (October) Fresh !

Here you find the the Removal-Test results of av-comparatives (released this month).

This tests focuses only on the malware removal/cleaning capabilities, therefore all used samples were samples that the tested Anti-Virus products were able to detect. It has nothing to do with detection rates or protection capabilities. Of course, if an Anti-Virus is not able to detect the malware, it is also not able to remove it.

The main question was if the products are able to successfully remove malware from an already infected/compromised system. The test report is aimed to normal/typical home users and not Administrators or advanced users that may have the knowledge for advanced/manual malware removal/repair procedures. A further question was if the products are able to remove what they are able to detect.

Title	Date	Review / Report (PDF)
Removal Test	October 2009	Review (English)

Source:  AV-Comparatives

5 New Technologies That Will Change Everything

While sipping a cup of organically farmed, artisan-brewed tea, I tap on my gigabit-wireless-connected tablet, to pull up a 3D movie on the razor-thin HDTV hanging on the wall. A media server streams the film via a superspeedy USB connection to a wireless HD transmitter, which then beams it to the TV.
That actor--who was he? My augmented-reality contact lenses pick up the unique eye motion I make when I have a query, which I then enter on a virtual keyboard that appears in the space in front of me. Suddenly my field of vision is covered with a Web page showing a list of the actor's movies, along with some embedded video clips.
These technologies will come to life in the distant future, right? Future, yes. Distant, no.
Speed and content (much of it video) will be paired consistently across mobile, laptop, desktop, and home-entertainment systems. New ways of using video--including adding 3D depth or artificial visual overlays--will require more speed, storage, and computational power.
In our preview of technologies that are well on their way to reality, we look at the connective tissue of USB 3.0, 802.11ac, and 802.11ad for moving media--especially video--faster; at HTML5 for displaying video and content of all kinds consistently across all our devices; at augmented reality to see how the digital world will stretch into our physical reality by overlaying what we see with graphics and text; and at 3D TV, which will add image depth and believability to the experience of watching TV.

USB 3.0

The new USB 3.0 standard preserves backward compatibility by allowing older cables to plug into newer jacks; but newer cables like this one have extra pins that boost the data rate to 4.8 gbps.

Before you leave work, you need to back up your computer. You push a button, and 5 minutes later, while you're still packing up, your system has dumped 150GB of data onto an encrypted 512GB superfast solid-state drive, which you eject to take with you for offsite backup. On your way home, you stop at a movie kiosk outside a fast-food restaurant and buy a feature-length 3D video download on sale. You plug in your drive, the kiosk reads your credentials, and while you watch a 90-second preview of coming attractions, the 30GB video transfers onto your SSD. You pull out the drive and head home.

Students Reporting Problems With $29 Windows 7

The upgrade installer isn't playing nice for students.

Are you a student in need of Windows 7? Then you might want to look at DigitalRiver's offer for Windows 7 Home Premium for students.
Valid students can still grab a download upgrade copy of Windows 7 for just $29.99 – a pretty stellar deal if you ask us. All you need is to be part of an eligible college or university. Find out more here.

Unfortunately, some users who have purchased that upgrade are reporting problems when unpacking the files and trying to install on a 32-bit machine. So far there seems to be a mix of both successes and failures, depending on how many hoops the user is willing to jump through to jimmy that upgrade into his or her Vista install.

Engadget received a tip that Microsoft is now offering refunds to those who are having trouble in getting this product to work, but of course those who managed to snag Windows 7 for less than $30 likely won't be giving up so easily.
In any case, Microsoft has a support thread going where the company is trying to sort everyone out.

Did you grab the $29.99 deal? If so, have you been having any problems?

Source : Tom's Hardware US

Five Things You Should Know About Upgrading From XP to Windows 7

Now that Windows 7 is here, the three out of four users who have rejected   Windows Vista and clung to the tried and true Windows XP can breathe a sigh of relief and consider moving to the new flagship operating system.
Upgrading or switching operating systems often comes with some trials and tribulations and the Windows 7 upgrade is no exception. Microsoft has tried to provide the tools users need to make the transition as easy as possible, but you may hit some snags. Here are five things you should be aware of as you upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7.

Does Turbo Boost Help Or Hurt Core i5/i7's Power Efficiency?

Intel’s new LGA 1156-based processors, namely the Core i5-700- and Core i7-800-series, arrived with a bang. Our launch article by Chris Angelini provides all the key information. But, in short, the new processor delivers increased performance compared to Core 2 Quad. No surprise there. But Intel also claims that power consumption went down significantly, so we decided to tackle this prospect with a closer look.

Core i5, i7: Intel’s new processors for LGA 1156.

The Core i5 Innovation

The new P55 platform and Intel’s Lynnfield processors make a are impressive enough from a performance angle, but I’d like to look at the facts from a different perspective. The platform’s foundation still centers on the Nehalem architecture first seen as Core i7 for LGA 1366 late last year, hence the level of innovation in Lynnfield is less revolutionary and more of an evolution.

Intel is great at tweaking, though. From a technology standpoint, Core i5 incorporates a lot more integration, stepping closer to the inevitable SoC (system-on-chip) future by adding PCI Express onto the die. A more aggressive implementation of Turbo Boost adds extra performance for non-threaded applications. Considering that Intel plans to integrate graphics with Clarkdale in coming months, this step could also be looked at as a necessity. Improved Turbo Boost is another building block for turning dynamic overclocking into a real feature. In reality, though, the large motherboard makers have been offering similar features for a few years already.

I see two main benefits of the new LGA 1156 processors for buyers. First, you have decreased power consumption thanks to the integrated memory controller and PCI Express 2.0 interface. The second benefit is performance. Turbo Boost helps to elevate LGA 1156-based parts to Core i7-900-class performance levels in certain applications. Both benefits became obvious in our article, Intel’s Mainstream Magnum Opus.

Access and Customize Windows 7's Extended Context Menu

With Windows 7 pushed out to the masses, it's only a matter of time before the Web is flooded with all sorts of nifty tips and tricks as the inquisitive and tech savvy have their way with Microsoft's latest operating system. To get the ball rolling, we're going to show you how to access Windows 7's extended context menu, as well as how to edit, add, and remove items from it.



The context menu is nothing else but the options you get when right clicking on a file or folder. In Windows 7, some less popular options are left out and placed on the extended context menu, which is accessible by holding down shift when you right click on an item (shift + right-click).
This applies to just about everything, from files and folders to the desktop, and allows for quick access to specialized operations, such as opening a file as read-only, executing something as another user, or opening a command prompt at a specific location.

It also allows you to quickly accomplish things like an undo move, which is useful if you're unfamiliar with thecountless Windows shortcuts (Ctrl+Z is undo, by the way), or directly copy a drive path. The extended "Send to" menu (see screenshot below) comes in handy if you find yourself moving things using this shortcut often.
And while the pre-defined extended menu items may be helpful, they are still limited to what comes by default. ShellMenuView is a very lightweight utility (~80KB and doesn't require installation) that is compatible with everything from Windows 98 to Windows 7 x64. You can download the utility here (32-bit | 64-bit).
Once you open the program, you'll immediately be faced with dozens of entries that you can enable or disable -- both in the standard and extended context menu.

Through ShellMenuView you can get rid of all of the annoying program-specific clutter that has accumulated in your context menu (think: anti-malware software, all-in-one utilities, text editors and office applications, image mounting tools etcetera). Don't get me wrong, some of these entries are time-saving, but others are flat out annoying, and are usually are placed without your consent.


ShellMenuView's interface and feature-set is pretty straightforward. Scroll through the list of entries to find the offender, right click on it and choose "Disable Selected Items". Likewise, you can enable or even set other items to appear (or not) in the extended context menu with the same motion. ShellMenuView also gives you quick access to the registry entries of context menu listings.
In our tests using ShellMenuView we were able to manipulate context menu entries for most of our programs: VLC, Windows Media Player, Imgburn, OneNote, TVersity, and some of Windows own shortcuts. We had a few problems removing a stubborn entry for MagicISO, but using another program called ShellExView (from the same developer), we were able to get rid of the annoying extra shortcuts.
But obviously that's just the tip of the iceberg. Feel free to share your custom context menu or any other Windows 7 tips in the comments.

Did you know?

You can also easily edit Firefox's right-click menu with Menu Editor and spare yourself of unwanted items like "Send Link" or "Copy Email Address" every time you right click within your browser screen. Isn't that great?

Source: http://www.techspot.com

Intel delays USB 3.0 support until 2011 ?

Those looking forward to the wide rollout of USB 3.0 are in for a major disappointment, if an unnamed industry source talking with EETimes is to be believed. Pointing out that the new interconnect "won't get real traction until it gets integrated in the chip sets," the source claims that Intel won't be offering motherboard integration before 2011, so vendors who want USB 3.0 will have to turn to costly third party controllers.

The information is said to come from a senior technology manager at a "top tier PC maker," who explains that Intel chipset teams are more focused on supporting the current Nehalem platform, as well as transitioning to the 5 GHz PCI Express 2.0 specification. The chip maker may also be showing preference to its own optical cable interface, Light Peak, which can handle transfers up to 10Gbps and will enter mass production early next year.

Intel has declined to comment on these assertions. If true, it doesn't necessarily mean we won’t see any USB 3.0 support next year, but you probably shouldn't expect to see the new interconnect on cheap boards, which in turn means less USB 3.0 compatible peripherals as the market will simply be too limited to be profitable.