ETC Blog, The Tech Resource
Another Nail in Norton’s Coffin
I have long taken joy in removing Norton products from client machines simply because of the performance drain and the aggressive invasive nature of the software. i now have a new reason. Norton is now bundling the Ask.com toolbar with their security product....
When Web Hosting Goes Bad ETC Maryland Comes to the Rescue
I had a site I like to read get taken down....so I offered to host them. I was ready for a challenge but I had no idea how big of a challenge I was in for. It started off as a problematic endeavor. The client had been locked out of his account via his web host....
Latest major security problem in Windows affects ALL supported versions.
There's no real way to know how much legacy code is still in Windows but i get it is more than anyone wants to admit. I see articles that claim windows has been rewritten but i have known for a long time that is not the case. The latest major security problem in...
Get Your Phone Repaired by the Wrong Tech And Your Iphone is a Brick
Apple has implemented a system that if you get your screen replaced by a non apple tech your phone is most likely going to be bricked with an error 53. Apple has confirmed this is expected behavior when a screen replacement results in damage to or the replacement of...
The Forcible “Upgrades” for Windows Users Begins
If you are running 7 or 8.x your machine is most likely going to surprise you and go right to windows 10 irregardless of if your hardware can actually handle it. For some folks this will be painless and for others it is not going to be a fun time. You can go to my...
Microsoft Requires Windows 10 For New Hardware
I was simply stunned by this. If you buy the newest processors from Intel and AMD or anyone...Microsoft is now saying you have 18 months to upgrade your desktops/laptop/workstations to Windows 10 or you loose updates. The best line is the one bout we will give you...
Blackberry was NOT hacked
When i saw this I figured I needed to wait to talk about it until the REAL story came out. Almost all media outlets(new and old) now use sensational headlines based on either old data or not data at all for clickbaiting. This "story" is no different. The...
Microsoft is DESPARATE to get Windows 10 everywhere
To the point of saying that windows 7 is as dangerous as running windows xp. Windows 7 is still supported for security updates and is no more dangerous to run than before. To quote a MS marketing person: Microsoft chief marketing officer Chris Capossela told a...
ETC Webhosting is Growing!
Thanks to my clients who have chosen ETC Maryland for webhosting I have had to order a larger, more powerful server to make sure your website does not slow down. I was using my own Virtual Private Server Product to launch my webhosting business. Due to growth I am...
Dell does its own superfish.
Dell's stupidity is on display as Dell has inserted a base root certificate that can sign code. The really bad part is dell leaves the keys to this cert exposed in the clear so it is easy to extract the keys from the machine and use them as a man in the middle...
My IOS Experiment is Over
I tried it for 60 days but in the end I had to go back to android. I actually went full bore into it stayed totally inside the Apple ecosystem. It wasn't pleasant. My belief that IOS is a media consumption system was fully confirmed. Android is the better choice...
Why I refrain From Service Contracts
I have seen this too many times. IT firms come in and fix everything and then want to charge monthly for "maintenance". Most of the time when I am called in it's because the IT firm who was charging for said maintenance isn't fixing anything and in some cases are...
Getting Rid of the Windows 10 Upgrade Nag and Recover 4-6 gigs of Space
If you want to get rid of the windows 10 upgrade nag I found this program called Windows 10 When I Want it. I have run it against every a/v engine i can think of and it has not tripped my own defenses so it is as good as i can test it to be. It DOES remove the wind...
Why Self-Signed Certs Are the Way to go.
I have said many times that our current model of trusting a third party to assert your identity is stupid and prone to abuse. Well the owner of Verisign( Symantec) has been making master certs for powerful domains like google.com and others. This allows them to...
Do not link your Office 365 to your internal AD.
I have been suspicious of Microsoft's security for a while. This is why when it comes to in-house e-mail(which I do not recommend any longer especial if it is a Microsoft e-mail platform). I never really took a close look at OWA's design but it really hasn't changed...
Giving Jesus the Glory
I usually do not post things of a personal nature here but since my beliefs are part of my businesses foundation I feel this is appropriate. Since my wife died over memorial day I have been having to adjust to such a huge loss and trying to keep not only myself...
Why I am moving to an Iphone 6+
Hold onto your seats folks I am dropping a bombshell...I have purchased and am awaiting arrival of...my new Iphone6+. Not the S but the first 6. Why? There isn't an android manufacturer i either want to deal with or trust. Case in point: Samsung has crappy hardware...
Microsoft is determined for everyone to upgrade to Windows 10 even if you do not want to.
I noticed my disk usage on my SSD suddenly went up by nearly 6 gigs. I have also seen many windows 7 machines complaining about failing to install important updates. I dug around and found this huge BT hidden folder on my machine. My machine is connected to Active...
Emmanuel Technology Consulting launches new website
Emmanuel Technology Consulting in partnership with Curley Marketing has just launched ETC Maryland's new website. Redeisgned to be more personal and mobile friendly it is now in a user-friendly layout and format along with now matching the colors that ETC Maryland has...
New site launch post mortem
I am so pleased with the new site. The site launch looked to be going smoothly until a software update took my servers ability to provide hosting took me offline. What an embarrassment. I can hear the questions now. Didn't you test the updates? What was your plan...
Microsoft Surface. A real tablet/slate for business
I recently acquired a Microsoft Surface 3. I did not opt for the pro simply because with the current generation of CPU offerings from Intel I was sure the core I-5 was not needed for my purposes. I mainly use my laptop for troubleshooting, network diagnostics,...
This is why I always block ads at the network edge.
I have been asked multiple times why I am so adamant about blocking ads at the edge due to the configuration headaches it can cause online. Besides other posts i have made here, and here, read the text below. I have been saying the biggest threat to businesses is...
Microsoft: Enabler of bootkits via firmware. Lenovo the first one busted.
I have not been a fan of Windows 8 and I was not enamored with Windows 10. With windows 8 persistent reliance on the cloud and Windows 10 even more so I had serious concerns about both operating systems. Microsoft has now really done the unthinkable and purposefully...
The cloud has gone boom. It’s Official now.
Short of complete re-thinking of the entire concept the cloud as it stands now is done if you have any kind of security conscience at all. Something I have been saying for a looooong time. If you want to keep your stuff secure there's very few ways. Contact us to...
Building the “Perfect” network.
I will do my best to elaborate without seeming to insult the previous provider...this is not my intention but I am trying to highlight the philosophical differences between ETC Maryland and the previous provider. I will not name the previous provider nor name the...