BlueCoat’s K9 Web Protection

Those interested in applying a web content filter to their home computer should check out BlueCoat’s K9 Web Protection. It is a tool I’ve used myself for several months now and I couldn’t be more pleased with it. Best of all, it’s completely free for home use.

There are several levels of security you can set. Their preset levels tend to be a little too constrictive but they’ve thankfully provided custom settings. You can tell it you want to block out adult/mature content, hate speech, illegal/questionable activity, and a variety of other topics just by clicking a few boxes. You may also enter in keywords you wish to block. Don’t want guests who use your computer to install a specific program? Simply type it in to the keyword blocking section, apply it, and save. Now access to the site that hosts that particular program will be denied.

The major negative aspect of the program is the same with every web content filter. It’s not an exact science. There are words and phrases that have both good and bad meanings which means a filter will sometimes block something that is harmless. If that ever happens K9 Web Protection provides a blank to enter your administrator password on the page it displays when something is blocked and allows you to unblock a specific site permanently.

This program does require a minimal amount of set-up after installing. Right away, you’ll be given a strict level of security and will be unable to browse very many websites before logging in to K9 and tweaking the settings. I’d recommend doing that immediately after installing the program.

To download the program or read more about it visit BlueCoat’s official website by clicking here.

Filed under: Advice, Free File

Uploading, Downloading …

Everyone making use of the internet will download something. Even if you’re not going after songs, videos, or some other sort of media to burn to disc, each time you visit a website technically counts as a download. With the advent of broadband the speed of downloading has grown quite fast. That increase, however, has been slightly less significant when it comes to uploading.

What’s an upload, you ask? Well, it’s the exact opposite of a download. Anything you send to the web for display such as pictures or video has to be uploaded to a web server somewhere in the world. If you’ve done this before then you know that sometimes the process takes quite a bit longer than downloading.

Internet service providers (ISP) have a preset speed for uploads and downloads. There are typically several tiers of service they offer in which that speed varies. ATT, for example, offers a small business package with an “up to” 6.0mbps (megabits per second) downstream and an “up to” 412kbps (1 megabit = 1024 kb) upstream. The level of difference between the two is quite drastic and I believe many get so excited at the thought of quick downloads that they fail to notice the upload speed is written in kilobits. One assumes the speed difference is due to uploading being much more taxing on them than downloading.

If you’re thinking of upgrading your internet connection I suggest paying a visit to BroadBandReports.com which has reviews from real users of assorted internet services. Lots of good information may be gleaned from the site.

Filed under: Advice, Useful Sites

Windows Vista Shadow Copy

I recently discovered the Shadow Copy feature of Window’s Vista through an article in PC World Magazine. It works in conjunction with Windows System Restore to allow users to easily recover files they have accidentally deleted. It works absolutely wonderfully but, sadly, it is only available in Windows Vista Business and Ultimate. Users of the other versions must download another program to access the feature.

If you happen to have the two versions of Vista that include this feature, here is how you use it:

1. Almost every part of Windows is in a folder, including the desktop (in your user account area there is a Desktop folder). Find the folder which contains the file you deleted and right click it.
2. Now, in the menu that appears, you should see “Restore to Previous Version”. If that does not appear here then select properties and then the “Restore to Previous Version” tab.
3. A list then appears with random dates. Click on one and select Open and you’ll see the contents of that folder on that particular date. If you wish to restore the file simply drag and drop it on your desktop. To restore the whole folder to this particular date, select restore while the date is selected.

Those interested in this feature that have the other versions of Windows Vista should check out ShadowExplorer. It’s a bit more cumbersome, but, it’ll give you similar features in Home and Home Premium.

Filed under: Advice