If file extensions can drive you crazy, how many times have you walked up to a users system did a ctrl-alt-del, went to the task list and thought to yourself, "What the heck are all those processes?"
If you have ever looked at a process running on a system (and I know you have) and tried to find out which application it belongs to, what it does, what you should do about it, then this site will be a tremendous help for you. Answersthatwork.com provides a task list broken down into alphabetical order. Along with providing the process name, you can see the program executable, manufacturer, what it does, and get recommendations about what you should do about the task.
Of course, we all use software that tells us what processes are running and what apps they ultimately belong to. But rarely does that software also offer us advice on what that process is doing and if it should it be in the startup or even installed at all.
I recently ran an update to some software on my Vista system. I then saw this new process running. I wasn't sure if it was a new process for the update that I needed or not. I did some research on the Tasks Lists pages and found it was a device discovery protocol and I did not happen to download the software that went with that device. (I won’t mention who the device manufacturer is that uploaded its hardware discovery software onto my Vista system, but will just say I use Creative Labs' Zen jukebox for my MP3’s). Tasks List is a fantastic tool to help you cut down on assessing what it running on a users machine and why.
Boot Disks is actually brought to you by the same site that hosts Tasks List (www.answersthatwork.com). I thought when we moved from Windows 2000 to Windows XP the day of the boot disk was gone. Not so. In my work as a consultant I do not know how many times someone calls with a Windows 2000, NT or 9.x machine that needs help. I was even more shocked when I buddies at my old firm would bring me desktops and laptops running Windows 98. Invariably, these customers would tell me that they need the data on their machines, that they have years worth of data that they don't want to lose and don't have backed up anywhere else.
I don't keep copies of OS boot disks for every ancient Windows operating system anymore because I know there are cool boot utilities out there that can recover the data. This site is especially cool because it provides a ready-made boot disk or even an emergency recovery disk in the case of XP. Nothing to store, keep and find -- just download a copy (or burn to CD) and run it.
We all have our favorite sources of security information and one of mine is the Internet Storm Center (ISC). Now perhaps the (ISC) is not a completely under-the-radar site, but I've still included it because it deserves more of your attention. The ISC is a part of the SANS Institute Web site and it offers a quick view of the current threat condition for the day, using the very familiar Green, Yellow, Orange, Red threat indicators.
The site also contains trends for rising port attacks and reports featuring information such as the Top Sources, AS, reports by Country, Survival time charts and more. This resource is one that you really shouldn't live without. It has reports, warnings and information on attacks available faster than any other site I’ve used so far. If you wish, you can also sign up and be part of the community that is submitting data to the ISC.
Ron Barrett, Director of e-Strategy for ClipTraining , is an independent trainer, author and consultant. He has been a technology professional for over 12 years, working for several major financial services firms and dotcoms. Ron is a specialist in network infrastructure, security, and IT management. He is the author of Office Communications Server 2007 R2: How-To , as well as co-author of Windows Server 2008: How-To and The Administrator’s Guide to Microsoft Office 2007 Servers. Ron has been a co-author or technical editor for several other books on Windows administration. Along with book writing, Ron has contributed to several industry magazines such as Redmond, Datamation and Windows IT Pro. Beyond writing, Ron has spoken at several technology conferences for CPAmerica, AICPA and MCP’s TECHMENTOR. Recently Ron has joined ClipTraining as the Director of e-Strategy in an effort to further the company’s presence via the Internet and social networking channels.
Ron's latest book, Windows Server 2008 How-To has been selected as the September 2009 book giveaway on Microsoft Subnet. To enter the monthly book giveaway, visit the Microsoft Subnet home page.
The Leader in Network Knowledge
Tasks List Alternative
For a little more organized (albeit more ad-ridden) alternative to the Tasks List, check out processlibrary.com. It provides a search function that neatly provides a brief description of the process as well as a risk assessment and a recommendation for whether or not to disable/remove.
Does ShieldsUp! really test anything?
About 6 months ago I used ShieldsUp! to test my firewall security. First I tested it with my both my software firewall and my (hardware) router/firewall, then with just my router/firewall, then just my software firewall, and last of all, with no firewall (plugged staight into DSL modem). Imagine my surprise that all four test results were the same!
I'm technologically impaired, so I do not know what to make of that. Has anyone else used ShieldsUp! to perform a firewall test with the firewall, and then without a firewall? If so, were your results the same with or without the firewall?
Many DSL modems contain a
Many DSL modems contain a firewall so anything you do behind such a modem will have no effect on a SU result.
bakes
Gago bakla
Great article
DNS Goodies consists of nice web tools
Its absolutely true
Its absolutely true
DNS Goodies and web tools
DNS Goodies and web tools are really very Good DNS tools
Nice tools
Thanks for your recommendation, I found the tool that can check for virused domains really useful!