Author: Rick

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VNC and DynDNS for Remote Desktop Support

Connecting Remotely with VNC

One of my favorite software tools to use at Tech DC is VNC. If I have a client in Maryland, D.C. or elsewhere in the world when I am in Virginia, I can use VNC to take control of their computer in order to remotely diagnose problems or provide user training.

VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing. It was originally developed by AT&T Labs in Cambridge, England. It is open source and free. There are many “flavors” of VNC that use the VNC protocol. My favorite for Windows is UltraVNC because it has the added feature of allowing file transfers between the two machines. VNC exists for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

VNC has two parts. There is the VNC Server which serves up the image. And there is the VNC Viewer which views and controls the server computer.

DynDNS.org

One limitation is that VNC requires a static IP. This is where DynDNS.org helps. Most home internet connections have a dynamic IP address, meaning that the IP address changes occasionally. DynDNS.org creates an address such as “yourname.dyndns.org” that is always mapped to your latest IP address, so it is as if you have a static home IP address.

UltraVNC’s Single Click

It takes extra time to setup, but Single Click is a great tool that can be built at UltraVNC. It is a small executable file that someone can click on in order for you to take over their computer. This makes it simple for the person you are connecting to. It also has the added benefit of not needing to configure their router to forward port 5900 to their computer. Single Click is only available for Windows computers.

All Free

VNC is free and DynDNS has a free service that is all you need. You can purchase other remote connection tools that are sometimes easier to set up such as GoToMyPC.  But if you can configure them, VNC and DynDNS should provide everything you need to connect to remote computers.

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Erasing Your Hard Drive with Apple’s Disk Utility

If you attach a hard drive to a Mac OS X computer, you can erase it using the built-in Disk Utility.

The cheapest way to attach an external drive is with an adapter such as this one for IDE hard drives from Newegg for about $18.

Once connected on a Mac OS X computer, click Go – Utilites – Disk Utility. From there, click on the disk you want to erase, click the Erase tab at the top, then click Security Options. This will give you the following options:

Zeroing out the data will erase it. For added security, choose the 7-Pass or 35-Pass options to overwrite the data in multiple passes. Like Darik’s Boot and Nuke utility, this will ensure that the data can not be recovered even if someone is using special forensic recovery software.

Once you choose the option you want, click Erase. That’s it.

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Truly Erasing Your Hard Drive

Deleting is not Erasing

Most people delete their important computer files before they throw away their computer or donate it to charity. The problem is that file deletion does not overwrite files. Deletion just removes the operating system’s link to that data. Until the files are overwritten, they can still be recovered. This could give someone your valuable bank and credit card information from your web browser cache. It could give someone enough information to commit identity fraud.

While you could physically destroy the hard drive, there are software tools that will securely erase the hard drive so that there is no chance of reconstructing the original data. Software tools are even accepted by the US Government for most deletions of sensitive data.

Darik’s Book and Nuke

My favorite tool is Darik’s Book and Nuke disk. This is a free tool that boots your computer into Linux and then overwrites your drive in multiple passes. Depending on the level of erasure you choose and the speed and size of your hard drive, the deletion can take minutes to a couple of days.

You need to follow instructions to create the CD or DVD yourself from the iso file you download. Then you need to make sure the computer will boot from the CD drive, which could include going into the starting setup (BIOS) to make sure that the CD is first in the boot order. Then just put in the CD and follow the easy instructions.

Once you have Darik’s Book and Nuke disk, you can truly erase your hard drive and keep your information secure.

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Geotagging to arrive on Nikon Compact Camera

Nikon Coolpix P6000

Nikon recently announced their new flagship digital compact camera called the Coolpix P6000.

Expected in September for $500 list, this camera has a 13.5-million-pixel CCD. It can shoot in raw mode, meaning that it does not have to apply any lossy compression at all. It has a feature called d-lighting which fixes otherwise underexposed images caused by excessive backlighting. The P6000 even has an ethernet jack.

Geotagging

But the feature that interests me most is geotagging. The camera has a built-in GPS which allows it to embed the location of the camera in every shot.

Geotagging will allow you to look at a photos of your trip on a map. You will always be able to find out exactly where your pictures were shot.  You can embed the pictures in Google Maps or in Flickr with the location link.  Eventually applications such as iPhoto should be able to sort photos by location instead of just by date taken.

Until now, we needed to go through a complex process if we wanted to add GPS information to photos. Ricoh and some pro cameras have offered this feature as an add-on, but it has never been built into a mainstream camera. Hopefully we will see geotagging in more cameras to come.

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Digital TV Converter Box Scams

The FCC has ordered all local over-the-air broadcasts be digital by February 17, 2009. Taking advantage of this, scammers are putting up ads and commercials claiming to offer free digital converter boxes. The FTC should shut down these misleading ads. One ad says:

The United States Deptartment of Commerce is preparing everyone for the switch to digital television by authorizing payment coupons for certified brands of these special TV boxes.

But the government process has us all tied up.

That’s why Universal TechTronics is providing these Miracle ClearView TV boxes immediately to the general public for free for everyone who gets the 5yr. warranty.

There are two problems with this. First, the device is only “free” if you don’t consider the mandatory warranty and shipping of $100.

But the main reason this is bogus is that most Americans don’t need to do anything. If you have satellite or cable TV, you are not affected. And if you are one of the rare Americans that uses a rabbit-ear antenna for over-the-air broadcasts, your TV could have a digital tuner built-in if it was purchased recently.

If you do need a digital converter box, it should cost about $60. You can get a $40 coupon from the federal government that lowers your cost to around $20.

For more on the Digital TV Transition, see the FCC site:
http://www.dtv.gov/