Need Windows Vista Tips?

After finding a tip on IE7 that Sandi Hardmeier credited to Tweak Vista, I added the site to my RSS feed list. Although the site is still self-defined as being in "beta", the tips are continuing to add up every day.

Here's a sampling from the past few days:

22:23 - 12-01 - Totally disable taskbar notification popu... by admin
14:07 - 12-01 - Windows Vista Media Center Shortcut Key List by bassie`
16:57 - 11-28 - Adding multiple timezone clocks by bassie`
16:56 - 11-28 - Change the position of the desktop backgr... by bassie`
16:56 - 11-28 - Set the default download directory for IE7 by bassie`
16:49 - 11-28 - Force detailed view for Open / Save Dialogs by bassie`
16:48 - 11-28 - Remove Sync Center logo from offline files by bassie`
16:47 - 11-28 - Remove the Messenger My Sharing Folders f... by bassie`
16:46 - 11-28 - Hide Favorite Links in file Open and Save... by bassie`
16:43 - 11-28 - Windows Vista Explorer Favorite Links Tips by bassie`
16:21 - 11-28 - Re-Enable the missing IE7 icon on your de... by bassie`
16:40 - 11-28 - Disable Cleartype all over Vista with Cle... by bassie`
16:44 - 11-28 - Force classic view of the control panel by bassie`

This looks like a site to add to your Favorites!

Headline Grabbing by Sophos?

Just last week, I provided information on anti-virus software that works on the Windows Vista platform. Included in that post was the announcement by Sophos that their version 6.5 protects Microsoft Windows Vista.

Now, fast on the heels of Microsoft's "Ready for a New Day" presentation on the business availability of Windows Vista, the 2007 Office system, and Exchange Server 2007, Sophos proclaims that their tests show that three of the top ten malware threats run on Microsoft Vista:

"Sophos experts note that on the launch date of Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, three of the top ten - including Stratio-Zip - are capable of bypassing the operating system's security defences and infecting users' PCs. The Vista-resistant malware - W32/Stratio-Zip, W32/Netsky-P and W32/MyDoom-O - comprise 39.7% of all malware currently circulating."

Hopefully, other readers of this report did not stop there. Located beyond the graph in that report is the further explanation that in Vista the Windows Mail client did indeed identify and stop the three identified threats. The problem exists when accessing infected emails via a third-party webmail client, apparently without additional security software:

" 'There has been much speculation about whether Vista would render existing malware extinct, and the news is now in - it won't,' said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant at Sophos. 'While Microsoft should be commended for the huge security improvements it has made in Vista, running separate security software is still essential to eliminate the risk of infection . . . " {emphasis added}

Indeed! I would expect that Microsoft would be the first to tell their customers that a firewall, anti-virus software and anti-malware software, including real-time protection, are necessary for any system accessing the internet.

c|net Senior Editor James Kim and Family Missing

As Robert McLaws of "Windows Now" wrote, this is also not the type of story I would normally report. However, I have read a number of James Kim's articles and am a regular c|net reader as well. As a result, I feel a connection and hope that by sharing this story that some stranger may see it and be able to help.

James Kim was due back from a family trip on the west coast on Tuesday. However, the family has not been heard from since Saturday evening. From the SF Police Report:

The San Francisco Police Department is seeking information regarding a missing San Francisco family of four. On Friday, November 17, 2006, James Kim, his wife, Kati Kim, and their children, Penelope Kim and Sabine Kim left on a road trip to Seattle, Washington. The family was expected to return to San Francisco on Monday, November 27^th, 2006. When both James Kim and Kati Kim did not show up for their appointments on Tuesday, November 28^th, it caused their co-workers to be worried for their safety. The Kim’s are known to always keep in touch daily either by phone or e-mail with their friends and co-workers. The last known whereabouts of the Kim family was in Portland, Oregon on Saturday morning, November 25, 2006. They were driving a 2005 silver Saab station wagon with California personalized plates of “DOESF”.

The San Francisco Police Department is asking the public’s help in locating the Kim family. Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts should contact the following numbers:

SFPD Missing Persons Unit: 415-558-5508
Operations Center: 415-553-1071

Additional information and photos at the sites below.

• Windows Now: CNET Editor and Family Missing
• c|net News: CNET editor James Kim, and family, missing
• engadget: CNET's James Kim and family missing -- have you seen them?
• Chris Pirillo: Missing Friend: James Kim

Note: Robert McLaws has posted a couple of updates. Watch his blog posting for news.