Category Archives: software tips

You can’t just copy notepade.exe and run it in Windows 10

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You might think you can just copy notepad.exe and run it:

PS C:\tmp> copy C:\windows\notepad.exe c:\tmp
PS C:\tmp> dir c:\tmp *

Directory: C:\tmp

Mode    LastWriteTime       Length  Name
—a————    2/20/2021 11:35 PM  181248  notepad.exe

PS C:\tmp> .\notepad.exe
PS C:\tmp> # Nothing happens...

But nothing happens.

What’s wrong? This is a simple operation!

Answer: You need the .\en-US\notepad.exe.mui file

Or, more generally the .\xx-YY\notepad.exe.mui file, for any local “xx-YY”, for any similar built-in Microsoft™ program.

For notepad.exe you can find this file in c:\windows\xx-YY\notepad.exe.mui 

PS C:\tmp> mkdir en-US


    Directory: C:\tmp


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
d-----         4/2/2021  11:26 AM                en-US


PS C:\tmp> copy C:\Windows\notepad.exe .\
PS C:\tmp> copy C:\Windows\en-us\notepad.exe.mui .\en-US\
PS C:\tmp> dir


    Directory: C:\tmp


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
d-----         4/2/2021  11:27 AM                en-US
-a----        2/20/2021  11:35 PM         181248 notepad.exe


PS C:\tmp> dir .\en-US\


    Directory: C:\tmp\en-US


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        3/19/2019   2:18 AM          12288 notepad.exe.mui


PS C:\tmp> .\notepad.exe
PS C:\tmp> # it works!

Other Examples

Not all exe files have the problem. Here are some other famous exe’s that do, however. They’re in C:\Windows\System32 (not C:\Windows\ like notepad.exe): 

    Directory: c:\tmp


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name                                                                        
----                -------------         ------ ----                                                                        
d-----         4/2/2021   4:21 PM                en-US                                                                       
-a----        3/19/2019  12:45 AM          34816 ipconfig.exe                                                                
-a----        3/19/2019  12:45 AM          21504 ping.exe                                                                    
-a----        3/19/2019  12:45 AM          17920 tracert.exe                                                                 
-a----        3/19/2019  12:45 AM         369152 msinfo32.exe

And here are their associated .mui files:

    Directory: c:\tmp\en-US


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name                                                                        
----                -------------         ------ ----                                                                        
-a----        3/19/2019   2:17 AM          28160 ipconfig.exe.mui                                                            
-a----        3/19/2019   2:17 AM          11264 ping.exe.mui                                                                
-a----        3/19/2019   2:17 AM           6656 tracert.exe.mui                                                             
-a----        3/19/2019   2:17 AM          30720 msinfo32.exe.mui

Most programs do not have a en-US\*.mui file in the first place. Here’s a few that do, but run fine when you copy them nevertheless:

   Directory: c:\tmp


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name                                                                        
----                -------------         ------ ----                                                                        
d-----        4/14/2021   4:55 PM                en-US-not_needed                                                            
-a----        3/19/2019  12:45 AM          14336 HOSTNAME.EXE                                                                
-a----        2/20/2021  11:33 PM         280064 cmd.EXE                                                                     
-a----        3/19/2019  12:44 AM          86528 nslookup.exe                                                                
-a----        3/19/2019  12:43 AM          40448 Netplwiz.exe                                                                
-a----        3/19/2019  12:45 AM          40960 where.exe                                                                   
-a----        3/19/2019  12:45 AM          71168 whoami.exe

tasklist.exe is interesting. It partially works when copied. It works without its .mui file, but only if you provide no parameters. If you want to provide parameters, you need the copied .mui file:

    Directory: c:\tmp


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name                                                                        
----                -------------         ------ ----                                                                        
d-----        4/14/2021   6:33 PM                en-us                                                                       
-a----        3/19/2019  12:45 AM         101376 tasklist.exe                                                                


    Directory: c:\tmp\en-us


Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name                                                                        
----                -------------         ------ ----                                                                        
-a----        3/19/2019   2:17 AM          15872 tasklist.exe.mui

An oddball is mspaint.exe. It has a .mui but copying it still doesnt work. It may be interacting with the Windows 10 “App” interface.

References:

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware – Installing and Using–what to turn off. (also know by its initials: MBAM)

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Install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free. Click here: https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/thankyou/ (accurate link as of 02/19/2019) to download.

Run the downloaded file (if it does not run automatically) to install Malwarebyates Anti-Malware. It should start running and give you a window automatically after installation.

If not, find it in the start menu and run it.

Malwarebyates Anti-Malware also appears in the “system tray” which is the extreme lower right of your screen, on the right side of the taskbar/icon bar. (This taskbar is the one which has the start menu button on its extreme left.) You can show it through there.

Click OK to get thru the trial notification (we’re going to turn that off soon).

Now there are two (2) settings to change from the defaults.

1. Turn on rootkits

Once Malwarebyates Anti-Malware is running, go into its Settings tab on the left, then the Protection and turn on Scan for rootkits.

2. Deactivate Premium Trial

Back to the Settings tab on the left, this time the Account tab on the top, and then click the Deactivate Premium Trial at the bottom.

Now you have to jump through all their hoops:

1. Confirm Yes

2. Trial Expired Popup–lower right

Now, finally, actually run the scan

You should get a nice window showing it has started. The best anti-malware scanner on the market, and it’s free! 😀

Quarantine any threats

If threats are found, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will show you a screen with them. I trust it. Just Quarantine Selected

Clean up after

After Malwarebytes Anti-Malware finishes, you can go into its system tray icon and right-click and turn off Start with Windows, and also click Quit Malwarebytes. It will probably give a security prompt–just click OK. It doesnt hurt to keep it running, but it’s not really doing anything. Just re-start it when you want to scan again (eg, weekly).

References:

A Comprehensive (and I mean comprehensive) Security Recommendation

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A Comprehensive (and I mean comprehensive) Security Recommendation

Bleepingcomputer.com is a comprehensive security site with help from experts even for non-techies.

Here’s a post from one of those experts with just about every security recommendation he could think of:

Please take the time to read below on how to secure the machine and take the necessary steps to keep it Clean.

 

STEP 1 – UPDATING TASKS

  • It is possible for programs on your computer to have security vulnerability that can allow malware to infect you.
  • Therefore, it is also a good idea to check for the latest versions of commonly installed applications that are regularly patched to fix vulnerabilities.
  • You can check these by visiting Secunia Software Inspector or you can use the following application for this purpose PatchMyPC.
  • You may take a look at UCheck as well.

 
Visit Microsoft’s Windows Update Site Frequently

  • It is important that you check for Windows Updates regularly.
  • This will ensure your computer has always the latest security updates available installed on your computer.
  • If there are new updates to install, install them immediately, reboot your computer, and revisit the site until there are no more critical updates.

 

STEP 2 – CLEANUP

Here are a few additional steps on how to remove all of the tools we used:

  • Please download Delfix.exe by Xplode and save it to your desktop.
  • Please start it and check the box next to “Remove disinfection tools” and uncheck the rest and click on the run button.
  • The tool will delete itself once it finishes.

Note: If any tool, file, log file or folder (belonging to the program we have used) hasn’t been deleted, please delete it manually.

 

You can delete the following folders:

C:\ProgramData\HitmanPro => to delete the leftovers from HitmanPro
C:\EEK => to delete the leftovers from EmsisoftEmergencyKit

C:\Users\tierz\AppData\Local\ESET => to delete the leftovers from Eset Online Scanner

I suggest you leave Malwarebytes installed for on-demand scans but if you want to uninstall it then you can use this tool

 

STEP 3 – SECURITY ADVISES
 

Keep your antivirus software turned on and up-to-date

  • New viruses come out every minute, so it is essential that you have the latest signatures for your antivirus program to provide you with the best possible protection from malicious software.
  • Note: You should only have one antivirus installed at a time. Having more than one antivirus program installed at once is likely to cause conflicts and may well decrease your overall protection as well as impairing the performance of your PC.
  • Note2: You should scan your computer with an antimalware program like Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware on a regular basis just as you would an antivirus software. Be sure to check for and download any definition updates prior to performing a scan. Also keep in mind that MBAM is not a replacement for antivirus software, it is meant to complement the protection provided by a full antivirus product and is designed to detect the threats that are missed by most antivirus software.

 

Be prepared for CryptoLocker and similar threats:

Since the prevention is better than cure you can purchase a license for Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (because Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware and Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit are also included in the Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 3) or try a free program such as Kaspersky Antiransomware for business.

In addition to whatever you choose to use I would suggest you to add CryptoPrevent to supplement them to secure the PC against these lockers. Also make regular backups of your important documents.

You can use a standard user account with UAC enabled. If you need administrative privileges to perform some tasks, then you can use Run As or log on as the administrator account for that specific task.

 

Practice Safe Internet

One of the main reasons people get infected in the first place is that they are not practicing Safe Internet. You practice Safe Internet when you educate yourself on how to properly use the Internet through the use of security tools and good practice. Knowing how you can get infected and what types of files and sites to avoid will be the most crucial step in keeping your computer malware free. The reality is that the majority of people who are infected with malware are ones who click on things they shouldn’t be clicking on. Whether these things are files or sites it doesn’t really matter. If something is out to get you, and you click on it, it most likely will.  Below are a list of simple precautions to take to keep your computer clean and running securely:

  • If you receive an attachment from someone you do not know, DO NOT OPEN IT! Simple as that. Opening attachments from people you do not know is a very common method for viruses or worms to infect your computer.
  • .zip, .exe, .com, .bat, .pif, .scr, .cmd, .cab .vbs or .js do not open the attachment unless you know for a fact that it is clean. For the casual computer user, you will almost never receive a valid attachment of this type.
  • If you receive an attachment from someone you know, and it looks suspicious, then it probably is. The email could be from someone you know infected with a malware that is trying to infect everyone in their address book.
  • If you are browsing the Internet and a popup appears saying that you are infected, ignore it!. These are, as far as I am concerned, scams that are being used to scare you into purchasing a piece of software. For an example of these types of popups, or Foistware, you should read this article:
    Foistware, And how to avoid it. There are also programs that disguise themselves as Anti-Spyware or security products but are instead scams.  For a list of these types of programs we recommend you visit this link: About Malwares, Rogues, Scarewares, SmitfraudFix
  • Another tactic to fool you on the web is when a site displays a popup that looks like a normal Windows message or alert. When you click on them, though, they instead bring you to another site that is trying to push a product on you. I suggest that you close these windows by clicking on the X instead of the OK button. Alternatively, you can check to see if it’s a real alert by right-clicking on the window. If there is a menu that comes up saying Add to Favorites… you know it’s a fake.
  • Do not go to adult sites. I know this may bother some of you, but the fact is that a large amount of malware is pushed through these types of sites. I am not saying all adult sites do this, but a lot do.
  • When using an Instant Messaging program be cautious about clicking on links people send to you. It is not uncommon for infections to send a message to everyone in the infected person’s contact list that contains a link to an infection. Instead when you receive a message that contains a link, message back to the person asking if it is legit before you click on it.
  • Stay away from Warez and Crack sites! In addition to the obvious copyright issues, the downloads from these sites are typically overrun with infections. Avoid using cracks and unknown programs from sources you don’t trust. There are MANY alternative open-source applications. Malware writers just love cracks and keygens, and will often attach malicious code into them. By using cracks and/or keygens, you are asking for problems. So my advice is – stay away from them!
  • Be careful of what you download off of web sites and Peer-2-Peer networks. Some sites disguise malware as legitimate software to trick you into installing them and Peer-2-Peer networks are crawling with it. If you want to download a piece of software a from a site, and are not sure if they are legitimate, you can use Bitdefender TrafficLight or Avira Browser Safety to look up info on the site. Note: skip this advice if your antivirus have a Web Guard.
  • DO NOT INSTALL any software without first reading the End User License Agreement, otherwise known as the EULA. A tactic that some developers use is to offer their software for free, but have spyware and other programs you do not want bundled with it. This is where they make their money. By reading the agreement there is a good chance you can spot this and not install the software.
  • You may want to install Unchecky to prevent adware bundled into many free programs to install.
  • Make the extensions for known file types visible: Be worried of files with a double extension such as image.jpg.exe. As a default setting, Windows often hides common file extensions, meaning that a program like image.jpg.exe will appear to you as simply image.jpg. Double extensions exploit this by hiding the second, dangerous extension and reassuring you with the first one.Check this out – Show or hide file name extensions.
  • Disable Autorun: It’s a good idea to disable the Autorun functionality to prevent spreading of the infections from USB flash drives. Check the article here for more information. Also you can install McShield – to prevent infections spread by removable media.
  • Disable and Windows Scripting Host: If you don’t use any script files then you can go ahead and disable Windows Scripting Host using the tool provided by Symantec – NoScript.exe. Simple download and run it and click on the Disable button and reboot the computer. If you need to run any js. or vbs scripts at a later stage you should run NoScript.exe again and select Enable, then reboot the computer.
  • Install Adblock Plus to surf the web without annoying ads!

 

 
Create an image of your system (you can use the built-in Windows software as well if you prefer)

  • Now when your pc is malware free it is a good idea to do a backup of all important files just in case something happens it.
  • Macrium Reflect is very good choice that enables you to create an image of your system drive which can be restored in case of problems.
  • The download link is here.
  • The tutorial on how to create an system image can be found here.
  • It’s a good idea to add Macrium to the boot menu to access it if Windows won’t start and you don’t have a Rescue CD.
  • The tutorial on how to restore an system image can be found here.
  • Be sure to read the tutorials first.

 

Follow this list and your potential for being infected again will reduce dramatically.

 

Safe Surfing !

 

Regards,
Georgi

Edited by B-boy/StyLe/, 28 March 2017 – 09:45 AM.

From: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/642995/winvmx-the-requested-resource-is-in-use-tried-all-suggestions-on-forum/#entry4208784

Google Docs vs Microsoft Office

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IMG:o365_gdocs

Google Docs vs Microsoft Office

Little Known Fact about MS Office

MS bills its “Office 365” as a “cloud suite”. Actually, it includes the regular old desktop programs of Office 2016 (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and in some versions Outlook).

Summary

In a 2016 review of Google’s G Suite business subscription service, Eric Grevstad of PC Magazine stated that Google Docs follows the “80/20” rule: “that is, 80 percent of users will never need more than 20 percent of the features”.[71]

–wikipedia

I would like to modify that somewhat. While he says “will never need” I think that’s a stretch. I think it’s more accurate to say “80 percent of the time users will only need 20 percent of the features.” The way this new view plays out, is that if you use Google Docs, once a year or so, you will run into a situation in which you need features Google Docs does not offer. That’s more what I experience from users in real life.

ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – Comprehenive Advanced Features

As I said in the “Summary” above, if you use Google, once a year or so, you will need some more complex / advanced feature that is in Microsoft Office but not Google Docs.

There’s always a workaround, with some additional effort and inconvenience.

(slight) ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – privacy

Educated guess, but I believe MS Office protects your privacy more than Google.

Here’s my reasoning. These aren’t proofs–just educated guessing and reasoning.

  • MS is less motivated financially to sell your content to advertisers or private investigators. Because you pay for MS Office. They have a buisness model where they get paid for the software they produce. Google’s only business model is to sell advertising based on your content. So it is an urgent need, a matter of corporate survival for them to violate your privacy.
  • This one seems backwards, but stay with me. MS was criticzied for their handling of privacy because they published visibly that they would turn over your Office 365 (OneDrive) content to law enforcement authorites without your consent or notification. This is true of ALL companies, because of the Patriot Act in the United States. So I give MS *credit* on privacy for being visible about this, instead of hiding it like other companies. It makes me trust them a smidgen more on privacy.
  • Last buy not least, MS Office supports a fully offline model, with all files stored on your local hard disk, instead of in the cloud (MS OneDrive). These files are much less likely to be scanned.

ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – offline and alternate cloud storage

Since MS Office 365 (or the desktop apps) run on your desktop, you can be fully operational without an internet connection. Eg, on a plane. Or the day that your ISP goes down. Or if the power goes out (assuming you have laptop battery to keep working, and assuming you don’t have battery backup or generator backup for your internet connection).

Offline, desktop acces model in MS Office also means you can use them with almost any cloud storage (Dropbox, Box.com, SugarSync) in addition to MS’s own OneDrive.

That is *IF* those services have a ‘local sync’ feature. All of those I listed do. (This local sync feature sync’s a folder on your desktop to the cloud. Changes you make in the cloud are replicated on your local disk. Changes you make on your local disk–with desktop Office 2016, for example–are mirrored in the cloud.)

Can not do that with Google Docs because there is no way to work on local files.

You can download offline files out of Google Docs, for storage and back. And you can edit them locally. With what? MS Office? Might as well have just used MS Office in the first place.

You could edit them with the free LibreOffice and get close to the MS Office experience. The disadvantage is that you’re working in two different interfaces, and LibreOffice is not quite as powerful as MS Office.

Or using only the Chrome Browser, and a Chrome extension “Google Docs Offline” you can edit offline with Google.

ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – printing

in Google Docs, if in Firefox or Internet Explorer, you have to dowload as a PDF to print. Using the browser print will make it print like a web page, not a document.

In the Chrome browser (only) Google Docs print normally.

Reports (I can’t confirm) that advanced printing is not available in Google Docs (but they’re upgrading all the time).

ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – upload limit

50MB (was: 2MB) upload limit for Google Docs (no limit once in Google Drive online cloud storage)

(slight) ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – huge size

Google Docs can’t handle HUGE data sets, eg, > 2 million (was: 400K) cells in a spreadsheet.

ADVANTAGE GOOGLE – FREE!

By far the biggest difference between the two is that Goodle Docs is FREE. You pay for that with Google scanning your docs and providing that info to advertisers so that they can target ads to you. But Microsoft is still doing at least some of that.

ADVANTAGE GOOGLE – “Explore”

GDocs new “Explore” feature

Launched in September 2016, “Explore” enables additional functionality through machine learning.[36][37][38]

  • In Google Docs, Explore shows relevant Google search results based on information in the document, simplifying information gathering. Users can also mark specific document text, press Explore and see search results
  • based on the marked text only.
  • In Google Sheets, Explore enables users to ask questions, such as “How many units were sold on Black Friday?”, and Explore will return the answer, without requiring formula knowledge from the user.
  • In Google Slides, Explore dynamically generates design suggestions based on the contents of each slide.

The “Explore” features in Docs follow the launch of a more basic research tool originally introduced in 2012.[39][40][41]

In December 2016, Google introduced a quick citations feature to Google Docs. The quick citation tool allows users to “insert citations as footnotes with the click of a button” on the web through the Explore feature introduced in September. The citation feature also marked the launch of the Explore functionalities in G Suite for Education accounts.[42][43][44]

In June 2017, Google expanded the Explore feature in Google Sheets to automatically build charts and visualize data,[45][46] and again expanded it in December to feature machine learning capable of automatically creating pivot tables.[47][48]

–wikipedia

NO LONGER ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – columns and image editing

In 2013, Microsoft released ads that called out specific features missing in Docs, including columns (eventually added by Google Docs in 2016) and image-editing support (eventually added by Google Docs in 2014).

–techwalla

NO LONGER ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – mail merge

You didnt used to be able to do mail merge in Gmail+Docs. Now you can.

NO LONGER ADVANTAGE MS OFFICE – add-ons

In March 2014, Google introduced add-ons

–wikipedia

Before that, only MS Office had add-ons.

NO LONGER ADVANTAGE GOOGLE – real-time simultaneous co-authoring

Until MS Office v2016 MS Office did not provide real-time simultaneous co-authoring (unless you used Enterprise SharePoint).

By this I mean 2+ people working on the same document at exactly the same time with each seeing the other’s edits in real-time as they happen, letter by letter.

Before v2016 MS had less helpful co-editing techniques.

References:

Unlock PDF file

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How to unlock a secured/protected PDF file so you can copy and paste or print from it

Option 1 : Ghostscript

Download portable Ghostscript from PortableApps.com :

Install Ghostscript.

  • NOTE: it does not really “install”. It just writes files to a particular folder.
  • TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLDER! You may also change its location and name if you like.
  • We will enter this foldername later.

Start the Windows program Notepad

Copy and paste the following text

  • You will have to CHANGE the names of the input and output files after you paste into Notepad.
  • (You might have to scroll right to see/get/copy all of this) 
    gswin32c -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile="OUTPUT PDF" "INPUT PDF"
pause
  • INPUT PDF – this is the full path name to the file you want to unlock by converting
  • OUTPUT PDF – this is the full path name to the new file you want to create (the filename should not exist yet–but the folder should)
  • Example 1 of possible INPUT and OUTPUT PDF files:
    • INPUT: C:\users\johndoe\Downloads\some_file.pdf
    • OUTPUT: C:\users\johndoe\Downloads\some_file_unlocked.pdf
  • Example 2 possible of INPUT and OUTPUT PDF files:
    • INPUT: "C:\users\johndoe\Desktop\another file.pdf"
    • OUTPUT: "C:\users\johndoe\Desktop\another file unlocked.pdf"
  • If the folder path or file name contains spaces, the filename must be in “double quotes” (otherwise the quotes are optional)

Save the file as convert_pdf.bat in the bin sub-folder within the folder where you “installed” Ghostscript

  • Example save location: C:\user\johndoe\Downloads\CommonFiles\Ghostscript\bin\

Navigate to that bin sub-folder and double-click convert_pdf.bat to run it.

  • It should create an unlocked version of your file for you.

Option 2 : Upload to google drive (docs)

Then cut-n-paste from within google drive.

Option 3 : Upload to free zoho docs.

Then cut-n-paste from within zoho docs.

How to show Full Headers of an email message

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You occasionally need to show full headers to debug spam or some malware attacks.

Unfortunately, the method to do this varies in every email program.

Here are some examples:

GMAIL (these things keep changing)

reply drop-down has “show original”

OUTLOOK: (these things keep changing)

message right-click has “options”

References:

spamcop

has several examples of email programs, as does

fraudaid

of all places

Updating Quickbooks

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Every couple years, you need to update Intuit’s Quickbooks.

Quick Summary of how-to:

  • make backup using old version
  • install new version
  • move file local to new version (if normally on net share; they’re picking about net access)
  • Let new version convert (will also make a backup)
  • move file back o net location (if normally on net share)

Some key quotes from Intuit Quickbooks support:

When you open your company file in a newer version, QuickBooks asks if you want to update or convert the QuickBooks company file.
– Company file compatibility between QuickBooks versions

So, generally Quickbooks handles the compnay file conversion for us.

Before updating or converting a company file, QuickBooks requires you to make a backup of the existing file in case you need to revert back to this file and or to the older version of QuickBooks. We recommend saving this file in a safe location with a name that is recognizable as the pre-conversion backup, for example: John Smith Car Repair - QB2010.QBB. For more information see Update (convert) your company file to a newer version of QuickBooks
– Company file compatibility between QuickBooks versions

QB will make the backup for you, but, make one yourself before installing the new version. I concur the backup file should be named to indicate it was pre-NEW VESION.

If you update or convert a company file, enter transactions in the converted file, and then decide to revert back to the old version and old backup file, you will need to be manually re-enter those transactions. There is no way to export the newer transactions into the older file or to merge these files using QuickBooks. Additional solutions may be available at Marketplace.Intuit.com.
– Company file compatibility between QuickBooks versions

That’s something to keep in mind.

Do not update over a network.

Be sure the company data file is stored on the same computer you are using to update it. You might need to copy the file from another computer, and then copy it back after you finish updating it.
– Update (convert) your company file to a newer version of QuickBooks

With the normal operation of Quickbooks, the network is only a problem if two ppl access simultaneously. Cuz it is not syncing. Or just file syncing which can fail over a network. In this case my guess is they’re just concerned about network dropping out during the company file conversion.

References

How to get the Flash version update notification pop-up window to appear at will, manually

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Adobe will prompt you from time to time when a new update to Flash Player is available. When that happens, you should not simply click DOWNLOAD. There’s a better way to get Flash Updates

But, what if, for whatever reason you want to manually make the flash update notifcation pop-up window appear, at will, whenever you want?

It’s a hard search on Google. I only found 2 hits:

  1. Force Manual Update Adobe Flash Player Windows on guidingtech.com
  2. How do I trigger a Flash Player update? in the Adobe Forums (i actually provided the response on this one; same as i included here, below)

My Answer:

In Windows 7,

Start -> type “cmd” into the search box (without the quotes)

Windows should find a program named cmd

Click on it to start command prompt.

A black text window should appear, with a prompt and cursor, like the one below.

cmd_window

At the prompt you want to run the FlashUtil program with the -update plugin argument but the problem is that

  1. The version number changes with each update, and
  2. Over time, adobe changes where in the file system it stores this file

So, you will probably have to search for a similar program. Once you find it, replace mine below with the program you found, and the path you found it in.

The following command works today on my system. As you can see i’m currently on version 14.0.0.145 (I will be upgrading to version 16.0.0.235 today.)

C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\FlashUtil32_14_0_0_145_plugin.exe -update plugin

Running this command (with the right FlashUtil exe file, once you find it) produces the familiar flash update notification window popup, which looks like this (for the v16.0.0.235 update):

flash_update_notification_window
[This specific example is for the v16.0.0.235 update]

.

Now i would NOT click DOWNLOAD, that’s not the best way to get Flash Updates

RemoteUtilities agent.exe download problem in Mozilla Firefox : false-positive malware detection

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RemoteUtilities is my favorite remote access software.

But there was a problem while downloading its “Agent“.

I debugged that problem and posted a workaround on their forum. I’ve quoted it below:

Downloading agent.exe in Firefox results in: blocked may contain a virus or spyware
john kumpf
Posts: 5
Joined: 11/03/2014

12/03/2014 20:35:55

Firefox silently did not download agent.exe file from http://www.remoteutilities.com/download/

The link to the file was: http://www.remoteutilities.com/download/agent.exe

I had to do “Show all downloads” to see this error message.

The error message was:

Quote
Blocked: may contain a virus or spyware

I worked around this problem by reading this article:

http://www.ghacks.net/2014/11/19/bypass-firefoxs-blocked-may-contain-a-virus-or-spyware-message/

What i did: in firefox

Type “about:config” in address bar (without the quotes); hit return.
Click the “I’ll be careful, I promise!” button.
Type “safe” into the search box (without the quotes).
Double click the item “browser.safebrowsing.malware.enabled” to turn it from true to false.

Then i was able to download the agent.exe program.