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Lenovo Rootkit Fiasco

Sep 2015

It’s irritating to find a fresh PC full of unnecessary preloaded software, but a Lenovo rootkit has been found sneaking software onto PCs after installation.

Preloaded software such as this is called ‘bloatware’ as it uses up vital system resources, but provides virtually no benefit to the user. Many users, therefore, like to perform a fresh Windows install after unpacking their system to eradicate this pesky bloatware.

However, Lenovo have decided to work around this procedure and are still managing to force their software onto Lenovo systems!

Let’s take a look at how they’re achieving this and what it means for you.

Access via Rootkit?

Many people are accusing Lenovo of resorting to rootkit tactics to make sure their software remains on your system. A rootkit is a malicious piece of software which grants access to your system to remote users. This is commonly used by criminals to steal passwords or credit card details.

However, in this instance Lenovo isn’t actually using a rootkit and they’re not trying to steal your personal details.

How is Lenovo Gaining Access?

Lenovo is actually loading bloatware on to systems by taking advantage of an official piece of Windows software known as the Platform Binary Table (WPBT). The WPBT allows manufacturers to install trusted software to systems in order for them to run properly.

This software needs to be stored within the machine on a physical medium e.g. a hard drive. Now, the most obvious thing to do would be to uninstall this unwanted software, but this is where Lenovo starts to play nasty.

Built into the Lenovo system’s firmware is a piece of software known as the Lenovo Service Engine (LSE). And the LSE runs before Windows boots up and replaces Microsoft’s version of ‘autochk.exe’ with its own.

Normally, autochk.exe is used to verify the integrity of your file system, but Lenovo’s variant installs software which connects to the internet and downloads the bloatware via the WPBT.

The problem is that because the LSE runs before Windows boots up it’s almost impossible to stop this happening even when you’ve deleted the bloatware. It will simply download again thanks to the LSE!

Cleaning up Lenovo’s Bloatware

Once news of Lenovo’s shady activities came to light they were confronted with a lot of bad press.

Not surprisingly they soon released a tool to help remove this rogue software from their systems. There are also numerous guides online advising how to remove the threat manually, but this involves burrowing deep into your system’s code and is best left to an expert.

It was also revealed that all desktop machines which were built between 10/23/2014 – 04/10/2015 contained the LSE, so this is a huge number of systems which have been, to all intents and purposes, infected.

Final Thoughts

The LSE debacle has caused a lot of harm not only to Lenovo customers, but also to Lenovo’s brand values. And the ease with which the WPBT was exploited will also raise many questions about just how secure Windows is.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Windows 10 Performance Summary

SoftwarePerformance, windows 10Ophtek, LLC

Sep 2015

Windows 10 has been released and promises to improve your PC experience like never before, but how does Windows 10 performance compare against 7 and 8.1?

Now, Windows 8.1 certainly scored highly when it came to outperforming Windows 7, but the flat design aesthetics certainly riled a few consumers in terms of looks an usability.

Windows 10, therefore, presents the perfect opportunity for Microsoft to push the performance of Windows that little bit further and improve on its aesthetic appeal.

To get a better understanding of what Windows 10 can offer consumers, we’re going to compare it against its two predecessors.

Powering Up

Waiting for a PC to boot up used to be an agonizingly long affair where you had enough time to go and make a coffee! Boot up speeds, thankfully, have improved, but still aren’t perfect and consumers are willing to invest in anything which speeds up this process.

The speed in which a PC can boot up is always going to depend – to some degree – on the hardware involved, but operating systems also contribute towards this result.

And whilst it’s no surprise that Windows 8.1 boots up in 4 seconds compared to Windows 7’s 5 seconds, you may be surprised to find that Windows 10 is the slowest of all three with 6 seconds. It may be a barely noticeable difference, but it doesn’t indicate progress.

Due to the energy conscious world we live in, the sleep option for PCs has been widely celebrated. It’s here that Windows 10 really starts performing by taking just 10 seconds to wake up compared to 12 and 17 seconds for Windows 8.1 and 7 respectively.

Finally, waking up from hibernation tells a similar story with Windows 10 taking 21 seconds as opposed to 23 and 27 seconds Windows 8.1 and 7 respectively.

Application Responsiveness

The digital world is an incredibly busy place these days, so any time saving benefits are welcomed with open arms by all PC users.

Windows 10, therefore, you would expect to take note of this modern ire and build on its predecessors’ performances.

Somewhat bafflingly, though, Windows 10 does not take the initiative of improving the application experience with a significant increase in speed. In fact, the majority of applications appear to run slightly faster on Windows 8.1 and 7

Storage Performance

Everyone wants to have their hard drive working as quickly as possible be it either reading or writing data, so how does Windows 10 perform in this arena?

Depending on the hard drive being tested, Windows 10 does outperform Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 (where applicable) in terms of faster read/write speeds, but this success certainly varies between models.

The World of Entertainment

In terms of synthetic performance such as CPU and graphics card performance, Windows 10 performs very strongly against Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

What this means for the average user is that leisure activities such as gaming, watching movies and ripping/burning movies becomes that little bit quicker when you’ve got Windows 10 at your disposal.

Again, though, Windows 10 doesn’t always outperform Windows 8.1 and Windows 7, but certainly matches and holds its own in comparison tests.

Is Windows 10 Worth the Upgrade?

Whilst we can’t state that Windows 10 bursts out of the starting blocks into an unassailable lead, we can tell you that it’s quicker than its predecessors in some key areas such as waking up, storage and entertainment options.

Sure, it’s not perfect by any means, but it’s a very new release and previous versions of Windows have always gone on to improve and optimize their performance with the latest updates.

If you’re running Windows 7 or 8.1, though, it’s fine to carry on running with these systems for now as they will deliver solid performance, but the more bleeding edge user will be looking to upgrade to Windows 10.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Why Do Hard Drives Crash?

hardware, Uncategorizedcrash, hard drivesOphtek, LLC

Sep 2015

When your hard drive crashes you’re at risk of losing a lot of data, so learning why hard drives crash is vital for preventing this and recovery of data.

Hard drives, like almost any product containing electrical or mechanical devices, are prone to failure. And they always seem to pick the worst moment to fail e.g. in the middle of running a huge report!

Let’s take a look at exactly how hard drives can crash to get a better understanding of what’s happening to your hardware.

Hard Drive Head Crash

Hard drives store their data magnetically on a rotating platter and this data is transferred or extracted from the platter using a read-write head.

In normal operation this read-write head effortlessly glides along a surface of air just above the surface of the platter which is made up of two protective layers.

This confers protection to the fragile data held on the hard drive, but unfortunately read-write heads can easily scratch through these layers as a result of the following:

Wear and tear to the read-write head can cause it to drop
If the drive is dropped when running the read-write head can be forced into the drive
Debris entering the hard drive can damage the surface

The most obvious way to spot this fault is by the clicking noise the hard drive will create as it tries to run as well as visible scratches on the platter’s surface.

Spindle Motor Failures

Hard drives spin at remarkably high speeds (with an average RPM of 7,200), so it’s no surprise that the spindle motor which spins the hard drive undergoes excessive stress over its lifetime. This is why the spindle motor is prone to failing and why you’ll struggle to interact with the hard drive as a result.

This type of failure, again, will be characterized by clicking and whirring sounds as the hard drive struggles to operate in its normal fashion.

Electronic Failure

Hard drives, of course, aren’t 100% mechanical devices. Our old friend electricity is also pulsing through the veins of hard drives. And this sets up hard drives for a particularly heavy crash.

You see, there’s a printed circuit board (PCB) in between the hard drive and the rest of the computer. It helps send information to and from the hard drive so that you can use all the functions of your computer.

Electricity, though, is a powerful source of energy and can often damage the PCB due to power surges; this leads to a total breakdown in communication for your computer and is characterized by a non-responding hard drive and those clicking sounds as motors fail to startup.

Logical Hard Drive Crash

Finally, we have a type of hard drive crash caused by non-physical means which makes pinpointing the source of trouble very difficult.

Hard drives need data to run correctly, so if this data is slightly corrupted then you’re going to struggle to even boot up your system.

But how does data become corrupted?

Well, there are several ways that this can happen:

User error e.g. deleting essential system files
Viruses can cause hard drives to crash within seconds of turning on
Driver issues can cause hard drives to perform erratically
Software malfunction

Hard drives, therefore, can crash for a number of physical and non-physical reasons, but by looking for the signs and understanding your computer’s history you should be able to get closer to repairing the hard drive.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Windows 10 Upgrade Problems You Should Know About

SoftwareUpgrade, windows 10Ophtek, LLC

Sep 2015

The Windows 10 upgrade is now available, but it’s proving to have a few downsides. Here are some tips to getting round these Windows 10 upgrade problems.

There are a number of particularly annoying side effects of the upgrade that users may not even be aware of. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need remedying. To help you get to grips with these irritating changes we’re going to show you what to do to take control of your system!

Privacy Concerns

We live in an age of security leaks and hysteria about how our personal information is handled, but Microsoft doesn’t seem to be aware of this.

In fact, by agreeing to upgrade to Windows 10 you’ve had to agree to their Service Agreement – that long list of legalese that you give up reading after the first few points give you a headache! The problem is that, hidden within it, are clauses which allow them to sync their servers to your personal information.

This means that details such as WiFi logons, browsing history and passwords will all be stored on Microsoft’s servers.

There is, thankfully, a way to avoid this, so just follow the steps below:

Open Settings, click the Accounts icon and then open the Sync your Settings option
Look for the Sync Settings slider bar and drag the slider to the left to turn it off
Close Settings to ensure changes are applied to your system

Bandwidth Theft

Your bandwidth refers to the capacity and space you have to do the things online you enjoy e.g. streaming, video conferencing and downloading. The more you have, the better the experience.

Microsoft, though, want to use your bandwidth to help fuel the ‘Windows Update Delivery Optimization’ service. This service applies updates to your system or, indeed, any other PC on the internet whether you like it or not!

To turn this off you have to burrow your way through Windows 10 as follows:

Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security> Windows Update > Advanced Options
In here you will have the choice of how to receive updates and the most secure option to pick is ‘PCs on my local network’, so click this option to ensure any bandwidth theft is limited to your own PCs benefit

Your WiFi Security is at Risk

Windows 10 comes with a feature named WiFi Sense which allows any of your Facebook friends to log into your WiFi without entering the password.

Now, we’re not saying your Facebook friends are going to cause havoc with your WiFi, but again it’s a question of personal choice.

To get started sorting this out you should follow these steps:

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi> Manage Wi-Fi settings
Disable everything
Close Settings to apply these changes.

However, other users with WiFi Sense will still have the capability to share your home WiFi network, so you need to append your network name with “_optout” e.g. change “ophteknetwork” to “ophteknetwork_optout”.

Microsoft Is Helping Fuel Personalized Ads

Windows 10 assigns each device running it a unique ‘Advertising ID’ which gathers information about web searches and websites visited.

This information is then used to serve up those carefully tailored ads which try and sell you products whenever you visit a website with an adserver.

It’s always a little bit creepy and, again, fails to protect your privacy. So, the best way to stop this invasion of privacy is by doing the following things:

Head over to https://choice.microsoft.com/en-gb/opt-out and opt out of receiving these intrusive ads.
Go to Settings > Privacy> General and then change your privacy option.

By protecting yourself with the steps above you’ll find that you’re able to enjoy Windows 10 with peace of mind that your security is as strong as it can be.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

More Tips When Outlook Won’t Send Email

Internetemail, Outlook, troubleshootingOphtek, LLC

Sep 2015

It’s always frustrating when you’ve got an urgent message to send, but Outlook won’t send email. Here are some basic fixes to common problems sending email.

You see, there’s a number of steps and processes you can go through to get that email hightailing its way to its recipient, so let’s take a look at what you can do.

Large Attachments Can Get Stuck

Even in this age of superfast internet access, Outlook doesn’t always handle large attachments very well. Therefore, you may not be able to send that attachment in your email.

If you find that an email with a large attachment is stuck in your outbox then the best thing to do is delete it because it’s not going anywhere.

The best way around this issue is to store the attachment on an internal server (if it’s within your business) or an external storage space e.g. Dropbox or Google Drive and then email a link to this file to the intended recipient.

Is Your Mail Server Online?

Mail servers aren’t perfect – especially during busy periods when they’re working overtime to deliver email.

To find out whether your server is connected you just need to look at the bottom right hand side of Outlook where you’ll see one of the following:

Connected to
Disconnected
Trying to connect …

If you find yourself disconnected then it’s a good time to check your network cables. If this doesn’t solve the problem then try restarting your PC before contacting your IT support team.

Have You Set up Your Email Account?

If you haven’t configured your email account correctly then you won’t even have the option of a ‘Send’ button.

In this situation you need to go through the following steps:

Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings
Access the ‘Add Account Wizard’ by clicking on the Email tab and click New.
Click next to bring up the ‘Email Account Configuration’ page and fill in all the boxes e.g. name, email address and password.
Click Next and let Outlook test that it can connect to the server with your information. If it gets the green light from Outlook then hit Finish.

Using Office 365? Make Sure You’re Logged In!

A common mistake with users of Office 365 is to try and send emails when they aren’t logged into the platform correctly!

To make sure this never happens always log in using your full Office 365 username e.g. ophtek@contoso.onmicrosoft.com and not just ‘ophtek’ as you’ll fail to log in and send any emails!

Changed Your Password Recently?

If you’ve changed the password on one of your internet mail accounts e.g. Gmail, then you have to make sure that it’s updated in Outlook too. After all, Outlook may be clever, but it’s not a mind reader!

If you need to change your password in this manner then just follow the steps below:

Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings
Select your internet email account from the Email tab and hit change
Update the new password in the password box and click next
Allow Outlook to test this new password before clicking Close > Finish

These tips should hopefully mean you never have to lose your cool when trying to send that all important email!

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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