CompTIA IT Pro Member Forum / CompTIA IT Pro Worldwide / General Discussion

Anything Special?

akintunde — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 08:27:04 GMT

Hi all,

i finally decided to join ITpro after passing my last compTIA certification but i can't actually see the reason for it beside the ID card and i paid $99.

i have been a member of proprofs.com since 2005 and this forum is exactly the same so who copied each other.

Finally can someone pls tell me the benefit on this site bcos i seem to enjoy proprofs more.

Welcome - General Discussion

jkeszeg — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:52:06 GMT

This is the spot to hang out and exchange information that just doesn't seem to fit in another forum.

Introduce yourself, share information about interesting tools/resources you've discovered...anything goes (as long as everyone keeps it respectful).

This is your membership, make it work for you.

June Keszeg, IT Pro Membership Program Mgr.

Discount Question

scottydawg — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:27:47 GMT

Comptia is listed @ http://www.geico.com/about/sponsoredmarketing/partners/

Does ITpro membership count?

Books 24/7 Link

wflinn — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:55:03 GMT

Just curious if anyone else is having trouble getting to the Books 24/7 area. When clicking on the link for:

A direct link to Books 24x7’s IT Pro online reference collection

It takes you to a description, bu then no other links for actually accessing it. There is a link for Books 24/7 in the left column, but it takes you in a loop and returns back to the description.

Thanks

Bill

Become a CompTIA Industry Expert

poruba — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:21:53 GMT

Would you like to use your expertise to help others while also enhancing your reputation? Then sign-up to serve as one of CompTIA’s Industry Experts for our new Member Resource Center.

We’re looking for industry experts in these high-profile areas:
* Legal
* Accounting/Finance
* IT Consulting
* Human Resources
* Marketing
* Public Relations
* Software
* IT Sales
* Research
* Green IT
* Health IT
* Cyber Security

As an expert on the Member Resource Center, you will receive these important benefits:
* Recognition on CompTIA’s website and in press releases
* Publishing opportunities in the Connect newsletter and on comptia.org
* Exposure to over 2,000 CompTIA members who use our Member Resource Center and participate in our online member communities
* Contributions in the CompTIA SmartBrief e-newsletter that is distributed to over 48,000 subscribers
* Speaking opportunities at CompTIA events
* And much more!

In exchange, we ask our experts to be responsive to member questions (via e-mail) and demonstrate their expertise by contributing educational content to the Member Resource Center in the form of articles, white papers, or online tools.

Don’t delay; become a CompTIA Industry Expert today! It’s a great way to demonstrate your expertise while helping your industry peers.

For more information, contact Blythe Girnus at 630-678-8356 or bgirnus@comptia.org

Greetings And Salutations

Planet_Earth — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:18:36 GMT

Greetings and Salutations,Everyone... My Name Is Willie.. I work as an Network Consultant, IT Administrator for a Medium size Cable Co... I have been in The Cable TV Industry for over 20 years, and Working with Computers Since 2002.....If There is anything I can do to Help anyone along.. Please do not Hesitate to ask....

New CompTIA Logo Question

DrWaxx — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:41:55 GMT

With the new logos that just came out for CompTIA will the Certified Logos also be updated?

Oh and a side note, the word 'CompTIA' should be added to the spell checker on the forum.

Security+ 2008 Detailed Questions

srworley76 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:26:16 GMT

I have a Sybex book (edition 4) for the new Security+ 2008 exam and I am unable to find specific information on the new industry standards for password length. In the 2007 Exam, the length was specific, 8 characters. However, I cannot find any specific information as to the length of passwords (i.e. what's the correct answer for the exam) according to the new Security+ standards. The Department of Defense now recommends 15 characters, and their old standard was 10 while at the same time the CompTIA Security+ standard was 8. I am wondering if the new exam has a new answer, such as 10 or 12. Can anyone give me a firm, reliable reference with the answer? Thank you for your assistance.

discount question

cpreston01 — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:10:46 GMT

how do i use the 25% off 1 exam discount. when i try to checkout using the comptia website there is no where to put the code in. prestonchristian01@yahoo.com

Job Posting Grant Thornton LLP

poruba — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:59:44 GMT

IT Desktop Support Specialist - Madison, WI

Grant Thornton LLP is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International, one of the six global accounting, tax and business advisory organizations. Grant Thornton LLP specializes in serving mid-cap, small-cap and privately held clients, and is a preferred provider of selected non-audit services to selected markets. The firm's success is attributed to an adherence to its Guiding Principles of respect for firm policies and people, a commitment to integrity, professional excellence, and leadership in the accounting profession and the business community. Grant Thornton LLP is an equal opportunity employer.

Position Summary
The IT Infrastructure Support Specialist (ITISS – Level I and II Support) supports the business practices of the firm by delivering reliable, high quality computer services, products and support.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Provide level one and two technical support to Grant Thornton lines of business, service lines, and physical locations.
Provide excellent customer service and delivery of technology services and products.
Adhere to firm-wide policies and procedures and promote such adherence in your location.
Seek opportunities to improve platform reliability and optimization.
Log all support incidents into OTIS (helpdesk ticket tracking system) in addition to monitoring your local office's queue and providing assistance to fellow IT support specialists when needed.
Use Ghost to reimage or refresh laptops and desktops and transfer data accordingly.
Serve as liaison between other Internal Client Services (ICS) - IT resources, Regional Technology staff, and end user group.
Serve as contact for equipment orders to ensure proper configuration and compliance with firm standards.
Supervise and maintain all office PC systems including hardware, software, configuration, updates, patches, and more to minimize or potentially eliminate actual and potential down time experienced by the user community.
Prepare computers for new hires and provide personalized onsite support, when necessary, in delivering the finished product.
Cooperate in maintaining the inventory of all technology equipment including but not limited to desktops, notebooks, and portable printers.
Establish working relationship with all of the personnel in the office, including the Managing Partner, Controller or Office Manager, Business Practice Leader, and others.
Provide and coordinate onsite and offsite end user support.
Coordinate and communicate with the Regional Technology Administrator (RTA) any LAN / WAN issues that directly affect the efficiency and reliability of the office network as well as any other activities, strategies, and projects as required.
Evaluate the service and delivery methods being provided, solicit feedback regularly from users to monitor users’ perceived performance of the products and services provided by the firm’s technical staff, and communicate ideas and recommendations for improvement of service and delivery to the RTA.
Regularly solicit feedback from users to monitor users' perceived performance of the products and services provided by the firm's technical staff, and communicate ideas and recommendations for improvement of service and delivery to the RTA.
Research new ways to improve performance, deliver service, problem solve, and reduce costs and response time for users.
Develop and maintain skills to accomplish duties and support the firm's technology direction.
Seek development opportunities that allow growth and development in position and career with Grant Thornton.
Adhere to the highest degree of professional standards and strict confidentiality in matters that require discretion.
Attend professional development and training sessions on a regular basis.
Perform other job-related duties as necessary.

Qualifications and Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related area; equivalent work experience will be considered.
At least 3 years of related work experience in desktop support in a large corporate environment.
A+ certifications a plus, Microsoft certifications a plus.
Ability to become Dell Certified for repair of Notebooks and Desktops.
Sufficient knowledge of Microsoft Windows XP, MS Office 2003.
Ability to work as a team and be a "team player", especially during time sensitive tasks/projects which may require overtime to successfully complete the job.
Good verbal and written communications skills.
Excellent customer service skills.
Self-starter, capable of successfully achieving support goals while unsupervised.
Highly reliable and well organized; capable of balancing several projects and maintaining priorities
Ability to work additional hours as needed.

To apply, visit https://grantthornton73.recruitmax.com/MAIN/careerportal/Job_Profile.cfm?szOrderID=8411

Job Posting Grant Thornton LLP

poruba — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:56:56 GMT

IT Desktop Support Specialist - Dever, Co

Provide level one and two technical support to Grant Thornton lines of business, service lines, and physical locations.
Provide excellent customer service and delivery of technology services and products.
Adhere to firm-wide policies and procedures and promote such adherence in your location.
Seek opportunities to improve platform reliability and optimization.
Log all support incidents into OTIS (helpdesk ticket tracking system) in addition to monitoring your local office's queue and providing assistance to fellow IT support specialists when needed.
Use Ghost to reimage or refresh laptops and desktops and transfer data accordingly.
Serve as liaison between other Internal Client Services (ICS) - IT resources, Regional Technology staff, and end user group.
Serve as contact for equipment orders to ensure proper configuration and compliance with firm standards.
Supervise and maintain all office PC systems including hardware, software, configuration, updates, patches, and more to minimize or potentially eliminate actual and potential down time experienced by the user community.
Prepare computers for new hires and provide personalized onsite support, when necessary, in delivering the finished product.
Cooperate in maintaining the inventory of all technology equipment including but not limited to desktops, notebooks, and portable printers.
Establish working relationship with all of the personnel in the office, including the Managing Partner, Controller or Office Manager, Business Practice Leader, and others.
Provide and coordinate onsite and offsite end user support.
Coordinate and communicate with the Regional Technology Administrator (RTA) any LAN / WAN issues that directly affect the efficiency and reliability of the office network as well as any other activities, strategies, and projects as required.
Evaluate the service and delivery methods being provided, solicit feedback regularly from users to monitor users’ perceived performance of the products and services provided by the firm’s technical staff, and communicate ideas and recommendations for improvement of service and delivery to the RTA.
Regularly solicit feedback from users to monitor users' perceived performance of the products and services provided by the firm's technical staff, and communicate ideas and recommendations for improvement of service and delivery to the RTA.
Research new ways to improve performance, deliver service, problem solve, and reduce costs and response time for users.
Develop and maintain skills to accomplish duties and support the firm's technology direction.
Seek development opportunities that allow growth and development in position and career with Grant Thornton.
Adhere to the highest degree of professional standards and strict confidentiality in matters that require discretion.
Attend professional development and training sessions on a regular basis.
Perform other job-related duties as necessary.

Qualifications and Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related area; equivalent work experience will be considered.
At least 3 years of related work experience in desktop support in a large corporate environment.
A+ certifications a plus, Microsoft certifications a plus.
Ability to become Dell Certified for repair of Notebooks and Desktops.
Sufficient knowledge of Microsoft Windows XP, MS Office 2003.
Ability to work as a team and be a "team player", especially during time sensitive tasks/projects which may require overtime to successfully complete the job.
Good verbal and written communications skills.
Excellent customer service skills.
Self-starter, capable of successfully achieving support goals while unsupervised.
Highly reliable and well organized; capable of balancing several projects and maintaining priorities
Ability to work additional hours as needed.

To apply, visit https://grantthornton73.recruitmax.com/MAIN/careerportal/Job_Profile.cfm?szOrderID=8521

IT Pro adding Career Elevator to its program

poruba — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:02:22 GMT

We need your opinion and thoughts. We would like to add The CareerElevator to the IT Pro Program as a benefit to our IT Pro Members. Take a look at the Website and let me know your thoughts. I believe it would be a great value add for those not happy in their jobs/careers, those who are job searching or for those who may not be aware of self assessments and ways to reach career goals:D.

Let me know what you think.

www.thecareerelevator.com

Cindy Poruba

IT Pro Program Manager

Modern Browsers

Dave19 — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:15:31 GMT

Hi,

So anyone what do you think about the new firefox 3.0?

After reading some blogs about MS willing to make IE 8 standards compliant, can really MS be able to do it? :)

Security Tips To Keep You (and Your Data) Safe While Traveling

wflinn — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:00:31 GMT

In my other blogs, I mainly write about self defense issues, which most people may think of as having to do with firearms, physical fighting to fend off an attacker, or some other physical means of defending one’s self. But to me, self defense is an all-encompassing state of mind. I often speak of a term known in the information security realm as “defense-in-depth” which is all about having a wide variety of tools available for protection. Self defense is as much about protecting those intangible aspects of your life, such as your identity, and sensitive data. I may have posted this somewhere in the CompTIA IT Pro forums awhile back, but I thought it was worth repeating again as many folks get ready to travel for the summer. So in this article, I am going to bring out my computer geek, computer security personality and discuss some ways to keep your data safe while travelling.

As we approach summer, more and more people are once again thinking of traveling, both for business and for pleasure. TechEd is in June, and a variety of other techie conferences are not far behind. School is out, making way for family vacations – although with the ridiculous price of fuel, I’m not sure how many people will be traveling. Even when only traveling for pleasure, many business professionals, as do I, take their laptops and PDA devices with them to be able to do work during a few “down” moments on their trip, or at the very least to have a way to keep tabs on their email and events at work. We geeks are such workaholics, aren’t we?

On a recent business trip to the east coast, I had the opportunity to once again enjoy my hobby of just sitting back and observing people. I was again reminded of just how complacent folks are about their security when it comes to using computers and other information technology enabled devices when on travel. This seemed to be especially true when using computers in public places – either their own laptops, or computers in hotel business centers. I am not sure if people are just in a hurry, or if they just really are not aware of the potentials for exposing themselves (in a “data” sort of sense, that is) while out and about.

There are a number of things I will talk about in this article having to do with ways to keep yourself (and your data) more secure when away on travels. Some of these things are as simple as using fundamental physical measures to shield your computer screen from curious eyes. Others involve the act of just taking the time to clean up after yourself when using a public computer, and yet other measures I will discuss simply involve the use of technology that is already built in to the devices that you are using. There really is very little to no cost involved in protecting yourself with these measures, but the cost of giving away your data can be huge and devastating. So let’s take a look at a few of the vulnerabilities we face everyday when on travel and some solutions for protection.

Shoulder Surfing:

If you are flying, your potential for vulnerability begins the very minute you get to the airport. Many people find that they have to arrive at the airport a few hours early just to make it through check-in and security, in order to make their flight on time. There is often a lot of “down time” here, so many people, as do I, pull out the laptop and the Blackberry, and do some work. In this setting, we are often in very close proximity to other people. Once we board the airplane, it is even worse. Unless you are lucky enough to be in First Class, you are sitting with your elbows right up against someone else’s, and their wandering eyes are just a foot or two north. Even if you aren’t flying, or have arrived at your destination, the local restaurant and the corner coffee shop are no different. When you sit down in that comfortable chair to enjoy your latte and do some work, there are countless wandering eyes trying to figure out what you are doing.

There are two main problems here. First of all, your neighbor (who is usually NOT minding their own business) is looking at your computer as you type in your username and password. If they can see your log-in box, they can see your username, and if your computer is joined to a corporate domain, they can see the domain name. As you type in your password, unless you are lightning fast, they can see you type the characters. I’m one of those “two-finger wonders” (I don’t touch type) so this is a particularly big problem for me. A devious person with intent on harvesting such information (and they are everywhere, trust me) will be very good at following your keystrokes and will be able to obtain all the credentials needed to log in to your corporate network. They now have your username, the name of your corporate domain, and your password. All they have to do is get access into that domain, and they are in. Your username and password exist on the domain, and are only cached on your computer, which means that they can access your account from any computer that can get access to your corporate domain, such as a VPN or other remote connection. Another danger is that if they are able to steal your laptop (more on this later), they will have access to the data on it. Remember – these people are everywhere. And if they are shoulder surfing to get your log-in credentials, they are also following closely to look for an opportunity to grab your laptop as well.

The second (and more common) problem with being in close proximity to others is that they are often able to view what is on your screen. Are you working on a document with sensitive personal or company information? Composing an offline email that you really don’t want others (especially strangers) to know about? How about that PowerPoint presentation chock full of corporate proprietary sales or engineering data? Whatever it is, you have to either make sure you are only working on things that are completely dull and unworthy of your nosey neighbor’s interest, or make the screen un-viewable. In other words, either pick non-sensitive stuff to work on during these times, or find a way to hide the screen.

For example, I usually pick some low-level instructional or procedure guide to work on while I’m flying, or just do some professional reading. For example, I keep a lot of pdf white papers and “eBooks” from various online sources on my computer for reading while on the plane. My job is such that professional reading and just keeping are large parts of my work anyway – so it’s not like I’m goofing off.

Solutions: For the password problem, if you are on a computer that is joined to a corporate domain, use a local account on the computer (that does not have administrative privileges), and set a temporary password that will only be good for the duration of your trip. Of course, if you do this, you will have to make sure you know where to browse to on the computer to get to your documents in your “real” account, because the profile you log in with will have a “My Documents” folder in a different location. I get around this by accessing only documents that I have placed on a flash drive. If you are not joined to a domain, then just set a temporary password, and set it back to your actual password when you get home. One of the best solutions for this is to simply get a small finger print scanner to use to log into the machine. Many are small, portable, and just plug into the USB port. The newer laptops and tablet PCs even come with these built in.

For the “prying eyes on the screen” problem, there are a variety of filters you can buy that will obscure the screen when someone tries to view it from other than looking at it straight on. This particular solution will also help to obscure your username and other login credential information as you log in. If they can’t see your username, the password will do no good. But again, don’t give them any pieces of the puzzle if at all possible. As I always tell people: “If they have even just your username, they then have 50% of the information they need to access your computer.”

Of course, being the wisenheimer that I am, if I notice someone trying to “catch a wave” on “shoulder beach”, I simply open a document, set the font to a larger size (to make sure they can easily read it), and then start typing in some juicy “official looking” verbiage. After a paragraph or two, I start a brand new paragraph, and type in “I think the nosey person sitting next to me is looking at what I am writing. I hope they enjoyed my previous two paragraphs. Now GO AWAY!” I have seen a red face or two resulting from that prank.

Using Flash Drives:

Flash drives are portable and can store a lot of data. Many people have resorted to using them because if they know they will have access to a computer at their destination, all they have to do is put their documents on the flash drive and leave the computer at home. Many cell phones and even iPods can be used for this purpose as well. The problem with these small flash drives is that they are easily lost or forgotten. It isn’t uncommon for someone to use them in a public or borrowed computer and then forget to take them when they are finished. A lost flash drive means lost data. Lost data can mean something as frustrating as losing work and having to do it all over again (if you didn’t have a backup copy somewhere else), or as devastating as putting sensitive information into a stranger’s hands.

Flash drives are cheap these days. If you lose the flash drive, you can just go get another one. But what about the data on the flash drive? Is it replaceable? Will it cost you if someone else has it? Another issue surrounding the ubiquitous nature of these things is that some people seem to have a whole lanyard full of them around their necks. Do you have a good inventory of how many you have? If one came up missing, how long would it take for you to notice? Kind of like the movie “Home Alone” where the family had so many kids that they didn’t notice little Kevin missing until they were in France!

Solution: The manufacturers of many of these drives have solved part of this problem for you. Flash drives have the ability to be encrypted, and the software to do that is often included with the flash drive itself. Typically, this encryption works by having you set up a password in order to access the data. You can encrypt all or only part of the flash drive’s contents. If someone gets a hold of your flash drive, they can access anything that is not encrypted, but will need to know your password to access the encrypted data. In some cases (depends on the drive and the encryption software), you can set your encryption such that if a number of unsuccessful password attempts occur the data on the drive will be erased. Know how many you have and keep track of them. If traveling, take only what you need – leave the other ones at home and in a safe place. I promise – they won’t miss you.

Using Common Area (Business Center) Computers:

Many hotels have business centers with computers to allow their guests to access the Internet and their web based email. In fact on my recent trip, I had full Internet access at the office I was visiting, but had to pay for Internet access if I wanted to use my laptop at the hotel. The only thing I needed after hours Internet access for was to check my personal email, and I wasn’t about to pay $10 just for 5 minutes of use. My remaining option then was to use the business center, since using those computers was free of charge.

A few problems present themselves in this scenario, however. One is that people use these public computers and often leave their surfing tracks for all to see. The other is that some people forget to just close out of their applications, and yet another is leaving those little flash drives plugged in for someone to come along and retrieve later. In fact, while in the hotel elevator on my most recent trip, I heard a woman telling her colleague that when he finished using the computer in the business center, he had left his email open, and she could have gone through all his email. Worse, she could have launched a few questionable emails in his name. This is truly a dangerous situation. What if it had been a stranger, and not a trusted colleague? That person could have read email, sent a few of their own (under the email account owner’s name), looked at the address book to get a list of names of people at the company, and just in general could do some serious damage. All this done under the name of the person who owns the account. How do you prove that it wasn’t you who did those things?

When I used one of the business center computers, I got curious and opened the browser history. I saw a plethora of email sites and surfing history. Wouldn’t be too hard to put together a few patterns and find out where some of these email servers existed. Depending on the cookies still on the machine, going to one of those sites may not even require me to log back in to access the account. The cookie would remember that I (or more accurately the email account owner) was just there and just let me right back in. This is especially true if the previous user had left the web browser open.

On a really malicious (and hopefully rare) side of things, a devious person could sneak into the hotel business center and put a keystroke logging dongle on the back of the computer between the keyboard and the computer, or in a USB port. Such a device is used to capture everything typed into the keyboard. Which means that they can get the URL to your banking site, the username and password for your banking site, and the contents of an email or anything else that you type into the computer. These key loggers have legitimate investigative purposes, but are inexpensive and can be obtained by anyone – including thieves. I say that this is (hopefully) rare, because most hotel business centers require a room key card to access – a person would (theoretically) have to be a paying guest in order to do this. But many public computers often do not offer such access protection as that provided by hotel business centers.

Solutions: For the reasons mentioned above, it is very important to pre-inspect the computer before and clean up after yourself after using a public computer. It takes a few extra minutes to do this, but you can’t put a price on the time it would take to straighten out the mess after you have been exposed because you didn’t have time to prevent these vulnerabilities. Here are some important steps to take when using public computers:

- Do a quick inspection of the back of the computer and any USB ports to look for key logging devices. If you find something, and are not sure, contact the management immediately and have them investigate.

- Never select the option to have “Windows remember me on this computer.” Do not allow the computer to store your username and password on the machine. Some web based email applications such as MSN will give you an option to tell it that you are on a public computer and not remember anything about your session.

- Delete browser history, all temporary Internet files, and all cookies when you are finished using the computer.

- Make sure you are logged out of any sites that you visited. Just closing the browser is not good enough. You must click the “Log out” link on the web site before closing the browser.

- Close all instances of the web browser and all applications.

- Make sure you take your flash drive when you leave.

Being the cheapskate that I am, however, my solution is that I try my best to only patronize hotels and coffee shops that provide complimentary Internet access to their guests. That way, I can avoid public computers altogether. But sometimes that just doesn’t work out, and I end up staying somewhere that makes me pay additional fees for access. In which case, the above solutions are a must.

PDAs/Blackberrys/Cell Phones:

Many of the same problems that exist with flash drives exist with these devices as well. They are small, easily lost, and can really store a lot of information. A Blackberry, for example is a phone, email client, and PDA all rolled into one. Emails, contact lists, to-do lists, documents, and personal journals are just a few of the things that can be kept on these devices. A lost phone device can not only give away sensitive data, but can give someone access to a free phone. And watch what you are discussing. What you say can be as revealing as anything else – especially if you are one of those people who puts everything on speaker phone, even when in public.

Solutions: Just as you can do with your flash drives, you can password protect and encrypt the data on your PDA as well. On my Blackberry, for example, I can password protect access and encrypt the contents. Not only that, but my Blackberry is set so that if someone types in an incorrect password ten times, the Blackberry erases all of the contents. Then, for added security, the data is encrypted, so that even if someone takes apart the Blackberry, and somehow gets the data off of the chip, the data is encrypted and unusable. Don’t discuss anything on your phone that you don’t want others in close proximity to hear. If you are sitting next to me on the plane, just don’t use your phone – period! I have no interest in what you have to say ;)

Laptops:

Saving the best and biggest for last: Laptops (and the data on them) need a lot of protection. They can carry a lot of data, and are very attractive to thieves. Keeping the laptop from being stolen is a job in and of itself, but if it does get stolen, there is more to worry about than just losing an expensive piece of hardware. Keeping the data on it from being compromised is the really important issue at hand, and if someone can access the data, they can potentially do a great deal of damage.

A big part of this problem is that even if they can’t log into the computer itself, and if they have the computer (physically), then they can remove the hard drive and put it into a computer that they can access. In fact, many data recovery techniques rely on taking the hard drive out of the failed (or in this case inaccessible) computer and “slave” it into a working computer. The working computer’s primary hard drive allows it to be booted up, and the slaved in hard drive contains data that can then be accessed. More clever people have freely available tools such as Knoppix (Linux on a CD) that they can use to boot up the computer, bypass the security on that computer, and access the data on the hard drive. In fact Knoppix can even be used to change the administrative password on a computer so that access can be gained through the more conventional method of booting up and logging in.

Solutions: There are some basic measures that will protect against access to a computer, but only if the computer is not stolen. In other words, these measures will work if you can keep the computer from being stolen. But once the computer is in unauthorized hands, these measures can be quickly bypassed. You can set a BIOS password that will prevent the computer from being booted into the operating system. But this is bypassed by simply taking the hard drive out of the computer and putting it into a different computer. Strong passwords for the operating system itself should also be used. As mentioned above, consider using temporary or “disposable” passwords. Small biometric devices, such as fingerprint readers, are fairly inexpensive, and many laptop and tablet computers have a fingerprint reader built in. Unfortunately, this can still be bypassed by putting the hard drive in another computer, or using a tool such as Knoppix to access the hard drive’s contents.

Encrypting the hard drive contents will help a great deal, even if the computer is stolen. Windows XP has the ability to do this using a built in feature. Windows Vista has a built in tool called BitLocker. Technologies such as that which is built into the BitLocker feature, for example, have the ability to protect data even if the hard drive is transferred to another computer. The downside of that is that you need to make sure you remember your password for logging into the computer, or set up what is known as a “recovery agent,” or you will lose your encrypted data.

Wrapping It All Up:

There are many other dangers that I haven’t mentioned here, such as accessing wireless networks while on the road, but that is a topic in and of itself. Wireless encryption, making sure you are not accessing an “evil twin” wireless access point, and a few other issues will be discussed in an upcoming article.

But for the purposes of this article, I wanted to focus mainly on the more ”physical” aspects of being secure on the road, as well as using built-in technologies to protect your data. Shielding your laptop screen from roaming eyes and preventing laptop theft are important ideas. If your laptop is stolen, knowing that you took measures to prevent the data from being usable by unauthorized people is also a very important idea. Other technologies, such as flash drives, cell phones, and PDAs represent things that are small, easily forgotten, or easily stolen. Those items contain sensitive data as well, and must have data security measures proactively applied. Once the data is in unauthorized hands, it must be assumed that it will be used for malicious or illegal purposes. Even if you retrieve your items, it must also be assumed that the information was copied and will be used – unless you took measures to make it useless in the event that a loss occurs.

It is easy to be complacent when traveling. And, unfortunately, there are plenty of people out there willing to take advantage of this fact. By taking a few extra moments to think about what needs to be protected, take inventory of your technology rich possessions, and take the extra time to protect your data, you will ensure a more worry-free travel experience. If I ever go into a hotel business center and see that you left your email open – man – I will hunt you down! (After I email a few jokes to your whole company, that is)

Additional Resources:

"Five IT Skills That Won't Boost Your Salary"

wflinn — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:51:43 GMT

There have been some questions lately about which IT skills are in demand. That may be hard to pin down, but according to NetworkWorld, they have identified 5 skills that are NOT in demand.

This article, "Five IT Skills That Won't Boost Your Salary" is from this week's edition of NetworkWorld Magazine (April 21, 2008). It lists 5 IT skills that will NOT help you get a raise...

Skills in:

Plain old HTML

Legacy programming languages

NetWare

Non-IP networks

I saved the most surprising for last:

PC Tech Support - they even reported CompTIA as saying that:

"...demand for hardware skills and knowledge, including expertise with printers and PCs, is declining. CompTIA surveyed 3,578 IT hiring managers to learn which skills would grow in importance over time, and the industry organization found that 'the skill area expected to decline the most in importance is hardware.'"

Source: Denise Dubie, NetworkWorld, April 27 - May 2, 2008, pg 16.

Don't shoot the messenger - I didn't write the article.

IT dept where I work..

ale1964 — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:34:24 GMT

I've been here three years, I'm not in IT yet.

Their network is something like 23 servers, 500 or so xp workstations...

at my building/office, we have 105 pc's.. 256 mb ram.

well, the IT guys just upgraded all of these 4 year old dell pc's to 512 RAM. :w00t:

While I do notice a big performance/speed increase, I'm wondering why they only went to 512??? Money issue I guess?

Trying to build a website..aready confused.

kahawala — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:43:55 GMT

I'm attempting to put together an online magazine, albeit a basic one to begin with. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to websites, HTML etc. but willing to learn and read up on it. any advise appreciate

forum how to question

ale1964 — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:04:53 GMT

any idea how to delete the image under my name in posts? It's not an avatar... can't recall how I got the thing there.

not the avatar, but the pic of the A+ cert. Cant seem to find a setting to delete that?

Any ideas?

Intel vs. AMD

youngtec13 — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:45:27 GMT

Myth no. 1; AMD is faster than Intel. A hyperthreaded Pentium 4 is almost as fast as as an Athlon 64x2-according to a benchmark performed on our system by Pc Wizard. Secondly, Intel is more overclockable than Amd. A pentium 4 extreme edition sucessfully performed an 85% speed increase overclock, whereas the a 64-bit Athlon did around 50%. One thing remains though, Amd is temptingly cheaper. Stay tuned for more.

Jimmy Carter

ale1964 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:21:32 GMT

He is losing it. Someone needs to remind him that he is NOT our president and to butt out.

He plans to meet with the terrorist group hamas to talk about peace. Give hamas a chance? Gimme a break.

[url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/02/01/carter.hamas/]http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/02/01/carter.hamas/[/url]

What do you like most about the IT Pro Program???

poruba — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:10:16 GMT

Hi All,

I'm looking for some quotes to post on the IT Pro Website with regards to "What are members are saying about IT Pro". Please respond and let me know what you find is the most valuable benefit that IT Pro provides. I would also like to hear what you think is missing that would enhance the program.

If you prefer to email me: cporuba@comptia.org don't forget to include your first and last name and title. I want to be able to post this information with your quote.

Thanks!!!!

Cindy Poruba - IT Pro Program Manager

My pc

youngtec13 — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:18:10 GMT

Hey everybody, i now have my own pc. Its a Dell dimension xps b733r. It has a 733mhz Pentium 3 with 192mb of rdram, and an agp nvidia geforce 2 with 64mb onboard ram. There is an 8.45gb hard drive and a cd drive (no dvd drive as yet).the other expansion cards are a sound card, and modem.I've installed Mandriva on it, and it runs pretty well. It only has so much ram, but rdram is still the fastest.(the only reason its obsolete is because its intel's proprietary technology). I hope to replace the side panel with a mesh, add another fan and a couple blue
(or other color) leds for bling. the mesh will make it look cool and will actually provide another good source of cooling (air moves in and out, but large dust particles can't). I'm looking forward to using it.:)

Signatures/Avatars/Private Messaging options now avail -

poruba — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:18:57 GMT

Hello All,

We have now added the following options to the forum:

signiture creation
avatar upload
private messaging

Features are active in the Control Panel

Keep your suggestions coming -

New CompTIA IT Pro Program Manager

poruba — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:46:40 GMT

Hello All,

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Cindy Poruba and I am the new IT Pro Program Manager. June has moved on to a new opportunity. She has done great things with the program and my goal is to continue in her footsteps.

Please feel free to send comments/ideas/suggestions on how we can continue to make this program beneficial to all.

itpro@comptia.com

I look forward to working with you all.

Regards,

Cindy Poruba

Where's all of our A+ Authorized Service Centers at?

tgelvin — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:11:40 GMT

I thought I would start this discussion to get our ASC's to make themselves known...

My name in Tim Gelvin and I'm the owner of Tim's Computer Shop... I've had my shop open off and on for the past 8 years. I started when I was in Anchorage, AK and now I'm in Sunbury, PA. My website is [url]www.timscomputershop.com[/url]. Please feel free to visit my website, sign up with the programs I'm using and make money like me.

Tim

No OEM OS disks

m_steinsiek — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:57:31 GMT

Hi,

this topic is something I run into almost anytime I work on a PC. I can't remember the last time I saw a new PC ship with the OS installation disk, literally. It has been standard practice to ship new PCs with a recovery disk for quite some time now. This poses a real challenge when it becomes your job to service these PCs.

It is very common for people to bring in PCs to shop I work at without having either the installation media or a recovery disk. The recovery disks aren't always included, and usually this means the OEM wants you to buy one. Since we are a professional shop, we will not pirate Microsoft or any other software products. This forces us to have the customer buy a copy of their OS and pay us to install it ( and I must point out that we bend over backwards to resolve problems without reinstalling because many people can't afford it).

I think you should get a copy of your OS when you a buy a new PC with that OS installed on it. The installation media is crucial for repairing the system, especially in regards to XP. I can't run the Recovery Console without it ( unless someone had the foresight to install it on the hard-drive ). I can't add new Windows components ( unless someone copied the i386 folder ). The SFC tool is useless if it has no cabs to extract. Both of these issues could be fixed by the OEM installing the Recovery Console and copying the i386 folder to the hard-drive. Since they don't provide what you need to accomplish these tasks, they should at least take these steps.

My current job is to support the products of the big OEMs like Dell and HP. These companies are making it difficult to do so by deciding not to give their customers everything they need. This situation bothers me as both a consumer and a support technician, and I hope I'm not alone.

Matt

NCAA Tourny

lilmikey20 — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:01:50 GMT

This probably isn't appropriate for these forums, but sometimes you have to have fun. Life isn't all 0's & 1's:P

What's in Your Toolkit?

jkeszeg — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:36:28 GMT

Once we launched the new site, we could not easily pour the content from the old member forums into the new. But IT Pro has been around for quite a while, and there have been some great conversations in the past. Therefore, I'm bringing over some of the more interesting conversations before they are deleted forever.

Here is some great info with a peek into what should be in a functional IT Pro tool kit.

Many thanks to our members who readily share this kind of valuable information with their peers. This is what IT Pro is about!

Cheers,

June Keszeg

IT Pro Program Mgr.

itpro@comptia.org.

PC Technician tools &/or tool Kit

I was put in charge of finding a "high end" $100-200 tool kits for the technicians. I have yet to find one that has everything a PC tech needs, and is of a good quality

----------------------------------

Message posted by Eli Hernandez on Thursday, July 05, 2007

RE:PC Technician tools &/or tool Kit

Hi Dick,

I would recomend you search Tool Kits at the website for Fry's Electronic and Lanshack. http://www.frys.com/ and http://www.lanshack.com/ are the adresses. I have a tool kit (bag)of about $500.00 worth of stuff but it is composed of hand tools, consumables (washers, nuts, jumpers, screws, etc), cable adapters, and testing equipment I have gathered along the way as needed and as experience has taught me what I may run into on a service or desktop call. Of course, unless you are working on Network Installation and Support, Telco / Patch Panel Room and Router Rack Istallation and Support, Industry Standard Server Service and Support, or Printer and Multifunction support, all of which I have been actively working with for the last 4 years, you will mainly just need a philips and a flat head screw driver, a flat needlenose plier, and a small flashlight, apart from the ESD Equipment that your procedural protocol may require a technician have.

Hell, Now a-days major manufacturers have engineered most of their systems to be serviced without the need of tools for the majority of the modular components, such as RAM, Hard Disks, and Expansion slot Boards. I serviced HP Proliant Servers for 6 months and could swap out a Motherboard in 15 minutes after shutdown without using any tools unless there was a thumbscrew that had been tightened inappropriately by a previous person, and many of the components on these servers are Hot Swapable, like the Power Supplies and Hard Disks that one does not have to use tools to replace and can replace without shutting down the system!

Things change when working on servicing Laptops for the most part, and Printer and Multifunctions require special tools with certain diameters and calibrations, such as removal and calibration of Xerox Solid Ink Technology Ink/Print Transfer Drums require and there are many other Server, Router, and Networking issues where one will run into the need for more specialized tools otherwise it is only a flat and philips screwdriver, a pair of needlenose flat end pliers, and a small flash light.

Oh yeah, and a good sturdy, light but well rated hand truck is always a thing to have around. Good luck in your search.

Best Regards,

Eli Hernandez

Las Vegas, NV 89119

CompTIA A+, Network+, and Server+ Certified -

CompTIA Career ID: COMP10237572

----------------------------------

Message posted by Eli Hernandez on Thursday, July 05, 2007

RE:PC Technician tools &/or tool Kit

Here you go man, this is the tool kit that forms the base of my currrent set of tools that I have compiled over the years into a $500.00 tool kit, without ESD stuff:

· Inland 05206 40pc Tool Kit (FRYS.com #: 4174613 - $24.99), Tools Included:

· 5/32"-3/16"-1/4"1/8" Slotted Bit

· #1 - #2 - #3 Phillips Bit

· 10-15-20-25 Torx Bit

· 1/4" Nut Driver Adapter

· Ratchet Reversible Driver w/90° Elbow

· 3/16", and 1/4" Socket

· 1/4" Deep Socket

· Solder Remover

· IC Inserter (14-16 Pin IC's)

· IC Extractor

· Wire Cutter and Stripper

· Three Claw Parts Retriever

· Assembly Tweezers

· Needle Nose Plier

· Wire Cutters

· Spare Parts Container

· 9 Piece Allen Wrench Set

· Adjustable Wrench

· Precision Tweezers

· Tube of Solder

· 20 Wire Ties

· 30 Watt Soldering Iron

· 3 Flat Head Jewel Screw Drivers

· 1 Phillips Jewel Screw Drivers

· Deluxe Plastic Carrying Case

Best Regards,

Eli Hernandez

Miami, FL 33144

CompTIA A+, Network+, and Server+ Certified -

CompTIA Career ID: COMP10237572

CompTIA looking for TCC Subject Matter Experts

poruba — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:29:49 GMT

As in IT Pro member CompTIA invites you to review and comment on the Tech Career Compass (tcc.comptia.org). The Tech Career Compass, or TCC, is the IT industry's repository for IT job roles and skill standards. IT displays the IT industry's standarized IT job roles, descriptions and their required skills knoweledge training and certification needed to achieve them.

Your input is vital. The TCC relies on job role input and data from people who actually perform these jobs. A professional holding an IT job is potential TCC Subject Matter Expert (SME). Your knowledge can help shape the IT industry.

As a free service the TCC helps everyone from the new IT Professional to a seasoned IT veteran make the best IT career choices. It helps employers attract the best job candidates. And it helps educators and counselors stay current with the ever changing job role and skill demands of the IT industry.

But for the TCC to stay current it needs your help - it needs ongoing feedback of skilled IT professionals to keep its information current. CompTIA uses a formal research process that includes matching the comments of reviews to their professional IT backgrounds. Providing your input does not take long. And the rewards are well worth it. Your comments help shape the IT industry's job role and skill standards, and the lives of millions of IT professionals and employers.

If this is of interest to you, please email a copy of your resume to jthatcher@comptia.org

Johnathan Thatcher

CompTIA Director of Skills Development Business Integration

We will contact you if we are able to make use of your skills and expertise.

Web Authoring Software

larryhook — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:04:08 GMT

I am thinking about buying new web authoring software. I've narrowed my choices down to either Dreamweaver, or Microsoft's ExpressionsWeb. But before I make my decision, can somebody tell me what Silverlight is, and how it relates to ExpressionsWeb? I don't get very many answers from the Silverlight website. I just keep getting a bunch of sales pitches.

I'm back!

larryhook — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:01:32 GMT

Hello, Everybody!

I'm back! Real world kept me away to long, first with Christmas, and now with taxes. I'm also designing websites professionally now. Take a look at the fruits of my labor at www.edencommerce.com. They sell gifts, home and garden decorations, and bath and beauty stuff. After viewing their website, post back here and let me know what you think of it. There will be more to come! edencommerce.com doesn't have a merchant account yet, but they will soon. In the meantime, you can make purchases via PayPal.

I'm working on a couple of other websites now. One is for a tattoo and body piercing shop, and the other is for an autobody repair and glass etching shop. Everybody wants a website! At least the tattoo and body piercing shop will be selling jewelry online...heavy metal and occult jewelry, but hey, I still get paid, right?:w00t:

Sick printer

youngtec13 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:26:32 GMT

Our printer, print spooler or microsoft word is sick, odd pages are printing as even, and vice versa.:sick:

The most stupid ad

youngtec13 — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:34:13 GMT

I saw this tv ad about some motorized feather duster. They say it "picks up dust by using static electricity" and is "perfect for cleaning your computer and electronics". ARE THEY STUPID OR WHATTT? Static electricity will fry your machine!!!:w00t::w00t::w00t:

SIP, SOA and Presence

tiago.dias — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:31:09 GMT

Hi CompTIA IT Pro Members,

I would like to know your opinion on how SIP and SOA can levarage presence in a company. Anybody already implemented such a solution? What are the benefits and risks?

To begin with, I have selected a nice article about presence: http://www.sipcenter.com/sip.nsf/newsview?open&type=News&docid=WEBB7BAP8V

Regards,

Tiago M. Dias

Recommended Web Site Page?

wmackey — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:23:13 GMT

I noticed the list of recommended references, but did not see an option to suggest additions. Does anyone know what the process is to get something added?

Thanks

Wade

Which pwr. option allows your PC to live a longer life?

mbrundidge — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:57:41 GMT

Hi everyone, I have a question and no one has been able to give me an answer that really makes any sense to me. Assuming that one has the proper UPS and internet security (antivirus, spyware protection, firewall, etc...) which pwr option would be best to make your pc last, shutting it down every night after use or just letting it run 24/7 only turning the monitor off when done? I don't want drives going down constantly or any other untimely problems. Give me some ideas.

Renew My Membership

larryhook — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:18:47 GMT

How do I renew my membership? Every time I click on the Renew My Membership link in the Members Area, I get the following page:

CompTIA IT Pro Renewal Application.

Members can renew their membership subscription up to four months in advance of the subscription expiration date.

If you have a question you can contact us at itpro@comptia.org.

Thank you for your membership and on-going interest and support.

But there is no renewal application, and nobody responded to my email that I sent to the email link above about this subject last week. My membership expires the end of this month, and I would really like to renew by then. My CompTIA membership, and access to Books 24/7 have been the most valuable resources I have had since becoming an IT.

Forum Guru

larryhook — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 12:33:35 GMT

Hooray! I'm a forum guru! I'd like to thank all the people that helped to make this achievement possible: Edward, Bill (Gonzo), June, and all the other IT Pro members who have posted questions and comments that I've responded to.:D

CompTIA Linux+, Project+ and Server+ Certification Advisory Committees

jkeszeg — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:45:28 GMT

CompTIA is looking for experienced IT professionals to join our CompTIA Linux+, Project+ or Server+ Certification Advisory Committees (CAC).
A CompTIA CAC is a group of select representatives that provide guidance, feedback and direction regarding a CompTIA certification. Participating in the CAC is a great way to raise your professional profile in the industry.

For more details please visit: http://certification.comptia.org/resources/cac.aspx

June Keszeg, IT Pro Program Mgr.

ghost 2.0 to WD external hard drive diffuculty

lrbocko — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:50:35 GMT

Hello everybody,

I dont post often to this forum, but every time I do everybody has always been real helpful. I have a problem, and i hope somebody can help me.

Our IT department just got Norton Ghost 2.0, Our server is Windows 2000 and is old, and does not have enough room on the hard drive to save the Ghost images on it. I installed the ghost 2.0 on my xp machine, and i am managing it from my machine instead of the server due to the fact there is no room on our 2000 server. My machine does not have enough hard drive space on it to save the ghost images, so the company bought an external hard drive. It is a 500 gb WD MYBOOK external drive, it is also on the network. My probelm is I can save ghost images of PC's to my computer, but it will not let me save ghost images to the external drive. The network connection to the external drive is good. I have tried every thing possible and can not come up with a solution to get the ghost images to save to the external drive, if any body has a solution, I am willling to listen. You can also email me if you have and suggestions or post it in the forum. My email address is lrbocko@mchsi.com, I appreciate any help any body can give me.

Thank You, Leo Bocko