What HP really needs to do...

HP needs a plan and direction. Not just a reorganization.

HP is in a very unique position in the coming years because they control unique parts of the future, like Sony did 5 years ago, but ultimately failed to capitalize on it. Apple came and ate Sony's lunch and kicked them to the curb. Steve Jobs got it right and realized that computers became a commodity business with low margins. So he turned them around to be the leading consumer electronics company. Along with content for all his devices, he ended up owning the things you use in your every day life.

Right now HP is still a house hold name. Chances are that everyone has a HP printer in their house or a laptop. What HP is missing is the vision. HP's acquisition of WebOS was a thought in the right direction, just executed badly. The market didn't need more fragmentation. They should have adopted their core strength and went the Windows route to create the entire home experience. They have the Windows Home server which ties your entire house together. Laptops and Desktops for the interface. A tablet and phone for when you are on the go. Make it seamless and easy for the end user and they will come.

1. HP needs to either bring back their PDA/Phones. The easiest is to acquire HTC, since they were their OEM for the iPaq's. You need the daily device in the consumers hand. A merger with Nokia would be rather large, but nice. Since the stock is trading at an all time low. Nokia would give them an amazing global presence.

2. Acquire Roku or SlingBox to capture the TV market. This gives them an automatic entry into the living room. You are no longer relegated to the home office.

3. Acquire Hulu or Netflix and integrate it with all your devices. There's your content automatically available to ALL your devices.

Now, this is no simple task to stitch this all together. But you do see the vision. They already have an infrastructure for the "cloud" servers. How cheap would it be for Hulu to build out their data centers if the parent company makes the hardware?

They already have the retail channels, you can leverage it all without building retail stores like Apple did. This would also give BestBuy a much needed boost with the retail sector being a dying business.

Browser Has Been Hijacked ?

• Home page or other settings change on your computer. Links are added that point to websites that you'd usually avoid.
• You can't navigate to certain web pages, such as antispyware and other security software sites.
• A seemingly endless barrage of ads pops up on your screen.
• New toolbars or Favorites are installed that give you icons and links to web pages that you don't want.
• Your computer runs sluggishly. Malicious software can slow down your computer.

The following six tips can help restore your browser's settings:

1. Stop cascading pop-up windows. If endless pop-up windows appear on your screen, you'll probably want to stop them first. To do this in Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 2000 while using Internet Explorer:
   • Press CTRL+ALT+DEL, click Task Manager, and then click the Processes tab.
   • Click IEXPLORE.EXE, and then click the End Processbutton.
   This closes all instances of Internet Explorer. Then you can re-open the program to continue browsing as usual. To help prevent future attacks, you should also have a pop-up blocker turned on.
   To turn on the pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer 8 click theTools button (the gear icon), point to Pop-up Blocker, and then click Turn On Pop-Up Blocker.
   To turn on the pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer 7:
   • Click Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Privacy tab.
   • In the Pop-up Blocker box, select the Block pop-upscheck box. Click OK.
   If you still experience the other effects of a hijacked web browser, try the following:
2. Install Microsoft Security Essentials or another antivirus and antispyware program. Microsoft Security Essentials is free software that will help protect your computer from malicious software such as viruses or spyware. Many browser hijacking programs can be identified and removed by downloading, installing, and running Microsoft Security Essentials or a similar tool.
3. Run the Malicious Software Removal Tool . This can catch some, but not all, kinds of hijacking software.
4. Reset Internet Explorer settings. If you're using Internet Explorer and your home page has been changed, you can often reset it yourself.
   Note If you use Microsoft Security Essentials, Forefront Client Security, Windows Defender, or the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool and these tools have detected and removed hijacking software from your computer, these tools might change your home page and your search page to help protect against the malicious software.
   For more information and step-by-step instructions, see How to restore your Internet Explorer home page and search page preferences.
5. Disable add-ons. Many browser hijackings come from add-ons, also known as ActiveX controls, browser extensions, browser helper objects, or toolbars. These items can improve your experience on a website by providing multimedia or interactive content, such as animations. However, some add-ons can cause your computer to stop responding or display content that you don't want, such as pop-up ads.
   To learn how to disable add-ons in Windows Vista or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), read How do browser add-ons affect my computer?
6. Get more help. call 1-866- PC safety
7. go online to Here let system try and fix these issues for you.

This is a combo of article posted on the Microsoft site.

Taken from http://blog.mir.net/2010/10/browser-has-been-hijacked.html . Great post Jay!

FREE Antivirus from Microsoft

No need to buy an Antivirus program. Microsoft offers one free to all it's users.

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

About Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple.

Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times.

*Your PC must run genuine Windows to install Microsoft Security Essentials. Learn more about genuine

Expanded Parental Controls in Windows 7 using Live

Live is actually a great FREE service offered by Microsoft. There's much more that I will highlight in a later post.

For the parents out there.

Expanded Parental Controls in Windows 7 using Microsoft's Live service.
http://explore.live.com/windows-live-family-safety

1. Different rules for different ages.
2. Filter out the bad stuff.
3. Detailed activity reports.
4. Limit who they contact online.

I'm thinking about writing a manual for this. Any interest?