Encrypt using TrueCrypt

Truecrypt is a very simple and very powerful encryption tool. I have been using it for the past few years and still have not learned all of the ways that it can be used. I will show you the basics of how to get up and running. First, download truecrypt.

First you will come to this screen:

 Click Next

Again, click next (the hidden encryption is a little more complex, you should read manual first)

On this screen, click, Select File then a box will appear and ask you where you would like to store this encrypted file and what you want to name it. Once you name it click Save,  then Next.

Here you will not change anything, just click Next

Here you will designate the size of the encrypted file, then click Next.

Here you want to create a secure password, but  "Don't Forget"  what it is because nobody, (including some government agencies) can retrieve it for you.

You will see this warning about short passwords, click Yes

Click Format, then Ok

 Click Exit

Now, to open the program. Start TrueCrypt and you will see this

 First, choose a drive letter, then click Select File, here you will locate the file that you named in the beginning and click  Mount.

Once your screen looks similar to this, click  Exit. Then go to My Computer and you should see what appears to be another hard drive. You can copy and paste to this drive, just be sure to open TrueCrypt and click Dismount when you are done. Here is a video I made to help you see it in action.

Try Google Voice

  If you haven't heard of Google Voice, let me fill you in. In 2007, Google purchased a company called Grand Central Communications. It began in beta for select users by invitation only, I was a beta tester and have been using it ever since.  Google Voice is a great program that allows you to obtain a telephone number, which you can the forward to any other phone number. You can also setup unique voice mail greetings for each person that you have added to your contact list. You can also set it up to bounce annoying people straight to voice mail everytime they call, or just block them all together. You can receive text messages via Google Voice as well as many other cool features. It is really easy to use and packed full of features. Google Voice just became open to the public so go and set up an account. Have a question? email me anytime at thecommongeek@gmx.com I will be glad to help. Here is a video to explain more:

Cloud Servers

  I have been checking out some cloud servers and decided to give Rackspace a try. Rackspace is a great solution for cloud servers and cloud back-up for your important files. The setup was really easy and I received a phone call within minutes of setting up my account for validation purposes.
  Within minutes I had a Windows Server 2008 instance up and running for just pennies per hour. If you are not familiar with cloud servers, then you might try Cloud Files, which is a great backup solution for your irreplaceable files. I just finished uploading some files via Rackspace Cloud Files and it was simple and very fast. I highly recommend Rackspace Cloud and look forward to using my new account.
  Got a question? email me at thecommongeek@gmx.com I would be glad to help.

Great Cloud Storage

  If you are looking for cloud storage, I have a great solution that is very easy to use. Wuala gives you 1 Gigabyte to start, then you can either buy more or trade some of your local hard drive space for space in the cloud. Wuala is safe and encrypted, as well as accessible from anywhere you have an internet connection.
 For more information, checkout their site at Wuala

  There is also a clip of this software in episode 718 of Hak5

Yawcam

Have you ever been at work and just wished that you could check on your home or pet from time to time? I have just the solution, and it's FREE! There is a great program called Yawcam that allows you to access your pc webcam from any browser.

It also allows you to set the camera on motion detection so that if there is any motion within the camera's view, it will take a snapshot. Yawcam can be setup so that the snapshot taken will then be forwarded to an email address, or cell phone address.

I have been using this software for about a year and I love it! You may need to do some port forwarding if you find that you are having trouble accessing the cam from an external computer not on your local network. If you have any questions about port forwarding, checkout portforward.com

More help for virus removal

If you have ever tried to remove stubborn computer viruses, you may have encountered this type of problem. You attempt to update or download your favorite virus/malware removal software and it just refuses to work properly. This is because some viruses will actually stop you from attempting to remove them. In the past, I have pulled hard drives and scanned them as an external drive on a separate computer, which keeps those types of programs from successfully uninstalling the virus.

There is a neat little program that I recently found that will stop those types of programs from running and allow you to run your antivirus. This program is called Rkill. I would like to remind you that once your computer is infected, it is never truly safe, no matter how well you think you have cleaned it. I would recommend that you backup all of your important files and completely format your hard drive, this will ensure that it is free from viruses. Then, install a clean copy of windows. For backing up your files, I recommend something like Mozy which is simple and FREE up to 2GB.