Entries tagged with computer

Entry tags:

archiving,
computer

Backup Learnings

My backup learnings

1. I have been diligent backing up all files from one external drive to another. But the backup software settings (FBackup) for the vid files were set to 'default" which means when they backed up the DVD video files they overlooked the .info and .bup files that are necessary to make the DVDs playable. There are also some older non-std video files that they failed to backup. So pay attention to the backup software settings. I use WinMerge, a free Windows software to do file by file bit (byte??) comparisons of the first initial backup to validate will check once a month

2. Off-site backup is key. Luckily for the video files and fanzines I already did a manual backup of these files to the cloud (incrementally adding new files along the way). This turned out to be important because around 10% of the video files on the external drives were corrupted . And because the backup software failed to capture some of the older files/non-std files, the uploaded versions were key to restoring the files.

3. For my personal files I am testing a 2 TB upload to Backblaze- I am hoping it will take less than the 1 month the upload calculators are saying it. Once uploaded it will go faster because it will be incremental. Backblaze seems affordable and they also offer an option to mail you an external drive with all your files should you have a complete hard drive failure (ca $200). I am using a description key-phrase to encrypt the files

4. And finally - invest in an image restore program. This saved me when the hard drive failed. I have so many custom software programs, profiles and plugins re-installing them all would be crippling. I used a software called Macrium Reflect and it was amazing. It is no longer free but there are other image programs. But once I had a new SSD hard drive installed, loaded with Windows I was able to conect an external drive to the computer, change the boot order and launch Macrium Restore and it did the rest. I now plan to do a weekly image file backup to a portable external drive. (I had been doing monthly)

Entry tags:

This Turtle Moves Slowly: Computer Hard Drives and Backups

I am still recovering from my hard drive crash.

I have 25 TB of data - fanvids, fanzine PDF cans and older mailing list plus all my personal files.

I decided this would be a good time to consolidate the fandom files from 3 separate external portable drives to one large external drive - and since the computer hard drive replacement was relatively affordable. I started the lengthy migration process. Over USB cables - yes it takes a loooong time.

Made even longer by the fact that several of the convention vid show folders had corrupted files. So once I complete the migration I will use file comparison software and go folder by folder - if the folders/files mismatch I will pull the DVDs (most of the convention vid show I have are either digitized from VCR VHS footage or were released by the conventions themselves on DVD).

The last thing I learned is that my backup software was set to the default - and so only basked up recognizable file formats (word, pdf, mpg). It ignored the "system files" that are necessary to create a playable DVD.

So it is a good thing I am migrating because I can

1. Find and replace corrupted files and
2. Redo my backups so they will include all files.

I think it will take another 4 days for the consolidation of the fandom files - then maybe another week?? 2 weeks for the initial backup to a second external drive to run and complete

Then I can start on my personal files.....

Entry tags:

computer

Twitter Migration

If you are on Counter.Social, I am there as morgandawn. I've had the account since October 2021 but only started using in a few weeks ago. Like most Mastodon instances it has its issues (Mastodon websites or 'instances' are usually run by individuals or small groups, have differing policies based on affinity groups, and are underfunded, under moderated and under performing. Counter.social has been around since 2017 and has the funding and the technical background that most other instances lack, but the policies (blocking China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and Syria due to bots/state actors may not work for many). My suggestion is to try to it out, see if you feel comfortable and then keep it as a meeting place if Twitter proves to be untenable. If you have ever used Tweet Deck you will be familiar with the layout. As for what the culture is like - it has been small, courteous, no ads, no promoted posts, no tracking and interesting one-one interactions. To send DMs you must subscribe which cuts down on harassment. Where it is going depends on who signs up and how they use it. They will reopen on Weds April 27 after they upgrade to add more bandwidth.

Entry tags:

Livejournal Backup Tool

LJ Archivr project seamlessly archives public LJ Journals and Communities as local html files with intermediary links that allow the user to click and navigate back and forth through each post of the journal or community. Clean formatting is preserved using a consistent clean theme for all backups. In addition a spreadsheet inventory of all posts with time, date, poster, and number of comments per post is saved to a spreadsheet tab and can be converted to universal formats such as csv. The process is automated and very thorough. It will navigate through paginated pages of comments and even expand threaded comments to ensure all comments are captured. Does not require membership to the community (but it helps with downloads of community restricted content). Anyone interested feel free to contact the developer

vidderkidder directly or if you know of anyone who would be interested feel free to share with them.

Requirements

Desktop version Microsoft Excel
Chrome
Chrome extensions (tutorial video for how to download and install them)

You can download a trial version for free (just enter $0) - if it works please consider donating to iamavidder@gmail.com

Download: https://vidder.gumroad.com/l/ljarchivr

Crossposts: https://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1720624.html

Entry tags:

computer

Windows 10 - Missing "Recent Folders?"

File Explorer Quick Access has Recent Folders pinned but it vanishes.. - Windows 10 Help Forums

So File Explorer Quick Access shows Recent Folders, because I pinned it to be there: But, when you go to "Save as" dialog box, Recent Folder

If you’ve moved to Windows 10, you may have noticed you have lost access to Recent Folders…instead they show “Frequent Folders”. There is a way to permanently turn this back on so that it works inside your browser, Word and all other programs.

Another set of instructions here: https://www.dragonblogger.com/windows-10-tutorials-restore-recent-places-function-to-windows-10/

Crossposts: https://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1719890.html

Entry tags:

computer

Important Verizon YahooGroups! Virus Alert

Please check your Verizon YahooGroups! data downloads for virus, trojan and spyware. Verizon offers "Get My Data" downloads of Yahoo Group email messages, links and files. They may contain security risks for desktop users (Windows and Mac Users)

Those who downloaded their Groups using third party tools like PGOffline and Python - you may also be impacted if you downloaded attachments, files, links or photos. PGOffline automatically includes attachments along with messages. And some of the messages themselves might have buried malicious HTML code so even if so you only downloaded messages, please scan your PGOffline database and download folders.

***Please follow these suggestions at your own risk. When in doubt, contact your virus software manufacturer.*****
(link to more info

Crossposts: https://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1641425.html

Entry tags:

computer,
tumblr

You Have A Backup of Your NSFW Tumblr....Where To Take It?

Assumptions

1. It is 10 GB

2. Stored as an index file and folders (which will look like this: https://zinedom.org/zinedom-tumblr/index.html)

3. Just want to archive it online for now…will figure out what to do moving forward

4. Lots of NSFW fan art

The blogs, if downloaded using the Python Tumblr Backup are easy to upload to a website (I have 2 domain names). But what kind of webhost will allow that?

1. Data storage

2. Bandwidth (password protect to limit.)

3. NSFW ( Password may also assist with adult content)

Cpanel is a must. I cannot manage a website without one (ex Dreamhost's custom cpanel was too confusing)

Crossposts: https://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1608152.html

Entry tags:

computer,
vidding

NOOOOOOO! (Do Not Want) - BACKUP YOUR VIDS

WHAT TO BACKUP

Large size MP4 (MUST)
Project files, source (OPTIONAL, BUT RECOMMENDED)

WHERE TO BACKUP

ONLINE (For large size MP4s)

Get a free Dropbox or Box.com account
Install sync software – create a Sync Folder
Before uploading your vid to Vimeo or YouTube, drag the MP4 file into your Sync folder and let it auto-backup

EXTERNAL DRIVES – have at least two, use weekly automated backup software. Install and relax, but check 2x yearly.

Backup Your Own YouTube Channel

Tools: 4K Video Downloader or winxdvd

Backup Your Favorite YouTube Channel or Playlists – see above. Or https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/download-videos-youtube-playlist/

Some tools also allow you to back up Vimeo Vids: https://rg3.github.io/youtube-dl

Consider supporting a Dark Archive – either within the OTW or independently run, where fans can upload vids for preservation.

Additional suggestions and tips welcomed.

Crossposts: https://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1591858.html

Entry tags:

computer,
tumxpost

Warning: If You Own Your Own Website

Heads up to anyone who has their own website. Most of us have low-cost websites that are on shared servers. As you may know, Google and some browsers are now forcing us to access websites using SSL (secured sockets layer) certificates. This secures the information being transmitted between you and the webpage. If you've ever looked at the upper left in your browser address bar and seen a little green sign or a lock symbol along with "HTTPS://www...." next to a website address, then you are accessing a website securely.

But if someone visits your website and their browser is set to warn against "unsecured" websites, they will get a malicious website warning. Most fans won't proceed. But the few who do so may face yet another surprise.

If your visitor uses HTTPS or if they push past the malicious website warning, they are often redirected to someone else's website. Once that other website is in their browser cache, every single time they try to go to your website again they will be permanently redirected until they clear their cache.*

The reason this is happening is that many web hosts are too cheap to set up their servers properly or are using older servers. If you have a website on a shared server, and you have not paid a fee to move to a dedicated server or buy your own dedicated IP address and then paid a second fee to buy your own security certificate, your website will be redirected to the first person on that server who happens to have bought a security certificate. The servers will search alphabetically down the list of hosted websites until they find someone with a SSL certificate and ...voila that is where you will now go.

For example, if your website is on a server with somebody who own website www.aaa.com and they own a security certificate, every single website on that server that does not have their own separate security certificate, will be redirected to www.aaa.com

Some web-hosts know that Google is pushing every website and browser to use HTTPS which in turn means every website will need a security certificate. Good web-hosts are now offering free security certificates on accounts that use shared servers. Ex: Dreamhost and LunarPages. Bad ones, like Bluehost and Hostgator will not offer them. Or they will force you to pay 2-3x amount and upgrade to a Business Enterprise service plan. Even worse, they won't tell you it is necessary and instead leave you and your visitors to find out that your webpage is being redirected to some dude's page that starts with the Letter A. So check with your Internet host to see if they offer a "free SSL certificate on a shared server". And move to another web-host.

*Note: Firefox users: Clearing the cache may not work. You might have to delete the browser history.

Crossposts: https://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1585296.html

Entry tags:

computer

HP Computer Alert

If you have an HP computer that has started running slowly in the last few weeks check to see if this new HP program has been installed. Instructions on how to remove it are included.

https://www.ghacks.net/2017/11/27/hp-installing-hp-touchpoint-analytics-client-telemetry-service/

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1569926.html

Entry tags:

computer,
tumxpost

You Say Bytes, I Say Bits, Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

I need help calculating upload speed times.

Our home connection uploads at 5 Mbs (bits). In the fall a friend will have access to a 1 Gbs (bits) upload speed.

If I have around 1 TB(ytes) worth of data to upload, the math looks like this

1. Upload from MD's home = approximately 20 days (rounded up)
2. Upload from friend's location = 2-2 hrs

Now here's where it gets tricky. Some online backup servers cap the data flowing into their servers. Ex Sync.com caps it at
5 MB(ytes) or 40 M(bits)

In which case my math looks like this

1. Upload from MD's home = approximately 20 days (rounded up)
2. Upload from friend's location = 55-60 hrs (2+ days)

Did I get this correct?

I used this calculator
https://www.broadbandsolutions.com.au/business-centre/viewpoint/understanding-connection-speeds-megabytes-megabits

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1567878.html

Entry tags:

computer,
vidding

Asking For A Friend

Who here in the US has fiber with upload speeds of 500 Mbs-1 Gbs Here in Silicon Valley ATT GigaFiber is limited to the northern valley. Google Fiber has dropped its plans for a Silicon Valley rollout (for now). Sonic.net has no plans to come south.

If you have access to 1GB, drop me a line @ mdawn6 @ yahoo.com

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1567064.html

Entry tags:

computer

Looking for a online storage

*up to 5TB storage

*offers "seeding: (you ship a hard drive and they upload an initial data set) (extra cost OK)

*offers bulk restoration by shipped hard drive (additional cost OK)

*allows both file and folder sharing with password protection

*allows uploads up to 5GB

*does not require syncing in order for the files to be archived (dropbox I'm looking at you)

*supports FTP uploads/downloads

*stable provider (needs to have been in business for a few years and likely to be n business for 5+ years

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1564003.html

Entry tags:

books,
computer

Calibre and Kindle for PC or Mac

Copying and pasting from

arduinna

"I somehow missed that this was happening a few months back, so maybe other people did, too.

My Kindle for PC updated itself silently to version 1.19, which is compatible with Amazon's latest formatting. This is great for being able to use the new formatting! This is not so great if you use Calibre to manage your library. Calibre can't read or even recognize the new format, so can't import your books.

If you use Calibre, the easiest thing to do is to uninstall Kindle 1.19 and reinstall the older version, 1.17, and make sure that the "automatically update" box is unchecked.

The Mobileread forum has a thread on how to do this, including direct links to safe downloads of v 1.17 on Amazon. It also has instructions for other methods, if you don't want to downgrade your Kindle for PC/Mac."

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1550579.html

Entry tags:

My Digital Life

New hard drive install and image restore went well. I was on my way by Monday. But even with all the software reinstalled I had to deal with

*corrupt outlook pst files
*multiple daily backups had to be tested and restored
*set up a weekly image backup - tested and restored
*fiddle with all the USB ports - matching USB 3.0 to USB 3.0 to make said backups faster
*order new USB hub, external hard drive and power strips
*buy a new vacuum cleaner (yes ours died) to have

xlorp vacuum under the desk and behind the computer tower (dust!!)

then deal with (mainly driver problems)
*DVD player that won;t burn
*printers that won't print
*scanner that won't scan

all the while
*frantically testing DIY security cameras before the house next door gets torn down and rebuilt (with construction comes theft and break-ins).
*trying to create a front yard habitat for the feral cat living in a shed in the next door house about to be torn down. The shed protects her from coyotes at night and she will not enter our back yard due to another cat who has taken up residence

We're still not done with all of these so will continue to be elusive and non-resposnive

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1548355.html

Entry tags:

computer,
drwho

Mushy Things

My brain is mush. Restoring the hard drive and software is still underway. However, system images are the best backups - one stop backup of files and software. I am using Macrium Reflect - the free version. Grab it folks and start making a weekly backup to an external hard drive and your fear of hard drive death will diminish.

My new hard drive is fucking with me however. After install, it failed the Short Drive test. Then passed. Then failed. Then passed. The computer's extended service warranty expires in a few days, but the hard drive is warranted for another 30 days. So I will keep using Macrium Reflect to make system images.

The tech was helpful, also blew out 3 years worth of computer dust with my compressed air. To my horror, he gets rated on the entire service experience - from the moment I made the call to the support center to him installing the hard drive. And if he gets anything less than a 9 out of 10, his supervisors will call me to find out why. Since he did a good job I gave him 10, but the initial phone calls t the support center were not as good.

Did I say my mind is mush.....

Dr Who started up again on BBC and I like the new companion.

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1548135.html

Entry tags:

computer

The Woes of My Digital Life

I backup a lot. I backup my backups. But one thing that is hard to backup are your installed software, profiles and configurations. Yes, there are system images but they can be tricky to re-install, especially when a hard drive is replaced and you have to decode whether to do a fresh OS install.

In any event, my hard drive failed the Short Disk Self Test so HP is sending me a new hard drive (with a human to arrive later in the week) to install it on Friday. My 3 year extended warranty dies in....7 days. I ran few of my own tests and found only 15 bad sectors on a 1.8 TB drive. Which makes me worry it is a software corruption and not necessarily just a bad hard drive. Which makes the system images I am laboriously making a bit less attractive. But trying to reinstall years of software with license keys that may or may not work...if I can find them. And if I can find the older versions of the software that go along with them.

The other risk is that when the tech shows up they will crack open the case look at ait and say: Holy Fuck!! and take it all back and I will really be without any computer for weeks. I am not kind to my computers. I know I will one day have to answer to the Great Computer In The Sky for my misdeeds.

In the meantime, don't email me anything important. Expect that I will have forgotten any and all commitments by the time I re-emerge. Feel free to ping me again when I give the all clear sign.

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1517635.html

Entry tags:

Why Livejournal's Loss of HTTPS Is A Thing

What's new about LJ is that they've turned off secured browsing (HTTPS ) so when you log into your account, your password can be seen by anyone monitoring the site and anyone else long the way (in transit). The payment page still seems to be encrypted (for now). The lack of HTTPS security also means anything you post under lock is also accessible and your personal identity can be stolen

In the end my advice: make a new password just for LJ, do not pay anything through them and realize that anything you post or read there there can be intercepted by others

http://mashable.com/2011/05/31/https-web-security/#bVkObrMWb5qf

"There’s an important distinction between tweeting to the world or sharing thoughts on Facebook and having your browsing activity going over unencrypted HTTP. You intentionally share tweets, likes, pics and thoughts. The lack of encryption means you’re unintentionally exposing the controls necessary to share such things. It’s the difference between someone viewing your profile and taking control of your keyboard.....

...If my linguistic metaphors have left you with no understanding of the technical steps to execute sniffing attacks, you can quite easily execute these attacks with readily-available tools. A recent one is a plugin you can add to your Firefox browser. The plugin, called Firesheep, enables mouse-click hacking for sites like Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and others. The creation of the plugin demonstrates that technical attacks can be put into the hands of anyone who wishes to be mischievous, unethical, or malicious.

To be clear, sniffing attacks don’t need to grab your password in order to impersonate you. Web apps that use HTTPS for authentication protect your password. If they use regular HTTP after you log in, they’re not protecting your privacy or your temporary identity"

Edited: install HTTPS EVERYWHERE which can be found at eff.org. It won't magically replace missing security (like what is happening on Livejournal), but it will turn on security if it is available. Ex: Up until 2013, on Facebook you had the option to have secured browsing. Or not. HTTPS Everywhere will toggle it on for you in case you mess up your default security settings

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1516449.html

Entry tags:

Livejournal Webpages Are No Longer Secure

Source: http://swan-tower.dreamwidth.org/785861.html

Your readers should know about another catch:

LJ no longer allows access to its https site when browsing/posting, which means that any information you send to that site is readable by every other site that cares to eavesdrop. This means that anything you post under friendslock is still being read by any site that chooses to spy on Livejournal communications; you can safely assume that at least one Russian-government entity is.

I just double-checked, and the payment page *is* protected by https,, com so that at least should be secure.

When does HTTPS Everywhere protect me? When does it not protect me?

HTTPS Everywhere protects you only when you are using encrypted portions of supported web sites. On a supported site, it will automatically activate HTTPS encryption for all known supported parts of the site (for some sites, this might be only a portion of the entire site). For example, if your web mail provider does not support HTTPS at all, HTTPS Everywhere can't make your access to your web mail secure. Similarly, if a site allows HTTPS for text but not images, someone might be able to see which images your browser loads and guess what you're accessing.

HTTPS Everywhere depends entirely on the security features of the individual web sites that you use; it activates those security features, but it can't create them if they don't already exist. If you use a site not supported by HTTPS Everywhere or a site that provides some information in an insecure way, HTTPS Everywhere can't provide additional protection for your use of that site. Please remember to check that a particular site's security is working to the level you expect before sending or receiving confidential information, including passwords.

One way to determine what level of protection you're getting when using a particular site is to use a packet-sniffing tool like Wireshark to record your own communications with the site. The resulting view of your communications is about the same as what an eavesdropper on your wifi network or at your ISP would see. This way, you can determine whether some or all of your communications would be protected; however, it may be quite time-consuming to make sense of the Wireshark output with enough care to get a definitive answer.

You can also turn on the "Block all HTTP requests" feature for added protection. Instead of loading insecure pages or images, HTTPS Everywhere will block them outright.

edited: Also, if you do backup your Livejournal blog or community to Dreamwidth, please consider buying a paid account.

Crossposts: http://morgandawn.livejournal.com/1500842.html

Entry tags:

Yahoo Email PSA

Yahoo email has been getting worse.Many people who are using POP or IMAP to access their email on their phones are finding it no longer works. There is an option to "allow access from less secure apps" that may help but for many that too fails. Accessing your Yahoo email on the web is still sometimes available but often that does not work on your phone. They turned off email forwarding so you cannot forward your email to another account like gmail.

I am testing a low RAM email client (eM Client) that can run continuously in the background of my desktop. I set up an IMAP account for yahoo mail, created a filter/rule that copies the email over to the IMAP version of my gmail account and puts it into a folder so I can read it on my phone. I am certain there are other more simpler workarounds, but the most important part of this message is to make certain you have found a way to download your Yahoo email, contacts and calendar and store it elsewhere as I am not certain how much longer yahoo will be viable.

PS. I am am paid subscriber to yahoo mail and they no longer have a support number to call. Or rather, I am still looking for it. They have not answered any support emails and the forum gets you canned responses.

PPS. Gmail allows you to import your contacts, emails and calendar from yahoo via POP, so if you can get POP to work, that is a good way to back up your entire yahoo account. Once imported you may have problems getting new emails, but it will be a start. Also, POP only imports items stored in your mail folder (inbox. IMAP allows you to access all folders.)

PPPS. Besides eM Client, you can try other free Desktop email apps like Thunderbird for IMAP. There may be other third party apps that work across desktops and phones.