Easton (The Quince Man Quincy) Royce

One of the biggest, bestest, and most-hyped features of Windows Vista (according to Microsoft, that is) was the brand spanking new TCP/IP networking stack. Ask us, it sucks. Network performance hasn’t improved any over the ancient stack used in XP (nor should it – it’s not like there’s anything new in IPv4) though it does add better IPv6 support out-of-the-box and ships with some even more functionality in Windows 7. But more importantly, Microsoft threw out decades of testing and quality assurance work on the existing Networking Stack and replaced it with something rather questionable.

We’ll be following up some more on this topic from a technical side later in another article, but for now, an example that most of you are sure to have come across if you’ve ever tried to map network drives before:

This popup is shown at system startup if you have any mapped network drives to UNC shares which are not protected with a username and password. If you map a network destination that does require authentication, Windows will map the drive OK. To further complicate matters: this message is shown only when you startup from a cold boot! If you restart your PC (vs shutdown and powerup), it won’t appear.

Resolving the issue is straight-forward enough: just double-click on the network drive in My Computer and it’ll automatically, instantly, and silently connect. Which makes one wonder why Windows couldn’t connect in the first place.

Good question.

While working an update to Genie Timeline, I ran across this issue. Windows wouldn’t connect a mapped network destination at startup for some of our customers, meaning that our backup couldn’t continue (assuming you’re backing up to the network drive) until you manually intervened and opened the mapped drive yourself. Definitely not cool.

As an in-house R&D test, we attempted to manually re-establish the connection via the command-line. By running

net use Z: \\remote\path\

we were able to re-establish the “disconnected” network drive. But when we tried to implement this in code, we came across a funny issue. If you try to run this very early on during the logon procedure, it will fail with error code ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND – basically, it’s unable to contact the network path. The funny thing is, explicitly testing to see if we can connect to the network path [GetFileAttributes(networkPath)] doesn’t return any error. But Windows itself is unable to establish a connection. Using ‘net’ from the commandline was just a workaround for R&D purposes, so we turned to the trusty old WNetAddConnection2 function – and it too failed with ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND even though the network path both definitely existed and was perfectly accessible as a UNC location!

Attempting either of these techniques to establish a mapped network drive connection later on – say 2 or 3 minutes after logon – works just fine. As does attempting to establish a connection to a UNC path that requires authentication. Or attempting to connect to the network drive after a restart and not a cold boot.

In the end, we resorted to calling WNetAddConnection2 at timed intervals after startup if the UNC path is accessible and the mapped network drive is not. It got the job done, but it really does speak volumes when developers have to run through hoops to address issues that have been out 2 OS releases and 5 years ago. We have no such problems with Windows XP.

written by Easton Royce \\ tags: Networking, Windows 7

Click Here Nerds

written by Easton Royce \\ tags: Advanced, Beginners, Networking, Support

Why Warez is Wrong! – Spyware, Adware and More…Why is Warez Wrong?

Warez is wrong for many reasons. Firstly, it is depriving many software developers and companies of rightfully earned money for their own hard work. Software developers spend many hours and many cups of coffee creating software applications and games for you. How would you feel it you put your heart and soul for 3 years straight into a computer application or project, and then found out after it had been released, that there were more illegal copies of it available on the internet and being downloaded, then being sold in a store?

Why is Warez Bad For Your Computer?

Warez sites are driven by the evil’s of the internet. SPAM, SPYWARE, AD-WARE, CRIPPLEWARE, CRAPWARE, JUNKEMAIL, ILLEGAL and ILLICIT MATERIAL. It’s because of all these evils, that these Warez sites are able to survive.

Usually when you access a Warez site, you have to click many buttons, vote for many sites, and….. install many “plug-ins”. The sites them selves download all sorts of tracking bugs and want not on your computer the second you access them, so when you install the plugins as well (otherwise you can’t get the software), your just asking for trouble.

SPAM and JUNKEMAIL

SPAM and JUNKEMAIL are very much an annoyance. They are responsible for more then 65% of the worlds internet traffic and that statistic is continually rising. A valid email address is usually required during the process of obtaining the software, and just because they say they wont sell your email address, means nothing. It just means they’ll pass it on to other companies for free, that will then sell your email address.

If you need to use an email address for something on the internet, but aren’t sure about giving out your real email address, consider a service like Mailinator .

SPYWARE

SPYWARE is software installed on your computer that has no particular use to you, but allows a website to track you and much more.

Want someone to spy on your every move and activity on your computer? Go to a Warez site then, and install any or all of the plug-ins offered. Better still, at the same time, your processing power and hard drive storage will probably be used to better a Warez site somewhere. Whether it be for traffic bandwidth, or the storage of Warez material on your computer! Better still, SPYWARE will provide you with ADS, as soon as you logon to your computer, eliminating the need to start your web browser yourself and find your own ADS.

ADWARE

ADWARE, is not as bad as SPWARE, but is generally just as annoying. ADWARE, is usually bundled along with free software, in order to keep the software free. In some cases this is ok, provided the ADWARE is not invasive, and does not make your computer available for use on the internet.

As with SPYWARE, you should also avoid ADWARE at all costs for best protection.

CRIPPLEWARE

CRIPPLEWARE is software that you download and use for a while, but once it runs out (as its more then likely a trial or demo) it begins to destroy your computer untill you register it or un-install it. CRIPPLEWARE is often in the form of SPYWARE and ADWARE, and could basically be considered as dangerous and offensive as a virus. CRIPPLEWARE in the form or SPYWARE or ADWARE, is usually a peace of software that a Warez site will say that you need to download to your computer in order to be able to access their files. This may very well be the case, however, the integrity of your computer begins to fail straight away. Never install any plug-ins or software from a website that you do not know. Unless it’s from a reputable company like Microsoft (r) or Macromedia (r) then you should veer away from it instantly.

CRAPWARE

CRAPWARE is everything else that could other potentially cause damage and malicious harm to your computer. Stay away from CRAPWARE and all other forms of SPYWARE, CRIPPLEWARE and ADWARE as if they were contaminated with Nuclear Radiation. After too much exposure, and then loss of 4 or 5 university theases’. You’ll wish you never went there.

Why do Warez Sites Have So Much Porn and SPYWARE/AD-WARE/CRIPPLEWARE?

They have all of these in order to pay for their website hosting, bandwidth usage, domain name allocation and various other services. They pay their hosts by having all these terrible software programs forced onto viewers. When the software is accessed, a service fee is payed along the way somewhere, and the hosting service and other services is payed for. The SPYWARE and AD-WARE always gets first time viewers, and since most first time viewers are out for a free lunch, the software always gets used, and the hosts always get paid. See where this is getting? Stop viewing the sites, stop using the software, and the warez sites will have to shutdown. Suddenly the internet becomes a better place to be? Maybe…

ILLEGAL and ILLICIT MATERIAL

This is the gold at the end of the rainbow. The software that you have finally obtained after installing all that nasty software and providing your email address to hundreds of nasty mailing lists, and infecting your computer to the point where you will need to format your PC after you restart when the program has finished downloading.

Having any form of software on your computer that you didn’t pay for (operating systems, applications, games, whatever) is stealing. It doesn’t matter how you got it, or where you got it. If you didn’t pay for it, then you stole it. Maybe not directly, but you stole it.

NOTE: This doesn’t apply to software that is otherwise free

In other words, if you have it, then you are in posession of stolen goods. This is ILLEGAL. If you want the latest and greatest software, then it is in your best interest to purchase it. If you can not afford it, then you can not have it.

PORN IS BAD, WEAPONS ARE BAD, DRUGS ARE BAD. These are the electronic form of ILLICIT materials. If you have them, you are in trouble. If you have them and you are under – aged, then you are even far worse trouble then you think.

The storage of ILLICIT materials on your computer is against the law! We strongly discourage any the storage of any form of ILLEGAL or ILLICIT materials on your computer.

How Can I Make Sure None of This Is On or Happening To My Computer?

Easy.

Install a Good Firewall. Zone Alarm is very popular. You can download the 30 day trial, or the free personal edition. This will ensure you are in control of what access the internet, what is comming in and what is going out. Zone Labs usually has updates for this software on a monthly basis.

Install a good virus scanner. There are many good virus scanners. NOD32-2 is a popular free virus scanner that is updated multiple times a week.

Install a good AD-WARE and SPYWARE Remover. The internets best choice is AD-AWARE . The free version is more the adequate for your everyday needs, and also has multiple updates every week.

Keep a record of the software that gets installed on your computer. If you have children, be careful of the software they may borrow from friends. If you have software on your computer, but you don’t have disk or CD for it, chances are, it’s probably not yours.

By following these steps, and updating your software virus/firewall/AD-AWARE programs regularly, you can ensure that your computer will be well protected while accessing the internet.
In Summary

-:- Warez is wrong and deprives hard workers of their own money.
-:- Warez is bad for your computer due to the amount of SPYWARE, and other bad content that gets onto your computer.
-:- When asked for your email from a site you are unsure about, consider a service like Mailinator.
-:- Beware of Spyware
-:- Beware of AD-WARE
-:- Beware of CRIPPLEWARE
-:- Beware of CRAPWARE
-:- Warez sites use all of these in order to pay for their hosting, bandwidth charges and other services.
-:- Don’t use stolen software on your computer.
-:- Don’t store ILLEGAL and/or ILLICIT materials on your computer.
-:- Use a good virus scanner
-:- Use a good Firewall
-:- Use a good AD-WARE and SPYWARE remover.

written by Easton Royce \\ tags: Beginners, Networking, Random, Support

What is an IP Address?

An IP (Internet Protocol) Address is a four-part number, with each part represented by a number from 0 to 255 (256 Numbers total). Part of the IP Address represents the network the computer exists on, whereas the remainder identifies the specific host of that network.

Here is an example of an IP address:
192.168.45.128

IP Addresses used to be grouped together and assigned to an organization that needed IP addresses, based on IP Address class. Later, a more efficient method, known as Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR), was created to improve routing and waste fewer IP Addresses. So there are two IP Address Methods, Class based IP Addresses and Classless Based IP Addresses. These two IP Address methods are described below.

IP Addresses Classes

The way IP Addresses are assigned is that a network administrator is given a pool of addresses. The administrator can assign specific host addresses within that pool as new computers are added to the organization’s local network. There are three main basic classes of IP Addresses, each representing a different size network.

Class A

Each Class A IP Address has a number between 0 and 127 as its first part. Host numbers within a Class A network are represented by any combination of numbers in the next three parts. A Class A network therefore contains millions of host numbers. Approximately 256 x 256 x 256, with a few special numbers being invalid. A workstation, computer, server etc that is physically connected to the network is a host.

Some examples of valid Class IP Addresses are:

124.128.192.252; 10.0.0.54; 45.85.65.98

Class B

A Class B IP Address has a number between 128 and 191 as it’s first part. However, with a Class B network, the second part also represents the network, but is not restricted to a number between 128 and 191, rather it should be a number between 0 and 255. The other parts of the IP Address can also be any combination of numbers between 0 and 255. This enables a Class B network to have more then 64,000 host addresses. It is rare that all these IP addresses would be used in one organization.

Some examples of valid Class B IP Addresses are:
132.85.192.200; 150.45.152.54; 182.45.65.32

Class C

A Class C IP Address begins with a number between 192 and 223 as it’s first part. With a Class C network, the first three parts of the IP Address represent the network, whereas only the last number represents a specific host. Although the first part of the IP Address must be a number between 192 and 223, the rest of the numbers can be any number combination between 0 and 255. In this case, any Class C network can have 254 hosts (the numbers 0 and 254 cannot be assigned to hosts).

Some examples of valid Class C IP Addresses are:
192.168.0.124; 197.75.95.45; 200.192.184.201

Invalid & Reserved IP Addresses

There are some IP Addresses in each Class that are either completely invalid (it can’t be used) or it is reserved for another purpose. Following is the most common IP Addresses that are classed as “invalid” and why.

127.0.0.1 – This IP Address is the IP address of your local machine. It is internal to the host system that you work on and can only be accessed on your local machine. It is typically used to test some sort of server (web server or ftp server) on the actual machine itself. You do not need to be connected to a network to access your local machine at this number.

X.X.X.254 – Any IP Address with the host number of 254 is generally reserved for the internet gateway and is not used as a host number. However it can still be used as a host number.

X.X.X.0 & X.X.X.255 – Any IP Address that has its host number as 0 or 255 will not function on the network at all. 0 is not a valid IP Address host number and 255 is the maximum host range number.

Telling The Difference Between Networks

The difference between networks is determined by the class it is in as described above.

Class A

The difference between two or more Class A networks is identified by the first part of the IP Address. For example, the IP Address 120.45.65.98 is on a different network to 121.45.65.98. The “120 and 121″ at the beginning of the IP Addresses identify that they are from separate networks. It is these numbers that determine what network the IP Address belongs to.

The other three parts of the IP Address can be any number between 0 and 255 and so long as each IP Address has 120 for example in the first part of the IP Address, the host will exist and be able to communicate in the network with other computers using the same IP Address set (i.e., other computers that have an IP Address that starts with 120).

With only one part of the IP Address being used as the identifier for Class A networks, it is now easy to see why there are so many possible IP Addresses in the A Class.

Class B

The difference between two or more Class B networks is identified by the first two parts of the IP Address. For example, the IP Address 130.85.192.200 is on a different network to 130.84.192.200. Furthermore, 131.85.192.200 and 131.84.192.200 are also on completely different networks. Thus the four different IP Address are all from four different Class B networks.

As you can see, it is the first two parts of the IP Address: X.X.192.200 (The “X” represents the first to parts of the IP Address”) that differentiates one Class B network from another. For example, each host on a network, has an IP Address that starts with 130.48.X.X (The X.X can be any number between 0 and 255), they will be able to communicate with other computers on the network that also have an IP Address that starts with 130.84.X.X.

Class C

The difference between two or more Class C networks is identified by the first three parts of the IP Address. For example, the IP Address 193.168.0.124 is on a different network to 198.75.95.45. The last part of the IP Address is the identifier of the host and can be a number anywhere between 0 and 255. For example, any host on a network that has the IP Address of 197.75.95.X (“X” is a host number between 0 and 254) can communicate with any other host on the same network so long as the IP Address starts the same way (197.75.95).

Private IP Addresses

Private IP Addresses are for use on small networks, although they can also be used on large networks. There is a private IP Address Range in each Class. Private IP Addresses can not be routed across the internet and are therefore reserved for internal use only. They also can not route data over the internet nor are they used publicly on the internet.

Class A:

10.X.X.X – This Private IP Address set has 167,777,216 possible internal IP Addresses.

Class B:

172.16.X.X – 172.31.X.X – This Private IP Address set has 65,536 possible internal IP Addresses.

Class C:

192.168.0.X – 192.168.255.255 – This private IP Address set has 256 possible internal IP Addresses.

Understanding Subnet masks

If you are assigned the Class B IP Address Set of 135.84, but you are only given the pool of numbers available to the address 135.84.118, how do you tell your network that every address beginning with 135.84.118 represents a host or computer on your network? Use a Subnet mask.

A Subnet mask essentially identifies the network number for a network. When you assign the IP Address that is associated with your computer’s NIC, you are asked for a net mask. By default, your computer will fill in a number that masks the part of your IP Address that represents the Class of your network. The default Subnet mask for each Class is as follows

Class A:

255.0.0.0

Class B:

255.255.0.0

Class C:

255.255.255.0

If you network was assigned the network IP Address set of 135.84.118.X, to tell your computer that 135.84.118.X is the network number and not 135.84.X.X (as it normally would be for a Class B Network), you would use the Subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. Thus your network has available host numbers from 1 to 254 (Which would go into the fourth part of the IP Address).

Classless Inter-Domain Routing

The class method of allocating IP Addresses has several major drawbacks. Firstly, it is rare that an organization would fall neatly into one class or another. In most cases, a Class C IP Address set (Up To 256 IP Addresses) was too small and a Class B IP Address set (Up To 65,534 IP Addresses) was to large. The result was allot of wasted IP Addresses. Secondly, IP Classes resulted in too many table entries. As a result, routers were becoming overloaded with information.

To deal with these problems, CIDR was developed. This system is similar to IP Address Classes, but offers more flexibility in assigning how much of the 32 bit IP address is the network identifier. Instead of the first 8, 16 or 32 bits identifying the network, 37 to 27 bits could identify the network. As a result, groups of assigned IP addresses could contain from 32 to about 524,000 host addresses.

A CIDR IP Address is followed by a slash (/) and then a number between 13 and 27. A smaller number indicates a network containing more hosts. A larger number indicates a network containing fewer hosts.

Here is an example of an IP Addresses that uses the CIDR system.
128.8.27.18/16

In this example, the first part of the IP Address and the first number of the second part of the IP Address (the first 16 bits) are used to represent the network number (128.Cool. The remainder of the IP Address (27.1Cool is used to identify the specific host. This network number can contain up to 65,536 hosts (the same as a class B address).

Another example is 203.63.28.231

203.6 – is the network number, defined in the same way as a Class does.

3.28.231 – is used to identify the specific host.

The following list shows how many hosts can be represented in networks using different numbers to identify the network.

/13 -:- 524,288 – hosts

/14 -:- 262,144 – hosts

/15 -:- 131,072 – hosts

/16 -:- 65,536 – hosts

/17 -:- 32,768 – hosts

/18 -:- 16,382 – hosts

/19 -:- 8,192 – hosts

/20 -:- 4,096 – hosts

/21 -:- 2,048 – hosts

/22 -:- 1,024 – hosts

/23 -:- 512 – hosts

/24 -:- 256 – hosts

/25 -:- 128 – hosts

/26 -:- 64 – hosts

/27 -:- 32 – hosts

The CIDR addressing scheme also helps reduce the routing overload problem by having a single, high-level route represent many lower level routes. For example, an Internet Service Provider could be assigned a single /13 IP network and assign the 500,000 plus addresses to its customers. Routers outside the ISP would only need to know how to reach the ISP for those half-million addresses. The ISP would then be responsible for maintaining routing information for all of the host routes with that network address.

written by Easton Royce \\ tags: Advanced, Networking, Support

These instructions assume you have a an ADSL or Dialup connection to the internet via an ADSL Modem or Dialup Modem.

IP Addresses

Each computer should have a static IP Address. You can use any IP Address class, as long as it is an internal set. Lets assume you are using the 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0 Class C set. This is a common network set and allows for the inclusion of up to 254 computers. However it is commonly used for small networks that have less then 254 computers. Give each computer an IP address like the following:

192.168.0.XXX

The “XXX” can be any number between 1 and 255.
The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0

If your network uses the 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0 set, then each computer should have an IP Address like the following:

192.168.1.XXX

The “XXX” can be any number between 1 and 255.
The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0

The computer with the ADSL modem connection needs to have the IP Address of 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. If you IP address set is neither of the two mentioned, just make sure that each computer has an IP address that follows the same scheme. No matter what IP set you are using, make sure that the computer with the ADSL modem connection has an IP address that has a “1″ (without the quotes) as the last number. Eg: 10.0.0.1. The subnet mask for this IP address is 255.0.0.0.

The other computers on the network should have their Default Gateway IP address as the IP address of the computer with the ADSL modem connection. The computer with the ADSL modem connection should also have its default gateway set to itself.

And thats It! IP Addresses & Internet is set up!

Sharing Your Files

Microsoft Windows 9X/ME

Microsoft Windows 9X/ME is a share level system. This means that you don’t need a password to access the resources on it. When you share a resource (a folder, CD-ROM, Printer or Hard Drive), you can share it with Full Access or Read Only Access. Full Access allows other users to modify the contents of the resource (except where the resource is a CD-ROM or Printer). Allowing Read Only Access means other users can read the data but cannot write to or modify the resources.

In Microsoft Windows 9X/ME, you share a resource by right clicking it and selecting properties. On the Window that appears, click the sharing tab. Click the radio button to share the resource and select weather users have full or read only access. You can password protect resources, however this is the maximum amount of file sharing security that Microsoft Windows 9X offers. When you are done, click the apply button, and then click the OK button.

Microsoft Windows XP (Professional) & 2K

Microsoft Windows XP Professional can be configured to allow share level access or user level access. User level access means that the user accessing the resource from another computer must have a user account or know the username and password of an account on the host computer. Without one you are denied access. You can configure share level access if you wish, but this will have problems due to Microsofts enforcement of user level sharing. This guide will show you how to configure user level share access.

Microsoft Windows XP has a share level access system that is set up for you to use by default. Quite plainly, Microsoft calls it the Shared Documents system. This is a system where you can drag files you want to share into the Shared Documents folder and any user on that computer or on any other computer on the network can access it. While this is usefull, it is not very handy if you want to access your documents from another computer. The only way to access them would be to go back to the computer with your documents on it, and copy them to the Share Documents folder (Accessible via My Computer). You may as well use a floppy disc.

The best way to setup sharing on a network with multiple operating systems (Windows 9X/ME/2K/XP) is to create a common user on each computer (except for the Windows 9X/ME computer).

This guide assumes you are calling your common user LAN and the password is also LAN. In reality, you can make the username and password whatever you like, however, the username and password should be the same on all computers for simplicity. That is, each computer has an account called LAN and the password is LAN. You do not need to ever logon to the computer with this account, so you can disable local login for this account if you wish to further increase secuity on the local machine. Make the user a Power User or Limited User under Windows XP.

Now you need to share your resources to this user. Select the resource you want to share (CD-ROM, Hard Drive, Folder or Printer). Right click it and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Next select the sharing tab. In Windows XP, you should see a sharing tab and a security tab. If you do not see these then you need to disable simple file sharing. simple file sharing is the shared documents system. When you share files using this system, you effectivly copy the contents of the resource you “simple file share” into the shared documents folder.

To disable Simple File sharing, open any explorer window, click the tools menu, and then click folder options. Click the View tab and then scroll all the way to the bottom of the list and un-check the box next to Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended). Click Apply, click OK.

Select the resource you want to share and then select properties. Click the sharing tab. Click the radio button next to Share this folder. You can give it a share name if you like or just use the default. Type a description of the resource into the comment tab if you wish. This will only show on other Microsoft Windows XP computers though.

Next click the permissions button. By default, if you have selected a folder,the share permission for the folder will be the Everyone group. Any user can be a member of the Everyone group.You’ll also notice that the Everyone group has full access. This is fine for small networks where all the users are well known, but to create a little more security in the system, we’ll change the network access to only allow the LAN user to access the shared folder. We will now do this as an exercise.

Close any windows you have open and return to the desktop.

Open My Computer or Explorer.

Open a hard drive and navigate to the folder that you want to share. (you should never share the “C” drive of your computer on a network with unknown members). You can share any hard drive or Removable Drive if you wish. The steps are the same.

Right click the folder or drive that you want to share and select Properties from the pop-up menu.

Click the sharing tab and click the radio button next to Share this folder. Give the folder a share name if you like, or leave it as the default.

Click the permissions button, select the Everyone group and then click the Remove button.

Click the Add Button.

Click the Advanced Button

Click the Find Now button

Scroll down the list and select the LAN user.

Click OK

At this point you can change the level of access. You can change it to full control or read. For the purpose of this exercise, select full control.

Click Apply

Click OK

Click Apply

Click OK

And thats it, you have shared a resource. The process is exactly the same if you want to share a removable drive and or printer. To share more resources or folders, just go through the process above again for another folder.

Network Access

Microsoft Windows 9X/ME

To access a resource on another computer, click start, run.
Enter in: \\ComputerName
Click Ok

If the computerName you typed in has any of the Windows 9X/ME Operting System installed, you should be presented with a window that contains icons with the share names of the resources that computer has shared. To access the resources, just double click them.

If the ComputerName you typed in has Windows XP/2K installed, then you will be asked for a user name and password. Enter in LAN and the password is LAN. You should then be presented with a folder that contains all the resources that have been shared and are available to the LAN user. To access any of the resources, just double click them.

Microsoft Windows XP/2K

To access a resource on another computer, open any explorer window and type into the address box: \\ComputerName\ and press enter.

If the ComputerName you typed in has any of the Windows9X operating Systems installed, you should be presented with a folder that contains all the resources that are shared on the computer. You may be asked for a username and password if the resource was shared depending on password.

If the computerName you type in has either Windows XP or 2K installed, you should be presented with a box asking you for a username and password. Enter in LAN as the username and LAN as the password. Click the check box for “Save This Password” to avoid having to type the username and password again each time you access the computer and click OK. You should then be presented with a folder containing all the resources available on that computer. To access them, just double click them.

written by Easton Royce \\ tags: Networking, Support

What is a kilobit?

A kilobit, (represented by a capitalised K and a lowercase b “Kb”) is 1 of 8 bits, that make a byte. Every byte contains 8 bits.

What is a kilobyte?

A kilobyte, (represented by a capitalised KB) is a culmination of 8 bits together to make a byte. You may have heard of “normal bytes” and real “bytes”. A normal byte, is usually a normal number, like 1000. A real byte, is the actual calculation of all the bits in the byte (1024).

Normal bytes and real bytes often get mixed up, which is often the reason why people get confused when someone is talking about real bytes and the other is talking about normal bytes, and neither knows what the other is talking about.

The Official Measurement

The official measurements are:

1 (one) Byte = 8 bits
1 KiloByte = 1024 bits
1 Megabyte = 1024 Kilobytes
1 Gigabyte = 1024 Megabytes

So How Do I Work Out My Maximum Download Speed?

Working out your maximum download speed is quite a simple process. All you do is take the number (the speed of your internet connection) and divide it by 8. For example, so you connect to the internet at 42Kbps. You would use the following calculation:

42 / 8 = 5.25KBPS.

This is the maximum possible download speed. Use the guide below.

14.4 Modem Connection – 1.8KBPS (KiloBytes Per Second)
28.8 Modem Connection – 3.6KBPS
33.6 Modem Connection – 4.2KBPS
57.6 Modem Connection – 7.2KBPS

NOTE!: 57.6 is normally referred to as 56 (For simplicity sake), therefore having a download speed of 7KBPS.

As you can see, the same rule can be applied for any speed connection. For example, I use a 1.5Mb (Megabit) ADSL connection to the internet. So my maximum download speed is 1.5 divided by 8 or 1024 multiplied by 1.5 and then divided by 8. This gives a maximum download speed of 192 KiloBytes per second.

Naturally, all downloads do not occur at this speed, often they are much less, and are often dependent on the upload speed of the server the download is coming from.

Some broadband connection speeds are calculated below. These can be applied to ISDN, ADSL, SDSL, Cable & Satellite.

64 Kb (Kilobits) Connection – 8KBPS
128 Kb Connection – 16KBPS
256 Kb Connection – 32KBPS
512 Kb Connection – 64KBPS
1.0 Mb (Megabit) Connection – 128KBPS
1.5 Mb Connection – 192KBPS
…
And so on.
…
…
…
4.5 Mb Connection – 576KBPS

In order to be downloading at 1 MB (Megabyte) per second, or faster, you need to invest in a very high speed connection.

10 Mb Connection – 1280KBPS or 1.28 MegaBytes Per Second.

All these speeds are theoretical, more so then actual possibility. Even with dialup, it is often hard to be able to download at the possible maximum. Regardless of your connection type, the same calculation can be applied to find out your theoretical maximum download speed.

However, you are always limited by many factors including:

Line Interference (Noise)
Line Availability
Drop Outs (Cable, *DSL & Modem)
Internet Traffic (other users, not to mention all the junk email)
Availability of Servers
Other users accessing the same content
Your ISP.

written by Easton Royce \\ tags: Networking, Support

In Windows XP/2000/NT4.0, Logging off usually drops a dialup Internet connection. The Following registry change maintains your Internet connection when you log off and log on as a different user.
Note that you still have to re-dial if you reboot your PC.

1. Click Start —> Run, type regedit and press Enter
2. Drill down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.
3. Click Edit —> New —> String Value edit the name to KeepRasConnections and press Enter.
4. Right-click KeepRasConnections, select Modify, enter “1″ (without the quotes) in the VaueData field and click OK
5. Quit the registry.

Now whenever you log off on your Windows 2000 machine or Windows XP (Not Switch User**) your dial up internet connection will stay active. Eliminating the need to re-dial the internet when you want to change users on the computers.

** Switch Users is a system introduced in Windows XP. It allows you to leave an account logged onto the system in the background, while somone else logs onto the system over the top. Essentially, it means you could switch users while you go out for a little while, without having to actually log off, thus be able to leave any work you are doing open or active. However, if the computer should be restarted, then that account and any unsaved work will be lost.

written by Easton Royce \\ tags: Networking, Support

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You can use this test to find out just how good your firewall is functioning!
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written by Easton Royce \\ tags: Networking, Support