Tag: How to

The Pagefile.sys and the early years

Paul

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What is the Pagefile.sys

When Microsoft created Windows XP, it became quite apparent that Windows UI couldn’t handle all the desktop users needs. Since this was in the early 2000 when we were still working with a very limited system resources. The systems we had at the time were 16 bit or 32 bit systems. This is where it gets interesting because the maximum you can have on a 16 bit system was 64kb of ram which wasn’t much. However we started with the 32 bit systems that would allow up to 4 gigabytes of memory total. It was quite nice but it still required the system to use the file system to hold or run programs. It would become self evident that the system was so bogged down by processor speed and amount of ram that was available. All the while they were working on the Windows operating system they had to create a way to throw the unimportant programs or sometimes important programs into the background to be able to load other programs. It was really a pain and I should say this isn’t something we have to worry about now.

What does it do?

Well it basically put the program to a mini sleep and throws it onto the hard drive and keeps a record of where and what it had to know in order to start the program back up. It was a way to keep memory space used to a minimum and still be able to have a really nice experience with Windows XP. Microsoft in all it’s wisdom, decided to incorporate this little feature into the Windows vista and other operating systems. I still think it has a use in Windows 10 but I doubt it is being used like was in the early days since most people usually have enough ram to not need to put to sleep any programs in the background to run programs.

Can I delete it?

Like many other experts, I say you shouldn’t even think about it. In the early days, when it was deleted or corrupted you couldn’t even boot your system. There were even cases of BSOD(Blue Screen of Death) and thus it is never recommended to delete or modify your pagefile.sys without fully backing up your system and then maybe. There are several ways you can do it but I won’t talk about that. I however will link to them and let you decide for yourself if you should do it or not.

Does it slow my system down?

In the early days, it would most likely slow it down but since we have so much more system resources than before we shouldn’t need to worry about. I honestly have 32 gigabytes of ram in my system and see no noticeable speed difference than when I had 16 gigabytes. Pagefile.sys shouldn’t be doing anything now but it might if you are using a really big program or game that requires massive amount of memory and if you didn’t have the memory requirements for it but still was able to run it. Then you might be using pagefile.sys to do swapping of programs and free up space for that game or big program that you are trying to run.

Other than when you put your Windows system to sleep, it is what is used to throw everything you have loaded up in your laptop or desktop on to the HDD to save for quick retrieval of the programs to start the laptop or desktop where you left off.   This is the only place that I know of that it is currently still be used but I am sure it is still be used on old systems.

In the long run, the pagefile.sys is still used today and probably for a while. It’s uses can be small at times but it was designed to help you with your computer memory and thus should not be tampered with unless you know what you are doing.

How IP Cameras are watching us all

Paul

Megapixel IP Camera Testing 3

 

Malware at a global scale can be daunting to say the least

We can do everything possible to protect ourselves from this but there is no real way to Mitigate it and there is not real way to prevent it.   Hackers are always going to find holes and white hats are always going to fix those holes as quickly as possible.  I could document millions of ways a hacker could do damage to your system, car, or even your tv and there is no real way to prevent it.    A good exploit that I would like to talk about is IP camera exploits, where all you need to do is just connect to the IP that a camera is using through a web browser.

IP Camera Tools

There are several tools around the world to help you find these IP Cameras for example Shodan.io. As you can see people can be watching without you even knowing  it.  The problem that is so prevalent is that people are paying for this service and watching people take off clothes or even having sex and you wouldn’t know it because these are private residences who are trying to make sure there isn’t any people going to rob them.  The only way to mitigate this is to not have cameras that can be easily found or even make the camera require authentication and also change the default passwords and default usernames for these types of cameras.   It will also be a problem until the manufacturers change how they make these cameras.

Exploiting Knowledge

This isn’t really a software malware but more of people exploiting the knowledge of trying to connect to ip’s and knowing about sockets and ports.   Anyone who knows how the IP camera is used knows that all you need is a certain socket and port to go to scan for to find cameras that are available on the internet.   It has gotten to the point of people recording you and then making you pay with ransoms to keep from releasing it online to embarrass you or your name.  There isn’t any real estimate as to how much the damage is in way of ransom because most people will keep quiet because of the stigma of having someone watch them doing something private.

How to Save Money on plane tickets!

Paul
American Airlines Chicago Airport!

Track the Prices!

If you are looking for the cheapest possible tickets that you can buy. You will want to track the prices of the tickets through some website or app. I figured I’d give you a few that will help you in the future:

  • Flights.google.com — I’ve always used this to track flights from one airport to the another. It’s been a really good help for me to see which airports are the cheapest and it even emails you if the prices is going down or up.
  • Hopper — I’ve used this from time to time to find the cheapest tickets also. They have a nice tracking app but it can be spotty at times.
  • Cheapflights — Another website I like to use to check out if I can find a cheap flight to make it less hard on my wallet.
  • SkyScanner –  Is an excellent way to check out prices across multiple airlines and websites.
  • Expedia —  another good one which is Microsoft’s little website.

I know these are just a few. There are a ton of websites out that I occasionally use also to find the cheapest flights. You should start there and work you way around the web and see what other sites might work for you.

Fly on Tuesday or Thursday!

If you are looking to find the cheapest flights, it seems to be a common thing to find the cheapest flights on Tuesday or Thursday. So buying your tickets on Tuesday for a Tuesday flight in the future might give you the best results for cheap flights. Although I’ve seen low price flights on Fridays and Mondays but I find Tuesday and Thursday to be the best time to fly!

Notifications

Depending on which apps you use to monitor flight prices, you should always find apps to notify you if there is a change in prices.   There are many apps that will do that, I like Googles way of emailing you daily if the price goes up or down so you can decide when the right time to buy that ticket.   Kayak and other sites will also notify if you are registered with them so that you can also find the cheapest flight possible.   I already did one blog post about finding cheap flights but I wanted to update it and give you some more information on how to find those cheap flights.

Why diversity is a way to change ourselves

Paul
Picture by Gerd Altmann

Our Identity

Many times in my life people have asked who I am and what I have done in my life. Each question can be unique to my experiences in my current life.  We all have an identity that most don’t not know or even imagine.   We could be a scared, weak or unobtrusive person who has no real value to others.   I am a writer, a father, and even believe in God, it is something that defines who I am what I believe in and why I do the things I do.  One of my many accomplishments in life is know just how to be single and being as unique as possible and saying that’s ok.   Most people are afraid to try new things or do something that is outside of their comfort zones.  We rarely will move away from that which we are comfortable and that which we are so used to but you’ll find that even then we strive to be better than before.

The Words I would use

We all have our own vocabulary an unique speech pattern that can be identifiable and that means we could bring us even more understanding of our own selves.   The words I would use to describe, that can be quite difficult to even me because there are so many adverbs, and nouns, or even adjectives to describe me and I’m not sure what others would add or say about me.   I know I have confidence, honor, and even willingness to do the right thing.   I rarely will not say what I mean and do what I say but most will not.   I am thoughtful, and I am logical and even deeply thought provoking.   These are the words I would use to describe myself because they are who I am and what I’ve become.   I am a problem solver for sure and I even know my limitations, unlike some people that can bring even more problems than what anyone knows.

The Stereotypical People

I know we see all types of stereotypes of peoples in our lives.   I know somes terms of myself that sometimes what people have called me is a know it all.  I’ve seen stereotypes in others also sometimes it is people drinking or doing stuff like being a redneck and even then it can be strange to see in others and wonder what I must do not be like them.  There are so many things people worry about when it comes to being a stereotype but I find that is something we should strive not to worry about.  I appreciate that people are different and have their own uniqueness in our life and I try every day to appreciate even more than before.

Culturally Different

I’ll say that there is much better to see the people in different religions, parts of the world, and even the difference in how they were raised to help us see the impact we have on who will become and who we were.   If we can identity our cultural significance in the world we are much likely to be a better person and make an impact to others just like we were impacted when we were young.   Understanding our cultural differences can help us to be more understanding of others and show compassion for them in ways we never thought would be possible.  This I think is where it should start just by trying to be open new possibilities and new experiences than the rest will just fall into place.

You are not being investigated, or is there suspicious activity on your account!

Paul

Social Security Card - Illustration

Keep getting scam Calls

Today alone I got two identical scam calls from a local number.   The Automated message warned that I was under investigation because of suspicious activity on my account, and I should dial 1 to talk to a representative.   I really need to record this message and write down this automated messages just because it is obviously a red flag right there.   There seems to be a lot of people who don’t know anything about these types of scams but here is what I already know before I even dial 1 just to keep the scammer busy for a few more minutes.   I’m going to talk about some of the ways you know that it is a scam.

They Prey on your Fears!

This one is quite obvious to me at least because they want you to give them money or make it seems you are going to be arrested because of a debt or even your tax information is out there.   I am sure that my information is never truly going to be private and I’ve talked about it time and time again.   So I have to believe that it will eventually leak and someone will try to do something to use it against me.   I am hopeful by the time they do that I won’t be alive to even worry about it.

There is a warrant for you arrest!

This is another one that I’ve heard recently by the phone scammers, they like to use this one with debt scam and trying to scare you to pay a debt or maybe not even that just to scam you for money.  Either way, if there was a warrant for your arrest then you’d have someone knocking on your door this instant.   Also if this is in relation to a debt than it is against the law, the Fair Credit Debt Act prevents creditors from doing this such thing to get money from you.

Social Security Administration

This is another red flag for anyone who gets a call from them.   This is an obvious scam because social security will never call you.   If there is a problem they will send you mail through your mailbox and not from a phone call.

Phone Number

It usually is a local number and or number that isn’t being used.   9 times out of ten, if you had any call id information it will look like a local number calling you.   Again, they like to spoof their number and keep you from know where they are truly calling from or the real number.   So when I hang up with them, I call that number back and find out the number is no long in use.

Won’t give you any information

They will never give you any information about why they called you or where they are calling from, or even give you a real number to call to confirm that this is them.  I even tried to ask for the exact address from where they are calling from, they just hung up.    Also be wary even if they give you their federal employee number, that another way they will use to get you to either give them money or steal your identity.

Never Give them any Information

This one goes without saying, no matter what never give them any of your information including but not limited to you Social Security Number, Your Full name, where you life, you’re phone number or anything like that.   If they say they are from the Social Security Administration office and you’re concerned please hang up and call your local Social Security office to find out if you have a problem.   They will probably tell you it was a scam like I suspect.

*UPDATE*

As of July alone, I got several phone calls from Orlando Florida area code (407) claiming something similar like this:

  • (407)540-3718
  • (407)548-2738
  • (407)434-8822
  • (407)483-8647