The ability to share an Internet connection is great and the ability to do this wirelessly is even better. Wireless networks are easy to install—you don't have to run cables, and you can roam around a location within the WLAN (wireless local area network), or physical range of wireless connectivity ( here's a way to get started ). These features are what makes wireless networks so popular with both end users, and hackers.

The one problem with wireless networks is the vulnerability of your network. A typical hardwired network has physical security due to limited access to the actual network and one opening to the internet (Gateway) has a firewall or two in place (or it had better). This can stop most unauthorized access to your network. The difficulty in setting up wired networks has discouraged a lot of people from installing networks in the first place.

Then a long came the wireless which, as I stated earlier in the article, made the home networking game more appealing and not as intimidating. Having a wireless network means that the physical security that is inevitable in a wired network is simply not there. Anyone in the range of your wireless network can see your network, and if not secured properly, can gain access. If your wireless access point isn't the router on your network then outsiders can slip in behind your firewall. This used to happen at my college—there was an apartment complex behind a portion of the school, and the other techs would piggyback on some guy's network. He had an unsecured wireless network—no one did anything bad to him (at least to my knowledge)—they just used him for Internet access but he never knew.

There are some practices you can perform to insure that no one is using your connection or trying to get on your personal network. First and foremost you need to get WEP (Wired Equivalent Protection) in place, which is an encryption that stops unauthorized users from accessing your network. There are at least two encryption types in 802.11b (128bit, and 64bit) and should probably be changed every other week or so. WEP encryption used to be completely the user's responsibility, but now I'm seeing hardware out of the box with at least one encryption key configured, forcing the user to configure his PCs in order to connect.

Using WEP is essential to wireless security, but don't rely on it alone, there are other security measures you can put in place as well. With some wireless units you can set a MAC address filters, witch can really beef up your security. A MAC address is an identification number the manufacturer stamps on a network device, and is (or should be) completely unique. If this security is in place then even if someone knows the WEP Key they still cannot get into the network because your wireless access device will deny it.

There are two other things you might want to do to tighten up your network: The first thing you should do is go through and change all of the default security settings, and passwords. The reason I said this is most Routers and access points usually have a lot of these configuration fields (i.e. username and password or the SSID ) filled out with generic values for ease of setup. The bad thing about this is that people can use these settings against you to gain access into your network. Secondly, with a lot of routers your SSID is set to broadcast by default, this means that it's broadcasting your network's name to the physical reaches of your network. Not good, even if your neighbors don't have the security rights to access your network they will constantly see it every time they boot up one of their wireless PC's.

Through the use of these practices you will not only protect your network, but render it practically invisible, and that's what you want. Just a side note before I go, if one day you boot up your wireless PC and you see a new connection that isn't secure, please take it easy on 'em, it's probably your neighbor. You have to remember not everyone is as informed or prepared as the Worldstart site cialis Readers and if your feeling nice go over and warn them to tighten up there network before someone not nice finds it open.

Wireless Network Security, part two: AirSnare

Those of you who look forward to the security articles I put out may remember last week's article on the basics of wireless network security. This week's article is along the same lines, not so much locking a wireless network down, but rather how to monitor it, and a really cool way to give any freeloaders a little scare.

Before I get ahead of myself, let's do a little recap of last weeks security article. I talked primarily about locking down your wireless network using some of the integrated tools on wireless routers and WAPs (Wireless Access Points). Things like MAC filters, WEP keys, and changing "out of the box" passwords and SSIDs can stop most users from accessing your network, but what about a knowledgeable experienced user.

In case you didn't know, there are sites and tools out there that advanced users can use to circumnavigate certain security measures, in order to get what they want. This could be the neighbor trying to get free Internet access or their kid who's just horsing around. Either way you don't want this and it's a nice feeling to be able to catch' em, who knows, you might even set them straight and teach them a lesson.

If you remember last week I mentioned how my classmates snuck on to some poor guy's wireless network behind the university (bad place to have an unsecured network—these guys knew what they were doing and had the tools to do it) and surfing the web. If Mr. X had the program AirSnare he would've caught the students in the act, and he could've sent them a message letting them know the "jig is up".

AirSnare is a wireless network monitoring system that has some pretty cool features. In a nutshell, AirSnare takes a list of MAC addresses that you have OK'd as being your network devices, (i.e. your home PCs) and alerts you of access by any other MAC address. The program actually warns you by telling you with a voice that there is "unauthorized access on your network", and you can even set it to email you any security breeches. In addition to the audio warning, the interface also turns red and you can see the user's MAC address and what they are doing. That's right, you can actually see if an intruder is checking their mail or surfing the web.

Not only does it tell you this info, but you can actually double click the destination IP address and Airsnar will connect you to the site. This is all very cool, but the best is the Airhorn, an element of AirSnare that allows you to send intruders a message that pops-up on their screen telling them what ever you type in, for example "I'm watching every move you make, so get off of my network".

The GUI is a little on the primitive side, but that's because it was meant as a low requirements tool, and not a bloated end-user program. Before you download the AirSnare look over the manual, especially the setup instructions. One thing you have to do is download, and install the WinPcap library—it's a protocol analyzer and is an important component in AirSnare. The whole process (download and install) takes just a couple of seconds, basically download and double click. It doesn't install a program just a library that AirSnare uses to capture network packets.

AirSnare may be a little different than other programs you're used to, but it really is easy to use and if you have a wireless network I think it could be an invaluable tool for maintaining tight security. Besides, if friends or family come over you can blow them away with your knowledge of wireless security and your super-cool monitoring tools.

Download WinPcap…
http://winpcap.polito.it/

Download AirSnare…
http://home.comcast.net/~jay.deboer/airsnare/

Do you print custom envelopes from MS Word?

Do you have a custom logo, picture or return address set up that you really wish would just show up every time you print an envelope?

That sure would be nice. I mean, no messing with templates, copy/pastes or other methods you may dream up to get your envelopes to your liking.

Well, I have good news. That "dream come true" is easier to achieve than you may think!

The first step is to create your envelope in a Word document.

• For older versions of Word, side effects cialis you need the Tools menu, Letters and Mailings, Envelopes and Labels choice.

• In Word 2007, you need the Mailings tab on the ribbon, Envelopes button.

Have you recently made the safe cialis switch over to Windows Vista? Or, have you been using it for awhile? Either way, are there some features on the 3D desktop that you'd just love to turn off? I mean, some of them are quite overwhelming and you might have a better Vista experience if you cut them off. Well, have no fear, because WorldStart is here to help!

I've heard so many varying views about the Vista operating system, it's not even funny anymore. Some people hate it, some people love it and others just ride along in the middle. Yes, Vista comes with a lot of brand new features and while it would be in Microsoft's best interest if everyone fell head over heels in love with them, that's just not very realistic.

So, if you want to change your Vista computer around a little, have at it! Now, as the person who asked today's question stated, one of the new features in Vista is the 3D desktop. And while it's cool to look at sometimes, it can also be a little too much. The 3D desktop has to do with Vista's appearance and performance and all the other Windows versions allowed you to make some changes within those realms, so why would Vista be any different? Come along with me as we make your Vista desktop all that you want it to be!

First, right click on the Computer icon on your desktop and choose Properties. From there, click on the Advanced System Settings link that is located off to the left side of the dialogue box. Once you click that, you will be asked if you're sure you want to continue on (since they're advanced settings and all). Just click Continue and go on. Next, choose the Advanced tab and then hit the Settings button. From there, you want to be under the Visual Effects tab.

Once you're there, you will see four options at the top of the window: "Let Windows choose," "Adjust for best appearance," "Adjust for best performance" and "Custom." Below those options, you will see a list of settings. The list is pretty long, so it may take you awhile to scroll through them all. As you look through them, you may want to start picking and choosing the ones you want to keep on your computer. Think about each one and picture in your mind what it would do to your PC. Here are some of the settings you have to choose from:

• Animate controls and elements inside windows
• Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
• Enable desktop composition
• Fade or slide menus into view
• Fade out menu items after clicking
• Show shadows under menus
• Show shadows under mouse pointer
• Slide taskbar buttons
• Smooth scroll list boxes

Okay, I think you get the picture. There's so much to choose from! Now, let's go over a couple of the options I mentioned above again. If you click on the first one (Let Windows choose), the Windows operating system will choose what it thinks are the best choices for your computer. Now, this may be a good choice, but it still may leave you wanting more (or less) from your desktop experience.

On the other hand, if you click on the Custom choice, you can make your own decisions. You can just check or uncheck certain settings and everything will come out just the way you want it. I think this is the best option for anyone who likes to do things on their own. That's why I told you to really pay attention to the options in the list as you're reading through them. If you picture in your mind what a certain setting will do to your computer, you'll have a better reason for choosing what you choose.

When you're all done customizing your 3D desktop, just click the OK button and all will be saved. You can then go and test your new settings out. See how everything changed? Do you like it? Not so sure? Either way, you now know how easy it is to change those settings and you can go back time and time again until you have everything set perfectly for your Vista experience. Have fun!

Are you tired of having a bland, blank homepage? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could customize something you actually like to look at that's filled with the links you use regularly? I know I could use something like that and that's where today's cool site comes into play!

The great thing is, even if you decide you don’t like any of the options in the gallery, you can use the plain white or plain black and still be able to customize your homepage to meet your needs.

You will find all the directions you need on the Help FAQ page. That covers everything from setting up your personal links to how you can set your homepage with the Homepage FAQ section and even how to manage your cookies with the Cookie FAQ area.

rx cialis low price

The Start page galleries are viewable by: View All, Movies and TV, Music, Video Games and Other. You can also search for a theme by using the Search field in the top right hand corner. If you know what you're looking for, just type it in and search for it!

Once you have your theme all set up, customizing the page is very easy! Just choose what you want from the drop down boxes. For example, you can pick which search engine you want to use from the listing. For your links, select Custom from the drop down menu. That will give you new fields to fill out: one for the name you want it to display and one for the link itself.

Do you want to set up more links than just four? If so, when you’re on the Preferences page, there is a category on the right side called Advanced Options. Under that, you will find Extra Links. If you click on that, you instantly have four more slots you can fill with custom links!

Now, I have an extremely useful homepage that is equally nice to look at. I can check my e-mail, search the Internet and visit all the Web sites I love so much, all from one convenient location. Enjoy!

http://www.awesomestart.com/

I'm in the mood to talk about CD burning today, so let's get right to it! Once you're sure you have a CD burner on your computer and you have it all set up, you should be good to go, right? Well, there's one more thing that could go wrong and that's exactly what we're going to talk about today. Let's get started!

The main question for this article is, "What if I can't get my burner to do anything?" And by anything, I basically mean recording material from your burner to a CD or DVD. Yes, that definitely can be a problem, especially since you can't really do anything if that capability isn't working right. So, let's troubleshoot this problem and see what we can come up with. Note: This tip is only for Windows XP users.

1.) First, you need to make sure you have the recording feature enabled. If you have Windows XP, you really don't have to do much to get the burner to work, but without the recording feature, you can't do a whole lot. To check this, double click on the My Computer icon on your desktop. Find whichever drive handles your CDs (generally drive D: or F:), right click on it and choose Properties. Next, click on the Recording tab and make sure the "Enable CD recording on this drive" option is checked.

Note: If you don't have a Recording tab, that means XP is not recognizing your burner's recording capabilities. If that's the case, you may need to consult with your CD burner manual to find out how to configure everything correctly. Depending on your situation, you may even need to change some things in your Registry Editor. If you have serious problems with this, you may want to contact your computer/burner manufacturer for additional help.

On the other hand, if you do have the Recording tab, keep going with me! When you turn on the recording feature, it starts the built-in CD recording in Windows XP. Now, if you use a different burning utility (other than the one that came with XP), you can disable this and just use the other program like you normally do.

2.) Another thing you may want to do is lower your burning speed. You more than likely have the software set to the fastest possible speed, but you might want to try setting it back to something like 18X or maybe even 8X. If you do prescription cialis that, you may see better results from your drive.

3.) Check on your system and make sure you have at least Windows XP Service Pack 1. For everything to run smoothly during the burning process, that has to be in place.

4.) And last (and the most obvious) is to check and make sure you have a blank CD in your CD ROM drive. You have to have one in there for the burning to start. Otherwise, the files will have no place to go and you will end up with nothing.

Hopefully with these troubleshooting techniques, you'll have a better burning experience from now on!