T-Mobile Suspends ZTE Zmax Sales Because People Are Idiots | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

T-Mobile Suspends ZTE Zmax Sales Because People Are Idiots

BY SASCHA SEGAN
APRIL 16, 2015 12:28PM EST

T-Mobile put ZTE’s phablet on ice because people are trying to yank out the battery. One problem: it’s not removable.

Listen, people. I know you like removable batteries on phones. But you can’t just will them into existence.

TMONews revealed yesterday that T-Mobile suspended sales of the ZTE Zmax$252.00 at T-Mobile phablet after only seven months. In the comments, several people speculated as to why: were there a lot of defective units? What about an ongoing patent infringement case?

It turns out the reason is that people are literally hacking into the phone. Or hacking at the phone.

According to sources close to ZTE, T-Mobile had to suspend sales because customers were trying to remove the non-removable batteries on the phones. Obviously, that’s dangerous. The back cover is clipped on but not glued on, and people like this guy are using “a knife and a small screwdriver” to lever it off, potentially puncturing the battery cell and hurting themselves in the process.

It’s unclear why people are doing this—maybe to hard reset their devices?—but ZTE strongly suggests taking your phone into a T-Mobile store if it’s misbehaving rather than trying to yank the battery out yourself.

T-Mobile complained to ZTE, and ZTE is trying to figure out how to prevent folks from getting their hands on the batteries.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE …via T-Mobile Suspends ZTE Zmax Sales Because People Are Idiots | News & Opinion | PCMag.com.

An in depth look at the differences Software, Shareware, Freeware and Open Source AND Nagware, Bannerware, Adware and Bloatware

First of all you should know that SOFTWARE is a generic and “all encompassing” term for all of the above. In short SOFTWARE means a piece of code that achieves a certain objective such as a paint programs invoicing programs and web browsers (and even games) to name a few. Software implies that it is not a hard device that you could simply hold in your hand but more data and programming code that might be stored on any computerized device; such as a Hard Drive, Flash Drive, or even the Cloud.

A good place to download and evaluate Software is from Download.com. When downloading please always remember to look at the popularity of the item, the ratings and always, always read the reviews that are conveniently located below the description of the product.

SOFTWARE can also be described more specifically by its marketing platform or the mechanics of how the Programmer is compensated financially.

These terms can positively reflect the industry by words such as SHAREWARE, FREEWARE AND OPENSOURCE
OR Negatively by terms such as Adware, Bannerware, Bloatware, or Nagware which are further defined at the end of this article

An example of popware, adware, bannerware

So let’s break it down…

SHAREWARE as defined appropriately by Google is, SOFTWARE that is available FREE of charge and often distributed informally for EVALUATION PURPOSES, after which a fee may be requested for continued use.

BUT before Google DEFINED SHAREWARE…the “ASSOCIATION OF SOFTWARE PROFESSIONALS” really prescribed some terms of what SHARWARE SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED AS:

IN my recollection from some 20 years before and still stands true today at heart…

SHAREWARE, SHOULD BE… Adware, Banner-ware and Nag-ware FREE.

TRUE “SHAREWARE”, should have NO limitations before purchasing the actual product!

SHAREWARE, may have a time limit of 30 days before these supposed limited features (like saving only one page OF a document or one image out of a batch filter) are incorporated.

FREEWARE, Is the next step in software evolution~ FREEWARE is just that.. no time restrictions, no banners or annoying ads, but truly FREE SOFTWARE that you can use! SOME OF THE BEST SOFTWARE IN THE WORLD IS TRUELY FREEWARE!!

WHY? Some people might ask that a programmer or company would create a piece of really good software and not ask for a nickel in return?

Start Up programmers wanting to get a name for themselves or companies that need name recognition.

Companies that ask you to participate in usage stat or enhancing the community experience might data mine anonymously your usage performance of the software.

Because they believe they are the best at what they do and do not have an investor to spread the word or advertise with such as name brands like Microsoft or Adobe to back them.

A good place to download Freeware Applications are:
http://www.freewarefiles.com/screenshot.php?programid=13617

or one of the original file repositories such as TuCows
http://www.tucows.com/list_detail.html?id=9

Some good example of Freeware are:
VLC Media Player which is lighter and plays more files than WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER
Irfanview is an image viewer and editor which allows you to view hundreds of different file type.
Gimp an Image editor often compared to a scaled down version of the Industry Standards – Adobe Photoshop

Here is a screen shot of the very popular Media Player VLC

FREEWARE Screenshot of the popular media Player VLC

Which leads me to the Grand Finale of all Software “Open Source”

OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE. is just like FREEWARE EXCEPT THAT it allows for anyone to inspect or change the code at any given time and to use it and share it freely with everyone.

One Example of this is the ever so popular Linux (pronounced Lie-Nux eg: vowel consonant vowel from Linus Torvalds) the originator of the freely open source operating system based on UNIX.

NEGATIVE INDUSTRY SHAREWARE TERMS – THESE ARE NOT NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH ANY TYPE OF SHAREWARE, FREEWARE OR OPEN SOURCE APPLICATION

NAGWARE – a popup to “buy this product”, an “extra button to press” before using the product or “x amount of seconds to wait” before the product starts.

ADWARE AND BANNER-WARE- means that every time the software launches, the product will display ads that will ask you to purchase anything and everything from how to lose weight to buying a popular game or song; or even more software. This is another form of the revenue stream for the company allowing you to try the product before you purchase it. Usually once the product is purchased a code will be sent to the consumer that will remove the annoying ads while using the product.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ADWARE CAN SOMETIMES ACT A AS VIRUS AND POPUP ADS EVEN AFTER TERMINATING THE PROGRAM.

BLOATWARE – according to the UrbanDisctionary.com is defined as:

A piece of software, hardware or website that attempts to do too much and becomes utterly useless for users. An example of bloatware would be a word processing application that also tries to be your page layout program, drawing tool, and web browser; absorbing half your hard drive and all your RAM in the process.

For information on terms such as Malware or spyware please read our in depth review located at:
http://beaufortcomputerrepair.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-virus-spyware-malware-or-trojan-horses/

Bios Password Cracking - Default BIOS Passwords List

How to Bypass BIOS Passwords

BIOS passwords can be add extra layer of security for desktop and laptop computers, and are used to either prevent a user from changing the BIOS settings or to prevent the PC from booting without a password. BIOS passwords can also be a liability if a user forgot their passwords, or if a malicious user changes the password. Sending the unit back to the manufacturer to have the BIOS reset can be expensive and is usually not covered in an a typical warranty. However, there are a few known backdoors and other tricks of the trade that can be used to bypass or reset the BIOS password on most systems.

Backdoor Passwords

Many BIOS manufacturers have provided backdoor passwords that can be used to access the BIOS setup in the event you have lost your password. These passwords are case sensitive, so you may wish to try a variety of combinations.

WARNING: Some BIOS configurations will lock you out of the system completely if you type in an incorrect password more than 3 times. Read your manufacturers documentation for the BIOS setting before you begin typing in passwords.

Award BIOS backdoor passwords:

ALFAROME	BIOSTAR	KDD	ZAAADA
ALLy	CONCAT	Lkwpeter	ZBAAACA
aLLy	CONDO	LKWPETER	ZJAAADC
aLLY	Condo	PINT	01322222
ALLY	d8on	pint	589589
aPAf	djonet	SER	589721
_award	HLT	SKY_FOX	595595
AWARD_SW	J64	SYXZ	598598
AWARD?SW	J256	syxz
AWARD SW	J262	shift + syxz
AWARD PW	j332	TTPTHA
AWKWARD	j322
awkward

AMI BIOS Backdoor Passwords:

AMI		BIOS		PASSWORD		HEWITT RAND
AMI?SW		AMI_SW		LKWPETER		CONDO

Phoenix BIOS Backdoor Passwords:

phoenix

PHOENIX

CMOS

BIOS

Misc. Common Passwords

ALFAROME	BIOSTAR	biostar	biosstar
CMOS	cmos	LKWPETER	lkwpeter
setup	SETUP	Syxz	Wodj

Other BIOS Passwords by Manufacturer

Manufacturer	Password

VOBIS & IBM	merlin
Dell	Dell
Biostar	Biostar
Compaq	Compaq
Enox	xo11nE
Epox	central
Freetech	Posterie
IWill	iwill
Jetway	spooml
Packard Bell	bell9
QDI	QDI
Siemens	SKY_FOX
TMC	BIGO
Toshiba	Toshiba

Toshiba BIOS

Most Toshiba laptops and some desktop systems will bypass the BIOS password if the left shift key is held down during boot

IBM Aptiva BIOS

Press both mouse buttons repeatedly during the boot

Using the Motherboard “Clear CMOS” Jumper or Dipswitch settings

Many motherboards feature a set of jumpers or dipswitches that will clear the CMOS and wipe all of the custom settings including BIOS passwords. The locations of these jumpers / dipswitches will vary depending on the motherboard manufacturer and ideally you should always refer to the motherboard or computer manufacturers documentation. If the documentation is unavailable, the jumpers/dipswitches can sometimes be found along the edge of the motherboard, next to the CMOS battery, or near the processor. Some manufacturers may label the jumper / dipswitch CLEAR – CLEAR CMOS – CLR – CLRPWD – PASSWD – PASSWORD – PWD. On laptop computers, the dipswitches are usually found under the keyboard or within a compartment at the bottom of the laptop.

Please remember to unplug your PC and use a grounding strip before reaching into your PC and touching the motherboard. Once you locate and rest the jumper switches, turn the computer on and check if the password has been cleared. If it has, turn the computer off and return the jumpers or dipswitches to its original position.

Removing the CMOS Battery

The CMOS settings on most systems are buffered by a small battery that is attached to the motherboard. (It looks like a small watch battery). If you unplug the PC and remove the battery for 10-15 minutes, the CMOS may reset itself and the password should be blank. (Along with any other machine specific settings, so be sure you are familiar with manually reconfiguring the BIOS settings before you do this.) Some manufacturers backup the power to the CMOS chipset by using a capacitor, so if your first attempt fails, leave the battery out (with the system unplugged) for at least 24 hours. Some batteries are actually soldered onto the motherboard making this task more difficult. Unsoldering the battery incorrectly may damage your motherboard and other components, so please don’t attempt this if you are inexperienced. Another option may be to remove the CMOS chip from the motherboard for a period of time.

Note: Removing the battery to reset the CMOS will not work for all PC’s, and almost all of the newer laptops store their BIOS passwords in a manner which does not require continuous power, so removing the CMOS battery may not work at all. IBM Thinkpad laptops lock the hard drive as well as the BIOS when the supervisor password is set. If you reset the BIOS password, but cannot reset the hard drive password, you may not be able to access the drive and it will remain locked, even if you place it in a new laptop. IBM Thinkpads have special jumper switches on the motherboard, and these should be used to reset the system.

Information Originally provided by http://www.uktsupport.co.uk/reference/biosp.htm

Please give them a look for more information.

How to Access the CMOS or BIOS (Basic Input Output System of your Computer)

Accessing the computer’s BIOS can vary depending on the Brand and Model of your computer, as well as the type of BIOS they use. In this article we will discuss how to access the computer’s BIOS based on the Brand, Make, Model and even Year of the Computer.

This is a popular screen commonly found while working with the Award BIOS Menu.

BIOS is the Basic Input Output System and menu-ing system used to define and interface with the various hardware components of your computer: such as Hard Drives, DVD ROMS, as well as Video, LAN and Audio Cards.

The manufacturer typically installs all of this for you but by using the BIOS we can turn these devices ON or OFF or even change their default settings completely to allow for hardware upgrades and greater compatibility.

CMOS – pronounced see-moss, is a Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor chip that holds information saved by the menu-ing system of the BIOS. The CMOS retains this information (normally) as longs as a standard PC battery, is charged and in place on the motherboard of the computer.

The CMOS Battery is technically referred to as the CR2032 or Three Volt Watch Battery

In some cases when the BIOS or CMOS is password protected, you should simply remove this battery to reset the chip to its default settings and thus remove the password completely or reset the password to a default manufacturer’s password as outlined by the makes and model list below.

While replacing the CMOS battery in a Desktop is really very easy; Special care should be taken before trying to remove the same type of battery in a notebook or Laptop.

Special thanks to the Author “kuttus” at MalwareTips.com for providing this list.

FOR Windows 8 and 8.1 user please refer to this demonstration video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlQh1SB_Oj0

FOR ALL OTHER Operating Systems Please Review

Acer – Aspire, Power, Veriton, Extensa, Ferrari, TravelMate, Altos

Press Del or F2 immediately after powering on.

The BIOS on the Acer Altos 600 server uses the Ctrl+Alt+Esc key and the F1 key for advanced options.

Older Acer computers may use also use the F1 or Ctrl+Alt+Esc keys to access BIOS.

Compaq – Presario, Prolinea, Deskpro, Systempro, Portable

Press F10 while the cursor in the top right corner of the screen is blinking.

Older Compaq computers may use the F1, F2, F10, or Del key to give access to BIOS.

Dell – XPS, Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude. OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro

Press F2 when the Dell logo appears. Press every few seconds until the message Entering Setup appears.

Older Dell desktops and laptops may instead use Ctrl+Alt+Enter or Del to enter BIOS.

Older Dell laptops may use Fn+Esc or Fn+F1.

eMachines – eMonster, eTower, eOne, S-Series, T-Series

Press Tab or Del while the eMachine logo displays on screen.

Other eMachine computers may use F2 to enter BIOS.

Fujitsu – LifeBook, Esprimo, Amilo, Tablet, DeskPower

Press F2 once the Fujitsu logo appears.

Gateway – DX, FX, One, GM, GT, GX, Profile, Astro

Press the F1 key repeatedly after restarting the computer.

Some older Gateway computers use F2 to access the BIOS Setup utility.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) – Pavilion, TouchSmart, Vectra, OmniBook, Tablet

Press the F1, F10, or F11 key after restarting the computer.

HP Tablet PCs may use F10 or F12.

Other HP computers may allow access to BIOS using the F2 or Esc keys.

IBM – PC, XT, AT

Press F1 immediately after powering on the computer.

Older IBM computers (including some laptops) may utilize the F2 key for BIOS entry.

Lenovo (formerly IBM) – ThinkPad, IdeaPad, 3000 Series, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation

Press F1 or F2 after powering on the computer.

Older Lenovo products allow access to BIOS using Ctrl+Alt+F3, Ctrl+Alt+Ins, or Fn+F1.

Micron (MPC Computers) – ClientPro, TransPort

Press F1, F2 or Del immediately after powering on the PC.

NEC – PowerMate, Versa, W-Series

Press F2 to enter the BIOS Setup.

Packard Bell – 8900 Series, 9000 Series, Pulsar, Platinum, EasyNote, imedia, iextreme

Press F1, F2, or Del to enter BIOS.

Sharp – Notebook Laptops, Actius UltraLite

Press F2 after the computer starts.

Some very old Sharp PCs require a Setup Diagnostics Disk to access BIOS.

Shuttle – Glamor G-Series, D’vo, Prima P2-Series, Workstation, X Mini XPC, Surveillance

Press F2 or Del on startup.

Sony – VAIO, PCG-Series, VGN-Series

Press F1, F2 or F3 after turning on the computer.

Toshiba – Portégé, Satellite, Tecra, Equium

Press F1 or Esc after powering on to access BIOS.

Press F12 on a Toshiba Equium.

Microsoft Officially Declares the Windows 7 Operating System Closed

Windows 7 Officially Dead According to Microsoft Coincidentally enough this date falls on October 31st, 2014 (AKA Halloween)

As noted by Network World, Microsoft will stop selling Windows 7 licenses to PC makers this Friday. So no more new PCs with Windows 7, with the exception of existing inventory. Windows 7 Professional will remain on sale as a standalone product for a very limited time.

What does this mean for the vast number of Windows users? Apparently, not much. New machines are equipped with Windows 8 andWindows 10 is just around the corner. We can now see Windows 7 for what it was: a placeholder designed to assuage the hordes of critics who did not like Vista.

For more information please read the entire PC Magazine Article @ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2471126,00.asp

What is the difference between a VIRUS, Spyware, Malware or Trojan Horses?

What is the difference between VIRUS, Spyware, Malware or Trojan Horses?

Well by simple definition a COMPUTER VIRUS is a piece of code that is capable of copying or replicating itself and typically has a harmful effect, such as corrupting the Windows Operating System or Destroying a User’s Personal Data Files such as Pictures, Documents or Emails.

The main conceptual difference between a virus and spyware or malware is the fact that the “virus” can spread from computer to computer without the user’s knowledge and the other two can not.

Fake AntiVirus Program WinDefender 2008/2010/2012/2014, Spyware Malware

Fake PC Optimizer Pro is used to tell you that you have fake problems and they are there to help you fix them FOR A PRICE!

Spyware AND MALWARE however, is usually found in the form of a downloadable program from the Internet. Most often disguising itself in the form of a product or service meant to enhance your PC or Life Style experience; such as speeding up or “fixing” your computer problems, playing games for free online or all the porn you can handle.

SPYWARE typically appeals to spontaneous and impulse buyers and can present itself in the form of a TOTALLY FREE weight loss program, get rich quick scheme, improve your love life, live longer, look younger, and make you breakfast in the morning kind of program

MALWARE (Also Known as a TROJAN HORSE) install themselves in the same way but rather than logging user activities they simply cut important data files from your system or install other spyware programs without your knowledge or permission.

Fake Registry Optimizer is a form of malware just to collect your money

Once the SPYWARE OR MALWARE PROGRAM downloads and installs itself on your computer; It typically changes many of your web browser configuration settings such as your home page and favorite search engine. Sometimes even your default browser completely. The spyware then lives up to its namesake by logging the user’s activities of your PC (usually for advertising purposes), ranging from what sites you typically visit to recording credit card information and online banking transactions.

SPYWARE CAN SLOW YOUR SYSTEM DOWN BECAUSE… The installed program runs in the background, monitoring AND LOGGING user’s activities to the hijackers own web server/database. After the information is logged, the program THEN REDIRECTS your browser to the intended location or site you expected to go to in the first place and sometimes takes you to a site that states your computer “is infected” or needs “to be fixed”.

The spyware will then take the form of a REGISTRY OPTIMIZER, PC PERFORMANCE ENHANCER, FAKE VIRUS REMOVAL PROGRAM and then ask the user to pay a certain amount of money to “fix it”.

FAKE GOVERNMENT/FBI/CIA SEIZED COMPUTER VIRUS

SOME OF THE HARDER TO GET RID OF SPYWARE AND MALWARE PROGRAMS take the form of Government Agencies stating that the PC was seized by the FBI or CIA for Child Pornography or some other illegal activity such as File Sharing or Movie Viewing. Appealing to the vanity and embarrassment of the PC USER. (I’ve had priests calling me saying please help in this matter) THE FAKE SEIZED COMPUTER PROGRAM WILL NORMALLY ASK FOR MONEY IN THE FORM OF A MONEYPAK! As it is harder to trace or get your money back with this type of payment method.

FAKE GOVERNMENT/FBI/CIA SEIZED COMPUTER VIRUS

Please come back in a few weeks as I embellish and update this article with how to get rid of a virus for free tutorial, add links to definitions, anti-virus programs and include more information for free to save you time, money and frustration.
Future articles are:

What is the Difference between Software, Shareware, Freeware, Adware and nagware,

PLUS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE What is it and what does it mean to windows and the FREE SOFTWARE FEDERATION!!!?

Feel free to call me at anytime (843-575-1300 and ask me ANY QUESTIONS.
PLEASE Post, comment or share this article in any way you deem fit.
BUT MOST OF ALL! SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE AND PAY IT FORWARD!!!

Why did Microsoft skip Windows 9 and goto version 10?

IN SHORT:
Many modern applications Start Up and Install with an Operating System version compatibility check for old operating system such as Windows 95 and 98

Which in a simplified form starts with

if(version.StartsWith(“Windows 9″)) /* 95 and 98 */ else { SHOW INCOMPATIBLE ERROR MESSAGE FAIL

and that this was the pragmatic solution to avoid that.

For more information please read the whole article at:

http://www.cnet.com/news/is-this-why-microsoft-named-it-windows-10/

Why did windows skip Windows 9 and go to Windows 10?

Beaufort Computer Repair 843-575-1300

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