Unable to open this internet shortcut the protocol HTTP does not have a registered program

When clicking on a desktop shortcut on a new Windows user profile I got the error message
"Unable to open this internet shortcut the protocol HTTP does not have a registered program"

fix:

• Click on Control Panel - Default Programs.
• Set your Default Programs - select the Internet Explorer to open http.  
• 'Set this program as default' or 'Choose defaults for this program' and then select HTTP under Protocols.

How To Test Your Internet Speed

 

These days lots of people have high-speed Internet. And, they hear the blazing fast speeds they are being offered by different Internet Service Providers (ISPs). But, is it really as fast as they claim? So, you may want to verify the claims of the providers and make sure you are getting what you are paying for? If so, you need to check out speedtest.net to verify the speeds.
When you first get to the site, you are going to be greeted by a great deal of ads. This is one instance where I don’t mind the ads because the utility of it is pretty good as long as you are not tricked into clicking on the ads. There is one major deceptive button towards the top that says “Start Scan”. This is just an ad trying to get you to download software to optimize your machine. That is not the button we are interested in.
You want to click on the button a little lower that says “Begin Test”.




After you click on the button, it will do several things in the background. It will download files from a server in your geographical area and upload a file. This gives you a more systematic approach to testing the speeds. You need to be testing on servers in your geographical area because that gives you a truer sense of speed to the Internet. It also reduces the amount of hops being used in the test which can give an inaccurate result. Furthermore, if you use another server of your own, it could also prove to be a bottleneck and not give you an accurate reading.
These servers have a large amount of bandwidth available, and they are spread out all across the Internet. The site will do a good job of finding a server close to you to perform a test. This will make sure that you are testing the last mile of the connection to your ISP and will give a more accurate reading.


Once the scan is complete, you will be presented with a lot of useful information. The numbers highlighted above are the ones you are most interested in. The download speed, upload speed and ping (or latency).
To get a good sample of data you will want to run the test a few times. This will rule out any anamolies. If you are getting the same results after a few tests then you have a good baseline to present to your ISP if it seems slow.
Furthermore, you will want to make sure you are the only device accessing the Internet during the test. You will want to make sure there are not other people on the Network streaming videos or playing games online
There are other tools out there that do the same type fo test. But, I am partial to the results SpeedTest.com shows. It is a useful tool for checking speeds when you suspect there may be something going on with the Internet connection.

What does a proxy server do? What is a proxy server good for?

In computer networks, a proxy server is a server (a computer system or an application) that acts as a link/connection between two devices for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource available from a different server and the proxy server evaluates the request as a way to simplify and control its complexity. Proxies were invented to add structure and packing of data and functions into a single component to distributed systems. Today, most proxies are web proxies, facilitating access to content on the World Wide Web and providing anonymity

Communication between two computers (shown in grey) connected through a third computer (shown in red) acting as a proxy. Bob does not know whom the information is going to, which is why proxies can be used to protect privacy.

What is a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) ?

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft, which provides a user with a graphical interface to connect to another computer over a network connection. The user employs RDP client software for this purpose, while the other computer must run RDP server software.

in other words, if you want to connect to another computer that has an internet connection it is possible with this

enable more users in remote desktop protocol (RDP)

We would like to know why only 2 people can login to this at a time?  Can it be changed, we need at least 4 or 5.

solution:

1. Enable Multiple RDP Sessions
2. Log into the server using Remote Desktop.
3. Open the start screen (press the Windows key) and type gpedit.msc and open it
4. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Connections.
5. Set Restrict Remote Desktop Services user to a single Remote Desktop Services session to Disabled.
6. Double click Limit number of connections and set the RD Maximum Connections allowed to 999999.

Xerox Workcentre 7800 error this job was not printed because the xps option is not enabled

When printing from the Xerox WorkCentre 7800 printer the page that comes out displays this job was not printed because the xps option is not enabled instead of the actual print job that was supposed to be on it.
Solution:
uninstall printer and go to Xerox Support 
install the WorkCentre 7800 PS driver and the page will print correctly

When trying to scan using Epson Scan you get error message Unable to write to file.

Do the following: 
1.Open Epson Scan and select Home Mode, Office Mode, or Professional Mode.
2.Click the Configuration button at the bottom center of the Epson Scan pop up box.
3.Select the Other tab and verify the drive letter next to Work Area (C: is the default).
4.If the Work Area is set to C:, choose another drive (if one is available) or skip to step 6 (if no other drive is available).
5.Try scanning again. If the same error occurs, set the Work Area back to C: and close Epson Scan.
6.Close all applications.
7.Open Windows Explorer and browse to the Temp folder. 
◦Windows XP: C\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Temp
◦Windows Vista and Windows 7: C:\Users\user name|AppData\Local\Temp
8.Highlight all files and folders in the Temp folder and delete them.
9.Restart the computer, open Epson Scan and try scanning again.

 

Allow someone to connect to your computer using Remote Desktop Connection

To allow someone to connect to your computer using Remote Desktop Connection

1. Open System by clicking the Start button , right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.
2. In the left pane, click Remote settings.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. Under Remote Desktop, select one of the options to allow connections. For more information about these options, see What types of Remote Desktop connections should I allow?

   

   System Properties dialog box

4. Click Select Users.
5. In the Remote Desktop Users dialog box, click Add.
6. In the Select Users or Groups dialog box, do one or more of the following:
   • To specify the search location, click Locations.
   • To specify the types of objects (user names) that you want to search for, click Object Types.
   • In the Enter the object names to select box, type the user name that you want to search for, and then click Check Names. If the user name isn't found, click Advanced to run an advanced search.
7. When you find the correct name, click OK.
   The name will be displayed in the list of users in the Remote Desktop Users dialog box.
8. Click OK, and then click OK again.

How to enable Java in Chrome

NPAPI support by Chrome

The Java plug-in for web browsers relies on the cross platform plugin architecture NPAPI, which has long been, and currently is, supported by all major web browsers. Google announced in September 2013 plans to remove NPAPI support from Chrome by "the end of 2014", thus effectively dropping support for Silverlight, Java, Facebook Video and other similar NPAPI based plugins. Recently, Google has revised their plans and now state that they plan to completely remove NPAPI by late 2015. As it is unclear if these dates will be further extended or not, we strongly recommend Java users consider alternatives to Chrome as soon as possible. Instead, we recommend Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari as longer-term options. As of April 2015, starting with Chrome Version 42, Google has added an additional step to configuring NPAPI based plugins like Java to run — see the section Enabling NPAPI in Chrome Version 42 and later below.

 

Enabling NPAPI in Chrome Version 42 and later

As of Chrome Version 42, an additional configuration step is required to continue using NPAPI plugins.

1. In your URL bar, enter:
   chrome://flags/#enable-npapi
2. Click the Enable link for the Enable NPAPI configuration option.
3. Click the Relaunch button that now appears at the bottom of the configuration page.

Developers and System administrators looking for alternative ways to support users of Chrome should see this blog, in particular "Running Web Start applications outside of a browser" and "Additional Deployment Options" section.

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Java plug-in needs permission

If you see a message within Chrome that says Java(TM) needs your permission to run, you will need to respond to the Chrome options in order to run plug-ins on the page. Options vary according to the version of Chrome.

Chrome plug-in blocked icon (in address bar)

Look for the blocked plug-in icon in the Chrome address bar. Clicking on the icon will display Plug-ins were blocked on this page and plug-in options

• Click Always allow plug-ins on [name of site] to allow plug-ins (including Java) to run on all this site's pages.
• Click Run all plug-ins this time to allow the plug-in (including Java) content on the page to run only until you leave this page.
• Click Continue blocking plug-ins to prevent plug-ins from running on the page.

In addition, you can manage permissions on a site basis through the Manage plug-in blocking option.

Chrome message bar

• Click Run this time to allow the Java content on the page to run only until you leave this page.
• Click Always run on this site to allow Java to run on all this site's pages. You will not see this message again for pages on this site.

Additional plug-in required

If you see a message bar within Chrome that says Java(TM) is required to display some elements on this page, click on Install plug-in in the Chrome message bar, or download from java.com.

Plug-in out of date

If you see a message bar within Chrome that says Java(TM) was blocked because it is out of date, click on Update plug-in in the Chrome message bar to get the latest Java.

Should I get an Anti-virus program if I have a Mac?

One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to virus protection is that Macs don’t need to be protected. This is a myth and you can quickly find yourself in hot water if you aren’t careful. While not all antivirus solutions are compatible with Mac, there is still a decent enough selection. ESET, Panda and Avast! are just a few of the top Mac-compatible solutions that will keep your computer functioning at its best.

What does a firewall do?

A firewall is a program or device that acts as a barrier to keep destructive elements out of a network or specific computer. Firewalls are configured (in hardware, software, or both) with specific criteria to block or prevent unauthorized access to a network. They work as filters for your network traffic by blocking incoming packets of information that are seen as unsafe. In large corporations, if a firewall is not in place, thousands of computers could be vulnerable to malicious attacks. Firewalls should be placed at every connection to the internet and are also used to control outgoing web traffic as well in large organizations.

Firewalls use several strategies to control traffic flowing in and out of networks. Packet filtering is when small chunks of data (called packets) are run through a filter and analyzed. Stateful inspection is where the contents of each packet are not examined, but instead key parts of the packet are compared to a database of trusted information, letting through the packets that pass this test. Firewalls can be configured to filter by several variables: IP address, domain name, protocol, port or even specific words or phrases. Though some operating systems come with a built-in firewall, internet routers also provide very affordable firewall protection when configured properly.

Windows Genuine error message after update KB3004394

Microsoft released a fix its the KB 3024777 patch, which nullifies KB 3004394 (the update that causes your Windows to say it is not Genuine).

1. Download and install KB 3024777.
2. Reboot.
3. Click Start, right-click Computer, choose Properties, and look at the bottom to see if you've been activated. If you haven't, click the link to Activate Windows Now. Reboot again.

If Windows continues to report that you aren't genuine, you should go through the steps to activate Windows over the phone.

McAfee Consumer Product Removal (MCPR) tool - Removing McAfee Anti-virus

When uninstalling McAfee products use Add/Remove Programs then use this tool to make sure all the leftover files are removed

http://us.mcafee.com/apps/supporttools/mcpr/mcpr.asp

Free Web filtering software

a client at work wanted me to find them a good program to block their kids from going to inappropriate things on the internet
one I found was:
http://www1.k9webprotection.com/

this site has free license for home and business and works great