data

Microsoft appears ready to support third-party USB storage for its Xbox 360 console, says a recent report from Joystiq. The source of the information, a Microsoft engineering document, reveals that support for the Xbox 360 platform would be extended ... later this spring. Xbo 360 Saved Game Data In Your Pocket The purpose of offering third-party USB storage on the Xbox 360 platform is simple: quickly saving and loading game data. Yes, gamers around the world will soon be offered the chance to carry around the saved data of their favorite Xbox 360 games in their pocket. Take it from someone who ... (view more)

The names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of 3.3 million people were stolen in what is believed to be the largest-ever breach of personal information amongst university students. The issue could affect as many as 5% of all federal ... student-loan borrowers. According to Educational Credit Management Corp. (ECMC), a non-profit guarantor of federal student loans, during the weekend of March 20-21 the personal details of 3.3 millions borrowers were stolen from their St. Paul, Minn. headquarters. The theft did not involve hackers. ECMC spokesman Paul Kelash told the Wall Street Journal that ... (view more)

Security firm Sophos tells PC World that two security measures introduced in Windows Vista and expanded in Windows 7 have had a marked effect on levels of infection on computers. Nevertheless, several online security professionals have reminded ... users of Windows 7 that while the new operating system (OS) offers enhanced security over its predecessors, it's not invulnerable. They note that human vulnerabilities will always leave people at risk to hackers. Two New Security Features Mark Improvements Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) partially randomizes the order in which data is stored ... (view more)

A new iPhone app is causing quite a stir because of its ability to perform a background check on nearly anyone within a matter of seconds. While the app would be a tremendous resource for checking out a romantic prospect or a new co-worker, the ... opinions of most people change when the tables are turned and the background checks are being done on them. Still, BeenVerified is a friend to almost any employer. The only stipulation is that individuals may only conduct up to three free background checks per week for the app to still be considered free. For an additional $8 per month, you can ... (view more)

Contrary to U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) assurances, full body scanners used in U.S. airports can store and transmit digital strip search images of people. The TSA has asserted that these scanners have zero storage capability ... and that any scanned full body images won't be printed, stored or transmitted and will be deleted immediately once viewed. However, those assertions appear to be false. (Source: theregister.co.uk ) Full Body Scanners Have Storage, Transmission Capabilities A redacted 70-page document (PDF) obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) ... (view more)

This article is for users that want to move from an older copy of Windows to a fresh / new install of Win7 and who want to re-inject / maintain their old programs and settings without having to reconfigure everything manually. This article is a ... continuation of a series of other articles on Migrating to Windows 7. As such, I will assume that you have already used Acronis True Image 2010 to make a complete backup of your old Windows XP system , you have mounted the image as a virtual drive , and you are now ready to proceed with the reinstallation of your programs. Note that True Image is ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader John B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have read with great interest your recent articles on Migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7: Article #1: Upgrading XP to Win7: How to Make the Transition Easy (Using Acronis True Image 2010) ... Article #2: Migrating to Win7: How to Mount Your XP Drive Image (After Win7 is Installed) I understand that migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7 requires a fresh install of Windows, which means I will have to re-install all my programs, files, etc. Here are my circumstances: I want to backup my C drive, and it's roughly 320 GB full. The C drive has ... (view more)

Acronis True Image 2010 has recently been released and if you plan to take the plunge to from Windows XP to Windows 7 -- or even Vista to Windows 7, for that matter -- you will definitely want to use this program. From Windows XP to Windows 7: My ... Experience When I moved from XP to Windows 7, I used Acronis True Image no less than 15 times to regain access to my previous Windows installation in order to extract files I simply forgot to backup. In one instance, I used True Image to rescue a configuration file containing 25 email filters I had previously used on my old Windows XP system. I sure ... (view more)

A recently released security report from Microsoft warns that cyber crooks are digging deeper into computers in order to steal and control data. The Security Intelligence Report reveals that rogue security software ("scareware") was the biggest ... threat during the first half of this year. Worm Activity on the Rise In a recent report, Jeff Williams, Microsoft's Malware Protection Center principal architect noted that rogue security software is no longer the primary tool for hackers and that worm activity, particularly the Conficker and Taterf worm, are on the rise. Scareware usually ... (view more)

Microsoft has assured users that it will strive to give cloud computing customers the same privacy commitments given to those using desktop software. But it warns that this could be limited by government regulations, particularly where data is ... transferred across international borders. Cloud computing is a broad term, but generally refers to set-ups where data, an application, or even an operating system is stored on, and operative from, a remote server rather than a user's computer. As Microsoft notes, it's not a new idea: Hotmail is an example of a cloud-based service, with the emails and ... (view more)