08Apr 2020 by Jim Blaich

Netgear R8000 VPN travails

Android, Linux, Netgear, Port Forwarding, ports, VLAN, VPN, Windows
Lots of problems using this router for VPN services.  They don't allow accounts and they all use the same cert.  If you have to withdraw a cert from someone you do it for everyone.  Not a good idea. Here's the issue.  VPN was turned on, and configured as default -- using default ports for both TCP and UDP.  Normally you'd use 1194 but this defaults that you use 12973 and 12974 respectively for protocols.  Not sure why.  Why would you need two ports for this when frankly openvpn uses UDP by default? Anyway, nothing we did would make this work.  Multiple checks against settings.  Testing from remote locations with multiple clients.  A sifting of the openvpn configuration files.  Ensuring certificates and keys were in place.  Nothing would work. I attempted…
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23Feb 2017 by Jim Blaich

February 22, 2017

AMD, computers, gaming, Intel, Microsoft, Windows
  Explained to David a friend what he would need to implement long range WiFi from his shop to his house.  I also picked up an all in one touch screen Acer.  BTW, do not buy all in ones.  They are too prone to problems and when the main board goes then you loose it all.  Also, there's no need for touch.  I don't think anyone even considers it as a day to day thing.  Maybe once in a while.  Besides, Microsoft isn't any good at touch.  They just shoehorn the shit in.  I tested the Acer's power adapter first.  That worked.  It measures the proper voltage output.  The plug looked like it might fit my Samsung 27" display that I picked up  yesterday from the goodwill.  Nope.  I set…
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17Feb 2017 by Jim Blaich

Windows Launches IE Whenever a Network Connection is Made and Loads the MSN Site

computers, Google, Internet, Microsoft, privacy, Windows
Disabling advertisements is a normal thing these days.  There are many ways to do it.  Some are more detectable than others.  Some sites are more aggressive than others at detecting and reacting to it.  These sites should just accept that people are going to block their sites to rid themselves of ads. The ways to do it are via your router, via a block list that you add to a program that operates as a local domain name server where it checks lists of unwanted sites before allowing you to connect, and then there's the most detectable way which is through your browser with an addon called an adblocker.  Ublock Origin is the most common. The issue that I had earlier has to do with the fact that I use…
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07Jun 2016 by Jim Blaich

Microsoft as a company doesn’t recognize user’s privacy

Microsoft, privacy, Windows
This is taken from a post that explains your lack of privacy rights well beyond my ability to do so, so I'm posting it here in full. For this reason I do not run Microsoft software.  There are others such as the lack of adequate security and other protections.  All attributions apply.  The post is made in full without any corrections: IANAL. This answer is just a broad picture based on Microsoft's own words, as they were at the time of originally writing this (just after the final release of Windows 10). (more…)
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