Law Enforcement SWAT Members Swarm Easley South Carolina Movie Theater

Easley SWAT

Today, on my daily drive in to work, I passed an unusual scene that caught my eye…  A number of Easley PD vehicles were in the parking lot of the Easley Cinema 8 movie theater.

As I made my way back to the location, I spotted officers clad in camouflage entering a back door with weapons drawn. My first thought was that something had gone terribly wrong at the theater, images of the horrific 2012 Aurora Colorado shooting filled my head. Then, I came to my senses. It was 10:00 AM on a weekday, and the police vehicles were neatly backed in.  This had to be a drill.

The first officer I made contact with confirmed that was what was going on.  I then asked him if I could snap a few pictures, not wanting to simply go plastering the web and TV with images that could reveal details that would give a potential perpetrator any kind of tactical advantage. This officer was understandably not keen on it, but gave me the name of the person in charge, who I reached out to in hopes of giving me permission to share this newsworthy event.

Major Tim Tollison of the Easley Police Department was more than generous in giving me a rundown of the exercise unfolding. In short, Major Tollison explained that their newly formed tactical unit was undergoing training on “hostage and active shooter scenarios”. The vice-president of REI Cinemas, Don Massingill, was also present and stated that,  “REI Cinemas is definitely committed to public safety and anything we can do to make their patrons safer and let the police be better trained, and we are happy to participate.”

I attempted to contact my friend and news diva, Amy Wood, with WSPA, but time was limited. The exercise had started at 8:00 AM and was soon to wrap up, leaving little time for a news crew to be dispatched. In lieu of the professionals being there, I was permitted to take a few pictures which I have posted on my Facebook account as well as a short video, which did not turn out nearly as well as I had hoped.

My personal reaction is that Easley’s new tactical response team is off to a great start! In watching them, I was left with the impression that these men know what they are doing, and if ever they have to use these skills, they are going to do a superb job of carrying out the task at hand. I know that

Pictures on Facebook HERE.

Video on Facebook HERE.

Major Tollison and Don Massingill statements HERE.

I give full permission to anyone wanting to use the information contained within this blog post or pictures, audio or video related to it, with two stipulations:  You credit John M. Hoyt and notify me of it’s usage using a pingback, tag, email, phone call or some other form of letting me know.

Microsoft Office 2013 is not transferable to another PC

Microsoft_Office_2013

If you have purchased, or plan to purchase, a new computer with the OEM version of Microsoft Office 2013 on it, please understand that the installation of that Office 2013 can only be done on the computer it was first installed on.

In other words, let’s assume you buy a new computer from Homeland Secure IT along with Microsoft Office 2013 OEM / PKC, and 2 years later, you replace the computer. Previous versions of Microsoft Office would permit you to reinstall the OEM office that you originally purchased on a new computer, but, 2013 will NOT.

This is not anything new, as OEM / PKC versions of Microsoft Office have always been licensed for use with a new computer only. The license agreement expressly forbid you from installing it again on another computer.  Just like the OEM version of the Microsoft Windows Operating System. It was meant for one computer only. Without question, people have purchased the OEM version and then (against the license agreement) installed it on their next new computer too.

What IS new is that the RETAIL version of Microsoft Office will only allow you to load it on the first computer you install it on, then it is forever locked to that computer. That’s not just part of the EULA, it is apparently part of the registration mechanism.

Computer World and other computer news outlets have been obtaining more information, but it appears that this is true for the OEM, Academic, and the retail Home & Business versions.

You can read the Microsoft EULAs here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/intellectualproperty/UseTerms/default.aspx

Homeland Secure IT is an authorized Microsoft reseller and partner… Offering the complete line of Microsoft products for sale in the Greenville / Upstate area. We can provide Office, Office 356 or Windows for one computer or one thousand.

Please call us if you have any questions or would like to purchase a Microsoft product. 864-990-4748

Flash! Savior of the Universe! No, not really….

Adobe Flash Player is making more friends (Right up there with JAVA! )…  There are active attacks being reported currently for vulnerabilities that affect not only Microsoft Windows but also Apple Mac.

You should insure that updates are installed!

Should you require assistance applying these critical security updates to your computer or your entire network of computers, please call us at 864-990-4748. We specialize in providing computer and network service and support in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson South Carolina.

—

Here’s some reading for you regarding the Flash Windows and Mac Attacks:

http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/307887-adobe-patches-flash-windows-mac-users-under-attack

 

And the latest bulletin from MS:

********************************************************************
Title: Microsoft Security Advisory Notification
Issued: February 12, 2013
********************************************************************

Security Advisories Updated or Released Today ==============================================

* Microsoft Security Advisory (2755801)
  – Title: Update for Vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash Player in
    Internet Explorer 10
  – http://technet.microsoft.com/security/advisory/2755801
  – Revision Note: V8.0 (February 12, 2013): Added KB2805940 to
    the Current update section. 

 

Microsoft hearts you – Post Valentine’s Day patches are coming your way!

Microsoft-Valentines-Day

Strap in….  Patches are ‘a comin’ to your Microsoft Windows based computer or Server on February 12, 2013, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

See, Microsoft DOES love you.  Never doubt.

That’s right! For the low, low price of only zero dollars, you will be receiving a number of feature loaded patches, the Microsoft Advance Notification for February 2013 says that you will be eligible for up to a dozen fun-packed bulletins worth of heart-felt updates.

There are five CRITICAL bulletins that affect Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Server Software. One absolutely requires a reboot, and it is suggested that you apply it and reboot afterwards. The penalties for avoiding these? Remote Code Execution! In layman’s terms, it means, your machine could be owned by the bad guys and they could have their way with it, scouring it for content, watching for you to log into your bank, or enter a credit card online.

The other bulletins are just as important, hence the label of “Important”, allowing remote code execution, denial of service and elevation of privilege to potentially ruin your day. The affected products are Windows Server Software, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office and the Microsoft .NET Framework.

Don’t delay, update today. Errrrrrm, well, after Patch Tuesday anyway!

While you are at it, you need to get the JAVA and Adobe Flash/Reader/Acrobat updates installed too, even if you are using an Apple Mac!

If you have questions, or need assistance with these or any other updates or security concerns in the Greenville or Upstate SC area, please call upon us at 864-990-4748 or use our contact links.

Compass of Carolina 16th annual “Chase Away the Blues” event is almost here!

A Two-Night Fund-Raiser Benefiting Compass of Carolina

(More info about Compass of Carolina can be found at: http://www.compassofcarolina.org/)

Compass of Carolina is proud to announce the return of
South Carolina’s First Lady of Song – Loretta Holloway
on Friday, February 15th

For the first time ever-
ZOSO: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience
on Saturday, February 16th!

 

Tickets are available now, so act fast because both shows are likely to sell out — amazing musical acts, amazing value and an amazing cause make this the best fund-raising weekend of the year! Without the musicians’ participation, there would be no event. These musicians are the “heart and soul” of this event that enables Compass of Carolina to help heal the “hearts and souls” of children, individuals and families in our community. Tickets are available for purchase at the Handlebar, Compass of Carolina and here online through EventBrite!

Order tickets via Eventbrite:
http://catb-efbevent.eventbrite.com

3 Billion Devices Run Java… And many need to update it!

Oracle’s emergency update to Java Runtime Environment and the Development Kit should be applied, immediately.

If you are using Java on your system… Please make sure it is up to date, or consider disabling it all together if you can live without it to decrease the likelihood you could become exploited.

A large number of the machines that we are aware of being infected with malicious software recently, have been as a direct result of Java and Adobe products, not the operating systems themselves.

This goes for Microsoft Windows XP and 7, and Apple Mac.

Should you need help with any virus or malware related issue, for your business or your personal computer in the Upstate SC area, please do not hesitate to call upon us at 864-990-4748.

Snow day for Homeland staff!

Due to the slick conditions, Homeland staff was sent home early.

Hopefully, you will be home, safe and sound yourself, but if you are not, and need assistance with your computer, server or network, please call or email us and we shall attempt to help remotely.

Be careful out there!

Jabra SPEAK 510 bluetooth wireless conferencing system

Jabra SPEAK 510 bluetooth conferencing systemEvery once in a while, something comes along that can make your life easier, while being affordable. The Jabra SPEAK 510 series bluetooth wireless conferencing system is exactly that.

Not so long ago, a business would have a conference take place in an actual conference room. However, these days, people might crowd around a computer in an office, or a speakerphone in the break room, and some might even be using Skype on an iPad on a business retreat. Usually with poor audio quality on both ends.

Jabra has taken notice and created the new SPEAK 510 and 510+ conferencing systems for use in just about any scenario!

These are portable devices that can wander up to 300 feet away and turn any room into a conference room!

You can use it wirelessly with ANY bluetooth phone, tablet or PC, or optionally tether it.

Using one could not be more simple thanks to very easy to understand controls.

If a Jabra conferencing system could be of use to your business, please contact us as we are your Greenville and Upstate SC Jabra dealer!  864-990-4748 for more information.

 

Eaton Power Products Partner

Eaton Power Products

Eaton Power Products

As an Eaton partner, Homeland Secure IT offers Greenville and the Upstate of SC the full line of Eaton power protection products, from surge protectors to full UPS or Uninterruptable Power Supplies to keep your computers, servers, network and phone systems online even when the power is off.

Safely shut down during a power outage and never lose the document you are working on by using an UPS.

There is an Eaton product that is right for every installation senario you may have. From home, home office, to small business and even data centers.

For more information or a sales quote, please call us at 864.990.4748 or use our handy CONTACT form!

Loading Windows 8 on a Lenovo ThinkServer TS130 is possible but not supported

We are an authorized Lenovo partner and offer their desktop, laptop and server solutions to clients on a regular basis, however, a couple weeks ago, we made an error in judgement.

We have a client who required a robust server for hosting multiple websites, so we recommended FreeBSD operating system (with php, MySQL, Apache, etc) and found an appropriate server for the application, a Lenovo ThinkServer TS130 with an Intel i3 processor, 4 GB RAM and a 1TB RAID mirror.  A perfect combination!

No… Not at all. It was hours of hell. The OS loaded great but would not boot.  Error 1962 – Operating System Not Found.  Lenovo tech support was quick to point out that the server was certified for Windows Server 2003 and newer only, and that there was support for some newer *nix distributions, namely SUSE and Red Hat Enterprise.

They did suggest flashing the BIOS, which was no help at all, but it did give us some new options for “legacy” support, “Secure Boot”, etc.   But still, no ability to boot FreeBSD.  It seemed the only options were to boot off a bootable flash drive, then access the OS on the array, or to use some alternative boot loader. Not a way I would want to go on a production server for our paying clients.

So, that being said, I made the determination to use another machine for their FreeBSD install, which was up and running in a few hours.

Now, what to do with the TS130 ThinkServer? I offered it to clients on Facebook, but nobody jumped on it, so I deiced I would use it for a new desktop.  Bumped the RAM up to 16GB, and tried to load Windows 8… No joy.  Again with the  UEFI / Legacy / Secure Boot BIOS issues.

So what did we do to get it working as a Windows 8 machine?  Loaded Windows 7 with SECURE BOOT disabled.  Once it was up and running, upgraded to Windows 8, which took only minutes.

It probably will not be long before Lenovo releases a BIOS update that will correct these issues, but in the mean time, if you find yourself with one of these TS130 machines and you can’t load the OS of choice, consider a boot loader, running it under a Windows HyperV or VMWare virtual machine, or optionally, go with Windows 8.   It’s a pretty hefty desktop machine for only a few dollars.