Control what files and programs are stored into memory (loaded at boot time)
Create temporary disks for added security
Speed up disk-to-disk activities such as video encryption and audio ripping
Accelerate databases
Reduce compile times
RAMDisk features:
Freeware version (up to 4 GB disk size). Please register with Dataram for larger disks (there is no charge).
Universal version for WindowsXP/2000, Vista (32 and 64-bit) Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate, Windows Server 2003 Standard, Web and Enterprise Edition
Up to 32 GB disk in Vista and Windows 2003, 2008 Server (registered mode)
Save and load features allow RAMDisk to appear as persistent storage even through reboots
Security is an important topic these days. However, it’s typically only recognized as important by professionals. If security were to suddenly turn into a mainstream selling point, though, then perhaps it’d make more sense for companies like Intel to promote it.
The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) has already been adopted by the United States government—including the NSA—along with many other institutions. Intel’s 32nm Clarkdale-based CPUs (only the Core i5-600-series, so far) now promise significant performance benefits for AES encryption and decryption via new instructions. Today we’re looking at the real-world benefits of Intel’s AES-NI functionality, comparing a dual-core Core i5-661 with AES New Instructions (AES-NI) to a quad-core Core i7-870, which lacks the new encryption acceleration capability.
Encryption is used much more intensively than you might suspect. Consider Internet sites that hold you sensitive personal information, or utilize sensitive data for transactions. They all use protocols like Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). VoIP, instant messaging, and email may also be protected with these protocols. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and electronic payments are other popular encryption applications.
However, TLS and SSL are cryptographic protocols for secure communication, while AES is a general-purpose encryption standard. It can be used to encrypt individual files, data containers, archive files, entire drives (including thumb drives), and even multi-drive volumes. AES can be implemented in software, and there are products based on hardware acceleration as well, since encryption/decryption represent a rather significant workload. Solutions like TrueCrypt or Microsoft’s BitLocker, which is part of Windows Vista and Windows 7 Ultimate, are capable of encrypting entire partitions on the fly.
(for the rest of the first page, and all the other pages, hit up Tom’s)
It worked fine for me in Windows 7 on the first shot. While I’d already been using Cygwin, the instructions were clear, though I did follow the Vista section at step 5. The version I used was dated November 18, 2009.
jsSHA is a JavaScript implementation of the entire family of SHA hashes as defined in FIPS 180-2 (SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512) as well as HMAC. Despite JavaScript not natively supporting 64-bit operations, SHA-384 and SHA-512 are even implemented! jsSHA is also 100% cross-browser compatible.
jsSHA Security Blog
Got feedback on jsSHA? Want to read about how to use jsSHA? Check out the developer’s Blog and leave feedback!
Newest Release / Download
As of 22 July 2009, the newest release is v1.2 and can be found at SourceForge
N.B. I was sorely tempted to post an image relating to the futility of trying to contain crypto / ideas that was penned on flesh, in an image titled “howto-export-crypto-system-from-usa.jpg” (!)
I relish making changes to my primary work PC only slightly more than dental surgery. Things can go wrong. My productivity vanishes. I’ll deal with work-arounds for months before cracking open my case for an upgrade.
And yet, I just published a story called “Can Bargain SSDs Give Windows A Quantum Performance Leap?” for Tom’s Hardware, and what I’d found when doing that story blew my mind. I was used to measuring Windows startup times in minutes, literally being able to make lunch in the time it took to go from power off to having all of my normal apps loaded. I built a similar configuration on my bench, placed it on Western Digital’s VelociRaptor (the fastest SATA hard drive around), and got a full load time of 65 seconds. Then I cloned the configuration to Kingston’s entry-level SSDNow V-Series SSD and saw the load time plummet to only 27 seconds. Feeling like Will Smith at the controls of some fresh alien tech, I hollered, “Oh, I have got to get my Windows 7 one of these!”
We heard a lot of off-the-record praise from readers after publishing our recent feature on laptop SSD upgrading. Experienced users tend to populate our forums, but those who have never done a hands-on system upgrade tend to hang out invisibly in the background and it seems they appreciated a step-by-step guide to the upgrading process. It’s primarily for this latter group that we’re returning now with a companion piece on how to take your desktop PC through the same process…only I’ve added a new twist, as you’ll see below . . .
Normally unstymied by upgrading / fresh installs in the MS Windows world, today has been less than fun.
Trying to fit Win7 64 bit enterprise onto my laptop has been fraught with pain. 32 bit? Same error : the infamous
“required CD/DVD drive device driver missing”
gahhhh. Still working through it, after removing 2g of RAM, and using the USB key install method. (since this system has no built-in DVD / Blu-Ray drive)
Shipping within a couple of months with the WiFi (802.11n) variant, and a month later for the added AT&T-only 3G capability (a small boo for not opening that up to other carriers).
Light and thin, and borrowing heavily from the iPhone and iTouch, it looks like it could spell trouble for competitors (new iBooks vs the Kindle / Nook, as well as the smartphone / netbook arena).
Last week Mozilla released Firefox 3.6, the latest and greatest version of their open source Web browser. To mark the occasion, we worked with designer Chad Pugh to create a couple of brand new WordPress Personas for Firefox. Personas are like skins for your browser, and these designs are a great way to show off your WordPress colors.
The “Vintage Press” Persona is inspired by the style of the great old-time printing presses. Get it here.
And the “Inkwell” Persona uses splashes of color to decorate a well-used piece of paper. Add it to your Firefox here.
Car tech at CES inches forward this year, with better controls, 3D GPS systems, syncing features, and smart phone integration.
Car tech at CES has almost always been about audio equipment, but this year we saw several companies that were laying out plans to change the future of not how we drive, but how we interact with vehicles.
It’s truly sad how long this change has taken, and even now, the technologies we will detail will not show up in the majority of new models. There are no plans to implement these new technologies in older vehicles or even newer 2009 and 2010 models. Such a drastic change will come at the huge price of purchasing a brand-new vehicle. Considering today’s economy and the increase in used car sales, we can only hope that what you see in the coming pages may one day make it to your car and ours.
However, one of the biggest factors we discussed with car and software specialists is safety, and how new technologies can disrupt that. Because we know all too well the dangers of technology, we have inquired as to the safety measures and precautions of every new system to see what companies are doing to ensure the best and safest driving experience. More On CES
(for the rest of the article, please head over to the ever-popular Tom’s Guide)
