CastleCops Takes Off Badge, Shuts Down Website

Mark Edward Soper — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:38:54 -0600

Since 2002, CastleCops has been among the leading antimalware research websites, offering a Wiki, blog, malware removal and prevention tips, and much more. CastleCops founder Paul Laudanski went to work for Microsoft's Live Consumer Services team in mid-May of this year, and CastleCops, which was volunteer-driven, did not survive the transition. CastleCops' last day on duty was December 23, as the farewell message relates:

Greetings Folks,

You have arrived at the CastleCops website, which is currently offline. It has been our pleasure to investigate online crime and volunteer with our virtual family to assist with your computer needs and make the Internet a safer place. Unfortunately, all things come to an end. Keep up the good fight folks, for the spirit of this community lies within each of us. We are empowered to improve the safety and security of the Internet in our own way. Let us feel blessed for the impact we made and the relationships created.

With respect to the server marathon, by March 17 2009 CastleCops will refund contributions made through PayPal that were specifically designated for servers. Unfortunately, server donations made via check cannot be returned because we do not have the addresses for the donating entity. Unless instructed otherwise, CastleCops will re-allocate these funds as a donation to the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC.org). This organization sponsored our hosting environment for approximately the past 2 years. Please contact us [cc at laudanski dot com] before March 17, 2009, if you would like a return of your server marathon donation. Otherwise, we would like to thank the ISC for their unfettered support.

We thank everyone in creating our unique footprint and memories in time.

Love, Best Wishes and Happy Holidays, CastleCops
PST 23 Dec 2008

Need Help? Now What?

While the CastleCops website, except for its farewell message, is now offline, some of the information developed by CastleCops is now available at the SystemLookup website. Because the CastleCops website used a robots.txt file to block queries from other websites, including the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, most of its website content is currently not available in cached form.

For other anti-malware sites and services, check out this forum thread at Scot Finnie's Scot's Newsletter website. Have other suggestions? Hit Comment and share your favorite software, forums, and websites.

Windows News, Friday the 13th Edition

Mark Soper — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:55:14 -0500

WoW! Pro Photo Tools Are Not Just for 32-bit Windows Anymore

32-bit Windows XP and Vista photo fans have been enjoying Pro Photo Tools' combination of metadata editing, mapping and GPS support since early May, but now, thanks to WoW64 (Windows on Windows 64, which enables 32-bit Windows apps to run on 64-bit Windows), 64-bit users can use it too, as reported by the MSDN Pro Photo Community Blog.

Hotmail Gets Faster, Adds More Features

If you're a Hotmail user, you're not just imagining greater speed. As reported by the Windows Live Mailcall blog, Hotmail's classic mode is now much faster and no longer reloads the entire page when the screen updates. If you have a paid version of Hotmail, you can now use its "Add an email account" feature to add many POP3 accounts, even if you don't know your POP email server settings.

CastleCops' Loss is Microsoft's Gain

I first encountered CastleCops, one of the most effective antiphishing websites, while writing my book, Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed. Wednesday, InfoWorld reported that CastleCops founder Paul Laudanski has become a Microsoftie, and will be working as part of Microsoft's Internet Safety Investigator for the Live Consumer Services team. Laudanski's new job started May 16th, but CastleCops is still on duty.

Still looking for a PC with Windows XP? The 'Last Chance' Is Coming

InfoWorld reports that HP, Acer, and Lenovo will be accepting orders for systems with Windows XP installed all the way through June 30, while Dell has announced its "last chance" date is this coming Wednesday, June 18th. Check with vendors to see what models offer Windows XP (hint: you'll probably need to order from the "Small Business" menu).