[Bob Peterson]

A very good point.

[Bob Peterson]

John, surely you know that I do not think that existing viruses can be removed by Windows updates. I am, indirectly, pointing out with my example that a PC behind a fire wall is not thereby protected from all malware. Malware can still penetrate in several different ways. I am talking about updates that plug holes in programs which can be exploited by the malware seeking to take up residence. Surely you are aware that this problem is real and exists although I do think that Apple people sometimes assume that they no longer have to be concerned about such things. In my experience, many Apple fans think that Apples are not vulnerable to malware. IMHO, that is a huge mistake to make.

Since you did not respond to my point on PC security being a significant part of the fiasco at Sony, I’m glad that we now seem to agree on that point. Or, perhaps we have agreed to disagree. I can, if you wish, search for the fairly detailed article I read on that subject. I think I saw it in the WSJ, but I would not swear to that. It was written by some of the security consultants who talked to Sony both before and after the penetration.

[Bob Peterson]

If you don’t know good, solid reasons for you to upgrade, I would not do so. I think it is fairly certain that there are always going to be glitches with things that do not work such as Aaron’s HP printer which will have to be replaced. I suspect that many of the improvements Aaron mentions are marketing and/or things, such as “Server 2012 support dynamic memory support” which are irrelevant to people like us.

[Bob Peterson]

What is more likely to slow the machine down over time is inefficient disk organization. Sometimes that’s due to fragmentation. Other times it is due to the defragging algorithm in Windows. I run Diskeeper from Condusiv Technologies. It has proven itself over the years by producing very noticeable improvements in system speed because, among other things, it relocates programs which are used frequently to the areas of the hard drive which have the fastest access. My release of the product is getting a bit old (version 12 vs version 15), but it runs on a continuous basis and keeps all of my disk drives optimized for their best performance. I have not noticed ANY slow down in my computer since it was new. It is now at least five years old.

My old boss discovered this product in, probably, the 1990s. It was remarkably effective then, and it still is effective.

[Bob Peterson]

One would almost think that Sony designed this to work with Excel.

[Bob Peterson]

Assuming that the chat box is on its own track, be sure that track is the top track. Go into Pan/Crop on the event (or clip) on that top track. Click on mask in the lower left corner of the pan/crop screen. The mask controls will become active. Use the Anchor Creation Tool (it looks like a pen tip) to create corners for the chat box. You will see the mask being drawn as you create the anchor points. Finally, click on the first anchor point again to complete the mask. Only the portion of the image that is within the mask can now be seen for the top track. Click on “Position” which is on the lower left of the pan/crop screen just above “mask”. You can now move the image to position the area you selected with the mask where you want it to be. You can also expand and contract using the normal crop/pan size controls (i.e. to expand simply drag a corner of the screen out). As you expand the screen, the masked area will also expand. Contracting the size works the same way.

If the chat box is superimposed on your main video, you will first need to duplicate the track. Then, work on the top track, and follow the above directions. You will, in that case, still have the problem of the covering the chat box on the main video image since your whole goal was to move that part of the screen.

You can find more detailed explanations of how the various controls work in the help screens.

[Bob Peterson]

The article I read said that it was more than just the servers which were used for entree. It talked about user PCs which were penetrated in various ways to gain access to the servers through internal computers connected to their network. I recently encountered a PC which was so infested with viruses, key loggers, and other nasties (a malware program counted over 600), that the malware had established its own partition on the hard drive. The user could not access that partition, but, after the OS was reinstalled from HP supplied discs, that partition was gone. Incidentally, the PC was owned by an elderly woman who is a retired missionary. I don’t think she ever engaged in the sorts of activities that are known for installing malware.

If there is no need to be concerned, then we are all wasting huge amounts of time and energy. However, I am far too cautious to take chances in this area. Just a few passwords may be sufficient to give me a huge financial problem. I fully agree on the need for regular backups so that things can be backed out.

Another thought. I am even more appalled with Sony security’s negligence if their problem existed solely due to failures to update necessary software on their servers. That is truly inexcusable although it does fit the image in the article where the security area left unattended PCs accessible to anyone who walked in off the street.

[Bob Peterson]

I remember how fast Win 7 started when it was first installed. However, after various applications were installed, and began calling home for updates, things slowed down somewhat. It may take a minute now for Windows to start. I would not be surprised if one of my three printers or if my scanner among other hardware devices that I depend on would come up short on the availability of updated drivers. I’ve been there, done that, many times. The list of features looks impressive, but then they always do. It usually turns out that most of them have no relevance or value to me. Certainly, if you see advantages in Win 8, you and I have very definite differences in what we want in a computer. I agree with John Rofrano that no one who is working well in Win 7 should upgrade to either Win 8 or 10. That said, thanks for the update. Perhaps, one day, there will be a need to upgrade.

[Bob Peterson]

Thanks John. That is good to know.

[Bob Peterson]

Will that work with a project set up to use QuadCam, or would one have to redo the work?