O&O Lanytix

This free Windows program lists and logs all devices connected to the local network

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Computer users have a few options to list devices connected to the local network. O&O Lanytix is a free software for Windows that does offers the functionality.

Why is this important? There are several purposes. One may help reveal foreign devices connected to the network. It may also reveal hidden cameras, provided that they are connected to the same network.

The application is compatible with all supported versions of Windows (Windows 10 and up). Just download the 2 megabyte file to get started. You can run it after the download completes, an installation is not necessary.

Activate the scan local network button to run the first scan. It takes a moment to complete and reveals connected devices.

Each device is listed with its name, IP address, Mac, manufacturer, ping, OS, and the time it first appeared on the network. The status, on (connected) or off (disconnected) is also displayed.

Name, operating system, and manufacturer may reveal much about the devices, but this is not always the case. Some devices have no name or manufacturer, which may make it difficult to identify them.

An option to assign notes to entries is missing; this could help improve identification, as it may make it easier to spot foreign or new devices.

One of the shortcomings of Lanytix is that it does not support automation. There is no hourly scan option or other scan options. If you want a scan, you need to activate the scan button manually.

The application keeps a history for each detected device. Double-click on a device to look up the information. It shows changes, for instance to a device’s IP address, among other things.

The program supports scanning an IP range next to that. Data can be exported.

Verdict: O&O Lanytix is a well-designed program for Windows. It is easy to use and scans the local network for devices quickly. The log feature is particularly handy, as it reveals a device’s history.

Do you scan devices in your networks sometimes? Or is that something that you have no interest in at all? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Bitdefender launches security product promising 24/7 YouTube account protection

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Bitdefender Security For Creators is a new security product that the company says helps creators focus on content creation and growing their communities instead of the management of security tasks.

So, what do you get when you sign-up for the product?

  • YouTube channel and account monitoring, alerts for “alerts for mass deletion of videos, alterations to account name, profile picture changes, descriptions and more”.
  • Phishing protection that flags “phishing and scam emails” automatically.
  • Hacking prevention that protects logins and sensitive data against “infostealers, online threats, and hidden malware designed to steal your information”.
  • Account recovery assistance that provides users with step-by-step guides to recover account access or data.

Some of these features are unique. This includes the YouTube channel and account monitoring feature. Others, not so much. Most antivirus solutions offer phishing protections. Unless BitDefender has found a unique way to handle those, you best bet is to stay alert regardless of that. Some phishing emails will bypass protections.

The price is quite hefty for the product. Bitdefender Security for Creators is available for $15 per month or $180 yearly, and that is already 50% off the regular price.

While that may not be much for content creators who have millions of followers, it is a sizeable sum, especially when compared to regular security services and products.

Also, YouTube is the only service that it monitors right now. That leaves plenty of other services, Twitch, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and others. Whether these will be added in a future update is unclear. Bitdefender confirms that it is working on adding other platforms soon. It mentions Instagram and TikTok specifically.

There is a 30-day money back guarantee and also versions for teams of up to three or five. These cost $18 or $21 respectively.

Closing words

Bitdefender Security For Creators is a product for content creators who want to protect their accounts. The monitoring is the key feature that separates it from regular antivirus solutions.

This is limited to receiving alerts, however. When someone mass deletes your videos, you should know. But you receive the alert once the software detects the mass deletion. This also means that someone got access to the account.

I can see this becoming popular with a specific breed of creators, especially once new services do get added to the monitoring and alerting functionality.

What is your take on this? Would you say this is a product designed for a specific audience that could do well, because of that? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Windows 11 Sign out

Microsoft listened? Sign out restored in Windows 11’s Start menu

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft has restored a feature that it removed some time ago from Windows. At least in the Beta version of the operating system, sign-out is once again accessible directly when clicking on the profile icon in the Start menu.

Here is the current process in Windows 11 when you want to sign out using the Start menu:

  1. Click on the Start button to open the Start menu.
  2. Click on the profile icon.
  3. Activation of the menu (three dots).
  4. Selection of sign out.

Once the change lands, the process is the following one:

  1. Click on the Start button to open the Start menu.
  2. Click on the profile icon.
  3. Select Sign out.

It used to be this way, but Microsoft introduced the account manager to the Start menu. The main purpose of it, if you ask me, is to advertise Microsoft 365 and Microsoft cloud storage.

Account manager in Start menu. Source: Microsoft

It shows the M365 subscription status and also the available cloud storage. For that, Microsoft removed the options to sign out or switch users from the main interface and hid it behind a new menu that it added just for that purpose.

If you look at the screenshot of the revised version, you may notice that something is amiss. Where is the option to switch to another user? Microsoft says that it will show a list of signed in users under menu.

The screenshot shows nothing of it though. Maybe it is only displayed when there are other users who are signed in.

Note: a better way of signing out is to right-click on the Start button. It shows that option next to others under shutdown.

Since it is a beta release, it is possible that Microsoft is going to alter the interface further before it hits the stable channel and the majority of users.

How do you sign our or shut down your Windows PCs? Do you have any preference? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Windows 11: Intelligent Media Search feature powered by AI is coming

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

I have a simple opinion about AI. If it is off by default and if I control my data, I might use it if it is useful. Whether Intelligent Media Search is such a feature remains to be seen.

First spotted by Xeno and revealed on X, it is designed to let users index all of their audio and video files to make it searchable. The feature is powered by AI and the idea is that you can use natural language to search for matching audio or video files.

You can ask questions like:

  • What cakes did I eat over the years on my wife’s birthday?
  • Who shot first? Han or Greedo in the film Star Wars?
  • Retrieve every mention of X in project videos / audio files.

Obviously, you could do a lot with this, provided that you have the media files on the local system. Ask questions about a teleconference call, financial audio webcasts, or anything else that is available as media on the system.

There is also the possibility for it to find specific files, music by a band, appearances of an actor, or a certain event in movies or videos.

Does that sound useful? Not to everyone, but it certainly has more appeal than the overreaching Recall feature. That is back to the drawing board as Microsoft was certainly caught off-guard when the rain of negative feedback started.

Still, little is known about the feature. Good news is that Microsoft is asking for consent and it seems likely that the feature is off by default because of that. So, there is little to worry about for users who do not want to use it, provided that Microsoft does not push the Intelligent Media Search feature to hard or in an annoying way.

The verdict is still out on this one. Lots is unclear. Where is the indexed data stored, how is it protected, will it be synced? What controls do users get?

What is your take on the feature? Would you use it under certain circumstances? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Windows 11: new update time estimation is as accurate as Windows’ copy dialog

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When you copy files from one location to another in Windows, an estimation of the remaining time is displayed. This estimation may fluctuate widely and it has been at the center of many jokes.

source: xkcd

Microsoft has added a similar estimation to Windows updates in the latest Insider builds.

Some Insiders in the Canary Channel will begin to see an estimated time for how long their PC will be offline to install Build 27695. This estimate will be shown on the Windows Update settings page and via the Start menu power button.

If you have installed updates in Windows before, you know that you never know how long an update will take to install.

When you hit the restart button, it feels like a game of chance. Sometimes, updates seem to install quickly, at other times, they seem to take ages.

New builds or feature updates take longer, naturally, than the monthly cumulative updates or minor updates.

It is a good idea to avoid installing updates if you are in a hurry. If you just have a bit of time before you need to leave the computer, you better postpone the installation until you return.

There is another reason for that: if something goes wrong, you may not have the time to start fixing the issue immediately.

Microsoft hopes that the displayed estimates help administrators; but does it?

Windows Update downtime estimation

Problem is, Windows Update displays a range and not a fixed number. The screenshot that Microsoft published shows a downtime between 15 and 50 minutes.

Source: Microsoft

Is that helpful? Would not it be better if Microsoft would either display just the maximum, e.g. up to 50 minutes, or the average, e.g. 35 minutes to the user?

The feature is in testing right now and only some Insiders see it. It is shown on the Windows Update settings page and the start menu power button after an update has been downloaded and prepared for installation.

How do you handle updates in Windows? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

VeraCrypt interface

VeraCrypt: first update of the year improves security and fixes bugs

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The developers of the open source encryption software VeraCrypt have released VeraCrypt 1.26.14 for all supported platforms. The new version adds a notification if volumes are affected by the XTS master key vulnerability.

The issue was fixed last year in VeraCrypt 1.26.7, but only for newly created volumes. While unlikely even then, the newly added notification ensures that users are informed if one of their encrypted volumes are still affected by the vulnerability.

Installation or upgrade

The new release installs over existing installations. This should not be problematic for most users. A system restore point is created by default during the installation. Note that a restart is required to complete the process. You cannot mount volumes until the final restart.

VeraCrypt 1.26.24 does not mount TrueCrypt volumes anymore. This was the case for last year’s release as well, but is still noteworthy.

If you still have an old TrueCrypt volume, e.g., on a removable drive you have not touched for years, you may want to use an earlier version of VeraCrypt to decrypt the encrypted volume before you encrypt it again using the software.

Note that you may download older VeraCrypt versions from the official project website. VeraCrypt 1.25.9 was the last to support TrueCrypt volumes.

An overview of the changes of VeraCrypt 1.26.14

The update is a bug fix release for the most part. It does come with updated translations and documentation as well as some compatibility improvements on non-Windows systems.

Here is a short list of the most important changes and fixes:

  • Windows: VeraCrypt Expander: Fix expansion of volumes on disks with a sector size different from 512.
  • Linux: Enhance ASLR security of generic installer binaries by adding linked flag for old GCC version.
  • macOS: Fix near zero width PIM input box and simplify wxTextValidator logic.
  • FreeBSD: Support automatic detection and mounting of ext2/3/4, exFAT, NTFS filesystems.

You can check out the full changelog here. As you can see, it is mostly maintenance related changes and a fix bug fixes.

Closing Words

Still, it is a good idea to upgrade to the new version because of these fixes and the notification if one of the volumes has a vulnerable XTS master key.

Now You: do you use encryption software? Maybe even VeraCrypt? Or do you swear on a different software? Feel free to leave a comment down below!

Steam Trending Free

Steam’s new Trending Free category is easy to miss

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

If you are a Steam user, you may know that Steam has an ever-growing assortment of games that are free to play. Valve does include demoes, free to play, and free games in the category, which makes it a bit difficult to find the interesting ones.

Generally speaking, free means that the game is free to download and play. These games usually do not include payable content.

Free to play games, on the other hand, usually come with content that you need to pay for. Some limit this to cosmetic items, others limit progression or entire parts of the game, if you do not pay.

Here is the overview:

  • Free — No in-game purchases. May offer DLC though.
  • Free to Play — May include in-game purchases, often to unlock content.
  • Free demos — Test versions of games that offer limited access to content.

Up until now, there was not really an option to check out trending free games on Steam. While you could browse the free to play listing of games, you’d only find “new & trending” and “trending upcoming” games there.

If you wanted to get a list of the hottest free games on Steam at the time of writing, you’d be out of luck.

Valve added a new trending free listing to Steam, but it is not where you’d expect it to be. You do not find it on the free to play page on Steam. Instead, it is found on the startpage.

Here is how you get there:

  1. Open the Steam Store, either in the browser or in the Steam client.
  2. Scroll down until you come to the New & trending listing.
  3. Activate Trending Free there to display the free games that are trending on Steam right now.

Steam displays the top 10 free games that are trending on Steam right now. Note that you may get a mix of everything the free category has to offer. This means, that you may see free demos next to free to play and free games on Steam.

Is it a groundbreaking feature? Not really. Still, if you like to browse what is trending on Steam, you may find this new trending free filter useful as well.

Do you use Steam or another digital gaming platform? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Vivaldi Rename Tabs

Vivaldi Browser’s Tab Renaming feature is an incredibly useful feature

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

So, Vivaldi has released a new stable version of its web browser, which is also called Vivaldi. Vivaldi 6.9 includes a number of new features that improve customization and options for its users, as usual.

Among the batch of 6.9 features is tab renaming. To the best of my knowledge, it is a first in the browser space, but correct me, if I’m wrong.

Update: Arc Browser supports this as well.

The idea is simple: you can use it to rename any open tab in the browser. To do that, you simply right-click on the tab, select rename, and type the new name.

Note that this works better for unpinned tabs, as pinned tabs show only the site’s icon by default. But even here, it is useful. More on that later.

Once you have changed the name of the tab, it stays. Restart the browser, and you still get the custom tab names after the restart.

While some may wonder what this feature is good for, others may have noticed it immediately. It depends a bit on how you use the browser.

Here are a few examples:

  • Make the titles descriptive. Some sites use titles that do not always reflect their name or purpose. If you visit eBay, you get Electronics, Cars, Fashion, C as the visible title. Change it to eBay, and you do not have to look twice. If you are the romantic type, you could change tabs from your crush so that they read I love you, from Bob, or something similar.
  • Shorten titles. Many sites use titles that do not display fully. Also, if you open enough tabs, the available space shrinks further. You could assign the letter C to my site for instance or Chip, or whatever, and it is visible for longer.
  • Use titles as reminders. Don’t feed after midnight, message mom, or CANCEL are all valid.
  • Disguise names. If you fear that someone could catch a glimpse of the sites that you have open, and you do not want that, you could use the feature to change the title to something else. Maybe change Facebook to TikTok to avoid having to defend you still spending time on the site. The site’s icon may still reveal the real site to some bystanders though.

There is the slight chance that you may get confused and want to restore the title. This is done by selecting rename again and deleting the current title. Press the Enter-key and the original title returns. You may use the same method to alter a modified title.

The new title is also shown when you hover over tabs. This is where the usefulness for pinned tabs comes from.

You can download the latest version of the Vivaldi web browser from the official site. If you like customization options, this might the browser for you.

Tab renaming, is that something that you might use, if your browser supported it? Let me and everyone else know in the comments down below.

XD-AntiSpy Plugins

Latest xd-AntiSpy update introduces (mighty) plugin support

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The unofficial successor of the classic XP-AntiSpy application for Windows, xd-antispy, has added support for plugins in an update.

I reviewed the initial version on Ghacks last month, and liked it. Plugin support heaves the app to new levels and that is reason enough to check it out again.

Plugins, as the name suggest, expand the functionality of the Windows tweaker. The latest version includes a good number already, including the hyped Super God Mode script, that creates over a 1000 Windows shortcuts to speed up administrative tasks.

Note that you can use the program without any plugins, if you want. The new version displays a settings window on start. If you switch to Plugins / Marketplace, you see the available plugins.

Tip: If this window does not appear, select Menu > Find more plugins online to launch it.

Windows security warning: Windows displays the “protected your PC” message when you run the application. The app is not malicious, but it is new, and Windows SmartScreen does not like things that are new; hence the warning. Ignore it.

The names of the plugins reveal their purposes only sometimes. It is clear what the plugin Uninstall OneDrive does, but not so clear what Chris Titus App or Plugin Butler do.

It would be useful if the program would display a short description on hover.

Using Plugins in xd-antispy

Using plugins is simple. Select “more tools” at the top of the xd-AntiSpy interface and then one of the installed plugins.

These are then loaded by the app and you may check items to modify the system accordingly.

Plugin Debloater, one of the few plugins installed by default, gives you options to remove certain apps from the operating system.

Just check and hit the “remove selected apps” button to get them removed.

Closing Words

Plugins extend the base functionality of xd-AntiSpy. That is a good thing, especially since they are entirely optional. Do not want them, ignore them. Everyone else gets extensions that can be added easily to get more options.

Have you tried xd-AntiSpy in the past? Or do you prefer to use a different tweaker or even manual changes? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

AMD’s Windows 11 24H2 performance patch leaves a mixed impression

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

This year’s feature update for Windows 11 includes a performance patch for AMD processors. AMD says that this should improve the performance on systems with Ryzen 9000 processors by up to 13% when gaming.

A 13% increase would be a massive achievement. Independent tests show now that there is not only light but also shadow.

German hardware-specialists at Hardwareluxx have tested the performance of Ryzen 7 and 9, as well as several Intel processors, on Windows 11 version 23H2 and 24H2 systems.

The takeaways:

  • There are not any meaningful application performance gains.
  • Some processors have performance gains in some games. The performance of Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X increased by 8% in Cyberpunk 2077.
  • Performance gains go up to about 23% in some games and some processors.
  • The testers recorded performance degradations in some games. Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 5 7600X saw a drop by nearly 20% in F2 2024.
  • Performance drops in some games and for some processors by almost 20%.

Hardware Unboxed ran tests as well, and they differ from the Hardwareluxx tests in one meaningful way: the testers did not notice any performance losses in their tests.

They tested the performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and 7700X in more than 40 games on Windows 11 version 23H2 and 24H2.

Here is the video:

According to Hardware Unboxed, users will notice a performance gain between 10% (Zen4) and 11% (Zen5) on average on Windows 11 version 24H2 systems when playing games.

Closing Words

The tests contradict each other. It is possible that drops are recorded only in some games, and that Hardware Unboxed did not test these. More tests are needed to come to a final conclusion.

Most Windows 11 users will get the performance patch when they upgrade their devices to the upcoming feature update. Microsoft has not revealed a release date yet, but it should not be more than a month or two away at this point.

Is AMD hardware powering your PC? What is your take on the performance patch? Feel free to leave a comment down below.