How to copy files from pc to ipad

Windows Secrets Newsletter • 341 • 2012-06-06

In this issue

• TOP STORY: How to transfer files from Windows to the iPad
• LANGALIST PLUS: A Windows system that never needs defragging?
• LOUNGE LIFE: Hard drive fares badly in dust storm
• BONUS DOWNLOAD: All subscribers get this free
• WACKY WEB WEEK: Blossom Time parade: Everyone wants to have fun
• WOODY'S WINDOWS: Why MS is dropping DVD-video playback in Win8
• PATCH WATCH: Flame malware and security-certificate issues

TOP STORY

How to transfer files from Windows to the iPad

The iPad (and other iOS devices) might be the coolest computing device, but it lacks a clear and simple way to share files with Windows PCs.

Sure, iPads contain storage and connect to PCs via USB, but they don’t behave like flash drives or Android phones. Here are three tricks for moving files on and off an iPad.

Apple’s world of invisible file management

If you’re used to the way personal computers (even Macs) work, an iPad can throw you for a loop. There must be files and folders in there somewhere, but the pad’s operating system (iOS) does a good job of hiding them. Where’s the one-stop, Explorer-like app for moving, copying, and deleting iPad-based files? And just where is the simple — or even eccentric-but-insanely-great — tool for moving files between PC and iPad?

Sadly, basic file management is the most glaring casualty of the iPad’s new computing paradigm. Fortunately for PC users, there are easy ways to resurrect it.

These file-management issues exist with any iOS device, including iPhones and the iPod touch. But there are two reasons to focus on the iPad: First, because I own one; and second, because iPad owners are more likely to use the device as a computing platform — a system suitable for light-duty content creation, not just content viewing. Which means you need an easy way to move files to and from the device.

On a PC, files are associated (via the file extension) with the application that created them. iOS takes it a step further and ties every file (or at least every one you can see) directly to a specific app — and only that app. The file remains in that app’s storage area. When two iOS apps show the same file, such as a PDF, each app has its own, separate copy.

To my mind, that’s ridiculous. For PC users, it’s trivial to organize files by project rather than application. For instance, all the files connected with this article — the manuscript, my notes, screen captures, and so on — reside in the same folder on my Windows PC. I can’t do that on my iPad.

Apple’s insistence on storing the file with the app also makes transferring files more complex than it should be. No matter which of the following three file-transfer options you use, you’ll still have to match a file on your PC with a specific app on your iPad.

The simplest solution: Send it through the mail

You can always e-mail a file to yourself. I’m sure you already know how to do that on your PC. You might even know how to view the file in the iPad’s native mail app — Mail.

The trick, however, is to copy the file out of Mail and put it somewhere else on the iPad. The following instructions are for Mail, although other e-mail apps might work in a similar way. (I can say with certainty that it doesn’t work with the Gmail app.)

• In Mail, open the e-mail message from yourself and tap the attached file, typically at the bottom of the message. In most cases, Mail opens the file in a viewer. In the top-right corner of the screen, you’ll see a small icon of an arrow pointing out of a rectangle. Tap that icon.
• If the icon (with its title bar) disappears before you can tap it, tap the screen and the icon will reappear.
• When you tap that icon, a menu comes up, offering programs that iOS thinks appropriate for that file. You may get more than one. You may also get a default app plus an Open in … option that will list other apps.
• Pick an app, and the file loads into it. Remember that the app is saving a new copy of the file within its own library, where you can open it again or delete it. Depending on the app, you may also be able to copy the file to another app or e-mail it.

Not all file formats behave that way. When I tapped a .zip file, nothing displayed. But a popup gave me two choices for opening it. One of them, GoodReader (site), actually worked.

Oddly, some attached files sent from Microsoft Outlook might be unreadable. (They showed up as winmail.dat files.) But if sent to Gmail and then forwarded to Mail, they came through fine.

Use Dropbox for heavy-duty file transfers

If you’re doing a lot of file transfers to and from the iPad, e-mail gets old fast. Not so with a Cloud-based service that automatically syncs files on multiple devices. After setting up Dropbox (an easy process), the files you keep in the Dropbox folder always remain synched — as long as your devices are connected to the Internet. There’s really nothing to think about.

A number of similar Cloud-storage services are available. Most, like Dropbox (site), offer both free and paid accounts. But Dropbox is extremely popular and easy to use — and there’s a good chance that you’ve already installed it on your PC. Currently, a free Dropbox account gives you 2GB of storage, which should be plenty as long as you’re not moving large music or video libraries.

(Apple’s iCloud is already built into the current version of iOS and is better than Dropbox for moving large music or video libraries. But iCloud seems opaque and confusing for basic file synching, making Dropbox the better choice.)

Unlike the Windows version, the Dropbox iPad app doesn’t automatically sync all files in the background (so as not to overtax the iPad’s limited storage). Launch Dropbox on the iPad, and it syncs only the directory structure, showing what files are available in what folders. You tap a folder to open it and then tap a file to download it.

Downloaded Dropbox files are treated in much the same way that Mail handles attachments. Dropbox displays the contents of the file if it can, and it has the same standard iOS icon for copying a file to another iOS app.

Use iTunes for quick, local file transfers

When your PC and iPad are sitting near each other, it seems ridiculous to upload a file to the Internet from a PC, then download it from the Cloud to an iPad. That’s especially true when uploading large files (which can take a long time to travel to and from the Cloud) or if you’re concerned about file security.

If you own an iPad, you already know that iTunes is the official bridge between your computer and iPad. Not only can this free Windows app send music and videos to your iPad, it can also export other file types — provided, of course, that there’s an installed iOS app that will accept them.

Here’s how to do it:

• Connect the iPad to your PC. This action brings up iTunes.
• In iTunes’ left pane, select your iPad in the DEVICES section. Then click Apps below the Apple logo near the top of the window, as you see in Figure 1.
• Scroll down until you find the File Sharing section.
• Here you’ll see a list of all the apps that can accept files. Select the appropriate one.
• In the box to the right, you’ll see the files currently stored by that app on the iPad. Open Windows Explorer to the folder containing the file you want to move, and drag the file to that iTunes box.
• Press the Sync button in the bottom left of the screen.

Figure 1. iTunes allows you to move files between iPads (or other Apple devices) and PCs.

There are other PC/iPad file-transfer solutions. But these three cover the most common applications — or at least those Apple feels you’ll ever need.

BEST SOFTWARE, LANGALIST PLUS

A Windows system that never needs defragging?

Windows’ defragging tool usually works quietly in the background, but sometimes it messes up.

When you suspect the tool is misbehaving, there are easy ways to verify whether it’s working as it should.

What gives with Vista’s defragging?

Joe Payne is suspicious of his Vista system, which has never reported it needs to be defragged.

• “I did a thorough cleaning of my computer’s files (per your [May 2] article) and got rid of about 700MB of clutter. After that, I figured I should defrag the drive. But as usual, Windows said I did not need to. It has never said I need to, and I’ve owned this system for years.

  “What gives with defrag? Is it no longer needed, or do you still advise it? I am running Vista.”

Yes, defragging is still a good and needful thing in all versions of Windows. The defragmentation utility built into Windows — defrag.exe — is adequate in XP, moderately good in Vista, and more refined in Win7.

Microsoft Support article 942092 describes what Vista’s (and, to a large extent, Win7’s) defrag engine — Disk Defragmenter — can do and how it’s supposed to work. In short, by default, Vista’s and Win7’s Task Scheduler automatically runs defrag.exe once a week (or on whatever schedule you set) — behind the scenes during system-idle times.

Disk Defragmenter determines whether defragging is needed by estimating the percentage of files that are fragmented. If the fragmentation percentage is low, the tool shuts down for another week. An excellent MSDN article, “Disk defragmentation — background and engineering the Windows 7 improvements,” discusses Windows’ defragging technology from XP through Windows 7. It notes that disk fragmentation falls under the law of diminishing returns: removing even modest amounts of fragmentation won’t significantly improve system performance — especially in Windows 7.

Oddly, Microsoft doesn’t specify what percentage of fragmentation it deems worth fixing. But from observing Windows defrag in action, my guess is that a percentage in the high single digits or greater will trigger automatic defragging.

Getting back to your concern, Joe, it’s likely that your system has been quietly defragging itself in the background all along — and that would explain why Disk Defragmenter reports that no defrag is needed when manually queried.

Moreover, deleting junk files doesn’t fragment your other files. Yes, it does open up unused space that defrag can (and will) eventually consolidate; but those files that were unfragmented before your disk cleanup will still be unfragmented after cleanup. So there’s no reason to think that something’s amiss if Disk Defragmenter reports “You do not need to defragment this volume” after a cleanup.

All that said, Disk Defragmenter is not perfect. You can easily verify that it’s working properly by invoking defrag.exe from the Windows command line. This lets you bypass the utility’s graphical user interface — and any problems that the GUI might cause or hide.

Here’s how:

• Open your Start menu, click All Programs, and then click Accessories.
• Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
• When the command window opens, type defrag c: -a and press Enter. The tool will then analyze the C: drive for fragmentation. This process takes a few minutes to run, but eventually you’ll see a report that looks similar to what’s shown in Figure 1. (Of course, the exact details will be different on your system.)
  

  Figure 1. In all versions of Windows, using the command defrag c: -a generates a C: drive fragmentation report.

  Of course, you can analyze drives other than C: — just substitute the drive letter of your choice.

• If Disk Defragmenter reports “You do not need to defragment this volume” together with a single-digit (or so) Percent file fragmentation, defragging is most likely working fine and no further action is needed.
• No matter what Disk Defragmenter reports, you can manually start the defragging process whenever you wish. In that same admin-level command box, simply type defrag c: (or the letter for another drive) and hit Enter.

If defrag.exe doesn’t work, it might be corrupted. You can use Windows’ built-in System File Checker (sfc.exe) to restore the file. For how-to information, see MS Support article 929833.

If a manual defrag works but Vista/Win7’s automatic defragging isn’t taking place as it should, the problem might be in Task Scheduler. An MSDN article has abundant information on the care, feeding, and repair of Task Scheduler in Vista. (Win7’s scheduler is similar.)

Of course, you also can roll your system back to an earlier, pre-trouble state, assuming you’ve been making good backups all along.

Finally, if none of the above works to your satisfaction, plenty of third-party defragging tools are available, both free and paid. Just visit your favorite download library, search on defrag, and grab the tool of your choice.

Delays in switching windows, tasks, and tabs

Kenneth Hess’s system seems to stumble — frequently.

• “I have Windows XP SP3 on a six-year-old Toshiba laptop with 1GB RAM and a 125GB hard drive. For the past six months or so, whenever I change tabs on Firefox or Internet Explorer or I merely change from one running application to another, I get this wait period for a minute or more before anything happens.

  “I’ve completely wiped the hard drive and reinstalled everything. Updates are current, and I regularly run ZoneAlarm Extreme Security and Malwarebytes. I’ve also run online virus and malware checkers, which found nothing. I used a hard-drive checker, and it shows the drive is performing well. I am totally frustrated with this. I would appreciate any ideas.”

I have two suggestions for you, Ken — one easy, one a little harder.

The easy way is to uninstall ZoneAlarm and try a different security solution such as Microsoft Security Essentials (free; site). MSE runs fine on XP and all other current Windows versions. It also has a relatively light footprint, so it’s less likely to bog down your system than some of the other security tools. (See the Feb. 16 Top Story, “Is your free AV tool a ‘resource pig’?”)

The harder approach is to open XP’s Task Manager, switch to the Processes tab, and click the CPU column title to change to descending order. When your next slowdown occurs, see what process jumps to the top of the list — that is, which process is suddenly consuming your CPU’s attention. Whatever that is — and I bet it’ll be Zone Alarm — is the likely culprit.

Figure 2. The CPU column in Task Manager's Processes tab can show you whatever software is consuming most of a central processor's time. (Here, the System Idle Process dominates, as it should when nothing else is going on.)

If you need help with XP’s Task Manager, a Microsoft Windows XP online-documentation page should get you going.

But I think you can probably skip the troubleshooting and jump straight to the most likely solution: uninstall ZoneAlarm and try a different, less resource-hungry security tool.

Fix a corrupted Change/Remove Programs list

John Buob’s Add or Remove Programs tool took one on the chin, and it’s never been the same since.

• “I don’t need to ask many [PC-related] questions, but this one is bugging me. I use two uninstall programs in addition to XP’s. A while back, I ran a Registry cleaner, which I have been doing for a long time without any problems. After that, I installed a new program; but I didn’t like it and decided to delete it — or try to anyway, since it didn’t have its own uninstaller. When I used Revo Uninstaller, most of the 40 to 50 program icons that show up (so you can pick which one to uninstall) were gone!

  “I thought that strange, so I checked the other uninstall program and then Windows’ Add or Remove Programs tool, and they showed only about 10 program icons instead of all that are actually installed. Where would they go? Is there any way to get Windows to list them again? Any new program I install still puts an icon in the list, but most of the old ones remain missing. I may have a problem trying to uninstall a program in the future. Any ideas?”

This sort of thing is rare in Vista and rarer still in Win7, but — as you discovered — it can and does afflict Windows XP. It usually happens when a Registry entry gets mangled because of a software error. Not only can the error cause the directly affected program’s entry to disappear from the Change or Remove Programs list, all entries below that program’s entry might vanish as well!

That’s the bad news. The good news is that solutions to the problem are well documented.

For example, MS Support item 266668, “Add/Remove Programs tool displays installed programs incorrectly,” not only discusses causes and manual cures but also offers a one-click automated Fix it button that might be all you need to set things right again.

If that doesn’t work for some reason, try Support article 2438651, “How to troubleshoot problems when you install or uninstall programs on a Windows-based computer.”

And if that doesn’t work, check out the Kelly’s Korner page, “Windows XP from A to Z.” Scroll down to the item, “Add and remove — removing invalid entries in the Add/Remove Programs tool.”

Restoring older drivers to cure a WMP failure

Tom Watson’s Windows Media Player setup malfunctioned — probably because of a hardware-driver problem.

• “I wonder whether anyone else has posted a problem with Windows Media Player. About three weeks ago, WMP started acting up. It won’t recognize a CD or DVD containing video. Also, if I attempt to play a .wmv file, the audio plays — but no video.

  “I tried everything I could think of. Finally, I downloaded VideoLAN’s VLC media player and made it the default player. Everything works fine with VLC.”

That’s not a lot to go on, Tom, but my best guess is that you’re the victim of an errant driver update, perhaps through Windows Update or another tool.

My general rule of thumb is to never replace hardware drivers (and not allow them to be replaced by various update tools and services) unless (1) the current drivers are obviously malfunctioning or (2) a newer driver corrects a known security issue.

In other words, if your drivers are working, the best bet in most cases is just to leave them alone.

In your case, I suggest restoring the older drivers for both your CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive and video system. Go to each vendor’s or OEM’s site and see whether they offer the driver version that originally came with your system. You also might be able to track down older driver versions through various websites — do a general Web search using the name and model of your drive and graphics system and see what turns up.

When you’ve located the drivers that originally worked with your drive, remove the current, nonfunctioning drivers by opening Device Manager, selecting the malfunctioning device, selecting its driver(s), then clicking uninstall. When the malfunctioning drivers are removed, install the freshly downloaded original drivers.

(Need help with Device Manager? Here’s online help from Microsoft for Windows XP and Vista/Win7.)

Or — and this is a perfectly acceptable approach — simply stick with VLC (free; site). It’s a fine tool; as you discovered, its generic drivers often work well when more specialized ones fail.

LOUNGE LIFE

Hard drive fares badly in dust storm

Under the right — or, more accurately, wrong — circumstances, your computer can suffer from storms in your study.

Lounge member Lynnzer wrote in the Hardware forum about the sad, slow condition of his big, three–hard drive machine. After some discussion of possible power-supply limitations, he got the connection: new carpet and general redecorating (dust everywhere) had maimed his system. His reports on the rehabilitation of his machine serve as a cautionary tale. More.

The following links are this week’s most interesting Lounge threads, including several new questions that you may be able to provide responses to:

BONUS DOWNLOAD

All subscribers get this free

Neuroscience, a perpetually emerging science, is — not surprisingly — a hot topic in publishing. Science and technology writer Matthew MacDonald has branched out from his usual subjects, Visual Basic and .NET, to write Your Brain: the Missing Manual. This month, all Windows Secrets subscribers can download Chapter 5, “Memory,” in which you can learn how memory works — and how to protect and enhance your own. If you want to download this free excerpt, simply visit your preferences page and save any changes; a download link will appear. All subscribers: Set your preferences and download your bonus Info on the printed book: United States

WACKY WEB WEEK

Blossom Time parade: Everyone wants to have fun

By Kathleen Atkins Chagrin Falls, Ohio, is a two-parade town on Memorial Day weekend. The high-school marching band, pipe bands, Scouts, and dignitaries show up at both — and a sixth-grader recites the Gettysburg Address in front of the assembled townspeople on the ceremonial Monday. But Sunday afternoon, the Blossom Time parade features a whole lot of dancing in the streets. Witness the Dancing Grannies on East Washington Street, twirling their walkers and wigs: good times for all ages. Play the video

WOODY'S WINDOWS

Why MS is dropping DVD-video playback in Win8

Microsoft has announced that Windows 8 won’t support DVD-video playback unless you pay extra for Windows Media Center.

Consumers will be displeased, but Microsoft has dropped DVD support for some good reasons — and there are good workarounds if you know the secrets.

Microsoft’s surprise DVD announcement

The Building Windows 8 blog — Microsoft’s official discussion forum for everything related to the next version of Windows — tends to meander, often avoiding the heart of a matter. Case in point: the May 3 “Making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8” post. Yes, the blog talks about making WMC available in Windows 8. But it also happens to mention this bit of unwelcome news: “Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD-playback support.”

If you read the blog and were paying attention, that one sentence summarized the whole point of the discussion. In Windows 8, the only way to get Windows support for playing video DVDs is through Windows Media Center. To get WMC, you not only have to pay for Windows 8 Pro, you have to get the Pro Pack or Media Center Pack, too. Prices haven’t yet been announced.

When I first took a look at Microsoft’s reason for yanking DVD-playback support from WMP, I didn’t buy it for a second. DVD-video playback is available in Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate as well as in Windows 7 Home Premium, Business, and Enterprise. Why on earth is Microsoft effectively yanking it from Windows 8?

Microsoft puts it this way: “Our partners have shared clear concerns over the costs associated with codec licensing for traditional media playback, especially as Windows 8 enables an unprecedented variety of form factors.” I tweeted about it, and @BuildWindows8 (the official Building Windows 8 Twitter account) tweeted back to me, “Cons[umer] PCs are 60%, moving to ultrabooks/tablets rapidly (80%+ are mobile). Biz PCs are 40% (SFF, AIO) rarely optical drives.”

Microsoft was telling me that most new Windows computers don’t use DVDs. (I found the “80%+ are mobile” comment about consumer PCs startling but believable.) Still, in my opinion, that doesn’t excuse Microsoft for dropping simple DVD-video playback in Windows 8. Why couldn’t Microsoft just pick up the tab for DVD playback licensing and add a few cents to the cost of building Windows 8? Man, was I naive.

The peculiar realities of codec licensing

A company called MPEG LA (site) controls the licensing of essential MPEG-related patents. All the companies with patents covering MPEG-2 (the technology necessary to play video DVDs) have pooled their efforts and given MPEG LA the exclusive right to license those patents. (See the MPEG LA site and the related Wikipedia page for more information on this topic.)

I wrote to MPEG LA, asking whether it had a comment about Microsoft’s abrupt cancellation of DVD playback in Windows 8. I figured it must stand to lose a million bucks or more if Microsoft didn’t license MPEG-2 playback in Windows 8. What did MPEG LA have to say about what I considered penny-pinching in Redmond?

Amazingly, MPEG LA responded — very nicely — with an explanation that its licensing requirements haven’t changed recently and that Microsoft’s analysis of the situation was basically correct.

Here’s how MPEG-2 licensing works, according to the company.

• When a manufacturer sells a PC with an operating system that supports DVD playback, the PC manufacturer owes MPEG LA U.S. $2.
• When a software manufacturer sells an operating system directly to a consumer, and the operating system supports DVD playback, the software manufacturer owes MPEG LA $2.

So, if Microsoft enables DVD playback in Windows 8, PC manufacturers installing Win8 are on the hook to pay the MPEG-2 royalty. Whether a DVD drive is installed in a system is immaterial — even if there is no DVD drive in the PC, the manufacturer is still required to pay the $2.

(Although the theme from The Twilight Zone might be playing in your head, it does make sense in a commercial sort of way. If you add a DVD drive later, MPEG LA is still assured of receiving its royalty. In fact, add a DVD later, and MPEG LA gets another $2.

If you get Windows 8, how can you play DVDs?

Some PC manufacturers automatically include DVD-video playback codecs when you buy a PC with a DVD player installed. They might work out deals with DVD-drive manufacturers, or they might just swallow the cost on higher-end systems. So before you get vexed about the Win8 DVD-playback situation, check whether the PC manufacturer includes DVD playback.

(I know what you’re thinking. No, you can’t upgrade from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 8 and have the MPEG-2 codec come along for the ride. It doesn’t work that way.)

As already noted, if you must have a Microsoft product to play DVDs in Win8, you’ll have to pay for Windows Media Center. (In basic Windows 7 versions, you added DVD-playback support via Windows Anytime Upgrade (site); in Windows 8,the same service is called Add Features to Windows 8.) If you’re running basic Windows 8, you can purchase the Windows 8 Pro Pack, which includes Windows Media Center. If you have Windows 8 Pro, you can buy just the Windows 8 Media Center Pack.

Microsoft hasn’t released prices for any of the Windows 8 configurations, but the aforementioned blog insists the Media Center Pack pricing “will be in line with marginal costs.”

It’s not clear whether buying Windows Media Center will add the proper MPEG-2 codec needed to play DVDs in Windows Media Player. It’s possible you’ll just have to adapt to the Media Center interface.

Instead of taking the all-Microsoft route, though, there’s a much easier (and, I think, better) approach. Download and install the VLC media player (site). (I talked about VLC in my Jan. 27, 2011, Top Story. Fred Langa also recommends VLC in this week’s LangaList Plus column.) It’s a great little program that plays just about anything — including DVD videos.

I’ve always wondered how VLC gets away with offering free codecs, including the MPEG-2 codec, in its product. It turns out that VLC is a nonprofit organization based in France, where the law of the land doesn’t recognize software patents. Ed Bott has a fascinating dissection of VLC’s assertions in his ZDNet blog. The article is well worth a gander if you’re curious about the way different countries view software patents and how that can make a difference to every computer user worldwide.

The French view of the matter is refreshing, given the current state of Everyone vs. Everyone (per South Park) software lawsuits. Vive la liberté!

PATCH WATCH

Flame malware and security-certificate issues

Microsoft has released a rare out-of-cycle security advisory for the Flame malware.

Flame — together with a letter from a reader — highlights possible cracks in our trust of Internet security certificates.

Flame malware triggers a preventive update

Last week, there were published reports that the Flame virus might be cyber warfare targeted at Iran’s nuclear operations — and that the source of the attack was the United States. A New York Times article pointed the finger at both the Bush and Obama administrations — along with the Israelis — as the source for Flame’s progenitor, the Stuxnet worm. The origins of Flame are still under investigation, according to the story. But there is speculation that Stuxnet made it out into the wild and changed into Flame.

It’s Flame that has triggered a rare out-of-cycle MS Security Advisory update, released June 3. KB 2718704 is for all supported versions of Windows, including the just-released Windows 8 Release Preview. In the advisory, Microsoft notes that there are “active attacks using unauthorized digital certificates.” You can find more on this threat in a June 3 MS Security Research & Defense blog.

A post on the didierstevens.com site has nice before-and-after screen shots of the signature revoked by the update.

Attackers discovered that they could create bogus certificates and distribute them through Microsoft’s Terminal Services Licensing Service, which MS uses for issuing some enterprise certificates. Terminal Services is a Microsoft technology that allows servers to share computing sessions as if they were desktop PCs; it also allows multiple users to access individual desktops.

Coping with problematic security certificates

Windows Secrets reader Steve Gavey recently ran into difficulties with a website he was trying to access. Every time he tried to load the secure site, a dialog box popped up indicating a problem with the site’s security certificate. Steve examined his system’s SSL certificate store and discovered some odd entries. (For more information on certificates, check out the MS TechNet page, “Certificates.”)

After trading e-mails, we discovered that his problem was twofold. First, he didn’t have a root certificate on his system for the site; second, he needed a bit of Registry cleanup. The cleanup process raised an important question: on XP systems, how do you determine that you truly need a root certificate, when I typically recommend skipping them? The short answer is simple: install the latest root-certificate update only when you run into a secure site that pops up an untrusted-certificate warning. The long answer is to understand the certificate chain-of-trust system and manage your installed certificates manually.

Different types of certificates and trust

Some websites use “self-signed certificates,” in which the site signs its own SSL certificate. There’s no external authority confirming that the certificate is valid. It means that the first time you sign on to a website, you need to know it’s on a reputable server. Examples of self-signed certificates can be found on the Windows Small Business Server blog, “Installing a self-signed certificate as a trusted root CA in Windows Vista.” (Windows SBS 2003, 2008, and 2011 Standard can use a self-signed certificate.)

Third-party certificates depend on a chain of trust that starts with root servers — the repositories for root certificates. Groups of individual certificates are included within a root certificate. As noted in previous stories, Windows 7 and Vista receive root-certificate updates automatically. Windows XP users have to install KB 931125 — an odd, continually refreshed update.

I’ve recommended that XP users not install KB 931125 unless absolutely needed. And therein lies a problem: determining when you need it. In Steve’s case, his XP system was still using the original root-certificate package that shipped with the OS. The site he wished to access had an SSL certificate from Verisign that was not in the original certificate package and that generated a certificate error message. After he downloaded the April certificate package from Microsoft, the error went away.

How to check a website’s certificate

Downloading KB 931125 can solve a certificate error, but it doesn’t tell you whether you should trust a certificate. To answer that, I’ll start by showing you where to find a site’s certificate, using windowssecrets.com as an example.

Using IE, go to the secure Subscription Preferences page on the Windows Secrets site and click the padlock icon to the right of the site’s URL. Next click View certificates. As shown in Figure 1, the certificate for Windows Secrets was issued by GeoTrust DV SSL CA, and it’s valid from 8/19/2011 to 9/19/2013. (Most SSL certs are issued for two years.) Clicking the Details and Certification Path tabs gives more-detailed information.

Figure 1. Windows Secrets' security-certificate information

Because your computer trusts GeoTrust Global CA — and thus the authority that issued the certificate, GeoTrust DV SSA CA — your system trusts WindowsSecrets.com (as, of course, it should). If the GeoTrust Global CA certificate were missing from your system’s root-certificate store, IE wouldn’t trust the WS site — which is analogous to Steve’s problem.

Most of the time, the security-certificate system does a good job of protecting us from rogue sites. But the best policy is the digital version of that cold-war saying: “Trust, but verify.” In my Sept. 8, 2011, Top Story, I discussed how installing a previous version of KB 931125 placed the rogue DigiNotar certificate on millions of PCs. Hackers had breached the security of a small Dutch certificate authority, putting the entire certificate system in jeopardy.

To verify new certificates, I recommend bookmarking the “Windows Root Certificate Program Members” page. There, you can click through the listing of newly added members. XP users can decide whether they really need a certificate for a particular site; users of Windows, from Vista on, get their certificates updated automatically and can only put their faith in the security-certificate system.

When the Windows certificate store goes bad

Your computer keeps its collection of root certificates in Windows’ certificate store. Unfortunately, Steve had corrupted entries within the store. To review what certificates were installed, I had him work through the following steps:

• Click Start/Run, enter MMC, and hit Enter.
• Click File, Add/Remove Snap-in, Add, and then Certificates.
• Select Add and My user account; then click Finish, Close, and OK.
• Click to expand the list of certificates.

Steve had two rogue categories of certificates that needed to be removed. Using regedit.exe, he went into the Registry, found the corrupted categories, and deleted them. The Registry locations for these certificates are documented in a banachowski.com post.

Once Steve removed the rogue entries and rebooted his system, the certificate store was back to normal — and Steve has a better-behaved machine.

Publisher: AskWoody LLC (); editor: Tracey Capen ().

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