KCNET NEWSLETTER 07/20/03 TECHNICAL PAGE
VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF TECHNICALLY SPEAKING INTERESTING SITES
VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF:
IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOU HAVE A VIRUS OR IF YOU HAVE NOT SUCCESSFULLY SCANNED YOUR DRIVES FOR VIRUSES LATELY... THEN THE NEXT SUGGESTION IS FOR YOU. Free Virus scan. Trend Micro, more commonly referred to as Housecall, offers free virus scans and in most cases can fix damage down by a virus or worm that your computer may have contacted. The program works well. The first time one uses the free program it is necessary to download a small program. Trend Micro walks you through the process. Then the virus scans are quite simple for each return. You should disable any anti virus program that you have running. If you do not have a virus program I recommend that you use this program first and then download one of the free programs listed above of install any anti virus program you have purchased. Go to http://housecall.antivirus.com/ then choose the link "Scan without registering". Follow the directions.
Free Virus programs to download Quite a few KCnet members use these programs and like them. Be careful if you download a virus program and you already have one installed on your computer. You need to at least disable the program already installed. http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php Another good free program to take a look at is: http://www.free-av.com/
My Life - WORM_MYLIFE.M From Trend Micro WORM_MYLIFE.M is a destructive, mass-mailing worm that uses Microsoft Outlook to email itself to all addresses listed in the infected user's address book. This worm affects Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000 and XP, and is currently spreading in-the-wild. Upon execution, this mass-mailer attempts to drop a copy of itself in the Windows system directory as: * Shakira_1997_part_1_.Mpeg_.scr * Julia_Roberts_*******_toilet.Mpeg_.scr In addition, it drops the file MyLife.mpg, and prompts the user to open or save it. It then creates a registry entry so that its dropped copy is executed at every system startup. This worm uses Microsoft Outlook to send itself as an attachment to all addresses found in the Outlook address book. The email message contains the following: To propagate, this worm uses Microsoft Outlook to send email to all recipients found in the Microsoft Outlook address book. It sends email with the following: Subject: Old Shakira Message Body: Hi i saw this good ASS,, i sleep 3 hours ;-) check Shakira ass soory Shakira movi :) ========No virus detected======== MCAFEE.COM Attachment: Shakira_1997_part_1_.Mpeg_.scr Subject: Fw: Julia Roberts Message Body: Hi How are you? Lexy and Mystique, a couple of 18 yr old bi gothic chicks, came over and had some fun in our shower. This scene looks even better on video, check em out at gotgiclex.com ========No virus detected======== MCAFEE.COM Attachment: Julia_Roberts_*******_toilet.Mpeg_.scr This worm's destructive payload is triggered if the current path where it is being executed is the Windows %System% folder, and if the current minute of the hour is greater than 50. If these conditions are met, it deletes the files in the following locations: %System%\*.* %Windows%\*.sys d:\*.* e:\*.* f:\*.*
10 Most Prevalent Viruses Surveyed by Trend Micro US (week of: June 30 to July 06, 2003) note: 1. WORM_SOBIG.E 2. WORM_SPYBOT.GEN 3. JS_EXCEPTION.GEN 4. WORM_KLEZ.H 5. WORM_MAPSON.A 6. PE_BUGBEAR.B-O 7. JAVA_BYTVERIFY.A 8. WORM_SDDROP.C 9. WORM_KWBOT.C 10. TROJ_WDIALUPD.A
Tried and Untrue Viruses Believe it or not, the amount of harm done by sending false computer virus alarms to your thousand closest friends can be just as damaging as the alleged virus (if it even exists!); if you remember the story of the boy who cried wolf, you understand why. If you think you've got the scoop on the latest new devastating virus, check it out at the Web sites below before taking it on yourself to alert the world. If the virus is as terrible as you think it is, odds are the virus fighters already know about it and -- good news here! -- your antivirus software provider probably knows about it too and already has an update for it. Here are a few sites of many that can help you determine if an email is a hoax or real. http://www.snopes.com/ http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/ http://www.snopes.com/ http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxIndex.html http://vil.nai.com/VIL/hoaxes.asp http://kumite.com/myths/ http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html http://www.scambusters.org/VirusHoaxes.html
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: Yahoo's bid to own search And you thought that a Search Engine was just a database. This excerpt from CNET News.(MLF) Yahoo plans to buy search company Overture Services in a $1.63 billion deal, bolstering its position against rivals Google and Microsoft in the booming market for Web search advertising. Yahoo said the deal will allow it to expand its pay-for-performance search business and to expand contextual advertising throughout its network. Overture specializes in selling advertising links that accompany search results on sites such as Yahoo and MSN. It's a market into which search rival Google has been making inroads. Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Terry Semel said that the combined companies represent the largest player in the Internet advertising sector and that the deal gives Yahoo a greater ability to market itself to small and medium-size advertisers. The deal is biggest endorsement yet of the paid search model as not only a viable, but a desirable, method of spinning hits into cash on the Web. The company, which pioneered the paid search model, was widely panned when it launched, especially by purists who worried that the paid search model would tarnish the freewheeling information hub of the Web. Critics, including consumer advocate Ralph Nader, have accused paid search companies of misleading Web surfers with distorted results. Yahoo for now will face off most directly with Google, but analysts said the wild card will likely be Microsoft. MSN is Overture's biggest partner, delivering as much as one-third of Overture's revenue this year, or an estimated $350 million. As a result, many industry watchers say that it is only a matter of time before MSN takes stock of its alternatives, including replacing Overture with Google on its Web sites and hastening efforts to build its own Web search technology.
Is the end near for Netscape? This report from CNN.com July 17, 2003 This one will pleasure some of our KCnet staff and a few of our advanced group. However, watch out for that Mozilla Foundation mentioned in the last paragraph. They are the ones that put the first Netscape together. (MLF) AOL Time Warner Chairman Richard Parsons has said AOL is not looking to sell or shut Netscape. But Nate Eimer, a partner with Chicago-based antitrust law firm Eimer Stahl, said the settlement between Microsoft and AOL essentially means the end of Netscape as a competitor to Internet Explorer, since the two companies are cooperating so broadly. NEW YORK (Reuters) -- America Online cut about 50 jobs from its Netscape Communications' Web browser development team, as the Internet division of AOL Time Warner cuts costs and tries to recharge growth, a spokesman said Wednesday. The cuts account for less than 10 percent of AOL's Mountain View, California campus, which is home to Netscape and the company's Web development and programming teams. The move comes less than two months after AOL said it would use Netscape rival Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser technology for seven years as part of the software company's settlement of an anti-trust dispute. That settlement, in which Microsoft agreed to distribute AOL's online service, again raised questions about the viability of Netscape. Losing marketshare In the mid-1990s, Netscape had as much as 90 percent of the Web browsing market. However, it quickly fell from its perch once Microsoft featured its browser along with its Windows operating system. Even AOL, which bought Netscape in late 1998, turned to Explorer as its default browser. AOL Time Warner is the parent company of CNN. AOL spokesman Andrew Weinstein said the company continues to support the Netscape browser and added that Netscape remains an important brand despite the cuts. Funding open source research Weinstein said some of those affected by the job cuts will be hired by the Mozilla Foundation, an independent nonprofit group that promotes the development, distribution and adoption of the Mozilla open source browser movement -- a grass-roots software development project. While now separate from AOL, Mozilla was launched from within Netscape. AOL said on Tuesday it would give the Mozilla Foundation $2 million cash over the next two years. It also gave the foundation domain names, trademarks and related intellectual property to help with its launch.
What are "shared" files? This question was answereed in a recent Worldstart newsletter. It is followed by a good discussion about deleting versus uninstalling. (MLF) Shared files are "general purpose" files more than one program can use. They usually come in the form of DLL files, and should be automatically installed with the software that needs them (assuming the setup program for the software includes them, most good setups will). DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files are basically "support" files for certain types of software. They are generally (but not always) found in your Windows System directory. They work like this: Let's say a program needs to perform an operation. Rather than all the coding being built into the program, it uses a particular DLL file that, with a simple call, can perform the operation for it. Saves lots of programming time, especially since many of the common DLL files are already installed with Windows. I've also had lots of people ask about deleting these files. Well, the best advice is not to, since many of your DLL files are used by more than one program. Going through and deleting the ones you *think* aren't being used anymore is a lot like getting under the hood of your car and yanking wires that don't look important. What happens if one of those shared files gets deleted or corrupted and one of your other programs will no longer run? Easy - just re-install the program in question and you'll be back in business. No big deal. If you're really concerned about stray DLL files, make sure you run uninstall programs. Most programs include an uninstall program that will (should) take out all the extra DLL's. There are programs available that will check your shared files to see if they are needed, but again these aren't always fool-proof.
Deleting Unwanted Programs It seems like I get questions all the time asking how to remove / uninstall programs. So, here's the step-by-step procedure: 1. The first thing to do is click the Start menu, Programs. Then hunt for the program you want to delete. Oftentimes, you'll find an Uninstall program under it's program group. 2. Another way would be to click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel. Then open the Add/Remove programs icon. You'll see a list of programs that Windows can remove from your system. Just click the one you would like to remove and hit the OK button. 3. If neither of the above works, you can always go to the program's folder and delete it. However, there is no guarantee that the program was confined to that folder. It could have other files distributed throughout your computer. 4. Finally, you might consider a program like Quick Clean. Once installed, it watches which program files go where and can remove unneeded files for you. As I mentioned earlier, you might get a message during uninstall telling you that there are shared files (.dll) that are not needed--it seems that whenever I delete these, it turns out I DO need them for another program to run, so it may be best to keep those files. Keep in mind that some of the files that get placed on your hard drive when you install a program are basically updates to some of your existing files. So if you are uninstalling something and get a message saying not all the files from a program could be removed, it may be due to the fact that other programs also use these files.
Just Shut Down, Will ya?? Thanks Worldstart. I've been looking for this one for a long time, ever since I got "XPed". We have explored the 95/98 directions a couple of times in the Advanced Class but have not played with the procedure since Millennium was launched. (MLF) Have you ever found yourself wishing that Windows wouldn't ask you if you really want to shut down after you've gone to all the trouble of hitting the Start button, then Shut Down? Sure, if you're a wild mouse clicker, maybe that extra little confirmation occasionally saves the day, but what if you just want a quick way to turn the thing off? Well, as luck would have it, I happen to have a way to make that dream a reality. Using the tips below, you can put icons on your desktop that will shut your computer down, restart it, and more—no questions asked. In order to keep things inconsistent and confusing, Microsoft decided to change the scripting on this for XP (big surprise there So, Win 95/98/ME appears directly below and XP is after that. Windows 95/98/ME 1. Right click the Desktop and select New / Shortcut 2. A screen will appear asking you for a Command Line. Here's what you put in that box: rundll32.exe shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx N Wait—before you click NEXT, replace the "N" at the end of the command line with one of the following numbers: 0 - Log Off: Shuts down all running processes and logs the user off. 1 - Shutdown: shuts system down to the point where you can turn off the computer. 2 - Re-boot: shuts the system down and re-boots the computer. 4 - Force: Shuts the system down without notifying any running programs (that really surprises 'em). Information can be lost with this one, so be careful. Probably best not to use it unless you have a real need to (like a program that refuses to let go during shutdown) 8 - Poweroff: Shuts the computer down and turns the power off (on systems that support it). You can use combinations of the above by adding them together. For example, use 6 to re-start (2) the computer forcefully (4). After you've decided which of the above numbers to use, click the Next button and give the shortcut an appropriate name. Be forewarned, if you mess with some of the "forced" shut downs it will cause your active desktop to be disabled. If you're not using XP you can skip this next section, but make sure you check out the "Final Notes" section below.
XP Users: 1. Right click the Desktop and select New /Shortcut 2. A screen will appear asking you for a Command Line. Here's what you put in that box: For Shutdown: Shutdown -s -t 0
For Restart: Shutdown -r -t 0
For Log Off: Shutdown –l -t 0 After you’ve decided which of the above options to use, click the Next button and give the shortcut an appropriate name. Final Notes: 1. Now that you have the nifty little shutdown shortcut on your desktop, you may want to drag it to your taskbar for easier access (and less chance of accidental clickage). 2. I didn’t like the nasty looking icon that XP gave my shortcut (it was too Win3.1 for my taste), so I changed it.
And now we'll change the icons on the desktop. Also from Worldstart. A:Windows has a limited selection of icons; however, you can download thousands from the Internet (ie: http://www.coolarchive.com http://www.themeworld.com http://www.iconnews.freeserve.co.uk/page2.html Shortcut icons are the easiest to change, so we’ll start with them. Right click the shortcut icon you would like to change and select Properties. On the Shortcut tab, click the Change Icon button. Select the icon you want and OK or click the Browse button to choose an icon that you have downloaded. To change non-shortcut desktop icons (in Windows 98, 2000, or ME), right click on your desktop, choose Properties from the menu that pops up, and click on the Effects tab.
(Windows XP users need to go the Start Menu, click Control Panel, then Appearance & Themes, then Display. On the window that pops up, select the Desktop tab and click the Customize Desktop button.)
All users: Click on the icon you would like to change and click the Change Icon button. Finally, select the icon you want and OK or click the Browse button to choose an icon that you have downloaded.
INTERESTING SITES : Exploratorium This one thanks to Amanda. Welcome to the museum of science, art, and human perception. This site has tons of stuff to see and do. You can find the origins of your DNA, a dose of Accidental Science with some cooking experiments (ah yes, "the sweet science of candy", yum), try the Bubble Bomb out, and much more. Whether you’re a little kid at heart or a hardcore science fan this site has something that will fascinate, amuse and even educate you. Explore, Educate and Enjoy! http://www.exploratorium.edu/
EarthCam's MetroCams Another Amanda. This one is a repeat. It is a good site. I love this site. This is probably the neatest live camera site on the planet. You can view tons of metro cities from livecams set up in them. I was just going to bring you New York City's metrocam but as I browsed I couldn't just bring you just one, I had to give you access to all the spiffy metrocams. My favorite is the New Orleans camera, but that's my favorite spot to visit. You can also view: Seattle, San Antonio, Washington D.C., Duluth, Laguna Beach, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Detroit, and around the world. There is just not enough room to list them all here. You get multiple angles to look around with too. This site's a gem, check it one out for your viewing pleasure. http://www.earthcam.com/metrocams/
This one for art enthusiasts. Fred Bierly suggested this one. http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/
Space Weather This one for those that are intrigued with the nightly heavens. The photography is awesome. Explanations are well written and scientifically sound. http://www.spaceweather.com/
Good BBC stuff. Here's a GREAT test of the human senses, very clever, very tricky! Like trying to beat optical illusions at their own game, or trying to outsmart superior scientific forces. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/senseschallenge/ While you are there look around the BBC pages. They are interesting and updated daily. http://www.bbc.co.uk/
"Write better emails. Make more moneys." This is a spoof inviting all who have written those wonderful emails inviting American readers to assist Nigerians with money movements. It is a fun read. (MLF) I am Mr. Laurent Mpeti Kabila, a senior assistant leader of the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone. I present to you an urgent and confidential request: I request your attendance at The 3rd Annual Nigerian EMail Conference. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your distinguished colleagues, learn new marketing techniques, and spend your hard-earned money. Attending this conference demands the highest trust, security and confidentiality between us. Read on-actual photos of the helpless Nigerians. http://j-walk.com/other/conf/index.htm
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