VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF TECHNICALLY SPEAKING INTERESTING SITES
IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOU HAVE A VIRUS OR IF YOU HAVE NOT SUCCESSFULLY SCANNED YOUR DRIVES FOR VIRUSES LATELY... THIS NEXT SITE IS FOR YOU. Free Virus scans. Computer Associates, a reputable and reliable anti virus developer introduced a new free program which allows anyone to do a virus scan without downloading any software or registering for an anti virus program. You must use Internet Explorer for access to Computer Associates and to perform the scan. This is a good one and very simple to operate The address is http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx
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. Go to http://housecall.antivirus.com/ then choose the link "Scan without registering". Follow the directions.
You should disable any anti virus program that you have running. If you do not have a virus program I recommend that you use one of the programs offered above first and then download and install one of the free programs listed below or install any anti virus program you have purchased.
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. AVG Free is back already! Fred was a bit upset. This scoop was in the latest Langalist. Last Thursday, when I was writing the http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-11-15.htm issue, Grisoft had not yet released the new replacement for their free version of AVG 6. I correctly quoted the then-current statement from their web site that, "...the next generation of AVG Free will be available soon!" As luck would have it, "soon" meant that night: After I'd finished the issue, Grisoft took the new, free AVG 7 out of beta and made it a shipping product. That's good news. But (bizarrely) many readers were angry at me--- I got a *flood* of mail from irate people who thought I was trying to discredit Grisoft or mislead readers or was working some secret agenda to lure people away from AVG. The volume of mail was surprising, and the vehemence was, well, quite unpleasant. AVG fans: Take a deep breath. I've recommended AVG many times in the past ( http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=avg&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ) and, if the new version proves as good as the old, I expect I'll continue to recommend it. Anyone who wants to try the new version can now find it at http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5 (This link is correct as I write this, but it could change.) Obviously, all I can do is report what's known at the time I write each issue. Sometimes, despite the best intentions, that information will get overtaken by events. Even now, as I write this (on Nov 16) Grisoft's own site still contains pages showing the now-outdated information about a "new version coming soon." (Example: http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/5443/lng/us/tpl/v5 ; although the page will no doubt eventually be taken down or corrected.) If a software publisher's site can't be 100% current about its own products, I'm not sure how anyone else can be, either. Until I can figure out how to travel through time, I can't and don't promise perfect and permanent accuracy in this newsletter. Things change; sites come and go; products evolve on their own schedule; etc. But I can and do promise you I'll always try to make sure the information here is good at the time it's written. That's all I can do. Me too (Mike)
Avast Avast has been "anti virusing" for quite awhile. The following info comes from their download page: Avast! Home is now free of charge for HOME users for NON-COMMERCIAL use. You can find more info here. http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html Note: This product is free for home non-commercial use after registration! HINTS: Click on the English Version Link and download the installation file. Then click on the installation file and follow the directions. You will need to return to the download page and click on the link to get the registration key. It will be sent to you in an email after you provide some registration information. This will give you 14 months of coverage including any updates which can be set to auto download. You can reregister for additional free coverage at the end of the 14 months. You will want to browse around and choose from the many options available for operation. This process will take some time and digging.
Another good free program to take a look at is: http://www.free-av.com/ This one installs a bit easier than Avast.
Top 5 Viruses for November 12 to November 18 from Trend Micro (They took off this week for Thanksgiving, will update next on November 26 through December 03.) 1. WORM_NETSKY.P 2. HTML_NETSKY.P 3. WORM_NETSKY.D 4. WORM_NETSKY.B 5. WORM_SOBER.G
True Viruses and Warning Letters of Impending Doom. Believe it or not, the amount of harm done by sending false computer virus alarms and letters of impending doom 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 or latest doom warning, 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 anti virus software provider probably knows about it too and already has an update for it. Sophos supplies this current information about actual hoaxes. Look at them. Read about them. If you are sent one of them, delete it.
Here are a few sites of many that can help you determine if an email is a hoax or real. http://www.quatloos.com/ http://www.snopes.com/ http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/ 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 http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/hoaxes/ http://www.truthorfiction.com/
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: If browsers were baseball, Mozilla's Firefox would be the Boston Red Sox. Scot's Newsletter lead article. For years, Mozilla (and Netscape before it) has been the underdog that success has eluded. But looking at Firefox now, a little over a week since it bowed in final form, the word that comes to mind is *believe.* Firefox 1.0 is the first Web browser since October 1997 that deserves serious consideration by the entire world of desktop PC users. On October 1, 1997, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 4.0, which was a far better browser than any other then on the market. And despite efforts by Opera, Netscape, Mozilla, and others it has retained that mantle ever since. In recent years, Microsoft -- which once tirelessly strove to improve Web browsing -- has nodded off on its laurels. After all, there's no real money to be earned by improving Internet Explorer. And since IE is bundled with Windows, the market-share mountain is so steep that few competitors have risen to the challenge. Well, score one for open source, because Firefox is a triumph of the alternative development model, and a truly a great Web browser. With this 1.0 release, Mozilla has shown that the impossible can happen. See Screenshot: http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/art/64/ff1_11.gif Read more about this subject: http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/64.htm Scots homepage--register for Scot's Newsletter. http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/64.htm
Kim Komando answered a question from one of her newsletter readers. Kim penned the following statement after a lengthly description and specific directions for correcting a problem in Internet Explorer pertaining to seeing images on web pages: "If nothing else works, download and install the Firefox browser. It's better than Internet Explorer, in my opinion, and I think it is safer. I use it, and I haven't seen any Java problems. Jenna, I hope this helps you. Thanks for taking the time to write."
Kim Komando deals with little red Xs Those little red Xs Q. What are those little white boxes with the red Xs in the center? They look like you should click them to go somewhere. NOT! NOBODY (sorry; I know I'm yelling) can tell me what they are! Aloha, and going mental, Jenna. You're not alone, Jenna. And just to forewarn you, this is going to be a pretty long answer. Here we go... I assume you are seeing the white boxes and red Xs in Internet Explorer. That's an indication that something that was supposed to appear on that Web page didn't make it. You probably already figured that out, but I wanted to start from the beginning. When you go to a Web site, various files that make up the components of that page are downloaded to your computer. So you're getting a main page, graphics files, picture files and some ads, probably. The empty frames could be pictures that failed to download. In most cases, that would be a problem with an Internet server, not your computer. However, you could have Internet Explorer set up to block pictures. Check that by clicking Tools>>Internet Options. On the Advanced tab, under Multimedia, be sure Show Pictures is selected. It is also possible, though unlikely, that the graphic is in a form that Internet Explorer cannot read. IE can handle files ending in extensions of .art, .wmf, .emf, .png, .mov, .xbm, .avi, .mpg, .gif, .jpg, .mpeg and .bmp. To check the missing file's extension, right-click the red X and select Properties. Check the location address under Image Properties. The address will end with the file's extension. Internet Explorer also needs to be able to read ActiveX controls, Java programs and cookies. To make sure it has this capability, click Tools>>Internet Options. Select the Security tab. Click the Default button if it is enabled. Do the same with the Privacy tab. You also may need a Java interpreter, called the virtual machine. Java is a language invented by Sun Microsystems. The interpreter converts Java into a form of code that Windows can understand. This should be pretty easy to fix. Sun Microsystems has a site where you can download the interpreter. You'll find it at: http://www.java.com/en/index.jsp The Java programs may be integral parts of the site you're viewing. Or they could be ads. Certain Norton products can be configured to block ActiveX controls, some scripts, Java programs and ads. Symantec, which makes Norton products, has information on changing that at: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nip.nsf/docid/2001021911022836 Be sure Internet Explorer is working in the proper language. Click View>>Encoding. It the page is in English, Western European (Windows) should be selected. If the language you need is not visible, click View>>Encoding>>More. Kim goes into detail about editing registry files. I'll not include that part here. Finally she closes with the following: The empty box could also be an ad if you are using a custom HOSTS file. Custom HOSTS files block ads, along with spyware, parasites and other unwelcome guests. The HOSTS file is located on your computer. When Internet Explorer tries to download an ad, it first goes to the HOSTS file for the ad's Internet Protocol number (its address). If it isn't there, it goes to a domain name server on the Internet. Many people keep ads from appearing in their browsers by downloading and installing a custom HOSTS file. Such a file directs ad requests to your computer, which has the IP number of 127.0.0.1. That kills the requests, and the ads never make it onto your browser. Sometimes, that leaves empty white boxes and a red Xs. You can download custom HOSTS files on the Internet. The file I use, along with instructions for using it, is located at: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm If nothing else works, download and install the Firefox browser. It's better than Internet Explorer, in my opinion, and I think it is safer. I use it, and I haven't seen any Java problems. Jenna, I hope this helps you. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Digital Imaging Tip: Focus Lock This great photo tip from Worldstart. A reader asks: "I have a problem with my digital camera. When I shoot an off-center subject, the camera focuses on the wall behind them. How can I make the camera focus on what I want it to?" Many digital cameras focus on whatever is in the very center of the viewfinder or LCD screen. So, if your subject isn't there, the stuff behind (or in front) of them will be nice sharp, but they won't. One time to really watch out for this is when you're photographing two people standing side by side. You have a person on each side of the viewfinder, but the sensor is busy focusing on the wall behind them. For example, take this photo of two chairs I just shot in the basement (sorry, I was the only one around, so I couldn't get any actual people to pose): In this close up, you can see how the camera focused on the wall behind them (gasp!): Ahh, but not to worry - there's an easy way around this little problem! Most digital cameras have a feature called "focus lock". The vast majority of these activate when you press the shutter release half way down and hold it there. Usually, there's some sort of light to indicate you have sharp focus (and this light is usually located next to the viewfinder and glows green when the image is properly focused). So, all you do—again with most cameras—is to move the camera so your subject is temporarily centered, press part way down on the shutter release to lock in the focus, hold the button in position as you recompose, and finally press the shutter release the rest of the way down. In this instance, I just centered one of the chairs, held the focus lock, moved the camera back to the composition I wanted, and shot.
Note that if you let up on the shutter release at any point in this procedure, you'll lose the focus lock and have to start over. As always, consult your owner's manual for specifics, but this is one procedure that seems universal for most digicams.
LINK OF THE MONTH: PERSONAL TECH PIPELINE Also from Scot's Newsletter Those of you who came my way via Windows Magazine will appreciate this. Mike Elgan, the former Editor of Windows Magazine and also the author of Mike's List (a Link of the Week site), teamed up with yours truly to deliver the TechWeb's Personal Tech Pipeline website: http://www.personaltechpipeline.com/
Window States Worldstart for this one. Ever have a program that always starts in a "normal" state but you really want it maximized? Well, here's a little trick to help you do just that (and more) with a quick little bit of shortcut editing. Note: although this seems to work on most programs, sometimes you'll run across a program that just won't cooperate. 1. First, right-click the shortcut to the program and select Properties. 2. Under the Shortcut tab, you'll see a drop box labeled "Run." In that box, you'll find options to run the program as either Normal (it starts up at it's default size), Minimized (it starts up minimized to the toolbar), or Maximized (it starts up full screen). Select the start-up state you want and you're all set. I tried this with Internet Explorer to prevent the small browser window problem. It works when clicking the desktop or start menu shortcut, but if you open links in a new window (Shift+click) it will still default to the last window size you used.
CANCER CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT
INTERESTING SITES:
We asked 1,300 children to try out the year's new offerings for more than 38,000 hours, then -- and here's where that science comes in -- they voted. Once we'd crunched the numbers, we were left with 21 winners and 42 finalists that kids had decided were worth recommending. (learn more about our methodology.) They're organized by age and by category so you can easily spot all the toys you'll want for the young testers in your family. http://familyfun.go.com/parties/holiday/specialfeature/famf0904_toy_main/
So the Turkey was a bit dry this Thanksgiving and you want to try it again for Christmas...HELP! On the Main Page...you can access the "Easy Cooking Guide" area where you can find tips for Thawing, Carving, Stuffing, Roasting, Grilling, Doneness, Leftover Tips, and Turkey Calculator. Talking about the Turkey Calculator, this is where you can put in the number of people you are feeding, adults and kids, and whether you want leftovers, to calculate what size turkey bird you need. So for 3 Adults, 0 children, no leftovers, I would need a 3 pound bird. (Put in your numbers and click calculate turkey, then you can click calculate stuffing when you have the poundage of the bird you would need to feed everyone!) So we were way over the top when we bought that 13 pound turkey this fall. We will have some many leftovers. http://www.butterball.com/en/index.jsp
Postcards from the Attic Amanda suggested this one This has to be one of the neatest postcards sites I've run across in a long time. These are all postcards from 1900-1910. There are several ways that you can browse this site. You can check out everything that is on this main page or you can click "Complete Archives". In "Complete Archives" you can browse by section (Landscapes, Animals, etc.) or you can just go through card by card. And there are a lot of sections. Take you time and go through them. The Novelty section was quite a hoot. My favorite from the Novelty section was the one with the man riding the donkey holding carrots out in front so that the donkey will run faster and says “Am coming as fast as I can travel.” Now here's the fun part, any of these you see and like you can share with your friends and family. They have this site up so that you can use these as postcards. Click "Info" under any image you like, and then click "Send as a Card". This takes you to the form to fill out to send it out via E-mail. Looking back on the site I would also like to recommend that you check out both the Landscapes section and the Boats and Buildings. These are very good from both a aesthetic point of view and from a historical one and are worth enjoying. http://fultonchain.net/postcards/
Welcome to the Time Machine . . .You'll return to this site often... Tons of information featured by the decade. Most families own a box or a scrapbook full of tokens and mementoes of their lives. Every object unlocks an attic in the mind, a storehouse of reminiscence. Nostalgia Central is a scrapbook providing a trip from the Swinging Sixties, via the Mirror-balled Seventies, to the Day-Glo Eighties. The word 'Nostalgia' comes from two ancient Greek words: nostos (homecoming) and algos (pain) and is a term suggesting a longing for a lost era. It springs from the heart rather than the mind, and confines itself to living memory. Once there was a time to set aside childish things, to shut them away in the box of memory and get on with life's journey. But our childish things are no longer easily set aside. The past, it has been said, is another country. If so, it is a place in which all of us have travelled. We remember its customs. We recognise its highways. We all know people there. If the past is another country, then each of us is a passport-carrying citizen of that land. It was Homer (Simpson) who said "Every time you learn something new it pushes something old out of your brain" . If that is true, where does it leave our nostalgic memories? Worry no longer, because that is why Nostalgia Central is here - We remember for you! Nostalgia Central does not say everything there is to say about the 60s, 70s and 80s, but it touches on everything significant - that is if you believe that the joy of a new Batman episode or the feel of a Raleigh Chopper are at least as important as the annual rate of inflation or the winning majority at an election . . . You can use this website like a travel guide, a library, or (if you want to do yourself some permanent damage) it can be read end-to-end like a long, bizarre story. This truly is your ultimate internet reference guide to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Happy reminiscing! http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/index.htm
History of Nations Another Amanda suggestion. Their introduction was concise and to the point, so I thought I would share it with you. "This site has a history of every nation in the world. Each country is covered by a brief essay which gives the highlights of each nation's history." There are several ways to use this site—you can either choose a continent from those they have provided, and then choose the country you are looking for information on. Or you can type the country you want information on into the search engine and click "Google Search". (It is defaulted to search only the History of Nations website, but if you don't find the information you are looking for you can switch it WWW to search the World Wide Web.) Or a neater way to find out about the history of these places is to scroll down the page, and learn about countries via the different ages. It starts with a Brief History of the World and then moves through the ages starting with Neolithic and spanning to the Twentieth Century. A fun and easy read that is chocked full of information, and links to more information. It even has a link to Uncover the Net, an interesting web directory, that comes equipped with forums for topical discussion on a great many subjects. I think this web directory would be a benefit for historical searches as well. Well, check it out! http://www.historyofnations.net/