TECHNICALLY SPEAKING VIRUS AND OTHER STINKY STUFF INTERESTING SITES
We'll start with a Langalist suggestion that most anyone can do.
Thanks, Steve. Yes, generally, you want "flow-through" ventilation in a PC. If you have more than one fan, generally you either have them both blowing out (with an opening somewhere else in the case supplying cool air) or one blowing out and one blowing in. The usual reasons for vibration, though, aren't from pressure effects but from simple mechanical things: Loose fasteners; crud on a fan blade, making it imbalanced; worn motor bearings; etc. Any one of those items could have been ameliorated by your moving the fan--- you may have tightened a loose fastener; knocked some crud off a blade; re-oriented a fan so pooled lubricant flowed back into the bearings; etc. Whatever the problem was, you found how easy it is to fix. In fact, fans are so easy to move, tighten down, or replace--- they're often under $5--- there's really no reason to put up with excessive fan noise. My simple rule of thumb: If you can hear a PC from across the room; or if it bothers you *at all* when you're sitting next to it, it's too loud! See "Getting The Grunge Out Of Your PC:" http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=60403472 "Cool And Quiet:" http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=21401323
This one from Worldstart...
Here's how to adjust that virtual memory.
For Windows 95, 98 & ME 1. Right-click My Computer and select Properties from the resulting menu. 2. Next, click the Performance tab and click the Virtual Memory button. 3. By default, Windows manages your virtual memory. Select "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings". 4. >From the "Hard Disk" drop box, select the drive you want to use. That's it. Hit the OK button and you're all set. Again, if you feel the need to mess with any other settings, you do so at your own risk. Windows XP hides the VM adjustment—probably because they don't really want you messing with it. 1. Right-click My Computer and select Properties (or hold down the Alt key and double-click "My Computer") 2. Click the Advanced tab then under Performance, click "Settings". 3. There will be another Advanced tab to select in the "Performance Options" window. Down where it says "Virtual Memory" click Change. 4. Finally, we get to the screen we're looking for.
Here is a good Tech site - Thanks to Bev Womeldorf
Got a Kim Komando find for the readers.
Four people use our home PC, running Windows XP. Some of us like Internet Explorer, some like Firefox. Is there a way to ensure we each get the one we like when we sign on?
So, we have a case of two foxes chasing four rabbits who decided to split hares. Ha-ha-ha! Windows allows you to set your own default Web browser. So you don't have to use Internet Explorer. In general, it's easy to change the default browser. To change the default, click Start>>Control panel. Double-click "Add or Remove Programs." Click the "Set Program Access and Defaults" button. Under "Choose a configuration," select Custom. Under "Choose a default Web browser," select your preferred browser. Then click OK. But on a shared computer, you'll have a problem. Windows gives every user profile the same default browser. That’s bad. If you change your default browser, all other profiles are also changed. That’s worse. For unique profile defaults, I found a quick fix. Fortunately, there is a program that can do the job. It's called DefaultBrowser. It also happens to be free. I love that price. DefaultBrowser's list of compatible browsers is small. But it does include both Internet Explorer and Firefox. To use DefaultBrowser, log in to your Windows account. Double-click the DefaultBrowser icon. Under "Default Browser Configuration," select the browser that you prefer. Click Apply Changes. Then click Exit. Your selection won't affect the defaults on the other accounts.
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Another Worldstart Tip.
Ohhh!!!That Google does another. Remember it is still bets but looks really interesting.
Google has launched an instant-messaging program that allows text chat and computer-to-computer voice connections, a move that highlights the search giant's increasing competition with Yahoo, Microsoft and America Online.
Google's Web site late Tuesday provided a link to download Google Talk and stated that the software "enables you to call or send instant messages to your friends for free-–anytime, anywhere in the world." Google's messaging program is linked to the company's Web-based e-mail program, Gmail, and both are in a beta, or test, phase.
While Google Talk was expected, some industry observers questioned what innovation Google could add to lure loyal users and their millions of buddies away from established instant-messaging applications.
One advantage to Google Talk could be its ability to connect with users of competing services. The service is based on the Jabber open-source standard, which allows consumers to connect with other messaging systems that work with Jabber, such as Apple Computer's iChat, GAIM, Adium, Trillian Pro and Psi.
Google Talk currently works only on Windows, according to Google's Web site. Users need a microphone and a speaker to take advantage of the voice capabilities. More on the subject: http://news.com.com/Google+unveils+instant-messaging+entry/2100-1032_3-5842254.html?tag=nl.e498 Take a peek at the interface graphics:
Is your cell phone number for sale? By Kent German of CNET August 23, 2005
Quick work on this one.
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have welcomed news reports that authorities in Morocco and Turkey have arrested two men in connection with computer worm attacks that hit organizations such as CNN, ABC Television, The New York Times and the Financial Times last week.
According to media reports the FBI has confirmed that police arrested 18-year-old Farid Essebar a resident of Morocco born in Russia, and 21-year-old Atilla Ekici in Turkey on Thursday. The men are said to have gone by the handles "Diabl0" and "Coder", which are mentioned in the code of W32/Zotob-A.
The Zotob worms and related variants hit computers running Windows 2000 at a number of high profile companies by exploiting a security loophole in Microsoft's software.
"It appears that the computer crime authorities have moved very quickly in this case, and it will be interesting to see how the case progresses," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Because these men will be prosecuted in their countries of origin, rather than necessarily in the countries where businesses were hit, many will be interested to see how the investigations and cases brought against these men compare with incidents in other parts of the world."
Since the first Zotob worm emerged on 14 August, a series of variants and other malware have taken advantage of a critical security hole in Microsoft's software: the MS05-039 Plug and Play vulnerability.
"Astonishingly the time between virus outbreak and arrest is less than two weeks. The authorities were able to investigate quickly and co-ordinate internationally to affect arrests in Morocco and Turkey," continued Cluley. "Unfortunately, since the Microsoft security hole became public knowledge it has become a standard part of many virus writers' armory to include exploitation of the flaw into their malicious code. All companies need to defend themselves with security patches, up-to-date anti-virus software and firewalls for the highest level of protection."
Worldstart for this one.
Phishing has been around for a while now, I would say everyone has a pretty good grip on how this scam works. If not, you should think about reading our phishing scam article form earlier in the year.
One thing that has been a constant in the phishing game is the attacks usually attempt to lure you in with a fake email that attempts to pose as a legitimate website in order to capture personal information.
Well we've discovered a new species of Phish—the Fax Phish—whose domain isn't the Internet, but rather your fax line.
The scam uses the guise of Pay Pal. No big surprise—next week it will be Ebay. It seems like these are the two online entities that attackers like to use.
Here's a run down of how this scam works: first you get a general email supposedly form Pay Pal with the following message"
Dear Paypal Customer, Unauthorized person tried to reset the password from your paypal account. We would like to ensure that an unauthorized third party did not access your account. Because protecting the security of your account is our primary concern, you have to complete the affidavit form. Click here to download the form. Please send a fax in the next 24 hours to [number removed] with affidavit form completed.
Of course there was no account infiltration, your account with Pay Pal is fine, unless you fill out this affidavit and fax the information back.
In light of all the phishing attempts and identity theft lately, people may actually feel safer faxing information off to a seemingly reputable site in order to take care of an issue than sending it off in an email. The truth is, neither of these are secure practices, and you invite trouble by performing either. Email is not very secure and should not be used to send sensitive data, unless security services are put into affect. Faxing information out to a number based on an email is even worse. It's easier to fake being a company when you don't need to create even a bogus website to appear authentic.
As far as staying away from these threats, there's no guarantee, and remember to use common sense whenever your personal information is being asked for. For instance, if you do get an email and are genuinely concerned about an account or whatever they are using as bait do not reply by fax or email. If this happens to you, open your web browser and navigate to their website (do not link out of the email), this is the only way that you will know that you are at the site you are supposed to. If there is any legitimate issue with your account you should see it at the site or you can usually call customer service or at least send there customer support an email asking if something is wrong with your account. Stay safe out there,
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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.
TRY ETRUST BY COMPUTER ASSOCIATES 1 year free trial of eTrust or 2 years for $19.95. http://home.ca.com/dr/v2/ec_main.entry25?page=PYPCTrialPage&client=ComputerAssociates&sid=35715&CID=185351
AVG Free AVG Free Edition is the well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Free is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy-to-use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements). http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5
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 is: http://www.free-av.com/ This one installs a bit easier than Avast.
1. WORM_NETSKY.P 2. HTML_NETSKY.P 3. JAVA_BYTEVER.A 4. TROJ_BAGLE.BI 5. WORM_SOBER.S
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://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/
America the Beautiful Herb Larson wrote, "This is 'awesome'...........enjoy!" Thanks Herb. http://llerrah.com/america.htm
Gary N' Patti suggestions for this week:
GIS: Getting Started * What is GIS? * Why use GIS? * What can you do with GIS? * Get answers with GIS * Demo: What is GIS? http://www.gis.com/
USP—United States Pharmacopeia The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is the official public standards-setting authority for all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and other healthcare products manufactured and sold in the United States. USP sets standards for the quality of these products and works with healthcare providers to help them reach the standards. USP's standards are also recognized and used in many other countries outside the United States. These standards have been helping to ensure good pharmaceutical care for people throughout the world for more than 185 years. USP is an independent, science-based public health organization. As a self-sustaining nonprofit organization, USP is funded through revenues from the sale of products and services that help to ensure good pharmaceutical care. USP's contributions to public health are enriched by the participation and oversight of volunteers representing pharmacy, medicine, and other healthcare professions as well as academia, government, the pharmaceutical industry, health plans, and consumer organizations. http://www.usp.org/aboutUSP/
ConsumerLab.com ConsumerLab.com, LLC ("CL") is the leading provider of independent test results and information to help consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health, wellness, and nutrition products. It publishes results of its tests at www.consumerlab.com — which receives nearly 2 million visits per year, in its acclaimed book ConsumerLab.com's Guide to Buying Vitamins & Supplements, and in special technical reports. Its research is cited frequently in the media, books, and at medical meetings. As a certification company, CL enables companies of all sizes to have their products voluntarily tested for potential inclusion in its list of Approved Quality products and bear the CL Seal. In the past five years, CL has tested more than 1,200 products, representing over 250 different brands and nearly every type of popular supplement. INDEPENDENT TESTING OF PRODUCTS: Types of Products Tested: CL evaluates consumer products relating to health, wellness, and nutrition, including: Health & Nutrition Products: - Herbal Products - Vitamins - Minerals - Other Supplements Sports & Energy Products Functional Foods Foods & Beverages Personal Care Products http://www.consumerlab.com/index.asp
This gem will assist the traveling interneter, from Amanda.
Elvis Presley and Graceland...
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