Online Computer Tips Monthly Newsletter - April 2010
Latest Virus/Security Alerts:
AT&T Internet Services Warning Phishing Attack
There has been an email going around claiming to be from AT&T that trys to get your account information. The subject line reads "WARNING NOTICE from the AT&T Internet Services Security Center" and claims that you have a compromised email account. The email says that it has disabled your password in order to secure your account and you will need to set a new password to gain access again
Recipients are then asked to reply to the email with information including username, password, date of birth and so on. Once they have your email and password, they can find other services that you may use, such as an online banking account, and with the other requested information, gain access to the bank account, open a line of credit in the recipient's name, etc.
March's Poll Results:
Have you upgraded to Office 2007 yet?
Yes
- 40%
No
Tip of the Month:
Windows 7 Snap Feature
If you have the need to compare something like 2 open documents or the contents of 2 folders and need to see them side by side then you can use the Windows 7 snap feature. This allows you to have each window taking up half of the screen so you can see them side by side.
To perform this operation simply drag the title bar of one of the open program windows to either side of the screen until you see an outline of the expanded window. Then let go of the mouse button and the window will fill up half the screen. Do the same thing with the other windows on the other side of the screen to have both windows side by side filling up the screen.
To put the window to back its original size, simply drag the title bar away from the top of the desktop and then release.
Hot Product of the Month: Logitech Comfort Lapdesk
Details:
The heat-shielding design helps protect your body from laptop heat, and the stable, lightweight design makes it easy to move around. When used in a seated position, the angled riser positions your laptop to help improve neck and leg comfort. The soft, air-mesh fabric adds an extra level of comfort.
Heat-shielding design that helps protect your body from laptop heat
Angled riser for improved neck and leg comfort (when used in a seated position)
Stable, lightweight design for comfortable laptop use on the sofa, bed, or even the floor
Soft, air-mesh fabric that feels comfortable on your legs
Thin, streamlined profile that looks good in any room
Advertisement:
Important Windows and Office patches:
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-018 - Critical
Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (980182)
This security update resolves 10 vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution on your system via Internet Explorer. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
This security update is rated Critical for all supported releases of Internet Explorer on Windows clients. For Internet Explorer 6 on Windows servers, this update is rated Important. And for Internet Explorer 8 on Windows servers, this update is rated Moderate.
Security updates are available from Microsoft Update and Windows Update. Security updates are also available at the Microsoft Download Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for "security update."
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Readers Question of the Month:
CD Burning error: "E:\ is not accessible incorrect function"
Alfred writes in with a software question. Q. When I insert a cd-r in my dvd writer / cd writer combo drive to burn an iso file the drive states E:\ is not accessible incorrect function. I did everthing from unistalling the drive to updating the drive and do not know what to do.
Answer: This usually happens when CD recording is not enabled on the drive itself. Right click your drive in My Computer and select Properties. From there you will click on the Recording tab and check the box that says Enable CD recording on this drive. If you have any CD burning software like Roxio etc try uninstalling it assuming you have the disk to reinstall it. Sometimes it creates virtual drives that cause problems with your existing drives.
You can also try the Microsoft fix tool for CDROM problems as well as the registry edits on this page of our site. Be sure to backup your registry first.
Many Windows PCs Still Vulnerable to Conficker Worm
More than a year after doomsday reports hinted that the Conficker worm would bring down the Internet, one-in-10 Windows PCs still have not been patched to plug the hole the worm wriggles through, new data shows.
And 25 of every 1,000 systems are currently infected with the worm. According to Qualys, a security risk and compliance management provider, about 10% of the hundreds of thousands of Windows systems it monitors for customers have not yet applied Microsoft's MS08-067 security update.
Conficker's April 1 update passed quietly. But its botnet, anywhere between four and seven millions machines is still intact, and by Qualys' reckoning, significant numbers of PCs are still be vulnerable to attack.
Although Conficker may be a forgotten memory for most, the botnet's not dead, experts have said. On last week's one-year anniversary of the April 1 doomsday deadline, officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the agency was preparing a report on the global struggle to keep Conficker at bay.
