Online Computer Tips Monthly Newsletter - December 2008
Latest Virus/Security Alerts:
United Postal Service Virus Email
There is an email virus going around that says that you have a package that was not able to be delivered because of an incorrect address. It will look like it came from the US Postal Service. It will contain an attachment with a virus which may be the Spy-Agent.bw Trojan or other virus. The attachment will most likely be a zip or exe file.
The subject will say something similar to Your Tracking # 060416751315
The body of the email will look similar to the following.
Sorry, we were not able to deliver postal package you sent on November the 1st in time because the recipient’s address is not correct.
Please print out the invoice copy attached and collect the package at our office.
If you do not receive package in ten days you will have to pay $36 per day.
Your UPS
If you get an email similar to this you should delete it right away and empty it from your trash. Do not open the attachment under any circumstances.
November's Poll Results:
Would you rather pay your bills online or mail a check?
Online
- 85%
Check
Tip of the Month:
Audacity Sound Recording/Editing Software
Audacity is a free audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It is easy to use and has a lot of built in features.
You can use Audacity to:
Record live audio.
Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files.
Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together.
Change the speed or pitch of a recording.
Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from cassette tapes, records, or minidiscs. You can even record your musical instruments into the software and then mix them with additional instruments or vocals. With some sound cards, it can also capture streaming audio. You can also import existing sound files and then edit them or combine them with other files as well as add effects.
The Audacity website includes manuals and other online help that you can use to get the most out of the software. You can also join the Audacity forum for additional help.
Check out the Audacity website and download the software here.
Hot Product of the Month: Sony Network Audio Player and Shelf System
OCT Review:
By combining all the great functionality of a networked music player with an AM/FM receiver, a CD player, and great audio performance, the Sony Network Audio Player and Shelf Systembrings it all together so you can enjoy your music the way you like it.
Networked audio system that streams music from PCs to any room in the house
Lets you create up to 5 custom user profiles and up to 4 types of playlists
Includes CD player for single-disc CD and MP3 (on CD-R/RW) playback
High-fidelity audio driven by 360-degree omnidirectional speakers
Advertisement:
Important Windows and Office patches:
Eight Microsoft Security Bulletins for Patch Tuesday
Microsoft is planning to release six critical security bulletins as part of this month’s Patch Tuesday.
Eight Microsoft Security Bulletins for Patch Tuesday
These bulletins address security issues in Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer, Excel, Word and other applications. Six of the bulletins are rated “critical,” while two others are rated “important.”
The critical bulletins cover remote code execution issues in Microsoft Excel, Internet Explorer, Word, Visual Basic and Windows. If you are using Windows Update or Microsoft Update you should get these updates automatically.
Click here for more information on Windows and Microsoft Update.
In honor of Pearl Harbor Day you may want to check out the history of the historic day on the U.S. Navy's Pearl Harbor website..
Readers Question of the Month:
NvMctray.dll Error
Esther writes in with a troubleshooting question
Question: Every time I turn on my computer it pops up a window saying error loading c:\windows\system32\NvMctray.dll.
Answer: The NvMcTray.dll file is used by your video card driver and most likely not essential to be running. You can do a couple of things here to get rid of the error. The first is to go into your startup items using msconfig and uncheck any items related to NvMcTray or Nvidia all together. Most likely anything that starts with Nv will be related to your video card software.
The other thing you can try is to reinstall your video card drivers. You can go to the Nvidia website and download the latest version. This most likely will fix the problem as well. If you don't know the model of your video card you can look in Device Manger to find it.
A trial version of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 is now available for free download from Microsoft's TechNet Web site. It also includes support for new types of hardware and emerging standards that will grow in importance in the coming months. Among other things, Vista SP2 will add support for the latest Bluetooth specification and Blu-ray high definition media encoding. It also adds Microsoft's Windows Connect Now Wi-Fi configuration tool as well as security and performance updates issued since Microsoft released Vista SP1 in March.
Microsoft has not committed to Vista SP2 delivery or RTM dates. Vista SP2 can be downloaded as a 388MB stand-alone installer for 32-bit versions or as a 614MB download for 64-bit. A 1.2GB .iso disk image is also available from Microsoft's Web site.
