Online Computer Tips Monthly Newsletter - December 2009
Latest Virus/Security Alerts:
Google AdWords Phishing Scam
If you are a Google AdWords user be careful of an email going around stating that your AdWords Ads have stopped running. If you are not an AdWords user then you can simply delete this email if you get it to play it safe.
The email will say something similar to the following.
“Your ads have stopped running today (Date). We had encountered a number of problems with some of our servers that crashed this morning and at this time we cannot check to see what customer accounts are now running 100%.”
Then it will provide a link and ask you to login to view the status of your account. When you do this, your login details are stolen.
November's Poll Results:
Have you tried out Windows 7 yet?
Yes
- 4%
No
Tip of the Month:
Using DreamScene in Windows 7
DreamScene is a Windows Vista feature that allows you to have moving videos as your desktop wallpaper rather than just a static picture. The video takes up the whole desktop and acts the same was as a picture background except its moving like a video.
Windows 7 doesn’t have this feature but instead took it out and added Desktop Slideshow Wallpaper Auto Rotator instead which allows you to automatically change or rotate selected wallpapers as desktop background.
The DreamScene feature can still be manually added to Windows 7 with a hack that enables DreamScene support in Windows7. You will need to be using the Windows Aero feature in order to use the DreamScene feature.
Download the Windows7-DreamScene.exe file and run it as Administrator or else it won’t work. A Windows DreamScene folder will be created in C:\WindowsWeb\. You can place any video file that you want to set as DreamScene background wallpaper here but a more effective way to do this is to right click on the video file, and select Set as Desktop Background from the menu.
The 3M MPro120 Pocket Projector is a handheld, battery operated projector. The MPro120 allows you to project images and videos on almost any wall, almost anywhere. Images can be displayed from computers or mobile devices including MP3 players or iPods, smartphones and digital cameras. Project image sizes from 8” to 50”. Built-in speakers provide sound.
VGA image and 100% color gamut gives the user one of the highest quality images of any portable projector currently available
Two integrated, half-watt stereo speakers help transform the MPro120 into a self-contained presentation device for entertainment or business application
Projects eight to 50-inch still or moving image stored on a video capable pass-through device(e.g.MPR3 player, laptop computer, ect.)
Uses Liquid Crystal on Silicon(LCOS) technology for superb image quality and minimization of component size.
LED light source with 20,000 hour life means the unit is environmentally friendly and there is no need for a replacement bulb
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Important Windows and Office patches:
Microsoft Update Fixes IE, Windows, Office Bugs
Microsoft this month patched 12 vulnerabilities in Windows, Office and Internet Explorer, including three critical bugs in the company's newest browser, Internet Explorer 8.
Of the 12 flaws fixed in the six security updates, seven were rated critical, four of the remaining flaws were rated as important and the final vulnerability was labeled moderate. Security researchers unanimously voted MS09-072 , the five-patch update for IE, as the one that demands immediate attention.
The bright spot is that there were no patches needed for Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows 7. This month's security updates can be downloaded and installed via the Microsoft Update and Windows Update services, as well as through Windows Server Update Services.
Q. Is I hooked up a different monitor and it comes up monitor is in power saver mode activate with PC.What do i have to do? the monitor is a Dell, the PC is an older Compaq.
A. The main reason this would happen besides the monitor itself being bad is if the refresh rate or screen was not supported by the monitor. You can begin by hooking up your old monitor and setting your computer to a resolution such as 1024x768 or 800x600 and then hooking up the new monitor. You can do so by right clicking the desktop and choosing Properties. Then go to the Settings tab to change the resolution. If that doesn't work then change the refresh rate by clicking the Advanced button and then going to the Monitor tab. 60 Hertz usually works well.
Internet firm AOL re-launched itself as an independent company in New York, finally ending a protracted divorce from Time Warner, the media company it bought at the height of internet mania nearly 10 years ago.
The new chief executive, Timothy Armstrong, told the BBC in an interview on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange that he knows he has a big job ahead of him. A former advertising executive at internet giant Google, Mr Armstrong plans to focus on brand advertising, helping household names profit from the transition to the digital age. Google is currently the main player, dominating the internet advertising space with targeted, search-related ads.
With the dial-up business still bringing in money, even though it's shrinking, AOL's focus will shift to the content on its many sites, including the technology blog, Engadget. Worth an estimated $2bn in its current incarnation, AOL is a much smaller company than the one that bought Time Warner with $147bn of its own shares nearly a decade ago.
