Online Computer Tips Monthly Newsletter - February 2008
Latest Virus/Security Alerts:
Free tool to block Facebook, MySpace, and Yahoo ActiveX vulnerabilities
A researcher over at the Internet Storm Center has created a powerful GUI that will set the kill-bits on vulnerable ActiveX controls used in Facebook, Myspace, and Yahoo apps. These popular apps came under attack after researchers disclosed their findings to a online security newsgroup.
There is currently no patch from the individual vendors, so the only workaround is to disable the several specific, vulnerable ActiveX controls. The SANS tool, available here, eliminates the risks associated with editing the Windows system registry file.
January's Poll Results:
Would you watch streaming movies over the internet rather than rent them on DVD if they were cheaper?
- 83%
Tip of the Month:
Creating a Desktop Shortcut
Desktop shortcuts are icons used to run a certain program or open a file. Shortcuts are not the actual files or programs but a representation of the file or program that “points” to that program or file. So if you delete the shortcut then all you are doing is removing the pointer from your desktop and not affecting anything else.
If you look at the details of a shortcut by right clicking on it and choosing Properties you will see a box called Target. This box lists the path to the program’s executable or the file’s location. Shortcuts may look the same as regular icons but you will notice that they have a small arrow at the lower left part of the icon. This indicates that it is a shortcut.
There are several ways to make a desktop shortcut. One way is to find the file or the executable (.exe file) for the program you want to make a shortcut for and right click on it and choose Copy. Then right click on your desktop and choose Paste Shortcut. Make sure you don’t choose Paste because that will make a copy of the file on the desktop. You will notice that it will say Shortcut to “name” where name is the name of the file or executable. If you want you can right click on the new shortcut and choose rename to give it a better description.
Another method involves right clicking on the desktop and choosing New and then Shortcut. You will get the Create Shortcut Wizard. Next, type in the path to the file or click on Browse to search for it. Then click on Next. Finally type in a name for the new shortcut and click on Finish.
Finally you can create desktop shortcuts for your programs by dragging icons off of the Start Menu to the desktop. Click on Start and then Programs (Or All Programs), find the program you want the shortcut for and drag it to the desktop. If you drag with the left mouse button it will move it to the desktop. If you drag with the right mouse button then it will give you an option to copy or move the icon. You generally want to use the right mouse button and pick the copy option so you will still have the icon on your Start Menu.
The MG-350HD is primarily intended to be an entertainment hub for your video, music and picture files. The MG-350HD natively supports MPG, MPEG, AVI, M2V, DAT, WM9 and VOB files
Has one 10/100 LAN port
Supports USB2.0 host/slave
3.5-inch HDD is user-installable
Supports HD MP2, MP4 and WMV9
Supports MP1/2@HL (720p/1,080i), MP4@L5 (720p) and WMV9 MP@ML (720p)
Supports composite, S-video, component video outputs
Supports stereo L/R, optical/coaxial digital audio, analog 5.1 channels
Supports JPEG/BMP/GIF/PNG still picture Enables file surfing from multiple sources on TV using a remote controller
PCs in the network
USB devices attached
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-001 – Critical Vulnerabilities in Windows TCP/IP Could Allow Remote Code Execution (941644)
This critical security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) processing. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
This is a critical security update for all supported editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista, an important security update for all supported editions of Windows Server 2003, and a moderate security update for all supported editions of Microsoft Windows 2000.
Click here for more information and to obtain the patches.
Have you ever wondered how the video gets from your computer to your monitor? If so then check out this page on how monitors work!
Readers Question of the Month:
Restoring Icons
Shaun writes in with a software question Q. How do i change a file icons back to thier original icon?
A. Changing a files icon back to its original icon will depend on what type of file you are referring to. If you changed a file's extension to some other file type then it will change the icon to match. For example if you changed a word document such as resume.doc to resume.xls your computer will think its an Excel file and make the icon look like other Excel icons. Simply change the file extension back to what it should be to fix the problem. If you deleted the file extension off of the name then add it back.
If you changed a folder icon then you can right click that folder, select Properties and then go to the Customize tab. From there you can click on the Restore Default button to change your folder picture back to the way it was.
If you are referring to a desktop icon then you can right click the icon and choose Properties. Then click on the Shortcut tab (only if the icon is a shortcut and not the actual file) and choose Change Icon. Then you can choose a new icon or find the original icon file to use. If you want to change the icons for My Computer and My Documents etc the right click anywhere on the desktop and choose Properties. Then go to the Desktop tab and then click on Customize Desktop. From there you can restore your default icons for the common desktop items.
Microsoft has released the first service pack (SP1) for Windows Vista to manufacturing, with a retail version expected in the coming months. Vista made its consumer debut in January 2007, and SP1 marks the first major upgrade to the operating system.
Microsoft promised up to 50 percent faster speeds when moving files around on PCs or home networks with SP1. Resuming a Vista computer from sleep mode will also be faster with the upgrade. Microsoft will release SP1 to Windows Update and the Microsoft.com download center in mid March.
