Online Computer Tips Monthly Newsletter - July 2008
Latest Virus/Security Alerts:
Norton 2009 Introduction
Anti malware software is a given for any Windows PC today. Studies have shown that even Windows Vista, with its new security measures, remains vulnerable to many networked attacks. Symantec reports that new versions of Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus are in the works, and this time, a faster, more streamlined user experience is top priority.
The Norton 2009 product line is said to incorporate more than 300 improvements designed to increase performance, ranging from an improved scanning engine to reduced memory and disk space footprints. A new technology called Norton Insight provides data about commonly-installed files compiled from other Norton users, which allows the scanner to skip those items that are statistically least likely to be identified as malware.
June's Poll Results:
Do you use a wireless keyboard and mouse?
Keyboard
- 50%
Mouse
Both
Tip of the Month:
Microsoft Windows SteadyState
Windows SteadyState is a free program provided by Microsoft that allows you to control the configuration of shared computers, such as hard drive protection and advanced user management. It is designed for use on computers shared by multiple users where you want to limit or control what certain users can do.
User accounts can be locked or forced to log off after certain time periods or a user's session can be limited to a specified duration, or logged off completely if idle for a certain period of time.
You can change the way software and Windows features are accessed and used similar to the way Group Policy is used in a networked environment. SteadyState allows you to block or restrict certain programs for individual users. It also allows you to control how Windows updates are installed or if they are even installed at all.
SteadyState includes ways to remove any changes made to your computer, and remove any files left behind. At each logout, all normal traces of a user, such as temp files, Internet history, and files saved to the desktop are deleted from the profile. SteadyState also includes a feature known as Windows Disk Protection that removes all changes made to the hard drive at each reboot.
SteadyState is available for Windows XP and Windows Vista users and can be downloaded here.
Award-winning spyware protection to secure your PC against privacy and tracking threats.
Spyware Doctor is a top-rated malware & spyware removal utility that detects, removes and protects your PC from thousands of potential spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers, spybots and tracking threats.
Just like with Windows, Microsoft releases service packs for their Office line of software. Service Packs are large updates that include many fixes, patches and security updates all in one update rather than having to download and install them all separately.
If you use any Office products you may want to check out the available service packs from the Microsoft Office website.
Click here for more details about Office service packs and here to see our links to various Windows and Office service packs.
If you ever wanted to create your own website but didnt know where to begin then check out wikiHow.com for many helpful tips to get you started.
Readers Question of the Month:
Netsky virus wont go away
Gilbert writes in with a virus question Q. I have another one of those virus called (@mm ) in my computer called (Netsky.d ) and it won't let me Quarinteen ,clean or delete it. It says it is in a write protected disk, how can I remove it? the bug is in a file called C:\RESTORE\ARCHIVE\fs####.cab..(I didn't put the file numbers in for privacy reasons) I have tried everything i can think of but it still says that. Any help? HELP!!! Thanks
A. Its sounds as though the file in question is in your system restore archive which is used to restore your computer back to a previous state if needed. I would disable system restore and then reboot and see if you can delete the file after that. Disabling system restore may even wipe out your restore points all together and that would clear out the bad file. To disable system restore in Windows ME do the following:
Right click the My Computer icon and choose Properties.
Click on the Performance tab, and then click File System.
Click the Troubleshooting tab, and then check Disable System Restore.
Click Ok and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart Windows.
When you get rid of the file do the same steps but uncheck Disable System Restore to put it back to on.
IBM will invest $1.5 billion to boost its semiconductor manufacturing and research efforts, the company announced. The money will be split between three projects related to chip nanotechnologies.
IBM researchers are trying to accelerate the miniaturization of chip circuitry by researching at the atomic level for 32 nm and 22 nm semiconductors. Making chip circuits smaller allows computers to deliver performance gains without burning up more electrical power.
As part of its research efforts IBM is developing silicon nanophotonics, which could replace some wires on a chip with pulses of light on tiny optical fibers, for transferring data between the cores on a chip at lightening speed and using little power. It is also working with universities to develop carbon nanotubes, tinier transistors that could deliver better performance.
