Online Computer Tips Monthly Newsletter - June 2008
Latest Virus/Security Alerts:
Postcard Virus Hoax
There has been a recirculation warning about an email postcard virus that is making its way to people's inbox again. The warning email reads as follows:
Hi All, I checked with Norton Anti-Virus, ZoneAlarm and they are gearing up for this virus!
I checked Snopes (URL above:), and it is for real!! Get this E-mail message sent around to your contacts ASAP.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!
You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled 'POSTCARD,' regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer.
This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to all your contacts It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.
If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately.
It even has a link from snopes.com confirming the validity of the virus. If you scroll down on the Snopes page it tells you not to confuse this warning with the real, unrelated warning about a different virus.
Mayl's Poll Results:
How many megapixes is your digital camera?
Word
- 65%
WordPerfect
Works
Tip of the Month:
Using CWShredder to Remove Cool Web Search Spyware
CWShredder is free software used to find and remove traces of CoolWebSearch, which is a type of browser hijacker. It can also install unwanted bookmarks on your desktop and change your home page without your permission. It can also slow down your computer and cause your computer to freeze and crash. CWShredder removes CoolWebSearch and its variants.
After you download the CWShredder program all you need to do is double click it to run it. There is nothing to be installed. You can have it do a scan only or do the scan and fix any problems it finds.
It will show the status of the scan as it runs.
When its complete it will show what it has found if anything.
Click here to get the latest version of CWShredder.
Easily charge and store your Wii Remotes with this Charge Station for Wii. The Charge Station includes 2 NiMH batteries, exclusively designed for the Wii Remote, each providing up to 25 hours of play time. Each battery is easily recharged by placing the Wii Remote in the charging dock. Not like other charge station on the market that plugs into wall outlet, this charge station conveniently connects to any USB port so you don't need to worry about bringing a power plug adapter when you travel abroad.
Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution
This security update resolves several privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Word file. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities 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. 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..
Click here for more details about the threat and here to go to Microsoft Update to get your Office products up to date.
Test your typing skills and learn some new tricks to improve your typing speed and accuracy at TypingTest.com .
Readers Question of the Month:
Computer randomly restarts itself
Micheal writes in with a hardware question Question: I have a Windows XP machine. For 2 days my pc is restarting without permisson or unexpectedly . Is my pc infected with a virus or malicious code? I have formatted my machine 2 times but .. still the problem persists. Please tell me if any hardware or applications have to be changed.. or removed. Thank you
Answer: If you have formatted and reinstalled Windows 2 times then it is most likely not software or virus related. The only way it could be is if you reinstalled the program or the copied the file with the virus on it back to your computer each time.
When a computer restarts itself most of the time its motherboard related. If it were to just shut itself off then there is a good chance it could be a faulty power supply. If you wanted to replace the power supply first as a test then you can give that a try since its not too difficult or expensive to do.
If it turns out to be a faulty motherboard then I would try and get the exact same one as a replacement so Windows doesn't have any issues when you try and boot with the new motherboard. If you do have to get a different one then it may be a good idea to reinstall Windows again so it will properly recognize the new board to avoid any conflicts.
Until earlier this year, consumers seeking sharper movies on high definition DVDs had to choose between two competing standards, Blu-ray backed by Sony and HD DVD, backed by Toshiba.
The standards war ended in February when Toshiba threw in the towel, but NPD said Blu-ray player manufacturers still face hurdles due to price and perceptions among consumers who are content with standard definition DVD players and content.
While just 6% of all consumers surveyed said they plan to buy a Blu-ray device, 9% of high definition TV owners plan to buy one in the next six months.
