Online Computer Tips Monthly Newsletter - March 2008
Latest Virus/Security Alerts:
McAfee Virus Calendar
Since there are no serious virus threats so far this month we thought we would direct you to an interesting site that monitors virus attacks on a daily level. You can click on the virus link for each virus and find out information relating to how it will affect your computer if you get it and how to remove it. Check out the calendar for more details.
February's Poll Results:
What is the most you would pay for in home computer repair and support if you really needed it?
- 20%
$25 to $50/hr
Over $50/hr
Tip of the Month:
Using Skype Instant Messenger for Video Calls
If you have friends or relatives that live in other cities or states and would like to do more than have the occasional phone with then you may want to look into doing video calls using your internet connection. Video calls let you see and hear the person you are talking to as if they were sitting right in front of you. This is done with messaging software, a webcam and a broadband internet connection.
Most instant messaging programs let you do video calls and some work better than others. For example you may have good audio with one but have choppy video. Or you may have it the other way around with poor audio and good video. Skype does a good job of providing good audio and video quality. This will vary depending on your webcam and internet connection of course.
Once you get your video camera installed then you simply download and install Skype on your computer. You will need to sign up for a free account to use the software. Then the person on the other end of the call will need to do the same thing. Once you add each other to your contacts you can start making video calls for free any time you want. Simply click on the person who you want to call to open a chat session and then click the green call button to begin the call. You will have to click on Show my video to allow the other person to see you through your webcam.
We have noticed that the connection quality is diminished a little on the weekends due to high usage. Skype will tell you how many people are online in the lower right hand corner of the screen.
You can setup Skype and start using it simply by downloading Skype from their website
We have noticed a bug in the most current version (3.6) that makes your video preview freeze so if you want to download the previous version (3.5.0.248) you can do so here.
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Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for March 2008
Microsoft customers will be able to get patches to repair critical security holes in Office and Office Web components. Microsoft says it will release four critical fixes affecting Office 2000, Office Excel 2000 and Outlook.
These patches are rated critical since an attacker could successfully exploit the vulnerabilities remotely and execute code. Microsoft will also update its malicious software removal tool and offer a Webcast so customers can ask questions or air concerns.
Click here for more information and to obtain the patches.
If you enjoy reading computer magazines but don't have a subscription or don't want to carry one around with you then check out PC Magazine online to get all of your PC news and reviews any time you feel like it.
Readers Question of the Month:
Installing Multiple Printers
Tom writes in with a Hardware question Q. I am looking at a Brother mfc-8500 multifunction unit. I presently use a hp deskjet printer which allows me when necessary to print in color but I like what I read about the mfc-8500 and I need the speed of a laser jet most of the time. Is it possible to have both units connected to my computer, the hp is connected to the computer in a designated printer connection on the back of the computer and I thought about using a USB port for the mfc-8500 if this is possible how would I switch from one printer to the other?
A. You can have multiple printers installed on one computer. When you go to print you simply select which one to print to. You will choose one as a default printer which means that it will be your first choice to print to if you don't pick another printer manually. With the older printer ports (parallel) you can only have one printer unless you add another physical parallel port. With USB printers you can have as many as you have USB ports for. USB printers are the common type of printers currently. Just install the new printer like it was any other printer and Windows will add it to your list of installed printers.
A New Zealand security researcher has published a software tool allowing attackers to quickly gain access to Windows systems via a Firewire port.
The tool, which can only be used by attackers with physical access to a system, comes shortly after the publication of research on gaining access to encrypted hard drives via physical access to memory.
The tool, called Winlockpwn, allows users to bypass Windows authorization and the attacker must connect to the machine with a Linux system and a Firewire cable to run the tool. The attack takes advantage of the fact that Firewire can directly read and write to a system's memory, adding extra speed to data transfer.
