Online Computer Tips Monthly Newsletter - March 2009
Latest Virus/Security Alerts:
Confiker/Downadup continues its rounds and hits the 9 million mark
There is a new wave of the Hallmark E-Card virus making its rounds so if you get one at work or home don't open it or click on any links within the email, even if its from someone you know just to be safe. Delete any email referring to Hallmark it and then empty it from your trash. If the message references someone you know then you should be ok but if it just says its from a friend then don't take any chances.
The message or link may contain the W32.Ackantta@mm virus which is a mass-mailing worm that gathers email addresses from the compromised computer and spreads by copying itself to removable media. It also opens a back door on the compromised computer.
February's Poll Results:
Have you ever installed Windows yourself?
Yes
- 77%
No
Tip of the Month:
My Screen Recorder
My Screen Recorder allows you to capture your computer’s activity and save it as a video file. It will record what you are doing on your computer as you see it and hear it. You can have it record the entire desktop or just a designated area that you choose. You can also setup hotkeys to start and stop the recording of the video. When you are finished you can play back the video from the program itself or import the avi files into your favorite video editing software. You can use these movie files to demonstrate software or other procedures for meetings, website tutorials or other training. My Screen Recorder creates high-quality, small-size files and organizes your recordings in customizable folders.
With My Screen Recorder you can:
Record what happens on your screen as compressed AVI files
Use a microphone to narrate your screen recordings
Record the sounds of media files playing on your computer
Record the entire desktop or a portion of the screen
Create demos of anything displayed on your screen
Use the built-in preview to quickly review recordings
Produce small size AVI files with high-quality video
Organize your screen recordings in easily accessible folder shortcuts
My Screen Recorder is $40, works with Windows 98 through Windows Vista and is downloadable online. There is also a Professional version with many more features.
Hot Product of the Month: OCZ GameXStream 700W Power Supply
Details:
The SLI-Ready GameXStream power supplies are designed specifically for the demanding computing environments of PC enthusiasts, power users and gamers.As more and more gamers take advantage of the gaming benefits offered by multi-GPU technology the need for improved power supply solutions increases greatly.
720 Watt SLI-ready
Active PFC
Internal 120mm fan
Advertisement:
Important Windows and Office patches:
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-002 - Critical
Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (961260)
This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. 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.
This security update is rated Critical for Internet Explorer 7 running on supported editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista. Most users have automatic updating enabled and will not need to take any action because this security update will be downloaded and installed automatically. If you do not have automatic updating enabled you need to check for updates and install this update manually.
Question: I have a LAN in which is in a workgroup. I connected a new system to the switch and it shows connected but doesn't reply from 192.168.1.1 so my net connection is not working. Then I tried a new computer in place of that computer and it is working properly. What is the problem with that computer?
Answer: If you cant ping your new computer's IP address its most likely that you have the Windows firewall turned on. You can either turn off the firewall or go to the Advanced tab on the firewall settings and click on the Settings button next to ICMP. Then you check the box next to Allow incoming echo request. This will allow the computer to accept packets used by the ping command..
Online video viewing is growing like crazy—nearly 15 billion Internet users viewed online videos in January alone. To further illustrate that phenomenon, YouTube surpassed 100 million viewers for the first time that month, according to new research.
In January, Google Sites, which includes YouTube, topped the list as the No. 1 U.S. video property with 6.4 billion videos viewed overall.
The report said that more than 147 million U.S. Internet users watched an average of 101 videos per viewer in January. The time spent watching also increased a substantial 15 percent. The average online video viewer watched 356 minutes of video (approximately 6 hours), up 15 percent vs. December.
