Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, January 10, 2010
In this Issue:
Special Feature: How to Spot and Avoid a Scareware or ID Theft Protection Scam
Tips & Tricks: Bring Your Middle Mouse Button to Life
Featured Computer Term: Lolcats
This Week's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer - Clean the Desktop
Special Feature: All About Restore Points
Websites of Interest: Medical Search Engines; Word Puzzles; Appliance Repair
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Special Feature: How to Spot and Avoid a Scareware or ID Theft Protection Scam
The following is from scambusters.org
Protection scam artists are making a fortune, cashing in on our fears about computer security. They're pumping out scareware programs in the thousands, firing up bogus warnings claiming our PCs have been infected with viruses and then demanding a fee to remove them.
Others send out protection messages, dishonestly claiming they can improve our online security, offer credit protection and reduce the risk of identity theft.
Scareware
Let's start with scareware -- virus protection scams that generally flash warnings on our computer screens either claiming the machines have infections or offering a "free" scan to see if you are infected (which, of course, they'll say you are).
These may be of the pop-up window variety, appearing during Internet browsing, or, more recently, they may mimic the so-called Blue Screen of Death on PCs (not Macs) which tells you your system has crashed.
You are then invited to buy a license for a downloadable program with a genuine-sounding name, sometimes similar to established, authentic software.
The price is normally around $40, but the program does not work. Worse still, it may even download other malicious software onto your computer -- stuff that may steal personal information from your hard drive.
It may even install ransomware -- programs that make some of your data inaccessible until you pay a ransom fee.
According to a recent article in USA Today, there are more than 9,000 varieties of these scareware programs, promoted by networks of hackers and other crooks who get a fee each time they hook a victim.
It's big business; one Russian syndicate was said to have earned $146,000 in just 10 days. And a survey by Microsoft, testing for just one scareware program, found 4.4 million machines were infected.
The virus protection scam artists have multiple ways to get you into their clutches. For instance, you may download the scareware in the same way you get other malware onto your computer -- by clicking phony links and attachments in email. Or you may get a message offering to update a legitimate piece of software on your computer (a Flash player for example), when it's really a scareware download.
In other cases, protection scams lurk on hijacked web pages (500,000 of them in one recent count), search results on Google, ads and other online services.
Whatever the route, they all end in that infection warning and download invitation and, in many cases, even when you suspect a scam, you can't close the warning window without launching another one. In fact, you may not even be able to close your browser. As one expert put it: It's like walking on quicksand.
So how can you protect yourself from scareware? Here are some important tips:
First and foremost, install legitimate Internet security software from the likes of Symantec, McAfee, Trend, AVG, or Kaspersky. Hunt it out yourself -- don't respond to protection spam. These programs will alert you to scareware.
Scanning your whole system should also remove any protection scam programs that have already found their way onto your machine.
Second, never click on a pop-up that claims your PC is infected or offers a free scan. They are virtually all protection scams. Period. Don't even click on the "no thanks" or "X" close box in these cases -- after all, this is a scam, a click is a click, and you could end up downloading malware. Instead, close your browser. If you can't "X" out of it, right click (on a PC) on the program icon in the taskbar and choose "Close."
If that doesn't work, hold down the Control-Alt-Delete keys to bring up the Windows Task Manager and then, under the Applications tab, select the browser and choose "End task."
And a couple of other scareware points to watch out for:
* In one variation, the pop-up message claims you have an error in your system registry or other part of your installation (or it offers to scan for these errors) and, again, offers to put it right for a fee. Don't fall for it.
* There's an offshoot of scareware called "prank software," or "prankware," which is really just a hoax intended to frighten you. A spooky graphic may open on your screen or you may get a frightening dialog box that says something like "Delete all files on your hard drive?" with only an "OK" button.
This is someone's idea of a practical joke. Ignore it and close your browser as explained above. Then run your anti-virus scan.
In our next newsletter, we will take a look at ID theft protection scams.
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Tips & Tricks: Bring Your Middle Mouse Button to Life
The following article is by Rick Broida of PC World
http://www.pcworld.com/blogs/id,60/hasslefree_pc.html
That middle button is often ignored, but you can tap its potential for browsing more efficiently, scrolling quickly, and more.
Take a close look at your mouse. Chances are good it has at least three buttons: left, right, and middle. (Note: Your middle button might be your scroll wheel, which on most mice is clickable.)
Close Browser Tabs Quickly
First up: browser tabs. I routinely have 10-15 tabs open in my browser at any given time. If I want to close a tab, I have to click it, then click the little X that appears on the tab. That's one more click than I prefer, and it brings into focus a tab I'm planning to close. Crazy, right?
If you middle-click any tab in Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer, boom, it's gone. No need to make it visible first; no need to reach for the X. Just middle-click, boom.
Open Links in New Tabs
When you middle-click a link in Google Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer (not sure about Opera, but I'm guessing so), that link opens immediately in a new tab.
Incidentally, you can accomplish the same thing by holding down the Ctrl key and left-clicking a link. But why bother with that when you can just as easily click the middle mouse button?
Open All Your Oft-Used Sites
Let's say that you use Firefox or Internet Explorer and you've organized a handful of favorite sites--you know, the ones you visit daily--into a folder. Smart move.
Here's an even smarter one: You can instantly open every link in a folder, each in its own tab, by middle-clicking that folder.
This works regardless of where the folder is located: your bookmarks toolbar, your navigation toolbar, even a pull-down menu. One middle-click of a folder and presto: every link therein opens in a new tab.
Scroll In Your Docs
Have you ever wondered what happens when you click and hold the middle mouse button? Glad you asked. This action activates a handy page-scrolling option in applications like Microsoft Word and Excel, Adobe Reader, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
In other words, when you click and hold the middle mouse button, you can then drag your mouse forward or back to scroll up or down the page, respectively. This feature is intended for folks who don't have a scroll wheel, but it works just as well with scroll wheels--and I know many people who prefer the speed of middle-click scrolling to the slow, steady pace of wheel scrolling.
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Featured Computer Term: Lolcats
My grandkids talk about Lolcats. What is it?
Answer:
Lolcats was started by a pet lover and has turned into one of the most popular websites online today. You can find the site here:
http://icanhascheezburger.com/
Funny captions are added to photos of cats and kittens. The assumption is, if cats could talk and write, that is what it would be like; hence the extremely poor spelling and bad grammar in the captions.
Is there a computer term or phrase that you'd like to see an explanation of? Email it to info@computerkindergarten.com and we'll put the term and its definition in an upcoming newsletter.
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Today's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer - Clean the Desktop
As your Windows computer ages, its speed can decrease. You will notice an increase in response time when you give commands to open programs, files or folders, use the Internet and other tasks. There are several things you can do to speed up your computer.
Over the next several editions of this newsletter, we will present articles discussing some of the steps you can take to speed up your slow computer.
Speed Up a Slow Computer: Clean the Desktop
Important: before making any changes to your system, always create a Restore Point. Read our article, All About Restore Points, in the Special Feature section, below, in this newsletter.
Every time you start your computer, memory is used by all the files on the Desktop. If these files are shortcuts (they have a little curving up and to the left), they do not take a lot of memory. If the files are not shortcuts, or there are dozens of shortcuts on your desktop, they will be using quite a bit of operating memory.
If the memory is being used by these files, the computer will have to swap memory from the hard drive to carry out commands that you are giving. This is called memory paging, and what you will see is a slowdown in the computer’s operation.
Put the files in the My Documents, or Documents folder. If you have many files that you would prefer to keep better organized, create separate folders for them.
A clean Desktop will improve the response time for the computer to carry out your commands.
In our next edition, learn how to speed up your computer by uninstalling unused programs.
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Special Feature: All About Restore Points
Before making any changes to your computer’s system, always create a Restore Point.
The System Restore feature is used to return your computer to an earlier state if you have a system failure or other major problem with your computer. The point of System Restore is to restore your system to a workable state without you having to reinstall the operating system and lose your files in the process.
If you create a restore point before making your changes, and something goes wrong with those changes, you can easily return to the point when the computer was working.
To create a restore point in Windows XP:
Click Start
All Programs
Accessories
System Tools
System Restore
Click Create a restore point
Click Next.
In the Restore point description box, type a name to identify this restore point. System Restore adds the date and time that this Restore Point is created.
Click Create
To create a restore point in Windows Vista:
Click the Start Orb
Right click Computer
Click Properties
This will open the System area of Control Panel. Click Advanced system settings on the left hand side. An alert box may open, click Continue.
Click the System Protection tab to get to the System Restore section. The system will search for available disks; this may take a few moments.
Click the Create button to create a new restore point.
A window will open asking you to type a description for the Restore Point. Type in a name that is easy to remember; the date and time will be added automatically.
Click the Create button. The restore point will be created.
To use a restore point in Windows XP
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.
On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next. Note A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.
On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
Click OK.
To use a restore point in Windows Vista
Click the Start Orb
Right click Computer
Click Properties
This will open the System area of Control Panel. Click Advanced system settings on the left hand side. An alert box may open, click Continue.
Click the System Protection tab to get to the System Restore section.
Click the System Restore button.
You will now be at the System Restore window. From here, you can specify the restore point that you would like to use.
Vista will already have selected the Recommended restore option. If you would like to use this restore point, click the Next button to start the restore process. if there is another restore point that you would like to use, click Choose a different restore point and then click the Next button. A window listing all the available restore points will be displayed. Click restore point that you would like to use; click the Next button.
Vista will display a Window showing your selected restore point and ask you to confirm. Click the Finish button to begin the restore process.
A second window will open asking you to confirm that you would like to continue the restore. Click the Yes button. Vista will start the System Restore process.
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Websites of Interest:
Medical Search Engines
Check these sites for information about health topics and answers to medical questions.
HealthFinder, from the US Department of Health and Human Services - http://www.healthfinder.gov/
Healthline - http://www.healthline.com/
Omni Medical Search - http://www.omnimedicalsearch.com/
PubMed is a service of the National Library of Medicine - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/
WebMD - http://www.webmd.com/
Word Puzzles
A word lover's guide to word games.
http://www.word-buff.com/
Appliance Repair
For the do it yourselfer, visit this site for free appliance repair and troubleshooting advice.
http://www.appliancerepair.com/