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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, May 3, 2009
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Spam and Phishing Attacks: Attackers Prey on Fears of Swine Flu Pandemic
Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 18. Catch Typos by Printing Your Emails
This Week's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs - MSCONFIG
Question: Disable Antivirus for New Program Setup
Websites of Interest: Mothers Day; Cinco de Mayo; National Pet Week; Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online: 5. The Best Sites for Cheap Flights
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Special Feature: Spam and Phishing Attacks
Attackers Prey on Fears of Swine Flu Pandemic
By Tony Bradley, About.com
You may have seen the 'Breaking News' throughout the week regarding the deaths in Mexico from the swine flu and the announcement by Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, that the United States has declared a public health emergency after confirmed cases of the swine flu in New York, Texas, and California among other states.
Domain names related to 'swine flu' are being snatched up and may be used to host malware, or for spam campaigns or phishing attacks. Any time there is a global headline such as 'Swine Flu Pandemic' it gets people's attention and they want as much information and breaking news as possible. Attackers know this and prey on that fact to lure people into becoming victims of malware or phishing attacks or conning them into spending money in some way.
Be sure you exercise common sense when it comes to emails and file attachments related to swine flu. Follow the advice and tips from the article below to protect yourself and your computer from being victimized by spam and phishing attacks.
Please visit our Newsletter Archives to learn more.
Protect Yourself from Phishing Scams:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/032209.html
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Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 18. Catch Typos by Printing Your Emails
This article is part of our ongoing series on Email Etiquette. With the help of Heinz Tschabitscher from about.com, we are taking an in depth look at email etiquette. To read previous editions of this series, please visit our newsletter archives:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/etiquette.html
The rules of email etiquette are not rules as much as they are guidelines that help avoid mistakes (like offending someone when you don't mean to) and misunderstandings (like being offended when you're not meant to).
These core rules of email etiquette help us communicate better via email.
Catch Typos by Printing Your Emails
Spell checkers are great. They do not alarm you when you substituted one homophone for another, though, or when your reaching for the wrong key accidentally formed another entirely correct word that just means something completely different. Misplaced commas are another point spell checkers usually do not touch.
What you need is a third pair of proofreading eyes (let's assume the spell checker forms a pair, too) — which, of course, you usually don't have (or want) when composing an email. Depending on who you mail and how important the message, you may get away with a typo or two. Sometimes you feel you wouldn't, however, or maybe you abhor all spelling mistakes — especially your own.
Catch Typos by Printing Your Emails
Trying to find your own misspellings in an email, just reading it usually won't do it. Going through what you have typed backwards is better, but what really makes a difference for some people is reading in print.
To catch typos in an email you are about to send, print the message you are composing and proofread the printed copy. If your email program does not allow you to print the message, highlight all the text, copy and paste it into a text editor or word processor document, and print that. Make sure you use your printer's Draft mode and as little ink as possible. It's faster.
IMPORTANT: Please consider the environment before unnecessarily printing anything.
To read previous editions of this series, please visit our newsletter archives:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/etiquette.html
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Today's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs - MSCONFIG
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.
In our ongoing series, Speed Up a Slow Computer, we will present articles discussing some of the steps you can take to speed up your slow computer.
Important: Before making any changes to your system, always create a Restore Point. If anything goes wrong with the changes you make, this will allow you to revert back to a point when the computer was operating correctly. Please visit our Newsletter Archives to read our article, All About Restore Points:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040509.html
Turn Off Auto Start Programs - MSCONFIG
Every program that is open and running slows the computer down. The more programs that are running, the slower the computer will go. When you turn your computer on, many hidden programs start up and run in the background. Some of these programs are essential, but most are not. Turning off some of these hidden programs can significantly increase your computer's performance and reliability.
Windows has a special tool called the Microsoft System Configuration Utility or MSCONFIG. It is designed to help troubleshoot computer problems but can also be used to find and turn off some of the hidden programs that are not needed.
To open MSCONFIG:
In XP, click the Start button and click Run. Type msconfig in the Open box. Click the OK button.
In Vista, click the Start Orb. Click in the Start Search box and type msconfig. MSCONFIG will appear in the search results, at the top of the menu. Click to open it. Vista will ask for permission to continue; click to agree.
This will open the Microsoft System Configuration Utility. Click the Startup tab at the top of the window.
The items in the list you now see are programs that open every time you turn on your computer. Some startup programs are essential; many are not. The nonessential programs can be turned off by clicking the box to the left of the item name. Once clicked, the checkmark will be removed.
To determine which items can be turned off and which must be left on, visit this website:
http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php
At this site, most items in the startup list can be researched.
In the System Configuration window, note the Command column to the right of the item name column. The entry in this column will be used to research whether that item can be turned off or should be left on.
Increase the size of the Command column. To do so, point to the vertical line between the Command and the Location column headings. The mouse pointer will change into a plus sign. When you see the plus sign, hold down the left mouse button and drag the line to the right. This will increase the size of the column. Increase the size of the column so that each entry is completely displayed.
A typical entry in that column will look something like this:
C:\Windows\system32\igfxtray.exe
igfxtray.exe is the filename and the part that will be researched at the sysinfo.org website.
In your System Configuration window, write down the filename of one of the items you would like to research. Make sure you write it down exactly as it appears. Go to the sysinfo.org website. Scroll down to the Search box, click in it and then type the filename you wrote down. Click the Search button.
If the website has information about the startup item, a description will be displayed. The status column will display one of these codes:
Y - Normally leave to run at start-up
N - Not required or not recommended - typically infrequently used tasks that can be started manually if necessary
U - User's choice - depends whether a user deems it necessary
X - Definitely not required - typically viruses, spyware, adware and "resource hogs"
? - Unknown
If a Y is displayed next to your item, leave it as is. If any of the other codes are noted, the item can be turned off. In the System Configuration window, click the box to the left of the item to remove the check mark.
This process can be done for each item in the System Configuration window. After you have finished, click the OK button and then click Restart to restart the computer. When the computer restarts, a window will open where you will confirm selective startup. Click to not show the window in the future.
Note: It is recommended to turn off only one or two items at a time, and then use the computer to make sure everything is working fine. If problems do occur, the items that were turned off can simply be turned on again. To do so, open the System Configuration window and click to turn on the item.
In our next edition, learn how to speed up your computer by disabling unnecessary services.
Please visit our Newsletter Archives for previous articles in our Speed Up a Slow Computer series:
Speed Up a Slow Computer - Clean the Desktop
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040509.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer - Uninstall Unused Programs
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/041909.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/042609.html
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Question: Disable Antivirus for New Program Setup
I was installing a new program and a window opened telling me to disable my antivirus program. How do I do that? And is it safe to do that?
Answer:
Your antivirus program will have an icon in the system tray. That is the part of the taskbar where the clock is; probably in the bottom right corner of the screen. Point and hold the mouse pointer on each icon; you will see the name of each. When you get to the antivirus program, right click on it.
From the menu that you now see, click on Disable. A red X should appear on the icon in the system tray. Install your program.
Some programs will not install correctly if an antivirus program is active, so it will have to be disabled if you want to install and use the program. Make sure you remember to turn the antivirus program back on again! As soon are you are done installing the new program, right click on the antivirus icon in system tray. In the menu you now see, click Enable.
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Websites of Interest:
Mothers Day
Next Sunday is Mothers Day. Visit our website for many fun and interesting links for and about Mom.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/mom.html
Cinco de Mayo
The Fifth Of May is a holiday that commemorates Mexico’s victory over the French army in 1862. For an account of the history, thebattle, and the politics behind it, visit these websites:
http://clnet.ucla.edu/cinco.html
http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Mariachi Music and Special Fare. This website has recipes for spicy soups, salads, and chicken and fish dinners.
http://www.tabasco.com/html/taste_cincorelease.html
National Pet Week
National Pet Week celebrates responsible pet ownership and celebrates the human / pet bond.
http://www.petweek.org/index.cfm
Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online: 5. The Best Sites for Cheap Flights
From Wendy Boswell of about.com
No matter what your financial situation may be, it is always a good idea to learn new ways to save money. Find out how you can utilize the power of the Web to save money, find good deals, and improve your financial status.
5. The Best Sites for Cheap Flights
There are plenty of places you can find great deals on cheap flights online. Here are a few sites to help you out:
Expedia: Expedia is a comparison shopping travel search engine. You tell Expedia where you want to go and what you would like to do, and Expedia tracks down the best travel package pricing for you.
Travelocity: Travelocity is a travel search engine with lots of interesting features, such as travel news, flight status guides, and travel for groups. Travelocity offers the standard online travel search experience, meaning that you can comparison shop for various travel deals and discounts.
Last Minute Vacations: If you have an itch to get out of town, but haven't booked way in advance at your favorite hotspot, have no fear - the early bird doesn't always get the worm.
Kayak: Kayak is a metasearch engine for travel sites; you can search over one hundred different travel sites for vacation packages.
Tip: Some websites may require you to register to use their features. When you register at websites, you may be signing up for spam (junk mail) if the recipient sells email addresses to spammers. There is a way to avoid this and still be able to take advantage of the great things that site has to offer. Read our article, Minimizing Spam – Registering Online, at our newsletter archives, to learn how use websites without getting junk mail.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/111608.html
Next Edition: Check for Amazon Coupons
Please visit our newsletter archives for previous articles in our Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online series:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/savemoney.html
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