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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, June 20, 2004
Today is Fathers Day. To all the Dads on the list, Happy Fathers Day!!
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Phishing
Tips & Tricks: Internet Explorer – Full Screen
Featured Computer Term: Accelerator Key
Featured Webpage: Printing Envelopes
This Week's Topic: Remove Icons and Organize Your Desktop
Questions: Finding Files on Your Computer
Websites of Interest: Fathers Day; Online Dictionary
IMPORTANT: Protect yourself from online tricks and the thieves who run them. Read our Special Feature about the latest scam called Phishing.
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Using Links
A Link is a reference to a website. In this newsletter you will see links to many worthwhile, informative and fun websites. Here are the instructions on how to use links:
A link will be used one of two ways, depending on your email program.
If you see the link in blue, underlined text, all you have to do is click on it and a window with the Website in it will automatically appear on your screen.
If you see the link in plain text, you can copy and paste it into the address bar on your browser. Highlight the link with your mouse, click Edit up on the menu bar, and then click Copy from the menu that you just opened up. Open your browser (click the Start Button, point to Programs, click on Internet Explorer); click on the address bar. Click Edit up on the menu bar, and then click Paste from the menu that you just opened up. Press the Enter key on the keyboard and this will take you to the Website.
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Special Feature: Phishing
Phishing is a scam that uses email or pop-up windows to trick you into giving your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information.
A Phisher sends an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization you deal with – for example, your Internet service provider, bank, a website you purchase from, or even a government agency. The message usually says that you need to update or confirm your account information. The message will direct you to a Web site that looks just like a legitimate organizations site or ask you to reply to the email with your personal information.
The purpose of these scams is to trick you into giving your personal information so the thieves can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name.
Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission to help you avoid getting hooked by a phishing scam:
If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply or click on the link in the message. Legitimate companies don’t ask for this information via email. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization in the email using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and type in the company’s correct Web address. In any case, don’t cut and paste the link in the message.
Don’t email personal or financial information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. If you initiate a transaction and want to provide your personal or financial information through an organization’s Web site, look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have forged security icons.
Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.
Use anti-virus software and keep it up to date. Some phishing emails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the Internet without your knowledge. Anti-virus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Anti-virus software scans incoming communications for troublesome files. Look for anti-virus software that recognizes current viruses as well as older ones; that can effectively reverse the damage; and that updates automatically.
A firewall helps make you invisible on the Internet and blocks all communications from unauthorized sources. It’s especially important to run a firewall if you have a broadband connection. Finally, your operating system (like Windows or Linux) may offer free software patches to close holes in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit.
Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them.
Report suspicious activity to the FTC. If you get spam that is phishing for information, forward it to: spam@uce.gov
If you believe you’ve been scammed, file your complaint at:
www.ftc.gov
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Tips & Tricks: Internet Explorer – Full Screen
In Internet Explorer you can switch to Full Screen to view more off the current web page. This will hide the menu bar, toolbars, and address bar at the top of your screen, and will hide the status bar and taskbar at the bottom of your screen. You will be able to see much more on the site by hiding items temporarily.
To switch to Full Screen, press the F11 key. To switch back, press F11 again.
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Featured Computer Term: Accelerator Key
The Accelerator Key is the underlined letter in a menu name. You can open a menu by pressing Alt and the underlined letter. For example, hold down the Alt key and you will notice that the F in the word File on the menu bar is now underlined. Press the F key on the keyboard and the File menu will open.
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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Featured Webpage: Printing Envelopes
Question: How do I print an envelope? I use Word. Thank you. I love your newsletter, I’ve learned so much.
Answer:
For graphical instructions on printing an envelope in Microsoft Word, visit our website at this address:
http://stsico.com/html/print.html
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Today's Topic: Remove Icons and Organize Your Desktop
Question: I have my computer for awhile now and I have accumulated many icons on my desktop. How can I remove them and neaten it up a little? Thank you. I forward your newsletter to every one I know so they can learn as much as I am.
Answer:
You can delete the icons that you don't use. Many programs put advertisements for their website on your desktop, or a link to purchase things. There may also be icons for programs you no longer use. To remove an icon from your desktop, drag it to the Recycle Bin, or right click on it and then click Delete from the resulting menu.
You can limit the number of icons by grouping similar ones. For example, say you have icons for a few of your favorite websites. Create a folder on your desktop named Websites and drag all the website icons into that folder. You can do the same with any icons you might have on your desktop.
Note: To create a folder on your desktop, right click on the desktop, point to New and then click on Folder. Type a name for your new folder and press Enter.
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Question: Finding Files on Your Computer
I have a hard time remembering where I save my files. A friend told me that his granddaughter told him that the computer will find them for me but he did not understand what she told him. Could you tell us how in your simple, clear way of explaining things? Thank you so much.
Answer:
Over time, you will probably accumulate hundreds of files on your system and, even with an excellent filing system, it is possible that you will not be able to recall where you put a particular file that you need or what you named it. However, the Windows file searching utility frees you from remembering where every file is.
To start Find/Search:
1 - Click Start
2 - Select Find or Search (depending on your version of Windows)
3 - Select Files And Folders...
With this dialog box, you can:
- Search for a folder
- Search for a file
- Search for a file by contents (some word or words in the file)
- Search for a file by date created or modified
- Search for a file by type or size.
Before you start a search, decide which disk and folder you want to search. Select the folder in the box called Search In or Look In (depending on your version of Windows). Windows searches down the folder list from there. To search an entire disk, start the search from the disk drive letter, for instance, Search In: C.
If you know that you keep all your files in folders in My Documents, you can start your search from C:\My Documents. Search will look only in the My Documents folder and its sub-folders and ignore the rest of the drive.
Window displays search results (all files or folders that match your criteria) in a list from which you can perform most common file operations. You can do any of the following tasks with files in the list:
Right-click a selected file to display a shortcut menu of commands you can use to work with the file. Use the Cut command to move the file to another folder. Use the Copy command to copy the file to another folder. Use the Delete command to remove the file from your system Use the Properties command to see your file's attributes, such as its size, date of creation and whether or not it is a read only file. Use the Send To command to send a copy of the file to a floppy disk.
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Websites of Interest:
Fathers Day
For a history of this day, dedications to fathers and more, take a look at this website:
http://www.marvelcreations.com/fathersday.html
You will find Fathers Day stories, music, animation, and puzzles at this website:
http://www.holidays.net/father/
Send your Dad an electronic greeting card.
http://www1.americangreetings.com
Online Dictionary
ONELOOK provides definitions for more than 6 million words from 970 dictionaries.
http://www.onelook.com/ |
