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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, July 12, 2009
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Spyware Removal
Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 25. Avoid "Me Too" Messages
This Week's Topic: Show Headers and Footers on Printed Web Pages
Question: Missing Recycle Bin
Websites of Interest: Hearing Aids; RoyaList Online; Glowtxt; Fruit & Veggies Matter; Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online: 12. Watch Free Movies Online
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Special Feature: Spyware Removal
by Peter May of How Stuff Works
http://www.howstuffworks.com
If, despite all your efforts, you find your computer has spyware on it, stop working immediately and disconnect the computer from the Internet to avoid passing any information to the bad guys. Run a comprehensive scan using your anti-virus software. It's also wise to contact the help desk of the company that manufactured your computer for advice on how to proceed. Your Internet service provider may be helpful, too.
Updated anti-virus or anti-spyware software will probably catch the errant program, display a warning and take care of the problem for you. Again, that's only if you have a solid protection package in place and are keeping it and your operating system updated at all times.
If all else fails, you may have to reformat your hard drive, reinstall the operating system and software and copy your data back to your drive. While painful and time-consuming, this solution also serves to clean up the system, eliminating unused applications and data. This is almost certain to make the machine run faster and increase the space available on your hard drive. Just be sure you have a recent, clean backup of your data prior to taking the plunge.
While the number of threats to computers seems to increase almost daily, the defense mechanisms available to protect them are also growing in number and sophistication. Today, most users can protect themselves from spyware through the vigilant application and maintenance of the operating system and reputable anti-virus software.
Please visit our newsletter archives for previous articles in this series.
How to Avoid Spyware
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/053109.html
Malware
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/060709.html
The Effects of Spyware
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/061409.html
Avoiding Spyware
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/062109.html
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Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 25. Avoid "Me Too" Messages
This is the last article in our series on Email Etiquette. With the help of Heinz Tschabitscher from about.com, we took an in depth look at email etiquette. We hope you enjoyed it.
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.
Avoid "Me Too" Messages
I have seen it many a time already: the ubiquitous "me too" message. It quotes some opinion that has been posted to a mailing list, only to support it with the mere words: "Me too!!" You too, have you seen it?
And even if I, too, have been tempted to produce "me too" messages, we should avoid them. There's really little new information and no contribution to the discussion, but a lot of annoyance in them. You should only support another message when you also have something new to contribute to the discussion.
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: Show Headers and Footers on Printed Web Pages
Question: A friend gave me a printout of a webpage. The date and website address showed up at the bottom of the page. My printouts do not do that. Can I change the settings so mine do that too? I would find this very helpful when I want to go back to that site again.
Answer:
Yes, you can change the Header and Footer settings to print the date, time, page address and more. To do so, follow these steps:
Open Internet Explorer and go to the site you want to print. Click File on the menu. If you do not see the menu, press the Alt key on the keyboard.
The Page Setup window will display. In the middle of the window, you will see an area called Headers and Footers with a blank text box under Header and another under Footer. You will have to type a code in the box. Whatever you type in the Header box will print on the top of the page, and what you type in the Footer box will print at the bottom of the page.
To print the page address at the bottom of the page, type in &u in the footer box. (See the chart below for a list of commands).
If you want the address centered at the bottom of the page, type &b&u&b in the Footer box.
If you want the address centered and the date right aligned at the bottom of the page, type in &b&u&b&b&d
Here is a list of the other codes you can use in your header and/or footer boxes:
To print this: Type this
Window title: &w
Page address: &u
Date in short format: &d
Date in long format: &D
Time: &t
Time in 24-hour format: &T
Current page number: &p
Total number of pages: &P
Right-aligned text (following &b): &b
Centered text (between &b&b): &b&b
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Question: Missing Recycle Bin
My Recycle Bin icon no longer appears on the desktop. I use it all the time, can I get it back?
Answer:
Yes, you can. Follow these steps:
If you are using Windows XP:
Right click on your desktop and then left click Properties from the menu.
Click the Desktop tab at the top and then click the Customize Desktop button. In the middle of the window, you will see some of the desktop icons, including Recycle Bin. Click on the one for the Recycle Bin and then click the Restore Default button. Click OK. The Recycle Bin icon should be back on your desktop.
If you are using Windows Vista, Right click on your desktop and then left click Personalize from the menu.
Click Change Desktop Icons on the left side of the window you now see.
The Desktop Icon Settings window will display. In the Desktop Icons area, click the checkbox to the immediate left of Recycle Bin. Click the OK button.
The Recycle Bin icon should be back on your desktop.
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Websites of Interest:
Hearing Aids
From the U.S. National Library of Medicine, take a look at this Medline Plus article to learn everything about hearing aids.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hearingaids.html
RoyaList Online
A guide to the royal genealogy of Britain.
http://www.royalist.info/
Glowtxt
Just for fun. Enter your text, select options (style, size, animation type, glow effect etc.) and click on the “Make text” button to see your glowing text. Scroll down for more choices.
http://glowtxt.com/
Fruit & Veggies Matter
This website can advise you on how much fruit and veggies to eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Check out recipes and much more.
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/
Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online: 12. Watch Free Movies Online
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.
12. Watch Free Movies Online
Free movies on the Web? Sure, if you know where to look! There are dozens of high-quality sites where you can find free movies to watch. Here are a few:
http://www.hulu.com/
http://www.imdb.com/
http://www.spike.com/
http://blip.tv/
http://www.joost.com/
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: Free Music Downloads
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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