Q: How can I protect my Data (files, pictures, music, etc.)?
A:
FYI. IF you have seen another Java update lately you have probably noticed the newest add on they want you to install is Carbonite Onine Backup 30 day Trial. I persoanlly use this for backing up my Server at home and for several of my clients. I highly reccommend trying it. I beleive the annual cost is still $55 per machine per year. A great deal for online backup that is accessible from any PC anywhere when you logon to your acount. www.carbonite.com
Q: Am I protected from the Conficker Virus?
A: The Conficker worm, a nasty computer infection that has poisoned millions of PCs, will start ramping up its efforts Wednesday to use those machines for cybercrimes. It's unclear whether everyday PC users will even notice, but this is as good an excuse as any to make sure your computer is clean. Please make sure your Anti Virus program is up to date. Additionally Microsft has already released a patch to help protect vunerable system from attack. Running Windows Update will help to ensure your machine is protected from infection. To run Windows Update manually, please repeat the following steps several times on your desktop to check for any new updates from Microsoft.
- Start Internet Explorer.
- Select Windows Update under Tools menu and then follow the instructions.
- Install at least Critical Update and all the updates for Internet Explorer.
- Install other updates if necessary.
Users are advised to enable the Automatic Window Update so that your computer will get the latest critical patches from Microsoft automatically. Alternatively, you can perform Microsoft update via the following link:
Q: Why is my PC so slow?
A: The answer is in two parts.
1.Several factors go into Machine performance. Most importantly: CPU, RAM and Hard Drive. We recommend having at least 50% of your CPU speed in RAM. ie: 2ghz CPU? At least 1 gb of RAM. Just visit my Helpful Links page for more info.
2.Spyware and Adware can severely affect machine performance especially internet speed. Running a good AntiSpyware/Adware program can keep your machine running at peek performance. We highly recommend Spybot and Adaware which are both available for free. Just visit my Helpful Links page for more info. Run defragmentation after you have cleaned your machine. WOW, What a difference, EH?
Q: How to avoid Email Viruses?
This was passed along to me by a good friend and it makes perfect sense, PLEASE READ IT!
A: Every time you forward an e-mail, there is information left over from the people who got the message before you -- namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every email address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel!
(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever you know how to. It only takes a second. You MUST click the 'Forward' button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't hit the forward button first you won't have full edi ting functions . I particularly dislike having to scroll through 200 Email addresses before I get to the email.
(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the "To:" or "Cc:" fields for adding e-mail addresses.. Always use the BCC: (blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address.
If you don't see your "BCC:" option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say 'Undisclosed Recipients' in the 'TO:' field of the people who receive it.
That way you aren't sharing all those addresses with every Tom, Dick or Harry.
(3) Remove any 'FW:' in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.
This one is very important - please read and heed
(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent. These are the ones that often end up having picked up a virus from somebody. This is really important!
(5) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses.
A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just isn't so!)
(6) One of the main ones I hate is the ones that say that something like, 'Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen.' Or, sometimes they'll just tease you by saying something really cute will happen.
IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (Trust me, I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed. (Could this be why I haven't won the lottery??)
(7) Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for Years!
Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes. com/
It's really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.
So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and viruses together!
