|
Hello PressEnter Subscribers!
The month of February can be especially cold in many parts of the U.S. In that spirit, this issue includes information to help all of us (regardless of local weather) hang onto more of our cold cash. We begin with a report on the Downadup worm that's spreading rapidly through corporate networks and affecting millions of PCs. Also in this issue, you'll find Great Sites containing money-saving tools for refinancing your mortgage, planning a budget vacation, and avoiding fake check scams. Speaking of cold, don't miss the Help Desk advice on what to do when your computer screen freezes. And we've also included a short tutorial on how to save time by setting up AutoComplete on your browser.
We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, please Reply to this message and put "REMOVE" in the subject line. Please e-mail any questions or comments to newsletter@pressenter.com. If you have any technical questions, please e-mail helpdesk@pressenter.com.
Here's what's inside our February 2009 Newsletter:
A. DOWNADUP - LARGEST WORM INFECTION SINCE 2001 HITS CORPORATE NETWORKS
B. PRESSENTER NEWS - EMAIL HELP WITH WEBMAIL
C. ASK THE HELP DESK - WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN MY COMPUTER SCREEN FREEZES UP?
D. SITES OF THE MONTH - GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN FEBRUARY
E. SHORT TUTORIAL - SETTING UP AUTOCOMPLETE IN YOUR BROWSER
The PressEnter Newsletter Team
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
A. DOWNADUP - LARGEST WORM INFECTION SINCE 2001 HITS CORPORATE NETWORKS
A sneaky, fast-spreading computer worm known as Downadup (or Conficker or Kido) is exploiting a security hole in Microsoft Windows to infect millions of PCs in mainly corporate networks. It is considered the largest and most serious corporate virus outbreak since Nimda unleashed its fury in 2001. It appears Downadup may have been created to generate income for people who get paid to install rogue antivirus software called "scareware."
The worm can spread three ways:
• It attacks a vulnerability in the Microsoft Server service. Computers without the latest Microsoft security patch can be remotely attacked and taken over.
• It can scan company networks and attempt to guess passwords.
• It can infect USB data sticks (also known as thumb drives). While almost all of the Downadup occurrences have involved corporate networks, it is possible for a home computer to be infected by the user's corporate PC via the connection of a thumb drive.
Microsoft released a patch to stop the Downadup worm in October 2008 called MS08-067. To download this patch, visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx
In January 2009, the high number of Downadup infections led Microsoft to enable its anti-malware utility, Microsoft Software Removal Tool (MSRT), to detect the worm. This optional component is updated monthly and can scan for and remove some of the most prevalent threats in circulation today. For details, go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx
As always, we recommend you use antispam and antivirus software, install a firewall, and keep operating system and browser software updated.
B. PRESSENTER NEWS - EMAIL HELP WITH WEBMAIL
PressEnter provides a tool to supplement e-mail clients such as Outlook Express, Eudora, and Mozilla Thunderbird. Our webmail interface will allow you to diagnose and fix some common e-mail problems even outside normal business hours.
If you have a large e-mail in your mailbox that would normally take a while to download, you can view it by visiting:
https://my.pressenter.com/mail/
and logging in with your username and password. The size of each message is listed to the right of the sender and subject. You can also delete messages from this page, which can make downloading the remaining e-mail much quicker.
Another feature of the Webmail interface is the junk mail highlighting.
If the free PressEnter spam filter is not active on your account, you can enable the junk mail highlighting by visiting the following page:
https://my.pressenter.com/modify-prefs.php?pc_page_id=webmail
Toggle the "Spam control" button to the "On" position and click Save Settings at the bottom of the page. When you return to your Inbox, you'll see the likely spam highlighted in red. You'll also find a new "Mark All Spam" button at the bottom of the page, which, followed by the Delete button, may greatly reduce the amount of mail left for your mail client to download.
If you have any questions, please e-mail helpdesk@pressenter.com or call our office to speak with a technician.
C. ASK THE HELP DESK - WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN MY COMPUTER SCREEN FREEZES UP?
Question: Sometimes when I'm working on my computer, the screen just freezes up and I'm not sure why. What should I do?
Answer: Some common causes of a screen freeze are:
• Your computer is using up every bit of its RAM (random access memory) at that point in time
• Running multiple applications simultaneously
• A computer virus
For a Vista PC, restart your computer by simultaneously pressing the "Control" (ctrl), "Alt" (alt), and "Delete" (delete) keys. This is called a warm boot. Pressing this key combination on a Windows Vista PC will bring up a screen containing five functions to choose from. Scroll down to the "Start Task Manager" option. When the Windows Task Manager window opens, click on the "Applications" tab to see what applications are currently running. Highlight the applications and click on the "End Task" button. If quitting the frozen application does not unfreeze the screen, you will need to repeat the process. Close the Windows Task Manager screen and press the "Control" (ctrl), "Alt" (alt), and "Delete"
(delete) keys again. This time when the screen appears containing the five functions, look in the lower right corner and you will see a red button that looks like a "power" key. You can shut down the computer by pressing it, or if you click on the triangle next to it, you will see a pop-up menu that lists other options including "Restart," "Sleep,"
"Hibernate," and "Shut Down."
If this fails, perform a cold or hard reboot, which is turning the computer's power off and then on. To complete this operation, press and hold the "power" button until the computer shuts off (usually about five seconds). Wait a minimum of five seconds before turning the computer back on.
For a Windows XP PC, restart your computer by simultaneously pressing the "Control" (ctrl), "Alt" (alt), and "Delete" (delete) keys. This will bring up the Windows Task Manager window. Click on the "Applications" tab to see what applications are currently running. Highlight the applications and click on the "End Task" button. If this fails to unfreeze the screen, click on the Shut Down Menu and select "Restart" to restart the computer. If this fails, you will need to perform a cold or hard reboot by following the instructions in the paragraph above.
For a Mac, the first step is to force quit frozen applications by simultaneously pressing the "option" (alt), "command" (apple), and "escape" (esc) keys. When the Force Quit Applications window opens, highlight the applications you want to quit and select the "Force Quit" button. A pop-up box will appear asking if you want to force the selected application(s) to quit; click the "Force Quit" button. If this doesn't work, simultaneously press the "control," "command," and "power" keys to restart your computer. Your Mac should start up automatically after a brief delay. You can also shut down an unresponsive Mac by holding down the "power" key for a few seconds. Wait a minimum of five seconds before turning the computer back on.
D. SITES OF THE MONTH - GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN FEBRUARY
To Refi or Not To Refi?
=======================
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/calc_vml/refi/refi.asp
With the current economic crisis, you may be wondering what, if anything, you should be doing differently with your finances. Should you sell stocks? Put off retirement? Pay down debt? If refinancing your mortgage is a move you're considering, use the "Should You Refinance Your Mortgage Calculator" on this site. By entering basic information, you'll find out your new monthly payment, monthly savings, difference in interest, total cost, and months to recoup costs.
Sweet Treats
============
http://www.hersheys.com/valentines/recipes/
February is the month we celebrate love with kisses, hugs, gifts ... and delightful desserts. This site features recipes for cookies, pies, and other sweet treats to treat your sweetheart. There are heart-shaped cakes, raspberry- laden glazes, festive fruit, and, of course, plenty of chocolate.
Trip Advisor
============
http://www.tripadvisor.com/
Recommendations from friends always help when traveling. But what if your friends haven't been where you're going? This website offers millions of reviews from travelers who have visited a wide selection of destinations worldwide. Get information on hotels, attractions, and restaurants; get suggestions for your next trip; or look for bargain travel ideas.
Coming Soon
===========
http://www.film-releases.com/film-release-schedule-2009.php
Winter is the perfect time for indoor entertainment, and many movies (both big screen and DVD) will be released in the coming weeks to provide it. This site lists release dates chronologically, or you can search for the film you've been dying to see by title, actor, or genre.
Click on film titles to get summaries, cast and director information, and other details. The site also allows you to download movies to view on your computer, TV, or portable player.
Jam the Scam
============
http://www.fakechecks.org/about.html
This site educates visitors about fake check scams that require you to wire money to the scammer after depositing a bad check into your bank account. The site's main message: You are responsible for the missing funds! Take the Fraud Tests to find out if you are susceptible to being a victim of these scams, watch the Fake Out and victim videos to learn more, and review the prevention information to find out how to avoid these costly mistakes.
E. SHORT TUTORIAL - SETTING UP AUTOCOMPLETE IN YOUR BROWSER
The AutoComplete (or AutoFill) feature of a browser is designed to streamline the process of Web searches as well as make it faster and easier to fill out online forms. In the case of Web searches, this feature provides a drop-down list of suggestions for websites when you begin typing a URL into the Address bar. AutoComplete can also automatically complete information such as your name and address when you begin to enter them on forms for website registration or online purchases. You can customize the AutoComplete settings on your browser or turn them off completely by following these steps:
Setting Up AutoComplete When Using ...
- Web Browser: Internet Explorer 7
- Computer Operating System: Windows XP and Windows Vista
1. With Internet Explorer open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" in the menu bar. Select "Internet Options" from the resulting drop-down menu.
2. When the Internet Options window opens, choose the "Content" tab.
3. Under the "AutoComplete" section, select the "Settings" button.
4. The AutoComplete Settings window will open. Select the check boxes for the AutoComplete options you want to use under the "Use AutoComplete for" section.
5. Click the "OK" button in both windows to save your changes and close each window.
Setting Up AutoComplete When Using ...
- Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox 3.0
- Computer Operating System: Windows XP and Windows Vista
1. With Mozilla Firefox open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" in the menu bar. Select "Options..." from the resulting drop-down menu.
2. When the Options window opens, choose the "Privacy" tab.
3. Under the "History" section, click on the box next to "Remember what I enter in forms and the search bar."
4. Click the "OK" button to save your changes and close the window.
Setting Up AutoComplete When Using ...
- Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox 3.0
- Computer Operating System: Mac OS 10.4
1. With Mozilla Firefox open, click your cursor arrow on "Firefox" in the menu bar. Select "Preferences..." from the resulting drop-down menu.
2. When the Preferences window opens, choose the "Privacy" tab.
3. Under the "History" section, click on the box next to "Remember what I enter in forms and the search bar."
4. To accept and save your changes, click on the red circle in the upper left corner of the window to close it.
Setting Up AutoComplete When Using ...
- Web Browser: Safari
- Computer Operating System: Mac OS 10.4
1. With Safari open, click your cursor arrow on "Safari" in the menu bar. Select "Preferences..." from the resulting drop-down menu.
2. When the Preferences window opens, choose the "AutoFill" tab.
3. The AutoFill window will open. Select the check boxes for the options you want to use in the "AutoFill web forms:" section.
4. Next to the option that you selected, click on the "Edit..." button. Here you can view or change your saved information.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings at our office. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, send us an e-mail at newsletter@pressenter.com and type "REMOVE" in the subject line.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards,
The PressEnter Newsletter Team
PressEnter! Internet
Web: www.pressenter.com
E-mail: <newsletter@pressenter.com>
421 North Second Street
P.O. Box 409
River Falls, WI 54022
|
Amery
Baldwin
Eau Claire
La Crosse
Menomonie
|
715.268.9504
715.684.5022
715.830.1273
608.785.1411
715.232.0430 |
New Richmond
Red Wing
River Falls
Superior
Twin Cities
|
715.246.7060
715.792.5279
715.426.2100
715.395.0311
651.436.5254
|
(We
have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information
published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim,
any
and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions,
whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident,
or other causes.)
(c)2006 Press Enter LLP
(c)2006 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.
<
Previous Page
|