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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, July 27, 2008
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Worst Email Scams
This Week's Topic: System Restore
Question: Windows Vista: Turn Off IE Sounds
Question: Windows XP: Change Text Size
Websites of Interest: Coffee Facts; Life Magazine; NASA Solar System Exploration; Wildflowers
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Special Feature: Worst Email Scams
The following is from switched.com:
Scam #2: Cancel This Order!
The Come-On
So you're surfing the 'Net one night and you receive an e-mail confirming your order. You think, "What order?"
The Scam
You follow the "cancel" link in the e-mail, thinking you're protecting your credit card, when all you're doing is giving a rogue site your personal data.
What You Can Do
Carol says: "These e-mails should be deleted immediately upon receipt. It's simple: If you didn't order something but you receive an e-mail asking you to confirm the 'order,' call the company that appears to be sending the message, and get to the bottom of [the situation] over the phone. The customer service representative will likely tell you they don't have any record of this activity, and you'll know for sure that you just avoided the bait."
You can also call your credit card company to see if a random charge actually appeared. Review with them purchases you have made, and if anything stands out, immediately dispute the charge. Most credit card companies will work with you to first freeze the card and then trace the charge.
In our next newsletter, we will warn you about the You Win! scam.
Please visit our newsletter archives for information about the Investment Pump & Dump scam:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/072008.html
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Today's Topic: System Restore
The following is from worldstart.com
Have you ever made a change to your computer that messed everything up? You know, maybe you downloaded something you shouldn't have or you installed a new program that just doesn't agree with your computer. Either way, a great feature to use in those types of situations is the Windows XP System Restore.
With the System Restore, you can go back to a previous time on your computer, without losing any of your documents, pictures, e-mails or anything! The System Restore is able to keep track of any changes you may make to your system and it automatically creates what are called "restore points" for you. These points allow you to travel back to a time when your system was in a more stable condition.
To bring up the System Restore feature, all you have to do is go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then click System Restore. You must be logged in as the Administrator as well. Also, make sure you close down any other open programs and save all your files before you begin. When you're ready, select the button that says "Restore my computer to an earlier time." Then click Next. The days you see in bold type are days that have restore points.
Select the day you want to go back to and click Next. Windows will then shut down and restart, with the settings from the date chosen. Pretty slick, huh?!
Even though the System Restore feature automatically creates restore points, it is also a good idea to manually create some when you are making any major changes to your computer. To do this, select the button marked "Create a Restore Point" on the first screen and then click Next. Give the restore point a name and then click Create. The new point will be stamped with the current date and time.
So, as you can see, if you ever run into any problems with your computer, you have a safety net thanks to this little feature. I can't even remember how many times it has saved me. It's surely not something you want to forget about any time soon!
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Question: Windows Vista: Turn Off IE Sounds
Every time I click on something in Internet Explorer, it makes an annoying clicking sound. Can I change the settings to get this to stop?
Answer:
Yes, you can disable the clicking sound. Here are the steps:
Click on the Start button and open Control Panel. Open Hardware and Sound. Click on Sound. At the top of the window that you now see, click the Sounds tab.
In the Program area, scroll down to Windows Explorer. Under Windows Explorer, look for Start Navigation. Click on it to select it.
Further down in the window, you will see the Sounds area. Click the down arrow to the right of the current sound. A very long list will display; scroll to the top of the list and select None. The Sounds area will now display None.
Click the OK button and close any open Control Panel windows.
You will no longer hear any clicking sounds when navigating in Internet Explorer.
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Question: Windows XP: Change Text Size
You did an article last week on changing the text size in Vista. I still have an XP computer. Is it possible to change the text size?
Answer:
Yes, it is. Right click on a blank spot on the desktop. From the resulting menu, left click on Properties. This will display the Desktop Properties dialog box; click on the Appearance tab at the top.
In the drop down list under Font Size, you will probably see the word Normal. Click the small down arrow to the right of that. Click Large Fonts. Click OK to save your change and close the Properties window.
If you would like the text to be bigger, follow the above steps and select Extra Large Fonts.
Please visit our newsletter archives to learn how to change text size in Windows Vista.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/072008.html
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Websites of Interest:
Coffee Facts
Everything you have ever wanted to know about coffee.
http://www.coffeeresearch.org/
Life Magazine
Search through over seventy years of Life covers.
http://www.life.com/Life/cover_search
NASA: Solar System Exploration
This website will teach you just about everything there is to know about the solar system.
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov
Wildflowers
Visit this website from the U.S. Forest Service for information about these beautiful native American plants.
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/
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