Welcome
to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, January 10, 2010
In this Issue:
Special Feature: How to Spot and
Avoid a Scareware or ID Theft Protection Scam
Tips & Tricks: Bring Your
Middle Mouse Button to Life
Featured Computer Term: Lolcats
This Week's Topic: Speed Up a Slow
Computer - Clean the Desktop
Special
Feature: All About
Restore Points
Websites
of Interest: Medical Search
Engines; Word Puzzles; Appliance Repair
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Special Feature: How to Spot
and Avoid a Scareware or ID Theft Protection Scam
The
following is from scambusters.org
Protection
scam artists are making a fortune, cashing in on our fears about computer
security. They're pumping out scareware programs in the thousands, firing up bogus
warnings claiming our PCs have been infected with viruses and then demanding a
fee to remove them.
Others
send out protection messages, dishonestly claiming they can improve our online
security, offer credit protection and reduce the risk of identity theft.
Scareware
Let's
start with scareware -- virus protection scams that
generally flash warnings on our computer screens either claiming the machines
have infections or offering a "free" scan to see if you are infected
(which, of course, they'll say you are).
These
may be of the pop-up window variety, appearing during Internet browsing, or,
more recently, they may mimic the so-called Blue Screen of Death on PCs (not
Macs) which tells you your system has crashed.
You
are then invited to buy a license for a downloadable program with a
genuine-sounding name, sometimes similar to established, authentic software.
The
price is normally around $40, but the program does not work. Worse still, it
may even download other malicious software onto your computer -- stuff that may
steal personal information from your hard drive.
It
may even install ransomware -- programs that make
some of your data inaccessible until you pay a ransom fee.
According
to a recent article in USA Today, there are more than 9,000 varieties of these scareware programs, promoted by networks of hackers and
other crooks who get a fee each time they hook a
victim.
It's
big business; one Russian syndicate was said to have earned $146,000 in just 10
days. And a survey by Microsoft, testing for just one scareware
program, found 4.4 million machines were infected.
The
virus protection scam artists have multiple ways to get you into their
clutches. For instance, you may download the scareware
in the same way you get other malware onto your computer -- by clicking phony
links and attachments in email. Or
you may get a message offering to update a legitimate piece of software on your
computer (a Flash player for example), when it's really a scareware
download.
In
other cases, protection scams lurk on hijacked web pages (500,000 of them in
one recent count), search results on Google, ads and other online services.
Whatever
the route, they all end in that infection warning and download invitation and,
in many cases, even when you suspect a scam, you can't close the warning window
without launching another one. In
fact, you may not even be able to close your browser. As one
expert put it: It's like walking on quicksand.
So
how can you protect yourself from scareware? Here are some important tips:
First
and foremost, install legitimate Internet security software from the likes of
Symantec, McAfee, Trend, AVG, or Kaspersky. Hunt it
out yourself -- don't respond to protection spam. These programs will alert you
to scareware.
Scanning
your whole system should also remove any protection scam programs that have
already found their way onto your machine.
Second,
never click on a pop-up that claims your PC is infected or offers a free scan.
They are virtually all protection scams. Period. Don't
even click on the "no thanks" or "X" close box in these
cases -- after all, this is a scam, a click is a click, and you could end up
downloading malware. Instead, close
your browser. If you can't "X" out of it, right click (on a PC) on
the program icon in the taskbar and choose "Close."
If
that doesn't work, hold down the Control-Alt-Delete keys to bring up the
Windows Task Manager and then, under the Applications tab, select the browser
and choose "End task."
And
a couple of other scareware points to watch out for:
*
In one variation, the pop-up message claims you have an error in your system
registry or other part of your installation (or it offers to scan for these
errors) and, again, offers to put it right for a fee. Don't fall for it.
*
There's an offshoot of scareware called "prank
software," or "prankware," which is
really just a hoax intended to frighten you. A spooky graphic may open on your
screen or you may get a frightening dialog box that says something like
"Delete all files on your hard drive?" with only an "OK"
button.
This
is someone's idea of a practical joke. Ignore it and close your browser as
explained above. Then run your anti-virus scan.
In
our next newsletter, we will take a look at ID theft protection scams.
**********************************
Tips & Tricks: Bring Your
Middle Mouse Button to Life
The
following article is by Rick Broida of PC World
http://www.pcworld.com/blogs/id,60/hasslefree_pc.html
That
middle button is often ignored, but you can tap its potential for browsing more
efficiently, scrolling quickly, and more.
Take
a close look at your mouse. Chances are good it has at least three buttons:
left, right, and middle. (Note: Your middle button might be your scroll wheel,
which on most mice is clickable.)
Close
Browser Tabs Quickly
First
up: browser tabs. I routinely have 10-15 tabs open in my browser at any given
time. If I want to close a tab, I have to click it, then
click the little X that appears on the tab. That's one more click than I
prefer, and it brings into focus a tab I'm planning to close. Crazy, right?
If
you middle-click any tab in Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer,
boom, it's gone. No need to make it visible first; no need to reach for the X. Just middle-click, boom.
Open
Links in New Tabs
When
you middle-click a link in Google Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer (not
sure about Opera, but I'm guessing so), that link opens immediately in a new
tab.
Incidentally,
you can accomplish the same thing by holding down the Ctrl key and
left-clicking a link. But why bother with that when you can just as easily
click the middle mouse button?
Open
All Your Oft-Used Sites
Let's
say that you use Firefox or Internet Explorer and you've organized a handful of
favorite sites--you know, the ones you visit
daily--into a folder. Smart move.
Here's
an even smarter one: You can instantly open every link in a folder, each in its
own tab, by middle-clicking that folder.
This
works regardless of where the folder is located: your bookmarks toolbar, your
navigation toolbar, even a pull-down menu. One middle-click of a folder and
presto: every link therein opens in a new tab.
Scroll
In Your Docs
Have
you ever wondered what happens when you click and hold the middle mouse button?
Glad you asked. This action activates a handy page-scrolling option in
applications like Microsoft Word and Excel, Adobe Reader, Firefox, and Internet
Explorer.
In
other words, when you click and hold the middle mouse button, you can then drag
your mouse forward or back to scroll up or down the page, respectively. This
feature is intended for folks who don't have a scroll
wheel, but it works just as well with scroll wheels--and I know many people who
prefer the speed of middle-click scrolling to the slow, steady pace of wheel
scrolling.
**********************************
Featured Computer Term: Lolcats
My
grandkids talk about Lolcats. What is it?
Answer:
Lolcats was started by a pet lover and has turned
into one of the most popular websites online today. You can find the site here:
http://icanhascheezburger.com/
Funny
captions are added to photos of cats and kittens. The assumption is, if cats
could talk and write, that is what it would be like; hence the extremely poor spelling
and bad grammar in the captions.
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.
**********************************
Today's Topic: Speed Up a
Slow Computer - Clean the Desktop
As
your Windows computer ages, its speed can decrease. You will notice an increase in response
time when you give commands to open programs, files or folders, use the
Internet and other tasks. There are
several things you can do to speed up your computer.
Over
the next several editions of this newsletter, we will present articles
discussing some of the steps you can take to speed up your slow computer.
Speed
Up a Slow Computer: Clean the Desktop
Important: before making any changes to your
system, always create a Restore Point.
Read our article, All About Restore Points, in
the Special Feature section, below, in this newsletter.
Every
time you start your computer, memory is used by all the files on the
Desktop. If these files are
shortcuts (they have a little curving up and to the left), they do not take a
lot of memory. If the files are not
shortcuts, or there are dozens of shortcuts on your desktop, they will be using
quite a bit of operating memory.
If
the memory is being used by these files, the computer will have to swap memory
from the hard drive to carry out commands that you are giving. This is called memory paging, and what
you will see is a slowdown in the computer’s operation.
Put
the files in the My Documents, or Documents folder. If you have many files that you would
prefer to keep better organized, create separate folders for them.
A
clean Desktop will improve the response time for the computer to carry out your
commands.
In
our next edition, learn how to speed up your computer by uninstalling unused
programs.
**************************************************************
Special
Feature: All About
Restore Points
Before
making any changes to your computer’s system, always create a Restore
Point.
The
System Restore feature is used to return your computer to an earlier state if
you have a system failure or other major problem with your computer. The point
of System Restore is to restore your system to a workable state without you
having to reinstall the operating system and lose your files in the process.
If
you create a restore point before making your changes, and something goes wrong
with those changes, you can easily return to the point when the computer was
working.
To
create a restore point in Windows XP:
Click
Start
All
Programs
Accessories
System
Tools
System
Restore
Click
Create a restore point
Click
Next.
In
the Restore point description box, type a name to identify this restore point.
System Restore adds the date and time that this Restore Point is created.
Click
Create
To
create a restore point in Windows Vista:
Click
the Start Orb
Right
click Computer
Click
Properties
This
will open the System area of Control Panel. Click Advanced
system settings on the left hand side. An alert box may open, click Continue.
Click
the System Protection tab to get to the System Restore section. The system will search for available
disks; this may take a few moments.
Click
the Create button to create a new restore point.
A
window will open asking you to type a description for the Restore Point. Type in a name that is easy to remember;
the date and time will be added automatically.
Click
the Create button. The restore
point will be created.
To
use a restore point in Windows XP
Click
Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and
then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
On
the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier
time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.
On
the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point in
the On this list, click a restore point list, and then
click Next. Note A
System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System
Restore will make. Click OK.
On
the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next.
System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then
restarts the computer.
Click
OK.
To
use a restore point in Windows Vista
Click
the Start Orb
Right
click Computer
Click
Properties
This
will open the System area of Control Panel. Click Advanced
system settings on the left hand side. An alert box may open, click Continue.
Click
the System Protection tab to get to the System Restore section.
Click
the System Restore button.
You
will now be at the System Restore window. From here, you can specify the
restore point that you would like to use.
Vista
will already have selected the Recommended restore
option. If you would like to use this restore point, click the Next button to
start the restore process. if there is another restore
point that you would like to use, click Choose a different restore point and
then click the Next button. A window listing all the available restore points
will be displayed. Click restore point that you would like to use; click the
Next button.
Vista
will display a Window showing your selected restore point and ask you to
confirm. Click the Finish button to begin the restore process.
A
second window will open asking you to confirm that you would like to continue
the restore. Click the Yes button. Vista will start the System Restore process.
**********************************
Websites of Interest:
Medical Search Engines
Check
these sites for information about health topics and answers to medical
questions.
HealthFinder, from the US Department of Health and Human
Services - http://www.healthfinder.gov/
Healthline - http://www.healthline.com/
Omni
Medical Search - http://www.omnimedicalsearch.com/
PubMed is a service of the National Library of
Medicine - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/
WebMD
- http://www.webmd.com/
Word
Puzzles
A word lover's guide to word games.
http://www.word-buff.com/
Appliance
Repair
For
the do it yourselfer, visit this site for free appliance repair and
troubleshooting advice.
http://www.appliancerepair.com/