Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, February 8, 2009


In this Issue:
Special Feature: Ten Valuable Tips to Beat the Scammers
Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 8. Don't Forward Hoaxes
Featured Computer Term: Cookies
This Week's Topic: Cleaning Up Your Hard Disk: Windows Disk Cleanup
Question: Fix a Scratched CD
Websites of Interest: Abraham Lincoln: Collected Works; Valentine’s Day; Presidents Day; Encyclopedia Mythica

We will not be publishing a newsletter next week in observance of President’s Day. See you in two weeks!

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Special Feature: Ten Valuable Tips to Beat the Scammers

We want this year to be safe, secure and scam-free year for all of our friends. Here are ten simple things you can do to avoid the scammers:

Do your homework. Then you'll know if someone offers a deal that is not in your best interest or even illegal.

Be skeptical.

Never let anyone rush you into making decisions or signing documents.

Always read the small print.

Don’t carry around documents you don’t need. This includes your social security card and all those credit cards.

Watch your accounts. Periodically (more frequently than you get your statements) look at your credit card and bank statements. Check on your credit report.

When you are online, don't click on links or open attachments from people you don’t know.

Keep your computer up to date. Upgrade your antivirus and antispyware programs.

If something does happen, notify the appropriate authorities.

Read information like you get in this newsletter, to keep yourself educated on current scams.

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Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 8. Don't Forward Hoaxes

This article is part of our ongoing series on Email Etiquette. With the help of Heinz Tschabitscher from about.com, we are taking an in depth look at email etiquette. 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.

Don't Forward Hoaxes

Hoaxes are chain letters telling interesting (sometimes funny, often scaring) stories of computer viruses, something for free (even money), new laws and much more. They all have one thing in common: they are not true.

Do not forward such a story unless you have investigated it yourself. You will irritate those that do not spot the hoax and they will probably pass it on, causing more irritation.

Those that identify the hoax will likely send you a message notifying you that you passed on an urban legend.

Visit these sites to investigate hoax news that you receive:

http://www.snopes.com/

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/

To read previous editions of this series, please visit our newsletter archives:

http://computerkindergarten.com/html/etiquette.html

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Featured Computer Term: Cookies

Question: Can you explain "cookies"? What is their use? Someone told me I can delete them as they take up space?

Answer:

A cookie is a piece of information unique to you that your browser saves and sends back to a Web server when you revisit a Web site (the Web server is the computer that hosts a Web site that your browser downloads or sees). The server tells your browser where to put the cookie on the server. Cookies contain information such as log-in or registration information, online shopping cart information (your online buying patterns in a certain retail site), user preferences, what site you came from last, etc.

The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and possibly prepare customized Web pages for them. When you enter a Web site using cookies, you may be asked to fill out a form providing such information as your name and interests. This information is packaged into a cookie and sent to your Web browser, which stores it for later use. The next time you go to the same Web site, your browser will send the cookie to the Web server. The server can use this information to present you with custom Web pages. So, for example, instead of seeing just a generic welcome page you might see a welcome page with your name on it. This can be very convenient if you shop frequently at a particular website; the cookie remembers your information such as name, address, credit card number, and you won’t have to input that information each time you purchase something.

The name cookie derives from UNIX objects called magic cookies. These are tokens that are attached to a user or program and change depending on the areas entered by the user or program. Cookies are also sometimes called persistent cookies because they typically stay in the browser for long periods of time.

To see all the cookies that your browser has stored on your computer, click the Start button, choose Run, type Cookies in the Run box, and press Enter. Each cookie is stored as a separate file that includes your username, an @ sign, and the name of the site that stored the information. You can double-click on any cookie to open its file in Notepad, and you can use the Delete key to get rid of any cookie you decide you don't want or need.

Question: How do you know which cookies to keep and which to delete? This newsletter is terrific! I’m learning so much from it.

Answer: You can delete all the cookies if you want. The only thing they do is hold information about your activities and account information with a particular website.

For example if you frequently shop at a specific website, a cookie from this website identifies you and will include your name and items you might be interested in when you visit their website.

If you delete this cookie, the website will show you a generic page and you will have to log in each time using your username and password before you can access your account with them. When you order, you may also have to manually type in your name, address, and any other necessary information that the cookie would put in for you.

To delete all the cookies, click Start and open Control Panel. Open Internet Options. On the General tab, click on the button that says Delete Cookies.

If you’re using Windows Vista, click Start and open Control Panel. Open Internet Options. On the General tab, in the Browsing history area, click the Delete button. In the next window, click the Delete Cookies button.

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.

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Today's Topic: Cleaning Up Your Hard Disk: Windows Disk Cleanup

Today's computers come with hard drives that have amazing amounts of disk space. But no matter how big, new programs, caches, and temporary files can use up this free space pretty quickly and cause clutter on the drive and computer slowdowns.

You will see many programs out there offering to help you free up hard disk space, for a fee. Windows has built-in tools that will do just as thorough a job in cleaning up your hard drive – and, they’re free!

Over the next several editions of this newsletter, we are going to show you how to use these Windows tools to clean up your hard drive.

Windows Disk Cleanup

Double-click the Computer or My Computer icon on your Desktop. A window will open, listing the drives found on your computer. We are going to clean up the C: drive, which is the primary hard disk on your computer.

Right click on the C: drive. A menu will display, left click on Properties. This will open the C Properties window. You will see the amount of used space (blue), the amount of free space (pink) and the total capacity of the hard drive. Below that, you will see a pie chart diagram showing you the amount of used and free space.

Click the Disk Cleanup button, which is found right below the pie chart. Windows will calculate how much space can be freed up. This may take a few moments, depending on the size of your hard drive.

After Windows is finished with the calculation, you will see a display of a list of files types, along with the amount of space that can be freed up if you delete them. These files are unnecessary and only clutter up your computer. They can be removed.

If you would like a description of each file category, click on it. You will see a description for that type of file.

To delete the files, click the small box to the left of the category name. You will see a small checkmark appear in the box. Once you have all the categories checked, click the OK button at the bottom of the window. Windows will ask you to confirm the deletion, and then all the files will be deleted.

In our next newsletter: Remove Unnecessary Windows Components

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Question: Fix a Scratched CD

I have several CDs that have scratches on them. Can these be fixed?

Answer:

Maybe. First try cleaning the disk. Run some warm water or rubbing alcohol on it. Shake off and let dry.

Sometimes polishing a CD can work. Toothpaste, believe it or not, is used to clean CDs. Toothpaste with baking soda works best. Put a small amount on a soft cloth, like one you would use to clean glasses, and very gently polish the CD. Rinse with warm water and let it dry.

Try making a copy of the CD. Sometimes a computer can read a scratched CD with no problems at all and make a good copy. If these CDs contain important files, you may want to make two copies. Keep one for your use and the other in a secure place.

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Websites of Interest:

Abraham Lincoln: Collected Works

While Abraham Lincoln is most famous for his opposition to slavery, his "Emancipation Proclamation", and his role in helping to end the Civil War, he also did some writing. At this site you can browse through his speeches, correspondence, debates and more.

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/

Valentine’s Day

Visit our website for fun Valentines links, information, graphics and much more.

http://computerkindergarten.com/html/valentine.html

Presidents Day

Visit our website for links to sites with biographies, timelines, articles, e-cards and much more.

http://computerkindergarten.com/html/presidents.html

Encyclopedia Mythica

Everything about mythology. With Greek, Roman, Celtic and much more, you will find this site packed with interesting information.

http://www.pantheon.org/