Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten
Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, April 5, 2009
We will not be publishing this newsletter next week so that
we can celebrate the holidays with our families and friends. We wish all of our readers a Happy Passover
and Happy Easter.
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Keylogger
Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 15. Resize Pictures Before
Inserting Them in Emails
Featured Computer Term:
Alert Box
This Week's Topic:
Speed Up a Slow Computer - Clean the Desktop
Special Feature: All
About Restore Points
Websites of Interest:
Passover; Easter; April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month;
Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online 2.
Looking for a cheaper cell phone plan?
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Special Feature: Keylogger
Question: What is a keylogger?
Answer:
The following is from about.com:
In its simplest form, a keylogger trojan is malicious, surreptitious
software that monitors your keystrokes, logging them to a file and sending them
off to remote attackers. Some keyloggers are sold as
commercial software - the type a parent might use to record their children's
online activities or a suspicious spouse might install to keep
tabs on their partner.
Keyloggers may record all
keystrokes, or they may be sophisticated enough to monitor for specific
activity - like opening a web browser pointing to your online banking site.
When the desired behavior is observed, the keylogger goes into record mode, capturing your login
username and password.
Some sites attempt to thwart keyloggers
by having the user respond to visual cues they must point to with their mouse
instead of using their keyboard. However, some keylogger
trojans also capture screenshots, thereby negating
the effect of this strategy.
The best defense against keyloggers
is prevention. One of the most common infection sources is peer-to-peer (P2P) filesharing networks, such as Kazaa,
Morpheus, Gnutella, and dozens of others. Keyloggers are also commonly sent as email attachments and via links in
instant messages that point to the infected file.
To stay safe means becoming proactively engaged in your own
security:
* Use antivirus software and keep it updated.
* Install Windows security patches.
* Use a firewall.
* Avoid opening email attachments received unexpectedly - no
matter who appears to have sent it.
* Stay knowledgeable about Internet scams
and virus hoaxes.
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Tips & Tricks: Twenty Five Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette: 15. Resize Pictures Before
Inserting Them in Emails
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.
Resize Pictures to Handy Proportions Before
Inserting Them in Emails
Certainly, you have received the occasional email with
images so large they stood out from the message in every direction, barely
recognizable themselves. Similarly, when mega-pixel snapshots turn into
mega-sized graphics, you may have wondered how to include them in your messages
easily and with reasonable proportions.
Fortunately, resizing images for use in emails need not be
an arduous task or involve complicated, slow to launch software.
To trim images to be lean and fit for emails, visit ResizR.
http://resizr.lord-lance.com/
It is an easy-to-use website for resizing pictures.
* Open ResizR.
* Click Browse...
and select the desired image.
* Use the slider
or the entry field to choose the desired width. Use a width between 300 and 640
pixels. (Try 340 pixels first).
* Click ResizR.
* Drag and drop
the resulting image to your Desktop.
Insert the Shrunken Image in Your Message
Now insert the resized image in your email. Visit our website to learn how to do that in
a few of the more popular email programs and services:
Optimum Online Web Mail
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/042008.html
America Online (Website)
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/041308.html
Gmail
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040608.html
America Online (AOL Program)
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/031608.html
Windows Mail
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/030908.html
Outlook Express
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/030208.html
Hotmail
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/022408.html
Yahoo
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/021708.html
Host the Image Online
If you don't want to send your
image as an attachment, you can use a free image hosting service to store it
online and link to it or insert it as a remote image in email messages. Here are some free image hosting services:
Photobucket
http://photobucket.com/
flickr
http://flickr.com/
shutterfly
http://www.shutterfly.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:
Alert Box
Question: What is an alert box?
Answer:
An alert box is a small window that opens when your computer
is about to perform an operation. Some alert boxes let you know that the
process about to happen could have consequences potentially damaging to the
computer.
Alert boxes act as reminders for you so you do not
accidentally do something you did not mean to do. For example, you will see an
alert box when you delete a file. A
small window will open asking you if you are sure you
want to remove that item. Other alert
boxes will contain messages that inform you of illegal operations, shutting
down your computer, or any changes you make on your system.
The alert box icon is a triangle with an exclamation point
in the middle.
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: 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.
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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.
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Websites of Interest:
Passover
Passover begins on Thursday.
Visit our website for information, recipes, resources
for children, E-cards and much more.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/passover.html
Easter
Visit our website for information, traditions, recipes, egg
decorating tips, fun Easter graphics and much more.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/easter.html
April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. Visit the ASPCA website to learn how you can
help.
http://www.aspca.org/
Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online 2.
Looking for a cheaper cell phone plan?
From Wendy Boswell of about.com
No matter what your financial situation may be, it is always
a good idea to learn new ways to save money. Find out how you can utilize the
power of the Web to save money, find good deals, and improve your financial
status.
2.
Looking for a cheaper cell phone plan?
Try BillShrink, a free service
that recommends the very best cell phone plan for you and your unique needs. Here's how it works:
* You tell BillShrink about your cell phone, how you use it, how many
minutes you use, what you want as far as features, etc.
* BillShrink takes into account all the plans that are
available in your unique geographical area.
* You get a page
full of personalized-to-you cell phone plans that tell you how much money you
could be saving.
http://www.billshrink.com/
Tip: Some websites
may require you to register to use their features. When you register at websites, you may be
signing up for spam (junk mail) if the recipient sells email addresses to
spammers. There is a way to avoid this
and still be able to take advantage of the great things that site has to
offer. Read our article, Minimizing Spam
– Registering Online, at our newsletter archives, to learn how use websites
without getting junk mail.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/111608.html
Next Edition: Mapquest Road Trip Planner
Please visit our newsletter archives for previous articles
in our Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online series:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/savemoney.html