Welcome to
this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, May 4, 2008
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Identity Theft on
the Internet – Protect Yourself
Tip # 6 Never Leave
Information on a Public Computer
Tips &
Tricks: Google Phone Directory
Important Reminder – Antivirus Auto Scans
This Week's
Topic: Start Programs Automatically
Question: Windows Vista Firewall
Websites of Interest: Cinco de Mayo; Mothers Day; Neptune Ocean Observatory
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Special Feature: Identity
Theft on the Internet – Protect Yourself
Tip # 6 Never Leave
Information on a Public Computer
If you use
a computer away from home – at a coffee shop, Internet café,
library or any other public location, your information can be left behind for
someone else to access.
Try to
avoid using public computers but, if you cannot, make sure you log out of any
sites you visited. That includes
your email account and any other websites you sign into.
This
article is Part 6 of our series, Identity Theft on the Internet – Protect
Yourself. To read our previous
tips, please visit our newsletter archives:
Tip #1 Never Put
Personal or Financial Information In An Email
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/033008.html
Tip #2 Beware of
Phishing Attempts
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040608.html
Tip #3 Never Post
Personal Information Online
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/041308.html
Tip # 4
Never Click on Pop Up Advertising Windows
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/042008.html
Tip # 5 Never
Put Personal Information on an Insecure Website
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/042708.html
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Tips & Tricks: Google Phone
Directory
Google has
listings for millions of
Please visit
our archives for the Google Tips and Tricks we featured in previous editions of
our newsletter:
Google
Dictionary
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/021008.html
Google
Stock Watch
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/021708.html
Google
Calculator
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/022408.html
Google
Weather
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/030208.html
Google
Worldwide Clock
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/030908.html
Google
Measurement Conversion
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/041308.html
Google
Facts
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/042008.html
Google
Flight Status
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/042708.html
**************************************************************
Important Reminder – Antivirus Auto Scans
Have your
computer run full scans on a regular basis. Even though most antivirus programs have
a protection feature that should find and stop any virus attempting to attack
your computer, it is still a good idea to run full system scans
periodically.
Most
antivirus programs include the ability to set up automatic scans. To see if your program has this feature,
open it up and look into the Settings menu. If you can’t find it by looking
around, go into Help and do a search on Scheduling Scans. If no information is available there,
visit your antivirus program’s website.
After
learning how to set up the automatic periodic scan, you will have to decide
when to run the scan. With many
antivirus programs, a scan will slow down your computer significantly, so you
do not want the scans to run while you are working. It is best to set up the scan to run
when you are not using your computer.
Pick a time when your computer is on; scans will not run if the computer
is shut down. And, make sure your
computer is not in standby or hibernation mode either; an antivirus scan will
not wake the computer up.
When you
are setting up the automatic scan, some antivirus programs will ask you which
types of files to scan. Select all
of them. Currently, there are types of files that cannot contain or be affected
by viruses, but things change.
There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of hackers out there writing
new viruses all the time. Who knows when one of them is going to discover a way
to put viruses into files that we think are safe.
And,
don’t forget to update your antivirus. While you are looking around in your
antivirus program, check on the expiration date. It is important for the program to be
current, so it has information on any new viruses out there.
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: Start Programs
Automatically
Question: On my granddaughter’s computer,
Outlook Express starts up automatically when she turns the computer on. Can I set mine to do that too?
Answer:
Yes, you
can. You can add an Outlook Express
shortcut to the Startup folder in your Start menu. Here are the steps:
Click on
Start and open All Programs. Right
click on Startup. Left click Open
in the resulting menu. A folder
will open on the desktop.
Click on
Start again and open All Programs.
Look for
Outlook Express. Point to it; press
and hold down the right mouse button.
With the button pressed, drag it to the desktop. When the mouse pointer
is pointing to the desktop, release the button. A small menu will open; left click on
Copy or Create Shortcut Here (depending on your version of Windows).
Close the
Start menu. Drag the icon for
Outlook Express into the Startup folder window. Close the window and restart the
computer. When the computer is
completely restarted, Outlook Express will be open on the Desktop.
You can use
these steps to automatically open any program at startup. While this will add time to the start up
of your computer, it is a convenient way to start a program that you use every
time you turn on your computer.
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Question: Windows
How do I
turn on the firewall on my new Windows Vista computer?
Answer:
Click the
Start orb and then open Control Panel.
Click Security. That will
open the Security page.
Click
Windows Firewall. It will tell you
whether the Firewall is on or off.
If it is off, click Change Settings.
The User
Account Control window will open and the screen will darken slightly. This is a security precaution that you
will see every time you try to make changes to the system. It can be an
inconvenience but it is there to insure that you are the one making the changes
and not a virus or hacker. Click
the Continue button.
The Windows
Firewall Settings window will now be on the screen. Click the small circle to
the left of On (recommended).
Click the
OK button and close any open Control Panel windows.
The Windows
Firewall will now be on and protecting your computer.
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Websites of Interest:
Cinco de Mayo
The Fifth Of May is a holiday that commemorates
http://www.nacnet.org/assunta/spa5may.htm
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Mariachi Music and Special Fare. This
website has recipes for spicy soups, salads, and chicken and fish dinners.
http://www.tabasco.com/html/taste_cincorelease.html
Mothers Day
Next Sunday
is Mothers Day. Visit our website
for many fun and interesting links for and about Mom.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/mom.html
Take a look
at this amazing ocean observatory, where you can learn all about our planet's
oceans, look at some astounding photographs and much more.
http://tinyurl.com/5e3frg