** Issue #13 February 15th, 2007 **
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#1- News, News, News
I appreciate all who have commented on the newsletter articles. It's great feedback and a neat way to share your thoughts with your fellow readers.
Hey! Today is my birthday. I think we should make it a National Holiday. Contact your Congressmen!
In This Issue...
#2 - Do you have a buck or two?
#3 - Passwords, MySpace, and Fishing - Some basic advice to keep you safe on the World Wide Web.
#4 - Printing your documents - Everything you need to know about printing Office documents.
#5 - My recommended Software - Updated to reflect the Anti Spyware winner! Looking for software? Want the best?
#6 - The Lighter Side - Some humor to lighten your load!
#7 - Useful websites - Websites I've visited lately that you may find useful.
In the next issue...
Some interesting Vista news.
Here is where I beg!
I hope you find this newsletter useful. I strive to provide information in a manner that is entertaining and useful for everyone. There is something in each newsletter for everyone. If you enjoy reading the newsletter I would appreciate if you would tell a friend, relative, or coworker. Use any means necessary to spread the word about Daves Computer Tips. A quick suggestion: It's my birthday. Think National Holiday!
As always I appreciate your comments and suggestions about the site and newsletter. If you would like to share please contact me at dave @ davescomputertips.com.
Carol is our resident "Office Goddess". If you have Microsoft Office questions or suggestions for future Office articles shoot her an email at carol @ carolscorneroffice.com.
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#2 - Do you have a buck or two?
Total collected to date is 20% of the cost, so the purchase is on hold for a while longer. Be assured the money is tucked away and will be used for no other purposes, as I promised.
I'm asking those that have an extra dollar or two and appreciate the work I do to donate a few of dollars in support of the newsletter. The money will be used to purchase a new computer running Microsoft Vista. The new computer will allow me to begin adding relevant Vista content to the newsletter! There is no pressure to contribute. If you don't think this newsletter is worthy, I won't hold that against you. If you don't agree with me groveling for donations I understand. I won't hold anything against anyone. I won't give those that can donate special treatment (other than a heart felt thank you). I won't change the newsletter. The only purpose of this request is the purchase of a new computer to further the efforts of my site and newsletter.
#3 - Passwords, MySpace, & fishing
By David Hartsock
Well I'm not really talking about fishing, but phishing. Phishing is the mass sending of emails with bogus information in hopes that some of the recipients will take an action the sender wants. The problem here is the sender is not who you think it is. The action is usually to visit a website. The website isn't what you think it is. You're about to be had!
A phishing email is sent to hundreds, thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people. Usually it expresses some urgent need for you to visit a website. It's called phishing because it resembles a fisherman throwing a wide net in hopes of catching a few fish (you don't want to be the fish). They use common reasons such as; account verification, account suspension, account disputes, banking account being frozen, and payment disputes among others. The main point is it suggests you need to take action to prevent some dire consequence, save your money, or make some money. They want information such as passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and dates of birth.
When we receive an email we look at the header, which is what tells us who the email is from and when it was sent. It says it is from MySpace and the email address is info@myspace.com so it must be safe, right? Wrong! The email header is easily forged. The right (or wrong in this case) person can make an email header say anything they want.
So, using the above example, the email says I have a friend request and need to login by clicking the link below. Below I can see the link and it says http://www.myspace.com/login/ so I know that it's a good link, right? Wrong! There are many ways to hide the true destination of a hyperlink. This is especially true in html email. For the next week, when you receive an email, hover your mouse over the links in the email. Most email clients will show you a little more detail about the link.
Below is a phishing email I received on 2/14. Some things to point out: appears to come from eBay, tells me I have to take immediate action, several typos and grammatical errors, and hovering over the link shows the true address they want me to visit.
(CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW FULL SIZE)
So where am I going with this? I wanted to give a little background about some, not all, ways you may inadvertently find yourself in a position to give your passwords or personal information away. Don't trust a link. Always open your browser and visit the website yourself!
The latest versions of both FireFox and Internet Explorer offer some form of protection against this type of activity. The merits of each are beyond this article, but both operate in a slightly different manner and produce different results. I prefer a free tool from McAfee called Site Advisor. Site advisor works with both FireFox and Internet Explorer. Site Advisor uses specific criteria as well as user reviews to rate every site on the internet. When you visit a site with Site Advisor the panel displays an easily recognized banner (Red-Bad Site, Yellow-Caution, Gray-Unknown, and Green-Good). It also rates search results, as seen in this Google search on Spyware.
While I'm on the subject of Site Advisor www.davescomputertips.com has not received enought reviews to get the GREEN flag from McAfee. If you install Site Advisor, and I hope you do, please take a few moments to give www.davescomputertips a positive review so new visitors will see Daves Computer Tips as a safe site to visit.
Passwords and personal data
Passwords are virtual keys. Unlike your house key you don't always have physical control of the key. Imagine if your bank, storage locker, neighbor, in-laws, and enemies all had a copy of your house key. Pretty scary! That's how it is in today's online world. Almost everything you do in the online world requires a password. You have the password, but so does the company (and it's employees) that owns the website. Not only do they have your password, but all too often they have personal information such as your name, address, SSN, and date of birth. As is the case with phishing emails someone is always trying to get your passwords and personal information. Sometimes they are successful.
Have a look at this list of companies and universities who have lost data - http://attrition.org/dataloss/, then come back and finish this article. I'll wait...
Does anyone else find it interesting that colleges, the institution responsible for teaching computer science students, can't control or protect their own data?
I know I've taken the scenic route on this topic, but how many of you use the same password over and over again? Your bank, your school, your email. If someone happens to get access to your records in one place you have just given them the key to everything. Let's say your college loses your data and it's discovered. Your name, DOB, SSN, email address, and password are now being circulated on the internet. How many sites did you use that password on? There are just too many to remember. What about your email account, are your personal and business emails safe? How many of you use a password that isn't secure? ABC123, your name, your child's name, your date of birth. Not good enough!
What I'm getting at (taking the scenic route) is one password isn't enough. One insecure password definitely isn't enough. Recently MySpace (and it's users) were victim of a scam website, which was setup to look like a MySpace login page. This type of page could be pointed to from a phishing email or from a link on another page. The point is it happened and it wasn't an actual MySpace login, but a fake.
The result is that over 55,000 people visited the page and entered their personal data before the scam was found out. Over 55,000 email addresses and passwords! How many of those were also used for banking and internet shopping? I don't know, but I bet the number is high.
See for yourself! Here is the actual list of email addresses and passwords from the site (1.72MB)
The cool thing about this is when the scam was found out so were the files where the entered email addresses and passwords were stored. This gives us a real world sample of what people (maybe you) are using.
Some of the most common passwords:
password1
abc123
iloveyou1
123456
password
123abc
princess1
swimmer1
f***you
So what should you be doing? Use strong passwords of at least 10 characters, and uses upper case, lower case, numbers, and special characters (#@&*!$%^*). Don't use words, names, birthdates, or easily recognized phrases. There are many password cracking tools available that use dictionary and brute force attacks. These tools can easily crack passwords like this. Try very hard to use different passwords for each shopping site, email account, and banking account.
I use a program called Roboform, which I highly recommend. Roboform works with both FireFox and Internet explorer. Roboform can generate passwords to the specifications you choose, but the most important function, in my opinion, is the ability to encrypt your passwords and store them locally in what Roboform calls Passcards. By remembering one master password you have instant access to all.
When you want to visit your bank you click the passcard in Roboform and enter your master password. Roboform goes to the page, decrypts your real password and automatically enters your username and password on the site. Another benefit is this method eliminates some of the dangers if you have been infected with a keylogger.
Roboform is free for the first 10 passcards. Purchasing the program allows unlimited passcards. Download it and give it a try. Use it's generate function to create real passwords. Try a minimum of 10 characters, upper case, lower case, numbers, and special characters.
A similar program that is open source is KeePass. I prefer Roboform and believe it to be much more mature and it integrates directly into FireFox and IE, but the choice is yours.
Guard your personal data. Ensure the companies and institutions you trust your data with have a policy about data loss. Use good passwords.
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#4 - Printing your documents
by Carol A. Bratt
Once you've finished drafting, editing and formatting your document, you most likely will want to print a hard copy. Word allows you to print a selection, the current page, a range of pages, or the entire document, depending on your requirements. You can print one or more copies, document properties, odd or even pages, or even several pages per sheet.
I know you've all clicked on File | Print or CTRL + P so often that you don't even think about it about it when you do it. It's just one of those tactile things you do to print your document. So now I want you to really take a look at the Print dialog box and see what it can do for you.
First, check out the Name drop-down arrow to view all available printers.
Next, click on Properties to see a list of choices related to your specific printer.
Under Page Range, you can select to print All pages, only the Current page or a range of Pages, or a Selection of text (highlighted text).
To print a range of contiguous pages, type in the page numbers separated by a dash, say 2-5. To print a range of non-contiguous pages, use commas to separate, such as 1,5,6,10. If necessary, you can use both commas and dashes together: 1-4,5,7. To print from page 13 to the end of the document, type the page number follows by a dash (13-).
The Page Range area prints specific areas of the document from one page to the entire document and everything in between.
When text is selected, the Selection option becomes available to print only what it selected.
When you use Sections in your document and you want to print an entire section, type s followed by the section number. For example, if you want to print Section 4, type s4. You can specify a page range within a section by using a combination of page number and section numbers. For example, p2s5-p7s5 will print pages 2 through 7 of section 5.
Click the drop-down arrow to see a list of choices in the Print What drop-down list.
Click the Print drop-down arrow to choose whether or not to print All pages In Range, Odd Pages, or Even Pages.
In the Copies section of the Print dialog box, choose the Number of Copies you wish to print. The default is 1. Select Collate if you are printing multiple copies of a multi-page document.
In the Zoom section, select the number of Pages Per Sheet and the Scale To Paper Size type. The default is No Scaling.
From the lower-left side of the Print dialog box, click Options to choose from a number of print-specific options.
Update Fields: Any fields contained within the document, such as dates, table of contents or page numbers, will be updated prior to printing.
Update Links: Any linked files are updated prior to printing.
Allow A4/Letter Paper Resizing: Word adjusts the document formatted for A4 paper to print on 8.5" X 11" paper.
Background Printing: Prints the document in the background, which allows you to continue to work, if necessary. This feature may be turned off to speed up the current print job.
Print PostScript Over Text: This is used when printing converted Macintosh documents.
Reverse Print Order: Prints from the last page to the first. Use this option to have pages print in the correct order on a printer that prints face up.
Document Properties: Prints properties found in the Properties dialog box of the document.
Field Codes: Prints the field codes rather than the field results for any fields contained within a document.
Hidden Text: Prints text that has been formatted as hidden text.
Drawing Objects: Prints any drawing objects contained within the document.
Print Data Only For Forms: As the name implies, prints only the form fields contained in online forms.
Default Tray: Choose a default tray to print from in a multi-tray printer.
Options For Duplex Printing: Allows you to set options for documents that will be printed on both sides of the page.
Not everyone is aware of it, but you can create a macro to make printing a selection a very quick process in Word 2002 and 2003. You can eliminate opening up the Print dialog box by creating a shortcut key for your macro.
Follow the steps below to create your macro and assign it to a keyboard shortcut:
- Press ALT + F11. This will open Microsoft Visual Basic.
- In the Project-Normal view, double-click Normal | Microsoft Word Objects | This Document.
- Enter the following code in the Normal | This Document window:
Sub PrintSelection()
'PrintSelection macro
Application.PrintOut Range: =wdPrintSelection
End Sub
- Select File | Close And Return to Microsoft Word.
- Select Tools | Customize.
- Click the Keyboard button.
- Under Categories, select Macros.
- Under Macros, select PrintSelection.
- In the Press New Shortcut key text box, press Alt + P. In the Select Changes In drop-down menu, select Normal.dot.
- Click the Assign button.
- Click Close twice to return to your document.
Now when you want to print a selection, simply highlight the selection you would like to print and press Alt + P!
There are certainly other macros to be made to make your printing life easier, but they are too many for me to include here.
Carol writes the monthly Word Bytes Newsletter with more tips and tricks each issue. Visit Carol's website for more great Microsoft Office tips and tricks! Visit Carol's site at www.carolscorneroffice.com.
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#5- My Recommended Software
Anti-spyware and Anti-malware Software
Webroot SpySweeper - Daves Computer Tips Seal of Approval Winner! See the test results HERE. Spysweeper provides the best protection of the seven anti-spyware programs tested! Great detection and removal rates with a small real-time protection memory footprint. This is the one you want! SpySweeper includes the ASK toolbar. Be sure to uncheck this option during installation. Free 14 day trial.
CounterSpy - Runner-up in my Anti-Spyware test. Not only does CounterSpy scan and remove spyware, it also uses real time protection. Real-time protection prevents spyware infection. Free 15 day trial. Winner of Computer Shopper Magazine's Best Buy Award!
Antivirus and Firewall Software
ESET Smart Security - New from the maker's of NOD32. Antivirus, Antispyware, Antispam, and Firewall all wrapped into one effective, swift, and low resource package. It is what I use to protect each of my computers!
Kaspersky Antivirus - Kaspersky is my second choice for antivirus software. A good program that is very close in performance to NOD32. Free trial.
Online Armor Firewall - You shouldn't be on the internet without a software firewall that offers inbound and outbound protection. Online Armor is the Best of the Best. Online Armor uses an interface that is easier to navigate than most other firewalls and the protection level can't be beat! Online Armor is available in both a free and reasonably priced paid version, which offers even more protection!
Audio and Video Software
Acoustica Audio Converter Pro - This program converts audio formats and bitrates. Perfect for those with portable audio players or large music collections. 30 day trial.
Adobe Premier Elements - Elements is the consumer version of Adobe Premiere. It costs 1/6th the price, but is very capable of making videos that will impress everyone.
DVDFab is my favorite DVD software. I tried over 30 different programs before settling on DVDFab. It offers every function of the other programs and more! Copy, burn, shrink, convert for mobile devices, or convert for streaming. Almost all of the other programs I've tried did not function as advertised, were extremely slow, or did not have features that worked as advertised. DVDFab works, and works as advertised! It's easy to use, has a pleasant user interface, and it updated often.
Computer Hardware
Crucial Memory - Memory (RAM) is the upgrade that gives any computer the best bang for the buck. If you want to speed things up with more memory, why not purchase it from the leading source of quality RAM memory. Great selection, good prices, excellent support, and a lifetime warranty! A real winner!
CyberGuys - The place to get those hard to find cables and accessories for your computer!
HP Computers
- My current pick for new laptops and desktops. In the current market I don't think you can beat HP's combination of price and performance. Their laptop line is very cost effective and the design is absolutely beautiful!
Newegg - Newegg.com is known for great service and awesome pricing on computers, upgrades, and electronics. If you're looking for computers, computer parts, or electronics you owe it to yourself to start here! Great Products. Great Prices. Great Customer Service!
Computer Maintenance Software
Diskeeper 2008 - My current favorite defrag program. As files are written and erased from the hard drive they begin to leave "spaces" behind. When the drive is written to again files are broken up to fill in these spaces. This causes the drive to go to several different locations to read an entire file, which slows performance greatly. Diskeeper has several advanced features such as; automatic defrag, scheduled defrag, and the ability to defrag the MFT (Master File Table) and paging file. 30 day trial.
Registry Mechanic - A very thorough and efficient registry cleaner and defragmenter. A definite must to maintain peak performance and stabile operation. 30 day trial.
Computer Utility Software
Acronis True Image 11 - Do you value the data on your computer? Do you value your time? How much time will you spend recovering data and returning your computer to its original state after a hardware failure or software glitch? True Image is my #1 choice in backup tools. Whether you choose file or image based backups (you should use both!) True Image will perform better than any other application I've used. Disk images created with True Image are generally 10-20% smaller than those from comparable programs. If your time and files are as important to you as mine are to me this is a must have.
Acronis Disk Director - My favorite tool to partition, format, and resize hard drives.
Roboform - This program is the next best thing since sliced bread in my book! This program integrates into Internet Explorer and firefox. It generates very secure passwords at the click of a button. How do I remember these complex passwords? Roboform allows you to save passwords and personal data in an encrypted format. A master password (yes only one password to remember!) allows access. Roboform in IE and FireFox works like a super powered bookmark. You click the site you want to go to and Roboform opens the site, enters your username and password for the site (if required) and as if by magic clicks the submit button. If you shop online Roboform can enter your personal information and credit card information, which is also stored in a secure encrypted file, in one click. A real time saver with great security thrown in to boot! 30 day trial.
WinRar - What is commonly called a zip utility, similar to the more widely known WinZip. WinRar is faster and works with more formats for about 1/2 the price of WinZip. 30 day trial.
Desktop Utility Software
LogonStudio - Change the screen that appears when you boot Windows (the one with the moving bar graph). Hundreds of free skins available online. It's free.
Cursor XP Plus - Change the cursors on your computer. Hundreds of cursor packs are available online for free.
Icon Packager - Change the icons on your computer. Icon Packager puts you in control to change every icon with the click of a button. Tired of the plain icons built into Windows? There are hundreds of Icon Packs available online for free, which will add a truly personal feel to your computer.
WindowBlinds 6 - This is the icing on the proverbial cake. WindowBlinds changes the look and feel of Windows. By changing the appearance of the task bar, start menu, and any other window or program you open. It adds transparency, shadows, alpha blending, and animations. Hundreds of themes are available online for free.
Internet and Email
1&1 hosting - If you want to start your own website, blog, photo gallery, or have a personalized email address then 1&1 is for you. 1&1 can not be beat for reliability, features, support, and price. 90 day guarantee.
Google Gmail - The best internet based email (webmail) available. Each mailbox has a 6.5GB limit. The interface is superb, and the spam filter is top notch. You will never need to delete an email again! It has a great search function and a feature called thread view, which makes finding emails easy. A webmail account offers several advantages including not being required to change your email address if you change service providers. Gmail requires an invitation from a current member. If you are interested shoot me an email and I'll send you an invite.
Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Outlook is the current email client of choice for corporate America. I get well over 200 emails a day. Outlook has a few features I really need such as a plug in for automatic backups, office sounds which offers me some audible feedback, and the ability to change headers. I've used Mozilla Thunderbird and liked it a lot. With the amount of mail I go through I really need the features of Outlook. If you aren't a heavy user, or don't need the features I do then Thunderbird is a great alternative.
- An amazing, free, web browser. If you aren't using it you should be! Highly customizable through addins called extensions. There are thousands of extensions which can allow FireFox to do just about anything you can imagine. More importantly, Firefox is not subject to ActiveX, which is a large part of Internet Explorer, AOL, and MSN. No ActiveX means much less chance of getting spyware! Firefox also conforms to web standards more closely than Internet Explorer, which means you will see what the authors intended, not Microsoft.
Mozilla Thunderbird - A great free email client, from the same folks that brought us FireFox. Easy to use and highly customizable through extensions.
Photo and Picture Software
Adobe Photoshop Elements - Photoshop Elements is a consumer version of Adobe Photoshop. If you are serious about digital photos you will find Photoshop Elements a great program to have at your disposal. Elements provides all the functionality most will need at 1/6th the price.
Picasa - A great (FREE) way to organize, edit, and share your digital photos.
#6- The lighter side
After spending countless hours surfing the web in search of various funny or interesting things to share with you here are a few of my finds to lighten your day! I go through a lot to please my readers!
I don't agree with the Mac ads you've been seeing on TV lately. I do think they are entertaining and, from a marketing standpoint, very well done. This week I'm going to show you some entertaining PC vs. Mac commercials made to spoof the originals.
Click Here to recommend this newsletter to a friend!
#7- A few website's you may find useful
Termerc.com - Tom Mercado's Anti-Spyware site. Take some time and visit Tom's site. Join his forum and learn how to protect yourself! There is a ton of information here.
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