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Front Range PC Users Group Newsletter k-Byte |
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| v. 23, n. 11/12 November/December 2004 | Users Helping Users |
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Contents 1 Security: Responding To Firewall Alerts - Stephen J. Bigelow 2 About k-Byte 4 Fiddling Around With Folders - Andy Rathbone 5 Making Windows Start Programs Automatically - Andy Rathbone 5 Online Information For The Elderly & The Disabled - Steve Rosenthal 6 Hide Folders XP 7 Pop-Up Joy and Frustration - Rick Mattingly 8 A Call To Action: Be A Cyber Secure Citizen - Ira Wilsker 10 Virus Attacks Continue At Record Rate - Ira Wilsker 10 Seven Simple Computer Security Tips 14 Calendar of Events 15 Getting an Older Program to Run on Windows XP 16 December/January Calendars 18 Membership Application 19 Is That A PC In Your Pocket/Purse - Lee Schwab 23 Email Is How Old? - Jim Smith 24 Track The Origin Of Spam - John Brewer 28 10 Dumbest Questions Asked By Cruise Passengers 30 Trading Post 31 FRPCUG Contacts Security: Responding To Firewall Alerts by Stephen J. Bigelow We use firewalls to manage and secure the communication between our PC and a network (usually the Internet). When we install a firewall, we must configure it to accept or reject various connections, and most firewalls eventually "learn" the difference between normal and abnormal connections based on usage patterns over time. Still, no matter how carefully you set up and configure a firewall, you'll see alerts from time to time, so don't panic. Most alerts simply provide information, but knowing what alerts mean and how to deal with them can help keep your PC (and its precious data) secure. Here's The Scoop Firewalls operate using a set of rules that define which programs and network locations can communicate with you. When a communication arrives that your firewall won't permit (or when your PC tries to communicate with a blocked or unsafe location), the firewall generates an informational alert. The alert message itself can provide specific details, such as the type of communication the firewall blocked (a Local Network Broadcast, for example), along with the protocol that was used (such as NetBIOS) and the source's IP (Internet Protocol) address. Informational alerts also may indicate program activity. For instance, a firewall generates an alert when a prohibited program tries to send information. The alert message also may have more detailed features, depending on the particular firewall provider. For example, ZoneAlarm from Zone Labs (http://www.zonelabs.com) color-codes its alerts. An orange band represents a medium-level alert and is often the result of harmless network activity. For instance, your ISP (Internet service provider) may occasionally send PING (Packet Internet Groper) packets to your PC to verify that you're still connected. A red band represents a high-level alert, which can indicate a more serious situation, such as a possible cracker attack. In addition, ZoneAlarm provides a More Information button that directs a browser to the Zone Labs Alert Advisor, which analyzes the alert information and often returns possible explanations for the alert. The important thing to remember is that informational alerts typically don't require action on your part (other than to simply acknowledge the message); the firewall has already done its job by blocking the suspicious communication. If you're receiving a large number of alerts while working on a LAN (local-area network), it may not be because of an attack. Instead, your firewall might be blocking normal network communications. When this occurs, be sure to place your LAN into the firewall's trusted zone, permitting communication from one IP address, a range of IP addresses, or an entire subnet. Refer to the specific instructions that accompany your firewall for more information. Ask Permission Web browsers, email clients, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) programs, and server applications are just a few broad categories of programs that can access the Internet. Each program must receive explicit permission before access can occur; this process is part of the firewall's configuration. Firewall alerts can occur when new programs attempt to communicate, when programs change, or when previously blocked programs try to send data. New program alerts are the most common. When you first install a firewall, no programs have permission. As you launch and attempt to use programs, the firewall sees each program as new and asks your permission to use it. For example, just after installing a firewall and launching AOL, the firewall will ask for permission to use the AOL client. You can then answer "yes" to give permission or "no" to block the program. This type of permission is vital because it ensures that only the programs you specifically designate can access the Internet. That way, you can block unknown or unexpected programs, preventing spyware or Trojan horses from communicating without your consent. If you don't recognize a program or aren't sure how it's used, click No to block it. Alerts also can occur when programs change because unexpected program changes may indicate tampering by a cracker. As a result, if you apply a patch or update to a program, the firewall will alert you when you try to use the program later. If you've applied a patch or update, simply give your permission so the firewall is aware of the changed program. In addition, an alert will appear when a program requests server permission. Server permission is a special type of access required for certain programs that must pay attention to connection requests from other computers. For example, some email clients, chat software, and multiplayer games require server permission. But remember that some malware and Trojan horses also may request server permission in order to let a remote user access your PC. If you don't need or recognize the program requesting server permission, click No to block that program. If you see an unusual amount of server permission requests, it's a good idea to run antivirus or anti-spyware software as a precaution. Pay Attention Although you typically don't need to worry about most firewall alerts, you should pay close attention to the details of each alert. Regular or frequent alerts indicating the same source may suggest a possible attack. Also, make sure that only known and trusted programs are allowed to communicate with the LAN or Internet. Reprinted with permission from Smart Computing. Visit http://www.smartcomputing.com to learn what Smart Computing can do for you and your user group! Connecticut Personal Computer User's Group, April, 2004 Published bi-monthly, k-Byte is the official newsletter of the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group (FRPCUG): our mailing address is PMB 152, 305 W. Magnolia, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521. Opinions expressed in k-Byte are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the group or its members. Publication of information in k-Byte constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use of any information found in this publication is at the sole risk of the user. Neither k-Byte, nor its officers, nor k-Byte, nor its editors or contributors assume any liability for damages resulting from use of information in this publication. Submissions Articles, letters and short items of interest on computer-related topics are welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for publication are subject to editing. Send your contribution to the editor via e-mail attachment or submit on disk. If you have questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information. Copyright k-Byte is copyrighted ©2004 by the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group. Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit users groups may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in k-Byte without prior permission, provided that proper author and publication credits are given and that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to k-Byte at the above mailing address. User groups wishing to exchange newsletters with FRPCUG are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request. IBM PC, OS/2, Compaq, MS-DOS, UNIX, Windows and other trademarks occasionally mentioned in k-Byte are registered trademarks of International Business Machines, Inc., Compaq Corporation, Microsoft, Digital Research, AT&T or their owners respectively. Neither FRPCUG nor its newsletter k-Byte are connected in any way with any manufacturer or seller. We, however, gratefully acknowledge sponsorship of our group by Data Service Center, Jim Becker, owner. Advertising Classified advertising is free to members for non-business ads. See "Trading Post" for pricing for camera-ready display ads. Charges for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request. Deadline for camera-ready and classified ads is listed in the Calendar of Upcoming Events. Deadline for ad-makeup is the same as for articles. About FRPCUG FRPCUG is an independent nonprofit computer society, so incorporated with the State of Colorado and open to anyone interested in MS-DOS, Windows, or UNIX/LINUX microcomputers. Its purpose is to provide an educational and scientific forum of mutual benefit for members of the micro-computer community. FRPCUG holds a monthly meeting and conducts various special interest groups (SIGS) and seminars. Members have voting privileges, subscription to k-Byte newsletter, SIGs and selected seminars. Annual dues are $25 for individual/family membership and $50 for corporate/group membership. A folder is a workplace on a disk. Hard disks are divided into many folders to separate your many projects. You can work with the spreadsheet, for example, without having all the word-processing files get in the way. Any disk can have folders, but hard disks need them the most because they need a way to organize their thousands of files. By dividing a hard disk into little folder compartments, you can more easily see where everything sits. The Explorer and My Computer programs enable you to move around to different folders and peek at the files you've stuffed inside each one. It's a pretty good organizational scheme, actually. Socks never fall behind a folder and jam the drawer. Folders can be inside folders to add a deeper level of organization, like adding drawer partitions to sort your socks by color. Each sock color partition is a smaller, organizing folder of the larger, sock-drawer folder. Of course, you can ignore folders and keep all your files right on the Windows Desktop. That's like tossing everything into the back seat of the car and pawing around to find your tissue box a month later. Stuff you've organized, however, is a lot easier to find. Just as manila folders come from trees, computer folders use a tree metaphor as they branch out from one main folder to several smaller folders. Windows 2000 Professional For Dummies, by Andy Rathbone, is all you need to connect to the world, send e-mail, and explore the Web. Many people sit down at a computer, turn it on, and go through the same mechanical process of loading their oft-used programs. Believe it or not, Windows XP can automate this computerized task. The solution is the StartUp folder, found lurking in the Start button's All Programs area. When Windows XP wakes up, it peeks inside that StartUp folder. If it finds a shortcut lurking inside, it grabs that shortcut's program and tosses it onto the screen Here's how to determine which programs wake up along with Windows and which ones get to sleep in a little: Right-click on the Start button and choose the Open option. The My Computer program comes to the screen, displaying a Programs folder. Double-click the folder named Programs. You see shortcuts and folders for most of the programs currently listed in your Start button's All Programs area. Double-click the folder named StartUp to open it onto your screen. Using your right mouse button, drag and drop any programs or files you want to start automatically into the StartUp window. If Windows asks, tell it to turn those programs or files into shortcuts. Then, whenever you start Windows XP from scratch, those programs or files load up right along with it. The items in the StartUp area load themselves only when you log onto Windows after logging off. If you've clicked the Switch Users button instead of the Log Off button, Windows considers you still at work. It launches the StartUp items only after you've logged off and Windows has saved your settings. Tailor Windows XP to work like you do with Windows XP For Dummies, by Andy Rathbone. by Steve Rosenthal, Secretary, Space Coast PC Users Group, Cocoa, Florida On Tuesday, July 22,2003, Kim Komando (www.komando.com) had a link to a site that is of major interest to EVERYONE approaching retirement, Social Security, and/or who is permanently disabled for any reason. The site is sponsored by the National Council on the Aging, and hosted by AOL's GovernmentGuide.com. It is called http://www.benefitscheckup.org, and is a comprehensive guide and list of any and all programs that are available to the "older generation," i.e. adults who are ready for Social Security or on permanent disability. This is a "must see" site for anyone with questions of importance about their benefits at or near 65. The opening page has several choices: 1) How to Use the Site, 2) Tips, 3) Sponsors, 4) Support for N.C.O.A. (National Council On Aging). The first place to go on the site would be the "Benefits CheckUp" button, which will take the reader to several pages that ask important and pertinent questions about the individual, spouse and any dependents living in the household. There is a second button that takes the reader to a page for prescription drug information and savings. I would suggest starting with the Check Up button, and going through the questionnaire, filling out ALL the questions as accurately as possible. The reader will need information on: A) State & Zip Code, B) Dates of birth for individual and spouse, C) Type of residence, D) Length of time living there, E) Veteran status, F) Employment History as it refers to governmental employment, G) Prescription Medication List (very important), H) Current income and their sources, I) Current Expenses. Get this information together BEFORE entering the site, as it will speed the process of "filling in the blanks." The reader has only 20 minutes to answer all the questions, before the site 'times out,' meaning the reader will have to start all over from the beginning. Once the reader has started the questionnaire (Click the 'Click Here' button), there are about 35 or so questions, on approximately 10 different pages, some of which will require detailed information on medications, household income, work status, marital status, and the like. A detailed questionnaire on current medications will probably take the longest, so it is advisable that a current list of medications be written out and by the computer when answering this part of the questionnaire. Not all drugs are listed; some are listed as generic meds. After filling in all the information, the site will then take a minute or so to assess the input, and select a list of sites and contact addresses/phone numbers for applications for various programs that would be valuable to the individual, assist limited income individuals who need help with their bills and even suggest further research for available programs for the retired and limited income families. The federal government offers tax breaks and some private companies offer reduced price medicines for individuals and families on fixed incomes, which help retirees and the disabled cope with month-to-month living expenses and 'survival.' As far as I can tell, none of the information is stored - it is erased after the 20-minute time period has elapsed. It doesn't appear to be 'collected,' and if it is, it would only be for statistical purposes, since the site does not ask for a name, address, phone number, Social Security Number, or any other personal identifying information directly traceable back to the individual. Answering the questions honestly simply retrieves information for the reader. In total, there are about 40 questions, and the most comprehensive is the one about prescription meds. With ALL of your personal information at hand, it should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete the survey, and another minute or two for the site to retrieve the pertinent information for your specific situation. The results will vary according to each individual's input and can list a few or several sources for further printing out the final results, as names, addresses, phone numbers and web sites can be extensive and comprehensive, depending on the individual's answers to the questionnaire. Examples of the results may include: 1) Golden Access Passport, 2) Food Stamp Program, 3) Medicare Counseling through the SHINE organization, 4) Real Property Tax & Other Exemptions, 5) Homestead Property Tax Deferral (for FLA residences in particular), 6) Earned Income Tax Credit, and other qualifying programs, depending on income status. These are by no means the total list; you will get a list that applies directly to YOUR specific needs and income level. Anyone with a computer can access this information, and if you don't have a computer at home, your local library (or even a neighbor, friend or family relative) can access the site, fill in the required information, retrieve the results, and print out the information for you to follow up via letter or phone call. The Internet is chock full of, and a FANTASTIC source of information if you know where and how to look for it. This particular information might take an individual months to collect separately, but on the Internet, it took only 20- 30 minutes to gather, print, and store in a file that can be referred to over and over again. I was able to download the PDF file with ALL the information in text form, which I can then read at my leisure or constantly go back to as a reference source. Anyone who is interested in available benefits should access this site, and do the questionnaire for themselves. Again, the name of the site is http://www.benefitscheckup.org and is available 24/7. Take advantage of what the Internet has to offer; you'd be surprised at the wealth of information available. If you need further information, my Email address is stever43@bellsouth.net. Feel free to contact me, and I will do my best to help you find the information you are seeking. Good luck with your search, and use the Internet to its fullest capacity, you'll be pleasantly surprised at what it has to offer. Connecticut Personal Computer User's Group, February, 2004 A Software Review October 23, 2003 For Immediate Release FSPro Labs Releases Hide Folders XP 1.4 Hide folders to prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive data stored in Windows XP and Windows 2000 computers. Hide Folders XP is a simple but ingenious program for Windows XP and 2000 users. In the days when almost all computers are tied in one or another type of network, protecting personal, sensitive data is critical. After installing Hide Folders XP, you can make invisible (hide) folders with important information to others, including people who access your computer directly or via a network. This means these files will be visible only to you. Network search, browsing, even removing an upper-level folder will not have any effect. Hide Folders XP is very easy in use - all hiding and "unhiding" is done with one mouse click. Up to 64 folders can be made invisible simultaneously. Importantly, Hide Folders XP comes with a password protection option, meaning even if the program is discovered on a workstation, accessing the protected folders is impossible. Hide Folders XP protects files from being accessed, edited and deleted and comes with NTFS, FAT32 and FAT volumes support. No file system structure modifications occurs during hiding. The program can run in a stealth mode (cannot be detected with Windows Task Manager), requires a password in order to be uninstalled and comes with a wealth of other options - such as "dummy protection" (does not allow system folders to be hidden, in order to avoid computer crash), and capability to delete files stored in the hidden folders from the recent documents list and recycle bin. The program offers multilingual support, hotkey option, is extremely easy to set up and run and has a very pleasant straightforward interface. Hide Folders XP is distributed electronically over the Internet; free demo version is available at http://www.fspro.net/ for evaluation. The price of a single copy is 24.95 US Dollars. There is a similar version of the program called Hide Folders for Windows 95, 98 and ME users. FSPro Labs is a small independent shareware company specializing in personal protection and corporate security products. Founded in 2000, it has already released several popular products - Hide Folders and Hide Folders XP, Lock My PC, Secure Credit Card and Access Boss. If you have any questions, would like to request editor's copy, want to inquire about special prices for volume buyers/software resellers, or have a business proposal, please contact Michael Karsyan at mike@fspro.net Company Website: http://www.fspro.net Product Page: http://www.fspro.net/hfxp/ Screenshots: http://www.fspro.net/img/hfxp/main.gif Download: http://www.fspro.net/download/hfxp.zip Buy Link: http://www.fspro.net/hfxp/purchase.html by Rick Mattingly One of the many enhancements provided with the Windows XP Service Pack 2 is a Internet Explorer pop-up blocker. This feature is a god-send in stopping those nauseating pop-up ads while online. However, be aware that numerous Web sites make legitimate use of pop-up windows as well. With SP2 installed these sites will now appear to be broken - with no error message. If an online site feature no longer functions properly for you, suspect the new pop-up blocker. To check if this is an issue with a particular site, hold down the CTRL key while clicking on the link involved. With SP2 installed this will result in temporary display of a pop-up window. If this results in the display expected, you have discovered a legitimate use of the pop-up feature. To allow the display of pop-ups for this specific site only in the future, set the Internet Explorer pop-up menu option. To do this choose the "Tools" menu in the top menu bar of Internet Explorer. From the resulting menu choose "Internet Options." From the "Internet Option" window choose the "Privacy" tab. At the bottom of this window note that the "Block pop-ups" option is checked. Choose the "settings" box to the right. In the resulting window find the box titled "Address of Web site to allow" and type the address of the Web site from which you desire to allow pop-up windows, Now, choose "Add" and "Close." The pop-up window feature should now function correctly on the desired site. Fort Collins Senior Center Thanks We want to thank the following FRPCUG members for assisting with training at the Fort Collins Senior Center over the past year. Our apologies if we overlooked anyone. Don Anderson Dennis Nemitz Jim Bragonier Chuck McJilton Jim Willard Hugh McFadden Bert Boekstra Mike Meyer Howard Norland Virginia Febinger Rick Mattingly Good Indentions A friend of mine was unhappy with his wife's mood swings and bought her a mood ring so he could monitor her moods. He discovered that the ring turns green when she is in a good mood. When she's in a bad mood, it leaves a big red mark on his forehead. Securing your personal computer plays a crucial role in protecting our nation's Internet infrastructure. This web site is designed to give you the information needed to secure your home or small business computer. You'll find tips <http://www.staysafeonline.info/home-tips.html> on how to safeguard your system, a self-guided cyber security test (http://www.staysafeonline.info/home-quiz.html) , educational materials (http://www.staysafeonline.info/e.html) , and other Internet (http://www.staysafeonline.info/home-resources.html) resources, as well as valuable information from our sponsor organizations <http://www.staysafeonline.info/home-sorgs.html> . Cyber Security Day Sunday, October 31, 2004, is the next Cyber Security Day. Set some time aside this week to update your anti-virus software and scan your computer for viruses. Also, check out the Top Ten Security Tips http://www.staysafeonline.info/home-tips.html for more information on keeping your computer safe from hackers. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Improves America's Cyber Security Preparedness--Unveils National Cyber Alert System Department of Homeland Security Press Release http://www.staysafeonline.info/press/dhs012704.pdf Sign-up for http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/index.html National Cyber Alerts and Cyber Security Tips from the Department of Homeland Security. Tech Talks Want to hear more about online security? View a Tech Talk http://www.staysafeonline.info/techtalks.adp and listen to leading experts talk about online security. Security Fundamentals Learn about the basics http://www.staysafeonline.info/beginner.adp of online security. Top Ten Security Tips Learn http://www.staysafeonline.info/sectips.adp what you can do to protect your computer. Test Your Knowledge Are you being safe online? Take our test and find out http://www.staysafeonline.info/selftest.adp K-12 Schools and Kids Stay safe online and play an important role in computer security. Learn the top safety and security tips for elementary http://www.staysafeonline.info/cybersmart/cybersmart_elementary.adp school students and high http://www.staysafeonline.info/cybersmart/cybersmart_teens.adp school students, their teachers and families. Ira Wilsker, Board of Directors, APCUG http://www.apcug.org APCUG Email: iwilsker@apcug.net
by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Board of Directors As most computer users have noticed, the number of attempted computer attacks from viruses, worms, and Trojans has increased to a record level. According to antivirus software publisher Panda Software, the average daily number of new viruses and variants appearing for the week ending April 16 was 122 a day, a rate that has been steadily increasing over the preceding few weeks. It might be of interesting historical note that on average, more new viruses and variants are now appearing on a daily basis than appeared during an average week just two years ago! For those who still follow the old, but now quite obsolete strategy of updating their antivirus software on a weekly basis, the likelihood of becoming infected by a virus is near certainty. Many of the other former “truisms” about virus infections are also no longer true, such as “you have to click on an attachment to catch the virus”. Virus authors have become more sophisticated and improved their programming and infection techniques. Although Microsoft released a series of patches over two years ago to close an Outlook and Outlook Express vulnerability, there are still millions of computers that remain unpatched and vulnerable. Several of the very common Netsky variants, some released as recently as last week, take advantage of this opportunity, and can infect a computer by simply having the email message appear in the preview pane of any unpatched version of Outlook. As is now common with many of the current crop of viruses and worms, once infected, any antivirus and firewall software installed on the computer is effectively killed, and ports are opened on the computer allowing continued access to the infected computer from persons unknown. Just because an icon for your antivirus and firewall software appears next to your clock, and it may also appear to update periodically, does not mean that your antivirus software and firewall are functioning. It is good security practice to periodically check all computers for virus infection and open ports by running one of the many free and reliable online virus scans and firewall checks. Personally I use Housecall (housecall.antivirus.com) for a free online virus scan to verify that my computer is indeed clean, and Shields Up (www.grc.com) to verify that my firewall is fully functional. Our personal computers are being infected at a massive rate, estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands to millions, by innocuous files loaded onto our computers without our knowledge. Many of these new crop of viruses are designed to slip through our antivirus and firewall defenses. One method that unfortunately has been successful has been to rapidly create and disseminate many variants of the same virus payload, and quickly flood the net, primarily by email, with the variants. By spacing each variant by a few minutes or hours over a day, it becomes extremely likely that we will encounter several virus bearing emails before our antivirus software is updated. The belief that updating antivirus software daily is an adequate defense is no longer sufficient to provide protection, considering the lag time between the discovery of a new virus, and the release of updated data files by the antivirus companies. The former holy grail of antivirus software publisher, “continuous updates” which many publishers commendably have now reached, is no longer adequate, as a new virus found right now may massively spread unchecked for several hours before updates are available. This lulls us into a false sense of security, believing that our frequent updates will protect us, while in reality dozens of new viruses will spread and infect countless computers before the next update can be released. It only takes one virus to slip through our protection, and we may be left defenseless from further attacks. The other method of infection that has been around for years, but now becoming even more common is an attack by a virus or worm through our network or internet connections. All computers have “ports” or pathways into the computer. A good firewall should close all open internet or network ports except those being actively and intentionally used, and protect the open ports from unauthorized access. Many of the current worms and viruses try to impersonate legitimate data to penetrate firewalls, or will probe almost any connected computer looking for vulnerabilities. It is not at all uncommon for a home computer to be probed for open ports over 100 times per hour, which is the explicit justification for a firewall to be installed on all personal computers. Home computers, especially those using dial-up internet access, which had been in the past somewhat ignored by hackers, have now become prime targets for hackers and worm generated probes looking for vulnerabilities. This has already created a very real security threat at all levels from our own computers to the national infrastructure. Many of these new viruses flooding our email boxes, or attacking us through our internet or other network connections, contain a “zombie”, a small program either scheduled to launch a cyberattack at a predetermined time, or to silently wait for some external signal which will launch a cyberattack. It is not just possible, but now considered a near certainty that sometime in the near future we will be subjected to massive attacks on our critical infrastructures by millions of zombie infected computers, almost all of which will have antivirus and firewall software installed, but possibly neutralized. This is not just science fiction or some possibility, but a very real threat, as demonstrated in the past by the infamous CodeRed and Blaster attacks, among others. It is absolutely imperative that we all have antivirus software and a firewall that is updated as frequently as possible, and verified to offer us protection. The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article to you. Computer Consultant Roster FRPCUG is in the process of creating a roster of members who are available for computer consulting for fee. This description would include an individual as well as an employee of an associated business who is a FRPCUG member. The resulting roster would then be available to all FRPCUG members as a resource when services are required. Provide your services and contact information to Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968 evenings or email rmatt@jymis.com. Kill the Editor Author Unknown Some find fault with the editor. And think he should be shot. They say his writing is as peppy as a cemetery lot. They believe he shows poor judgment, Stuff in his column's stale; Some members choose to holler, And others choose to wail. But when the newsletter's issued, They say it with a smile, If they find they didn't get one, you'd hear them yell a mile - IMPORTANT NOTICE - FRPCUG meetings are held at the Fort Collins Senior Center. Check below for directions to the Senior Center. December General Forum Meeting We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, December 7 at 7:00 pm. Meeting Agenda 7:00 - 7:15 Announcements 7:15 - 7:30 Election of Officers 7:30 - 8:00 Short Presentation 8:00 - 9:30 Christmas Social See you at the meetings! January General Forum Meeting We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, January 4 at 7:00 pm. Meeting Agenda 7:00 - 7:30 Announcements 7:30 - 8:45 Printer Technology - What's new with the world of printers? 8:45 - 9:00 Break 9:00 - 9:30 Open Forum Directions The Fort Collins Senior Center is located at 1200 Raintree Drive. This site is situated at the northwest corner of the Shields and West Drake intersection, on the north side of the Raintree Shopping Center. Check the marquee at the main entrance for directions to the specific meeting room. Up-Coming SIG's, Seminars and Meetings Board Meeting FRPCUG's executive board meets on Wednesday of the week following the General Forum Meeting at 7:00 p.m. All members are welcome and are encouraged to attend. These meetings are held at the offices of JYM Information Systems: 1630 S College Avenue in Fort Collins. New Technology SIG The LINUX SIG and the Telecommunications SIG have been combined to form the new Advanced Systems Support SIG. This SIG provides advanced support for all PC-related operating system and telecommunication issues. The meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month at the offices of JYM Information Systems: 1630 S College Avenue in Fort Collins. For more information contact Chuck McJilton at 493-2987 or email telecomsig@jymis.com. Rocky Mountain Internet Users Group Meets on the second Tuesday of 'odd' months at NCAR in Boulder. Meetings start at 7:00 pm, but members are encouraged to arrive at 6:30 pm for informal networking and refreshments. NCAR is located in Boulder at 1850 Table Mesa Drive. For more information see the RMIUG Web site at: http://www.rmiug.org/. Upcoming FRPCUG Meetings Along with presentations of new hardware and software, we will certainly continue to present tips, hints, solutions, as well as what is new with Public Domain and Shareware offerings. If you have ideas for presentations which you would like to see at future General Forum meetings or seminars, please let us know. We would appreciate the input and opportunity to improve your meetings. Know of a another computer-related meeting in our area? Please let us know so we can post it here. "The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch it yourself". - Benjamin Franklin Posted: September 03, 2001 Submitted by Nick Daniels, Northfield, Vermont If an older application gives you trouble when running Windows XP, you can set the compatibility properties manually so that the program runs in a different mode, such as Windows 95, or in a different display or resolution setting. To set the compatibility properties for a program: Right-click the executable or the program shortcut to the executable, and then click Properties. Select the Run this program in compatibility mode check box. From the list, select an operating system that the program runs in comfortably. If necessary, also change the display settings and/or resolution, or disable the Windows XP visual themes. Run the program again when you're finished changing the settings. Adjust the compatibility settings again if the program is still not running smoothly: a program that's unhappy on Windows 2000 may flourish on Windows 98. Microsoft Windows XP Home Tips - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/tips/ 7 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00PM 15 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00PM 16 New Technology SIG 7:00PM 24 Christmas Eve 25 Christmas Day 31 New Year's EveNomination of Officers: November Meeting Election of Officers: December Meeting January 2005 1 New Year's Day 4 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00PM by Lee Schwab KISS = Keep It Simple Schwab Napa Valley Personal Computer User Group, Inc. California  For some people, the Pocket PC (PPC) is an incredibly useful tool while other people are not familiar with the Pocket PC. Some people confuse the Pocket PC with a Palm which is similar in appearance but is a different device that uses the Palm operating system. Below is an overview of what is included in a Pocket PC and how it helps me organize and simplify my life. The Pocket PC uses a scaled down version of the Microsoft Windows operating system which is called Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 (replaced Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 in June 03). Pocket PCs ship with lots of software, are very powerful, lightweight (4-7 ounces), small enough to carry in your pocket or purse (approximately 3” wide and 5” long), and easily synchronize with your desktop or notebook PC. Here are some of the Pocket PC features: ActiveSync: This third party software automatically synchronizes the data on your Pocket PC with your desktop or notebook PC. You can also use it to transfer files between the devices. Because I use the Pocket PC extensively, I synchronize them almost every day. Calculator: Use it as you would any simple math calculator. Use it to figure the tax on a purchase, the unit price of grocery items, the percent of a discount, tips, etc. Third party calculators are also available for more sophisticated or specialized calculations (i.e., financial, scientific, statistical). Calendar: Keeps track of your appointments (who meeting with, where to go, what time, and notes). You can also set up reoccurring appointments, a reminder alarm, or cut and paste appointments. Information can be viewed by day (with a choice of two formats), week, month, or year. Communications: Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth may be included in the Pocket PC or added using the SD (Secure Data) or CF (CompactFlash) slot. Contacts: Use to organize address book information (i.e., name, address, phone, email). Excel: This Pocket version of Excel supports 100 functions and formulas, rows, columns, and spell checker. Use it to keep track of expenses when traveling, rosters, fundraisers, etc. Expansion: Many Pocket PCs include slots for CF (CompactFlash), SD (Secure Data), and/or PC Cards. Use them to add memory, a camera, communications capabilities, etc. Find: Search the entire Pocket PC or a specific area (i.e., calendar). Use it to find a contact, a specific appointment, something in a Word or Excel document, etc. Games: Solitaire and jawbreaker are included with the Pocket PC. I am not a gamer but there are lots of third party games available. Inbox: An email application that lets you send, receive and synchronize email. Infrared beaming: Beam information between devices. My husband and I beam appointments and documents between our Pocket PCs. Internet Explorer: This software program is included on the CD-ROM that accompanies the Pocket PC. Memory: Pocket PCs come with 32-128MB built in RAM and 32-64MB ROM. Microsoft Reader: This eBook reader can be used to read electronic books. Use it to read the Pocket PC manual, books that are on the accompanying CD-ROM, or books that are downloaded. It includes search capabilities to help find a section or word in the eBook. MSN Messenger: Instant Messenger application. Notes: Create handwritten or typed notes, drawings, or make a short voice recording. Pictures: View your .JPG pictures in thumbnail or full screen. This is a good place to keep an electronic picture of your spouse, children, or special events because it can easily be updated and the edges do not get frayed. Power: Many Pocket PCs include a main battery, back up battery, and power cord for external power. The suspend mode and brightness levels can help conserve battery life so the Pocket PC can be used all day without a charge. If the Pocket PC battery is allowed to run all the way down, data may be lost. It is recommended to fully charge the batteries every night. Price: Depending on features and manufacturer, the prices range from $199 - $649. Processor: Chips (Intel, Samsung) and speeds (200-400 MHz) vary depending on the device manufacturer. Screen: Most screens are 3.5” (measured diagonally) and are Transflective TFT or Reflective TFT. Tasks: Keep track of your “to do” or “honey do” tasks. You can prioritize the tasks so the most important tasks will be at the top of the list. Text Entry: You can enter text using the software keyboard, block recognizer (graffiti), letter recognizer, or transcriber (cursive, print, or mixed handwriting recognition). As you enter text, words are suggested to help you complete the words. Some Pocket PCs have built in miniature keyboard where your thumbs are used to enter or you can purchase a foldable keyboard (Targus makes good and sturdy keyboards). Voice Recorder: Make short recordings and playback using the Notes application. Windows Media Player: Use to play MP3 or Microsoft Audio Format music, or Microsoft Video Format videos. Word: The Pocket version of Word is incredibly useful for keeping reference documents, taking notes in meetings, writing articles, keeping shopping lists, etc. The Pocket PC also includes lots of systems software (Asset Viewer, External Keyboards Functions Support, File Explorer, Infrared OBEX beaming, Server Sync Client, setup/configuration utilities, Terminal Server Client, VPN Client, etc.). I bought Hewlett Packard iPAQ 3800 series Pocket PC in 2001 and my husband is using it now. This year I bought a DELL Axim5 but I would not recommend a DELL because the screen was badly scratched within one month, the calendar intermittently and randomly changes appointment times (i.e., 1:00PM becomes 2:00PM). I will probably buy a Hewlett Packard iPAQ but there are many choices. Pocket PCs and cell phones have teamed up and are called smartphones. These devices use the Microsoft Windows Mobile for Smartphone software. The smartphones have to make some compromises in their form and function. To learn more about Pocket PCs or to make a purchase, check out the following. My favorite is the Pocket PC magazine (their 2004 Buyer's Guide is available now). Magazines: Handheld Computing (PPC & Palm devices) Mobility (mobile and wireless) Pen Computing (mobile computing & communications) PocketPC (Windows Mobile PPC reviews, comparisons, & smartphones) Wireless (wireless communications) Websites: http://www.amazon.com http://www.hpshopping.com http://www.mobileplanet.com http://www.PocketPCmag.com http://www.pcconnection.com http://www.tigerdirect.com A few scanning tips by Wayne Fulton The most amazing collection of tips and help on the Internet on the subjects of optical scanning and the manipulation of graphic files. http://www.scantips.com/ A Senior Moment... An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen. The two elderly gentlemen were talking, and one said, "Last night we went out to a new restaurant, and it was really great. I would recommend it very highly." The other man said, "What is the name of the restaurant?" The first man thought and thought and finally said, "What is the name of that flower you give to someone you love? You know... the one that is red and has thorns." "Do you mean a rose?" "Yes," the man said. He turned toward the kitchen and yelled, "Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night?" 
There have been a few innovations since this ad appeared in 1954!
by Jim Smith, President, Business and Professional Microcomputer Users Group, Inc. (BPMUG), Connecticut March is the anniversary of Email. Yes, in March of 1972 the very first basic e-mail program was written and the "@" sign was chosen for its "at" meaning. Here it is 32 years later and email is a mainstream means of communication and an normal tool for most businesses and for personal use. Naturally with this handy mainstream concept comes those wanting to abuse it. I would hope that most of you are aware of some of the tricks and hoaxes that can be offered via email. For the others, I'd like to review some of the more common ones so you won't be tricked. First, there are the obvious scams trying to get you to buy endless supplies of gimmicks that promise to make many of your body parts larger or somehow enhanced. Less obvious are sites that promise prescription drugs for bargain rates and ones with Hormone Growth solutions, or great mortgages on-line or credit repairs and many others. Much like the snake oil sales team of yesteryear, most of these are scams. The occasional one that is legit should also be considered suspect since anyone desperate enough to jump on the wagon with the snake oil sales team is not likely to be around for long enough to deliver anyway. Businesses that use unsolicited commercial email (spam) to sell their products should be viewed with great caution. Then there are hoaxes that alert you to something that request that you spread it to everyone in your email address book. Any time you get an email that tells you to spread it around, think about it first! Most likely it is a hoax. The most recent one I've seen is the one that asks everyone to not buy gasoline from the big producers in order to prove a point. Searching on-line will give plenty of reasons why this is a farce but it still doesn't stop people from continuing to send it around. Of course there are plenty of hoaxes around about viruses that will eat your computer unless you send it along to everyone else you know. There are jokes that beg to be sent to everyone and there are emailed chain letters that promise doom and gloom for breaking the cycle. Don't continue to clutter up the email system with these. Here's something to consider -- if you do what you are told and send these to everyone in your address book, and they turn around and add the addresses from their list, and it goes through that for a while, eventually it will likely land in the hands of someone that will sell all of those email addresses to junk emailers who will delight in sending a huge assortment of get-rich-quick and body enhancing scams to everyone listed. I get enough of those spams without friends adding my email address to those lists. The other popular email hoax is the endless variation on the Nigerian widow with too much money from her late husband and looking for a trusting American with a bank account ready to enter into a business deal in exchange for a percentage. These scams have been around for longer than email has but, rather than using US Postal Service and phones to deliver the pitch, email is a much cheaper way to fish for unsuspecting victims. Speaking of fishing, there is another hoax that is know by its variation, "Phishing". Phishing is when someone tries to get you to divulge credit card or passwords by pretending to be legit. If you get an email from PayPal asking you to "Click Here" and confirm your account info or from Citibank asking you to verify your credit card number, or from EBay asking you to type in your password so they can keep your account active, these phishing trips are hoaxes! Do not fall for them no matter how legit they appear to be. If you are not sure of something like that, be suspicious. Assume first that it is a phishing expedition rather than assuming it is legit. With a keen sense of skepticism, many of these hoaxes will become obvious. They prey on our not thinking too much but just doing as we are asked. Most people that fall for them are thoroughly embarrassed after it is over because they realized that if they had stopped to think about it they would have realized the absurdity of it. Don't be hooked in a phishing expedition! So with 32 years of emailing behind us, there are many wonderful things about email and some things to watch out for. I've given you a few of them... it is up to you to stay alert to many of the other ones that are out there. BPMUG is a great resource for those wanting to find out whether something that sounds too good to be true, is true or not. Don't be taken in. Stop to ponder it first and then verify it. Then if you find an amazing deal to get rich quick that you just know will work... don't share it with me. I probably won't believe it anyway. Now get out from behind your computers for a few minutes and have a wonderful Spring! by John Brewer, Oklahoma City PC Users Group, Oklahoma Spammers are ingenuous people. They hide the origin of the spam and are masters of obfuscation. Recently, litigation has been filed under federal law. It is interesting to investigate how the spammers were identified. A recent article in the New York Times turns on the light regarding this method of tracking. “The government's first criminal case under a new law outlawing some types of spam e-mails was based on low-tech investigative methods: Authorities followed the money. Investigators said Thursday they tracked defendants by purchasing a weight-loss product for $59.95 and waited to see who collected the money.” “The cyber scam artists who exploit the Internet for commercial gain should take notice,'' said Jeffrey G. Collins, the U.S. attorney in Detroit. Federal law now makes it a felony to use falsehood and deception to hide the origin of the spam messages hawking your fraudulent wares.” Court papers described a nearly inscrutable puzzle of corporate identities, bank accounts and electronic storefronts used to send hundreds of thousands of e-mail sales pitches for fraudulent weight-loss products. The FTC said angry consumers forwarded more than 490,000 e-mails from the operation from January until April -- more than from any other spam outfit worldwide during the same period. Beales called it a dubious distinction.'' CNet News reported that “according to court documents, the four men are accused of generating hundreds of thousands of different e-mails that hid their identities and advertised a weight loss patch. The e-mails were sent out under a variety of company names, including AIT Herbal, Avatar Nutrition and Phoenix Avatar, identified collectively as the Avatar Companies. The e-mails were allegedly sent to millions of e-mail accounts over the course of several years.” However, the CNet article also reported that the federal law has not eliminated spam and that the volume of spam has actually increased since the implementation of the law. “Despite the existence of Can-Spam, companies that monitor the volume of junk e-mail believe that the legislation has done little to discourage the distribution of spam. E-mail service company MessageLabs reported that more than 67 percent of all e-mail sent in April 2004 was considered spam, up from 59.9 percent in February and 52.8 percent in March, when volume temporarily dipped. The Feds bringing the heat against these spammers and their clients is a great victory for everyone who's been victimized by spam," said Mark Sunner, chief technology officer for New York-based MessageLabs. "At the same time, with spam volumes increasing 30 percent since the Can-Spam law went into effect, there is a whole new contingent of spammers in operation. These contemporary spammers are now dressing up their messages so they appear to be legitimate. In spite of effective lawsuits, complaints and arrests, spammers are still finding ways to beat the system." The Federal Trade Commission announced in an April 29 news release that “that the deceptive claims violate the FTC Act and that the spoofing and failure to provide an opt-out capability violate provisions of the recently enacted CAN-SPAM Act. At the FTC's request, U.S. District Court Judge James F. Holderman entered a Temporary Restraining Order requiring an end to illegal spamming and deceptive product claims and freezing the defendants' assets. In addition, the FTC announced a second action against an Australian company, Global Web Promotions Pty Ltd., an Australian company that the FTC alleges is responsible for massive amounts of spam in the United States.” Global Web not only advertised a diet patch similar to the one in Phoenix Avatar, it also claimed its human growth hormone products “HGH” and “Natural HGH” could “maintain [a user's] appearance and current biological age for the next 10 to 20 years.” Experts cited by the FTC dispute the claims, and the FTC alleged the claims are false. The products do not contain growth hormone of any sort, according to papers filed with the court. The products are shipped to consumers from within the United States. The diet patch was sold for $ 80.90 and the HGH products cost $74.95. “In both cases, the FTC introduced as evidence thousands of examples of the defendants spoofing a wide array of victims, including AOL, Microsoft Network, and other companies and individuals. Spoofing involves forging headers on e-mail to make it appear that they came from an innocent third party. Undeliverable e-mail is returned to the innocent victim, often flooding their servers and interfering with normal operations. This process not only is prohibited by the CAN-SPAM Act, it also has worked real hardship on innocent businesses.” “The FTC charged Global Web Promotions Pty Ltd., Michael John Anthony Van Essen, and Lance Thomas Atkinson with violations of the FTC Act and the CAN-SPAM Act. The FTC has filed a motion requesting that the Court issue a Temporary Restraining Order barring further illegal spam and stopping illegal sales and shipment of products. The Global Web Promotions Pty case was brought with the assistance of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the New Zealand Commerce Commission.” Finally, it looks like some spammers may be headed for the slammer. No one will be disappointed and maybe prosecution of slammers will give future spammers pause to think about their activity … or will they just become more clever in their pursuit of the dark side? John Brewer practices law in Oklahoma City, is a member of the Governor's and Legislative Task Force for E-Commerce, and enjoys issues relating to eBusiness and cyberspace. The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article to you. Digital Image Color Adjustment Color corrections: Photo too yellow: reduce yellow or increase blue. Photo too blue: reduce blue or increase yellow Photo too green: reduce green or increase magenta Photo too magenta: reduce magenta or increase green Photo too red: reduce red or increase cyan Photo too cyan: reduce cyan or increase red. Kodak - http://www.kodak.com/global/en/digital/products/ 1. Does the crew sleep onboard? 2. What time is the midnight buffet? 3. Which elevator takes me to the front of the ship? 4. Do you generate your own electricity? 5. Is this island totally surrounded by water? 6. Is the water in the toilet salt or fresh? 7. What language do they speak in Alaska? 8. What do you do with the ice carvings after they melt? 9. How high above sea level are we? 10. How do we know which pictures are ours? Plus a few extra heard only in Alaska: 11. Why did they build the glacier so far out of town? 12. What time do they turn on the Northern Lights? 13. What's the exchange rate for US currency? 14. Is this elephant ivory? (This was asked in a jewelry store with a display of Alaska native designs. Alaska native ivory work is done in walrus ivory because there are no elephants in Alaska. I suppose it's possible that the tourist didn't know what it was done in, but it seems pretty obvious to me that one thing it would not be done in would be elephant ivory.) FOR SALE: Viewsonic 17GA 17" monitor with speakers in bezel. Must see/hear this monitor to appreciate how wonderful it is. $100 or best offer. Paul, 484-7680 FOR SALE: Gateway 800C Desktop w/Monitor, 20GB Hard Drive plus Epson Stylus Color 777 printer. Less than one year old. Only $600 complete. Contact Frances in Fort Collins at (970) 224-0776. About Trading Post k-Byte runs classified ads in Trading Post for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads up to 10 lines (or 70 words) long are free to FRPCUG members: $5 for non-members. To place an ad in Trading Post contact Rick Mattingly at 970-613-8968 or email rmatt@jymis.com. Commercial Advertising Specifications (Monthly rate) Full Page (8 1/2" X 7") $30 Half Page (3 1/4" X 7") $20 One Third Page (3" X 4") $15 Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2") $ 5 We offer a substantial discount for repeat ads and continuing contracts. For additional charge, we will design your ad for you. Contact Rick Mattingly for information on this service at 970-613-8968 or email rmatt@jymis.com. |