Welcome to my first official newsletter of the year. I have decided to write this blog or journal and post the newsletters here each month. Also, I will be adding journal entries from time to time about new viruses, things to watch out for, all kinds of important and maybe just fun stuff! Check back for updates often.
I have started off this month with a very important security warning and some steps to make sure you are protected. December was a busy month for repairs and new system builds.
The office will be open on Friday January 2nd, but we will be closed on Monday January 5th. We will be back on Tuesday the 6th.
The past six months have flown by, and we are taking a couple days off to recuperate and get ready for the new year!
January 6th is the start of my LBCC Classes for Winter Term 2009. I will be teaching 1st & 2nd Step to computers, Adobe Photoshop Elements 1 & 2, and the newest class I am really excited about, Using your Digital SLR! There is still time to sign up.
I want to again thank all of you that supported my new business venture and for all the referrals you have sent my way.
We wish you the best year ever and hope that things turn around with the economy, especially for those of you hit hard with job losses. Remember to shop local and support our local businesses!
Paul & Dawn
IMPORTANT! Windows XP Security Tips
Microsoft announced in early December that there was a “Zero Day” vulnerability in Internet Explorer IE 7 and other versions of their browser, mainly in Windows XP. Once the attack happens, they can take control of your PC.
Here are a few steps to make sure you are protected.
Make sure you are up to date on Windows Updates. You should have Service Pack 3 on your computer, and all additional updates.
Right click on My computer>Properties and it will tell you what version of XP you have, SP1, SP2, or SP3. SP stands for service pack, a large update.
If you are not up to date, go to Control Panel and on the right side click on Windows Update. It may ask if you want to install the latest updater, say yes. Click on the Express updates. Once it finishes, repeat this process over and over until there are no more updates.
Go to Control Panel and make sure your Automatic Updates are turned ON.
For even more safety, change your Internet Explorer Security Settings for higher security. This may stop you going to a site you want to go to, because of the tightened security, but you can turn it back down when you are going to a known safe site.
How to change IE Security Zone settings in IE 7
To protect against an IE 7 Zero-Day attack, you can set the security zone settings for Internet and Local Intranet to "high." To do so, follow these steps:
Click Tools and select Internet Options.
Click the Security tab, and click Internet in the zones box at the top.
Move the slider to the "high" position.
Click the Apply button
Click Local Intranet in the zones box at the top.
Move the slider to the "high" position.
Click Apply and OK.
How to Disable Active Scripting in IE 7
Another way to protect your computer from attack through IE is to disable Active Scripting. Here's how:
Click Tools and select Internet Options.
Click the Security tab, and again, click Internet in the zones box.
Click the Custom Level button.
In the dialog box, scroll down to the Scripting section. Under Active Scripting, click the Disable option button.
Click OK.
Buying a new PC with Vista and Switching to XP
If you buy a new PC from a store or online, they are all preloaded with Vista. It is almost impossible to find a new machine with Windows XP.
Many people buy a machine with Vista and want to “downgrade” to XP on the new computer. It is not really a downgrade, but that is what Microsoft calls it, go figure!
XP generally takes less memory and resources and will run really well on a Vista designed machine.
Except for one thing. Many of the computers built today by companies such as Dell, HP, Compaq, are all designed to run with Vista, and it is very hard to install XP and get it to run properly.
The problem is they do not create drivers for XP to run the computer. Sometimes you can coddle together some drivers for other similar computers, but it is not quick, nor easy.
The other drawback to “downgrading” is that you have to buy or have a valid, unused XP license to use on the machine you already paid for with Vista.
One of the other answers is to build a new machine yourself, or have someone build one for you. That way you can get exactly the stuff you want on the machine, including Windows XP.
I do build systems and can help out if you are looking for a new one with XP or Vista.
Slide Scanning Service
I have aquired a super high-quality Nikon Coolscan 5000 ED Slide scanner that will scan batches of 35mm slide film. We use the Digital ICE technology which removes much of the dirt, dust and hairs from the images.
We are making this service available to you or anyone you might know who has that closet full of the family slides that no one ever gets to see. We will scan your slides, put them on archival quality DVDs, and put the slides in nice safe storage boxes with labels on them. The scan quality is an astounding 4000 dpi, and you can have uncompressed .bmp files or .jpg files or both.
These large files will allow you to edit, make large prints, make a slide show, email, post on a website or just enjoy on the computer. Prices start at .50 per slide. Contact us for more information or if you would like to see some samples.
Just for Fun
In light of all the snow we had, I thought you might get a kick out of this if you have not seen it.
http://www.dogwork.com/dogsnow/
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