*CyberCoyote - April 5, 2007*

NEWS, NOTES and NOTICES

*The End*
If you weren't at the meeting today, we agreed we have reached the end of the HTCC season. Happy Trails to you! Expect an announcement here in a few months about the start of another season. :-)

*Spam-Proof*
Notes for the presentation today about spam-proofing your email address are online.
http://cybercoyote.org/internet/spam-proof.shtml

*Attack of the Animated Cursors*
If you have Microsoft or Windows automatic updates turned on, you should already be protected. But if, like me, you update manually you'll want to check for updates immediately. Microsoft has known about this security hole since December, but they waited until virulent active attacks appeared before doing anything.

The regular update will still take place on April 10, but this special update plugs the animated cursor hole. There's also a patch to "patch this patch" that fixes "The Realtek HD Audio Control Panel" problem.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS07-017.mspx -- description
http://cybercoyote.org/links/057.html -- discussion
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/935448/ -- patch to fix "Illegal System DLL Relocation"

*Kiva WiFi at the Town Center*
The original Kiva WiFi antenna was on top of the metal roof at the Town Center. It didn't work too well unless you were also on the roof. :-( Gail King asked them if they could give us something better, and we now have a hotspot right in the Computer Lab. You can access it with your Kiva username and password if you're near there.

Note to instructors: If you interrupt the power to the hub and routers (they are located on our cart) give them a couple of minutes to fully reset before turning them back on. They may fail to reconnect otherwise. ;-)

*Mr. Modem!*
The latest "Mr. Modem!" column is now online.
http://cybercoyote.org/articles/modem.shtml

TIPS, TOPICS and TWEAKS

*System Restore*
In our Backup Workshop we learned that Windows' System Restore does not back up user generated files (documents). Just what does it do? SmartComputing has the answer.
http://cybercoyote.org/links/056.html

*Speed Up Vista*
Microsoft's strategy has always been to include everything anyone could possibly need in Windows. Vista is no exception. Much of that stuff you'll never hear of or use. Many of those doodads and kitchen sinks just hang around stealing memory and CPU cycles. "Services" are one of the biggest drags on your system, to say nothing of enabling security breaches. SpeedyVista has a Vista services guide that will help you tweak Vista.
http://speedyvista.com/

*More on Flickr*
Maybe you've already picked a photo sharing site after George got you started last week. If not, or if you picked Flickr, you should take a look at this "Newbie's Guide to Flickr".
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9703620-2.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Webware

SECURITY

*Scan and Scare*
This variant of "bait-and-switch" is now standard practice in the Registry Cleaner and Anti-Spyware businesses. I was surprised to learn that even some software that I know and trust is promoted this way. I'm happy that the supplier I prefer for anti-spyware and firewalls refuses to go along with the scam. They suggest, "your best bet is to look at user reviews and reviews by reputable organizations, like PC Mag, PC World, CNET, etc."
http://cybercoyote.org/links/058.html -- Sunbelt's position
http://cybercoyote.org/security/anti-malware.shtml -- my reviews
http://www.nanoscan.com/ -- an award-winning online scan that's fast

CONSIDER THIS

*You First*
http://www.ferket.com/jvlt/images/teahupoo_1.jpg -- photo
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1303179402394999755 -- video

*There's a new virus going around* [timewaster]
You'll either hate it or spread it.
http://www.rfshq.com/forum/games/virus2.swf

*Sneezing Panda*
It's a safe bet you'll watch this short video more than once.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzRH3iTQPrk&mode=related&search=

Last modified 04/05/07