Help Reduce Viruses And Worms - Microsoft Corp. Provides Free
Monthly Security Update Alerts
Technical Support Is Just A Click Away
What Is FTP And How Does It Work?
Filters In Place To Block Spam
Great Sites To Check Out This Month
Reducing The Clutter On Your Bookmarked Favorites List
Are Pop-Ups Pushing Your Buttons?
We Couldn't Have Said It Better Ourselves
Check Out The Updated Gallatin River.Net Website
Beginning in October 2003, Microsoft Corp. initiated a new systematic program of posting security bulletin updates on its website on the second calendar Tuesday of each month. You can see this page by going to: http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/alerts2.asp. Prior to October 2003, security notices advising users to download updated security patches, service packs, etc., were posted on a random basis within the security section of the Microsoft.com site.
If you run any of Microsoft Corp.'s software programs on your computer, i.e. Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, MSN Messenger, etc., be sure to go to http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/alerts2.asp. either on or shortly after the first Tuesday of each month for the latest Microsoft Security Bulletin.
An even better idea is to sign-up to have a "Microsoft Security Updates Alert" e-mailed to you each month by Microsoft Corp. Simply go to: http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/alerts2.asp. You'll have the choice of signing up for either the "Simple Terms" monthly e-mail notice, which is geared toward home users and small businesses, or for the more technical version. In either case, the Microsoft Security Updates Alert e-mail is sent to subscribers on the first calendar Tuesday of each month.
As a reminder, authentic Microsoft Security Bulletins NEVER INCLUDE SOFTWARE UPDATES OR PATCHES AS ATTACHMENTS. Malicious individuals have been known to send spoof e-mails that appear to be coming from Microsoft Corp. The message of the bogus e-mail encourages the recipient to download the accompanying attachment to prevent the possible infection of a virus or worm. When the recipient opens the attachment, his/her computer is infected. Resist the temptation to open the attachment! Always go to the Microsoft.com website to download any Microsoft-related patch or service pack.
Need technical assistance? Check our technical support website http://support.gallatinriver.net before you pick up that phone! There’s a wealth of valuable information right at your fingertips:
Email set-up instructions, local dial-up access numbers, server information and more. Spam and virus filtering information- download information, too! High-speed Broadband facts: system requirements, static IP addresses, and more. Tips and tricks for using your personal web space.
But if you can’t find the answers you need, please call our Help Desk anytime:
Dial-up Internet 1-877-538-8502
High-speed Broadband 1-877-538-8503
We’re there for you whenever you need us…24 hours a day!
Question: I've heard that the spread of the Sasser Worm back in early May was unique in that it spread to other computers via FTP instead of by e-mail. What is "FTP" and how does it work?
Answer: FTP is the acronym for File Transfer Protocol. It's a communication language that allows computers to easily transfer files from one to another either over a local network (a group of connected computers --like within a company) or a wide area network (like the Internet). FTP is used quite often, especially by companies, when transferring large files that would be too large to send as e-mail attachments. Other common communication protocols that you may have heard of are the "HTTP" protocol (HyperText Transfer Protocol) used to transmit web pages and "MAILTO" protocol used for sending e-mail messages.
In the case of the Sasser worm, the infected computer took advantage of a vulnerability in Windows to FTP itself (rather than sending itself via e-mail as most worms have previously done) to computers whose owners had not patched their PCs to fix that vulnerability. (See the first article above for more information on "patching" your computer.)
Spam - unsolicited and junk email - now accounts for 83% of all email traffic. We know what a bother this is for our Internet customers, and we have filters in place to screen for and reject mail that looks like spam. Spammers never stop seeking ways around filters, and we in return are relentless in building better protection for our customers.
Spammers often send unsolicited email from fake addresses. That’s because they don’t want to be found, stopped and punished. We have filters in place that block email from domains that aren’t properly registered and could be fake. For instance, email from smitht@madeupaddress.com is blocked if madeupaddress.com is not a properly registered domain.
However, we understand that some legitimate entities may forget to register their domains when setting up email servers. If you notice that email from a friend or colleague is not getting through to your inbox, our filters may inadvertently be blocking it. Please call the Help Desk at 1-877-538-8502 (dial-up) or 1-877-538-8503 (Broadband) and we will attend to your request quickly.
Thank you for choosing Gallatin River for your Internet service.
Cooking By Numbers This Summer
http://cookingbynumbers.com/frames.html -
This is the perfect recipe site for families on the go this summer. You simply put a check mark next to the ingredients you have available both in
your fridge and in your cupboard and then click on the "Find Recipes"
button. Dozens of simple recipes then appear based on the ingredients you
have available. It really is "cooking by numbers!" The site also has a
fun "Tomato Attack" game you can play while your meat is defrosting in the
microwave.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
http://cfdrodeo.com - Looking to take an "old west" trip this summer? Why not
head out to Cheyenne, Wyoming for Cheyenne Frontier Days going on from July 23rd
through August 1st? It's billed as "The Daddy Of 'em All -- The World's Largest
Rodeo and Western Celebration." Nine straight days of rodeo action includes over
forty bucking bulls and over seventy saddle and bareback broncs in each performance.
Plus, nightly concerts by stars such as George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Randy Travis
and Brad Paisley. See this site for all the details ... and giddyup!
Great Abbott And Costello Site
http://abbottandcostello.net/ - Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were one of the most
entertaining comedy teams in show business history. First partnering in 1936, the
straightman/clown act was successful in radio, on the broadway stage, in film, and
later on television. They were the first non-baseball-playing celebrities to be
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. in great part due to
their infamous "Who's On First" routine. This site includes downloadable radio
shows, humorous e-cards, scripts of popular routines, whimsical audio clips, and
more. It's a very fun site.
License Plates From Around The World
http://worldlicenseplates.com - This site isn't the most aesthetic, but it sure is
comprehensive. Just like its domain name implies, this website provides images of
license plates from most every country in the world. The site also includes plates
from all U.S. states, Canadian provinces, military forces, and more. Many of the
images are of vintage plates. So, if you've ever wanted to see what the license
plates from the Vatican, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Estonia, or Chile look like, this is
your site.
Lance Armstrong Goes For Record Six Straight Tour de France Wins
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2004/tour04/ - Are you looking
for a fast way to drop a few pounds this summer? Why not race in this year's Tour
de France? These guys will burn up to 9,000 calories a day, make well over 320,000
peddle strokes, and go through over 40,000 water bottles during this month's 2,109
mile (3,395 km) event. Over fifteen million spectators will line the roads to watch
198 cyclists compete -- making this the biggest bicycling event of the year. Adding
more excitement and drama to this year's event is the U.S. Postal Service Team's
Lance Armstrong's quest for his sixth consecutive win. Visit this site often to catch
minute-by-minute reports, see action photos, read daily tour diaries, and catch live
coverage.
If you've been surfing the Web for a while, you've probably accumulated a large number of bookmarked Favorites on your browser. The list can become almost unmanageable over time. Wouldn't it be nice if your browser sort of kept things neat for you? Internet Explorer 6 in Windows XP has a hidden feature that will do just that -- reduce the clutter of bookmarks you have collected. (This feature is not available for Netscape or Mac users.) You can make setting changes so your Favorites list only shows the favorite sites you visit most often. It doesn't eliminate your less frequently visited bookmarked pages, it just stores them out of the way for you. Here's how to set this up:
- Open Internet Explorer 6 (using Windows XP only).
- Click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu.
- Drop down to and select "Internet Options."
- When the "Internet Options" window appears, click on the "Advanced" tab.
- Look for "Enable Personalized Favorites Menu" and click on its checkbox. This will limit the number of visible favorites.
- Click on the "Apply" button.
- Click "OK" to close the "Internet Options" window.
- Enjoy your simplified "Favorites" menu.
To reverse this option, open the "Tools" menu and select "Internet Options" again. Then, when the window appears, click on the "Advanced" tab. Now uncheck "Enable Personalized Favorites Menu" by clicking on its check box. Next, click "Apply" and then "OK". Your bookmarked Favorites should all appear as before.
Are pop-ups making your Internet surfing a headache? Covering up the content you want to see? Refusing to budge, even after you’ve closed their window?
Now there’s a way to stop them in their tracks, available at no charge from Gallatin River Communications. It’s called the Pop-Up Stopper and it’s amazing! Highly recommended by the Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine, the Pop-Up Stopper is a favorite of over seven million Internet users.
Pop-Up Stopper is free to all of Gallatin River’s Dial-up Internet and Broadband customers. Simply go to www.gallatinriver.net and click on “Web Tools” for more information about this fast, free download.
**Our FREE Pop-Up Stopper works with PCs using Internet Explorer. A Mac-based version is available for $19.95.
Customers often tell us how much they like our service. Here's what a few recently had to say:
“I like the ease and convenience of getting everything on one bill.”
“I love the Call Waiting- it makes it easy to keep track my children!”
“We’re from the Northeast, so everyone we call is long distance. NO LIMITS lets us stay in touch with friends and family all the time and no worry about the cost.”
“My husband’s in a service business. Our Voice Mail is wonderful in making sure we get every call.”
Whether it’s today’s top news stories, current stock quotes, or the local weather forecast, check out Gallatin River’s new and improved website at www.gallatinriver.net. We’ve got a whole new look and invaluable information to offer you.
And take a minute to familiarize yourself with the virus protection downloads available to you. Whether it’s removal of a particular virus or the latest Microsoft downloads, check our www.gallatinriver.net site first! And check our live counter to see how many spam emails and viruses emails we’ve blocked to date!
To set www.gallatinrivernet as your Home Page, click on “Tools” and then click on “Internet Options.” Type in www.gallatinriver.net to your homepage selection and click on “use current.” This will automatically set gallatinriver.net as your homepage. What better information to have on hand as your surf the Net?!
We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on some of the latest happenings. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, send us an e-mail at and type REMOVE in the subject line.
Thanks for your business!
Gallatin River Internet