Warning! - Beware of fake e-cards this season
High-Speed Broadband service for $30/mo EVERY month!
Ask the Help Desk - Seeing holiday graphics within e-mail message pane.
Great sites to check out this month
Short Tutorial - How to see graphics within incoming holiday e-mail
Update! - Download patch to fix new flaw in Internet Explorer
Ask The Help Desk - Can you suggest a website for quick calculations?
Although most e-cards are from legitimate sources, the holidays create a prime opportunity for hackers and spammers to take advantage of your festive spirit. 'Tis the season to be especially vigilant for fraudulent and potentially damaging e-cards. A wholesome-looking holiday greeting, once clicked or downloaded, might actually be:
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-Spam or a spyware installer that displays pornography or other unwanted images
on your desktop, or barrages you with pop-up ads.
-A computer virus that scans your e-mail addresses and then sends a bogus e-card to your personal and professional contacts without your knowledge. The fake e-card and virus may even appear to be from you.
You don't have to let fake e-cards turn you into a Scrooge, however. To help avoid troubles, just apply the same caution you would use with any e-mail you receive:
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-Never download or click on anything from any unknown source.
-Use and frequently update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
-Use a firewall. Don't accept an end-user agreement without reading the fine print first; you might inadvertently agree to install spyware or something else you don't want.
If you're sending e-cards, you may want to stick to well-known and reputable sites such as http://www.bluemountain.com, http://www.hallmark.com, http://www.egreetings.com, and http://www.americangreetings.com.
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Question: Why can't I see graphics on incoming holiday e-mail messages like I could last year? I get holiday cards from friends and relatives that include family photos and holiday graphics but I am unable to view them this year. I have not changed my computer or updated my e-mail software since last year. I use Microsoft's Windows XP Home Edition and I use Outlook Express for my e-mail software.
Answer: Microsoft Corp. developed and released something called Service Pack 2 (SP2) in the fall of 2004 for Windows XP users. The purpose was to "patch holes" in some of Microsoft's software programs to help reduce the threat of e-mail viruses, e-mail worms, and hacker attacks. SP2 most specifically eliminated many of the vulnerabilities within its Internet Explorer browser and Outlook Express/Outlook software programs. Most Windows XP users have since downloaded SP2 onto their computers sometimes whether they have really realized it or not.
One of SP2's protective measures for Outlook Express and Outlook is to block images from being displayed within incoming e-mail messages as a default setting. Microsoft had discovered that some virus/worm threats arose from malicious code within the graphics of e-mail messages. Microsoft's solution was to prevent users from seeing any graphics within e-mail messages. This is probably the reason you are no longer able to see graphics within your e-mail messages.
Luckily, Microsoft provides an easy option to allow images to appear within messages, either on a per e-mail basis or for all e-mail messages. For more information on how to see images and graphics within the message pane of incoming e-mail messages when using Outlook Express or Outlook, see the Tutorial Section toward the bottom of our newsletter below.
Charlotte's Web on the Web http://charlotteswebmovie.com - When E.B. White spun his tale called Charlotte's Web, families everywhere fell in love with the book about loyalty, trust, and sacrifice at Zuckerman Farm. This month, a live-action adaptation from Paramount opens in theaters. The all-star cast features Julia Roberts as the voice of Charlotte and Dakota Fanning as Fern, and also includes Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates, Reba McEntire, Robert Redford, and Beau Bridges. Children will especially love the movie's site where they can meet the animals in the barn and be called by name! You can also download games, iron-ons, and bookmarks, or send a Charlotte's Web e-card to a friend.
Goodbye to stains when the party's over http://fabriclink.com/Stains/Holidaystain.cfm - A friend spills coffee on your beige carpet. Your 3-year-old smears chocolate on your new sofa. Let's face it stains often show up uninvited at holiday parties. When it happens, go quickly to this site for professional tips on stain removal from carpets, upholstery, and clothing. You'll find step-by-step advice for getting rid of everything on the stain "menu" from eggnog to salad dressing. That way, the only thing left after your parties are over will be the memories.
Christmas in New York City http://nyctourist.com/xmas_in_nyc.htm - There's something magical about Christmas in New York that draws scores of visitors each year. If you can't be there in person, enjoy the next best thing by visiting this site. Take an online stroll down Fifth Avenue and see the hustle and bustle of shopper-filled streets. Peek into the holiday window displays at Macy's, Lord Taylor, and Saks. Gaze at the giant tree at Rockefeller Center. The Big Apple is bursting with holiday spirit and you can get a taste of it here.
Holiday help for any elf http://xmasfun.com - Are you scurrying around trying to finish last-minute holiday projects? This site is as stuffed as a Christmas stocking with helpful resources including lyrics to carols, festive recipes, and lots of fun games. We particularly liked the collection of free holiday clipart images you can download and use for e-greetings, gift tags, or invitations. To download an image, simply right click on it and select "Save Picture."
Reviewing Regifting http://regiftable.com - Regifting (giving as a gift something one previously received as a gift) has gained in popularity since comedian Jerry Seinfeld first coined the term a decade ago. In fact, more than half of adults in a recent survey found regifting acceptable. After all, it does save time and money. If you're new to the concept, learn when and how to properly regift in the section called Regifting 101. You can also chuckle through real-life regifting stories, like the woman who received a fondue set with chocolate and marshmallows packages enclosed that had expired two years ago. Oops!
One of the scam-protection features of Outlook Express for those Windows XP users who have installed Service Pack 2 (SP2) is the ability to block the display of images within incoming e-mail. However, what's the fun of receiving e-mail messages from friends or sources you trust unless you can look at the photos and graphics?
To see the images within selected e-mail in Outlook Express, do the following with your Preview Pane open:
-
(Please note: before you follow the steps below make sure you've
downloaded the latest security patches from Microsoft at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx.
Also, your anti-virus and anti-spyware software should be up-to-date.
(Remember to frequently update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software.)
1. Click your cursor arrow on the gray bar located just below the
subject line of the message. It will say, "Some pictures have been
blocked to help prevent the sender from identifying your computer.
Click here to download pictures." If you click anywhere on that gray
bar, the pictures for that particular e-mail will appear for as long
as you have that e-mail open.
2. If you go to a different e-mail and then come back to this message,
you will need to click on that bar again to see the images within the
message.
Note: If you don't see the gray bar, open the message in it's own window and follow steps one and two above. Otherwise, click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu and drop down to "Layout." When the "Window Layout Properties" window appears, make sure "Show preview pane header" is checked.
If you want to be able to see all pictures on all incoming e-mail messages that contain images in Outlook Express, you can disable this blocking feature. Here's how:
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1. Go to the Outlook Express "Tools" menu and drop down to "Options."
2. When the "Options" window appears, click on the "Security" tab. About half way down the window, you'll see an item titled "Download images." You will see a checkbox next to the words "Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail." If you uncheck this box, it will allow images to be viewed again just like you could prior to your SP2 update.
3. Click "Apply" and then "OK" to save your new settings and close the window.
-
(Please note: before you follow the steps below make sure you've
downloaded the latest security patches from Microsoft at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx.
Also, your anti-virus and anti-spyware software should be
up-to-date. (Remember to frequently update your anti-virus
and anti-spyware software.)
1. Click your cursor arrow on the gray bar located just below
the subject line of the message. It will say, "Some pictures
have been blocked to help prevent the sender from identifying
your computer. Click here to download pictures." If you click
anywhere on that gray bar, the pictures for that particular
e-mail will appear for as long as you have that e-mail open.
2. If you go to a different e-mail and then come back to this
message, you will need to click on that bar again to see the
images within the message.
Note: If you don't see the gray bar, open the message in its own window and follow steps one and two above. Otherwise, click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu and drop down to "Layout." When the "Window Layout Properties" window appears, make sure "Show preview pane header" is checked.
If you want to be able to see all pictures on all incoming e-mail messages that contain images in Outlook Express, you can disable this blocking feature. Here's how:
-
1. Go to the Outlook Express "Tools" menu and drop down to "Options."
2. When the "Options" window appears, click on the "Security" tab. About half way down the window, you'll see an item titled "Download images." You will see a checkbox next to the words "Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail." If you uncheck this box, it will allow images to be viewed again just like you could prior to your SP2 update.
3. Click "Apply" and then "OK" to save your new settings and close the window.
To disable the graphics-blocking feature in Outlook 2003 so you can see pictures and graphics within all incoming e-mail messages, follow these steps:
-
(Please note before you follow the steps below to make sure you've
downloaded the latest security patches from Microsoft at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx. Also, your anti-virus
and anti-spyware software should be up-to-date. Remember to
frequently update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software.)
1. Go to the Outlook "Tools" menu and drop down to "Options."
2. When the "Options" window appears, click on the "Security" tab.
About half way down the window you'll see an item titled "Download Pictures."
Click on the button that says "Change Automatic Download Settings." The
"Automatic Picture Download Settings" window will appear.
3. Uncheck the box next to "Don't download pictures or other content
automatically in HMTL e-mail."
4. If you don't want a warning every time you open HTML e-mail, uncheck
the box next to "Warn me before downloading content when editing,
forwarding, or replying to e-mail."
5. Click "OK."
6. Click "OK" again to close the "Options" window.
An alarming flaw was discovered in Internet Explorer's Vector Markup Language (VML) coding which allowed hackers and cyberthieves to plant malicious computer code on thousands of websites. (VML is used for high-quality vector graphics on the Web.) By clicking on a tainted website, control of your computer could turn over to the attacker. E-mail spam is being used to lure victims to these websites; many designed to steal account log-ons and other sensitive data. In some cases, the malicious program can be activated by simply opening the e-mail message or having it appear in the preview window of your Outlook inbox.
Microsoft quickly released a security patch for the VML problem and strongly encourages all Internet Explorer users to download and install this patch if they have not done so already. More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-oct.mspx. This is a good time to remind you that the easiest and most reliable way to help protect your PC from the latest Internet threats is by signing up for Automatic Updates at http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/msupdate_keep_current.mspx. When your computer is connected to the Internet, the Automatic Updates service analyzes the Microsoft software installed on your computer and checks for any high-priority updates you need—both current and past. It then downloads the updates for you and installs them at the time you choose.
This recent VML problem is the latest in a surge of attacks focused on the relatively unprotected Web browsers. Browsers are appealing to cyberthieves because everyone has them and they provide a window to the outside world and a potential way to break into computers. While this exploit targets only Internet Explorer, it is vitally important to stay on top of security issues and install updates promptly regardless of the computer or Web browser you use.
Of course, it is also important to use and regularly update your computer's anti-virus software. Always scan file attachments of all incoming e-mail messages—even messages from people you trust. Many viruses and worms are spread over networks, through attachments, and by sharing storage media such as diskettes, Zip disks, and CDs. You have the ultimate responsibility for protecting your computer against these threats.
Question: I need to do some calculations for converting standard measurements to metric. What site do you suggest for this?
Answer: There are many sites that contain measurement converters, but one of the simplest can be found at google.com. Simply go to http://www.google.com . For example, type in "9890 yards in centimeters" (without the quotes) into the search field. Click your cursor arrow on the "Search" button and your answer (904341.6 centimeters) will appear. This tool works when figuring units of measure, math problems, physical constants, and, of course, conversions. Give it a try.
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