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Dave "Bytes" Please remember to use your thinker,
before you tinker! |
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A Periodic Newsletter for the
Members of the Sarasota PC User Group and the World!!
Click here to subscribe to Dave "Bytes"
(Please provide your full name and email address)
Here's An Internet Tip
Add an Air of Mystery
to Your Password
How complex does a password have to be in order to provide a sense of security?
The answer to this question really depends on the possible characters that
comprise the password, and how many characters the password contains.
If you only use the 26 characters of the English alphabet and your password is
only 2 characters long, then you have only 676 (26 to the power of 2) possible
passwords. A password-cracking computer program can guess any password of this
length that you create from two letters in a fraction of a second.
If you choose your password from both lowercase and uppercase characters,
numbers, the ten number keys, and the 32 special characters on your keyboard,
such as the comma and the asterisk, then the number of distinct passwords
increases to 9,216 (96 to the power of 2), which is still a low number.
However, if you make sure that the password consists of at least 7 characters,
then the number of possible combinations increases to over 75 trillion, or to
be exact — 75,144, 747,810,816 (96 to the power of 7). It would take a hacker
over 2,300 years to try every possible combination if the password-cracking
program tried 1,000 possible passwords every second.
Using a very powerful computer that tried one million passwords every second,
it would still take 2.3 years. If you change your password every month or two,
the password will most likely be different by the time the hacker has cracked
it.
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BITS |
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BYTES |
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Every |
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WLSS Radio |
Clicking on
Dave will take you to the
"Bits &
Bytes"
site where you
can listen to the most recent broadcast
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Using The Windows Control Panel
Many
of us know how to perform simple maintenance on our cars - changing oil, tires,
or windshield washing fluid. But looking under the hood of Windows leaves the
majority of people perplexed. In this 4 part feature we'll take a look at the
engine room of Windows: the Control Panel.
You
will learn how to tweak Windows to make it look and feel the way you want it
to, diagnose faults, tell technical support engineers exactly what's wrong with
the PC and even fix simple problems yourself. (YES!! I MEAN YOU !!)
The
more you learn about the role of the Control Panel in Windows, the better you
will understand how your computer works. Although we'll be working with the
most recent version, Windows XP, you will find that much of the advice can be
applied to the Control Panels in earlier versions of Windows, such as Windows
98 and Windows Me.
XP
users may also find that some of the buttons are not quite the same in their
particular version, or perhaps are not there at all depending on whether you've
downloaded Windows Service Pack 2. Not to worry, though, all the important
stuff here is relevant to everyone.
Part 1
Taking
a view
The first job is to choose how to look at the Control Panel. Click on the Start
button and choose Control Panel from the list that appears. The Category View
was introduced in XP to make it easier for people to access settings by theme,
but it doesn't offer the kind of flexibility that is found in the other
version, called the Classic View. In this feature, we're going to work in
Classic View, so first make sure you have the correct view by using the
following instructions.
To
switch to Classic mode, open the Control Panel and click on the link in the
left-hand panel marked Switch to Classic View. You will then see the Window
change to contain a set of icons, each one relating to a different part of the
system. The view will be familiar to anyone who has used the Control Panel in
Windows 95 or 98. To open one of these Control Panel icons, simply double-click
on it.
All
systems go
The most important icon in the Control Panel is the one marked System. It
controls the most in-depth options regarding the workings of your computer.
Open it up and you will see a dialogue box with seven tabs, the first of which
is marked General.
This
shows the operating system you are using, as well as details such as whether
you have Service Pack 1 or 2 installed. It will also show some information
about the computer, such as what processor it has, how fast it is and how much
memory the computer has. These facts can be useful if you are diagnosing a
fault or talking to a technical support person.
The
next tab, Computer Name, is handy if you have a home network. You can set the
computer's name by clicking on the Change button. If someone else looks after
the network, he or she will have set the name and you should not change it. If
you do not have a network, this screen will still appear, but changing the
settings won't have any effect.
The
third tab, Hardware, enables you to examine and change settings for individual
components of the computer, both internal and external. Clicking on the button
marked Device Manager will display a window listing all the hardware inside and
connected to your computer, including disk drives, monitors, network cards,
modems, scanners and more, all arranged into categories.
To
discover more about a category, click on the + sign next to it and it will
expand to show all the relevant devices. Any device that has a yellow
exclamation mark next to it is not working properly. You should note these down
if you are going to talk to a support engineer or a helper on an online forum.
You
can easily cause your computer to stop working by changing Device Manager
settings, so it is worth being extra careful here unless you are following
specific instructions.
Clicking
on the Driver Signing button lets you choose whether to accept drivers for
devices that haven't been given Microsoft's seal of approval. Since many
legitimate third-party drivers haven't been passed, it's worth leaving this on
the default 'Warn' setting.
The
Windows Update button, if checked, enables your PC to automatically search the
internet for device drivers when hardware problems arise.
The
Advanced tab contains, as you might expect, some rather complicated settings,
and that way danger lies. Unless you're an expert, don't adjust any setting
that we haven't specifically mentioned. But there are still a couple of useful
sections.
The
first Settings button in the Performance section, brings up another dialogue
box. Here you can choose the visual effects Windows uses, such as shadows and
transparency settings. It's best to leave it set to 'Let Windows choose what's
best for my computer' but you can change any of these display settings if you
wish and then recheck the box to go back to the default settings.
The
Advanced tab of this box contains settings for virtual memory. You should
usually let Windows manage this itself as well, but if an engineer tells you to
change the virtual memory settings, navigate to this tab and press the Change
button.
Windows
XP's System Restore can turn back time on your PC, deleting drivers or other
settings changes that have not worked out as promised; it is best not to change
anything here.
The
next tab, Automatic Updates, controls how often Windows accesses Microsoft's XP
repair website, and this is where the software patches that fix the infamous
Windows flaws are found. You can set it to download and install everything
automatically, or download updates and ask for permission to install them, or
not download anything.
We
recommend leaving it on the second option if you have broadband, so you know
what Microsoft is adding to your computer. Dial-up users should choose the
option to notify before downloading, as some updates can be quite large.
The
final tab, Remote, allows engineers to remotely control your PC and fix
problems but is not usually used for home computers. To prevent anyone getting
unauthorized access to your PC, you should make sure the second box, marked
'Allow users to connect remotely to this computer', is not ticked.
Next
Week: Part II
Computer Term
Users /nm./: collective term for those who use computers. Users are
divided into three types: novice, intermediate and expert.
Novice Users: people who are afraid that simply pressing a key might
break their computer.
Intermediate Users: people who don't know how to fix
their computer after they've just pressed a key that broke it.
Expert Users: people who break other people's computers.
If You Thought
You Were Safe ..... Think Again !
Eudora open to
multiple high risk flaws
Windows
version of popular email client at risk
Security
consultancy firm Next Generation Security Software (NGSS) has discovered
"multiple high risk vulnerabilities" in the Windows version of the
popular Eudora email client.
According
to NGSS representative John Heasman, versions affected include Eudora 6.2.0 and
below.
Heasman
warned that the flaws permit hackers to execute arbitrary code on victims' PCs
via previewing or opening a specially crafted email. Hackers can also run
malicious programs by opening specially crafted stationary or mailbox files.
Testing
by NGSS suggested that these issues have been resolved in Eudora 6.2.1 as
detailed here.
Version 6.2.1 can be downloaded here.
NGSS
said that it was going to withhold details of the flaws for three months in a
bid to prevent hackers exploiting them. The company promised to publish full
details on 2 May.
"This
three-month window will allow users of Eudora to apply the patch before the
details are released to the general public. This reflects our approach to
responsible disclosure," said Heasman.
Just When You Thought You've Seen
Everything Pt II
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The "Bytes" Beg, Bargain
& Barter Basement
Got something
"computer related" to sell? Looking for that rare peripheral? If it's
computer related you can submit a short classified ad for exposure in Dave
"Bytes". Be sure to include your name and e-mail address in the ad.
You can also include a picture of the item. Now some would suggest that there
be a charge for this feature but alas, since my bookkeeping skills leave much
to be desired I've determined that this will be a free service to all SPCUG
members in good standing. "Bytes" is currently sent to almost
1500 homes in the area. Ad requests will be included as soon as possible. I
assume absolutely no responsibility as to the accuracy or completeness of
supplied info. All transactions are between consulting adults which leaves me entirely
off the hook. Please let me know by clicking HERE when your merchandise is sold
so that I can remove it from the listing. I will try to run each ad for
a month.
Click Here To Submit Your Ad
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The following article was published
in the FEB/MAR 2005 edition of the |
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Thank You to the SPCUG |
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Florida Association of Computer User
Groups, Inc.
Spring 2005 Conference
Dear Fellow SPCUG Members,
FACUG was
founded in 1993 to assist user groups in the performance of their managerial
and educational activities, to promote communications among local user groups,
and to facilitate relations between user groups and the computer industry.
FACUG is
the successor organization to the Florida Suncoast Conference of PC User
Groups. Suncoast was one of the early regional groups having been started in
1989 in Sarasota by our own Gary Schweinshaupt.
Currently there are 62 member User Groups that
belong to FACUG. The Annual Spring Conference is being held on March
4-6 in Kissimmee.
Over the years many SPCUG volunteers have
devoted countless hours of their time in an effort to help make SPCUG a
stronger organization and to their credit, have succeeded. Years ago Gary
encouraged me to attend a conference and to get involved which I gladly did.
Since then I have been a Director and now serve as President because I have
seen, first hand, how FACUG helps to not only strengthen SPCUG, but the User
Group Community as a whole.
That being said, I would like to encourage all
Officers and Volunteers to register for the Spring Conference on March
4-6th.
FACUG member attendees-$60 on site, $55 by mail
before February 20, 2005 and $40 if postmarked before February 10, 2005.
This fee
covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and participation in the various roundtable
panel discussions and door prizes, All volunteers who attend are entitled to a
$35 per day reimbursement from SPCUG. If you have any questions, please contact
me @ gerber@spcug.org
Hotel arrangements are in place
Make
your reservation for hotel directly:
Super 8 Suites
1815 W.Vine St.,
Kissimmee, FL
1-800-325-4348
$39.95 + tax/night double person room.
A limited number of rooms are being held until 2/17/05 .
Request the group rate for the Florida Association of Computer User Groups,
Inc.
( I strongly recommend booking your hotel reservation NOW! This is
the height of the tourist season.)
Click HERE for the Registration
Form.
Need the Free Acrobat Reader? Get it here !
All things considered, I'm sure that you will
bring back to SPCUG information and ideas that will serve the Sarasota PC User
Group well while having a good time in the process.
I hope to see you there,
Dave
Gerber
President - FACUG
And Now
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Dave's Cool Downloads |
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Weather Grabber is
a simple, useful desktop application which lets you keep track of the weather
conditions around the world.
Browsing the Internet
for weather forecasts can be time consuming and might not serve the purpose.
With this application, you can retrieve weather conditions in no time at all.
You can view the weather of the local zip code you need as well as the weather
around the entire globe. The usage is simple. It involves a single button-click
to retrieve all the required information including the weather conditions
currently, the ten-day forecast or hourly forecast. The forecast can be viewed
in detail if required. That is not all; it is also possible to view the
satellite images of national weather conditions using this application. The
results are absolutely reliable and topical displayed on a clear application
screen.
Get the latest
updates in your weather conditions right at your desktop without spending much
time or money.
Microsoft Patches Unlucky 13 Software
Flaws
It
will be a busy Tuesday next week for IT managers and all computer users
IT
administrators should brace themselves for a busy day on 8 February as
Microsoft will be releasing 13 security patches for its operating systems and applications.
Nine of the patches are for Windows, at least one of which is rated 'critical'
and will require a system restart.
The
other four patches are for Office, the .Net framework, Sharepoint, Visual
Studio, Media Player and MSN Messenger, and range from 'critical' to
'moderate'.
Here's A Microsoft "Word" Tip
Keyboard Shortcuts in Microsoft Word
Copy, Cut and Paste
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Ctrl + C |
Copies the selected
text to the clipboard. |
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Ctrl + X |
Cuts the selected
text to the clipboard. (When you paste after having cut,
the text disappears from its original “cut” location and moves to where you pasted
it). |
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Ctrl + V |
Pastes the contents of
the clipboard to the current location (ie. where the cursor is). |
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Ctrl + A |
Selects the entire document.
This shortcut is particularly useful in conjunction with the copy and cut
shortcuts. |
Editing
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Ctrl + F |
Brings up the "Find”
dialogue box. |
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Ctrl + P |
Brings up the "Print”
dialogue box. |
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Ctrl + Del |
Deletes 1 word to the right of
the cursor. |
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Ctrl + Backspace |
Deletes 1 word to the left of the
cursor |
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Alt + Backspace |
Un-does the previous action. This
is a really useful keystroke to know as it works not just in Word, but in the
majority of Windows programs, even in programs that do not have an
UNDO menu option ! |
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Ctrl + Enter |
Starts a new page in your document. (Use
when you want to force the text after the cursor to definitely
start on a new page). |
Formatting
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Ctrl + B |
Toggles the current font between Bold
and non-Bold (to see what “toggles” means, keep hitting Ctrl+B
and see what the Bold icon on the Word toolbar, does). |
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Ctrl + I |
Toggles the current font between Italic
and non-italic. |
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Ctrl + U |
Toggles the current font between Underlined
and non-underlined. |
Tools
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F7 |
Starts the Word Spell Checker. |
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Shift + F7 |
Starts the Word Thesaurus. |
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Ctrl + S |
Saves the current
document. If the document has not already been saved (ie. it is a new
document), the "Save As” dialogue box comes up. |
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Ctrl + P |
Brings up the "Print”
dialogue box. |
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Ctrl + N |
Starts a brand New document in a
new Word window (your old document is not closed and is still accessible
through the Window menu). |
Moving
Around A Document
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Ctrl + Right-Arrow |
Moves the cursor 1 word to the Right. |
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Ctrl + Left-Arrow |
Moves the cursor 1 word to the Left. |
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Ctrl + Up-Arrow |
Moves the cursor up 1 paragraph. |
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Ctrl + Down-Arrow |
Moves the cursor down 1 paragraph. |
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Page-Up |
Moves the cursor up 1 screen. |
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Page-Down |
Moves the cursor down 1 screen. |
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Ctrl + Page-Up |
Moves the cursor to the top left
hand corner of the current screen. |
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Ctrl + Page-Down |
Moves the cursor to the bottom right
hand corner of the current screen. |
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Home |
Moves the cursor to the beginning of the current
line. |
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End |
Moves the cursor to the end of the current line. |
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Ctrl + Home |
Moves the cursor to the beginning of the document. |
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Ctrl + End |
Moves the cursor to the end of the document. |
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Ctrl + G |
Brings up the Go To dialogue box
which enables you to go to a specific page and/or section of your document. |
Highlighting
Text
Apart from Ctrl+A the
keystrokes that follow are essentially nothing other than holding the Shift
key down while at the same time using any of the motion keyboard
shortcuts mentioned in the “Moving around a document”
section above.
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Ctrl + A |
Selects the entire document. |
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Shift + Ctrl+Right‑Arrow |
Highlights 1 word to the Right. |
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Shift + Ctrl+Left‑Arrow |
Highlights 1 word to the Left. |
|
Shift + Ctrl+Up-Arrow |
Highlights 1 paragraph up from
the current cursor position. |
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Shift + Ctrl+Down‑Arrow |
Highlights 1 paragraph down from
the current cursor position. |
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Shift + Page‑Up |
Highlights the contents of 1 screen up from
the current cursor position. |
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Shift + Page‑Down |
Highlights the contents of 1 screen down
from the current cursor position. |
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Shift + Ctrl+Page‑Up |
Highlights text up to the top left hand
corner of the screen from the current cursor position. |
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Shift + Ctrl+Page‑Down |
Highlights text down to the bottom right
hand corner of the screen from the current cursor position. |
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Shift + Home |
Highlights text to the beginning of the
line from the current cursor position. |
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Shift + End |
Highlights text to the end of the line
from the current cursor position. |
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Shift + Ctrl+Home |
Highlights all text to the beginning of the
document from the current cursor position. |
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Shift + Ctrl+End |
Highlights all text to the end of the
document from the current cursor position. |