Cyber News,

"Install an Anti-Virus program & keep it up to date."  I was being polite when I originally mentioned this point.  What I should say is "Get rid of Norton or McAfee!" They were good applications in their day, but those days are gone as people "in the know" say that they both are resource hogs.  What does that mean?  It means these huge programs are overkill and slow your computer down, even the boot-up time.  Why pay $50 to $100 a year for these when you could have AVG that is fast, doesn't slow things down, protects you from viruses and is FREE!  If you are using Norton and get a message that it is going to expire and asking you to renew, don't do it.  Simply go into the control panel, click on Add/Remove Programs, highlight Norton, and click on the Remove button.  When it asks you to reboot, say no, then remove the entry that says "Live Update."  Now reboot, download and install the free version of AVG.  No more paying, and no more elephant in your computer slowing everything down!

The email scare!  We all have received the email that begins with "Microsoft and CNN have just announced a very dangerous virus......"  It goes on to say that this virus will destroy everything on your hard drive, drain the battery in your car, blow up your cell phone, strike your grandmother with shingles, and your hot water heater will burst and flood the garage.  Then after all those horrible warnings, it tells you to forward this to everyone in your address book.  Oh my gosh, I must warn the world!  Hello?  Listen up.  A legitimate virus is NEVER announced in this fashion.  Anytime you see alarming wording or the words "forward to everyone in your address book", just smile, delete the message and stop the domino effect!

While we are on the soap box, here's one more.  Everybody is complaining about Spam.  Spam is unsolicited email.  It has become so prevalent that many people have had to change their email address and start all over again.  Here's one thing that leads to more spam, and that's the people who put dozens of names in the TO: box when sending emails.  When you do that you are broadcasting everyone's email address.  Kind of like writing a telephone number on the wall of a public restroom.  It's the same thing.  The answer?  Create an entry in your address book called Friends and enter your email address.  Now when you want to send a message to several people at one time, put Friends in the TO: box and everyone else in the BCC: box.  That stands for Blind Carbon Copy.  Now no one will see anybody's name except their own.

The Internet is like a garden hose.  You can get only so much water through a garden hose no matter how hard you try.  The Internet can only handle so much traffic and then it slows down.  With that in mind, you can see why we all have to do our part about making good decisions about sending emails.  Send the important ones, and forget the garbage!

Ever get frustrated when calling a company and can't figure out how to talk to a real human being?  Well, I found a web site that just may help that situation.  Find the name you're looking for on the list, it will give you an 800 number and the secret to going straight to a real live person!  You probably will want to add this site to your favorites.

Here are a couple important computer maintenance tips.  Occasionally take a can of compressed air and clean your keyboard.  Dirt, dust, cat hair, etc. collects under the keys and can cause problems.  Remember that the new flat screen monitors are delicate.  Don't touch the screen with your fingernails and when cleaning wipe gently with a soft damp cloth.  That's for the outside.  Cleaning the inside of your screen is a totally different procedure.  Click here for details.

Did you know that you can make a web page look larger?  Sometimes it's nice to have more room when viewing a page on the Internet and you can toggle this feature by using the F11 key on your keyboard.  Click F11 to make it larger and click it again to go back to the original size.   Try it right now.  There are a few other keyboard tricks that you can use while in your browser.  Use the up and down arrows or the Page Up and Page Down keys to move up and down the page.  Use the Backspace key to move to the previous page.

Have you ever clicked on an email attachment with a pps extension and it wouldn't open?  PPS stands for Power Point Slideshow.  Usually it's a presentation of beautiful photos and most of these are worth watching.  After clicking on the attachment you may get a message that says there is no program associated with it.  Here's the trick.  You have to have Power Point installed on your computer which is part of Microsoft Office.  If you don't have Office, you can download a free Power Point Viewer here.  With this program you won't be able to create a presentation, but, as the name implies, you'll be able to view one.  If it still doesn't work drop me an email and I'll send you the fix.

Here's a neat browser trick for you.  Tired of typing a full web site address in your browser?  Let me give you an example.  Instead of typing "http://www.google.com" in the address window, just type google, then hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and press Enter.  Bingo, it magically enters all the rest of the stuff for you!  Of course you would substitute the word google for the site you wanted.

If you liked the procedure for cleaning the inside of your monitor screen as outlined in the fourth paragraph above, here's a place were you can download it as a screensaver.  Your friends will love it!

Now let's talk about some real tricks!  One of the word's best known magicians is Lance Burton and he will perform a short Las Vegas show for you right here on your screen.  Do you think the hand is quicker than the eye?  You'll be amazed...just Click Here. then click the play button.

Did you hear about the lady who was doing some shopping on the Internet and kept trying to use her credit card in the "ATM Thing?"  (Didn't work in the floppy drive!)

Secrets to Safe Computing:

• Don't open mail from strangers.
• Keep your Operating System updated.
• Install an Anti-Virus program & keep it up to date.
• Make sure System Restore and Firewall are active.
• Perform System Maintenance checks every 30 days.
• Back up your personal files & address book regularly.

The contents of Cyber News may be copied, reproduced, or freely distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author's name and contact information are included.  Cyber News is a free service of Stanley Computing and is published here each month, originating from Stanley's Studio in Phoenix, Arizona.  

Disclaimer:  The information presented in Cyber News is researched and is believed to be accurate.  We cannot guarantee that all the information will work on your particular combination of hardware, software and user skills.  All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind.  Neither Stanley Computing nor its contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from your choosing to use any information presented on this web site.