Easy Computer Repair

MSNBC Email Virus

Major spammers followed up last week’s new spam campaign focusing on a fake CNN.com email with a new version of a fake MSNBC.com email.  The email, which looks like it comes to you from MSNBC with a breaking news headline, is a fake.   The email asks the receiver to go to what looks like the true msnbc.com site but it is actually a phishing site in an overseas location that then tries to get the user to download some viewer software program in order to view the story on their computer.  If the user actually downloads this, it behind the scenes loads up a malicious software program that allows the spammers to use the computer as a “bot” to send out more spam email around the world.  If you see either of these types of email in your inbox, delete and remove them from your machine immediately.  If you clicked on any of these, thinking they were real and now are having problems with your computer, such as running real slow or popping many, many pop up windows, you can give iNeedTech.com a call at 1-800-238-1553 and the USA based techs can assist you in removing the virus.

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Rush Limbaugh kicking printers

Today 8/15/2008 on the Rush Limbaugh radio program, Rush started early in his show talking about having printer problems with a couple of his printers at his home and at his office.  Rush said he just could not get things to print they way he wanted.  He says later in the show ahead of one of his commercial breaks that he is going to go “Kick the heck out of some printers.”  Rush, iNeedTech.com has some Fun Tech Videos that can help you do just that.  The video is called “Kicking Around Ideas for Printers” and shows the IT Department kicking around printers while in an emergency meeting the Boss has called.  Go ahead, take our your frustration and watch the video but if you really would like help with your printer problems, give a call to iNeedTech.com as they have friendly, helpful USA based techs that are available 24/7 at 1-800-238-1553.

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CNN.com Virus Spam

A new email campaign was launched by spammers last week.  Reports say already in this short time over 250 million spam emails have been sent out.  It arrives with the indication that CNN.com is sending out “CNN Alerts” and that it is providing a “Daily Top 10″.  It looks quite real.  This is a fake and if a receiver clicks on the story, which looks like it is taking the user the real cnn.com site, this email link actually sends the user to an overseas site that is fake.  When on the fake site, the spammers attempt to get the user to download a viewer plug in for their computer so they can see the story.  If the user clicks and agrees to this plug in viewer, it then downloads malicious software that takes over the user’s computer , allowing it to then be used and controlled by the spammers to send out more spam emails across the Internet.  If you received this type of email and then clicked on it thinking it was real and now find your computer running slow or showing a large number of pop-ups, you can contact iNeedTech.com at 1-800-238-1553 anytime 24/7 to get help from USA based Techs in removing this spam virus.

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Online/Offline Software Applications

I have been hearing about software that is called online and offline.  Can you provide some simple insight into what these descriptions mean and how it might affect me?

No matter what the software, it had to be created through programming.  The online and offline terms usually refers to a difference in how a user might access the specific software.  Offline refers to the use of software that is traditional, in that you buy a CD then load it up on your computer.  It is then stored on your PC and ready for you to use anytime directly from your computer.  Any files that are made as a result of using the software will normally be stored on the same computer on within a closed corporate network. 

Online refers to the use of software that you access via Internet connectivity.   The software is not loaded on your PC but rather it is located on a remote server which you are connected to via the Internet.  Most times any data or files you create are also stored on that same remote server so that you can access them from where ever you want via the Internet. 

There are of course pros and cons to each type of offering.  It will all depend on how and where you want to use the specific application.  Many people will have a combination of these types of applications they use every day.  If you need more information on online versus offline software applications, give a call to iNeedTech.com

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Cannot Receive Emails

I just had a weird thing happen regarding my email.  I am using Microsoft Outlook 2007 and running Vista Business.  I am connected to the Internet via Qwest DSL and I use 1and1 as my email provider.  I was working in my office and sending and receiving a number of emails all morning.  Throughout the afternoon, I continued to write and send a number of emails with no problems.  I did not receive any inbound emails all afternoon but I just thought no one had a reason to send any to me.  Later in the evening around 7:00 pm however I got a call from someone who said “Didn’t you get my email?  I sent it at 4:45 pm.”  I had already checked for new email after 5:30 so I should have seen it.  So I got back on my computer to check it out.  It seems that I could not receive emails even though I could send them okay.  I could get to websites just fine so I knew the Internet was working but no new emails and no errors showing. What should I have done?

Have not seen that problem myself where part of the email system works but the other does not.  The functions in Outlook however are separated so that sending is one function and receiving email is another.  You can usually see this on your computer if you click the Send/Receive link.  When you do the computer usually opens a window and displays the status of the operations.  You will see the two different functions.  The first way to approach such a problem is to close and then re-launch the Outlook program.  If that does not work, you will then most likely have to restart your computer.  Both of these approaches cause the Outlook program to confirm and re-establish your specific logins to your email provider.  If you need any other help with emails, just give iNeedTech.com a call.

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Hot Keyboard video

iNeedTech.com productions has just released one of its Fun Tech Videos titled:  Smokey to the Rescue:  Dave’s Hot Keyboard.  The videos take a new perspective on how to handle some typical computer problems with PC parts such as keyboard, pc mouse, printer, CD/DVD drive, monitor, laptop and more.  This one shows a situation where Dave has a hot keyboard at his desk and he then calls the IT Hot Line at the Help Desk for assistance.  Lucky for Dave that Smokey is on duty today and knows just how to handle the situation.  Smokey quickly shows up and puts an axe to the problem.  Not sure exactly how Dave does his work for the rest of the day but there is now no question the Hot Keyboard is now under control.

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IPv4 versus IPv6

Is there a new version of Internet addressing coming our way soon?

Yes there are some changes on the horizon for the way Internet addresses are assigned.  Currently you are probably familiar with the IP address on the network which is called IPv4 and that is expressed as four octets in “dotted decimal” notation (for example: 11.053.5.878).  Not surprisingly because of the popularity of the Internet and websites the possible combinations within this networking addressing format will be used up in the not too distant future.   Thus there is new addressing system being deployed called IPv6.  This new format is a 128-bit number that is conventionally expressed using hexadecimal strings (for example: 2001:0db8:582:ae33::29).  This change does require a lot of the network carriers and equipment to be updated to handle the new format.   As a user of the Internet you probably will not even notice the difference because most websites are located using their domain name.  If you would like more information on networking and Internet connectivity just give iNeedTech.com a call.

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Passwords

My Uncle uses the same password for everything.  This doesn’t sound like a good idea.  Any thoughts on this subject?

Actually there have been some recent comments by researchers that many people are just like your Uncle in that they use the same password over and over again for a number of their online programs.  As you might imagine if a hacker was ever able to get a hold of this password and then was able to track some organizations to which a person subscribed, they might find an easy time of trying to attack all the user’s  accounts.  Everyone knows how hard it is to maintain a variety of passwords but you should try to do the best you can in creating different passwords in order to minimize the potential for identity theft.  You also hear the suggestion of changing passwords often.  In fact some programs require you to change your password after a specified period of time.  Some programs have set requirements about the structure of passwords such as including a minimum of certain special characters, letters and numbers.  The other thing that is not a good idea is to carry around a printed copy of any logins, passwords or pin numbers in your purse or wallet.  If you need any assistance with creating strong passwords give iNeedTech.com a call.

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Red Eye Reduction

I often see photos where the people have red eyes.  Is there a way to get rid of this problem?

Yes, there are a couple of approaches you can take for this problem.  First let’s take a brief look at what causes the red eye effect in people.  It is usually caused during a flash picture because the light is reflecting back to the lens off the eye.  It is said that the red color comes because the reflection is off the retina and what you see is actually the red blood vessels that nourish the eye.  One way to minimize the red eye effect is to have a camera with a red eye reduction feature.  The trick with this feature is that it makes the flash go off twice.  The first flash causes the pupils to contract thus reducing the red eye effect when the second flash and actual picture are captured.  Another option is to move the flash away from the lens of the camera so that the reflection angles away from the lens.  One other way to minimize the effect is to utilize digital photo editing software.  Even the simplest editing software usually comes with a red eye reduction feature that allows you to highlight the small area of the eye or eyes together.  Within this area the red color is minimized and thus the red highlight is diminished.  If you need any help with digital photo taking, editing or printing give the team at iNeedTech.com a call.

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OLED Screen

I heard that Sony is coming out with a new type of screen for TV’s called an OLED and it is very thin.  What is it and will we ever see it for our computers?

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode.  It converts energy into light and consumes very little power.  It uses conductors which are squeezed between glass layers like a sandwich.  It also does not require backlighting which helps it stay thin.  Sony will soon be releasing the first commercial version of such a product in a Digital TV with an 11-inch screen.   The thinness of the screen, said to be only 3 millimeters thick, will be the big draw but people who have seen it say it does also provide a great picture.  It won’t be cheap as new technology never is when it first hits the market.  Surely it will someday make its way into the computer world, especially into small laptop and ultra mobile computers but it will take some time because of cost and the challenges of manufacturing a new technology.  Have any other technology questions about new or old products, give iNeedTech.com a call.

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