Computers-101 & Tip of the Day

Find more tips and info at the Worldstart Web Site http://www.worldstart.com

It's a good idea to read through a tip BEFORE you try it. That way you'll know if the tip is beyond your ability, or may do something you don't want done. Reading through will also let you know if you have the right operating system and software. For instance, if a tip won't work with AOL or other web-based email, we will usually let you know at the end of the article.

Note: The last sentence of the copyright information at the end of this article also says,

“Finally, you agree that if you try any of these suggestions, tips, or advice it is at your own risk.”

Computers-101

Bot-Nets
by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D.
bwsail at yahoo.com
www.spcug.org

Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups.

Keeping your computer safe while connected to the Internet is becoming more and more difficult. The "attackers" are becoming more sophisticated and are sharing more ways to get their software into your computer. Business Week recently ran an article on the major security problems expected in 2008. Unfortunately, most of them arrived long before the new year started. We have been warned for years that it was possible to recruit unprotected computers into networks that could be controlled by an external source. This recruitment network problem has gotten much worse over the past few years. It is estimated that 7% of the computers connected to the Internet have been infected with a Botnet program. So what is a "Botnet"?

A robot or "bot" software program allows a computer to be remotely controlled without the knowledge of the computer's owner. When you have a number of "bot" controlled computers it is referred to as a "botnet". All of the computers in the botnet carry out commands issued by the network controller. Just one example of what can be done with a botnet is the sending of spam. The controller can easily have 100,000 computers in its network. So the botmaster will contract to send out one million e-mail messages. The network can then send ten messages from each of the compromised computers. With the constant connection to the Internet using cable or DSL the computer owner will have no idea that his/her computer has been the source for ten spam messages.

Now you might say that the idea that someone can control 100,000 computers in a botnet is ridiculous. However, as of October 2007 a major Internet security service had the IP addresses of over 12 million computers that were infected with bot software. There is also a newer threat called the Storm Worm botnet that has infected millions of computers just this year. In addition to its computer recruiting ability, it has built-in defenses that are preventing security services from analyzing it. In an E-Week article it was noted that ".. Storm worm is sending DDoS attacks to not only the researchers looking into it but to anybody on their subnet, within 5 seconds of (their) initiating efforts to fight it or examine it". A DDoS attack is a "distributed denial of service" which can bring down a computer system or network by overwhelming it with messages. A very large volume of messages are sent by the botnet in a very short period of time. It is estimated that the Storm net controls over one million computers. This would make it the most powerful supercomputer in the world, exceeding the computing power of all previous computers.

People frequently wonder why anyone would want to produce viruses, worms and other kinds of Internet attacks. Years ago it was primarily because "they could do it". Today, it has become a real source of financial gain. Let's take a look at one financial resource created by controllers of botnets. On many web pages you find ads of various types that are sponsored by Google. When these ads are clicked, the advertiser pays Google who, in turn, pays the owner of a web page, usually 80% of the fee. So the botmaster sets up a web page and contracts with Google to display ads. Then, using the botnet, sends commands to the computers in its net to click on the ads. This results in payments to the botmaster. So even with a small botnet of say 5-10,000 computers, the botmaster can easily obtain $15,000-$20,000 per month in fraudulent payments. When you consider that the known botnets all have more than 100,000 compromised systems, you get a better idea of the scale of the fraud involved. This type of click fraud has been estimated to make up 5-20% of the payments made by search companies.

Another use of large botnets is extortion. The botmaster can send an e-mail to a corporation warning that a DDoS will take place at a specific time unless a payment is made. As I mentioned earlier, spam e-mail contracts are also a source of revenue for botmasters. As these networks proliferate, the sale of the IP addresses of robotically controlled computers is also favored as an income source.

So far it would appear that the only persons affected by botnets would be corporations. However, if your computer is infected, everything you do can be reported to the botmaster. Bots can incorporate "keylogger" software. That will record keystrokes, especially any related to passwords, user names or other desirable information. Another function of bot software is screen capture. It can record an entire screen and transmit the data to the botmaster. A compromised computer can also be used as a base for finding other unprotected computers to be recruited into the net. Another consider-ation is that the largest number of computers are those in the hands of private individuals. So you may be a major part of the problem if your computer is infected by a bot.

Once a computer has been compromised, the bot software is usually designed to hide and protect itself. For example it will search for and disable any other malware located on the computer or its associated network. It may also hide itself by means of a rootkit. It may also block updates of any anti-virus or anti-spyware software. It may even fake the process so the user believes that an update has taken place. One of the most common modifications involves changes to the Windows host file or by changing the location of the host file and altering the registry.

There are also some traps on the Internet that can lead a user to download bot (Trojan) software without realizing it. Phishing e-mail can lead to web pages that have automatic download links for bot software. Web pages can be hijacked and links added to lead the viewer to web sites that contain "free" software links that are actually hidden bot programs. Bot programs are incorporating "social engineering" functions which serve to entice users to unknowingly download malware. People are the weakest link in the security chain. E-mail, web pages, instant messaging, social contact web sites are all used by bot malware as a means of collecting information and linking to compromised computers.

Many times the actions of a computer user are governed by visual clues. An attacker may take advantage of this by providing false visual clues on a web page or a pop-up. If the dialog box or pop-up is intrusive the user may click inappropriately just to get rid of the intruder. This can lead to the download of a bot.

So how do you know if you've been infected? The easiest way to tell is related to how you have been protecting your computer from infection. Do you have all of the following?

1. hardware firewall.
2. software firewall that checks both incoming and outgoing messages.
3. anti-virus software that is updated at least daily.
4. anti-spyware software that you either run weekly or that runs in RAM constantly.
5. keep your Windows software patches up to date.

If you don't use any of these safety mechanisms, then your machine is almost 100% guaranteed to be compromised. Even if you have taken all of these precautions, you can still be infected. However, the most effective mechanism for dealing with bots is to prevent their getting into your computer. So you have to keep the software up to date and you have to use it.

Ideally, your firewall hardware/software combination should keep you invisible on the Internet. Bot programs are constantly searching for unprotected computers with open ports. You may not be aware that your computer has over 64,000 port that can be used for communication. The most common usage are the ports in the lower range, under 1,024. However, some bots use high end ports (>60,000) for transmission of commands. One place you can check your computers port and its invisibility on the Internet is www.GRC.com. The Gibson Research site provides a free port scan and much good information on interpreting the findings as well as how to protect your system.

Ideally the anti-virus and anti-spyware software would be able to find and remove any bot software that made its way onto your computer. However, this software needs to know the "signature" of the malware in order to identify it. So the producers of the malware are always a step ahead of the good guys. The security services have to find and disassemble the new malware before they can devise the protection against it. So it is up to the user to keep the security software as current as possible to reduce the chances of infection. Like it or not, security on the Internet is a never ending battle.

Dr. Lewis is a former university and medical school professor of physiology. He has been working with personal computers for over thirty years, developing software and assembling systems.

This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

Let’s Clean “Start-Up”
By Bob Elgines, Editor, Colorado River Computer Club, AZRCC Editor
www.crccaz.com/
elginesz(at)rraz.net

Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups

Does your computer boot-up or run slow? Maybe there are too many programs running in the back ground. Let us do the following check first.

Hold your CTRL & ALT buttons and press the DELETE button.
Click on the PERFORMANCE tab, is your CPU Usage running more than 10% or is your Physical Memory being in total use?

Go to START then RUN, type in “msconfig” which stands for Microsoft System Configuration. In Windows VISTA you can find RUN in the ACCESSORY folder under PROGRAMS.

The System Configuration Utility windows will come up.

First go to the upper right tab labeled STARTUP, here you will see the list of items that load during startup. Of course some you want, some you don’t. In the first column labeled STARTUP ITEM gives a very rough idea to what it is referenced too, but the second column labeled COMMAND, is much more useful. Too read it better, widen the column out by holding your mouse symbol over the vertical line located before the next column label. A double arrow will appear, then hold down left mouse button and move it to the right. This information tells you where it is located and in some cases which program is using it. Uncheck those in question, you can put them back in later if you need too. Do not uncheck you Antivirus or Spyware programs.

Next go to the tab on top labeled SERVICES, this show all of the programs running now. You do not what to uncheck those labeled Microsoft under the MANUFACTURER column, so to start off, lets put a check mark in the box below labeled “Hide all Microsoft Services”.

Now while you are reviewing the other programs running in the background note the forth column labeled STATUS. If it says STOPPED, then don’t worry about it. We just want to stop the strange ones that are RUNNING. You can uncheck those that you are not familiar with, here again you may bring them back in later.

After un-checking all those items under tabs STARTUP & SERVICES, then click on APPLY and CLOSE.

The System Configuration Utility will now ask you to RESTART (or Boot) your computer.

After restarting a window will come up stating System Configuration Utility has been changed, be sure to put a check mark in the bottom left (labeled “Don’t show this message or launch …..”) before clicking OK.

If you improved your operation of your computer, you can put back in the items one at a time until you find the program that was slowing you down.

Evaluating Your Anti-Spyware Program
by Vinny La Bash, Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.
www.spcug.org
vlabash(at)comcast.net

Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups

For many years the most acute danger to your computer was some kind of destructive virus. Today the danger has shifted from software that is programmed to destroy files, corrupt programs, and disable systems to something more insidious, and perhaps even more treacherous. This threat comes in two broad categories known as Spyware and Trojan Horses.

Spyware started out as a stealth program surreptitiously installed on your system to track your web surfing habits. The developers of spyware didn’t want to damage your computer. They wanted only to sell you something. That may be annoying, but there is nothing criminal about it.

A Trojan Horse is a program that pretends to be something other than what it really is. For example, a screensaver could be designed to install a program that will take over your system to forward spam to other machines. Trojan Horses have been used to initiate denial of service attacks, where the target such as a bank, credit card service or other high profile web site becomes so saturated with external requests that it cannot respond to legitimate traffic.

When selecting an anti-spyware program, start out by selecting one with a comprehensive signatures database. The best anti-spyware programs have databases that can recognize more than 750,000 different kinds of spyware and Trojan Horse programs. Read the documentation or call the company. This is important.

The best signatures database won’t do you any good if it isn’t updated frequently. The bad guys never seem to rest. They release new poison daily. Don’t buy any solutions that require manual updates. You have better things to do. Insist on automatic updates.

Another important capability is active monitoring of your system. Wouldn’t you rather prevent a malicious program from installing rather than removing it after the damage has been done? Avoid any program that removes infections found only after conducting a manual scan. This probably means avoiding some otherwise adequate free programs. There’s an old saying about getting what you pay for. The best anti-spyware programs prevent spyware and Trojan Horses from ever being installed on your system.

Go for a program that allows you to customize your scans. We don’t all use our computers in the same way. Some people require more comprehensive scans than others. If you are constantly browsing the internet, you are likely to benefit from a daily scan that checks active memory, system folders, the registry, and all hard drives. If you rarely use the internet or find yourself visiting the same six sites over and over, a weekly scan may be all you need.

You should be able to schedule unattended updates and scans. Your machine should be yours to use as you wish. Any decent anti-spyware program should be able to run in the background unattended, and not require interrupting your activities. The program should work according to your preferences, not the other way around. Choose a program that permits unattended maintenance and administration.

It’s also important that an unattended scan can quarantine infections without requiring intervention from you. Why do some anti-spyware programs ask if you want to remove infections? Of course you do! Of all the features in anti-spyware programs, that is the dumbest.

There are innumerable derivations and iterations of spyware being created. This makes it difficult for even the best anti-spyware programs to catch and destroy them. If you open the Processes tab in Windows Task Manager, you will observe the Process Manager in action. You will see a list of objects running on your system. Some of them are applications like word processors. Others are mysterious entities that don’t provide a clue as so what they do, but you can’t run Windows effectively without them. Among them would be Windows Explorer, Internet Explorer, Media Center, Windows Mobile Control Center, and many others.

Beyond shutting down a process or resetting its priority, there isn’t much a non-specialist can do with this feature. Clever programmers can create spyware that won’t show up in the Process Manager. Any decent anti-spyware program has to have its own built-in process manager that will recognize, track down, and eliminate malevolent software that may not even be in the signatures database.

Anti-spyware programs should be able to monitor programs that load when Windows starts up. There are many very sophisticated spyware programs that to not show up in the Process Monitor or in Control Panel’s Add/Remove section. If your anti-spyware program lacks this capability, find another one.
Assuming your anti-spyware program has the capabilities mentioned above, it is an excellent choice for individuals. However, businesses or organizations with multiple computers will require even more. Whoever is in charge of PCs will not have time to manually monitor or administrate individual machines. It is simply impractical in a large organization for support staff to visit every workstation, apply updates, schedule scans, and ensure that infestations are removed. If this applies to you, look for a program with a centralized administration console. This capability has the unfortunate drawback of being quite expensive, but the time saved generally justifies the cost.

This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

Online Consumer Help from the Federal Government
By Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio & TV Show Host
Iwilsker(at)apcug.net

Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups.

WEBSITES:
http://www.consumer.gov
http://www.recalls.gov
http://www.usa.gov
http://www.ready.gov
http://www.annualcreditreport.com
http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft
http://www.consumer.gov/military

President Bush has requested that all federal agencies make it easier for consumers (the general public) to locate and utilize information on federal websites. In some cases a variety of federal agencies have pooled their resources and information, and compiled the data in easy to use websites that represent several agencies in one place. Some of these integrated federal websites are consumer.gov, recalls.gov, and usa.gov.

Consumer.gov is probably the premier federal website for comprehensive consumer information. The tabs across the top of the page lead directly to such consumer topics as food, product safety, health, home & community, money, transportation, children, careers & education, and technology. The perimeter of the page contains icons and links which directly connect to specific government services.

One of the icons links to “OnGuardOnline” which says, “OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.” There is another link for “Consumer Sentinel” which contains comprehensive information on fighting and preventing fraud and identity theft.

One link that I have personally used and strongly recommend leads to the “National Do Not Call Registry” (donotcall.gov) where you can enter your home and cell phone numbers, and prohibit most telemarketers from calling. After activation, if a telemarketer does call, there is a link to enter a complaint, which may lead to a substantial fine against the telemarketer.

You have probably seen a TV commercial hawking free credit reports, but the fine print and disclaimer advises that the credit report is only free with a paid subscription to a credit monitoring service. It just so happens that congress has required that all Americans are entitled to a genuinely free credit report once a year, without the strings or necessity of paying for a credit monitoring service. This free service is overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov), and linked to the consumer.gov website, or can be reached directly at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Many of us have had concerns about our children’s safety while online, and consumer.gov has a linked resource for that purpose as well. The FTC has created an online child safety website “Kidz Privacy” which is a childish looking website that will appeal to kids of all ages. On this site are resources for kids, adults, the media, and teachers.

We are all faced with higher prices at the gas pump, and we generally do not like it. There are scammers out there promoting a variety of miracle products to dramatically improve our gas mileage, but there are also several legitimate tasks we can undertake to save gas. Consumer.gov obliges with an icon linked to a FTC website “Saving Money at the Pump”. This is a cute, interactive website with several tips that we may find useful and money saving.

There is a pandemic of identity theft taking place which is costing our society tens of billions of dollars per year, with millions of victims of identity theft annually. Consumer.gov has a link to the central repository of identity theft prevention and information services, which is administered by the FTC at www.ftc.gov/idtheft. On this site is a link to report identity theft, steps to follow if a victim, information on preventing theft, and other useful resources.

Many of us are inundated with prescreened credit card offers, and invitations to purchase insurance. For those who want to reduce or end this unsolicited and often unwanted mail, there is a link to “Prescreened Credit Offers”. On this site is information on how these prescreened offers work, and how to stop them. For those who want to stop these prescreened offers, the FTC says, “Call toll-free 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com for details.” That website and phone number are operated by the three major consumer credit reporting agencies, and they will ask for personal information, but promise that it will be treated confidentially.

Hardly a day goes by where we do not hear on the news about some consumer product or food item being recalled for a safety or health reason. Occasionally we also hear about massive automobile recalls to correct some safety deficiency. There is an icon and link on this site to a centralized database on recalls which is continuously updated. This connects to a site recalls.gov, which is a joint venture of several government agencies that are involved in consumer recalls. Categories of recalled products include consumer products, motor vehicles, boats, food, medicines, cosmetics, and environmental products. What I find especially useful and informative on this website is the list of “Recent Recalls”. There are six small windows on the recent recalls page that list the latest recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Coast Guard. Personally, I check this site regularly, and sometimes find that I have a recalled product in my house.

Some of the other useful links on the Consumer.gov website are to specialized websites such as ready.gov and usa.gov. Ready.gov is a website sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has resources about home and personal safety in a variety of threatening scenarios. Also included on this DHS website is information for businesses continuity, and child safety during disasters. USA.gov is the central clearing house for all federal agencies. It uses a simple menu hierarchy that eases the location of desired information. Topics are comprehensive, and include such helpful items as government benefits and grants, money and taxes, consumer guides, and many other topics. This site can be a good starting point for someone looking for something to do on the internet,

Military personnel and families may find the link to “Military Sentinel” a very useful resource. According to the website, www.consumer.gov/military, “Military Sentinel is a project of the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Defense to identify and target consumer protection issues that affect members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.” Included on this website is information on specific identity theft problems faced by military families, financial scams against military personnel, and other military specific information.

Other links on Consumer.gov are to the “Consumer Action Handbook”, www.consumeraction.gov, and information that the disabled may find helpful at www.disabilityinfo.gov.

The website at Consumer.gov is a goldmine of consumer information that is free for the taking. I suggest that everyone should periodically visit this website and review any informational resources that may be of personal interest and benefit.

This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

The first thing you can do is right click on your desktop and choose Properties. Once there, hit the Desktop tab and then click on the Customize Desktop button. In the middle of that box, you will see some of the more common desktop icons. Click on the one for the Recycle Bin (it looks like a trash can) and then hit the Restore Default button. Click OK and then go take a look at your desktop. The Recycle Bin icon should be back, but if it's not, don't lose hope, because there are a couple other things you can still try!

For the next option, go down to your taskbar and right click in any open space. From the menu that pops up, click on Toolbars, Desktop. The word "Desktop" will then appear at the end of your taskbar with a double arrow beside it. Right click on those arrows and you will see an option for the Recycle Bin. Next, drag and drop that Recycle Bin icon to your desktop. That should reinstate your icon for you, but if you're still having trouble, try this. Right click on your taskbar again and go to Toolbars, New Toolbar. There should be an option there for the Recycle Bin as well. You can then drag and drop that icon to your desktop. Doing either of these three things should bring your Recycle Bin icon back and you can get on with your daily computing!

Tip of the Day

System Restore
After reading through my e-mails the last couple of weeks, it seems like there's a great need for this tip again. So, here's a refresher for all of you on the system restore process. Check it out!

Have you ever made a change to your computer that messed everything up? You know, maybe you downloaded something you shouldn't have or you installed a new program that just doesn't agree with your computer. Either way, a great feature to use in those types of situations is the Windows XP System Restore.

With the System Restore, you can go back to a previous time on your computer, without losing any of your documents, pictures, e-mails or anything! The System Restore is able to keep track of any changes you may make to your system and it automatically creates what are called "restore points" for you. These points allow you to travel back to a time when your system was in a more stable condition.

To bring up the System Restore feature, all you have to do is go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then click System Restore. You must be logged in as the Administrator as well. Also, make sure you close down any other open programs and save all your files before you begin. When you're ready, select the button that says "Restore my computer to an earlier time." Then click Next. The days you see in bold type are days that have restore points.

Select the day you want to go back to and click Next. Windows will then shut down and restart, with the settings from the date chosen. Pretty slick, huh?!

Even though the System Restore feature automatically creates restore points, it is also a good idea to manually create some when you are making any major changes to your computer. To do this, select the button marked "Create a Restore Point" on the first screen and then click Next. Give the restore point a name and then click Create. The new point will be stamped with the current date and time.

So, as you can see, if you ever run into any problems with your computer, you have a safety net thanks to this little feature. I can't even remember how many times it has saved me. It's surely not something you want to forget about any time soon!

P.S. - The System Restore feature is also available in Windows Vista!

AOL Greetings
Are you an AOL user? If so, did you know that AOL has its own set of greeting cards you can use to send to your friends and family? Or, maybe you know about them, but you're not sure how to use them. Well, either way, this tip is here to help! I, myself, use AOL Greetings all the time and I know you're just going to love them too. Alright, let's get started, shall we?!

If you didn’t already know, AOL Instant Greetings is a fun way to instantly share greetings with your friends and loved ones! By using AOL Instant Greetings, you can send unique animated characters or scenes directly to your buddy's desktop. It has a lot to offer and by the time you're done reading this article, I guarantee you will be very impressed. Okay, let’s get started!

If you don’t already have the AOL All-In-One software, go to this Web site to install the free 9.0 version (which is also compatible with Windows Vista).

Once you've done that, there are many ways you can find AOL Instant Greetings. You can use any of the following to access the AOL Instant Greetings service:

1.) Go to AOL Keyword: Instant Greetings.
2.) Right click any screenname in your AIM buddy list and scroll down to Send Instant Greeting.
3.) Click the Instant Greetings button located on the instant message form.
4.) On the AOL toolbar, click Community and then scroll down to Instant Greeting.

When you find AOL Instant Greetings, you might be confused at first, but I promise, it's very easy to use. The process involves a few steps. First, type in the screenname of the person you want to send the greeting to. Next, choose the greeting or scene you'd like to send to your friend. After you have done that, click the Next button, located at the bottom of the window. Finally, if you want, you can type a message to go along with your greeting. You can also look over your greeting before you send it by clicking the Preview button.

Questions and Answers:
How do I view an AOL Instant Greetings message?
When someone sends you an AOL Greetings message, you will receive a notice asking if you want to accept the greeting. You can either View or Decline the Instant Greetings message. Or, you can forward it to your e-mail Inbox to read later. In addition, you can reply to the sender of your Instant Greetings message to thank them or whatever you'd like to say.

Can I receive multiple AOL Instant Greetings?
Of course! If more than one Instant Greetings message is being sent to you, the notification windows will cascade on your screen. You can then view them one at a time at your convenience.

What if the recipient is not available?
When you click Available? or Send in the AOL Instant Greetings window, one of the following messages will appear:

If you get this message:
[Screen Name] is online and available to receive AOL Instant Greetings messages.
Do this:
You can send it instantly. Click OK and continue creating your Instant Greetings message.

If you get this message:
[Screen Name] currently cannot receive AOL Instant Greetings message. You can send this AOL Instant Greetings message via e-mail.
Do this:
• Click OK to continue creating your Instant Greetings message and click Send.
• If you get this message after clicking Send, enter the recipient's e-mail address or confirm that the address shown is correct and click Send to send the message via e-mail.
Example: screenname@aol.com

If you get this message:
[Screen Name] cannot receive AOL Instant Greetings messages.
Do this:
You may not send AOL Instant Greetings messages instantly or via e-mail to this particular screenname.

If you get this message:
Please enter a valid screenname.

Do this:
You may have made an error when typing in the screenname. Click OK and try it again.

There you have it. You can now easily send AOL Instant Greetings, so give it a try today. Have fun!

Computer Freedom
Yep, you read that right. This tip will show you how you can eventually carry your laptop in your pocket. How cool is that? Let's check it out!

First of all, let me ask you all a question: Why would you carry a laptop when an iPod will suffice? Unless you need it throughout your journey, why not leave your laptop at home the next time you're traveling? Instead, carry everything you need from your laptop, such as software applications, personal settings, files, preferences, etc. in your pocket. That may sound too good to be true, but it's not. Keep reading to learn all about it!

A company called MojoPac has a piece of software that allows you to virtually transport your desktop environment onto any USB device, such as an iPod, a cell phone, a portable drive or even a USB stick (flash drive). You can then plug the device into any Windows computer (for example, in another office, in a cybercafé or in your hotel room) and work on it as if it were your own PC. You don’t even need to load any personal software onto the host computer. Then when you unplug the device, there will be no trace of you ever using that computer. You can then go back and sync to your laptop again and everything gets updated, just as if your computer was always with you.

Incidentally, MojoPac Freedom is the world’s first and only free desktop virtualization software. Awesome!

How It Works
The MojoPac software captures everything that is important to users on their PCs, such as software applications, configurations, settings and data files. It also stores all of that on a USB storage device. By plugging that USB storage device into any Windows computer, users can transform the host PC into a customized personal computer. MojoPac is truly a plug and play operation, as it does not require any specialized software to be installed on the host computer. The user can install any language pack on a MojoPac device and use that language interface on any PC as well. It's completely universal!

MojoPac allows students, PC gamers, road warriors and other PC users to capture their personal computing desktop and replicate it within a MojoPac image. As a result, gamers can take their games with them, travelers can carry their personal applications, settings and information by their side and they can then transform any other PC into their own personal computer. By mirroring their digital mojo on handy storage devices, such as iPods, USB flash memory sticks and Smartphones, MojoPackers lighten their digital loads, ensure privacy, productivity and they increase the value and usability of public and orphan computers.

Price and Availability
The MojoPack Freedom version is available at no cost and it gives you pretty much everything you would need. On the other hand, the original MojoPac product is still available as a paid deluxe product that continues to gain functionality. MojoPac Deluxe is available as an upgrade for new users of MojoPac Freedom who want additional features, such as enhanced privacy, advanced technical support and other features as they become available. You can download either version at www.mojopac.com.

Who knew it could be so easy to take your computer on the go with you? Hope you enjoy this one!

Customizing Your Aero
One of the most talked about features in Windows Vista is the new Aero Glass interface. Aero Glass requires at least a DirectX 9 enabled video card with WDDM drivers and either AGP 8x or PCI-E. Now, don't be turned off by those big terms. All you need to do is download DirectX 9.0 and you can do so for free right on this Web site.

First of all, the Windows Vista Display Driver Model (WDDM) allows for the visual effects seen on a user's desktop to scale relative to the available graphics hardware. Now, not all graphics cards have the capability to run Aero Glass, but for those that do, the effects are fantastic. In addition to the transparent Window borders, running Aero Glass also enables the Flip 3D function Erin talked about last week and some very nice animation effects.

Aero Glass also comes with a new panel for adjusting the visual appearance. To customize your Aero Glass appearance, just right click on a blank area of your desktop and from the pop up menu, select Personalize. You may also access this by going to Start, Control Panel, Appearance and Personalization, Personalization.

That will open the "Personalize appearance and sound effects" panel from which you can customize many aspects of your Vista appearance. Next, click on the Visual Appearance link to open the "Change your color scheme" panel. From that panel, there are a number of predefined color schemes you can choose from to apply. There is also a checkbox to Enable/Disable the transparent glass. Along with that, there is an option to open the Color Mixer, which will allow you to highly customize the displayed color of your Vista computer. With the Color Mixer, you can adjust the color, saturation and brightness of your window borders. At the very bottom of this panel, there is also a link to open the Classic appearance properties if you'd like to do that.

Note: In the latest builds of Windows Vista, some users who have Aero enabled have not been able to use the transparent glass. If that happens to you, it is sometimes possible to get it by lowering your screen resolution.

Vista's Aero Glass ushers in a new and updated look for Microsoft Windows, as well as, some very nice visual effects. It should also be noted that the Aero Glass interface may still undergo some changes in the next releases of Vista, but either way, it's still a joy to use, so check it out today!

USB Limits
Have you ever wondered if there is a limit for the amount of power one of your USB ports can handle? I mean, it makes sense that one of those little ports can only take care of so much. But how much is too much? Well, that's exactly what we're going to find out today. In this tip, we'll go over the proper amounts you should be placing on your USB ports and how you can check them to make sure they're being used correctly. This is some good information for anyone who uses USB ports, so please keep reading!

To begin, I'm going to say that the general amount of power that most USB ports can handle is 500mA (milliamps). It is a good idea to check the status of your ports every once in awhile to make sure you're not over exceeding the power they can endure.

If you don't check on this regularly, you could be setting yourself up for a USB power crisis and no one wants that! You use your USB ports for several of your devices and you may not realize how much power all of those things are taking up.

For example, you may use the ports for your digital camera, cell phone, your mouse, the keyboard, a Web cam, a music player or others. If you have several of these devices running at the same time, they're fighting for the power and if a port is overwhelmed, it could completely shut down. Along with your USB port being damaged, your devices could end up being at risk too.

To check the power demands on your ports, you have to go through the Device Manager. If you use Windows XP or 2000, right click on the My Computer icon and select Properties. Then choose Hardware, Device Manager.

For Windows 98 and ME, right click on My Computer, choose Properties and go directly to Device Manager.

Within the Device Manager box, double click on the Universal Serial Bus controllers (it's the very last item on the list). Next, you're going to double click on the first line that says USB Root Hub. There will be multiples of these, but click on the first one listed. Now, choose the Power tab (it will be the Power Properties button in 98 and ME).

Under the Attached Devices area (Devices on this Hub in 98, ME and 2000), you will find a list of all the devices you have running through your ports right then. You will also be able to view each one's power requirements (in milliamps).

As mentioned above, a port can handle up to 500mA, so if one of your root hubs is close to that 500 mark, you need to switch around some of your devices to other root hubs, so everything isn't all filling up on one.

You can also connect another hub to your PC if you have an available port. There are hubs available out there today that can turn one port into four or even more. So, if you're close to overloading your root hub, you may want to look into something like that as well. Please do what you can to keep your USB ports safe, my friends!

- - -Cool Sites- - - -

Crowd Found
http://www.crowdfound.com/

I know a lot of you enjoy my cool sites, which are just Web sites I have stumbled upon in my online searches or sites that users have submitted to me to look at. Well, today's site is one that is dedicated to nifty sites that other people have found. It has many different categories, so you are sure to find something you like!

Even better, it’s free to join. All you need is a username, password and e-mail address. Once you fill in that information, you’ll get a welcome letter at the e-mail address you signed up with. The e-mail explains a lot of the cool features on the site. As a member, you can add content, as well as, review everything that is on the site.

Navigation is pretty simple. On the main page, you’ll see a gray navigation strip along the top with the categories of: Home, What’s Hot, Browse, Feedback, Content Adder and Help/FAQs.

I started my visit off in the Help/FAQs section, because you can usually find everything you need to know about a site there. It explains how to use Crowd Found, what exactly Crowd Found is and it covers many of the questions you may come up with. I also love that they explain they are in a beta format and that you might find some errors along the way. Because they were just recently launched, they have to sort those bugs out, but if you’re patient, I think you’ll really enjoy this site!

If you scroll over What’s Hot, you can find the different categories for what was most recently viewed or added. If you click Browse, you can see all the categories the site offers so that you can easily pick what you want to look at.

Or, you can click around the links on the main page, which show the hottest content by category.

Either way, you’re sure to find something to enjoy. So, go forth and start exploring!

I Love WAVs
http://www.ilovewavs.com

Isn’t that the truth?! I really do love WAVs, don't you? I have a custom sound scheme for my computer where the sounds for the startup and shutdown are "Hello" and "Goodbye." So, I was quite pleased to find this Web site!

Note: This site does have a WAV tune that plays during the startup, so if you’re at work, you may want to turn the sound down so you don’t get in trouble!

In the middle of the page, you will find WAV files that say "Hello." Beneath those, you’ll find a downloader’s bulletin that explains why the files are compressed (to save room) and a link to a decoder if your computer won’t play them.

On the side menu, you’ll find links to the rest of the WAV files. The categories are: For Kids, Comedy, Sound Effects, Computer Events, For Chat, Holidays, Television, Movies and Miscellaneous.

On the side menu after Miscellaneous, you’ll find links to: Download Directions, FAQ & Sound Help, Report an Error and Send Us an E-mail.

I’d keep your children in the For Kids or Holidays sections though, as the Comedy section definitely has some adult language.

There are some great Halloween ones on this site as well that you could use at your Halloween party this year!

If you love WAVs as much as I do, you need to check this site out right away. Enjoy!

Giveaway of the Day
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/
This is an awesome site! The only trick to it is that you need to keep up with it daily to get the most out of it.
What this site offers is a different piece of software that you can get totally free everyday.

No, it’s not a free trial offer either. It is the full licensed version of the software. You get the whole thing. How does it work? Well, they buy the licenses for their giveaways and you agree to their terms and conditions, while they provide advertising for the publishers of the software. You can get a free game everyday as well, with the Game Giveaway of the Day area.

Not up to the task of checking out this site everyday to see if what they offer is something you can use? Well, then just sign up for their free newsletter and you’ll be kept on top of everything and won’t miss the programs you could actually make good use of. I joined the newsletter after I missed out on what looked like a handy zip program.

Just remember that you have a limited number of hours to download the programs, so if you see one that you want, make sure you snag it. After the time is up, they go back to full price.

Also, you may want to check out their Freeware Library, which is full of free software from many different categories. For example, Audio & Video, Education and Desktop Enhancements, just to name a few. Enjoy!

Find more tips and info at the Worldstart Web Site http://www.worldstart.com

It's a good idea to read through a tip BEFORE you try it. That way you'll know if the tip is beyond your ability, or may do something you don't want done. Reading through will also let you know if you have the right operating system and software. For instance, if a tip won't work with AOL or other web-based email, we will usually let you know at the end of the article.

Note: The last sentence of the copyright information at the end of this article also says,

“Finally, you agree that if you try any of these suggestions, tips, or advice it is at your own risk.”