General

Maybe you didn’t know it, but some computer viruses are spread via USB flash drive, also known as USB Keys.  You get one when you plug your flash drive into an infected machine.  Then when you plug it back into your regular computer, PRESTO!  You just transferred the virus.

Rick Broida of PC World magazine posted an interesting story about this lately, and recommended SUPERAntiSpyware Portable Scanner as a good security solution.  You simply download and copy ...

Monday September 27th marked the twelfth year of Google’s existence as the king of web search.  I am struck by the fact that it has “only” been twelve years, to me it seems like Google has been around forever, like water.  What DID we all do before Google?

Well of course in 1998 there was not much of an Internet to index, and we were all using web portals such as AOL, Comserve (anyone?), MSN, and Yahoo.  Then Google came along ...

Sometimes it seems like it takes forever for your computer to shut down.  If, in fact, it really DOES take forever to shut down, this registry tweak will speed up the process by shortening the interval that Windows waits for services and programs to close themselves before force-closing them.

Start regedit from the Search box on the Start Menu, and navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControl.   Find the WaitToKillServiceTimeout key in the right column, double click on it to edit and change the interval ...

This from PC World:  Malware writers are turning to SPAM to distribute their software exploits.  Please read the PC world article at the above link for more details.

The mail contains an HTML attachment with a JavaScript component that, when clicked on by an email reader, can send you to web sites selling everything from pharmacy prescription medications to fake anti-virus programs.  Often these programs install a backdoor Trojan so your machine can be accessed from the web without ...

REMEMBER: Cell phone numbers go public this month.  All cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls on your cell phone.

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone:  888-382-1222.  It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You ...

Microsoft just posted this alert for Hotmail users.  You may receive an email allegedly coming from Hotmail Customer Care threatening to deactivate your account unless you supply your user ID and password via an active link on the email that guides you to a fraudulent but realistic looking Hotmail web site.  This email is a scam.  The web site is phony.  If you supply your user credentials, in all likelihood your account will be taken over and used ...

This in via PC World:  Fake anti-virus product Total Security, once installed, will disable all applications except the browser, claiming the computer is “infected” and keep the computer frozen until the owner pays for their “fix.”   This works by disabling your actual security product, and then reinstalling itself in a slightly different form when you attempt to remove it using traditional means.  Read the full story on the PC World link above.

The best defense I’ve found against the ...

There is a scam being promoted on Facebook that supposedly allows you to install a “dislike” button.  Do NOT click on the short Bitly URL, it will take you to a place you do not want to go, show you images you make not want to see, and update your Facebook profile to help perpetuate the hoax.  For a complete description of the hoax including some nice screen shots, see the article on the Sophos web site.

Here’s a great tip from Support.com.  The nifty rotating Aero desktop themes that are available to you are determined largely by your language and geographic area.  As an American, I see scenes from the United States.  There are themes available in the English Language version of Windows 7 for Australia, Canada, Great Britain, and South Africa as well.

To add the themes to your palette, navigate to  C:WindowsGlobalizationMCT.  In the MCT folder you will see the additional country folders.  Open each ...

I occasionally get asked how to calibrate a monitor to get truer color, brightness, and contrast.  This is definitely an issue for professional and serious amateur photographers.  Often the results from a session in Photoshop will be dramatically different when you print the image on your photo inkjet printer.  While this simple program that is included in Windows 7  may not get you all the way to perfection, it can go a long way toward improving your viewing experience.

Click on ...