February 2004 Rocky Report

This newsletter includes Safety tips for ebay and PayPal accounts, Antivirus information, Cable/DSL comparison, website links and downloads to assist you.

* Please be assured that I will never sell or share your email addresses with anyone else! I respect your privacy.

I keep forgetting to say this, but all email from me is scanned by the "always up-to-date and subscription current" Norton Antivirus 2003 program.  Certified Virus Free!

I've missed sending this newsletter to you for months now, but I'm back, and I hope you find some helpful information in this new Rocky Report.  I have compiled many answers to questions that I have received in my email, plus some observations that I feel need addressing.

As always, * Please be assured that I will never sell or share
your email addresses with anyone else! I respect your privacy!*

<A few words about Ebay and PayPal>

You really need to use common sense with email that states
that it is some kind of account update, or confirmation when
it comes to ebay or PayPal.  Neither PayPal nor eBay will
request personal data (password, credit card/bank numbers,
and so on) in an email.

Learn how to protect your ebay account:

Password and Account Protection:
Please note that eBay employees will never ask you for your
password.

There are several steps that you can take to protect your
password:

1.  Avoid using on eBay the same password that you use on
your email account.
2.  Use the same precautions for your email account that you
use on your eBay account - carefully protect both.
3.  Avoid using the same password that you use on other websites.
4.  Do not share your password with others.
5.  Review the privacy policies of third parties that offer you
services to determine how your information will be protected.
6.  If you believe that someone has obtained your password,
change it immediately and contact eBay.

If you feel that you've been sent a fraudulent email, forward
it to Spoof@ebay.com.

Learn how to protect your PayPal account:

At PayPal, protecting your account's security is our top priority.  Recently, PayPal members have reported suspicious-looking emails and fake websites. These emails are not from PayPal and responding to them may put your account at risk. Please protect your PayPal account by paying close attention to the emails you receive and the websites you visit.

Please use the following tips to stay safe with PayPal:
Safe Log In: To log in to your PayPal account or access the
PayPal website, open a new web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the following: https://www.paypal.com/

Greeting: Emails from PayPal will address you by your first and  last name or the business name associated with your PayPal account. Fraudulent emails often include the salutation "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member".

Email Attachments: PayPal emails will never ask you to download an attachment or a software program. Attachments contained in fraudulent emails often contain viruses that may harm your computer or compromise your PayPal account.

Request for Personal Information: If we require information from  you, we will notify you in an email and request that you enter the information only after you have safely and securely logged in to your PayPal account.

Often, fraudulent emails will request details such as your full
name, account password, credit card number, bank account,
PIN number, Social Security Number, or mother's maiden name.  If you think that you have received a fraudulent email (or fake website), please forward the email (or URL address) to spoof@paypal.com and then delete the email from your mailbox. Never click any links or attachments in a suspicious email.

I highly recommend ebay and PayPal, and it's just a fact when you sign up for an account with either of these companies, you will get some hoax email.  Just ignore it, and be smart.  These are two of the most secure internet companies.


<In case you haven't heard about Windows 98 support>

Microsoft is continuing their support of Windows 98 until 2006, which includes supplying the windows updates that you will need to protect your computer from worms and Trojans.  They quit selling Windows 98 a while ago, several years ago, but there are many places to buy it, EBay for one, and also there are many places to find answers to your questions on the internet now and for many years.  One of my personal favorites:

http://www.annoyances.org

And they have some great books on all the windows
operating systems.


<Download for Java>

Here's the download for Java that so many of you need to
play online games:

http://java.sun.com/getjava/manual.html


<Did you ever wonder what Macros were?>

Macros for Word, here's a great website to explain this:

http://www.liv.ac.uk/CSD/helpdesk/faqs/msoffice/macros.htm


<Explain how to scan a downloaded file for viruses>

There are many safe, virus-free downloading websites
on the internet.  www.download.com is one of the best.
But just to put your mind at ease, you can scan your
downloaded file with your installed, antivirus software
by right clicking on the file, and click on Scan with Norton
Antivirus (that's the antivirus software I have).  Yours will
say Scan with whatever your antivirus software is.  It will
then scan the file and then report if the file is infected.
Now you can feel a lot safer about downloading, as long as
you have up-to-date Antivirus software installed.


<Disable your antivirus software to install a program>

When installing a new program on your computer it is
best to disable your antivirus software, since it is running
continuously in the background.  It might interfere with the
installation, and your program won't work after installation.
Some software programs actually prompt you to disable
or close your antivirus software during installation.

If you are using Norton anti-virus software, you right-click
on the icon in the systray (right side of the taskbar next to
the time) and click disable auto-protect.  A red X will cover
the it and you can right-click after the installation to enable,
or just restart your computer.  It is always best to disable
antivirus software whenever you install any other software.

It will work similarly for any other antivirus software that has an icon in the systray.  McAfee is harder to work with, but you can also disable the antivirus software at startup, go to start, run, type in msconfig, click OK, and click on the startup tab, and uncheck anything to do with your antivirus software, click apply, OK, and then restart.  You can enable the same way when you're through with the software installation.

<Virus removal tools at Symantec's website>

Once you've scanned your computer and found
a virus, you just need to download the removal tool
for that virus to get rid of most of them.  Here's the
page to go to for removal tools.

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/tools.list.html


<Let's talk about DSL and Cable Internet Connections>

A comparison is available on some aspects of the
dialup and broadband connections: Cable vs. DSL
on my website:

http://www.internetguideandmore.com/cabledsldialup.htm

Now that I have a DSL connection from my internet
provider, NTS Communications, Inc., I wouldn't trade it
in for anything.  It's the greatest!  Thanks, NTS!


<To adjust AutoComplete settings>

You can configure AutoComplete to save and suggest
only the information you want. You can choose whether to
use AutoComplete for Web addresses, forms, and
passwords, or not use it all.  You can also clear the history
for any of these.

In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options.  Click the Content tab.  Under Personal information, click AutoComplete.  Select the check boxes for the AutoComplete options you want to use.


<What are .wps files?>

WPS files are created with Microsoft Works.  If you
receive an email attachment in the Works format, you will
need to either install the program, or install a works converter.
The converter is free to download, and there's a link to the
program at this website. Any of them will do.

http://www.userful.com/support/ms-works


I hope these tips have been interesting to you all.
I appreciate all of you.  Remember that I will have all these monthly issuesof my newsletter available at my websites, along with other information:

http://www.rockyreport.com

And

http://www.internetguideandmore.com

Thanks for reading!

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