What Is This Thing Called Cache, Cookies, & History

Cache
Did you know that every time you visit a website through your web browser, your browser caches it?  This means it stores it in a file, such as HTML pages and images.  These are also known as Temporary Internet Files.  By storing these files, your browser doesn't have to newly retrieve files from the remote web site each time you click Back or Forward or if you re-visit the website.  Over time these files pile up and occasionally, can prevent you from seeing updated content, or cause your computer to run slow.

Cookies
A cookie is a file created by your web browser, at the request of the web site you are visiting, that is then stored on your computer.  This may be done because the website you are visiting wants to keep track of which pages you view or on-line shopping so you don’t have to re-enter your information over and over again.  Accepting a cookie does not give that website access to your computer or personal information, unless you have given it through on-line shopping.   It is also not possible to use a cookie to deliver a virus to your computer.

Sometimes advertisers on a page will store a ‘tracking’ cookie on your computer to track your internet usage.  Have you ever purchased something online and then noticed when you go to other sites, you are being offered similar specials of an item you recently purchased, by other advertisers?  This is because of a ‘tracking’ cookie that was placed on your computer by a third party.  Although it cannot harm your computer, some say it is an infringement of your privacy.

History
Your web browsing history is a list of pages you have visited over the course of time.

Be sure to check out my latest Newsletter on how to clear the Cache, Cookies and History.  Over a period of time, these files may gum up the works and cause your computer to run slow.  I will be posting that newsletter soon!

Spyware, Malware, Scareware And Viruses

One day while doing research using many sites, a window popped up telling me my computer has been infected with several viruses. It looked legitimate and resembled a Windows message or an antivirus program message. It told me to "Click Here" to clean my computer. To the unsuspecting PC user, a click on Okay or Remove and Wham, your computer is now infected.



This is called Scareware. Scareware is a relatively new type of attack, where a user is tricked into downloading what appears to be an antivirus application, which then proceeds to tell you that your PC is infected with hundreds of viruses, and can only be cleaned if you pay for a full license. Of course, these scareware applications are nothing more than malware that hold your PC hostage until you pay the ransom—in most cases, you can't uninstall them or even use the PC. If you ever come across a pop-up with a scare tactic, X out of the web page right away and run a virus scan.

Malware is short for malicious software, and is a general term used to describe all of the viruses, worms, spyware, and pretty much anything that is specifically designed to cause harm to your PC or steal your information.

A virus is a program that copies itself and infects a PC, spreading from one file to another, and then from one PC to another when the files are copied or shared.

Spyware is any software installed on your PC that collects your information without your knowledge, and sends that information back to the creator so they can use your personal information in some nefarious way. This could include keylogging to learn your passwords, watching your searching habits, changing out your browser home and search pages, adding obnoxious browser toolbars, or just stealing your passwords and credit card numbers.

So what can you do to keep your computer safe? I recommend you run both an antivirus and malware program. If you do a lot of web surfing then run them every day. Most programs let you schedule your scans so you don't have to remember to do so. These programs are free and have high ratings. For antivirus programs there are Avast, AVG, Microsoft Security Essentials. For malware programs there are Malwarebytes, Spybot - Search & Destroy, and Ad-Aware which is both malware and a virus protection program.

What Is The Ribbon In Microsoft Word 2007?

When Microsoft replaced menus and toolbars in Office 2007 with the Ribbon, it confused a lot of people, myself included. We didn’t want to give up the familiar look. For those of you who use Word 2007 or later, I have put together a short tutorial on what the Ribbon is all about. Hope it helps.

The Ribbon sits just below the Quick Access Toolbar and is divided into tabs. Each tab is divided into different sections, where similar commands are grouped. You can access more options by clicking on the arrow in the lower-right corner of a section, beside the section title. Look at the picture below and follow along as I explain each tab.

Home: contains formatting and editing icons

Insert: objects into the document, such as pictures, cover pages, header/footer, and page number

Page Layout: set margins, page orientation, line spacing, and indents

References: bibliographic tools, such as endnotes, footnotes, table of contents, index, and citations

Mailings: mail merge, labels, and envelopes

Review: spell check, thesaurus, comments, track changes

View: views of the document, zoom, macros, and switch windows icon to switch between open documents

The picture above is also showing you the tabs related to a table if you had inserted a table into your Word Document. Hence the tabs Design and Layout.

Did You Know There Is A Way To Boot Directly To Your Desktop With Windows 8.1

Windows 8 caused quite a stir for the average PC user when it started shipping with new PC's mid to late 2012.  When Microsoft decided to introduce a Start Screen instead of a Start Menu, it had users shaking their heads and asking "Where is my Desktop?". 

With the upgrade of 8.1, you can have your Desktop back again!  When the computer boots up to start screen, click on the tile called Desktop. This brings you to your desktop.  Look for the Taskbar. The Taskbar is the little ribbon that runs along the bottom of the screen in the Desktop.

Right click the Taskbar then click on Properties.  On the Navigation tab under start screen, check off When I Sign In or Close All Apps on Screen, Go To The Desktop Instead of Start.  Make sure everything else in the Start Screen Section is unchecked.  Then hit okay.  Next time you start your computer it will boot up yo your desktop.

Do You Know You Can Use Your Pictures As A Screen Saver?

Last week in my newsletter I talked about saving and organizing files. I am sure by now you have a collection of pictures that are your favorites; grandchildren, family members, friends, special times. I know I do. Once you have your picture files organized in folders and sub-folders, you can now display them in a slide show as your screen saver. The screen saver takes over in X-amount of time after you leave your computer, while it is still on.

To open up the Screen Saver Settings you must first left click the Start Button. In the menu on the right hand side, click Control Panel. Click on title Appearance and Personalization. This brings up a list (menu). At the top is Personalization. In that sub-menu, click Change Screen Saver.

In the Screen Saver Settings dialog box, Click the button marked Settings. This bring up a dialog box that allows you to browse for your pictures. Click Browse. Now you are in the screen to Browse For A Folder. Click on Libraries, Documents, My Documents, My Pictures. Then click on the folder you created with your pictures in it. If you didn't put them in the My Pictures folder, then click Libraries, Documents, My Documents, then the folder you created that has your pictures in it. Once you have that folder highlighted, click Okay.

With the Photo Screen Saver Settings dialog box still showing, you can control the speed and whether you want the pictures shuffled or show them in order. Once you choose, hit Save.

With the Screen Saver Settings dialog box still open, Choose the time you want to wait until the slide show starts, then hit Okay.

After the time you allotted for the Slide Show to begin, sit back and enjoy! You will impress your friends as well.

These instructions are for Windows 7 Users. If you want to know how to do this using Windows XP, e-mail me at Pic1Cathy@verizon.net and I will send them to you.

Know Your File Extensions

Have you ever had anyone send you a file through e-mail and when you go to open it, you get a message that looks like this.

Now, how did that happen and how do I fix it?

There are ways to get around it.

I would first ask the person who sent it to you, what kind of a file is it. Was it suppose to be a document or a picture?

Sometimes an e-mail program can change the file extension during transmission. If you know what kind of file it should be; with the e-mail open and the attachment closed, right click on the attachment and go to Save As. The Save As screen comes up. In the file name, change the extension to what it should be. Then, Save As Type (choose) All Files. Now when you go to open it, it should open right up. As a good rule of thumb, you should always save your file to a folder you created so you will know where it is. When you click Save or Save As, your files automatically get saved in My Documents. If you have a lot of documents in there, it could get lost. At a later date I will cover, Cleaning up and organizing files.

Another way to attack the problem is to Google the file extension. You may find a good way around it there. Or you could call me!

Here is a good site that lists common file extensions, organized by file format.

Oh, and remember, never open an Executable File (exe) if you receive it in an e-mail. More than likely it is a worm or virus.

How Do I Create A Shortcut On My Desktop?

I get asked this question a lot. It is much easier to look for a shortcut on your desktop than to go searching through your files and try to remember where you put something. Or maybe you are looking for a web site that you frequent often and don't want to type in the URL every time.

I will start by explaining how to put a shortcut to My Documents on the desktop.

1. Begin by left clicking the Microsoft start button, the one you use to shut down the computer.
   This brings up a menu screen.
2. Windows 7 users you will see Documents show up on the right side of the menu.
3. Run your pointer up to it and right click on it.
4. When this menu pops up, run your pointer down to Send To.
5. Another menu pops up. This time choose Desktop (create shortcut)
6. When you go back to your desktop, there it is!
7. Use this method to create a shortcut for any file or folder in your documents

For Windows XP users, you already have a shortcut on your desktop for My Documents. Click on the shortcut to open it. Run your pointer to a file or folder you want to show on the desktop and right click it. Then follow steps 4 - 6 above.

My Computer Profile

One of the most invaluable little free programs I have found is called Belarc Advisor. Once you download it to your computer, it creates a complete picture of what is inside. In other words, a complete profile. The operating system you have, the processor, the size of your drives, how much RAM memory is installed and the main circuit board serial number. Why is this necessary you ask? If you have ever taken to upgrading any components, you need to know what works with what. Even if you send your computer out to be upgraded or repaired, it is helpful to hand over a copy of the computer profile.

If you want a peek inside, download here: Belarc Advisor

It is a great way to view what is inside. However if it says you have a problem and you need to correct it, a good rule of thumb is to call in a professional.

How to Clear and Delete Recent Documents List in
Office 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Click on Office button, and then click on Word Options (in Word 2007) or Excel Options (in Excel 2007) or PowerPoint Options (in PowerPoint 2007) in the bottom of Office Menu.
•  Go to the Advanced tab.
•  Scroll down to the Display section
• Set the value for Show this number of Recent Documents: to 0 (zero)

Free Resources To Protect Your Computer

Security and virus issues can bring your system down in a heartbeat. There are free security resources available to keep your system clean and protected from these malicious virus's and malware. Listed below are excellent free resources.

Microsoft Security Essentials
Malwarebytes
Ad-Aware
Spybot-Search & Destroy
Avast

Do You Know The Difference Between a Web Browser and a Search Engine?

A web browser is a software application that resides on your computer and allows people to access, retrieve and view information on the internet. Examples of browsers are Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox for PC’s. Safari for MAC’s.

A search engine is a software application that resides on the Internet and is used to point you in the right direction of a website that relates to the words you type in the search box. Examples of search engines are Google, Bing, Yahoo Search.

Three Reasons Why You Need Virus Protection

A Virus?
Viruses are self-executing, self-replicating programs. They alter the way a computer operates without the knowledge or permission of the user. When activated, viruses may damage files, cause erratic system behavior, or display annoying messages. The ability to self-replicate differentiates viruses from Trojan horses, worms, and other virus-like programs.

A Worm?
A worm is a self-replicating virus that does not alter files but resides in active memory and duplicates itself. Worms use parts of an operating system that are automatic and usually invisible to the user. It is common for worms to be noticed only when their uncontrolled replication consumes system resources, slowing or halting other tasks.

A Trojan Horse?
Trojan horses are malicious programs disguised as something benign. They've been known to pose as games, utilities, and email attachments. Once opened, Trojan horses act much differently than you expect. Some merely annoy, sending emails to everyone in your address book. Others do serious damage, to the point of stealing passwords and data files. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses are not self-replicating.

Active Trojan horses are an advanced type of Trojan horse. They use unprotected ports to open lines of communication with your computer, and they can ultimately give hackers control over your machine. Active Trojan horses are also called Remote Access Trojans

Are you familiar with the terms Desktop? Icons? Wallpaper? Task Bar? Windows?

The desktop is your work surface. It is the screen you see once your computer has finished booting up and you are ready to get started.  The small pictures are shortcuts to programs called icons. Double-click icons to start a program. Clicking the Start button also shows a list of programs and other options on the computer. The blue bar across the bottom of the screen is the Task Bar. Here you can see the clock in the far right, and also what programs are open on your computer. Windows are the number of programs you are actively working in.