  |
Warning! |
Hello
SpringNet1 Internet Subscribers!
To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading! - The SpringNet1 Internet Team
|
Warning!
- Beware Of Fake E-cards This Season
Although
most e-cards are from legitimate sources, the holidays create a prime
opportunity for hackers and spammers to take advantage of your festive
spirit. 'Tis the season to be especially vigilant for fraudulent and
potentially damaging e-cards. A wholesome-looking holiday greeting, once
clicked or downloaded, might actually be:
- Spam or a spyware installer that displays pornography or other unwanted images on your desktop, or barrages you with pop-up ads.
- A computer virus that scans your e-mail addresses and then sends a bogus e-card to your personal and professional contacts without your knowledge.
You don't have to let fake e-cards turn you into a Scrooge, however. To help avoid troubles, just apply the same caution you would use with any e-mail you receive:
- Never download or click on anything from any unknown source.
- Use and frequently update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
- Use a firewall.
- Don't accept an end-user agreement without reading the fine print first; you might inadvertently agree to install spyware or something else you don't want.
Ask The Help Desk - Seeing
Holiday Graphics Within E-mail Message Pane?
Question: Why can't I see graphics on incoming holiday e-mail
messages like I could last year? I get holiday cards from friends and
relatives that include family photos and holiday graphics but I am
unable to view them this year. I have not changed my computer or updated
my e-mail software since last year. I use Microsoft's Windows XP Home
Edition and I use Outlook Express for my e-mail software.
Answer: Microsoft Corp. developed and released something called
Service Pack 2 (SP2) in the fall of 2004 for Windows XP users. The
purpose was to "patch holes" in some of Microsoft's software programs to
help reduce the threat of e-mail viruses, e-mail worms, and hacker
attacks. SP2 most specifically eliminated many of the vulnerabilities
within its Internet Explorer browser and Outlook Express/Outlook
software programs. Most Windows XP users have since downloaded SP2 onto
their computers — sometimes whether they have really realized it or not.
One of SP2's protective measures for Outlook Express and Outlook is to
block images from being displayed within incoming e-mail messages as a
default setting. Microsoft had discovered that some virus/worm threats
arose from malicious code within the graphics of e-mail messages.
Microsoft's solution was to prevent users from seeing any graphics
within e-mail messages. This is probably the reason you are no longer
able to see graphics within your e-mail messages.
Luckily, Microsoft provides an easy option to allow images to appear
within messages, either on a per e-mail basis or for all e-mail
messages. For more information on how to see images and graphics within
the message pane of incoming e-mail messages when using Outlook Express
or Outlook, see the Tutorial Section toward the bottom of our newsletter
below.
Great Sites To Check Out This Month
Charlotte's Web On The Web
http://charlotteswebmovie.com -
When E.B. White spun his tale called Charlotte's Web, families
everywhere fell in love with the book about loyalty, trust, and
sacrifice at Zuckerman Farm. This month, a live-action adaptation from
Paramount opens in theaters. The all-star cast features Julia Roberts as
the voice of Charlotte and Dakota Fanning as Fern, and also includes
Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates, Reba McEntire,
Robert Redford, and Beau Bridges. Children will especially love the
movie's site where they can meet the animals in the barn and be called
by name! You can also download games, iron-ons, and bookmarks, or send a
Charlotte's Web e-card to a friend.
Goodbye To Stains When The Party's Over
http://fabriclink.com/Stains/Holidaystain.cfm - A friend spills
coffee on your beige carpet. Your 3-year-old smears chocolate on your
new sofa. Let's face it — stains often show up uninvited at holiday
parties. When it happens, go quickly to this site for professional tips
on stain removal from carpets, upholstery, and clothing. You'll find
step-by-step advice for getting rid of everything on the stain "menu"
from eggnog to salad dressing. That way, the only thing left after your
parties are over will be the memories.
Christmas In New York City
http://nyctourist.com/xmas_in_nyc.htm - There's something magical
about Christmas in New York that draws scores of visitors each year. If
you can't be there in person, enjoy the next best thing by visiting this
site. Take an online stroll down Fifth Avenue and see the hustle and
bustle of shopper-filled streets. Peek into the holiday window displays
at Macy's, Lord & Taylor, and Saks. Gaze at the giant tree at
Rockefeller Center. The Big Apple is bursting with holiday spirit and
you can get a taste of it here.
Holiday Help For Any Elf
http://xmasfun.com - Are you scurrying
around trying to finish last-minute holiday projects? This site is as
stuffed as a Christmas stocking with helpful resources including lyrics
to carols, festive recipes, and lots of fun games. We particularly liked
the collection of free holiday clipart images you can download and use
for e-greetings, gift tags, or invitations. To download an image, simply
right click on it and select "Save Picture."
Reviewing Regifting
http://regiftable.com - Regifting
(giving as a gift something one previously received as a gift) has
gained in popularity since comedian Jerry Seinfeld first coined the term
a decade ago. In fact, more than half of adults in a recent survey found
regifting acceptable. After all, it does save time and money. If you're
new to the concept, learn when and how to properly regift in the section
called Regifting 101. You can also chuckle through real-life regifting
stories, like the woman who received a fondue set with chocolate and
marshmallows packages enclosed that had expired two years ago. Oops!
Short Tutorial - How
To See Graphics Within Incoming Holiday E-mail
One of the
scam-protection features of Outlook Express for those Windows XP users
who have installed Service Pack 2 (SP2) is the ability to block the
display of images within incoming e-mail. However, what's the fun of
receiving e-mail messages from friends or sources you trust unless you
can look at the photos and graphics?
To see the images within selected e-mail in Outlook Express, do
the following with your Preview Pane open:
(Please note before you follow the steps below to make sure you've
downloaded the latest security patches from Microsoft at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx. Also, your
anti-virus and anti-spyware software should be up-to-date. Remember to
frequently update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software.)
- Click your cursor arrow on the gray bar located just below the
subject line of the message. It will say, "Some pictures have been
blocked to help prevent the sender from identifying your computer.
Click here to download pictures." If you click anywhere on that gray
bar, the pictures for that particular e-mail will appear for as long
as you have that e-mail open.
- If you go to a different e-mail and then come back to this message, you will need to click on that bar again to see the images within the message.
If you want to be able to see all pictures on all incoming e-mail messages that contain images in Outlook Express, you can disable this blocking feature. Here's how:
- Go to the Outlook Express "Tools" menu and drop down to
"Options."
- When the "Options" window appears, click on the "Security" tab.
About half way down the window, you'll see an item titled "Download
images." You will see a checkbox next to the words "Block images and
other external content in HTML e-mail." If you uncheck this box, it
will allow images to be viewed again just like you could prior to
your SP2 update.
- Click "Apply" and then "OK" to save your new settings and close the window.
(Please note before you follow the steps below to make sure you've downloaded the latest security patches from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx. Also, your anti-virus and anti-spyware software should be up-to-date. Remember to frequently update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software.)
- Go to the Outlook "Tools" menu and drop down to "Options."
- When the "Options" window appears, click on the "Security" tab.
About half way down the window you'll see an item titled "Download
Pictures." Click on the button that says "Change Automatic Download
Settings." The "Automatic Picture Download Settings" window will
appear.
- Uncheck the box next to "Don't download pictures or other
content automatically in HMTL e-mail."
- If you don't want a warning every time you open HTML e-mail,
uncheck the box next to "Warn me before downloading content when
editing, forwarding, or replying to e-mail."
- Click "OK."
- Click "OK" again to close the "Options" window.
We hope
you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you
posted on the happenings here. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive
these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards,
Neal E.
Miller
Springnet1, Inc.
Springnet1, Inc.
6900 Preston Dr.
Springfield, IL 62711
800-261-6006
217-241-6000
(We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.)
©2006 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.
Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter
are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective owners.