Some web sites help you get your 'Geek' on. Mine helps you get the 'Geek' out! Fix IT Newsletter Alert Nov 2009 Issue 0026 News New pages added since last newsletter...   Articles   Hello First I want to apologize for being late with this, it slipped my mind. So here are a few articles from past newsletters. This information never goes out of date. Did you know that on average one in four internet users will have their Identity stolen, or their credit card information compromised? How do you stop this when the internet is the worlds biggest shopping mall? If you need something tomorrow it is just a few clicks away and you can have it delivered to your door when you get up in the morning (of course there is a little thing called shipping and handling but hey! We want it NOW!). There are ways you can protect your data and your Identity. Some of them are expensive, some are common sense. Common sense: Turn on your pop up blocker for your browser. Only use to sites that will protect your credit card during a purchase, look for the seals on the web site for: 'Hacker Safe' and  'VeriSign Secured', there are a few others. Then if you are unsure click on those icons, if they are truly 'safe' or 'verified' then a window will open up to those web sites and give you the sites certificate and date of last scan. (If you have your pop up blocker on you will have to allow the window to open). Keep your anti-virus up to date. Install anti-spyware and anti-trojan software programs. If you are connected directly to the internet use the built in Firewall software provided by Microsoft. A router would increase your protection if placed between your computer and your internet access. See my router page for information on how to set it up. A popular theme in the 1950's was: 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care'. Remember the data you protect is yours. Cut back on the spam in your inbox. Spammers rely of a couple of 'tricks' to get your email address. One is to trick you into using your email address when you purchase an item or go to a 'protected' page. To get around this go to Yahoo! or Google and sign up for a free email account. If you need to give out an email address for something that looks shady then give them the Yahoo! or GMail account. Only give out your real email to those that you know will not spam you. Another thing you can do is to go to the properties of your email program and turn off the 'read receipt' and 'delivery receipt' features. These feature will return receipt when you open or delete a message. The spammers know that most email users don't know about this feature. Only email program that I know of that warns you about the auto-reply is Eudora, it will notify you when the ' delivery receipt' is present and ask if you want to reply. With Microsoft Outlook to turn off the two features go to Tools then options, under Preferences click the E-mail Options, then the Tracking options, at the bottom of the page you will see 'Use this option to decide how to...' and check the radio button 'Never send a response'. Now when one of those spam email hits your in box and you delete it the spammer doesn't know if you read it or just deleted it. After a while they will drop your email address from their list. It may take a while but eventually your in box will have less spam.   Other news:   The Tech Support You Need - When YOU Need It! Now for only $37.00! Never pay a Geek again! The DIY concept has been around for a long time. Self Computer Repair is no exception. The question you have to ask yourself is - Do I Want To Do IT? This e-book gives you the advantage that the Geeks enjoy. And What Is That? Information. Information in everyday language! No Geek! All for a half hour of Geek time.   Q and A This site contains a lot of information. As with any publication not all information is available due to space, time, or subject constraints. If you have a question that you did not find the answer on this web site  you a can ask your question here and we will endeavor to get you the most up to date answer possible! Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this newsletter and tell me what you think! Yes, you may forward this email to anyone you want! If you don't have a subscription, and would like one, just go to our Fix It! newsletter signup (and get free sample pages at the same time) Here are some web sites that may be of interest to you: The company that I use to build my web sites - Need help with basic system functions: Computer help - Learn how to use your computer All the best, Monte Russell Webmaster www.diy-computer-repair.com Return to top