Sep. 2007

Transcript

september 2007 award winning monthly newsletter for orcopug members vol. 25  no. 9 september program home theater a n o g n i n n u er t a m i t l u a er t t n vis e c a i d e m p h l u f r e w c po p p o t k s e d m8040n a “first look” presented by alan jarrett program details  2 feedback 3 your favorite shot   4 keyword / computer events  5 time to speak out 6 how to… 6 elements 5.0 review  9 google street views 10 stickie review 12 rootkit detection 14 find podcasts 16 clean lcd / block senders 16 debian linux 17 member information  18 user group deals   19 orcopug information  20 ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007  incredibly cool powerful entertainment pc PROGRAM NOTES using an hp media + as a home theater hub center windows vista ultimate by Alan Jarrett M y Media Center computer with Vista Ultimate has taken over my living room. In June, I purchased a new HP PC running Windows Vista Ultimate. At the meeting, I am going to summarize my experience and demonstrate a typical session learning about the computer and operating system. I will not differentiate among hardware, operating system or software. My goal with this system was to consolidate all digital media (photos, music, videos) into a single location accessible to the network. I wanted to be able to play back albums or songs, create playlists, launch slide shows, and view movies, all using a remote control. I had no doubt that the Media Center interface would work, because I have been using an HP Media Center computer with Windows XP Edition 2005 for about two years. Every time I considered using a PC in the living room, I have been inhibited by two factors: heat, which is a problem in computer systems and noise caused by the many fans in a typical PC. The HP M8040N is a desktop pc with a small form factor and is quiet and affordable. In addition, with Vista, dialog boxes pop up so I can use all of the diverse features immediately. The computer comes with a TV tuner card so I will demonstrate this feature. I hooked up a tiny indoor HD antenna to see what kind of reception I could get. I was shocked to find that the antenna successfully pulled in many local analog and digital stations (including HDTV.) I will try to demonstrate these features as well. feedback G oogle’s enhanced Street View maps were described in an August Los Angeles Times article about the feature — regarded as invasive by some. Panoramic color photos were taken in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and other major U.S. cities by cameras mounted on vehicles. So clear are the shots that enthusiasts have been scouring Google Maps for strange, funny, questionable, or merely candid, bythe-side-of-the-road shots. A collection of these images is posted at Streetviewr.com. The site was visited by 20,000 the day after Google’s Southern California upgrade in June, with many uploading their own discoveries. Among other momentary slices of life, Google cameras documented a pigeon pooping in midflight. And, unsuspecting citizens like an 80year-old retiree, was clearly shown at the window of her Encinitas home. She told a reporter that knowing her picture could be seen around the world was disconcerting. An invaluable aid for travelers, Street View raises issues about privacy for people going about their daily lives and being caught, maybe embarrassingly, on camera. A retired ORCOPUG member comments below on the subject. Tony Lake Retired in Deseret, Utah N ow I know why my wife must have the drapes closed at night. Our living room window is 12 feet 4 inches wide. Our dining room window is around 8 feet wide. We have two standard-size windows in our breakfast nook — one facing the East and one facing the South only 12 inches apart from each other. We love our view from all of our windows. We have very large windows in the other rooms of our home also. We have a different view from all our rooms of the beautiful country. I may now have a problem with Google, although we are around 60 miles from any freeway. We will have to look out for the Google truck with its camera. (More information about Google Street Views begins on page 10. LG) A scene spotted by an eagle-eyed Google Street View map searcher is shown below. Carl Westberg ORCOPUG T hey’re at it again! Here’s another helpful routine developed by Secunia PSI, http://secunia.com/. You might go to the website and see if you are interested. Basically it appears to check your system for either out of date or insecure software; something I consider very useful. Charlie Semple Los Angeles Computer Society W ith all the fuss a few months ago, things seem to have “gone quiet.” Who knows what is the current status of this controversial subject? Have some recommended actions by users been formulated? (I’m glad you are interested and that you asked. There are some answers on page 6 to help bring you up-to-date. LG) SO YOU LIKE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY your favoriteshot Stray Cat — 2006 A gorgeous, loving, stray tuxedo cat adopted me at work. He’s eating tuna with milk and has a little milk drip on his chin. Taken with a Sony digital camera. Photo by Linda Gonse, ORCOPUG Engine Order Telegraph – 2007 T “he “engine order telegraph” from the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Captains and/or pilots of ships used devices like this to signal the engine room how fast to run the engines. Photo by Frank Bollinger, ORCOPUG E verybody has a photo that they like a lot. Won’t you please send us your favorite photo for our next “Your Favorite Shot” page? Email your photo as a low resolution 3” x 4” or 4” x 3” JPG to editor@ orcopug.org. Please provide a short description of the photo or photo trick that you used to get it. Photo subjects can be whatever you choose.  ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 KEYWORD/ EVENTS august keyword explained visit computer groups drobo by Judy Taylour, APCUG Region 11 Advisor D robo is a data storage robot, developed by Data Robotics, Inc., which interfaces up to four 3.5” SATA hard drives with a computer via High-Speed USB 2.0. It is primarily designed to allow installation and removal of storage devices without requiring manual data migration, and also for increasing storage capacity of of the unit without downtime. Drobo is noted for features such as: • Recognising and utilising newly added storage device on the fly • No speed or branding restrictions • Appears to be one unified drive to the operating system • Data protection for all drives, as Drobo controls any access to the data • Supported file systems: HFS Plus and NTFS Drobo has been criticized for lacking any sort of integrated Ethernet port, preventing it from being a self-contained NAS appliance without sharing it from another computer (which must always remain powered on). Connecting the Drobo to a router or NAS device with a USB-port is way to work around this. on your vacation! M ini-Expo VI sponsored by the Chicago Computer Society. This event, Technology for Fun, will be held on Saturday, September 15, 2007 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Learn and network, win free high-dollar prizes plus lunch is included – all for $15 (prior to 9/10) - $20 at the door. ATEN (Assistive Technology Exchange Network) will hold a computer drive from 8 am until noon for the drop off of old computers and equipment. The equipment will be refurbished or properly disposed of by ATEN. For more information, contact Al Cheeks, alcheeks@ bigfoot.com – www.css.org. T he Northwest Florida Association of Computer User Groups is holding its 2nd annual NWFACUG Expo07 on Friday, October 5. The event is held in Niceville, Florida. Contact J.B. Hillard, president of NWFACUG, for more information bay59@myway. com - http://nwfacug.org/ T he Florida Association of Computer User Groups (FACUG) will hold its Fall Conference on Saturday, October 6, in Orlando, Florida, open to all computer user group members, whether or not their group is an FACUG member. Roundtable discussions, door prize drawings and a featured speaker at the luncheon – all for $25 (early bird registration ends 8/31/07) or $30 at the door. Non-FACUG member groups’ registration is $35 by 8/31 or $40 at the door. There will be a preconference event Friday evening at PF Changs in Winter Park. For more information, contact [email protected] ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007  PHOTOGRAPHY net neutrality: a level playing field? it’s time for us to speak out! by Linda Gonse what is ‘net neutrality? B riefly, “Net Neutrality” (short for Network Neutrality) is the guiding principle that preserves the free and open Internet. “It means no discrimination. Net Neutrality prevents Internet providers from speeding up or slowing down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination,” according to savetheinternet.com. “Net Neutrality is the reason why the Internet has driven economic innovation, democratic participation, and free speech online. It protects the consumer’s right to use any  equipment, content, application or service on a non-discriminatory basis without interference from the network provider. With Net Neutrality, the network’s only job is to move data — not choose which data to privilege with higher quality service.” why is net neutrality an issue? It’s an issue because it involves the transmission of data over broadband networks (e.g. DSL or cable internet services). As the number of sites on the Internet continues to grow and the quality of data becomes more sophisticated—encompassing video and audio files and other multimedia applications—broadband service ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 providers (generally cable and phone companies) are seeking to regulate how material flows to users through their increasingly taxed networks. For most large providers, this has come down to one general desire: They could establish a tiered system of content delivery in which companies with data-heavy content can pay a fee to the providers in return for “special treatment” in transmission. However, advocates project, this also would allow large telecom companies to block or censor things they don’t like without consequence. Moreover, colleges worry that research and distance education could be left behind if broadband companies are allowed to favor certain content. (The implications go far beyond open access.) The net-for-hire has profound implications for education, library and publishing services in general. And, for users, there is either a future of poor service, or additional costs, or some combination of the two. Low and fixed income internet users’ would lose their equality of access. The Internet would cease to be a level playing field for all users. what is being done to preserve net neutrality? In a nutshell, nothing permanent has been done to pass a law to ensure freedom of the Internet. It is still a gigantic struggle of ordinary Internet users, educational institutions, online companies—such as Amazon and Google—non-profit companies, and others, against the massive lobbying efforts of the largest telecommunication companies. Events that have unfolded since Net Neutrality became a significant issue include: Turn to next page COLUMN 1. “This past summer (2006), Congress took up the issue. Following a huge lobbying campaign by both sides, including millions spent by the cable and phone corporations, the House voted down an amendment to the Act that would have made the Federal Communications Commission responsible for enforcing neutrality. In the Senate, a similar amendment was defeated in committee, but net neutrality legislators managed to table a vote on the telecommunications bill indefinitely in hopes that they can somehow force the issue back to the forefront,” Bill Moyers, a respected news commentator and journalist, said on the PBS site at http://tinyurl. com/yhx7lz. 2. In January of this year, a bill was introduced by Senators Olympia Snowe and Byron Dorgan to amend the Communications Act of 1934, which will ensure all content is treated equally and fairly on the Internet. The law also requires providers to offer consumers broadband Internet access that is not bundled with other services like phone, cable or VoIP. The title of their bill is the Internet Freedom Preservation Act. 3. In March, the discussion over Internet governance continued on Capitol Hill. All five FCC commissioners testified in front of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. 4. In May, the bill passed the House Judiciary Committee: 20-13. 5. In a June 2007 report, the Federal Trade Commission urged restraint with respect to the new regulations proposed by network neutrality advocates, noting the “broadband industry is a relatively young and evolving one,” and given no “significant market failure or demonstrated consumer harm from conduct by broadband providers,” such regulations “may well have adverse effects on consumer welfare, despite the good intentions of their proponents.” We’ve already had a taste of what can happen if telecommunication companies are handed authority to create tiered service and to have authority over what users can access. Before any decisions have been made, AT&T censored lyrics critical of Bush twice this month during Pearl Jam webcast concerts! http://tinyurl. com/2gqv4n This foreshadows what we can expect if Net Neutrality is not made into law permanently. Pearl Jam appears to feel the same way. “AT&T’s actions strike at the heart of the public’s concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communications media,” they said. Bill Moyers provides background and details on the subject at: http:// tinyurl.com/hfyb3. A video segment from Moyers on America PBS show, titled “The Net at Risk,” illustrates the remarkable, but unlikely, cross-section of allies on the issue at http://tinyurl. com/yuylej There are also links to several articles and videos on the main page of our website: www.orcopug.org what can you do to support net neutrality? Internet Neutrality advocates are pushing for people to sign an online petition. One of them is at: http://action.freepress.net/ campaign/savethenet. The petition says: “Congress must preserve a free and open Internet. Please vote for enforceable network neutrality and keep tollbooths, gatekeepers, and discrimination off my Internet.” Turn to next page C ompanies with data-heavy content can pay a fee to the providers in return for “special treatment” in transmission. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007  PHOTOGRAPHY instructables.com tells how to do it “step-by-step instructions for making things you never knew you wanted” T T he net-for-hire has profound implications for education, library and publishing services in general. California Senators Boxer and Feinstein do not accept email from constituents sent through third party sites. So, people should email legislators directly, in addition to adding another name to the online petition so the numbers can be used for clout by Save The Internet.com, FreePress.com, and openinternetcoalition.com, who support the legislation. Boxer and Feinstein are already “believers” but it helps to let them know that the base on this issue is widespread. The SavetheInternet.com Coalition is more than a million everyday people (partial list of members) who have banded together with thousands of non-profit organizations, businesses and bloggers to protect Internet freedom. The Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, it promotes diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications. The OpenInternetCoalition  represents consumers, grassroots organizations, and businesses working in pursuit of keeping the Internet fast, open and accessible to all Americans. You can find contact information for legislators throughout the U.S. at: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/ home/ People can read Google’s Guide to Net Neutrality for Google Users at: http://www.google.com/help/ netneutrality.html and, they should also sign up to receive updates about Internet Neutrality from one of the sites supporting this legislation, such as http://www.savetheinternet.com/. Once people understand the issue of Net Neutrality, supporters should inform others about the threat to this essential freedom, and encourage their involvement. Finally, people who believe in an open Internet need to be aware that organized supporters fighting big telecommunication businesses need money to continue and to win the fight that affects us all. https://secure. freepress.net/05/net_neutrality —even small donations will help this cause. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 his site provides a step-bystep collaboration system that allows users to share projects through photos, video, text, ingredient lists, CAD files, and more. There are simple to advanced instructions for hundreds of projects, such as making a robot from a computer mouse, turning a MiniMag flashlight into a powerful laser pointer, making a retractable 1/8” stereo patch cable, creating a simple business card iPhone/iPod stand, getting into Windows XP without a password, and cracking Windows passwords. Other instructions are not techrelated. For example, the grandkids will love you for constructing a marshmallow gun from plastic pipes. http://www.instructables.com/ —LG marshmallow gun photographers get help with free ms add-ons I f Microsoft is given permssion to “validate” Windows by downloading and using Windows Genuine Advantage, photographers can get numerous add-ons for creating their masterpieces at http://tinyurl. com/22wpxt —LG REVIEW 40 Digital Photo Retouching Techniques with Photoshop Elements 5.0, Third Edition by Zack Lee by Pim Borman, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. A dobe’s Photoshop Elements 5.0 (PE5) is an advanced photo editor that combines most of the special tools of the standard bearer, Photoshop, with affordable cost and a manageable learning curve. The current version 5 also includes an organizer that lets the user assemble his pictures in albums, combine them in slide shows on DVDs, and more. For those who want to get a quick overview of many of the powerful tools available in PE the book by Zack Lee is an excellent guide. (Note: the author of the first edition is listed on the O’Reilly Web site as John Kim). In short chapters it leads the reader step-by-step through various editing procedures, using photos provided on a CD included with the book. Many basic editing steps can be achieved in different ways using the large selection of available tools, and the author purposely varies common procedures from example to example to optimize the learning experience. Of course, a complete discussion of all the tools available in PE5 requires a heftier text, such as O’Reilly’s Photoshop Elements 5 – The Missing Manual. After a brief introductory overview of the Editor window the following 6 chapters cover Correcting Contrast, Manipulating Colors, Enhancing Portraits, Editing Skills and Special Effects, Very Special Effects, and Using and Sharing Images. Going beyond the standard editing tools provided in basic photo editors, the reader also gets exposed to the many powerful special tools such as layers, levels, and the many brushes and erasers that do a lot more than the names would imply. With special tools portraits are made more flattering by adjusting skin color and retouching skin imperfections, resizing eyes, and streamlining jowly cheeks. A nice snapshot can be changed into an attractive portrait by blurring the background and removing background objects altogether. The possibilities are seemingly endless. The book is attractively bound and presents step-by-step colorful screen shots of the photos at the different stages of editing, as well as of the corresponding editor windows. Sometimes the tool marks, such as the “crawling ants” outlines of selected objects, are hard to distinguish in the illustrations, but this is usually not a great obstacle in following the examples. After completing the examples in the book the reader has been exposed to many of the powerful editing tools in Photoshop Elements 5.0. A useful index makes it easy to go back to specific examples for a refresher on how to perform certain adjustments or how to use certain tools. Highly recommended. 40 Digital Photo Retouching Techniques with Photoshop Elements 5.0 includes a CD-ROM with practice images and a trial version of Photoshop Elements, Copyright ©2007 Youngjin.com Inc., South Korea; Third Edition 2007, soft cover, 200 pages; ISBN 10: 89-3143370-8; sold in the USA by O’Reilly Publishers Get a 35% user group discount off books from O’Reilly, No Starch, Paraglyph, PC Publishing, Pragmatic Bookshelf, SitePoint, Youngjin, or Syngress books you purchase directly from O’Reilly. Ask a user group officer for the discount code to use when ordering online (http://www.oreilly. com/store) or by phone 800-998-9938. Free ground shipping on orders $29.95 or more in the US. © 2007 Willem F.H Borman. This article may be reproduced in its entirety only, including this statement, by non-profit organizations in their member publications, with mention of the author’s name and the Southwestern Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007  REVIEW how to use google street views to see… streets, places, routes and faces! Figure 2 by Linda Gonse B eyond the curiosity of the new panoramic on-the-road reality shots, Google’s detailed Street Views give you a feel for really being where you want to go. Although only a handful of large cities are represented in these views, it’s still likely you will want to look for destinations in them occasionally. Figure 1 Figure 3 10 ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 If you aren’t familiar with Street Views, go to Google.com and click on Maps, a link at the top of the screen. Type in a location of a street or a city. If one of the boxes at the top of the map shown says “Street View,” click on it. A map looking like a plate of blue spaghetti shows where panoramic shots were taken. (Figure 1.) Zoom in to see streets outlined in blue. (Figure 2.) A “person” icon (that’s you) is facing in the direction you are heading. You can move the icon to wherever you wish to go, or simply double-click on one of the blue-lined streets. You can enlarge a panoramic shot to full screen, so you don’t have to squint to see into a little peek-a-boo window. Other handy features allow you to zoom in and out, and to “drive” along a street or freeway by clicking on an arrow with your mouse. You can look in all four directions, of course, and the names of the streets and the routes are superimposed on the photos. (Figure 3.) You can even email the view to family or friends. In the meantime, a different type of map searcher is ignoring the privacy controversy caused by Google Street View’s high-quality, crystalclear, panoramic photos, and are magnifying certain side-of-the- road scenes they find and sharing them online! Turn to next page REVIEW When illegally parking, be sure a street covers your license plate. What they’ve found falls into categories, which include actual lawbreaking or crimes in progress, people doing ordinary things that seem extraordinary when you know that people worldwide will be seeing them; surreal sights caused by the panoramic camera being halted or later photo-stitching in an editing program; visual commentaries about places and people; and street views divulging the homes of the famous, or landmark homes and places. Map searchers uploaded these mini-slices of life to www.streetviewr.com. Check out the maps and see what you can find. Maybe you’ll even see yourself in one of the shots! An SUV is disguised as a shoe skate! Cars and people sometimes are truncated or missing parts altogether. Sunbathers ensure more map searchers on Google Street Views! Uh-oh. Fender bender in progress. Do insurance companies use Street Views to resolve claims? He might be wishing now that he had found a gas station restroom to change clothes in on this day! Problem spellers should probably use smaller letters! Splitting hairs or just a splitting headache? The HP Garage, (behind the house at 367 Addison Ave, Palo Alto), is California Historic Landmark No. 976 — Birthplace of Silicon Valley. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 11 REVIEW need a sticky note? put it on your computer! by Linda Gonse S ticky note programs for your pc, as you might imagine, are a utility that takes the place of paper Post-It notes that we all stick to our monitors! But, sticky note programs I’ve researched this year discouraged me from even trying them out. Sometimes they didn’t have enough features, or if they did, they were expensive. Then, someone recommended a program called Stickies, created by Tom Revell, at www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/. So, I looked at Stickies on the web page, liked what I saw, and downloaded the program. My first discovery about the program is that it is small, 953Kb, and doesn’t interfere with system files and doesn’t write to the registry. In fact, Stickies stores all its information in a single text-based ini file. When was the last time you had a program on your computer as well-mannered as this one? An icon in your system tray will allow you quick access to Stickies’ features and options. From this dropdown list you can manage your Stickies notes, configure them, get help, and download new skins. When you do make a Sticky, it won’t disappear unless you tell it to, and it stays where it is placed. You can edit, Right click on the Sticky icon in your system tray to access features. 12 ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 Turn to next page REVIEW format, and print them. Make as many as you want, or as many as your screen space will permit. But, to save room and keep Stickies organized, they will snap to each other and to the sides of the screen where they can be neatly lined up. You can even “hide” them from view. Besides viewing Stickies on your screen, you can attach them to a website, a document, or a folder, so they only appear when the objects they are attached to are on the screen. Stickies are portable, too. You can transfer Stickies from one computer to another over your TCP/IP network connection, to your PDA and back again, or send to friends in email. They can be set to “sleep” and appear on a specified date and time, as announcements or reminders. They can even play a sound alarm so they get your attention when they “awaken”! What’s fun is being able to customize the notes with various fonts, colors and buttons. You can even download customized skins from a big selection to change the outward appearance of the notes — plain, borderless, simple border, etc. The notes can be resized, just like the sticky notes in Acrobat. Stickies are located in five categories within the application so you can see and manage them. You can search for information in Stickies, wake sleeping Stickies, restore closed Stickies and detach Stickies. What else? Oh, yes! Another attractive feature of Stickies is...the program is free! What are you waiting for? Try it out and see if you like this little program as much as I do! manage stickies options stickie behaviors ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 13 INTERNET COLUMN malware rootkit detection and removal by Ira Wilsker photo by Kæmera Phreak, flickr.com. Used with permission. A ccording to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, a rootkit is, “…a set of software tools intended to conceal running processes, files or system data from the operating system. Rootkits have their origin in benign applications, but in recent years have been used increasingly by malware to help intruders maintain access to systems while avoiding detection. Rootkits exist for a variety of operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris. Rootkits often modify parts of the operating system or install themselves as drivers or kernel modules.” In simpler terms, the contemporary rootkits are a type of malware that can install a virus or spyware in a way that is designed to avoid detection by traditional antivirus and anti-spyware software. Rootkits sometimes are buried deep inside the operating system or registry in such a way as to avoid detection by traditional means while they carry out their nefarious purposes. Most of the popular security software installed on our computers offer little or no protection from rootkits, 14 and may be incapable of stopping the malware from engaging in its dangerous behaviors. In recent months some of the major and lesser security software publishers have released a variety of utilities to detect and remove rootkits. Some of these publishers, including some of the best known commercial software publishers, have generously released their anti-rootkit products as free software, sometimes with an indication that the anti-rootkit product will be included in the next major release of their integrated security suites. One of the first rootkit detection utilities released was F-Secure Blacklight (www.f-secure.com/blacklight), which will be free at least until October 1, 2007. Blacklight can detect and remove rootkits that are undetectable by antivirus software, and is already integrated in its F-Secure Internet Security 2007. Blacklight has been proven to be a reliable rootkit detector, and has earned a faithful following, as well as kudos from the technical press. Blacklight would be a worthwhile “first choice” for those who want to detect and remove rootkits. Popular security software publisher McAfee has released ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 Turn to next page COLUMN its Rootkit Detective, available for free download at vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/ rkstinger.aspx. Rootkit Detective is a powerful and full featured rootkit remover, so powerful and thorough that McAfee actually issues a warning about using it on its website, “McAfee Rootkit Detective should only be used by knowledgeable individuals at the direction of, and with the support of, a representative from McAfee Avert Labs or McAfee Technical Support. Improper usage of this tool could result in damage to your applications or operating system.” Rootkit Detective is so powerful that it also detects legitimate files that may be hidden in the operating system, such as legitimate security software. Users of McAfee Rootkit Detective should completely read and understand the provisos on the web page before using it. Trend Micro has released its RootkitBuster for free download at www.trendmicro.com/download/ rbuster.asp. According to Trend Micro, “Trend Micro RootkitBuster is a rootkit scanner that offers ability to scan for hidden files, registry entries, processes, drivers and hooked system service. It also includes the cleaning capability for hidden files and registry entries. I have personally used RootkitBuster and found it very easy to use. Microsoft, always trying to be a one-stop resource for all software needs, recently released an updated and free version of its RootkitRevealer. This product was originally released as freeware by its creator, SysInternals, which was subsequently bought out by Microsoft. RootkitRevealer is easy to use, and can detect all known rootkits listed at www.rootkit.com. Now being a Microsoft product, RootkitRevealer is sure to earn a large following. Another very popular anti-rootkit WEBSITES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Rootkit http://www.f-secure.com/ blacklight http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/ rkstinger.aspx (McAfee) http://www.trendmicro.com/ download/rbuster.asp http://www.microsoft.com/ technet/sysinternals/Security/ RootkitRevealer.mspx http://www.rootkit.com http://www.grisoft.com/doc/ download-free-anti-rootkit product is available for free from Grisoft, known as AVG Anti Rootkit Free. It is available for download at www.grisoft.com/doc/downloadfree-anti-rootkit. According to Grisoft, “Rootkits are used to hide the presence of a malicious object like trojans or keyloggers on your computer. If a threat uses rootkit technology to hide itself it is very hard to find the malware on your PC.” I also have personally used AVG Anti Rootkit Free and found it very easy to use with an intuitive interface. I also found, in my limited experience, one of the fastest rootkit scanners that I tried. It would be a very good choice for anyone who wants to detect and remove rootkits from his system. Rootkits have lately become a method of choice for miscreants and other criminals to take control of your computer without your knowledge. Since rootkits are almost undetectable using conventional security software they pose a substantial threat to our computing safety. Rootkits have recently been cited as a common tool used by identity thieves to hide keyloggers on our computers that can evade detection. Keyloggers are an especially dangerous type of spyware that can capture usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and other sensitive personal information, and send that information to criminal elements. While most keyloggers can be detected and cleaned by antispyware software, keyloggers that are also rootkits may be undetectable unless explicitly detected by antirootkit software such as the titles listed above. While not as well known as its better known cousins, viruses, trojans, and spyware, rootkits are becoming a more common threat that may slip through our defenses. I strongly recommend that everyone downloads and installs one or two of the free products above and periodically scans his computer for rootkit threats. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 15 HOW TO… how to find podcasts by Mike Lyons D ownload the free 7.3 iTunes program from www.apple. com/itunes/ and install. Now, all you need is an mp3 player, and you’re all set to download podcasts and listen to them on the go. When you first open iTunes, click on the “Podcast Directory” at the bottom next to “Report a Concern.” That actually takes you to the Apple Store. In the upper left corner is a magnifying glass and a space to search for a word or phrase. Type in “computer.” The Apple logo in the top center area changes to a candy cane-striped bar as it searches. The bar will turn solid and display the results: Name, Time, Artist, Album, Price, Popularity and Genre. Next to the name is a grayed-out circle with an arrow in it. This leads to more information about the podcast. It includes a description, user reviews, a list of the last 20 podcasts and a list of 5 “Listerners also subscribed to.” Headings are sortable by clicking on them, so if you click on Price, all the free ones appear at the top. Some of the stuff is pretty explicit, 16 that’s why they call it the “wild, wild web.” Podcasts are labeled “clean,” “explicit,” or blank which means the rating hasn’t been determined. I look to see how often and consistently the podcast occurs (some really good ones haven’t been updated since 2006), check customer comments, and the “Also subscribed to” list. If you want to subscribe, simply click on the “subscribe” button. To go back where you were, under the Apple logo on the left is a small button with a left pointing twirly. Click on this to get back. After downloading podcasts, connect your mp3 player to a USB cable and right click on the file. Select “Send to” and click on the drive letter of the mp3 player to transfer podcasts to it from your computer. Besides the iTunes Podcast Directory, you can find podcasts of Computer America shows at www. businesstalkradio.net/weekday_ host/Archives/cc.shtml and National Public Radio at www.npr.org/rss/ podcast/podcast_directory.php. There are even locally-produced user group podcasts. At our August meeting, Judy Taylour told us that the Los Angeles Computer Society was podcasting their main meetings. They are at www.lacspc.org/podcast/Archive.html You don’t have to have an mp3 player to listen to podcasts, though. If you left-click on the mp3 title, it plays right in your browser. Or, if you rightclick on the title, select “Save Link As,”you can save it to a directory on your computer. make cd podcasts for the car Besides playing podcasts in mp3 players and browsers, mp3 files on your hard drive can be burned to a CD. Then, you can play them in your car. Just burn them as a music CD instead of a data CD. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 how to clean an lcd screen H ere’s how to clean the liquid crystal display (LCD) on your laptop or attached to your desktop pc: 1. Use a soft cotton cloth like a soft wash cloth. Do not use paper towels or dried-out wash cloths as both of these will scratch your screen. 2. You can use—in order— water, vinegar (mixed with water) or isopropyl alcohol. Only use computer wipes if they specifically state that they are designed for LCD laptop screens. 3. Always apply the solution to your cloth first; never spray any liquids on the LCD screen directly. 4. Lightly wipe the cloth across the display from the top-to-bottom. change blocked senders list S ometimes, you add a person to your Blocked Senders List in Outlook Express by mistake. This lesson tells you how to remove that person from the list so you can receive his/her emails. 1. Open Outlook Express. 2. From the MenuBar, select Tools > Rules > Blocked Sender List 3. Click on the name you want to remove from the list, i.e., you want to receive email from that person. 4. Left-click on “Remove” button. 5. Touch the Enter key, on the keyboard, or click on the “OK” button. Now that person can send emails and you will receive them. Articles reprinted from ExcelNet News with permission. Copyright © 2007 Darry D Eggleston, http://DarryD.com, member of GTBPCUG. HOW IT WORKS Debian not only survived, it thrived and, in less than a decade, it became the largest Linux distribution and possibly the largest collaborative software project ever created! fourth in a series of reviews of the top 10 linux distros D ebian GNU/Linux was first announced in 1993. Its founder, Ian Murdock, envisaged the creation of a completely non-commercial project developed by hundreds of volunteer developers in their spare time. With sceptics far outnumbering optimists at the time, it was destined to disintegrate and collapse, but the reality was very different. Debian not only survived, it thrived and, in less than a decade, it became the largest Linux distribution and possibly the largest collaborative software project ever created! The success of Debian GNU/ Linux can be illustrated by the following numbers. It is developed by over 1,000 volunteer developers, its software repositories contain more than 20,000 packages (compiled for 11 processor architectures), and it is responsible for inspiring over 120 Debian-based distributions and live CDs. These figures are unmatched by any other Linux-based operating system. The actual development of Debian takes place in three main branches (or four if one includes the bleeding-edge “experimental” branch) of increasing levels of stability: “unstable” (also known as “sid”), “testing” and “stable”. This progressive integration and stabilisation of packages and features, together with the project’s well-established quality all you may ever have wanted to know about control mechanisms, has earned Debian its reputation of being one of the best-tested and most bug-free distributions available today. However, this lengthy and complex development style also has some drawbacks: the stable releases of Debian are not particularly up-to-date and they age rapidly, especially since new stable releases are only published once every 1 - 3 years. Those users who prefer the latest packages and technologies are forced to use the potentially buggy Debian testing or unstable branches. The highly democratic structures of Debian have led to controversial decisions and gave rise to infighting among the developers. This has contributed to stagnation and reluctance to make radical decisions that would take the project forward. * Pros: Very stable; remarkable quality control; includes over 20,000 software packages; supports more processor architectures than any other Linux distribution * Cons: Conservative - due to its support for many processor architectures, newest technologies are not always included; slow release cycle (one stable release every 1 - 3 years); discussions on developer mailing lists and blogs can be uncultured at times * Software package management: Advanced Package Tool (APT) using DEB packages * Available editions: Installation CD/DVD and live CD images for 11 processor architectures, including all 32-bit and 64-bit processors from Intel, AMD, Power and others Copyright © 2007 Ladislav Bodnar. Reprinted with permission.. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 17 MEMBERS’ PAGE august raffle winners Migo T-Shirt $5 Carl Westberg Winner Migo T-Shirt $5 Darryl Swensen Winner Verbatim DVD-R Recordable Disk $5 Pete Romeo Expired Joe Melfi Expired Stan Leese Winner Verbatim DVD-R Recordable Disk $5 Lothar Loehr Not Present Dick Tooley Not Present Terry Schiele Winner Verbatim DVD-R Recordable Disk $5 Siles Bazerman Not Present Ron Schultz Not Present Lloyd Boutwell Winner Klassic Specialties Paper Pack $10 Glenn Emigh Not Present Linda Gonse Winner Verbatim DVD-R Recordable Disk $5 Leonard Prince Not Present Ted Wirtz Winner Sams Publishing Bag $5 Sid Liptz Expired Don Ogden Not Present Dick Tooley Not Present Joe Gionet Winner Klassic Specialties Paper Pack $10 Ron Schultz Not Present Joe Melfi Expired Larry Klees Winner Submitted by Charlie Moore time for your   membership renewal? Jackson, Walter   [email protected] Kaump, LeRoy   [email protected] Klees, Larry   [email protected] Leese, Stan   [email protected] Loehr, Lothar   [email protected] Lyons, Mike   [email protected] Moore, Charlie   [email protected] Moore, Michael   [email protected] Musser, Dave   [email protected] Tooley, Richard D.   [email protected] Wann, Harold   [email protected] Westberg, Carl   [email protected] Wirtz, Ted   [email protected] JUNE 1– Joe Melfi, Richard Metzger, Peter Romeo (3 months past due) AUGUST 1– Sid Liptz, Michael Moore SEPTEMBER 1– Leonard Prince OCTOBER 1– Siles Bazerman, Gary Covington III NOVEMBER 1– Donald Bickel, Dan Gonse, Dick Tooley, Carl Westberg submitted by Charlie Moore members’ email addresses Bazerman, Siles   [email protected] Bollinger, Frank   [email protected] Boutwell, Lloyd   [email protected] Covington III, Gary   [email protected] Francis, Joe   [email protected] Gonse, Linda   [email protected] Gorham, Milton   [email protected] welcome new member R obert Schmahl, of Fullerton, is a friend of Charlie Moore and Leonard Prince, and a new member of our group. We don’t want to lose you! And we don’t want you to lose your membership benefits… renew now! Expired members are not eligible to win raffle prizes or to access the Members Only web page. New Member membership application     Renewal* * Please fill out all the blanks below to help us keep your information updated in our database. Last Name First Name Mailing Address Nickname City Home Phone (     )    Work Phone (     )    Areas of Interest/Comments State    Zip E-mail Address Meetings are the second Tuesday of every month. See www.orcopug.org for more details. What a bargain! For about $2 a month you can’t beat the benefits of belonging to our user group! Make check for $25 payable to ORCOPUG — mail to: ORCOPUG, P.O. BOX 716, Brea, California 92822-0716 18 ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007   USER GROUP DEALS & ANNOUNCEMENTS free item table at september meeting! secret keyword B ring your unwanted, computer-related items to the meeting and leave them on our free item table for anyone who wants to take them. Items can be books, magazines, hardware, or software. Members must label their items so other members know whom to talk to about any item. Items not claimed by the time the original owner is ready to leave, must be taken home at the end of the evening. We are not allowed to dump our items in the library’s wastebaskets. thanks to generous 2006 donators! W e sincerely thank the following companies for donating prizes to our 2006 fundraising raffle: 2nd Story Software, Adept Computer, Aviar Inc., AskSam, Help Me 2 Learn, Iolo Technologies, Millennia Corp., NotePage Inc., Pearson Education, Prolific Publishing, Smart Computing, Stardock Systems, and User Group Relations (Gene Barlow). Special thanks to: Charlie Moore and Mike Lyons for building a custom pc as the raffle’s top prize, and to the Toshiba notebook donator. T hree secret keyword prizes are in September’s prize chest: Coby CS-38 Portable AM/FM TV/ Weather Band Radio, Wiley’s book “Repairing and Fixing your PC for Dummies,” and a portable laptop numeric keypad with retractable cable. A new keyword is hidden somewhere in this newsletter or on the ORCOPUG website. If your name is called at the next meeting, correctly name the secret keyword, and win the prizes.  thank you newsletter contributors! Alan Jarrett, Carl Westberg, Charlie Moore, Charlie Semple, Frank Bollinger, Judy Taylour, Darry Eggleston, Ira Wilsker, Ladislav Bodnar, Linda Gonse, Mike Lyons, Pim Borman, Tim O’Reilly, Tony Lake get magazines at discounts for user group members Deadline for Oct. issue is Sept. 22 T hese prices are for new subscriptions and renewals. All orders must be accompanied by a check, cash or money order. Make payable to Herb Goodman, and mail to: Herb Goodman, 8295 Sunlake Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33496. Call or write: 561-488-4465, [email protected].* Computer Games Computer Gaming World Computer Shopper Dr. Dobbs Journal Mac Addict Mac World Maximum PC Microsoft System Journal PC Gamer PC Magazine (22 issues/year) PC World Videomaker Wired 1 2 Y E A R benefit of membership O RCOPUG membership entitles you to access the Members’ Only page at www. orcopug.org for special discounts. User name is first initial+last name (lower case). Password is member letter+number. S               $12.95 — — $14.95 $28.95 $41.95 $16.97 $32.95 $47.95 $15.95    —   — $10.97 $19.97 $28.97 $152.95    —    — $  9.95 $18.95 $27.95 $21.95 $39.95    — $12.95 $23.95 $33.95 $25.97 $48.95 $68.95 $16.95    —    — $11.95 $21.95   — $  6.00 $12.00 $17.00 *Revised June 2007 3  members’ only! page Please allow 10 to 12 weeks for your magazines to start. You must supply an address label from your present subscription when renewing. I carry over 300 titles at excellent prices. Just email me for a price. recycle ink cartridges for club fundraiser P lease bring your Hewlett Packard, Canon (BC-02, BC-05, BC-20 or BX-3), Lexmark, Dell, Compaq, Kodak, Samsung, or Sharp inkjet cartridges; or any laser cartridge to our next meeting for our ongoing fundraising project. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007 19 GROUP INFORMATION computer users helping computer users member of the association of personal computer user groups ORCOPUG Post Office Box 716 Brea, California 92822-0716 714-990-0580 • www.orcopug.org President, Mike Lyons [email protected] Treasurer/Membership, Charlie Moore [email protected] Editor/Webmaster, Linda Gonse [email protected] Reviews, Terry Schiele [email protected] Programs, Lothar Loehr [email protected] Membership, Carl Westberg [email protected] APCUG Rep, Siles Bazerman [email protected] Nibbles & Bits is electronically published and distributed by Orange County IBM PC Users’ Group to its members and vendors. Opinions expressed herein are the writers and are not reflective of the Orange County IBM PC Users’ Group position, nor endorsed by inclusion in this newsletter. Submit newsletter items to: [email protected]. Reprint Policy: PAGE LAYOUTS AND IMAGES MAY NOT BE USED. User groups MAY REPRINT UNALTERED, UNCOPYRIGHTED TEXT, WITH CREDIT TO THE AUTHOR AND NIBBLES & BITS. our website’s got it all! • Program of the month • pdf & site search • newsletters • top 10 viruses & hoaxes • weather map • personalized map • antivirus/antispyware links • help & tips • RSS feeds • contact information • membership application • Members’ Only! specials • free online spyware scan and virus scan • awards www.orcopug.org benefits of User Group Membership •  •  •  •  •  •  •  Product & “How To”demos Free raffles and magazines Help from other members Newsletter and web site Special offers & discounts Monthly meetings Affiliation with worldwide group User groups represent the spirit of the frontier, a community getting together to do things that no individual ought to have to do alone. The pioneers of the American west got together for barn raisings, cattle roundups, and the occasional party. The pioneers of new technology get together for installfests, new user training and support, and just plain fun. Being part of a user group is the best way to get more out of your computer, and lets you make friends while you’re at it. Tim O’Reilly President, O’Reilly & Associates where are the meetings and when are they held? R       egular meetings are held the second Tuesday        of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Placentia         Library, 411 East Chapman Avenue. Placentia, California 92870, (714) 528-1906. Call (714) 990-0580, for information. Meetings are free and the public is welcome! Planning meetings are held the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at Downey Savings & Loan, one block east of Harbor at Bastanchury in Fullerton. All members are welcome to attend planning meetings! 20 next meeting: tuesday, september 11, 6:30 p.m. placentia library, placentia ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007