News and Announcements ---

Windows Service Pack 3 is coming soon.

Microsoft has confirmed that there will be another service pack for Windows XP and that it's scheduled to be released during the first half of 2008. Nobody's talking about what it will include. Unfortunately, Microsoft is releasing few details about the service pack. According to an e-mail from a Microsoft spokesperson, "We're currently planning to deliver SP3 for Windows XP in the first half of year 2008. Service pack 2 addressed a number of issues on the security side: turning Windows Firewall on, rather than off, by default, and including a pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer were two of the major changes.

Marketshare (Operating Systems and Browsers)

For a long time, the battle over which is the best operating system has been a three-way one. The vast majority of computer user still depend on some version of Windows, but the market share for Linux has grown over the years. And there is an even larger (although still small) following for the Macintosh.

Here's the way it's broken down as of May 2007, according to the Market Shares web site run by Net Applications (www.marketshare.hitslink.com): Windows XP currently enjoys a little over 82 percent of the market, with other Windows operating systems making up another 11 percent or so.

Macs come in second with almost 9 and half percent (includes both MacOS and MacIntel), and Linux is reported with less than 1 percent of the market.

The web browser is arguably the most used piece of software on most computers and similarly, the browser wars have been primarily a battle between three contenders: Internet Explorer (with almost 79 percent), Firefox (with just over fourteen and a half percent) and Safari (with almost 5 percent). There are many other browsers available, including the one-time favorite Netscape, Opera, Konqueror and versions of Mozilla, but the rest all show under 1 percent of market share.

Discover New Features with Windows Vista

Windows Vista offers a considerable number of new and improved features over Windows XP. Some of these great new features include: Windows Aero: Windows Vista features a totally different look for its interface—a cleaner, transparent look with impressive graphic quality, not to mention Live Icons and the new Windows Flip 3D feature. Windows Aero requires a higher-end video graphics card; otherwise, Windows Vista is displayed using Windows Basic. Check with your computer manufacturer to see whether your video card is ready for Windows Aero.

Windows Sidebar: Windows Vista offers a panel (transparent, if you're using Windows Aero) that displays your selection of Windows gadgets—mini-applications that perform useful functions, such as a clock, a calendar, a Microsoft Office Outlook inbox representation, and currency exchange.

Microsoft Windows Media Player 11: While you can download it for Windows XP, this latest and greatest version of Windows Media Player is designed for Windows Vista and shouldn't be missed. With its new graphics-oriented interface, Windows Media Player 11 abandons the text-oriented look and field of previous versions. Windows Media Player 11 can share your media over your private home network?

Windows Search: One of the most helpful new features in Windows Vista, you can now search for files or applications from almost anywhere. Unlike in Windows XP, with Window Search, you can simply type a few letters of your search request, and the results appear on the fly—a helpful feature when looking for a file or application from the Start menu. For example, type fir, and Windows Firewall entries appear in the Start menu.

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Computers 101 ---

Q:
How to create a shortcut to quickly lock your XP or Vista computer

A:
It's a good idea to lock your desktop if you're going to be away from the computer for a while and there are others around and you don't want them to use your account. You can do so by pressing the key combo Windows Key + L (with Fast User Switching disabled), but what if you're using a keyboard that doesn't have the Windows key? Then you can create a shortcut to put on your desktop or Quick Launch bar and simply click it to lock the desktop. This works in both XP and Vista:

1. Right click an empty area of the desktop and select New | Shortcut.
2. Enter the following location for the shortcut: %windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation
3. Name the shortcut "Lock" or something similar.

Now when you click the shortcut, the desktop is locked and you must press CTRL+ALT+DEL and enter your username and password to unlock it.

Q:
How do i change the desktop icon size in a windows Vista computer

A:
Many users feel that the default Windows Vista desktop icon size is a bit large. There are two quick ways to modify the icons size:

• Navigate to the desktop
• Hold the CTRL key
• Use the mouse wheel in order to set the appropiate size for your desktop icons.

Other option:

• From the desktop, click View
• Click Classic Icons. This less flexible option, will resize the desktop icons to the classic Windows size.

Q:
How you find your computer IP address ?

A:
You have several options:

1. Go to http://www.whatsmyipaddress.com
2. Go to http://www.ip-adress.com/
3. If you like to play with your Windows command prompt you can retrieve the IP from there as well. Here’s how:
   • Click Start
   • Click Run
   • Type Cmd - this open the command prompt
   • Type ipconfig
   • The IP Address will be listed under your relevant Network Card.

Q:

Can I turn off the "New Programs Installed" notice?
Whenever a new program is installed in XP, the operating system causes a balloon to pop up saying new programs have been installed and then the program itself is highlighted on the Start | All Programs menu. I really would love to know how to turn this off.

A:
It's easy enough to turn off the New Programs notification; you don't even have to resort to editing the registry for this one. Just follow these steps:

1. Right click the Start button.
2. Select Properties.
3. On the Start Menu tab, click the Customize button.
4. Click the Advanced tab.
5. Under "Start Menu Settings," uncheck the box that says "Highlight newly installed programs."
6. Click OK.

You'll also find a number of other Start menu items that you can configure here, such as how to display the Control Panel, My Documents, My Computer, and which items to include or not include on the Start menu.

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Quick Tips  ---

Speed Up Your Mouse Pointer

This isn't something new in Windows XP, but it's still something helpful if you don't already know about it. Does your mouse pointer act like someone gave it Benadryl? If so, check this out and speed it up:

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.
2. If you're in Category view, switch to Classic view (you should always run the Control Panel in classic view). Open the Mouse applet.
3. In the Mouse Properties dialog box, click on the Point Options tab.
4. There's a slider bar in the Motion frame. Pull the slider over to the Fast side and click Apply. Notice how the mouse pointer seems a lot more sprightly? Experiment with different speeds to see which one works best for you.
5. Try out the Enhance pointer precision option too! You might be able to hit the mark more reliably when you do.

Security tip for eBay/PayPal users

If you are a eBay or PayPal member, I recommend that you consider getting the PayPal Security Key. This security key adds another authentication factor for access to your eBay and PayPal accounts. The pocket size device generates a unique six-digit security code about every 30 seconds. You enter that code when you log in to your PayPal or eBay account with your regular user name and password. Then the code expires - no one else can use that code. Once the security key is activated for your account, no one can access your account with using the key. Simple! Online banking websites should have been doing this long ago.

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Beware  ---

New worm taking the world by storm

eWeek reports that a Trojan called Storm is going around on the Internet, being spread by phishing type spams that try to lure you to web sites that are infected with the Storm Trojan. Although the Trojan itself has been around for months, this new propagation technique has caused a big increase in its spread this summer. If you've noticed a lot of spam messages welcoming you to some new service that you supposedly signed up for - but know you didn't or If you get one of these "new member confirmation" messages, don't follow the link.

Fake greeting cards

There are several web sites through which you can send a virtual birthday, anniversary or other greeting card to a friend. It's a nice gesture; you construct the card, create a message to go inside and enter the friend's email address, and he/she is notified to pick up the card on the web site. Recently, though, phishers have begun to exploit this common feature, sending you fake cards with URLs that, when clicked on, will take you to a malicious site that attempts to steal information that can be used for identity theft. Even experienced Internet users are sometimes fooled. ...Beware

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