Announcements

 A New Virus That's Becoming So Big

Right on the digital heels of last week's MS Blast virus comes yet another. This time it's the Sobig virus and it's filling up inboxes the way free tickets would fill up the SuperBowl.

From what I've read, it seems like this worm's main purpose in life is simply to spread itself around as quickly as possible. As an added bonus, Sobig also allows its creator to send a file to an infected computer and run it. This file (or files?) can steal confidential information or set the infected computer up as a spam server.

In theory, the creator of this worm can auto-update the thing. So, although at the moment the virus is more of an inconvenience than anything else, it could turn itself into something that is capable of doing some real damage (or download a file to do the same).

One of the problems I see is this - Imagine you infect hundreds of thousands of computers and the users are unaware of it (as virus infected users tend to be). Then, you have the worm download and install a file that wipes out the hard drive on the next reboot. In a span of a few hours, you lobotomize all these machines and render them useless. Can you imagine the damage that would do? How expensive that would be? I've not seen anyone else discuss this possibility, but I think it's a scenario we need to be aware of.

OK, before anyone takes a trip to panicsville, let me tell you that avoidance is easy - make sure your anti-virus software is up to date. And, as always, don't open any attachments you're not expecting - even if they come from a friend!!

The virus currently comes with one of the following subject lines (again, remember this may change since the virus could update itself):

• Re: Details
• Re: Approved
• Re: Re: My details
• Re: Thank you!
• Re: That movie
• Re: Wicked screensaver
• Re: Your application
• Thank you!
• Your details

It can (currently) have any of the following attachments:

• your_document.pif
• document_all.pif
• thank_you.pif
• your_details.pif
• details.pif
• document_9446.pif
• application.pif
• wicked_scr.scr
• movie0045.pif

DON'T OPEN THEM!!!

If you do become infected, the virus will rummage through your hard drive looking for e-mail addresses. It'll check your address book, e-mail messages, html files (think internet temp files), text files, help files, and a few others.

What's really bad (and incredibly annoying) is it spoofs the "From" address using one of the e-mail addresses it discovers on your computer. Here's what happens:

1. Let's say you missed today's newsletter and accidentally got infected with this virus (see, it pays to read our stuff everyday :-).

2. The virus does its thing and discovers an e-mail your friend Bob recently sent you. The virus decides that Bob's e-mail address will be the one that it uses in the "from" line (lucky Bob). Note that Bob reads our newsletter and is NOT infected :-)

3. The virus sends itself - using Bob's address - to every e-mail addy it was able to locate on your computer. Naturally, everyone who gets this virus thinks Bob sent it. Poor Bob gets an inbox full of nasty letters detailing the reasons he shouldn't send viruses - and he's not even the one infected! Better give Bob some asprin and take him to lunch to make up for it.

See the confusion this thing can create?

So please, be careful about the attachments you receive and keep your anti-virus software up to date. If you need AV software, we currently have a great deal on Norton Anti-Virus 2003. It's only $34.97, comes in the retail box, and has a $20 mail in upgrade rebate. There's never been a bigger need for anti-virus software. Check out the link below for our Norton deal:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/norton-antivirus-2003.htm

Computers 101

Q:
What is NTFS

A:
This filing system was first used in Windows NT (thus the name). It boasts better reliability, security, and file management than the older FAT file systems. NTFS is available with Windows XP and is the recommended system since many XP features will not work with FAT32 systems.

The only time you might want to choose FAT or FAT32 as your file system with XP is if you run an earlier version of Windows and other times run Windows XP. Then you should have a FAT or FAT32 partition as the primary partition on the hard drive.

Despite the benefits of NTFS, as most XP users often discover, some older programs will not work with XP. Such is the price of progress.

~ David

Have a question for the newsletter? Submit it at the link below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitquestion.htm

Tip of the Day

Compress NTFS Files

If you are using Windows XP, chances are (as mentioned above) your hard drive uses the NTFS filing system. If you are in NTFS you can save space on your hard drive by using File Compression.

Note: If you compress a file using NTFS it cannot be encrypted or opened on a non-NTFS computer (Windows 95, 98, or ME) without first being uncompressed.

First, open My Computer and double-click a drive or folder.

Right-click the file or folder you want to compress, then choose "Properties". (You could also just right-click a folder or file and choose "Properties" or ALT+double -click)

On the General tab, click "Advanced".

Check the box marked "Compress contents to save disk space" then click OK.

Click OK in the "Properties dialog" box.

Choose the option you want when the "Confirm Attribute Changes" window pops up.

BONUS TIP: Want an easy way to distinguish your compressed folders from the regular ones? Why not have them appear in a different color.

Open Folder Options in the Control Panel, then Start / Control Panel / Folder Options.

On the "View" tab, select the "Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color" check box.

This may already be checked by default, in which case the compressed files you just created will already be a different color (probably blue).

~ David

Have an original tip for the newsletter? Submit it below:
http://www.worldstart.com/writers-guidelines/index.htm

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

SpiderMetrix

Your opinion counts, and no site makes that more clear than SpiderMetrix. They are a company that reviews websites, so that the web masters can find out how to make their sites better. If you register, you'll evaluate sites for them (that means give your fair opinion of the sites you review) and receive spiderpoints for it. Spider points can be cashed in for money or other rewards.

These reviews, mean webmasters can make their sites better, thus make life on the Internet faster, easier to use, and prettier. There is no obligation, check out their Trial section to see a sample evaluation, and then you can register or you can decide it isn't for you. All in all, this is the type of site that is bettering the Internet. Thus it is infinitely cool. Not to mention well laid out and written in terms anyone can understand. Read the FAQ and terms before registering, it lays it all out in front of you.

This site is super cool, so check it out!

http://www.spidermetrix.com/

Do you have a cool, non-commercial site that you want to share?
Send it to Amanda at amanda@worldstart.com