december 2008 bearly bytes · pc with 1 ghz or faster processor 1 gb of ram or more 2 gb or more of...

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Big Bear Computer Club Bearly Bytes Newsletter December, 2008

President’s Message—Yomar Cleary

Award Winning Bearly Bytes Newsletter Next Meeting December 9, 5:30 @ The Discovery Center

Bearly Bytes

Big Bear Computer Club Volume 8

December 2008

Big Bear California

It’s hard to believe that 2008 is

coming to a close and we are start-

ing another year. The Big Bear

Computer Club has expanded in

various areas including our training.

We had a couple of workshops

which were very successful in providing training to

the beginners. We will continue with some training

and expand our horizons by having presenters. We

will look for interesting presenters at the May

Southwest Computer Conference in San Diego. If

you know of a presenter that would be of interest,

please let a board member know.

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to

the 2008 Computer Club board members who have

supported me as Club President for the last 3 years.

It has been a privileged to guide the Club in all its

activities. Since I have accepted a full time job, I

need to step down as President but have accepted

the Vice Presidency.

THANK YOU BOARD AND MEMBERS!!

Mark your calendars for our Holiday Party sched-

uled for December 9th at 5:30 pm. We are provid-

ing the Turkey & Ham and you are bringing the

trimmings. Call me at (909) 878-5622 and let me

know what you are bringing.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Inside

President’s Message ........................................ 1

Web Expressions Studio 2 Review ................. 2

Editor’s Corner ................................................ 3

Roxio Creator 2009 Review ............................ 4

About Bearly Bytes ......................................... 6

Nomination of Officers ................................... 6

Calendars ......................................................... 7

November Door Prize Winners ...................... 8

Member Product Review ............................... 8

PC Cards and Beyond ..................................... 9

PC Cards and Beyond ..................................... 9

Investigate RAM problems ............................. 11

Investigate RAM problems ............................. 11

Word, Excel and Windows Tips ..................... 12

Cell Phone Tricks? .......................................... 13

General Meeting Notes ................................... 14

Dark Market takedown ................................... 15

Cash Flow ....................................................... 16

Microsoft Update & Watch Videos ................ 17

Understanding Hidden Threats ....................... 18 Membership Application ................................ 19

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Web Expression Studio 2

Reviewed by Tina Nazarian ([email protected])

Retail Price: $699 for the full version $349 for the upgrade

The system requirements for the Studio:

Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista® operating system

PC with 1 GHz or faster processor

1 GB of RAM or more

2 GB or more of available hard-disk space

.NET Framework 3.5 (if it is not already installed, it will be installed automatically during

setup) Support for Microsoft DirectX® 9.0 graphics with Windows Vista Display Driver Model (WDDM) Driver, 128 MB of graphics RAM or more, Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware, 32-bits

per pixel

DVD-ROM drive

1024 x 768 or higher-resolution monitor with 24-bit color Internet functionality requires Internet

access (additional fees may apply)

Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration and operating system

and assumes non-concurrent product use.

Windows Imaging Components (WIC) is required. Some WIC codecs are from third parties and may have unique

system requirements. Some WIC codecs may not be available for Windows XP or 64-bit version of Windows operat-ing systems.

Some product features require Adobe Reader 7.0 or later, and Apple QuickTime 7 (QuickTime 7.3.1 or later recom-

mended). There are actually five (5) programs included in the studio, including Expression Web 2, Expression Blend 2, Expression Design 2, Expression Media 2, and Expression Encoder 2. Together, they are a great resource for the web-site designer’s use. They offer a wide variety of tools and options using the most current programs. This product is not for the beginning or lesser-experienced computer user. The user must be familiar with cut-ting and pasting, moving objects, and inserting text. I found that having a strong PowerPoint background was almost essential to using the studio programs. The Expression Web 2 program provides the basic format for the website. This is where the background, styles, frames, drop-down menus, and other basic website tools are inserted. I was impressed with the options available in this program and the way that I could manipulate the formatting.

Expression Design 2 is where the designer gets to play with the colors for his emerging website. There is a wide range of colors and techniques available for the designer. The main problem I had with this program was trying to oper-ate the tools. The program needs an optional tutorial, explaining how to utilize the different options.

Expression Media 2 is where the designer gets to personalize his website. Pictures, files, and presentations can be imported from other site and incorporated into the emerging design. The import tools are easy to use and the pro-gram can access any file or picture on your computer. The only drawback I had with this problem was the editing ability. I found it easier to edit the picture on a separate program, save it, and then import it into the Media 2 files.

Expression Encoder 2 is a fun little program that requires a little more computer knowledge than the Media 2 program. This program is for sound and video integration into the web design using the Silverlight technology. Unfortu-nately, this program is for the advanced computer user who is familiar with sound and video applications.

mailto:[email protected]

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I want to wish you all a very

Merry Christmas and may

your New Year be prosper-

ous, peaceful and full of

Joy.

God Bless you,

Norene

Editor’s Corner

EMPTY PRINTER CARTHRIDGES RECYCLE

Bring your empty printer cartridges to the meeting.

The printer cartridge program is a BBCC fund-raiser

that helps us purchase supplies and pay for Big Bear

Computer Club expenses.

Thank you for your support.

I have created a couple of websites with this program and the second time was easier. I am not satisfied with either design, but contribute that to my lack of experience and not the program. I have recommended the program to my brother, who is more experienced in website design, and he has recommended it to others.

Overall, I would rate the Studio a three out of five for ease of use. I think the all the programs would benefit from a tutorial option in the tools button. As a first time web designer, I found parts of the design program difficult to understand and incorporate into the overall design. I did find a very nice tutorial online at the Microsoft Expression homepage and would highly recommend that anyone using this program take advance of this website tutorial. Microsoft also has a very easy to read book (one that uses everyday English) that takes a first time designer step by step in creating a website.

Bio for Tina Nazarian:

I am a Southern California native and a Big Bear High School alumnus. My family moved to the mountains when I was a child and I am the third of four generations of my family to have lived in the Valley. I am a US Navy veteran who served during the Gulf War in 1991 and, after receiving an honorable discharge, I returned to the Valley and completed my education. I am now the Senior Center Coordinator for the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Parks and I have offered indi-vidual computer tutoring to any interested senior. I devote my extra time to coaching youth

sports and writing fan fiction for various websites.

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Roxio Creator 2009

Reviewed by Karen Tangeman [email protected]

Retail Price:

List Price: $99.99

Your Price: $79.99 with $20 upgrade mail-in rebate

Minimum System Requirements:

Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Basic, Windows® XP SP2 (32- or 64-bit), 1 GHz

processor and 512 MB RAM

1024x768 DirectX 9 compatible graphics card with at least 16-bit color setting, sound

card, DVD-ROM drive Hard drive with at least 3 GB free space for installation

Windows Media Player 10

Internet Explorer 7. Internet connection required for registration, product updates, and some fea-

tures. Any Internet charges are the user's responsibility.

TiVo® requires a TiVo® Series2™, Series3™, TiVo® HD DVR or other TiVoToGo™ compatible

DVR connected to your home network, and TiVo Desktop. Does not work with DirecTV® provided

TiVo DVRs. See www.tivo.com for more information.

For video capture: OHCI compliant IEEE 1394 FireWire card (for use with DV camera) or analog

video capture device

Blu-ray authoring requires an additional High-Def/Blu-ray Disc Plug-In which can be purchased at

www.roxio.com

Recordable Formats:

CD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, DVD-RAM, BD-R/RE, BD-R/

RE DL

Disc image formats: read ISO, C2D, BIN/CUE and GI; write ISO and GI

Company Information:

Manufacturer: Roxio (a division of Sonic Solutions)

Address: 455 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95050

Phone: (866) 280 7694

Web Site: http://www.roxio.com/

Installing Roxio Creator was quite painless but a little lengthy at 30 minutes. This is Roxio’s new version of

Roxio’s Easy Media Creator and this new version offers a huge variety of options. I found you can do just

about everything with your CD’s and DVDs along with their photo, audio, data, or Continued on Page 5

mailto:[email protected]

5


video contents

The revamped interface has a more user-friendly icon-based look. Icons along the screen’s left-hand edge di-

vide Creator’s 2009’s multitude of abilities into six neat headings-Home, Data-Copy, Video-Movies, Music-

Audio, Photo, and Online. The beginner user will quickly be able to edit photos, video, and audio and will eas-

ily be able to master the advanced settings. There’s also a neat information tab along the right-hand edge

which is split into 3 sections- Do more, Tutorials, and Support. The Do more and Tutorials are very useful es-

pecially for beginners.

Simple tasks such as ripping and burning a CD, or just copying a DVD are now all in the Home window, and

only more advanced tasks are launched in separate windows.

Audio book fans will like Roxio Creator 2009’s new Audio Book Creator, which will convert CD and MP3

audio books into single files in the .m4b format, playable by Apple’s iTunes, iPod, and iPhone with each chap-

ter accessible under the top-level file name, as opposed to being individual files.

Another new feature, the Beatmatch function aims to flawlessly blend from one track to another, but unless

you supply it with tracks punctuated by a regular 4/4 beat, such as techno or house, it tends to mess up some. A

little more work needs to be done on this feature.

A really nice addition is the Drag and Drop Convert. With this it’s possible to drop folders full of music, video,

and photos, and convert them into formats that suit your portable media player’s capabilities.

More of Roxio Creator 2009’s applications now let you upload directly to YouTube. Plus, it offers its own

online media-sharing service as a destination for your photos and videos. You get 1GB for free with 5GB as a

pay option. The Blu-ray plug-in adds AVCHD and BD-MV (including menus) support to the existing data and

BD-AV support.

My final thoughts:

Roxio Creator 2009 is the perfect introduction for anyone who is beginning to work in a variety of media.

Creator’s abilities have always been its greatest selling point and this new version is no exception. With Roxio

Creator 2009 you get a comprehensive package capable of disc burning, basic photo editing and manipulation,

music ripping, coping and transcoding, video editing and authoring, as well as a basic back-up tool. Consider-

ing the price compared to some of the more complex multi-media programs this is a true bargain.

Bio of Karen Tangeman

I am a disabled/retired Registered Nurse. I have lived in Big Bear for 23 years and I have

3 children & 1 grandchild. I do my church’s newsletter monthly and am a council mem-

ber at my church. I am the Vice President, Review Editor, and the Vendor Liaison for the

computer club. I have been a member of the computer club for 4 years now and have at-

tended both the SWUGS & APCUG conferences in San Diego and Las Vegas. I contrib-

ute the Word Tips every month to our newsletter and help teach beginner computer at our

workshops.

Continued from Page 4

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Bearly Bytes, past winner of SWUGC & APCUG

Newsletter contests. is the official publication of the

Big Bear Computer Club. Views expressed in Bearly

Bytes are those of the authors and do not necessarily

reflect the opinions of Big Bear Computer Club.

Other computer user groups are welcome to reprint

our articles as long as they give credit to the author

and Bearly Bytes, Big Bear Computer Club.

Submissions: All BBCC members are encouraged to

send letters, articles, questions, and comments to

Bearly Bytes for inclusion in future issues. Submit

as plain text in the body of an email and attach any

graphics as JPEG or GIF format. Send to Yomar

Cleary

NOMINATION & ELECTION OF

OFFICERS FOR 2009:

At the December 9th Computer Club general meet-

ing, we will be presenting the following nominees

and voting the 2009 Board in.

Board:

President ......................................... Rosemary Lloyd

Vice President ................................ Yomar Cleary

Treasurer ........................................ Barbara Moore

Secretary ........................................ Open

Director at Large ............................ Rick Edwards

Committees:

Review Editor ................................ Karen Tangeman

Newsletter Editor ........................... Norene Lieser

Webmaster ..................................... Bill Flanagan

Historian/Name Tag ....................... Nancy Hinz

Equipment ...................................... Don Odekirk

Membership ................................... Tina Nazarian

APCUG Representative ................. Sue Crane

Technical Director ......................... Jim Lloyd

Sunshine ......................................... Grace Fross

About Bearly Bytes

7


December 2008

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

09 December meeting

25 Christmas

31 New Year’s Eve

January 2009

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

13 January meeting

27 Board Meeting @ Senior Center

The Abacus Group

For All Your Computer Needs

Jim Applebury

909 584-1733

8


Instead of listing a few review programs that are avail-

able, I would like to inform you that any program you

are interested in and would like to install on your com-

puter is probably available for review. All you have to

do is ask for it and review it. The program could be on

landscaping, any kind of crafts, digital photos, video,

any kind of home decorating, games, office or ac-

counting programs, gift cards, label, and printshop

programs, any program you are interested in having.

All you have to do is let me know which program you

would like to review. I will then contact the vendor

and it takes about 10 days to receive the program.

Sometimes the vendor will grant the reviewer a license

online and all the reviewer has to do is download the

program. Reviews are not hard to write; in fact they

are quite easy. You are given instructions on how to

write a review plus I have many samples you can look

at. Also if you need any help all you have to do is e-

mail or call me. Writing a review is like telling some-

one about the new program you just received. You tell

them what you like about the program, what you don’t

like, and how the program could be better, that’s it.

There’s your review. And you can review books, also.

— Karen Tangeman, Review Editor

Member Product Review Program November Door Prize Winners

Harry Hinz — 1 XL Tee-shirt by Migo

Yomar Cleary — 1 set laptop legs by Lapworks

Albert Neal— 1 Windows Vista Book by O’Reilly

Tina Nazarian — 1 Laplink everywhere by LapLink

Bill Treadwell — 1 Studio Ultimate verse 11 by Pinnacle

donated by Kim Dunn

50/50 WINNER - $20.00 Bill Treadwell—-With 1 bottle

Sparkling Cider and 1 sm bottle Sutter Home White Zinfan-

del. Bill donated the money back to the club for the Christ-

mas party.

9


By Bryan Lambert - Sunday, October 19, 2008

Submitted by Larry Smith

In the wonderful world of laptops there are many, many things that can be done. In our earlier Tech Tips we

mentioned some of the goodies that you can look for when purchasing a lappy. In today’s Tech Tip, we’ll be

looking at a very important aspect that most every laptop has already integrated: expandability – particularly at

the PC Card, and later, the ExpressCard expansion.

In the Beginning… For years and years laptops came with the ubiquitous expansion slot

known affectionately as PCMCIA. Also, for years and years,

PCMCIA was just the right kind of expansion needed for the average laptop. Whether adding a modem (yes,

those were the days!), networking or even extra storage, PCMCIA fit the bill. What exactly is PCMCIA any-

way? PCMCIA really, in all fairness, isn’t a what, it’s a who. PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Mem-

ory Card International Association, an organization made up of several companies that developed the standard

for what was known as a PCMCIA Card (yes, there is a joke that PCMCIA stands for People Can’t Memorize

Computer Industry Acronyms, but we won’t go there). To better differentiate the organization from the card,

it was decided to rename the PCMCIA card to PC Card.

Ok, now that we got that down, there’s more to throw at you. The PC Card was originally designed in the

early 1990s as a way for adding additional cheap memory to a laptop computer. It proved to be very success-

ful in this and was found to be well suited for several other types of expansion and doodads. The PC Card is

about the size of a credit card (85.6 by 54 millimeters to be exact), and comes in three different types, differen-

tiated by their thickness. Type I cards are 3.3 millimeters thick and are ideal for use as memory and storage on

a laptop. Type II cards are 5.5 millimeters think and are usually used for modem, network or even TV card

expansion. Type III cards are 10.5 millimeters thick and were ideally used for add-ons needing a thinker card,

such as hard disk drives.

Many laptops commonly came with two PC Card slots that could accommodate either two Type I /II cards or

one Type III card. CardBus were PC Cards that were introduced in the mid 90s, and were basically a souped-

up PC Cards that ran faster, allowed for bus mastering (where a card could ―talk‖ to other devices on the com-

puter without the need of going through the CPU) and were 32-bit rather

then 16-bit cards that most of the original PC Cards were. CardBus cards

have a slightly smaller notch on their interface side as well eight small

bumps on the top metal grounding plate on the interface side. Essen-

tially, all laptops made after 1997 could handle CardBus type PC Cards.

Move Over PC Card for the New Card in Town Many people who have purchased a laptop in the last couple of years have noticed something "different" about

them. Their PC Card slot seems to have morphed into something else. This brings us up to the wonderful

world of the ExpressCard – also brought to you by those fun loving people at the PCMCIA organization. Ex-

pressCard slots ―kind of‖ look the same as PC Card slots, and ExpressCards ―kind of‖ look like PC Cards –

but alas, the two are not interchangeable. This means that that dandy PC Card modem that you bought back in

2001, unfortunately, won’t fit into that ExpressCard slot on your new computer as most new computers do

(Continued on page 9)

PC Cards and Beyond!

“What exactly is PCMCIA anyway”

“There’s a New Card in Town”

http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=NBB&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-techtips-_-19OCT08_techtips-_-storylink

http://www.geeks.com/techtips/2008/techtips-24AUG08.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pc_card

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExpressCard

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/PCMCIA.html

http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=RAM&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-techtips-_-19OCT08_techtips-_-storylink

http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=NBB&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-techtips-_-19OCT08_techtips-_-storylink

http://www.pcmcia.org/faq.htm#types

http://kb.iu.edu/data/ahtp.html

http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=CPU&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-techtips-_-19OCT08_techtips-_-storylink

http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/

10


(continued from page 8)

not include both types of slots. This is OK as the ExpressCard format was designed around the new PCI Ex-

press us as well as the tried and true USB standard, which means that they are faster and better then the PC

Cards that they replaced.

ExpressCards come in two standard formats: ExpressCard/34 (so called because it is 34 millimeters across (34

by 75 millimeters to be exact)) and looks like a big stick of chewing gum, and ExpressCard/54 (surprise,

called this because it is 54 millimeters across (54 by 75 millimeters, again, to be exact)) and is an L-shaped

card. Both cards are 5 millimeters thick and both cards use the same connector interface. While an Ex-

pressCard/34 card will fit into both ExpressCard/34 and ExpressCard/54 slots, an ExpressCard/54 will only fit

into an ExpressCard/54 slot.

To Infinity and Beyond In this Tech Tip we have looked at the start and evolution of expansion slots in laptops. Whether you are adding an updated sound card or even the latest Wi-Fi device to your laptop, you have the power to expand with PC Card or ExpressCard quickly and easily. So, take a look at the slot on your laptop and think of the possibilities of the goodies you can add – all it takes is the right card for the right computer. Disclaimer: Occasionally we miss something, make a mistake, or don't cover everything on the topic but we

are trying hard to give you the most unbiased and well-written information that we can.



11


If you’re encountering application failures, operating system faults, or Stop errors in Windows Vista, you

could have defective or failing RAM. Microsoft included the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool in Win-

dows Vista so that you can test the RAM chips in your system.

There are actually several ways that you can launch the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. The method

you will use will depend on your situation.

If you are experiencing intermittent problems but can still boot into Vista, you can launch the Windows

Memory Diagnostic tool by clicking the Start button, selecting Control Panel, and clicking the System and

Maintenance icon. When you access the System and Maintenance window, select Administrative Tools.

Then, click the Memory Diagnostics Tool icon.

Alternatively, you can click the Start button, type Memory in the Start Search box, and then click the Mem-

ory Diagnostics Tool icon. Either way, you’ll encounter a UAC and will need to respond accordingly.

When you see the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool dialog box, click the Restart Now and Check for

Problems option. When you do, the dialog box will close and your system will automatically restart.

If you’re encountering application failures, operating system faults, or Stop errors in Windows Vista, you

could have defective or failing RAM. Microsoft included the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool in Win-

dows Vista so that you can test the RAM chips in your system.

Launching the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool

There are actually several ways that you can launch the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. The method

you will use will depend on your situation.

If you are experiencing intermittent problems but can still boot into Vista, you can launch the Windows

Memory Diagnostic tool by clicking the Start button, selecting Control Panel, and clicking the System and

Maintenance icon. When you access the System and Maintenance window, select Administrative Tools.

Then, click the Memory Diagnostics Tool icon.

Alternatively, you can click the Start button, type Memory in the Start Search box, and then click the Mem-

ory Diagnostics Tool icon. Either way, you’ll encounter a UAC and will need to respond accordingly.

When you see the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool dialog box, click the Restart Now and Check for

Problems option. When you do, the dialog box will close and your system will automatically restart.

Investigate Ram Problems in by launching the VISTA Windows Memory Diagnostic

Tool

12


Excel Tip By Yomar Cleary

Word Tip By Karen Tangeman

Windows Tip By Norene Lieser

Auto Correcting for Your

Common Errors

Chances are good that you already

know what AutoCorrect is and that it

can be a boon for those words you

habitually mistype. (Exactly why I

invariably mistype some words, I'll

never understand.) However, setting

up AutoCorrect to compensate for

your mistyping can be a bother.

Here's a quick way to make short

work of adding your mistyping’s to

AutoCorrect:

Assuming that Word

flags the mistyped word

as misspelled, right-click

on it. A Context menu

appears.

If spelling corrections

are offered in the Context

menu, there should also

be a menu choice called

AutoCorrect. Choose it

and you will see the same

spelling corrections in

the resultant submenu.

Choose the correct spell-

ing in this submenu.

What you have just done is tell Word

that you want to create an Auto-

Correct entry that will automatically

correct the mistyped word using the

selected spelling. Fast, neat, and

easy!

Excel Tip

Setting Cell Width and Height Us-

ing the Keyboard

Have you wondered if there is a

way to adjust the height and width

of a cell by using the keyboard,

without using the mouse. (Some

people are really adverse to using

the mouse!) The answer is yes,

there is a way. The problem, how-

ever, is that it isn’t a terribly intui-

tive way. If you are using a version

of Excel prior to Excel 2007, then

you can do the following to change

the row height:

1. Press Alt+o. Excel displays the

Format menu.

2. Press R. Excel chooses the Row

option and displays a submenu.

3. Press E. Excel chooses the

Height option and displays the

Row Height dialog box.

4. Type the value you want for the

row height.

5. Press Enter.

The method for changing the col-

umn width is equally obtuse:

1. Press Alt+o. Excel displays the

Format menu.

2. Press c. Excel chooses the Col-

umn option and displays a sub-

menu.

3. Press w. Excel chooses the

Width option and displays the

Column Width dialog box.

4. Type the value you want for the

column width.

5. Press Enter Applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002,and 2003,

How to Navigate the Taskbar

Without a Mouse

If you find yourself using Win-

dows without a mouse or you just

prefer using the keyboard for task

switching, here are the key com-

binations you will need:

Control + Esc

Esc

Tab

Now you can use the left and

right arrows and the tab key to

navigate the taskbar.

___________________________

Make Your Folders Private

•Open My Computer

•Double-click the drive where

Windows is installed (usually

drive (C:), unless you have more

than one drive on your com-

puter).

•If the contents of the drive are

hidden, under System Tasks,

click Show the contents of this

drive.

•Double-click the Documents and

Settings folder.

•Double-click your user folder.

•Right-click any folder in your

user profile, and then click Prop-

erties.

•On the Sharing tab, select the

Make this folder private so that

only I have access to it check

box.

13


Five Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do by Don Odekirk

For all the folks with cell phones. (This should be printed and kept in your car, purse, and wallet. Good infor-

mation to have with you.)

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a

life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST: Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your

mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to estab-

lish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is

locked. Try it out.

SECOND: Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell

phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell

phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your

home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves

someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away,

and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"

THIRD: Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this

reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge

your cell phone next time.

FOURTH: How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: *#06#. A 15-digit

code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere

safe. If your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider

and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM

card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that

whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

And Finally..

FIFTH: Free Directory Service for Cells

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have

to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a

problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800)FREE411, or (800) 373-3411

without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

—

14


Criminal Law

Personal Injury

Family Law

Workers’ Compensation

Civil Litigation

Philipson & Erdmier Attorneys

719 Pine Knot Avenue Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

909-866-4140 909-878-2118

November General Meeting

At this month’s meeting our presenter was Mike

McCort from Cyber Specialists International

(CSI). His company specializes in data recovery

and computer forensics. They work with law en-

forcement by collecting computer data, analyzing

it and preserving evidence. Also, the company can

assist individuals with recovering lost data on their

computer. Deleted files can be recovered; so can

files on a physically damaged hard drive. Mike’s

talk was very enlightening. He showed us many

elements involved in the process of recovering

data from computers. Other topics covered were

how child predators use the social networking sites

like Facebook, MySpace, etc. The bad guys pre-

tend to be young people looking for friendship. In

the course of any type of investigation, Mike is

required to report any child porn found to the au-

thorities. Meanwhile, millions of dollars are lost

due to Internet fraud and identity theft annually.

He gave us some tips on how to protect against

these maladies.

After the break, member Jack Koch showed us

some videos and slide shows that he and his grand-

daughter made. Jack explained that he added

sound and edited the video using a program that came

with his computer. It is very easy to do. Jack demon-

strated that video and photo editing can be done by

beginners as well as experienced computer users.

Members wrote questions for the RAM session. Jim

Applebury used his expertise to give some answers.

As always, it was educational.

15


Last week the FBI and its global partners wrapped up a two-year undercover cyber operation that

resulted in 56 arrests worldwide, the prevention of $70 million in potential losses, and the confirma-

tion that while there might be honor among thieves, in the end, they are still just thieves.

Here’s what happened:

...A discerning group of cyber criminals established a forum on the Internet called ―Dark Market,‖

where they bought and sold stolen financial information such as credit card data, login credentials

(user names and passwords), and even electronic equipment for carrying out financial crimes.

...At its peak, this vast criminal network had over 2,500 registered members, who all believed they

were operating in a protected cyber environment because they went to great lengths to vet members

and to weed out undesirable elements.

...What they didn’t know was that one of the site’s administrators and most respected members, who

called himself Master Splyntr, was one of us—an undercover FBI agent who had infiltrated the site

posing as a cyber crook.

―It was a group of people who trusted each other,‖ said the undercover agent after the arrests. He

explained that there are two types of cyber criminals: those who steal, but not from one another, and

―rippers,‖ who steal from anyone.

Keeping the rippers off the Dark Market site, the agent explained, gave the other members a false

sense of confidence. ―They did a good job of trying to be secure, and they felt secure. There was

honor among thieves, so to speak.‖

Master Splyntr was on the site nearly every day, anywhere from one hour to 15 hours a day. Dark Mar-

ket was like an exclusive club for cyber crooks, a meeting place for getting advice and brokering deals. During

his time online, the undercover agent said, ―we saw millions of dollars being exchanged.‖ At the same time,

the operation prevented the millions of dollars in losses by tipping off potential cyber crime targets.

From the outset, our agent pointed out, ―the goal was to infiltrate the organization.‖ The operation was ex-

tremely successful in developing intelligence on Dark Market’s leading members and the ways in which they

conducted their far-flung crimes.

Throughout the operation, we worked closely with our international law enforcement partners, including the

U.K.’s Serious Organized Crime Agency, the Turkish National Police, and the German Federal Criminal Po-

lice.

DARK MARKET' TAKEDOWN

Exclusive Cyber Club for Crooks Exposed

FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry

Continued on Page 16

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―What’s worked for us in taking down spy rings

and entire mob families over the years—

embedding an undercover agent deep within a

criminal organization—worked beautifully in tak-

ing down Dark Market,‖ said our Cyber Division

Assistant Director Shawn Henry. ―And once again,

our global partnerships paid off.‖

As for our undercover agent who became a trusted

member of the forum, he explained that he often

had to think like a crook when signing on as Mas-

Beginning Bank $3,123.95

Cash Received

Fundraising: Equipment 25.00

Donations: 50/50 40.00

Donations 51.00

Total Income 116.00

Cash Disbursed

Promotion 26.91

Total paid out 26.91

Ending balance in Bank $3,213.04

November Cash Flow

Continued from Page 15

17


Internet Explorer 8

According to our recent Microsoft Mindshare October Newsletter the beta version of Internet Explorer 8 is out. Now available in

beta 2, the new IE8 offers great new features that make browsing the Web easier and more secure than ever. You can also tweak

page display on the fly to adjust for formatting glitches by using the new Compatibility View (which corrects the display on pages

that were made for older browsers). In addition to faster search, better management for your favorites, and enhanced customization

for content you want to download, IE8 includes automatic crash recovery and browse privately in confidence. If you want move in-

formation on IE 8 or would like to download it go to: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/beta/default.aspx

It's Official: Windows 7

Microsoft recently announced that the next Windows OS, currently referred to internally as "Windows 7," will officially be called

Windows 7. The announcement was made public via a post on the Windows Vista Team Blog, which is a great resource to keep

informed about everything Windows. The website is http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsvista/default.aspx if you would

like to read more about it.

Microsoft Update

Web video is hugely popular thanks to broadband and sites like YouTube. This guide explains how to

find and watch videos online. Playing Downloaded Videos

To play a video file you have downloaded you will need media player software such as the free Windows Me-

dia Player, WinAmp or Media Player Classic.

To play a video in Windows Media Player, start the program by clicking on the Start menu then All Pro-

grams, and click on Windows Media Player.

Right-click on the menu bar at the top of the Windows Media Player window and select File then Open. Lo-

cate the video file you want to play, click to select it then click Open and Windows Media Player will try to

play the video.

If you do not see your video listed when you search for it, it may be that the video is in a format that Windows

Media Player does not support and you will need another program such as WinAmp or Media Player Classic

to play it.

Another way to open a video file is by right-clicking on the file and then click Open with and select your me-

dia player software.

Watch Videos online

This is an interesting website:

http://www.easycomputertips.com/article-

linkstousefulwebsites.html

All different kinds of info for us, check it out.

18


Attackers are continually finding new ways to access computer systems. The use of hidden methods such as

rootkits and botnets has increased, and you may be a victim without even realizing it.

What are rootkits and botnets?

A rootkit is a piece of software that can be installed and hidden on your computer without your knowledge.

It may be included in a larger software package or installed by an attacker who has been able to take advan-

tage of a vulnerability on your computer or has convinced you to download it (see Avoiding Social Engineer-

ing and Phishing Attacks for more information). Rootkits are not necessarily malicious, but they may hide

malicious activities. Attackers may be able to access information, monitor your actions, modify programs, or

perform other functions on your computer without being detected.

Botnet is a term derived from the idea of bot networks. In its most basic form, a bot is simply an automated

computer program, or robot. In the context of botnets, bots refer to computers that are able to be controlled by

one, or many, outside sources. An attacker usually gains control by infecting the computers with a virus or

other malicious code that gives the attacker access. Your computer may be part of a botnet even though it ap-

pears to be operating normally. Botnets are often used to conduct a range of activities, from distributing spam

and viruses to conducting denial-of-service attacks

Why are they considered threats?

The main problem with both rootkits and botnets is that they are hidden. Although botnets are not hidden the

same way rootkits are, they may be undetected unless you are specifically looking for certain activity. If a

Rootkit has been installed, you may not be aware that your computer has been compromised,

and traditional anti-virus software may not be able to detect the malicious programs. Attackers are also creat-

ing more sophisticated programs that update themselves so that they are even harder to detect.

Attackers can use rootkits and botnets to access and modify personal information, attack other computers,

and commit other crimes, all while remaining undetected. By using multiple computers, attackers increase

the range and impact of their crimes. Because each computer in a botnet can be programmed to execute the

same command, an attacker can have each of them scanning multiple computers for vulnerabilities, monitor-

ing online activity, or collecting the information entered in online forms.

Unfortunately, if there is a rootkit on your computer or an attacker is using your computer in a botnet, you

may not know it. Even if you do discover that you are a victim, it is difficult for the average user to effectively

recover. The attacker may have modified files on your computer, so simply removing the malicious files may

not solve the problem, and you may not be able to safely trust a prior version of a file. If you believe that you

are a victim, consider contacting a trained system administrator.

As an alternative, some vendors are developing products and tools that may remove a rootkit from your com-

puter. If the software cannot locate and remove the infection, you may need to reinstall your operating system,

usually with a system restore disk that is often supplied with a new computer. Note that reinstalling or re-

storing the operating system typically erases all of your files and any additional software that you have in-

stalled on your computer. Also, the infection may be located at such a deep level that it cannot be removed by

simply reinstalling or restoring the operating system.

Understanding Hidden Threats: Rootkits and Botnets

19


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