Microsoft Security Updates

Every month Microsoft releases a number of updates and patches for its software. Every so often, e-mails are sent to e-mail accounts purporting to contain or lead to an important security update for a Microsoft product. These are fakes, trying to get you to download malicious software onto your computer. The people sending these e-mails go to great pains to make it look like a communication from Microsoft. Just keep in mind; should you see one of these e-mails, you should delete it.

However, you can get notifications from Microsoft about security updates and patches that are being released, normally on the 2^nd Tuesday of the month, also known as "Patch Tuesday". Here, copied from one of those messages, is how you can sign-up to receive these security bulletins:

To receive automatic notifications whenever Microsoft Security Bulletins are issued, subscribe to Microsoft Technical Security Notifications on http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx.

This monthly e-mail will alert you to the products that are receiving updates and give you a link to follow to get more information about them. If an out of cycle patch is released, you will also get notification of that as well. If you are concerned about security, and want to keep abreast of what is happening from Microsoft, this would be a good investment of a few minutes a month.

Keep in mind that these are just the items that Microsoft considers to be critical. There are a lot more updates and patches released over the course of the year that may just be enhancements of a product, or fix a small problem with a product, etc. that are not considered to be critical, or even important. The automatic updates service built into your Microsoft Windows will only get those two categories of updates. To see what else may be available, fire up your Internet Explorer, click on Tools and select Windows Update from the drop down menu. This will take you to the Windows Update site. If you have not used this previously, you will be asked to download an Active-X component, then some software. When, or if, you are given the choice, switch to the Microsoft updates site. This site will show updates and patches available and needed for all your Microsoft products on your computer after a search. You can go through these patches and updates to pick and choose the ones you would wish to install.

For those of you in corporate environments, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) can be used to control updating throughout the network. It does take some time to set up and some time to originally deploy, but once the initial setup and deployment are done it does not take long at all to maintain.

If you need help with your updating or any other computer related items, feel free to call LAN Doctor, Your IT Department, 703.356.3070 for assistance.

 

Outlook 2007 Problems After 12/14/10 Patch

Those who are conscientious about patching their machines when Microsoft releases new patches may be having problems with Outlook 2007 after the release of patches on Tuesday December 14, 2010. Symptoms include loss of the archive and auto-archive feature, slow to respond when changing folders, accounts using Secure Password Authentication have problems connecting, Outlook accounts connection to an Exchange server have problems connecting when using Outlook Anywhere with NTLM authentication, IMAP accounts and accounts connecting via SSL may give send/receive errors specifically, but not limited to Gmail which reports a 0x800CCC78 error when trying to send a message. Another error seen is 0x800CCC1A.

All these problems from a patch meant to improve performance.

When I was reviewing material today in preparation to writing this piece, I found that Microsoft has now pulled the patch, KB2412171 so those of you who have not applied the latest patches yet should not have to worry about
accidently applying the patch. However, if the patch has already been downloaded to your machine by automatic updates, you'll need to choose custom install and uncheck this patch so it does not install.

A hotfix was released purporting to fix this problem (KB2458611), but it has its own problems as well. This hotfix is still available on the Microsoft site, but it is not suggested that you install it.

For those of you who have installed the patch, you can uninstall it, and return your Outlook to its former performance level. To do so, simply follow these instructions:

• Win7/Vista: Start > Control Panel > Uninstall a Program > View Installed Updates...find KB2412171 and remove it.
  
• WinXP: Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.  Make sure "Show updates" (at the bottom) is checked.  Find KB2412171 and remove it.
  

Once you have removed the patch, you may still have a problem with authentication when using some e-mail accounts. To fix this you need to go to your account that is having the problem (Tools > Account Settings > E-mail accounts) and change the Secure Password Authentication setting. 

As always, we stand ready to help you with all your computer problems. Give us a call at 703 356 3070.

 

Which Version of Windows 7 Is Right for YOU?

There are four versions of Windows 7 available to the user. The big question is which version is the right version for you to use. The answer is not necessarily the one that comes pre-loaded on your new machine from the store or mail-order house. The versions are Starter (you are not likely to see this one except on a net book or if you are purchasing in a third world country), Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. They each come in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. They each have different limits on what they can do.

You do not need a 64-bit operating system if you have less than 4 GB of RAM in your machine. If you have more than 4 GB of RAM, or think you will be adding memory in the future that will exceed 4 GB, you should have the 64-bit version. The 64-bit operating system requires 64-bit device drivers. It will not run drivers designed for a 32-bit operating system.

For many people, especially if you have other equipment that is relatively new, software that can run on Vista, and you are not connecting to a home or corporate network, Home Premium that is found on most systems sold at retail is a perfectly good choice for you. There are a few gotcha, however. Most systems are sold as 64-bit systems. You need to check before you buy that the drivers for your equipment are 64-bit drivers. Not all are. Software that predates Vista may or may not run on any version of Windows 7. You need to check with the vendor to determine if it will work on Windows 7.

Windows 7 Professional is probably the choice that many people should make, especially if you need to run old software that is not compatible with Windows 7. In a corporate environment, Professional is a must. Professional, and Ultimate, allows you to run in XP mode for older programs, with a download from Microsoft. You can find the details here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx. There is a bit of a learning curve to go through, but once you have it down, this becomes downright a pleasure to use.

Professional also allows you to use off-line files. This is important if you connect to a corporate network from the outside. You can select a folder to use for offline use, and once you get it setup, select the folder, the files will download and be stored on your local machine. Changes made locally by you are synchronized with the server. Changes made by those in the office are replicated to your PC. You always have the latest version possible at your finger tips.

For the corporate user, Professional allows you to join a domain, and many corporate networks are designed following the domain model. It also allows the workgroup model, which is what most home networks are designed. You have better connectivity overall with the Professional version.

The Ultimate version adds some more features. If you often work in more than one language, you will like the ability to easily switch between languages as offered in this version. There are 35 languages offered. Encryption of files is also offered in this version. Bitlocker will encrypt your whole drive and offers immediate encryption for any files you save.

For advice on purchasing your corporate hardware and software, give LAN Doctor a call at 703-356-3070. Your IT department, serving the DC Metro area.

Get a Handle on Your Gmail Account

If you use Gmail for e-mail, whether as your main mail account, or as a supplemental account, this article may help you get a handle on the mail coming through that account. It explains how to use filters available in the Gmail system to sort messages prior to your reading them.

Point your browser to http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217400014&pgno=1&queryText=&isPrev= (or, TinyURL: http://tinyurl.com/272bcf2) to read it.

No matter what you use for your e-mail, remember to call LAN Doctor for your computer needs, 703.356.3070.

Online Privacy

Online privacy is a concern, or should be, for everyone who uses the Internet. Books can be filled with information about maintaining online privacy; yet, there is always something new that should be of concern. Generally, however, there are some things that are well known and easily available to help you with certain sites.

Weekly, it seems, there is another privacy concern raised about Facebook and its policies. Probably, the best you can do is to check your profile settings each time you login to Facebook, to ensure they have not changed. Also, seriously consider any personal information before you post it to Facebook to ensure that should it become public, you will not , um, shall we say suffer, should it become disclosed. You might also want to keep up with information your friends may post about you. Remember that party a few weeks ago, the one you were having so much fun about? Oh, you don't really remember it, only what people have told you about? You might want to keep an eye out for pictures that may not show you in your best light. You might also want to bring this topic up with your friends so that such things don't happen in the future. They may think you as somewhat of a prude, but just remind them that you also would abide by this rule so that information that may damage their careers does not propagate across the web.

Google is another site you might want to be aware of the use of your information. The article found at http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/051109-6-ways-to-protect-your.html?page=1 gives you six ways to protect your privacy while using Google. Take a look at the Google areas mentioned in the article for further information. The Google Privacy Tips feed has a number of videos about protecting your privacy in a number of areas on Google, and are short, so you do not need to spend a lot of time with them.

Until next time, remember to keep LAN Doctor in mind for your computing and networking needs. You can reach us at info@landoctor.com.

Google, G-Mail & Google Maps Tips

Here is an article if you are a user of any of the web applications listed in the title. Gives you 19 tips to make better use of them, doing things you may not yet be aware they can be used for.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9132247/Gmail_Google_maps_and_Google_search_19_cool_tips?taxonomyId=18&pageNumber=1

Remember, tips or not, you need LAN Doctor to keep your computers and network running up to snuff. Give us a call at 703 356 3070.

More On E-Mail

Outlook's rules provide you with a basic sorting mechanism when messages arrive in your Inbox or are sent. It is basic because one cannot use any Boolean expressions in their creation. The later versions of Outlook have an auto-rule function when creating a rule, but I've always found it better to skip that and go right into the nitty-gritty of creating a rule.

Before you create the rule, you should first decide what you want the rule to do. If you wish to place messages in another folder, make sure the folder already exists. If you are going to forward the message, make sure the address it will be sent to already exists. If you wish to have an auto-reply sent out, make sure it is prepared and ready for action. Now you can start to create your rule.

Click on Tools | Rules and Alerts when you have Outlook open. Click on New Rule and then, down near the bottom of the first section of the window that opens, under Start from a blank rule click on Check when messages arrive, then click the Next button. This opens to a screen that gives you a number of choices. Select the one that fits how you want to sort out a particular group of messages. If you have a number of criteria to sort on, check the criteria that apply. You will note that many of the choices have a blue underlined word or phrase. After you have selected the criteria, they appear in the bottom section of the window, here you click on the underlined portion and are prompted to fill in the appropriate address, word, or phrase that you want to use. Then click on the Next button again.

The next screen provides choices on how you wish to handle the message. Most commonly, it is to place the message in another folder, but you do have other choices. You may wish to send a message in response to the sorted message—an auto-response, or you may wish to just delete it, or you may wish to forward it to someone or a group of people. Once you make you selection, it will again appear as part of the rule being formed below, and you will need to select the underline work or phrase and place the appropriate action there.

At this point, select also "stop further processing of rules", so no further rules are processed on this message. Then click on the Finish button. If you have exceptions you wish to make, select the Next button.

Choose your exception, and fill in the exception type if offered. Note that your choice will appear above the stop processing line. Then choose the Finish button.

When you are finished creating the rule, it will appear on the initial screen with a check mark in the box showing that it will run when a message is received. If you wish, the rule can be run now by selecting the Run Rules now choice above, or you can just wait until the messages the rule is intended to sort is received. If you wish to run the rule now, select that choice, and select the rules you wish to run, the folder they are to be run in, normally the Inbox, against all messages, unread messages, or read messages. This is a good way to test the rule before you place it into active service. Whether you are running the rule immediately or not, you can now start on another rule or just close out the dialog.

Remember, whatever you need in the way of help, you can count on LAN Doctor, your It Department, to be ready to help you. Send us an e-mail at support@landoctor.com or give us a call at 703.356.3070.