Link to
 

Inside This Issue

Beware
Malicious Storm Worm Doesn't Take A Holiday

Ask The Help Desk
Where Did The Menu Bar Go On Internet Explorer 7?

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In February

Short Tutorial
Add Useful Buttons To Internet Explorer Command Bar (Toolbar)



   


Dear Valued DakotaCom.Net Customer

Welcome to the February edition of our eNewsletter. In this edition, you'll get information about holiday-themed attacks (including Valentine's Day) from the Storm worm that can infect your computer with malicious code. In our Great Sites section, we share resources related to Black History Month, the start of the NASCAR season, and President's Day. You'll also learn how to customize Internet Explorer 7 by adding additional buttons as well as adding a menu bar to the browser.

The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. To meet this goal, each monthly newsletter will usually contain information related to:
  1. Warnings on a recent virus, e-mail hoax or security issue that may affect you
  2. An update on new services and other local interests
  3. An answer to a frequently asked Internet related question
  4. Some fun, seasonal websites to check out
  5. A short, step-by-step tutorial on an e-mail or browser related task
We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading!

- The DakotaCom.Net Team
 
  
 

 

Beware - Malicious Storm Worm Doesn't Take A Holiday

The team behind the notorious Storm worm often takes advantage of holidays to launch attacks. There were Christmas and New Year's versions, and most recently, the worm used a Valentine's Day twist to try and infect users with malicious code. The e-mails contained subject lines about love, and the body of the message directed recipients to a site featuring a large heart and a notification reading, "Your download should begin shortly. If your download does not start in 10-20 seconds, you can click here to launch the download and then press run. Enjoy!"

The Valentine's Day worm was originally packaged in a way that fooled most virus scanners. The SANS Internet Storm Center reported that initially only four out of 32 virus scanners were able to properly identify the downloaded file as Storm-infected prior to actual execution. Sophos, a world leader in enterprise IT security and control, recently said that this worm was accounting for almost eight percent of overall e-mail traffic.

The Storm Gang changes the content of their attacks frequently, sometimes on a daily basis. So, this is a good time to remind you to keep your anti-virus and spyware software updated. Also, remain on guard for suspicious e-mails from unknown senders and DO NOT CLICK ON A LINK contained within the body of such messages. The Storm worm has a history of wrapping itself in various holiday disguises, and you don't want to fall victim to its devious tricks. Who knows what's next — St. Patrick's Day, perhaps?

Back to Top

Ask The Help Desk - Where Did The Menu Bar Go On Internet Explorer 7?

Question: I recently purchased a new computer and it has the Microsoft Vista Home Premium operating system and includes Internet Explorer 7 as the browser. I noticed that Internet Explorer 7 does not have a menu bar at the top any longer. I used to frequently use the "Edit" button located on the menu bar to cut, copy, paste, etc. Is there a way to get this menu bar back onto the Internet Explorer 7 browser?

Answer: Yes, there is. With a goal of freeing up more space on the browser window, Microsoft Corp. removed the menu bar from its newest browser, Internet Explorer 7. To place the menu bar and its many associated functions back onto the Internet Explorer 7 browser, follow these simple steps:
  1. With Internet Explorer open, click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" button located on your Internet Explorer 7 toolbar.

  2. Scroll down to "Menu Bar" on the resulting drop-down menu and select it. The menu bar will immediately appear on your Internet Explorer 7 browser. This works the same whether you are using Windows XP Home Edition or Windows Vista Home Premium as your operating system.

Back to Top

Sites Of The Month - Great Sites To Check Out In February

Presidential Visit
http://whitehouse.gov/history/whtour - What better place to visit in honor of President's Day than the White House? (Granted, we mean the online version.) Take a 360° tour of the Oval Office, then pick a few of your favorite presidents from the past and read through their full bios. Historical photos of the presidents and first ladies in the White House are included here, as well as quizzes and games for kids.

Black History Month
http://history.com/minisites/blackhistory - February is Black History Month--a time to recall and celebrate the many contributions to our nation made by people of African descent. Established by historian Carter G. Woodson, the first celebration occurred in February 1926. Browse through this site to learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the history of the civil rights struggle, read the stories of African-American icons in a variety of fields, and watch inspirational video clips of famous speeches and interviews.

Leap Day Learning
http://teachervision.fen.com/calendar/teaching-methods/3779.html - Since this is a leap year, we have an extra day at the end of February. Ever wondered how this all came to be? Learn virtually everything there is to know about the history of the calendar at this educational site. You'll even find out about modern proposals for calendar reform to make it more convenient to use.

Wedding Planner
http://theknot.com - There's a long "to do" list to complete before the bride and groom can say, "I do." If there's a wedding in your family's future, this site could be invaluable. It helps couples stay organized during the planning process with wedding ideas, shopping resources, and planning tools in one convenient place. Take advantage of the site's wedding budgeter where you can build your wedding budget, get expert advice, track each payment due, and schedule e-mail reminders.

Get Your Motors Running
http://motorsport.com  - The NASCAR season begins this month with the 50th Annual Daytona 500 and that's just a fraction of the action. Race to this site for the latest news and schedules from more than 230 auto, motorbike, and powerboat circuits. You can also take a look back at past seasons of motorsport events, check out the statistics, and view recent race photos.

Back to Top

Short Tutorial - Add Useful Buttons To Internet Explorer Command Bar (Toolbar)

Unlike the Internet Explorer 6 browser, Internet Explorer 7 includes few buttons by default on its command bar (toolbar). To add additional buttons to Internet Explorer 7 browser when using either Windows XP Home Edition or Windows Vista Home Premium operating systems, follow these steps:
  1. Launch Internet Explorer.

  2. Click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" button located on your Internet Explorer toolbar.

  3. Scroll down to "Toolbars" and then select "Customize" from the resulting submenu.

  4. A Customize Toolbar dialog box will appear. It will have two listings of buttons. On the left side is the list called "Available toolbar buttons." On the right side is the list called "Current toolbar buttons." Select the buttons from the "Available toolbar buttons" list that you'd like to add to the Internet Explorer 7 command bar.

  5. Click on the "Add" button and then click on "Close." Your selected buttons will now be added to your browser's command bar (toolbar). Note, however, that you may not be able to actually see the added buttons. You'll need to click your cursor arrow on the two right-pointing arrows located on the far right side of the command bar (toolbar) to see the added buttons listed within a drop-down menu.

Back to Top

We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you informed on the happenings here. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

The DakotaCom.net Team




DakotaCom.Net, 2006 BBB Ethics Award winner
4003 E. Speedway, Suite 111
Tucson, Arizona 85712
520-745-3900
800-498-1050

(We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.)

©2008 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.