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Net Gains (May 26, 98) |
I remember getting a call from a friend who's not so computer
savvy. All of a sudden, he wasn't able to open Word files. Panicked,
he called to ask whether it was a virus creating havoc on his
machine. He wanted help trying out different ways and means to
detect where the problem could possibly lie. Two hours on the
phone and three anti-virus packages later, his ego got a blow
when he discovered a World Macro virus called "Showoff"
- just like him. He could have done it by himself in less than
a quarter of that time if only this week's site had been online
then.
There's this fantabulous site on the Net by IT Secure, a computer
security company, and a distributor for Dr. Solomon's Anti Virus
Products. This site is seamlessly interwoven with the Dr. Solomon
site, and in this combined form is a great site to turn to when
you suspect the presence of a virus in your system. No sooner
do you log on to http://www.itsecure.com, your eyes are hit with
a bold, blinking, red lettered "Virus Attack ? Don't Panic".
Easy for them to say, no ? But the site goes one step further,
taking you step by step through a process to help you rule out
the possibility that it's a false alarm (God willing). If it is
a real virus however, you can download Dr. Solomon's FindVirus
(that detects and cleans over 17,000 viruses). Best of all, you
can use it for two months completely free. If you're the inquisitive
kind, you can jump to a detailed virus encyclopaedia by Dr. Solomon,
and read a detailed description of the virus, what it does, and
just how dangerous it actually is.
If you do need expert assistance, they offer to send over an anti-virus
expert who'll solve your problem, totally free of cost and on
a no-obligation basis. You can also join their mailing list to
stay abreast of the latest developments in the virus (and anti-virus)
field, or go through their anti-virus tips to minimize the chances
of getting hit by a virus!
So the next time you are faced with a virus, log on to IT Secure.
Cyber-Info HotMail Notify is a 1.1 Mb freeware application that's
recently made an appearance on the software scene on the Net.
It is an email notification utility that can check multiple Hotmail
accounts for new mail. All you have to do is install it and configure
it to look up those accounts at predetermined intervals. Instead
of you logging on to Hotmail to keep checking for mail, this program
does this for you in the background. If you do have messages,
a pop-up message with sound lets you know that mail has arrived,
and also tells you how many new emails in which account! Not only
that, you have to just click on the hyperlink provided to directly
go retrieve those messages directly. A very handy utility - download
it from :
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-48670,501000.html
This one's for some of the naughtier Internet users out there.
Cover Your Tracks clears all traces of Web site visits performed
through Netscape 3.x or 4.x, allowing you to clear your browser's
location pull-down bar, history, cache, cookies, and recent documents
all at the click of a button. Individual URLs in the location
pull-down bar can also be edited or removed. An attractive feature
is the Auto-Clearing option, which will clear files automatically
whenever the program is run. Instead of taking the trouble to
download this 211 Kb program, just don't visit those dirty sites!
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-48521,501000.html