How Do I ?

1. How can I protect myself while online?
2. What can I do to prevent viruses from attacking my computer?
3. What is spyware/adware and how do I prevent it?
4. What is phishing and how can I prevent it?
5. Do I have to worry about viruses, spyware, or adware on my Macintosh computer?
6. How do I burn a CD on a Windows computer?
7. How do I burn a CD on a Macintosh computer?
8. Is burning a DVD different than burning a CD?
9. I want to open a free e-mail account. Where should I go?
10. How do I attach something to my e-mail?
11. I want to upload my vacation photos, but the website says the files are too large. How can I change the file size?
12. Your lab has several toolbars in Word and Excel. How can I get these on my home computer? How can I customize the toolbars I already have?
13. I accidentally closed my document without saving. Is there any way to get it back?
14. How can I put pictures or sounds into my PowerPoint presentation?
15. Are there alternatives to iTunes for downloading music legally?

******This website is provided as an information resource for students.******

An individual should always fully research their options before making a decision that best meets their specific circumstances and thus neither theComputer Access Lab nor Valencia Community College bear any responsibility for these personal decisions. Any commercial products and/or services mentioned are intended as examples and not as an endorsement and/or solicitation for that product or source.

How can I protect myself online?

Many victims of hackers often follow poor security guidelines. As long as you follow some basic security principles, you should be protected against hackers or malicious users.

Make sure that your computer is up to date with the latest security updates for your operating system (usually Windows), and make sure your web browser application, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, is updated to the latest version. To make sure your computer is fully updated, go to http://update.microsoft.com (if you are using Windows), and install any and all critical updates listed. To check for updates in Firefox, click on the Help menu and click Check for Updates.

If you do your banking or shopping online, make sure that the site you use is protected with 128-bit SSL security-this is indicated by the presence of a lock either in the Address bar at the top of the window, or at the bottom in the Status Bar. You should also see the URL in the Address bar begin with https://. If you don't see any of these, DO NOT give out your personal information, especially sensitive information such as a credit card or checking account number or your social security number.

When registering on a site, you will usually be asked to sign up an account on the site, where you will specify a username and password. Make sure the password you use is at least eight characters consisting of upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. This makes your password harder to guess. Writing down your password is not recommended, but if you must write it down, make sure you keep it in a safe, secure location.

What can I do to prevent viruses from attacking my computer?

To prevent viruses from attacking your computer, you must have anti-virus software installed on your computer. The most popular vendors are Norton/Symantec and McAfee. Anti-virus software must have it's real-time scanner turned on all the time and must also be kept up to date with the latest virus definitions-this usually requires a subscription service in addition to the charge for the software. Free anti-virus programs, such as AVG Anti-Virus, are also available on the Internet. Computer Associates also offers a free 12-month subscription for its eZ Trust anti-virus program. If your computer already has anti-virus software, you should see its icon located in the system tray/notification area next to the clock (assuming you're running Windows), and you should also see its program group in the Start Menu.

The Windows computers in the Computer Access Lab run Symantec Anti-Virus and are always automatically updated every week.

What is spyware/adware and how do I prevent it?

Spyware and adware are nuisance programs that are usually installed on your computer usually without you even knowing it. Symptoms of spyware may include unexpected pop-up ads even if your browser isn't open, or ad-related icons on your desktop or Favorites menu. If you have Windows XP with Service Pack 2, you should be safe from most spyware. There are also free programs available on the Internet such as Ad-Aware or Windows Defender (beta) that will scan your computer for any installed spyware and remove it for you.

What is phishing and how can I prevent it?

Phishing is a technique used by hackers to trick people into thinking that an e-mail message or a web site is from an actual company or other organization, such as a bank, a shopping site/store, or a government agency, and usually asking to provide personal or sensitive information. The message or web site can be designed to look like the real thing. Hackers will often use this technique to trick users into giving them their personal information such as their credit card or checking account number, social security number, or passwords. It's also possible for these messages to contain links to that same organization's web site that is also designed to look like the real thing. Sometimes these messages may also contain worms or viruses.

One thing to note is that legitimate/honest companies or organizations, including banks, will NEVER send an e-mail requesting personal information. Government agencies will also never send e-mails to users unsolicited. If this type of message is encountered, it should be deleted immediately.

Phishing web sites can be identified by looking at the address bar in the web browser. If it shows an IP address (123.45.67.89) instead of an actual domain name (eg. wamu.com, bankofamerica.com), or if the name is spelled wrong, odds are that it's not the real site. New technologies are also emerging in e-mail services that can help tell you if the message is a possible phishing attempt. When Internet Explorer 7 is released later this year, it will include an anti-phishing filter that will alert you if the site your browsing is a possible phishing attempt.

Do I have to worry about viruses, spyware, or adware on my Macintosh computer?

For the most part, the answer is no. Macintosh computers use the Mac OS X operating system, a Unix-Based OS that is designed to run on different architectures. Mac OS X's Unix roots means it is inherently more secure in personal and network environments. An important Mac OS X security feature that helps prevent malicious software installation is the requirement for an administrator to enter their password when any system-wide change or software installation is initiated. Also, almost all currently known viruses are malicious programs coded and designed to run on Microsoft Windows on Intel-based PCs. Therefore, even if one of these viruses were to end up on your Macintosh with Mac OS X, the program could not execute and therefore there is no possibility of any infection or data loss. It should be noted, however, that on new Intel-based Macs, it is now possible to install Microsoft Windows XP. Therefore, if your Mac has Microsoft Windows installed, you are susceptible to the every virus out there and are at risk of operating system infection, data loss, or privacy invasion.

How do I burn a CD on a Windows computer?

To burn a CD using Windows XP, first you must save or copy all the files you want to burn to the CD drive, either by dragging the files to the CD icon in My Computer or by copying and pasting them into the CD window. (If you are using a Windows computer in the Lab, you can also right-click on the file(s), point to Send To, and click on CD Drive. Keep in mind that the CD Drive option in the Send To menu is a custom setting, and therefore it may not work on your home computer. Also, if you are using a Microsoft Office program such as Word or Excel, remember that Office does not support saving directly to the CD Drive in the Save As window; you must first save the file to a temporary location such as the My Documents folder or the Desktop, then copy it to the CD drive).

Once you have copied your files to the CD, a balloon reminder will pop-up in the lower right-hand corner of the screen by the clock that says "You Have Files Waiting to be Written to the CD." Clicking on this balloon will open the CD window if it isn't open already.

In the CD window, click on "Write these files to CD" in the pane on the left side of the window (If you don't see it, it's also listed on the File menu in that window). The CD writing wizard will then appear, and you can give your CD a label if you want, and the CD will start burning after you click Next. The process will take about a minute depending on number and size of the files. Remember that this process only works for Windows XP.

If you are using a computer in the Computer Access Lab, we also have Roxio Easy CD Creator on the computers, and can be opened from the All Programs menu in the Start Menu. Once Roxio starts, drag the files you want to burn into the main window, and click on the Record button.

How do I burn a CD on a Macintosh computer?

To burn a CD using Mac OS X, you must first save your file to either the computers hard drive or another temporary location (CD writing technology does not permit saving directly to the CD from an open application). Then, close all open programs (to ensure the file to be burned is not currently open) and return to the Desktop. Then, in the Finder toolbar located on the top of the screen, click File, and then click New Burn Folder. When the new Burn Folder is created, it will allow you to edit the folder name (which will be used as the name of the created CD). Then, double click the newly created folder to open the Burn Folder window. Then, in a new window, open the folder where the files that are to burned are currently saved. Drag these files into the Burn Folder window. Then, when all files have been copied to the Burn Folder window, click the Burn button in the top right corner of the Burn Folder window. The software will then prompt you to insert a blank disc (either a CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, or DVD-RW), and when the disc is inserted, the burn process will automatically begin and the software will notify you when the disc has successfully burned.

Is burning a DVD different than burning a CD?

If your computer has a DVD burner and the appropriate burning software such as Roxio or Nero, then burning a DVD is no different than burning a CD; just follow the same procedure for burning a CD, just make sure you use a blank DVD. Remember though that Windows XP does not support DVD burning on it's own-you must use third-party burning software such as Roxio or Nero.

All computers within the Computer Access Lab are equipped with DVD burners and several Lab computers are capable of burning dual-layer DVDs.

I want to open a free e-mail account. Where should I go?

Currently enrolled Valencia students should already have an Atlas account, which includes an e-mail service. However there are other free services available such as Hotmail, GMail and Yahoo. On these sites you should see a link you can follow to sign up for a new account.

How do I attach something to my e-mail?

The general process for attaching a file to e-mail is pretty much the same across all services. Here I will explain how to attach a file in Atlas e-mail:

.  Log in to your Atlas account and click on the E-mail button.

.  In the e-mail window, click on Compose Message.

.  Type in or select from the address book the e-mail address you want to send the file to (or type in your e-mail address if you are sending it to yourself).

.  Type a subject and message if you want.

.  Click on the Attach button at the bottom of the window.

.  A new page will appear; click on the Browse button.

.  Browse to the folder where the file is saved in, and double-click to select it.

.  Click on the Attach button.

.  Click on OK, then click Send.

I want to upload my vacation photos, but the wesite says the files are too large. How can I change the file size?

If you are using a Windows computer in the M.A.C. Lab, you can use a photo-editing program called Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Open the pictures using this program, click on the Edit button in the toolbar, click on Compress Pictures in the pane on the right side, and compress for E-Mail messages. This will save your pictures in the same folder but with lower file sizes.

Your Lab has several toolbars in Word and Excel. How can I get these on my home computer? How can I customize the toolbars I already have?

To turn on toolbars in Word or Excel, first click on the View menu, point to Toolbars, and click on the name of the toolbar you want to turn on.

The Standard and Formatting toolbars contain the commands you are most likely to use, so we recommend keeping them on.

To customize toolbars in Word, Excel, or other Office programs, you can either click on the Tools menu and click Customize, or you can double-click in the empty gray space at the top of the window, next to the toolbars. Either way you'll get a Customize window with three tabs. The Commands tab lists every single command in the application sorted by menu. To add a command to a toolbar, simply drag the command to the toolbar and place it where you want it. To remove a command, simply drag it off the toolbar while the Customize window is open.

You can also edit buttons that are in the toolbars or the menus. While the Customize window is open, you can right-click on a button and see all what you can do with it. For example you can change the name of the button and even change it's icon, or you can rearrange the buttons by dragging them.

You can also make your own toolbars if you desire. Click on the Toolbars tab in the Customize window and click on the New button, then give your toolbar a name. If you want your new toolbar to appear whenever you open Word or Excel, make your toolbar available to Normal.dot; if you only want it to appear in the currently open document, choose the name of the open document. Use the Commands tab in the Customize window to drag commands into the toolbar.

I accidentally closed my document without saving. Is there any way to get it back?

If you closed your document, got a message asking if you want to save it and click on No, unfortunately then there is no way to retrieve it. If you are using a Microsoft Office program such as Word or Excel and it crashes, you may be able to retrieve it again after you re-open the program.

How can I put pictures into my PowerPoint presentation? Sounds?

The best way to insert pictures into your PowerPoint presentation is to click on the Slide Layout button (if you're using a Windows computer in the Computer Access Lab), or by going to the Format menu and clicking on Slide Layout. In the pane on the right side of the window, choose a content layout that contains a picture placeholder. You should see a placeholder box with six buttons; to insert a picture from a file, click the lower left button, browse to the folder where your picture is stored, and double-click to insert it.

To insert a sound file into your presentation, click on the Insert menu, point to Movies and Sounds, and click Sound from File. Browse to the folder containing the sound file and double-click to insert it.

Are there alternatives to iTunes for downloading music legally?

Yes, there are other services where you can buy and download music legally. Some of these services include Napster, MSN Music, Urge, and Rhapsody (RealPlayer).

 

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