May - ICON Computer Users Group

THE ICON-Newsletter of the Interactive Computer Owners Network MAY 2012
WHAT’S INSIDE
Page
May & June
Program Schedules ………. 2
Interesting Sites to………… 3
Visit on the Internet
Computer Terminology
Windows Q & A p6 continued
from last month ……………. 4
Windows Q & A …………… 5
Computer Tutor - SD Cards 6
Keyboard Shortcuts and
Symbols…………………….. 7
April 14 Minutes ………..…. 8
FBI: Computers May Lose
Internet on July 9 ..…….. 9-11
Memorial Day Wordsearch…………………...…..11
Time 3…………………….... 12
Accessing 1940 Census ... 13
Help Line Answers…………14
Cards Sent
Basis Computer Classes
ICON Membership ……….. 15
Applications
ICON Officers, New
Members & Renewals
Announcements…………….16
Prez Sez: Here we are again, more computer / internet malware issues. As I write this Sophos Naked
Security has reported that more than 1 in 5 Apple
Macs ‘harbor’ some sort of malware (http://
nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/04/24/macmalware-study/). According to the article, this does
not mean these computers are infected but that they
have malware on them than can be transferred to another computer. Surprisingly, most of this malware would infect Windows computers, or Macs that use Windows. The article is interesting,
I suggest you read it and share it with your “Mac Friends.” You might
enjoy the comparison of rates of malware on Macs to rates of infection
of a sexually transmitted disease.
Oh my, zillions of computers will lose access to the internet on July 9,
2012! Or so some of the emails going around would have you believe.
Yes, it is possible some computers may lose access to the internet
on/about that date due to a specific virus infection (for more see:
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/04/25/internet-doomsdaydont-panic/). For more details as well as some instructions on how to
check your computer for the malware, go to the FBI’s partner website
for the “Domain Changer Working Group” www.dcwg.org. This website will allow you to test your computer as to see if it is infected and
also provides advice on how to clean your computer. You will probably find this website to be very slow as it is being hit pretty hard these
days so be patient.
Remember, the best solution is to have up to date antivirus software
installed and to (a) keep it up to date and (b) run a full system scan at
least weekly. How this last part is done varies by software manufacturer. Also, the ‘free’ antivirus that came with your new computer may
have expired if you are beyond the free trial period (normally 60-90
days) so you’ll need to either replace it or purchase a subscription. If
you don’t want to pay, there are many free antivirus products available.
These are just two of the recent ‘scares’ that have come out in recent
weeks. There will be many more over the next few months as well as
articles on malware infecting smartphones and tablets. If you have
one of these devices you’ll need anti-malware software installed on
them also. Just as for your computer, there are free and paid malware
solutions for smartphones and tablets and their effectiveness varies.
Research, research, research...that’s the answer.
This will be my last article as ICON’s President. I’ve enjoyed this past
year in the position but other obligations prevent me from carrying out
the duties of President so I’m stepping aside. By the time you read
this there will be a new slate of officers to carry ICON forward. I’ll still
be at the meetings and will occasionally write an article for the newsletter in order to ‘keep my hand in.’
—Art Irish
THE ICON
May 2012
PAGE 2
Program Preparations for May 2012
Saturday, May 12, Brentwood Library
10:30 a.m. Digital Media SIG — Slide Shows with Sound (PowerPoint, Windows Movie Maker,
Irfinview)
11:30 a.m. Brown Bag Lunch and 1-on-1 Help Desk
12:30 p.m. General Program — What’s in the Cloud?
1:45 p.m. General Membership Meeting
4:00 p.m. The Library Station (Frisco Room)
Using the Linux Operating System
Tuesday, May 15, The Library Center (Harrison Room
10:00 a.m. Open Group Discussion, BYOQ (Bring Your Own Questions)
Saturday, May 19, The Library Center (Harrison Room)
3:00 p.m. Using the Linux Operating System
Saturday May 26, The Library Station, (Story Hour Room)
10:30 a.m. Genealogy SIG — Aids to Family Research
11:30 a.m. Brown Bag Lunch and 1-on-1 Help Desk
12:30 p.m. Windows SIG — Windows 7 Tutorials — Devices and Networking, Windows Security
1:45 p.m. Advanced Technology Forum — Open Group Discussion
Program Preparations for June 2012
Saturday, Jun 9, Brentwood Library
10:30 a.m. Digital Media SIG — Converting VCR Tapes to Digital Format
11:30 a.m. Brown Bag Lunch and 1-on-1 Help Desk
12:30 p.m. General Program — Using an Extra Hard Drive as an External Drive or For Backup
1:45 p.m. General Membership Meeting
4:00 p.m. The Library Station (Frisco Room)
Using the Linux Operating System
Tuesday, Jun 12, The Library Center (Harrison Room
10:00 a.m. Open Group Discussion, BYOQ (Bring Your Own Questions)
Saturday, Jun 16, The Library Center (Harrison Room)
3:00 p.m. Using the Linux Operating System
Saturday Jun 23, The Library Station, (Story Hour Room)
10:30 a.m. Genealogy SIG — To be announced See ICON website www.iconusersgroup.org
11:30 a.m. Brown Bag Lunch and 1-on-1 Help Desk
12:30 p.m. Windows SIG — Windows 7 Tutorials — Printing, and Backup and Troubleshooting
1:45 p.m. Advanced Technology Forum — Open Group Discussion
THE ICON
May 2012
Interesting Sites to
Visit on the Internet
Nancy Preffitt ICON Member
[email protected]
These sites are all from old articles I wrote in
2005 and 2006 so some of them may be familiar
to you. I had to restore my entire backup drive on
my new computer to get last year’s tax form since
I couldn’t find it in the lists. These old articles were
an interesting bonus!
Doo Wop Horses
Wait for the entire screen to load up with all four
horses and a fence in front of them. Then click on
each horse. Make sure your sound is on. Re-click
on any horse to make it turn off or turn it back on
again. Somebody did some real wizardry of programming to coordinate this! Try clicking on the
horses from left to right then right to left then just
one or two at a time... Its fun and a good stress
reliever. Have fun! Do them in random order for
some weird songs. http://svt.se/hogafflahage/
hogafflaHage_site/Kor/hestekor.swf
Cybertimes Navigator
For more than 10 years, the Newsroom Navigator
has been used by New York Times reporters and
editors as the starting point for their forays onto
the Web. Its primary intent is to give the news
staff a solid starting point for a wide range of journalistic functions without forcing all of them to
spend time wandering around to find a useful set
of links of their own. The list is by its nature highly
selective and constantly changing. http://
tech.nytimes.com/top/news/technology/
cybertimesnavigator/index.html
Get a REAL Person
Rather than wasting a whole day trying to get to a
human being at a large corporation, try this useful
site, created by Paul English. It has an alphabetical list of big companies and tips on how "to find a
human". I could have saved 54 minutes the other
day if I’d known about it then! http://
www.paulenglish.com/ivr/
THE SENSES CHALLENGE
Put your senses to the test with this challenge.
The twenty questions will not only test your
PAGE 3
senses, but what you know about them as well.
See how well you do! It’s fun, but harder than
you’d think!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/
body/interactives/senseschallenge/senses.swf
Lena Games
I’m not sure that I’ve ever written about this one,
but it’s a long time favorite of mine. There are a
variety of shareware games on the site. Big Jig is
one, but the difference is that there is a new
FREE puzzle every week. The old one goes away
every week, so you must remember to visit. I’ve
got a collection of over a hundred puzzles. You
can, of course, buy sets at very reasonable
prices, too.
Just in the past couple of weeks, Lena has put a
new game up. It’s called Astra Jigsaw Art Edition
and it’s very complex. It comes with a few paintings and several sets of cuts. You can do a few
pieces of various shapes or a few hundred. You
can set up rotation or not. This is also true of Big
Jig.
Try her mahjong game, Taipei, too. It’s a nice version of that. There are also many others on site
that I’ve not tried, so it should keep you busy for a
long time. www.lenagames.com
Computer Stupidities
We are not alone! Lots of people have had lots of
non-understood problems with their computers.
Browse through the list of "stupidities", some of
which may be funny only to the geeks in our
midst, but I think you’ll enjoy most of them.
http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/
COMPUTER TERMINOLOGY
FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE
“Overlaid Windows”
Find the definition elsewhere in this issue
THE ICON
May 2012
Windows Q & A April 2012
Mary Phillips ICON Member
mary@iconusersgroup.
(Continued from page 5 of last
month’s newsletter
page 6)
Backup and Restore:
System Repair Disc – In the Backup and Restore window of Windows 7, Microsoft built a System Repair Disc option that works quite differently
from the PC manufacturer’s System Recovery
Discs. (Creating the System Repair Disc takes
only a few minutes and it only takes up 142MB of
space so a CD will work fine. Label the CD as Repair Disc Windows 7 32 or 64 bit.)
PAGE 4
PC to the state it was when first purchased,
scrapping all your data while along the way. The
System Repair disc, by contrast, offers tools to
help bring your ailing PC back to life, keeping all
your valuable files safe.
When in major trouble first try your System Repair, as it may solve your problem. Only use the
System Recovery Discs as a last resort, as they
wipe out everything you’ve created since buying
your PC.
When your PC no longer runs properly, insert
Windows 7′s System Repair Disc into your PC,
and press the On switch. Instead of returning your
PC to its original condition, the System Repair
Disc offers several menu options:
Startup Repair. This examines Windows 7′s most
integral files, then repairs any missing or damaged files that may be keeping Windows 7
from starting.
System Restore. Just like the normal System Restore option, this restores your PC’s system
files to an earlier point in time, hopefully fixing
any recently developed problems. It doesn’t
affect your personal files, like e‑mail, documents, or photos. There’s one key difference
between this version of System Restore,
though: When run from the System Repair
Disc menu, System Restore doesn’t have
an undo option. (However, you can run System Restore again and choose a different restore point, if one exists.)
System Image Recovery. If you’ve created a
“System Image” in Windows 7′s backup options, this option returns your PC to the condition it was in when you made the System Image backup. It’s truly a lifesaver, but only if you
create System Image disks regularly.
Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool. Designed to
ferret out hardware problems, this examines
your PC’s memory for errors.
Command Prompt. This lets techies dig deep
into Windows’ internal crevices. It’s designed
for people comfortable typing in commands,
not moving around a mouse.
In short, the System Recovery discs return your
What should I do about System Restore if I get
a virus?
If you know that your system is infected by a virus, you should temporarily turn off System Restore. Otherwise, the virus could be saved along
with other system files in a restore point and reintroduced to your system during a restore operation at a later date.
To turn off System Restore in both Windows 7
and XP, press and hold the Windows key and
press the Break key to bring up the System Properties dialog box. Then, click on the System Restore tab, select the Turn Off System Restore
check box, and click OK. In Win 7, as soon as you
do, you'll see a confirmation dialog box warning
you that turning off System Restore will delete all
existing restore points. Click Yes to continue.
You can now use your antivirus software to clean
up your system. When the virus has been eradicated, access the System Restore tab again and
clear the Turn Off System Restore check box.
Click OK to re-enable System Restore.
THE ICON
May 2012
Windows Q & A May 2012
By Mary Phillips Icon member
[email protected]
Q1. How do I zip or compress a file or folder in
Windows 7.
A1. Windows 7 has a built-in zip/unzip program
that makes it easy to zip and unzip files.
To compress (or zip) a file or folder:
1. Locate the file or folder that you want to compress.
2. Right-click the file or folder, point to Send to,
and then click Compressed (zipped) folder.
A new compressed folder is created in the same
location. To rename it, right-click the folder, click
Rename, and then type the new name.
To extract (or unzip) files or folders from a compressed folder:
1. Locate the compressed folder that you want to
extract files or folders from.
2. Do one of the following:
a. To extract a single file or folder, doubleclick the compressed folder to open it.
Then, drag the file or folder from the compressed folder to a new location.
Or, double click on the file name to open a
file, than Save As: with a new location or
new name. The new file will not be compressed.
b. To extract the entire contents of the
compressed folder, right-click the folder,
click Extract All, and then follow the instructions.
Q2. Why would I want to compress or zip
files?
A2. Compressed files take up less storage space
and can be transferred to other computers more
quickly than uncompressed files. You can work
with compressed files and folders in the same
way that you work with uncompressed files and
folders. You can also combine several files into a
single compressed folder. This makes it easier to
share a group of files.
PAGE 5
Files or folders can be added to an already compressed folder by dragging and dropping the new
files to the compressed folder.
If encrypted files are added to a compressed
folder, when they are extracted, the files will be
unencrypted.
Q3. Can I compress or zip .jpg pictures to
make them smaller?
A3. JPEG pictures are already highly compressed. If you compress several JPEG pictures
into a folder, the total size of the folder will be
about the same as the original collection of pictures.
In Windows 7, if you want to make pictures
smaller to send in e‑mail as attachments, it’s easy
to do if you, 1) have the pictures on your computer, and 2) have an email program such as Outlook or Windows Live Mail on your computer.
a. Click the Start button , then click Pictures.
b. Double click to open the folder that contains
the picture you want to send in e–mail, and
then click the picture.
To select more than one picture, press and
hold the Ctrl key while you click the pictures.
c. On the toolbar, click E‑mail. (This command
appears only if an e‑mail program is installed
on your computer.
d. In the Attach Files dialog box, select a picture
size from the Picture size list, and then click
Attach.
e. Windows opens a new e‑mail message and
attaches your picture to the message using
your e‑mail program. Keep in mind that too
large a picture may be refused by some mail
servers.
f. When you have finished writing the e‑mail mes
sage, click Send.
Q4. Where can I recycle old CDs and DVDs?
A4. Best Buy accepts old CDs and DVDs for recycling. They also accept old TVs, computers, DVD
players, computer monitors, audio and video cables, cell phones, and about anything electronic..
THE ICON
May 2012
Computer Tutor
by Pamela Tabak,
http://www.computertutorinc.net,
[email protected]
QUESTION: I cannot find a way to
transfer the pictures on my camera to my computer. I would also like to transfer pictures to my
iPad so that I can carry my photos with me. Can
you please explain?
ANSWER: If you are using a digital camera or
camcorder it will have an SD card or similar.
It also may have a USB connection cord so that
you do not need to remove the “Card” from the
camera in order to transfer your pictures to your
computer. If you are using an SD Card in your
camera there are many available. Some are pictured below. They do come with smaller and lar-
PAGE 6
Double click on the card to open your pictures and
then save them on your hard drive in your “Pictures” folder.
To transfer pictures to an iPad you will need to
purchase an iPad card reader. Alternatively, you
can email them to yourself and then open the
email on your iPad and save the pictures there.
Definition of “Overlaid Windows”
Windows that can overlap; when they do, one
window hides the parts of others that are behind
it. To bring another window to the front, move the
mouse pointer into it and click the button.
Contrast Tiled Windows Cascade
ger GB’s.
To remove the “card”
from your camera you
may need to push on
the card to release it.
Then insert the card
into the card slot on
your computer. After
the “card” is firmly in
the slot a dialog box will appear on your screen
with options for installing the pictures.
If nothing appears on your screen you can access
the SD Card by clicking on “Start” and then
“Computer.” You will
see your “card” listed
as another drive letter
as shown at right.
From: Grea at sangrea.net
THE ICON
May 2012
Shortcuts and How to Type Strange/
Odd Symbols on Your Computer
by Tanya Mattson, Computer Users of Erie,
Pennsylvania, http://www.cuerie.com,
[email protected]. Originally published in
Horizons newsletter of Computer Users of Erie
Ever wondered how people manage to type those
‘strange’ symbols (for instance ¶) that are seen —
in emails, websites, letters? Generally, in many
programs everyone knows (at least for Windows)
these simple shortcuts.
TO SELECT ALL (as in the complete document or
page) Hold down the Ctrl key and press A
TO COPY (as in the selected section) Hold down
the Ctrl key and press C
TO CUT (as in remove part of a paragraph or sentence) Hold down the Ctrl key and press X
TO PASTE (the cut or copied selection) Hold
down the Ctrl key and press V. These shortcuts
work not only in documents, but in some drawing
and photo applications.
Now for the ‘odd’ ones:
HOW TO TYPE CENT SIGN ¢
Hold down the ALT key and type 0162 on the numeric keypad
HOW TO TYPE BULLET • (list dot)
Hold down the ALT key and type 0149 on the numeric keypad.
HOW TO TYPE COPYRIGHT © (copyright sign,
copyright symbol)
Hold down the ALT key and type 0169 on the numeric keypad
HOW TO TYPE PARAGRAPH ¶ (paragraph symbol)
Hold down the ALT key and type 0182 on the numeric keypad
HOW TO TYPE REGISTERED SYMBOL ®
(registered trademark)
Hold down the ALT key and type 0174 on the numeric keypad
PAGE 7
HOW TO TYPE TRADEMARK ™
Hold down the ALT key and type 0153 on the numeric keypad
HOW TO TYPE HEART ♥
Hold down the ALT key and type 3 on the numeric
keypad*
To find more/other symbols, punctuation, accent
marks—just search the web. “How to type symbols” search led me to these sites:
Alt-Codes.org: http://alt-codes.org/how/ (they
have pages for Mac, Linux, Windows, and
Laptops).
How To Type.net: http://www.howtotype.net/
(just click on the mark you want, and it will
list the different formats).
Wikihow.com: http://www.wikihow.com/
Type-Symbols-Using-the ALT-Key (uses
the character map found in the computer).
For Windows:
1. Click on the Windows Start menu.
2. Select “Programs”, “Accessories”, “System
Tools”, then “Character Map”. (For Windows 7 just search for character map).
3. Choose a font.
4. Double-click the character(s) you want. It is
important to select the exact font you’re using in your document before selecting the
symbol you wish to copy. Not all font-faces
contain all possible combinations of available symbols.
5. Copy
6. Return to your document.
7. And Paste. Font size of the character may
need to be changed after you’ve pasted it
into your document.
For Macs:
Hold the Option key and press any other key to
get custom characters To get a second set of custom characters, hold down both the Option key
and the Shift key.
One can always do searches for not only symbols, but special characters, accent marks—or if
you know the name do a search for “how to type
infinity symbol”
Good luck!
*[Editor’s note: not all fonts contain the heart symbol. This shortcut will work with most word processors, but may not work with text editors or DTP
applications]
THE ICON
May 2012
PAGE 8
Minutes of 14 April 2012
ICON General and Board Meeting
(January 1 or ?) to allow fewer times for database
changes.
John Somers opened the meeting following a
presentation by Mick Topping on Registering and
Using ICON’s Forums.
5) Put missing page 6 of April 2012 NL on the Forum. (However, the Forum doesn’t accept graphics in the messages and attachments aren’t allowed. It’s there but missing the graphic.)
Minutes of 10 March 2012 were read by Mary
Phillips. Motion to accept by Shirley Emerson,
second by Toni Somers. No objections. Motion
carried.
John appointed Mary Stewart, Mary Phillips, Margaret Schatz, and Anita Holstein to give a report
on options at the May meeting.
Treasurer's Report was presented by June
Moore. Motion to accept by Toni Somers, second
by Dick Preffitt. No objections. Motion carried.
Motion was made by Nancy Preffitt to accept the
slate of officers for the 2012 Election by acclamation. Second by Toni Somers. No objections. Motion carried.
Darin K provided the address to ICON’s blog:
iconusersgroup.wordpress.com and expressed
a desire to post items there. All members should
go to the blog and enter your email address (see
example below), and click on the Follow Us button.
New officers for 2012-2013 are:
Vice President: Darin Kasterke
Secretary: Mary Phillips
Treasurer: Shirley Emerson
Newsletter Editor: Mary Stewart
Webmaster: Sarah Roberts
Membership Chair: Mary Geise
Offices of President and Program Chair or Cochair are open. Darin Kasterke serves as Acting
President until such time as someone steps up
and wishes to be President.*
*Andrew Cummins has now accepted the position
of President.
Mary showed the new ICON Re-Member cards to
be sent to members who don’t have email addresses and have not renewed. These were
printed by Staples Copy and Print Instant service.
John gave out several extra power strips that
ICON had available.
More discussion on making ICON’s newsletter
available online in PDF format:
1) Where to host? ICON’s Blog?
2) Send all members with email a link to the NL
each month, and continue hard copies to those
who need/want it.
3) When the USPS mail processing facility closes
in late 2012, how will bulk mail be handled?
4) Make all memberships due on same date
Marion Garrett explained how the donated computer program works. The present computers he
and DeLynn Bishop have available have had the
memory removed so they’ve been buying memory
for $20 and recovering that amount from members or others who need a desktop computer with
Windows XP. If the individuals are not ICON
members, it is suggested that they join ICON.
There is presently a corner computer desk available, also. Contact either Marion Garrett (8875396) or DeLynn Bishop (732-7567).\
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Phillips, Secretary
P.S. Following the meeting, Mary P gave a demo
of the screen capture program SnagIt 11 from
TechSmith who has given us a special group
price of $18.98. Several people took advantage of
the special offer and gave Mary their order. Under
each license, the program can be installed on two
computers (One desktop and one laptop) as long
as they belong to the same person and both are
not being used at the same time.
THE ICON
May 2012
FBI: Hundreds of Thousands of Computers May
Lose Internet on July 9
By Ira Wilsker
WEBSITES:
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/
november/malware_110911
https://forms.fbi.gov/check-to-see-if-yourcomputer-is-using-rogue-DNS
http://www.dcwg.org
http://www.dcwg.org/detect DETECT IF COMPUTER IS AT RISK
http://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-thousandsmay-lose-internet-july-181324701-finance.html
https://www.techsupportalert.com/content/
how-check-if-your-computer-has-beeninfected-wide-spread-dns-hack.htm
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/howchange-dns-server.htm
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/howfind-best-dns-server.htm
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/
november/malware_110911/DNS-changermalware.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Domain_Name_System
https://code.google.com/p/namebench FIND
FASTEST FREE DNS
https://use.opendns.com HOW TO RESET
DNS ON ANY OPERATING SYSTEM
https://developers.google.com/speed/publicdns/docs/using HOW TO RESET DNS ON ANY
OPERATING SYSTEM
In case you have not heard the news, on July 9,
2012, hundreds of thousands of computers will
lose access to the internet. This is not some hoax
or urban legend, but a fact announced by the FBI.
Following the arrest of an Estonian hacker group
which had made millions of dollars from a fraud
scheme that infected millions of computers worldwide with a "DNS Changer" malware that redirected legitimate commercial transactions to a series of scam websites. These cyber crooks created a sham company called "Rove Digital" to receive the revenues of the scam. DNS is an acro-
PAGE 9
nym for a Domain Name Server, which serves
somewhat like an internet phone book, which converts web addresses, also known as domain
names (such as www.theexaminer.com), into an
IP (Internet Protocol) address (theexaminer.com
is really 50.116.108.205). By changing the Domain Name Server accessed by an infected computer, it is like replacing an authentic phonebook
with a purloined one that has the correct names,
but intentionally different phone numbers. Dialing
a correct phone number will intentionally connect
you to someone who pretends to be the person
whom you called, and that person is a crook; this
is what the DNS Changer malware does to an infected computer. As many as 500,000 American
computers may have been infected by this DNS
Changer malware, as were an estimated 4 million
other computers around the world. In addition to
modifying the computer's DNS, the malware also
made the infected computers vulnerable to a variety of other malware. The rogue servers were
hosted in Estonia, New York, and Chicago.
This scam was very lucrative to the Estonian
hackers who made an estimated $14 million in
illicit fees. According to the FBI, this cyber-gang
started infecting computers with the DNS Changer
malware in 2007, successfully infiltrating millions
of computers owned by individuals, businesses,
schools and colleges, and government agencies,
including NASA. The malware was able to penetrate many of the antivirus products in use, and
prevented the installed antivirus and operating
system software from updating, which would have
likely enabled the antivirus software to detect and
kill the DNS Changer. Since the security software
would not be updated, there would be no protection from the thousands of new viruses, worms,
and Trojans that appear every day, which allowed
those computers to become infected with countless additional malware programs and other
threats. According to the FBI, “They were organized and operating as a traditional business but
profiting illegally as the result of the malware.
There was a level of complexity here that we
haven’t seen before.”
Since DNS Changer redirected the unsuspecting victims to rogue internet servers, the crooks
were able to manipulate the destination of the
web connections. In one example of how this
scam worked, the FBI said, "When users of infected computers clicked on the link for the official
Continued on page 10
THE ICON
May 2012
Continued from page 9 Rogue DNS Server
website of iTunes, for example, they were instead
taken to a website for a business unaffiliated with
Apple Inc. that purported to sell Apple software.
Not only did the cyber thieves make money from
these schemes, they deprived legitimate website
operators and advertisers of substantial revenue."
The FBI announced the arrest of the "Rove Digital" Estonian hackers on November 9, 2011.
Since there are likely millions of computers still
infected with the DNS Changer malware, the sudden shutdown of those rogue servers would have
prevented the victims from accessing many of
their favorite websites. In order to allow the infected computers to continue to access the internet, but actually reach their intended websites. the
FBI arranged for the rogue servers to be temporarily replaced with legitimate servers, such that
the victims' internet access is not disrupted. It is
these temporary replacement internet servers that
will be shut down on July 9, meaning that anyone
who still has a computer infected with DNS
Changer as of that date may lose internet access.
In order for users around the world to determine
if their computers are infected with the DNS
Changer malware, a consortium of academic,
governmental, and private organizations created
the DNS Changer Working Group (DCWG), which
initially administered the servers that replaced the
illicit Rove Digital servers. The DCWG consists of
representatives from Georgia Tech, Internet Systems Consortium, Mandiant, National CyberForensics and Training Alliance, Neustar, Spamhaus, Team Cymru, Trend Micro, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The website for
the DCWG, www.dcwg.org, is hosted at the
Georgia Institute of Technology, under a research
grant provided by the Office of Naval Research.
The DCWG provides a quick method for users to
determine whether or not their computers are infected with the DNS Changer malware that are
using the clean servers maintained by the DCWG
which replaced the Rove Digital servers.
In order to quickly and safely test if a computer
has been hijacked by the DNS Changer malware,
the DCWG has created 11 international servers
which will report back to the user if his computer
is indeed hijacked by DNS Changer; in the U.S.
the link for this test is www.dns-ok.us. The test
can be run from any browser, and nothing is
downloaded or installed on the computer during
the test; it is simply a test to see if the computer
PAGE 10
is connecting to a correct IP address. The results
are almost instantaneous, with a "DNS Changer
Check Up" result displayed in an IP graphic; if it is
green, the user is possibly free of the DNS
Changer malware, but the green graphic does not
certainly prove that the computer is clean. When
the green display appears, it also says, " Your
computer appears to be looking up IP addresses
correctly! Had your computer been infected with
DNS changer malware you would have seen a
red background. Please note, however, that if
your ISP is redirecting DNS traffic for its customers you would have reached this site even though
you are infected." If the display is red, then it is
likely that the computer is one of the many that
have been compromised by DNS Changer.
For the computer that is "red", it will be necessary to clean the DNS Changer malware and then
reset your DNS. Most of the current anti-spyware
products such as the free versions of SuperAntiSpyware (www.superantispyware.com) and the
free version of MalwareBytes
(malwarebytes.org/products/
malwarebytes_free) can detect and remove the
DNS Changer malware, but it will still be necessary to reset your DNS in order for the internet to
properly function on your computer.
Almost all ISP's (Internet Service Providers) offer telephone support that will help the user reset
the DNS to the ISP's preferred DNS server.
Gizmo's TechSupportAlert has instructions and
links on how to find the best DNS server for you
(techsupportalert.com/content/how-find-bestdns-server.htm), as well as detailed instructions
on how to change or reset the DNS settings on
your computer (techsupportalert.com/content/
how-change-dns-server.htm
Google has a free DNS utility "Namebench" at
code.google.com/p/namebench that can help
the user find the fastest free DNS, with instructions on how to change your DNS at developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using .
Another excellent DNS service, OpenDNS, has
simple but detailed instructions on how to change
your DNS at use.opendns.com. If you use
Google's Namebench to find the best combination
of DNS for your computer and connection, you
can use those DNS on your computer by following
the instructions given on Google or OpenDNS on
how to change your DNS settings; while the default DNS listed on the Google and OpenDNS
Continued on page 11
THE ICON
May 2012
PAGE 11
Continued from page 10
Rogue DNS Server
instructions are excellent and
totally adequate, there may be
some performance improvement by using the DNS recommended by Namebench. You
can always change them again
later.
If you enjoy or depend on the
internet, it is imperative that
you go to www.dcwg.org/
detect and see if your browser
is connecting to a legitimate
DNS. If the results are "green"
you are likely (but not certainly)
safe from the DNS Changer
Trojan, and can probably continue to use the internet after
July 9. If you are "red" you
must clean your computer of
the DNS Changer malware and
reset your DNS as instructed
above. Regardless of "green"
or "red" results, it is always a
good practice to periodically
scan your computer with a
good third-party utility such as
SuperAntiSpyware or MalwareBytes to verify that nothing
slipped by your security software. Failure to check your
computer prior to July 9 may
mean no internet for you on
July 10.
ACKNOWLEDGE
CEMETERY
CEREMONY
COMMEMORATE
FREEDOM
GRATITUDE
HONOR
MEDAL
MILITARY
MONUMNET
OBSERVANCE
RESPECT
SALUTE
SERVICE
SOLDIER
TRIBUTE
TROOPS
VETERAN
WAR
WREATH
THE ICON
May 2012
Time 3
E.M.Hazell
Icon Member
Adolescence, I understood,
was that time when childhood was
left behind and preparation for
adulthood began. I was looking forward to parties,
to music, to entertainment and to dancing. But I
was taught that growing up female meant to enjoy
cleaning house, washing dishes, and above all
learning the art of cooking, along with the art of
sewing, knitting, crocheting and embroidering. Hitler’s philosophy of womanhood was very simple.
The woman was expected to be attractive without
Schminke (makeup). She was chaste until she
was married and in marriage she was expected to
be submissive and to bear children; many children. Hitler’s model of womanhood was Goebbel’s wife who bore him eight children. Hitler
awarded those couples who had many children
with one family dwelling on the outskirts of town
and with enough land for a small garden. For
many Germans that was the dream of a lifetime.
To make transportation possible, Hitler approved
that Volkswagen design a small car for every family. To pay for the Volkswagen a small sum of
money was taken out of the wages of the worker.
Hitler had managed to put an end to unemployment. There was a new fortification being built between France and Germany. It was known as the
Siegfried Line and the West Wall. All available
man power was working on it. The French were
building their own fortification known as the Maginot line. For the cars of the future, Hitler had approved the Autobahn. Whoever wasn’t working on
the bunkers of the West Wall worked on the Autobahn. My father had taken me to see the Autobahn as it entered Mannheim. My father worked
on the West Wall and came home on weekends.
Then there was war. The war, we were told
would be brief. Victory would be certain. As soon
as the Germans in the Sudeten were safe from
the cruelties of Czech-Slovakia the war would
end. Nothing much was said about Poland except
that we had conquered Poland. It was referred to
as the Blitzkrieg. The radio was alive with special
bulletins of battles won. And then there was that
other special bulletin telling us that the little nations we had conquered had a treaty with France,
that France honored the treaty and declared war
PAGE 12
on Germany. Hitler welcomed the opportunity, he
said. It was that dishonorable treaty of Versailles
that had almost destroyed Germany. The French
had taken our colonies in Africa, the Saar and the
Ruhr west of the Rhine, rich with coal deposits
and they had taken Alsace Lorraine. France had
also demanded more money than Germany could
pay in reparation for WWI.
The Wehrmacht (German Army) that moved
into Mannheim was now headed west, across the
Rhine and into France. It was going to be a little
war, nothing to worry about.
There were no more festivities, no more dancing and singing in restaurants. There was now
something called Verdunklung (Blackout) in the
event that enemy air-craft could make it in to Germany. There was the Flak (anti-aircraft guns) on
the top of many buildings. There were the air raid
sirens and some shooting. My girlfriends and I
had a new hobby; we collected shrapnel. We
were told not do that while the air-raid was still in
progress. It was dangerous.
We used to roller skate in the streets. Now we
spent time in the basement waiting for the air-raid
to pass. We learned our own kind of Morse–code
knocking against the wall of the adjoining basement.
Hitler was right. We won the war with France,
but again there had been a treaty with Great Britain and now we were at war with the English. Now
there were soldiers dying, childhood friends, family and acquaintances. Laughter became a forbidden art.
There was that one wonderful program on the
radio that was known as “ Das Deutsche
Wunschkonzert”. Songs could be requested by
the soldiers and for the soldiers. The sound of
music became the balm for so many wounded
hearts.
The Third Reich worried about running out of
food supplies. Our borders were closed. Nothing
came in and nothing went out. There were no
more oranges or bananas. We received food ration tickets. A roast for Sunday dinner was only
possible one Sunday of the month. Eventually
everything that was needed, was rationed.
Then there was that special bulletin that told
us that Churchill had ordered a night air raid on
the private sector of Berlin. Men women and children had been killed and houses, not factories
Continued on page 13
THE ICON
May 2012
Continued from page 12 Time 3
had been destroyed. War had been declared on
all civilians. Cities could be bombed.
I never understood why we were at war with
America. We did not know about Pearl Harbor.
We did not talk about that war with America. Many
of us had relatives in America.
It was Christmas and the year was 1942. The
church bells were silent. They had been sacrificed, melted down for guns and ammunition. Aunt
Antonia, my mother and I took my grandmother to
midnight Mass. There was a bright moon and I
could see the tears glistening on my mother’s
face. Aunt Antonia took me aside and said:
“You are not to ask why your mother is crying.
And you are not to say anything to Grandmother.
Your Uncle Moritz is missing in action in Russia.”
Aunt Antonia remained with my mother, and I
tried to keep my grandmother’s mind occupied.
There had been a heavy snow and the snow on
the sidewalk made sounds as we stepped on it.
“Grandmamma, the snow is talking back at us
tonight. Do you suppose that means we’re going
to get some more?” I asked.
It led to a conversation about snow in the village. In my mind’s eye I saw Uncle Moritz and
heard the distant echo of his laughter. He was the
seventh child and the youngest of my grandmother’s children and I knew that he would not
return. No one returned from Russia. I was making small talk, shielding my grandmother from that
dreadful news on Christmas. Inside of me I
grieved for the joy that comes with Christmas. I
learned to live with death and I learned not to cry.
PAGE 13
Accessing the 1940 Census
By Mary Phillips ICON member
A few weeks ago, there was a 5-day webinar
series called 1940 US Census Images and Indexing Updates with DearMYRTLE sponsored by
RootsMagic.com. DearMyrtle had a number of
participants that included: Amy Johnson Crow,
archives.com; John Erickson, FamilySearch International; Stephen Morse and Joel Weintraub,
creators of the Unified 1940 Census ED Finder
tool; Russ Worthington of the Family Tree Maker
User Blog and co-founder of the Better GEDCOM
Project; Judy Russell, the Legal Genealogist; Dan
Lynch, author of Google Your Family Tree and
Google+ for Genealogists; and DearMyrtle’s
granddaughter, Bree, a sixth-grader who was participating in the indexing along with her mother.
The webinars were recorded and are available at http://rootsmagic.com/webinars. The
records are each indexed by two different persons
and any names that the two differed on were then
arbitrated by a third person for accuracy. Indexers
were being recruited and results reported. Results
are being posted on three websites: Archives
.com, FamilySearch.org, and Findmypast.com.
Ancestry.com is doing their own indexing on all 50
columns of the 1940 Federal Census. The indexing will make it possible to search by name.
Presently, the actual pages are viewable by
Enumeration District only. The One-Step Unified
1940 Census ED Finder tool at http://
stevemorse.org/ makes it relatively easy to find
the ED number if you know a street address. The
specific instructions are in Webinar 4. Be sure to
click on the See map link to find boundary streets
and narrow the number of EDs to one.
To locate ED numbers for rural areas, townships,
etc. the National Archives Official 1940 Census
Website http://1940census.archives.gov is the
place to look. Click on Get Started, then click on
Start Your Search. Enter the State and County
names (unless the one City given is the one you
want, leave it as All.) and click Search. Click on
the Descriptions button. The townships, and villages with their ED numbers are listed pretty
much alphabetically, but click on More to see all
in each section. When the ED is identified, click
on Census Schedules, then click View ED ____.
My recommendation, watch the webinars first.
THE ICON
May 2012
PAGE 14
For help, you can also log onto ICON’s Forum at www.iconusersgroup.org and post your
questions. Free registration is required in order to post questions and then you need to wait a day or so
for an email confirmation to complete the registration. However, while you’re there, click on Search and
enter the topic about which you’d like information and see if someone has already started a ‘thread’ — a
series of question and responses. All questions and responses can be read without having to register.
No cards were sent this month.
If you know of someone in our group who is ill
or has suffered a loss in the family, please
contact Mary Phillips [email protected]
or Jerry Williams [email protected].
BASIC COMPUTER CLASSES
Basic computer classes are taught at St John’s
Whiteside Clinic lab by ICON members Mary
Phillips and Art Irish with ICON helpers for five
sessions each month plus three sessions on
Internet & email. Sign up by calling St John’s
Seniors 841-0333. Need a refresher course or
want to be a helper, now’s your chance. We
guarantee you’ll learn something you didn’t
know!
PLEASE!
Please Notify us of Change of Address. Each time the
newsletter goes to the WRONG ADDRESS, the Post
Office charges ICON a fee to notify ICON of a change
of address. So when you move or go out of town,
e-mail: [email protected]
THE CONTENTS AND OPINIONS OF THE ARTICLES IN THIS
NEWSLETTER ARE THE OPINIONS OF THE AUTHORS .
NOT THOSE OF THE ICON USERS GROUP