Link to NCKCN.COM
 

E-Mail Virus Hoax
Jdbgmgr.exe File E-mail Virus Hoax Continues To Spread

Ask the Help Desk
What is a Java Applet?

Sites of the Month
Great Sites To Check Out In August!

Short Tutorial
Taking Carbon Copied Names Out Of E-Mail Messages

 

Hello NCKCN internet members

It's "Back To School Month!" Can you believe it's that time of the year already? Learning new things is not just for the kids, of course. The Internet is filled with insightful information on just about any subject imaginable. So hop online this month to read up on a favorite subject and then impress your friends with all your knowledge!

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 or e-mail hoax that may affect you
  2. An update regarding any new services we are making available
  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 NCKCN Team

E-Mail Virus Hoax - Jdbgmgr.exe File E-mail Virus Hoax Continues To Spread

The Jdbgmgr.exe File E-mail Virus Hoax was discovered a couple of months ago and continues to be forwarded by unsuspecting Internet users across the World Wide Web. If you receive an e-mail from a friend or relative which tells you to find and then delete the "Jdbgmgr.exe File" from your computer because it is (supposedly) a virus, IGNORE the warning and delete the e-mail message. The Jdbgmgr.exe e-mail message is a HOAX. There is NO virus called the "Jdbgmgr.exe Virus."

Here is how the E-Mail Virus Hoax works: You receive an e-mail from a friend telling you that you may have an e-mail virus called the "Jdbgmgr.exe Virus." The friend's e-mail encourages you to do a search on your computer for a file called "Jdbgmgr.exe" which has a "teddy bear icon" above it. If you find the teddy bear, the message says, then you have the virus. The message then goes on to explain how to delete the file from your computer. It also encourages you to forward the e-mail warning to everyone in your address book because if you found the Jdbgmgr.exe on your computer, then everyone in your address book has been infected by this virus as well.

Here is the hoax...Jdbgmgr.exe is a standard windows component that is found in every Windows installation. This file has a teddy bear next to it. If you run a Windows operating system, obviously you are going to find this file (and the associated teddy bear icon) because it is part of the system. (The file is used as a Java Debugger Manager by Microsoft.) When you delete this file from your computer, you are not deleting a virus, but rather a file from your operating system.

You may have already received this E-mail Hoax and deleted the Jdbgmgr.exe file from your computer. The good news is that the Jdbgmgr.exe is not a critical file within your operating system, so restoring the file is optional. Java applets may not run correctly without it, however. (See the "Ask The Help Desk" section below for a definition of Java applets.) To restore Jdbgmgr.exe to your system, you can go to this Microsoft support page for instructions: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q322993 Go to the "Recovery" section and complete the appropriate steps.

Word of Caution: The Jdbgmgr.exe file located on your computer's operating system, like any other file, can become infected by a virus. If you receive a Jdbgmgr.exe via e-mail as an attachment, the file may contain a virus. If, however, you find the Jdbgmgr.exe within your operating system when doing a search for it, it is probably a clean file. Do NOT delete it.

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Ask The Help Desk - What is a Java Applet?

Question: We mentioned Java Applets when discussing the Jdbgmgr.exe File E-mail Virus Hoax above and thought there might be some Internet users that may not be familiar with this term. So just what is a Java Applet?

Answer: Everyone who uses the Internet has come across some form of Java while browsing but since Java occurs in the background, most users never know it. There are two forms of Java commonly used in the design of web pages, the JavaScript script and the Java Applet. They both add visual appeal and functionality to websites and web pages.

JavaScript scripts are written and added to web pages to provide interactivity between the Internet user and the web page. When you see things moving on the web page, when buttons change as you roll over them with the mouse, when banners or ads rotate from one to another and when graphics scroll, these are often effects performed by JavaScript scripts. JavaScript is a scripting language originally developed by Netscape and was called "LiveScript." The name was changed after Sun Microsystems' new programming language, called Java, became so popular. The drawback is that Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer interpret JavaScript scripts differently. In addition, because interpretation is left up to the web browser, Windows users, Macintosh users and Linux users will all see the JavaScript script operate differently, if at all.

On the other hand, a Java Applet is a small computer application written in Java that is downloaded to your computer via the Internet. You see these frequently with online games and chat rooms--places where more interactivity is required and where the program would need to work on any type of machine or operating system. Java programs, or Applets, are not interpreted directly by your web browser. Instead, a Java Applet must be compiled (translated) from the programming language into a language that can be "read" by your computer. Java compilers are independent of any particular machine. This means that Java Applets will operate the same on Windows machines, Macintosh machines and Linux machines.

The program on your computer that "reads" the compiled code is known as a "Java Virtual Machine." The compiled code then is what your browser reads. The file "Jdbgmgr.exe" mentioned in the virus hoax in the first section of this eNewsletter is Microsoft's version of a Java Virtual Machine.

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Great Sites to Check Out This Month

Learn How To Do Anything
http://SoYouWanna.com -  This is a great site for learning things about subjects you've always been curious about. Topical articles include: How To Play Chess, How To Get A Pilot's License, How To Start An Antique Doll Collection, How To Plan A Trip To Australia, How To Be A Sitcom Writer and How To Be A Maid Of Honor. Or, what about this combination ... Learn How To Speak With An Irish Accent and then How To Cook A Chinese Dinner?!

Tracking UPS Packages
http://www.ups.com/tracking/tracking.html -  If you order something online (or offline for that matter) that's being shipped via United Parcel Service, ask the merchant for the package's UPS tracking number and then head to this link. Type the tracking number for your package into the space provided and the site will give you up-to-date information while the package is intransit –– as well as the expected date of delivery!

Find Out What's Happening In Space Today
http://www.nasa.gov/today/index.html -  Looking for the latest happenings in outer space? This web page provides news information (updated daily) on what's going on at NASA and beyond. You'll also find links to information about the International Space Station, projected future mission schedules, as well as links to NASA video, audio and photography archives.

SpyKids2 - The Island Of Lost Dreams
http://SpyKids2.com -  This month's release of the Spy Kids sequel has Carmen and Juni Cortez, their parents and even their grandparents (ex-spies...grandpa is played by Ricardo Montalban) in on the adventure. Head to the site with your kids for info about the movie and its actors, to play the Spy Kids Challenge Game and to watch the cool movie trailer. (The movie is rated PG for action sequences and brief rude humor.)

US Open Tennis Championships
http://usopen.org -  The American women, i.e. Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles, are taking it to the tennis world again this year. Now what about the guys? Come on Pete and Andre! US Open matches begin on August 26th. Get match previews, the latest updates and order your court side seats at the Official Site of the 2002 US Tennis Open.

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Short Tutorial - Taking Carbon Copied Names Out Of E-Mail Messages

Are you looking for a simple way to remove long recipient lists from messages that have been forwarded many times over or have been cc: to dozens of people by a single sender? Follow these easy steps:

  1. Highlight the text of the original e-mail and then right-click and copy the text.
  2. Click on "Mail" and then "New Message". Paste the original copied text in to the new message window.
  3. Send the message to those whom you'd like to share this "cleaned-up message" by placing their e-mail addresses into the "Bcc:" field of the e-mail header. Your recipients will then not need to do "clean-up" on the message before sending it on to another set of friends.

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

    Thanks for your business!

    Thank You,

    The Staff at NCKCN

    NCKCN.COM



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