Warning! |
Hello NCKCN internet members
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Warning! - Beware Of Fake E-cards This Season
Although most e-cards are from legitimate sources, the holidays create a prime opportunity for hackers and spammers to take advantage of your festive spirit. 'Tis the season to be especially vigilant for fraudulent and potentially damaging e-cards. A wholesome-looking holiday greeting, once clicked or downloaded, might actually be:
The fake e-card and virus may even appear to be from you.
You don't have to let fake e-cards turn you into a Scrooge, however. To help avoid troubles, just apply the same caution you would use with any e-mail you receive:
If you're sending e-cards, you may want to stick to well-known and reputable sites such as bluemountain.com, hallmark.com, egreetings.com, and americangreetings.com.
Ask The Help Desk - Seeing Holiday Graphics Within E-mail Message Pane?
Question: Why can't I see graphics on incoming holiday e-mail messages like I could last year? I get holiday cards from friends and relatives that include family photos and holiday graphics but I am unable to view them this year. I have not changed my computer or updated my e-mail software since last year. I use Microsoft's Windows XP Home Edition and I use Outlook Express for my e-mail software.
Answer: Microsoft Corp. developed and released something called Service Pack
2 (SP2) in the fall of 2004 for Windows XP users. The purpose was to "patch holes" in some of Microsoft's software programs to help reduce the threat of e-mail viruses, e-mail worms, and hacker attacks. SP2 most specifically eliminated many of the vulnerabilities within its Internet Explorer browser and Outlook Express/Outlook software programs. Most Windows XP users have since downloaded SP2 onto their computers — sometimes whether they have really realized it or not.
One of SP2's protective measures for Outlook Express and Outlook is to block images from being displayed within incoming e-mail messages as a default setting. Microsoft had discovered that some virus/worm threats arose from malicious code within the graphics of e-mail messages. Microsoft's solution was to prevent users from seeing any graphics within e-mail messages. This is probably the reason you are no longer able to see graphics within your e-mail messages.
Luckily, Microsoft provides an easy option to allow images to appear within messages, either on a per e-mail basis or for all e-mail messages. For more information on how to see images and graphics within the message pane of incoming e-mail messages when using Outlook Express or Outlook, see the Tutorial Section toward the bottom of our newsletter below.
Great Sites To Check Out
This Month
Charlotte's Web On The Web
http://charlotteswebmovie.com -
When E.B. White spun his tale called Charlotte's Web, families everywhere fell in love with the book about loyalty, trust, and sacrifice at Zuckerman Farm. This month, a live-action adaptation from Paramount opens in theaters. The all-star cast features Julia Roberts as the voice of Charlotte and Dakota Fanning as Fern, and also includes Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates, Reba McEntire, Robert Redford, and Beau Bridges. Children will especially love the movie's site where they can meet the animals in the barn and be called by name! You can also download games, iron-ons, and bookmarks, or send a Charlotte's Web e-card to a friend.
Goodbye To Stains When The Party's Over
http://fabriclink.com/Stains/Holidaystain.cfm -
A friend spills coffee on your beige carpet. Your 3-year-old smears chocolate on your new sofa. Let's face it — stains often show up uninvited at holiday parties. When it happens, go quickly to this site for professional tips on stain removal from carpets, upholstery, and clothing. You'll find step-by-step advice for getting rid of everything on the stain "menu" from eggnog to salad dressing. That way, the only thing left after your parties are over will be the memories.
Christmas In New York City
http://nyctourist.com/xmas_in_nyc.htm -
There's something magical about Christmas in New York that draws scores of visitors each year. If you can't be there in person, enjoy the next best thing by visiting this site. Take an online stroll down Fifth Avenue and see the hustle and bustle of shopper-filled streets. Peek into the holiday window displays at Macy's, Lord & Taylor, and Saks. Gaze at the giant tree at Rockefeller Center. The Big Apple is bursting with holiday spirit and you can get a taste of it here.
Holiday Help For Any Elf
http://xmasfun.com -
Are you scurrying around trying to finish last-minute holiday projects? This site is as stuffed as a Christmas stocking with helpful resources including lyrics to carols, festive recipes, and lots of fun games. We particularly liked the collection of free holiday clipart images you can download and use for e-greetings, gift tags, or invitations. To download an image, simply right click on it and select "Save Picture."
Reviewing Regifting
http://regiftable.com -
Regifting (giving as a gift something one previously received as a gift) has gained in popularity since comedian Jerry Seinfeld first coined the term a decade ago. In fact, more than half of adults in a recent survey found regifting acceptable. After all, it does save time and money. If you're new to the concept, learn when and how to properly regift in the section called Regifting 101. You can also chuckle through real-life regifting stories, like the woman who received a fondue set with chocolate and marshmallows packages enclosed that had expired two years ago. Oops!
Short Tutorial - How To See Graphics Within Incoming Holiday E-mail
One of the scam-protection features of Outlook Express for those Windows XP users who have installed Service Pack 2 (SP2) is the ability to block the display of images within incoming e-mail. However, what's the fun of receiving e-mail messages from friends or sources you trust unless you can look at the photos and graphics?
To see the images within selected e-mail in Outlook Express, do the following with your Preview Pane open:
(Please note before you follow the steps below to make sure you've
downloaded the latest security patches from Microsoft at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx. Also, your anti-virus and anti-spyware software should be up-to-date. Remember to frequently update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software.)
Note: If you don't see the gray bar, open the message in it's own window and follow steps one and two above. Otherwise, click your cursor arrow on the "View" menu and drop down to "Layout." When the "Window Layout Properties" window appears, make sure "Show preview pane header" is checked.
If you want to be able to see all pictures on all incoming e-mail messages that contain images in Outlook Express, you can disable this blocking feature. Here's how:
To disable the graphics-blocking feature in Outlook 2003 so you can see pictures and graphics within all incoming e-mail messages, follow these steps:
(Please note before you follow the steps below to make sure you've
downloaded the latest security patches from Microsoft at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx. Also, your anti-virus and anti-spyware software should be up-to-date. Remember to frequently update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software.)
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