Security
In April, Microsoft released several critical system updates for Windows XP and the first security update for Windows Vista. This is a reminder to go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ or turn on automatic updates if you have not updated Windows recently. Also, remember that there will be no more security updates for Windows 95, 98, and Me any more.
One of the items that was fixed was a vunlnerability in how Windows handles animated cursors. These are files that normally end in .ANI and they change your mouse cursor into a little mini movie. A specially crafted ANI file could allow an attacker to take over your computer. There were some web sites that were already using this technique to spread a worm virus using the animated cursor vulnerability, so Microsoft decided to release the fix early on April 3.
Windows Tip
Just like the website says, this free program gives you a detailed report of all the hardware, software, and security fixes you have installed on your PC. It will even tell you if you missed some security updates.
The program is small, just 1 MB, and you can download it from http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html. You will download a file called Advisor.exe. Just doulbe-click on this file to run it, and it installs itself and runs. The report will open up in Internet Explorer (but you do not need to be connected to the Internet, the web page is on your hard disk). You can print out this report for safe keeping, or if you happen to call for some tech support and they want to know more about the configuration of your computer.
Download of the Month: System Sound Effects
This month's featured download of the month is a set of sound files you can use to customize Windows. Windows comes with some sound built-in, but you can replace them with your own sounds, like the ones in this collection.
Copy the sound files to a folder in your computer. There is a folder called My Music that is a good place to put these files.
Then choose Start -> Control Panel, and choose Sound and Audio Devices. Choose the Sounds tab as shown in the picture:
You will see a list of Program Events. As you click on each event, a sound file will appear in the box beneath the list. Click on the little button with a right-facing arrow to play the sound to hear what it sounds like. To replace the sound with your own, click on the Browse... button and navigate to the "My Music" folder where you put the sound files. Choose one and click OK, then use the little play button to preview it. If you like it, go on and choose another event from the event list and choose a sound for that. When you are all done, click OK to close the Sounds and Audio Devices window.
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