HIJACKED EMAIL ADDRESS!

Can you believe it! In spite of a firewall, a Yahoo address, Google's Blogging software and my own precautions, some swine in China has hijacked my email address and just sent me a "UK Men's Health" email - using my own email address to send it to me!

So if you get this in your mailbox, treat it as spam and DO NOT OPEN IT.

So anyone who has this email address in their address book: firstfloorflat1-blog at yahoo dot co dot uk - please delete it as I am now taking it out of service.

I no longer have my email address listed openly on my Profile page (which may be where it's been hijacked from).

So anyone who wants to contact me, please press the email button which will open into an email for you. Hopefully that will fix it, as it will go through two filters now, but I've come to realise that nothing is guaranteed these days.

I have been having a lot of attempts at hacking into my blog lately, although why I'm suddenly a target I really don't know: various messages arriving, mosting in Chinese but some in Russian, all trying to leave comments on older posts - like I wouldn't notice. You'll note when you leave a comment that I've written that my comments are moderated - now you can see why!

HOW TO MODERATE COMMENTS

Go into Dashboard > Settings > Comments and click on Comment Moderation - Always.

It isn't actually necessary to have the Captcha image (word verification) as well (in fact, it's a pain to have to type this on every blog when you want to leave a comment) but I'm putting it back on for now, in the hope it will act as a deterrent to these pains in the neck.

If you have more than one blog, you need to reset every blog individually.

I did a full virus check etc last night, so at least that's one less worry. But I really could do without all this!

To say I am beyond disgusted is an understatement.

So, if you have your email address displayed openly on your blog, can I please plead with you to take it off right now.

Here is a link to my free email buttons, and instructions on how to add your own email address.

Stay safe out there!

NEW PAGE!

It's been a busy week!


Copyright-free image from Tack-o-Rama


First I had the competition on the BladeRubberBlog to finalise - we (being Graham & Kaye, who own BladeRubberStamps, and Freyja who also teaches there) had to decide the ten finalists. Which are now chosen, and I have put them up on the blog (anonymously) with a poll for people to vote for their favourite piece of artwork. The standard was really high - I'd hate to have to choose between them!

Then the vote for the new page title finished: and so Computery was born. This page is going to have tips, tricks, how-to's - anything and everything computery, tecchie, that doesn't fit anywhere else.

The first entry (tonight!) is how to make your own computer screensavers. I expect most of you will know this already, but for those who don't... I'm hoping this is going to be a really useful resource, and I'd like you to feel free to email me with suggestions and solutions you found out (the hard way, no doubt, just like me!)

I'm quite thrilled with this - it's made me get to grips with Photoshop a little more to make headers and buttons (which will also go onto Computery).

APRIL FOOLS DAY VIRUS ALERT

Just to remind you that the Conficker virus looks set to go out from midnight tonight.


Copyright-free image from Tack-o-Rama



The usual April Fool's Day fun (not). This warning was sent to me by Dawn (GoldBettyBoop). God bless you, girl!

Here are the links:

• Yahoo
• Snopes re Conficker

So can I PLEASE urge you all to update your virus checkers and firewalls.

Here is the Microsoft link to install the Windows Live OneCare scanner (free) which will eradicate the virus. You need to download this via Internet Explorer (not Firefox) and then run it - it will take several hours to do a full scan, so allow yourself enough time.

And if you have just one password for all of your stuff (your bank, PayPal & eBay etc) please change it so you have separate passwords - a mix of letters and numbers is best. Just think of something off the top of your head, the sillier the better. And don't forget to write them down - this means NOT typing a list on your computer and saving it, by the way. Keep a little book by your computer and hand write this stuff in. If you get a trojan or the Conficker virus, they will go through your entire system and rip any passwords you may have thought you hid there. Also any banking details.

Whilst you are at it, you might as well do a little housekeeping:

• Go to Accessories > System Tools > ScanDisc to remove any clutter in your system
• Go back to System Tools and Defragment
• Back to System Tools to create a System Restore point
• Back up all your stuff onto CDs or DVDs or an external hard drive
• Go to Microsoft/Windows Update for the latest downloads
  

I know this is something we don't usually bother to do regularly (although you should be updating your Virus Checker & Firewall at least twice a week, and running Scan Disc and Defragment weekly) so you might as well do it all now for your own peace of mind.

After all that, your computer should be skipping around like a newborn lamb and you should have all the latest security stuff ready to swing into action to protect you.

And the usual common-sense stuff: don't open any weird-looking emails or attachments (run a scan first if you think you need to see them) and if you get emails from any banking groups, insurance companies etc - or eBay or PayPal - don't click on any links the email. Go to the company's main website and then go into your account to see any messages. There are a lot of clever spoofs out there, and the web pages LOOK genuine, but aren't (I got caught that way).

I'm sure you'll think I am paranoid - but better safe than sorry.

POLL - TITLE FOR NEW PAGE

I can't make my mind up what to call my new page, which will archive all my computer-related stuff: tips, techniques etc

I am going to put everything in the one place so people don't have to scroll through the entire blog to find it: eg: System Restore, fonts and all of that.

So I have put the choices in the sidebar on the right, if anyone would like to vote on this. I am none too good at picking names!

Thanks everyone!

MORE BLOODY COMPUTER WOES

Image from Tack-o-rama (see Links, right)

Rats and double rats - the computer is still not fixed. The technician came Wednesday as promised (a miracle in itself) and pronounced the computer not very well at all. So the new hard drive was delivered yesterday (!) by DHL, but I am still awaiting the discs without which the hard drive cannot be programmed as my reboot disc is also corrupt. Oh joy. And now I have to depend on the postal system...

So fingers & toes crossed that the discs arrive tomorrow and then Sunday I will be attempting to replace my very first hard drive (Himself not being very good at the electrical side of things, and also one of Those Men Who Do Not Read Instruction Manuals).

Meantime, although the hard drive and discs are being paid for by the insurance, I have had to buy new memory myself (1GB) as every security programme uploaded takes its memory from the same area as Windows - so although my computer tells me I have 85% unused area, it's obviously not in the same place as all my other stuff, as Windows keeps telling me I am out of Virtual Memory. So what DO people load up? Tons of Excel documents? You can bet Bill Gates made sure there'd be plenty of room for geeky stuff and accounts stuff and other unnecessary (to me) rubbish.

The technician also told me I don't have enough graphics capability - I am not a gamer, and apparently most of the graphics capacity is aimed here, and not towards photos, artwork etc. Which means I have had to buy a graphics card - and now have to find out where to insert it (don't tempt me...) as this one has to go in some slot in the motherboard. The other option being not to have many photos or fonts on the computer - which is what I mainly work in.

So the next question is, if I have a hard drive, what is a motherboard, and what relation is it to the hard drive? I take it they are not one and the same thing.

Oh for the days when I worked in an office and the nice young IT man down the corridor used to come and change the toner cartridge for me, and all was magically updated overnight without my lifting a finger... It's all a very steep learning curve I could well do WITHOUT. And all due to some smart little shit with nothing better to do than send out computer viruses as a "joke". I got a Trojan back in May which has permanently damaged the machine, and this is the result.

Still, I managed to replace the modem on my old computer when it got fried in a lightning strike (luckily for me, I had the windows open at the time - the lightning flashed right through the living room - we are right next to a telephone post). I was on the phone at the time, and it went ZZZZZPT. Luckily I dropped the phone at the time or you might not be reading this post... Suffice to say, I replaced the modem (it took a couple of tries as they had sent the wrong one, which explained why it wouldn't fit) not that it was because I was female. Thankfully, things seem to have moved on a little, and I am not encountering so much prejudice when I shop in Maplins for computer-related bits & bobs. So I will certainly be giving this my bestest shot.

SO... once the hard drive has been replaced and I have reloaded the programmes, I will then be able to load up Week 3 Life Class drawings. I'll keep you posted!

COMPUTER WOES

I'm in a down mood tonight - the usual: the stupid computer is playing up again. So I feel like this (left).


I'm of an age where I shouldn't sulk or scream. As an adult rational being I should be able to cope with this calmly and serenely.

Whereas I feel more like chewing the carpet - or seeing whether the damn machine can swim (after I use a sledgehammer....)

After numerous phone calls, the tecchie guys have decided that although I am but a feeble brainless female who can't tell a jpg from a url, that the machine isn't behaving properly and may actually have a fault! So finally it looks like the very expensive extended insurance may pay off - I am actually getting a Personal Visit from a Technician on Wednesday. Which might actually fix the problem - the machine needs reformatting (ie: wiping the memory off completely and reprogramming from scratch) and guess what? They don't give you reboot discs, only recovery discs - so I can't do this myself. And they now think the recovery disc is probably corrupt anyway! Oh joy....

I'll put it this way... if this doesn't fix it, never mind the 2 years the insurance still has to run, this machine is out the window and I'm going shopping! Watch this space.

Aaaaargh!