TPC Promotions 2007-05-01T09:42:35+09:00 ExpressionEngine Copyright (c) 2007, Barbara Manning McAfee SiteAdvisor helps maintain safe surfing tag:tokyopc.netindex.php,2007:promos/4.146 2007-05-01T09:24:01+09:00 2007-05-01T09:42:35+09:00 McAfee SiteAdvisor is a small, free piece of software that works with your MS Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. It tells you in an easy graphical format which websites are safe and which harbor spyware, viruses, excessive pop-ups, or online scams. By Sandy Berger, CompuKISS http://www.compukiss.com Obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups. 2007-05-01T09:24:01+09:00 Barbara Manning rss_atom @ tokyopc.org Anyone who has been on the Internet for a while realizes that even websites that look benign can generate viruses, adware, spyware, spam, and scams.  Until now, it was difficult to determine which websites to avoid. Now, however, safe surfing just got easier. Now there is a wonderful free program that warns you about dangerous websites.

The McAfee SiteAdvisor is a small piece of software that works with your Internet Browser (either Internet Explorer or Firefox). It tells you in an easy graphical format which websites are safe and which harbor spyware, viruses, excessive pop-ups, or online scams.

McAfee has a system of automated spiders that patrol the Web constantly checking out websites. They assess the safety of each website including how much spam is generated from signing up for information at that site and how much spyware, adware, and other nasties might be attached to downloads from that site. The SiteAdvisor will also alert you to sites with excessive pop-ups and those that are possible phishing sites. Besides the automated testing, McAfee has a team of individuals who assess the sites. They use a detailed analysis as well as feedback from individual users.

To use the SiteAdvisor, you simply download the free program.  The program is very small, so it downloads and installs quickly and it doesn’t slow down your Web surfing.

After installation, a small SiteAdvisor rectangle will appear either on the top (Internet Explorer) or the bottom (Firefox) of the screen. When you visit a site that SiteAdvisor considers safe the rectangle turns green. Sites that have serious security problems will turn the rectangle red. A yellow rectangle means that the website may have some problems or issues. Click on the SiteAdvisor symbol to get more information about the website that you are visiting and why it is considered safe or unsafe.

This information is invaluable when surfing the Web. With SiteAdvisor installed you don’t have to be fearful that signing up for more information or a newsletter will set you up for spam. You don’t have to worry that downloading software will install spyware. In fact, SiteAdvisor takes much of the fear out of investigating and trying new things on the Internet.

Another great feature of the SiteAdvisor program is that when you do a search on Google, Yahoo! or MSN, SiteAdvisor’s safety ratings appear as a red, green, or yellow circle next to the search results. You can easily see if a website is safe before you visit!! What a pleasant and useful service. If you want more information before you click on the search engine listing, just hover your mouse over the SiteAdvisor icon and a window will pop-up giving your details on the site’s ratings.

Everything that I just described about the SiteAdvisor is available in the free version. McAfee also offers a Plus version that is available for $19.99 per single user or as a 3-user family pack for $39.99. The Plus version offers even more peace of mind by alerting you to dangerous links in email and instant messaging programs. The Plus version also has a password protected mode that can actively protect your computer against dangerous websites. This version is perfect for anyone who wants a little extra protection. It is also great for shared computers and computers that children or grandchildren use. Click here to download the SiteAdvisor.

SiteAdvisor was founded in April 2005 by a group of MIT engineers who wanted to make the Web safer for their family and friends. Having spent one too many holiday breaks trying to clean a mess of spam, adware, and spyware from our families’ computers, they decided to take action because they realized there was a gaping hole in existing Web security products. While traditional security companies had gotten relatively good at addressing technical threats like viruses, they were failing to prevent a new breed of “social engineering” tricks like spyware infections, identity theft scams, and sites which send excessive e-mail.

To address this challenge, he engineers built a system of automated testers which continually patrol the Web to browse sites, download files, and enter information on sign-up forms. We document all these results and supplement them with feedback from our users, comments from Web site owners, and analysis from our own employees.

On April 5, 2006 SiteAdvisor was acquired by McAfee, Inc. Teaming with McAfee provides greatly expanded worldwide reach, access to McAfee’s leading security technology, and greater resources to accelerate feature development for our many users.

This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author.  Please write to Sandy(at)compukiss.com for permission.

]]> PC Mechanic Free Anti-Virus tag:tokyopc.netindex.php,2006:promos/4.128 2006-11-06T14:52:01+09:00 2006-11-06T14:56:36+09:00 I subscribe to some of the PC Mechanic newsletters, which provide me with many good computing tips.  You may be able to use this one. (An editor of the newsletter) currently has AVG Anti-Virus running on my computer.  After running it for a couple of months, I must say that it certainly does do its job in preventing all kinds of viruses (except for the cold I caught this morning).  The best part is that there is a free version with full functionality and effectiveness and it comes with free updates!  Just go install it today and scan your PC for current viral infections that should have been taken care of weeks ago.  Link: http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10342876.html?tag=lst-0-2 2006-11-06T14:52:01+09:00 Barbara Manning rss_atom @ tokyopc.org Acronis True Image & Disk Director -- Special Deal for TPC Members tag:tokyopc.netindex.php,2006:promos/4.90 2006-01-02T05:53:14+09:00 2006-01-02T06:11:14+09:00 One benefit of Tokyo PC membership is User Group Specials: TPC members get special-price offers—particularly at Year End/New Year. TPC VP Ken Cotton announces that a bundle of the latest versions of Acronis utilities True Image (normally $49.99), Disk Director Suite ($49.99) and Privacy Expert Suite ($29.99) is only $59 for all three! TPC members who are interested should contact Ken for details. 2006-01-02T05:53:14+09:00 Ken Cotton rss_atom @ tokyopc.org Active Screen Lock available at 20% discount to TPC Members tag:tokyopc.netindex.php,2005:promos/4.52 2005-02-15T12:21:13+09:00 2005-03-05T15:30:13+09:00 We would like to turn your attention to ActiveScreenLock 2.3 that could be of interest to the members of your Tokyo PC Users Group. For all the members a 20% discount on ActiveScreenLock 2.3 is available.  Email TPC Prez for the promotion code. Best regards, Michael McCarthy 2005-02-15T12:21:13+09:00 Barbara Manning rss_atom @ tokyopc.org February 8, 2005
For Immediate Release
DMVsoft Releases ActiveScreenLock 2.3

How to protect your PC from unauthorized access with one mouse click.

ActiveScreenLock is one of the most simple, yet extremely effective ways to protect PCs from unauthorized access.  While most people worry about viruses, trojans and spyware, folks tend to ignore the fact that co-workers, visitors or even family members are much more likely to get access to confidential data by simply walking up to a PC and looking it up.

ActiveScreenLock is a software application that makes PC inaccessible without entering a password.  While Windows OS comes with the password-protected screensaver option that seems to have the same function, any advanced user knows that there are a number of ways to bypass this.

When ActiveScreenLock is activated (either by clicking a tray icon or pressing a combination of designated hotkeys), the PC becomes inaccessible.  Whenever anybody tries to do anything with the locked computer, the program simply displays a password-protected window placed on top of all the others.  In order to remove it, a correct password needs to be entered.  Key combinations Alt+F4, Ctrl+Alt+Del, Alt+Tab, and WinKey are blocked.

If necessary, program user can opt to disable task manager or hide cursor.  Restarting the locked PC will not undo the protection.  Should anyone try to pick the password, the program will log all login attempts and what passwords were used.

This is what Lawrence Howard, a security expert from UKWares said about the program:  “ActiveScreenLock is an excellent alternative to the Windows password protected screensaver ... I found that unlike current screensaver password protection schemes the security cannot be by-passed easily ... When it comes to summarizing, ActiveScreenLock more than lives up to its claims.”

ActiveScreenLock has received dozens of awards, including Editor’s Choice at TopShareware and FileHeaven, and 5-star rating at Softpicks, Shareup, FileTransit, SmartDownloads, and UKwares.  ActiveScreenLock is distributed electronically over the Internet; free demo version is available at http://www.dmvsoft.com/ for evaluation (30-day free trial period). The price of a single copy is 25 US Dollars. 

]]> Evaluate TUT (The Ultimate Troubleshooter) tag:tokyopc.netindex.php,2005:promos/4.46 2005-02-12T14:59:02+09:00 2005-02-11T16:24:03+09:00 TUT (The Ultimate Troubleshooter) tells you about every task that is running on your machine with a description of that task in plain language along with our recommendations as to whether you should leave it running, switch it to manual, or get rid of it.  It also features a one-touch cleanup of all temporary files, a WHOIS search facility, crucial network troubleshooting utilities, and a Hardware Inventory. Please leave a comment here if you wish to evaluate this product. 2005-02-12T14:59:02+09:00 Barbara Manning rss_atom @ tokyopc.org Dear President Tokyo PC Users Group,

I am Maurice McElroy and I cover marketing and PR for AnswersThatWork.com.  We have produced some award winning software which we believe may be of use.  Over the 11 years that we have been providing Facilities Maintenance, Network Consultancy, Installation, and Support, and general PC support, we have found that 65% of the PC problems we are asked to deal with are caused by programs already running in the background. Not viruses; not user errors; not hardware failures.  Simply background tasks.

We have produced a comprehensive PC Troubleshooting tool called TUT (The Ultimate Troubleshooter) which tells you about every task that is running on your machine with a description of that task in plain language along with our recommendations as to whether you should leave it running, switch it to manual, or get rid of it.  It also features a one-touch cleanup of all temporary files, a WHOIS search facility, crucial network troubleshooting utilities, and a Hardware Inventory.

Our corporate TUT clients include the US Army, the US Department of Agriculture, the University of Connecticut, many prominent Californian Law Firms, and the University of Queensland amongs others, and we have been reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Ira Wilsker, the Sydney Morning Herald and interviewed on TechWatchRadio.  Most recently our website has become an intrinsic part of CNET’s online Windows XP Management course.

TUT is available by download from our site and retails at US$25. If this is something that might interest you, please go to our website http://www.AnswersThatWork.com and take a look. 

If you would like to do an evaluation or review please contact TPC President for details.

]]> Peachpit News - January 2005 tag:tokyopc.netindex.php,2005:promos/4.21 2005-01-16T23:39:31+09:00 2005-01-15T21:26:33+09:00 Happy New Year User Group Members! With a new year comes new resolutions and new opportunities. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to share your musings with the world? Well, here’s your chance. Best-selling author Elizabeth Castro takes you through each step of the blogging process with “Publishing a Blog with Blogger: Visual QuickProject Guide” the quick and easy, start-to-finish guide to creating your own blog. Maybe you’ve made a resolution to finally do something with all those digital pictures you’ve taken. “Creating a Photo Album in Photoshop Elements for Windows: Visual QuickProject Guide” cuts straight to the chase to guide you through the process of making your first photo album with Photoshop Elements. We have many additional new titles for you to enjoy this month and we invite you to check them all out below. As we go to “press” with this edition, Macworld San Francisco 2005 is about to get started so look out for highlights from the show in the February edition. 2005-01-16T23:39:31+09:00 S. Patrick Eaton rss_atom @ tokyopc.org Peachpit News AWARDS

We’re proud to announce that the following two books have received Best of 2004 Awards from Design, Typography, and Graphics Magazine.

“Best in Photoshop and Image Editing”
Commercial Photoshop with Bert Monroy, ISBN: 0-7357-1388-X
By Bert Monroy
http://www.peachpit.com/title/073571388X

“Best in Web Design”
Defensive Design for the Web, ISBN: 0-7357-1410-X
By 37 Signals
http://www.peachpit.com/title/073571410X

Read the full article at
http://www.design-bookshelf.com/BEST/index.html

MORE AWARDS!

We’re also excited to announce that Game Architecture and Design: a New Edition (ISBN: 0-7357-1363-4) by Andrew Rollings and Dave Morris has been chosen by Game Developer magazine as a finalist for a coveted Front Line Award! Check out this link to learn more about the book:
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0735713634

Front Line Award winners will be announced in the January 2005 issue of Game Developer Magazine, which will be available on newsstands in mid-January. Visit the magazine’s homepage for more information:
http://www.gdmag.com/homepage.

BOOK SELECTIONS FOR JANUARY 2005:

*******************************************
3D/Animation/Game Design/Game Programming
*******************************************

Model, Rig, Animate with 3ds max 7
By Michele Bousquet; ISBN: 0-321-32178-2; $39.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321321782

****************************************
Database Design
****************************************

Creating a Database in FileMaker Pro: Visual QuickProject Guide
By Steve Schwartz; ISBN: 0-321-32121-9; $12.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321321219

****************************************
Design and Layout
****************************************

PDF Reference, Fifth Edition version 1.6
By Adobe Systems, Inc; ISBN: 0-321-30474-8; $54.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321304748

*******************************************
Digital Audio
*******************************************

Apple Pro Training Series: Logic Pro 7 and Logic Express 7
By Martin Sitter; ISBN: 0-321-25614-X; $44.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/032125614X

*******************************************
Digital Video/Photography/Interactive Media
*******************************************

Adobe Premiere Elements Classroom in a Book
By Adobe Creative Team; ISBN: 0-321-26794-X; $35.00
http://www.peachpit.com/title/032126794X

Macromedia Captivate for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide
By Tom Green; ISBN: 0-321-29417-3; $21.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321294173

Premiere Elements for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide
By Antony Bolante; ISBN: 0-321-26790-7; $21.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321267907

****************************************
Image Editing
****************************************

Adobe Photoshop Elements One-Click Wow! Third Edition
By Jack Davis; ISBN: 0-321-30468-3; $29.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321304683

Creating a Photo Album in Photoshop Elements for Windows: Visual
QuickProject Guide
By Katherine Ulrich; ISBN: 0-321-27081-9; $12.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321270819

Photoshop Elements 3 Down & Dirty Tricks
By Scott Kelby; ISBN: 0-321-27835-6; $34.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321278356

Photoshop Elements 3 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart
Guide
By Craig Hoeschen; ISBN: 0-321-27078-9; $21.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321270789

****************************************
Macintosh/iApps
****************************************

Mac OS X Server 10.3 Panther: Visual QuickPro Guide
By Schoun Regan with Kevin White; ISBN: 0-321-24252-1; $29.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321242521

****************************************
PDAS/OTHER GADGETS
****************************************

Global Mobile: Connecting without walls, wires, or borders
By Fred Johnson; ISBN: 0-321-27871-2; $15.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321278712

Secrets of the iPod and iTunes, Fifth Edition
By Christopher Breen; ISBN: 0-321-30459-4; $21.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321304594

****************************************
Web Design
****************************************

How To Wow: Photoshop for the Web
By Jan Kabili and Colin Smith; ISBN: 0-321-30330-X; $39.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/032130330X

Publishing a Blog with Blogger: Visual QuickProject Guide
By Elizabeth Castro; ISBN: 0-321-32123-5; $12.99
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321321235

]]> Peachpit News - 2004 Holiday Edition tag:tokyopc.netindex.php,2004:promos/4.20 2004-12-19T22:58:53+09:00 2005-01-15T21:24:55+09:00 In this newsletter, you will find all our new releases through the end of the year. You will notice I’ve included the actual release date of each title to give you a better idea of when to expect the book in hand! 2004-12-19T22:58:53+09:00 S. Patrick Eaton rss_atom @ tokyopc.org Peachpit News SAFARI AFFILIATE PROGRAM FLYERS NOW AVAILABLE
Back in our August e-news, we brought you information about how your group can earn financial rewards while providing valuable content for your Web site through Safari Books Online’s new affiliate program. Due to requests from some user groups, Safari has put together a .pdf flyer that can be printed and passed out at your meetings. You can download these flyers from Safari’s site at http://safari.informit.com/affiliates/?p=boilerplate. Or, if you prefer, you can drop me an email at usergroups@peachpit.com, and I will send the .pdf attachment to you.

MXIMIZE CONFERENCE 2004, DEC 14 - 16, 2004
A Macromedia Web Design & Development Conference

Peachpit authors Tom Green, Sandro Corsaro, Robert Reinhard, and Joseph Lowery will be featured speakers at the upcoming MXimize Conference in Orlando, FL.

Web sites today can be created by bringing together many different technologies into complex relationships: dynamic HTML, Flash, CSS, XML, JavaScript, and many server-based languages and applications, such as ColdFusion, .NET, J2EE, and database technology. The MXimize Conference is a three-day, multi-session event, designed to provide the opportunity to explore how these tools work in assisting you to create and maintain reliable Web applications. MXimize will examine both front end (client) and back end (server) technologies with sessions constructed for developers, programmers, and designers. Visit http://www.mximizeconference.com/ for more information.

SIGN UP FOR THREE NEW E-NEWSLETTERS
If you’re looking for topic specific information in addition to what we offer in our user group e-news, check out our three new newsletters covering digital audio and video, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, and our Mac tip of the week. Each newsletter comes packed with valuable articles and interviews, money-saving discounts, and a quick listing of our newest books on each topic. Let your members know they can receive any of the above newsletters for FREE, by going to http://www.peachpit.com/newsletters/index.asp, and checking off the newsletters of their choice!

*******************************************

BOOK SELECTIONS FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER:

*******************************************
3D/Animation/Game Design/Game Programming
*******************************************

Game Character Development with Maya
By Antony Ward; ISBN: 0-7357-1438-X; $49.99; 11/24/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/073571438X

Maya 6 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide
By Danny Riddell and Adrian Dimond; ISBN: 0-321-24746-9; $21.99;
12/3/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321247469

The X-Play Insider’s Guide to Gaming
By The X-Play Cast with Marc Saltzman; ISBN: 0-7357-1435-5; $29.99;
Available now; http://www.peachpit.com/title/0735714355

*******************************************
Digital Video/Photography/Interactive Media
*******************************************

Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Editing and Finishing Techniques
in Final Cut Pro HD
By DigitalFilm Tree and Michael Wohl; ISBN: 0-321-25608-5; $54.99;
12/10/04 http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321256085

Apple Pro Training Series: Motion
By Damian Allen; ISBN: 0-321-27826-7; $44.99; 11/5/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321278267

DVD Studio Pro 3 for Mac OS X: Visual QuickPro Guide
By Martin Sitter; ISBN: 0-321-26789-3; $29.99; 11/5/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321267893

Macromedia Director MX 2004: Training from the Source
By Dave Mennenoh; ISBN: 0-321-22365-9; $44.99; 11/5/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321223659

Pinnacle Liquid Edition 6 for Windows: Visual QuickPro Guide
By Paul Ekert; ISBN: 0-321-26916-0; $29.99; 12/3/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321269160

****************************************
Design and Layout
****************************************

How to Wow with InDesign
By Wayne Rankin and Mike McHugh; ISBN: 0-321-31618-5; $39.99; 11/24/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321316185

****************************************
Image Editing
****************************************

Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 Classroom in a Book
By Adobe Creative Team; ISBN: 0-321-27080-0; $35.00; Available now
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321270800

Organize Your Photos with Adobe Photoshop Elements 3
By Michael Slater; ISBN: 0-321-24696-9; $24.99; 11/24/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321246969

The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book: Creative Techniques in
Digital Painting
By Cher Threinen-Pendarvis; ISBN: 0-321-16891-7; $44.99; 11/24/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321168917

****************************************
Macintosh/iApps
****************************************

The iPod Playlist Book
Editor Cliff Colby; ISBN: 0-321-30469-1; $14.99; 11/5/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321304691

****************************************
Office Apps
****************************************

Microsoft Entourage 2004 for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide
By Steve Schwartz; ISBN: 0-321-25583-6; $19.99; Available now
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321255836

Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide
By Maria Langer; ISBN: 0-321-30457-8; $21.99; 12/17/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321304578

****************************************
PDAS/OTHER GADGETS
****************************************

Now You Know Treo
By Patrick Ames; ISBN: 0-321-33029-3; $19.95; 12/17/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321330293

Now You Know Tungsten E
By Rick Overton and David Hayward; ISBN: 0-321-33030-7; $14.95;
11/5/04 http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321330307

Secrets of Home Theater
By Mike Wood; ISBN: 0-321-27836-4; $19.99; 11/12/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321278364

****************************************
Personal Finances
****************************************

Managing Your Personal Finances with Quicken: Visual QuickProject
Guide
By Tom Negrino; ISBN: 0-321-29365-7; $12.99; 12/17/04
11/19/04 http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321293657

****************************************
Web Design
****************************************

Animation and Effects with Macromedia Flash MX 2004
By Jen deHaan; ISBN: 0-321-30344-X; $39.99; 11/24/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/032130344X

Design and Deploy Websites with Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 and
Contribute 3: Training from the Source
By Joseph Lowery; ISBN: 0-321-28884-X; $44.99; 12/3/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/032128884X

DHTML and CSS Advanced: Visual QuickPro Guide
By Jason Cranford Teague; ISBN: 0-321-26691-9; $24.99; 12/23/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321266919

The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Beauty for the Web
By Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzschlag; ISBN: 0-321-30347-4; $39.99;
12/23/04 http://www.peachpit.com/title/0321303474

Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works
By Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler; ISBN: 0-7357-1433-9; $45.00; 11/24/04
http://www.peachpit.com/title/0735714339

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