MalekTips: 7-29-2004
 
Welcome to the latest issue of the MalekTips newsletter, providing computer and technology help and tips. We appreciate your subscription!
 
Read just some of what you can find by visiting the following web addresses:
 
* Planning on traveling before the end of summer arrives? This newsletter contains travel photography ideas for capturing the best of what the 'big city' has to offer. Capture incredible cityscapes reflected onto glass skyscrapers. Compose photos so that preserved buildings and modern marvels of architecture are represented in the same shots. Decrease blurriness when taking photos from moving vehicles.
 
* Manage your Internet Explorer 6 Favorites easier than ever before. Forget navigating through dialog boxes whenever you wish to remove an old bookmark or rename a site's description. Create a Desktop shortcut to more easily access one of your Favorites. Sort your Favorites in alphabetical order to make them easier to find. And more.
 
* Diagnose Windows XP problems. Is your computer randomly shutting down? Perhaps updated virus definitions may help. Dealing with problematic software that slow down your machine? A visit to the Task Manager can stop most unresponsive software. Is your computer having problems waking up from sleep mode or hibernation? Read about a possible fix for this problem if you use USB devices.
 
These tips and more, 25 in total, can be found below in the latest version of MalekTips - just access the links for the full tips. Enjoy! And remember - if you have a computer question, be sure to visit the MalekTips forums at http://www.malektips.com/forums
 
Andrew Malek MalekTips.Com
 
* Tell a Friend! *
 
Don't keep all these great tips to yourself - be sure to tell a friend about what's available, at no cost, on MalekTips.Com, and please pass this newsletter along! Let them know they can sign up to receive notifications regarding new tips added to the site.
 
Point them to the following web address to sign up and read past newsletters online: http://malektips.com/maillist
 
* Recent MalekTips Front Page Stories *
 
7-28-2004: Reorganized Internet Explorer 6 Tips
 
I've reorganized the Internet Explorer 6 tips into sections such as Keyboard Shortcuts, Privacy and Cookies, Security, and more. This should make finding what you need easier. Thanks for stopping by!
 
Link: http://malektips.com/microsoft_internet_explorer_6
_help_and_tips.html
 
7-27-2004: Office 2003 Service Pack 1 Released
 
Office 2003 Service Pack 1 has been released, offering performance upgrades and security enhancements for Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft FrontPage, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, and other Office components. For detailed information, read Microsoft Knowledge Base article 842532. If you wish to upgrade, visit Office Update.
 
Link (External Site): http://office.microsoft.com/
 
7-26-2004: Search Engine Difficulties
 
On a related, note, according to SlashDot, the MYDOOM variant is targetting Google to find email addresses in a particular domain. This is causing excess load on the search engine, sometimes returning errors.
 
I just tried to access Google for a search and got the following error:
 
Server Error The service you requested is not available at this time. Service error -27.
 
However, when searching from a different ISP, Google ran fine. As noted on the front page of MalekTips, this also affected other search engines throughout the day such as AltaVista, AlltheWeb, and Lycos.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.alltheweb.com/
 
Link (External Site): http://www.av.com/
 
Link (External Site): http://www.google.com/
 
Link (External Site): http://www.lycos.com/
 
7-26-2004: New MYDOOM Variant
 
According to Symantec, a new variant of the Mydoom worm, W32.Mydoom.M@MM, is being sent through e-mail. This is ranked as a Level 4 security advisory. It obtains e-mail addresses from text files on the attacked system and also accesses various search engines such as Google, Lycos, Yahoo!, and AltaVista for email addresses, slowing them to a crawl this morning. This worm sends itself through Outlook via various executable and archived e-mail attachments such as ZIP.
 
Be sure to update your virus signatures and always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS be careful with e-mail containing executable or zipped attachments! These include files with the following attachments, among others: ARCHIVES - .arc, .rar, zip, EXECUTABLE - .bat, .cmd, .com, .cpl, .exe, .hta, .pif, .scr, and .vbs.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.symantec.com/
 
7-22-2004: New Sony Digital Camera
 
Sony announced the Cyber-shotŪ DSC-P150 digital camera, offering 7.2 megapixels in a size that can fit "in your shirt pocket or handbag". The camera offers a 3x optical zoom, long battery life (up to 310 shots per charge according to the manufacturer), and nine preset scene modes including beach, fireworks, landscape, snow, and twilight.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.sony.com/
 
7-22-2004: New Panasonic Digital Cameras
 
Panasonic announced four new digital camera models in its LUMIX series. The DMC-FX7 is 5 megapixels with a 3x optical zoom. The DMC-FZ3 showcases 3 megapixels with a 12x optical zoom. The DMC-FZ15 is a 4.0 megapixel digital camera with 12x optical zoom, and the DMC-FZ20 offers 5.0 megapixels also with 12x optical zoom.
 
According to the press releases for the DMC-FZ3, DMC-FZ15, DMC-FZ20 and the DMC-FX7, key features of this family of cameras is its image stabilization capabilities, which allow nightime photos and those using an extended telephoto lens to be shot without a tripod. Also included is the Venus Engine II image- processing LSI, promising reduce noise and more precise color reproduction.
 
Also released was the DMC-LC80, offering 5 megapixels with a 3x optical zoom. Features include auto bracketing, a real-time histogram, and scene modes including portrait, night portrait, landscape, moving image, and macro.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.panasonic.com/
 
* Tips! *  
 
These tips are NOT available to the general public yet! You can find them here first in the MalekTips newsletter! Thanks for subscribing.  
 
Digital Portrait Photography - Set Everything Up Beforehand  
If you are taking a formal photograph of a subject, try to set your lighting and environment up beforehand.  
http://malektips.com/portrait_photography_0009.htm
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Digital Portrait Photography - Consider NOT Filling the Frame  
Why you should ignore some peoples' advice and NOT fill the entire frame with your subject.  
http://malektips.com/portrait_photography_0010.htm
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Digital Portrait Photography - Bring Along a Mirror  
Everyone wants to look his or her best.  
http://malektips.com/portrait_photography_0011.htm
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Digital Portrait Photography - Use a Fast Shutter Speed for Babies  
Use a shutter speed to match with how fast a baby can move.  
http://malektips.com/portrait_photography_0012.htm
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Digital Portrait Photography - Black and White Shoots Add Drama  
Black and white portrait photography can add a new level to your digital shoots.  
http://malektips.com/portrait_photography_0013.htm
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Digital Travel Photography - Do a Yearlong Photo Log  
Photograph your favorite travel location as it changes with the seasons.  
http://malektips.com/digital_travel_photo_0019.htm
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Digital Travel Photography - Avoid Optical Zoom if Moving  
Optical zoom may blur your digital photos taken from a moving vehicle.  
http://malektips.com/digital_travel_photo_0020.htm
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Digital Travel Photography - Capture Reflections on Skyscrapers  
Capture reflections of a cityscape on a modern glass building.  
http://malektips.com/digital_travel_photo_0021.htm
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Digital Travel Photography - Observe 'No Trespassing' Signs  
Venturing onto private property may get you into trouble.  
http://malektips.com/digital_travel_photo_0022.htm
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Digital Travel Photography - Capture the Old and New  
Photograph the changes that occurred in downtown architecture over time.  
http://malektips.com/digital_travel_photo_0023.htm
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Internet Explorer 6 Favorites - Delete a Favorite  
Quickly remove an Internet Explorer 6 Favorite without navigating the Organize Favorites dialog box.  
http://malektips.com/internet_explorer_6_favorites
_0003.html  
 
Internet Explorer 6 Favorites - Print a Favorite Without Visiting the Page  
Print Favorite webpages without actually visiting them in your Internet Explorer 6 browser first.  
http://malektips.com/internet_explorer_6_favorites
_0004.html  
 
Internet Explorer 6 Favorites - Create a Favorite Shortcut on your Desktop  
Visit a Favorite straight from your Desktop using Internet Explorer 6.  
http://malektips.com/internet_explorer_6_favorites
_0005.html  
 
Internet Explorer 6 Favorites - Quickly Rename a Favorite  
Rename your Internet Explorer 6 Favorites without using the "Organize Favorites" dialog box.  
http://malektips.com/internet_explorer_6_favorites
_0006.html  
 
Internet Explorer 6 Favorites - Sort Your Favorites  
View your Internet Explorer 6 Favorites in alphabetical order.  
http://malektips.com/internet_explorer_6_favorites
_0007.html  
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - Ref or MERGEFORMAT in Documents  
Seeing the text "Ref" or "MERGEFORMAT" in your Microsoft Word 2003 documents? Here's a fix.  
http://malektips.com/word_2003_0010.html  
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - View Text Matching a Style  
Quickly highlight all headers or other styled text in your Microsoft Word 2003 document.  
http://malektips.com/word_2003_0011.html  
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - View and Compare Formatting  
View a Microsoft Word 2003 document's section formatting and compare it to other sections or text.  
http://malektips.com/word_2003_0012.html  
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - Drag to Move Text  
Forget using cutting and pasting to move text in a Microsoft Word 2003 document.  
http://malektips.com/word_2003_0013.html  
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - Easy Table Creation  
Create a table in Microsoft Word 2003 without clicking and editing data in each cell.  
http://malektips.com/word_2003_0014.html  
 
Windows XP Misc - Random Shutdowns? You May Have a Worm  
A virus or worm may cause your Windows XP machine to turn off unexpectedly.  
http://malektips.com/windows_xp_0001.html  
 
Windows XP Misc - Download the Windows 2003 Resource Kit  
The Windows 2003 Resource Kit adds many commands and features to your Windows XP system.  
http://malektips.com/windows_xp_0002.html  
 
Windows XP Misc - Computer Will Not Wake with USB Devices  
Fix a Windows XP bug where USB keyboards and mice do not wake a machine in hibernation or stand-by mode.  
http://malektips.com/windows_xp_0003.html  
 
Windows XP Misc - Take a Tour  
View an animated tour of Windows XP's features.  
http://malektips.com/windows_xp_0004.html  
 
Windows XP Misc - Use Task Manager to Stop Unresponsive Programs  
Keep malfunctioning Windows XP software from slowing your computer to a halt.  
http://malektips.com/windows_xp_0005.html  
 
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* Copyright Notice *
 
This newsletter can be redistributed, in electronic or print, provided that no changes are made to this document and this notice is left intact. If you wish to redistribute just pieces of this newsletter, such as certain articles, contact Andrew Malek for information.
 
MalekTips is published by Envision Programming:
 
Envision Programming attn: MalekTips PO Box 11592 Knoxville, TN 37939-1592
 
This issue of MalekTips is Copyright 2004 Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. All other copyrights are trademarks are properties of their respective companies.

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