Thank you Very Much, Robin

Dear Robin,

Thank you very much for your kind comments, I really appreciate your support!

I am currently using the AVG Internet Security 2012 suite instead of the plain antivirus version. With all the different kinds of malware out there these days, many of them not technically viruses, you really need a complete protection package.

As for the spybot Search & Destroy link, you do have the correct company, Safer-Networking.

I went to their site, and while I do see a couple of packages for sale (they have to pay their bills somehow) they do still provide their flagship program, Spybot, Search & Destroy, free of charge.

While you can use Spybot S&D to remove spyware after it has infected your system, it is much more valuable as a preventive program.

When you install Spybot S&D on a clean system, update and then click on the “Immunize” button, it will block against all known malware programs. If you go back and update, then Immunize every few weeks, you will continue to block most of the malware that might be waiting to infect your system.

Elizabeth

PS: Here is a coupon link that will save you 30% on AVG Internet Security 2012:

Save 30% on AVG Internet Security 2012!

Click Here for 30% off AVG

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Debbie

Dear Debbie,

It sounds like you have been infected with a form of malware that is redirecting you to these other websites.

Hopefully, you have a good antivirus program installed, and you can just update it and run a full scan to get rid of the malware, but it is not always that simple.

Once the malware has gotten into your system, it is harder to get it out than it is to prevent it from getting into your system in the first place.

The best tool I have found for getting malware out of a computer is Malwarebytes at:

Once you have downloaded and installed the program, update it, then run a full scan. It should find and help you get rid of the malware. I keep running scans until I get two clean scans in a row.

If that doesn’t fix the problem, you might have to get a clean install of Windows where your hard drive is erased and Windows is re-installed. This is something that I do in my shop for customers quite frequently.

Elizabeth

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Thanks a bunch, Flo

Dear Flo,

I removed the link that you provided with your question, but I did click on it first, and I saw no reference to your name.

I’m guessing that when you see your name in Google Search, it is actually a setting saved on your computer, and not visible to the entire world.

I also went to google and searched for your name, and I found a few profiles that you have created on different social networking sites, and a question that you asked me on my Facebook page in February.

The only way to get rid of those things would be for you to close your social networking accounts, and for me to delete the conversation we had on my page. Your name would probably still show up in Google searches for a while, but when people clicked on the link, it would no longer show the page with the conversation.

Elizabeth

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Bill

Dear Bill,

I actually have WOT installed on my computer… not because I rely on the ratings, but because I want to see what my readers who do use WOT are seeing.

WOT Services, Ltd is a Finnish company that runs an Internet website reputation rating tool Web of Trust (WOT). Where do these ratings come from? WOT users can vote on any website they choose. When you visit a site, a small circle shows you the sites rating. Green is good, yellow or orange is medium and red is bad.

My site is a good example, I visit my website, and it shows a green circle. Does that mean that my site has been examined by WOT users and has a good reputation… not exactly, in my case it means that my site has exactly zero ratings…. so how do they know it is a good site?

When I included the iPad contest in my newsletter last week, ( http://jump.fortracking.com/SHDM ) I saw the “poor reputation” rating, but because I have been dealing with the company that owns Lullaby Lane for a while now, and I have found them to be a great company to work with, I ignored the rating.

The other special offer I had in the opening of my newsletter also had a bad reputation, but it to is a reputable company, with a product that is used my many parents world wide.

Why these poor ratings?

Users who rate websites on WOT appear to dislike websites that make a profit, or send you advertisements. Take the iPad contest for example. Not only are the site owners giving away a $600 piece of technology, but they also pay their affiliates for promoting the contest (I earn a small commission for each person who clicks on my link and enters the contest). Where does the money for those costs come from? When you enter the contest, you agree to the terms that say you will receive offers from the company sponsoring the contest. They are building a mailing list of people interested in their products.

If you didn’t already enter the iPad contest, there is still time… it helps support my ability to answer your computer questions, and you just might win an iPad in the process.

Elizabeth

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Homer

Dear Homer,

I can only guess that you want to put a shortcut to my website on the desktop screen of your laptop, so that is what I will give you directions for.

Since most people use Internet Explorer as their web browser, we will start with directions for IE.

1. Open Internet Explorer and go to my website at www.askTCL.com

2. Right-click on the page.

3. In the context menu that appears, click “Create shortcut”.

4. A dialog box will open asking you if you want to put a shortcut on your desktop, click the “Yes” button.

Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox do not give you an easy way to put a shortcut on your desktop.

Elizabeth

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ReBecca

Dear ReBecca,

When files have been compacted into a Zip file, you just need to extract them before you can use them.

When you click on the file, just select the “Extract” option, and your computer will create a folder with the same name as your file. Once the files have been extracted, you can delete the original zipped file (or save it in case you ever need it again).

Now, open the folder that was created when you extracted the files, and you will be able to listen to them, or import them into iTunes so that you can listen on your iPod.

Elizabeth

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I have a question concerning contacts in gmail.

Where do I go to find my contacts?

How come some of my contacts are in my there 3or 4 times?

Where do I go to delete them?

I hope this makes sense so you can understand it.

Thank you so much. I enjoy your emails so keep them coming, I have learned a lot from you.

ty so much, sincerely, Carol

Dear Carol,

It used to be that your contacts were listed in the left-hand column of your Gmail window. Actually, they are still there, but you now need to know where to click in order to find them.

If you look near the top of your Gmail window, you will see the word, Google in large letters. Just beneath that, you will see the word, Gmail with a small arrow right after it.

Click on the arrow

Click on that small arrow, and you will see a drop-down list with three items on it. The middle item is contacts, go ahead and click on “Contacts”.

Click on "Contacts"

Now, your main email window has changed to a contacts window. You should see a list of all your contacts.

Since you have duplicate contacts, there is a tool to help you. Near the top of the window there is a button that says, “More”.

Click on the “More” button, and you will find a list of useful tools. Click on “Find and merge duplicates…” to have Gmail find all duplicate contacts for you.

Click "Find & Merge duplicates"

A list will be displayed where you can view each set of duplicates, and decide if you want to merge them into one contact or not.

Keep the contacts that you want to merge checked, then click the “Merge” button at the bottom to merge them.

It is easy to merge your Gmail Contacts!

Your contacts are probably listed several times because they have sent you email from different email addresses over time, and Gmail saved each of them.

If you want to delete a contact, click the box in front of the name of the contact you want to delete, then click the “More” button at the top and select “Delete contact”.

Elizabeth

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Thank you, Regina

Dear Regina,

Several people have asked me about this recently, so I figured that a little research was in order.

I started out by visiting Snopes.com. Snopes is a website that I visit quite often, usually to investigate an email or facebook post that has gone viral. If this were a hoax, Snopes would let me know.

I found that Snopes does not have this listed as a hoax, instead they have a link to a PC magazine article, which in turn links to the site you have mentioned.

For those of you who want to read the article, it is located here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401227,00.asp

After you read the article, be sure to follow the link and check your computer.

I have noticed that there are a lot of news articles about this with frightening headlines that claim the internet will be broken. Don’t worry, the internet will not be compromised. Only the computers that are still infected by the hackers who have since been arrested.

Elizabeth

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This week, I want to share a new (well, new to me anyway) site that I have found named, Craftsy at http://tinyurl.com/craftsy

The Craftsy website has craft patterns and classes for everything from crocheting, felting, jewelry making to knitting, quilting and sewing. I have even seen a few cooking classes on Craftsy.

I’m currently taking a class at Craftsy called “The Starlet Suit Jacket” and I am really enjoying learning the hand tailoring methods being taught in the class.

http://tinyurl.com/86bqdpy

If you have ever wanted to learn a craft, but wasn’t sure where to start, this is a great resource. I like that I can watch the videos for my course over and over again, and I can even ask questions and the instructor will answer me.

Craftsy is definitely a website that I will be visiting over and over again.

Elizabeth

Thank you, Barbara

Dear Barbara,

I have actually combined your question with a few other questions because it has been asked so many times recently.

When you upgrade from Internet Explorer 8 to Internet Explorer 9, your toolbars are automatically hidden from view. Here is how to get the important toolbars back.

1. Open Internet Explorer.

2. Tap the “Alt” key on your keyboard to display the menu bar.

3. With your mouse, click on “View” and then point to “Toolbars” in the menu bar.

4. You will see a sub-menu which consists of a list of available toolbars, click to display any one of them.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 to turn on additional toolbars.

You can also follow these steps to click and turn off any toolbars you don’t want to have displayed any more.

Elizabeth

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