Monthly Archive for February, 2008

Windows Live Messenger Virus

Published on February 29, 2008 in Computers and Internet. 2 Comments

I don’t often get to see Viruses in the "wild" anymore – either that’s because I’m snug and secure behind layers and layers of protection such as Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Firewalls and regular updates that prevent the nasties coming anywhere near my systems, or my constant whingeing reminders to friends, family and clients about the potential dangers of the Internet have sunk in and everyone I know is safe and sound. I think I know which one of those statements is actually true…

I was therefore surprised to come across my first experience of an Instant Messaging virus recently in Windows Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger). A IM popped up from a friend asking me if I knew about these pictures – URL included for direct download. Suspicious, I googled on the exact phrase used in the IM and quickly realised that this was a Virus attempting to infect me by downloading a dodgy attachment.

I won’t name the friend in question, but I’ve spoken to them directly only to hear "I’m having terrible problems with my computer" and realising that this must be the twentieth time I have told this individual that even with the best Anti-Virus in the world installed, spending your time downloading dodgy content from Peer to Peer sites will see you get infected again and again and again… Some people will just never learn I guess?

EDIT: Thanks to the always helpful Tim Long for mentioning an article on this exact sort of IM Virus.

“Predictive Text” in Microsoft Word

Published on February 28, 2008 in Computers and Internet. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

A client today asked me if it was possible to have “predictive text” within Microsoft Word. What he was trying to do was start to begin typing a sentence he regularly types – say his address, “26 Thisisalong Street Name”, but for Word to recognise he was typing this and fill the rest in automatically, saving his overworked fingers and reducing his risk of RSI! :-)

The solution I gave him was to use Word’s AutoCorrect feature. If you’re a Microsoft Word user, you’ll have already seen Autocorrect. Try typing “tehm” (without the quotes) into Microsoft Word and you’ll notice a squiggly red line appear under it. Right-click that line, and Word useful suggests that you may have actually meant to type “them” instead, correcting it for you automatically.

But as well as correcting mis-spelled words, AutoCorrect can be used to enter shortcuts for frequently used text:-

  1. Open Microsoft Word and click the Microsoft Office icon found in the top left hand corner
  2. Select “Word Options” from the bottom of the menu
  3. Click “Proofing”, then “AutoCorrect Options”
  4. In the “Replace Text as you type” enter a shortcut – for example, I might enter #rt to automatically fill in the word “Richard Tubb”
  5. Enter as many shortcuts as you like. When you are finished, click “Ok” to end

Voila! The next time you type your new Shortcut Code, Word automatically fills in the rest!

This can be handy for automatically entering long repeatedly used URL’s, addresses, anything you don’t like to type again and again!

 

Did the Earth move for you?

Published on February 27, 2008 in Personal. 1 Comment Tags: , .

I woke up suddenly around 0100 last night to the strangest sensation – the bedroom felt as though it was shaking. I sat up in bed to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, but the wardrobe doors rattling loudly confirmed my suspicions… the end of the world was happening!

The GG slept soundly next to me, despite the room shaking around her. I called her name, gently at first, then loudly whilst trying to wake her – still she slept on. Then the room shaking stopped, the end of the world was seemingly postponed, and soon after I drifted back to sleep -  the GG undisturbed in the slightest by the whole event.

We woke this morning to find that the biggest Earthquake to hit the UK in almost 25 years shook homes across large parts of England last night, and the GG’s response to not waking up during this seeming Ragnarok – “It’s nothing compared to your usual snoring”.

<Sigh>

Opening MDI files with Microsoft Office 2007

Published on February 26, 2008 in Computers and Internet. 0 Comments

Last week I helped a client who had recently upgraded to Microsoft Office 2007 from Microsoft Office 2003, but that noticed none of her old .MDI files were opening when she double clicked them.

If you’ve not heard of the format before – an MDI file is a Microsoft Office Document Imaging file – probably best thought of as something similar to Adobe Acrobat PDF files specifically for MS Office 2003 users who want to keep files in a static format.

The reason these .MDI files didn’t appear to open under MS Office 2007 is that the MDI viewer for 2007 wasn’t installed properly or load upon demand as it should do.

You can find out how to install the viewer so that you can open (and convert) your MDI files in Microsoft KB article 926198 entitled "An .mdi file does not open in the Microsoft Office Document Imaging program that is included in the 2007 Office programs". A few clicks later, those MDI files were opened and converted to .PDF for ease of future use on any PC. :-)

Bee Dogs – the premier on-line repository for pictures of dogs in bee costumes!

Published on February 22, 2008 in Funny. 4 Comments Tags: , .

Some Friday fun – go take a look at www.beedogs.com

I’ll quote the site’s own description – “Beedogs.com is the premier on-line repository for pictures of dogs in bee costumes.”

Therefore it’s a site about Dogs…

… dressed as Bees.

Bee Dogs…

… dot com.

A huge thank-you to the World Wide Web for this and many other sites – the Procrastinator’s greatest friend. ;-)