Conficker Worm: How to Tell if Your PC is Infected

The new Conficker virus has been making a lot of headlines this past week. Conficker infects your PC through a security hole in Microsoft Windows. Although the hole was fixed by Microsoft in October, if your PC does not get automatic updates, you may be infected.

Conficker, like several other virus programs, doesn't disable anti-virus software outright. Instead it blocks access to your anti-virus company's website so that victim's software can't get automatic updates.

There are many ways to determine if your computer has become infected by Conficker. The easiest is to browse the Internet to sites like update.microsoft.com or security.symantec.com. If you can reach those websites and otherwise browse the web normally, than your computer is not infected. However, if you find you can't reach these sites, you may be infected with Conficker or a similar virus.

Removing Conficker is where things get tricky.

Since your computer won't be able to reach many of the websites that contain Conficker removal tools you'll need to get access to a friend's computer to download one. A list of free Conficker removal programs is available at www.confickerworkinggroup.org.

Once you've downloaded a removal tool, copy it a disk, a run it on your PC. In some cases, if the removal tool has Conficker in its name, you may need to rename it because Conficker will block programs from running that contain the word Conficker in the title.

Fraud Email Alert

It has come to our attention that a fraudulent email is being sent to KCnet users. This email was not sent by us and should not be responded to.

This Email is from the KCnet Customer Care Unit and we are sending it to
every Email User Accounts Owner for safety. We are having congestion due to the
anonymous registration of Accounts. So we are shutting down and your Account was
among those to be deleted. We are sending this email to you so that you can
verify and let us know if you still want to use this account.

If
you are still interested please confirm your account by filling the space below.
Your User name, password, and your country information would be needed to verify
your Account.

Due to the congestion in all users and removal of all
unused Accounts,would be shutting down all unused Accounts, You will have to
confirm your E-mail by filling out your Logging Information below after clicking
the reply button, or your account will be suspended within 48HRS hours for
security reasons.

* Username:.............................
*
Password: ............................
* Country:
.............................

The requested information should be
sent to the following email:
accountupdate1@live.com

After
following the instructions in the sheet, your account will not be interrupted
and will continue as normal. Thanks for your attention to this
request.

We apologize for any
inconveniences.

Warning!!!
Account owner that refuses to update
his/her account after 24HRS of receiving this warning will lose his or her
account permanently.

Sincerely,

Technical Support
Team,
KCnet, Inc.

If you have already responded to it, please contact our office immediately to change your login information.

Why Some Users Prefer Dial-Up

A new study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project explores why Internet users continue to prefer dial-up over broadband and why some people refuse to access the Internet at all.

• 62% of dial-up users say they are not interested in giving up their current connection for broadband.
  
  When asked specifically what it would take them to get them to switch to broadband:
• 35% of dial-up users say that the price of broadband service would have to fall.
• 19% of dial-up users said nothing would convince them to get broadband.
• 14% of dial-up users – and 24% of dial-up users in rural America – say that broadband service would have to become available where they live.

The study also indicates that 27% of adult Americans are not Internet users.

When asked why they don’t use the Internet:

• 33% of non-users say they are not interested.
• 12% say they don’t have access.
• 9% say it is too difficult or frustrating.
• 7% say it is too expensive.
• 7% say it is a waste of time.

Scheduled Maintenance Notification

Please be advised that Covad will be performing scheduled maintenance on some Central office DSL equipment on June 27,2008.

Scheduled Start Time: 06/27/2008 01:00 AM CST
Maintenance Window: 1:00AM-5:00AM local time

This maintenance will only affect DSL users utilizing Covad's network.

ASUS Eee PC Review

The ASUS Eee PC challenges many preconceptions about mobile computing. It's small form factor (it nearly fits into the palm of your hand), light weight (just under 2 lbs), durability, functionality, and low cost (starts under $400) make it the perfect travel companion. The Eee PC is impressive right out of the box. Setup is a breeze and we were up and surfing the net via the built in Wireless G card within minutes.

The Eee PC comes with one of two operating systems, a customized version of Linux or Microsoft's Windows XP. Since we perceive most of our users wanting a Windows OS, we tested the XP version.

You might expect the performance of this system to suffer under Windows XP, but that's not the case. Because this laptop uses a solid state drive, XP loads in just under 30 seconds. Since solid state drives have no moving parts they offer higher reliability than traditional laptop hard drives. If it gets banged around you won't have to worry about losing any valuable data.

The screen is a small 7 inches, but supports a deep color depth and resolutions of 800 x 480 or 800 x 600. The model we tested included a built in .3 mega pixel digital camera that is perfect for video chat.

The Eee PC's ease of use and reliability make it perfect for a child's first computer. It's also available in five colors which make it both functional and stylish.

The Eee PC is not all play. The system we tested came with Microsoft Works installed. Users needing MS Office functionality can also download a free copy of Open Office for Windows which includes MS Office compatible versions of a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation applications.

There are three USB 2.0 slots built into the Eee PC that make it easy to add extra drive space, dvd drives, or connect your digital camera. There is also a a built-in SDHC card reader which can be used for even more storage space.

The system we tested came with 512MB of memory, but this is easily expandable up to 2 GB with DDR2 533 memory sticks.

If you're looking for a desktop replacement, the Eee PC is probably not it. But if you want a really small and usable laptop that you can travel with, then look no further.

KCnet currently has a limited supply of this system in stock at shop.kcnet.com. If you'd like to see the Eee PC in action, feel free to stop by our office and take a look at our demo model.

Get the Most Out of Your Website: Google Analytics

If you are serious about converting prospective customers into paying clients, Google Analytics is for you.

Google Analytics is a free, but powerful tool designed to help you understand how your visitors find and utilize your web site. If your using search engine marketing programs like Google AdWords to drive traffic to your site Analytics is a must have tool.

When you activate your free Google Analytics account you'll be given a small snippet of HTML code. Simply insert the code into the bottom of your web pages and sit back as Google analytics gathers a vast amount of data on your site's users. Within 24 hours you'll be able to see what keywords people are using to find your site, how they maneuver through your site, and if you are successfully converting those users into paying customers.

Google Analytics reports are simple, but provide a wealth of useful information. See Example below.

Get started with Google Analytics today. (Did we mention it's free?)

Memorial Day

KCnet's offices will be closed Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day. After-hours phone support will be available during the following times throughout Memorial Day weekend:

• Friday, May 23rd: Closed at 6:00 PM, (check voice mail at 6:00pm)
  
• Saturday, May 24th: 4:00am to 3:00pm (check voice mail at 6:00pm)
  
• Sunday, May 25th: 4:00am to 1:00pm (checking voice mail at 4:00pm and 6:00pm)
  
• Monday, May 26th: Open at 4:00am to 10:00am (checking voice mail at 2:00pm and at 6:00pm)