Triona's Tech Tips

A new Trojan horse virus that infects Macs (DNSChanger) may cause your Internet connection to become unusably slow.

If you are on a Mac and have experienced these symptoms, try the DNSChanger Removal Utility. I also recommend anti-virus software for Macs such as Intego VirusBarrier.

The CPSC has announced the recall of 73,000 Sony Vaio TZ-series laptops due to a potential burn hazard. Affected models include the Vaio VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300 and VGN-TZ2000. Not all units are affected, contact Sony for details.

• CPSC Sony Vaio Laptop Recall

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Choosing a parental control program can be a daunting task. There are so many options and features, it’s hard to tell what’s right for your family. Here are some popular solutions.

• NetNanny (Windows/Mac)
  A veteran in the parental-control field, NetNanny was in dire need of an overhaul prior to this recent version. It’s also newly available for Mac.
• SafeEyes (Windows/Mac)
  This award-winning program includes almost every feature you can imagine, including web blocking, logs, scheduling, filters, and more.
• Cyber Patrol (Windows)
  This is also a longtime veteran of the parental control world.
• Intego ContentBarrier (Mac)
  From the makers of VirusBarrier comes this robust solution for Mac users.
• Norton Internet Security 2008 (Windows)
  I’m not sure why they bother listing this as parental control software, because the features are very basic. You can use it if you already have it, but I would supplement it with one of the other options. And you might want to read why I don’t recommend it anymore for antivirus.

If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, the Tools Database at GetNetWise offers a very handy search tool to help you find parental control software with the features you need.

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How can you keep your kids safe online? This is the number-one question parents ask me. Everyone wants to know how they can balance safety with the needs of today’s students.

I’ve posted last year’s article, which talks about how families can create their own policies on computer use. Let’s review safety tips for kids, and discuss resources for parents, children, and educators.

Here is a handy list of Internet dos and don’ts for kids.

• Do practice Internet safety skills with your parents, teachers, and friends.
• Don’t give out your real name, address, age, school name, phone number, or other identifying information.
• Do remember that people are not always who they say they are online.
• Don’t chat with people you don’t know.
• Do tell your parents if you see anything on the Internet that makes you uncomfortable.
• Don’t meet with anyone or have them visit you without your parents’ permission.

For parents, teachers, and educators, the following references may be helpful.

• FBI’s Parent’s Guide To Internet Safety
• FBI’s Internet Safety For Kids
• GetNetWise
• iSafe

If you have questions about kids and online safety, ask them here (click Comments below any article), and be sure to sign up for the email version of Tech Tips for bonus tips and product reviews.

Don’t miss this year’s Learn From The Experts Computer Series, sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce. I’ll be teaching the second session, Blogs For Business.

Would you like to know more about how blogs can help your business succeed? Join me and we’ll learn:

• What are blogs?
• How blogs can benefit your business
• How to market using blogs

Blogs For Business will be held Tuesday, October 7, 2008, from 9:00am-10:30am at the Fox River Grove (Illinois) Village Hall, 305 Illinois St. Click here for more information, or contact the Chamber at 847-639-2800. Hope to see you there!

A recent update for Trend Micro‘s Internet Security software may cause Windows to freeze.

The update, released on Friday, September 5, 2008 and corrected by Trend Micro the same day, erroneously identifies several key system files as infected. Symptoms may include programs that fail to run or run with errors, a missing Taskbar, and unusually unstable behavior. If you did not experience the issue, the latest update of Trend Micro is free of this problem. Unfortunately if you did get the update, you likely may have to reinstall Windows and your data from backup.

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