Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts Newsletter

Information, Computer Literacy, Education.

I C I C L E S
Affiliated with the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA)
December 2008

Illawarra PC Users Group

$2.00

PATRON: Sharon Bird MP, Member for Cunningham

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

ADD A POPUP WINDOW TO A
POWERPOINT SLIDE

12

ANATOMY OF AN ALERT

10

AVG ANTIVIRUS AND SECURITY SOFTWARE

TOP THREATS

14

AVG 8 INVALID UPDATE CONTROL

CTF FILE

16

FINDING AN ISP OR A BROADBAND PLAN

GOOGLING GOOD FOR GERIATRICS: STUDY
LETTERS

or our final meeting of the year you are

requested to bring a plate of munchies,
so we all can mingle and socialise after the
nights official business has been dealt with.
The planned sequence of events are:
Be entertained by Keith Brooks and
Pamela Partridge.
Then the Quickie raffle, Lucky Door
and Badge draw.
After the draws we set the room up into
social mode. Your help is needed.
After that's completed, it is munch and
mingle time.
Pack up. Your assistance will
be appreciated.

11
9

PRINT SELECTED PAGES FROM DIFFERENT

SECTIONS OF A DOCUMENT

FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER, 7:30 PM

10

PIVOT TABLES IN EXCEL

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

15

REMOVE UNWANTED BLANK PAGES

INSERTED AFTER A WORD TABLE

REGULAR FEATURES
ELWYNS VIEW

CARTOON

HINTS & TIPS

11, 12, 13

QUOTABLE QUOTES

ONE LINERS

ROUND AND ABOUT ICE

STOP ME IF ...

A Printer Cartridge Recycling Station is now located in the foyer of the small hall of the
Unanderra Community Centre for your convenience with the compliments of South Coast
DECEMBER
PAGE 1
ICICLES
Ink 2008
& Toner Supplies.

16

Vol. 26, No. 11, December 2008

I C I C L E S
Official Journal of
The Illawarra PC User Group Inc.
ABN: 81 127 508 207

4284 8754 - icepcug@gmail.com - www.illawarrapcug.org.au

Correspondence to: Illawarra Computer Enthusiasts, 9 Ursula Road, Bulli, NSW 2516

EDITORIAL TEAM AND CONTRIBUTORS

This page is sponsored by Sid & Jan Wilkinson

Editor, Production, Advertising:

Bodo Schwarz bodo@tadaust.org.au
Assistant Editor, Research: Robert Castles
robert.castles@gmail.com
Distribution: Robert Parsons
rparsons@exemail.com.au

Contributors: Lynnette Armour, Robert

Castles, Pat Colby, Keith Daniels, Robert
Davidson, Penny Ferguson, Elwyn
Jordan, Olav Lehmann, Michael McKeen,
Isabel Pauza.

ELWYNS VIEW
LONG LIVE THE SPECIALIST SHOP
By Elwyn Jordan, ICE

ecently a friend of mine bought a laptop.

Like me, (you might recall me writing
about buying a laptop a few months ago), he
didnt really need one. But, again like me, he
could see the advantages in having some
portability in his computing. For example,
taking it out to the dining-room or lounge room
etc rather than having to be restricted to one
room. And taking it on holidays, or using it to
show people photos etc. In fact it was probably
me showing him some photos that formed part
of the inspiration for him deciding to buy a
laptop. Having photos displayed on a crystalclear 15 screen in the middle of the table is
better than passing around the 6 x 4s. So there
are, as I said when I bought mine, advantages
and reasons for having one. My wife just called
it, Boys and their toys! (Referring to both my
purchase and my friends).
What he bought was a little bit better than
mine, but still pretty much an entry-level
machine; with a basic dual-core processor, and
a couple of extras like a web-cam and a cardreader. But he paid a lot more than I did. And
my initial reaction was that I thought what he
paid was perhaps a bit excessive for what he
got. I asked him where he bought it from, and
he told me he got it from his usual computershop. Since I stopped dealing in computers,
hes been buying his computer equipment from
a little suburban computer shop. Hes got to
know the owner pretty well, and gets a good
deal and good service. The guy is pretty good
with software problems too.
ICICLES

Did you try Harvey Norman, Domayne, or

Dick Smiths? I asked; implying that if hed
shopped around he could probably have got a
better deal. No, I just went straight there. I
always deal there, he replied.
Later I did some checking. For the same
sort of machine I reckoned he couldve saved
himself around $150, or more; especially with
the cash-back schemes some of the larger
shops were offering.
So, did he buy from the wrong place? Not
necessarily. True, the smaller shops dont have
the same buying power as the major chains, so
their wholesale price is higher, and their selling
price has to be correspondingly higher. But, as
hes a regular customer, they do give him
pretty good prices on what he buys. And even
if he did pay a bit more, its actually worth it.
You see, the reason he bought from there was
that he always goes there, he knows the owner
well, and gets a good product and personal,
very efficient, after-sales service. And thats
something thats often missing from some of
the larger chains. They sell you the product,
but if you have a problem using it theyre too
busy (or in many cases unable!) to help. Once
you walk out the door, in many cases they
dont want to know you! True, when I did have
a question about software, I contacted the
same salesman I bought it from and got an
immediate efficient answer. Problem solved.
But you dont always get that; even, so Ive

PAGE 2

(Continued on page 3)
DECEMBER 2008

ROUND AND ABOUT ICE

WELCOME It gives us great

in February 2009. The contribution deadline is

15 January 2009.

pleasure to welcome Norah

Alexander and James Hall as
members of the Illawarra Computer
Enthusiasts and we hope that their
association with ICE will be a long and
happy one.

NEXT MEETINGS The next meeting will be held

15 January 2009, 7:30 pm
DAY MEETINGS There will be no day meetings
in the months of December and January.

VOTE OF THANKS It is a pleasure to

The first day meeting is on 28 February

2009, 1:00 pm.

once again to acknowledge the

donations, monetary or in kind, by
Sharon Bird MP, Robert Castles, Eve Green,
George Hood, Michael Haane, Cablelink
Australia and ITSA.

2008 ICICLES YEARBOOK The Yearbook

can be ordered by interested members by prepayment of $15.00
Again as last year, the yearbook will be
produced in colour.
You can place your order at the reception desk
at our meetings.

GOING FISHING Our

Editor has decided, after
a two year break, to go
fishing again this year.
The next issue of ICICLES will be published

encountering such people are pretty common.

(Continued from page 2)

been told, from that same store.

When I was dealing in computers, one of
the things that I prided myself on and one of
the reasons my customers kept coming back
was personalised service; both at the time of
the sale and afterwards as well. I never
claimed to be the cheapest, but what I sold
was always good quality. And the customer
knew I was there to help if they did have a
problem. If I could anyway. (Software was
never a specialty, but I helped where I could!).
You dont get very much these days. The retail
computer business has moved away from the
small specialty shops. Prices might be
cheaper, but the sales and service is much
more impersonal. And the advice is not always
very good. Remember the advice I was given
by that certain major retailer where I first when
to buy my laptop? The guy was just trying to
talk me into buying something more up-market
and wasnt even listening to my intended use
of the system. Today, you really need to make
your choice based on your own research, not
the in-store advice; because its often too
unreliable! Weve all heard the stories of
pimply-faced young sales people who dont
have the experience, or even the product
knowledge, to be able to assist in your
purchase; let alone help with any questions
you might have after the purchase. Of course
they arent all like that; but the stories of buyers
DECEMBER 2008

It wasnt like that when we all bought from

the small computer-specialist stores. Those
specialty shops where the service is more
professional and helpful, both at the time of
purchase and after. Thats what I used to try to
provide my customers; and thats what this
shop where my friend goes provides their
customers. Yes, you might pay a bit extra, but
its worth it!
An example of this came when he got
tangled up with user-profiles. He called me, but
Im still feeling my way with Vista, so I wasnt
much help. So he called the shop. They
immediately helped. Problem solved. The shop
also set up his internet connection for him. At
no extra charge. Try getting that sort of service
from your major retailer!
Now, Im not saying that you dont get good
service from larger retailers. But what I am
saying is that its sad that these smaller
specialist computer shops are dying out. There
arent many now, because people ignore them
to buy on price alone. Computers are a
commodity; people buy them like theyd buy a
refrigerator wherever they can get the best
price! But there was a time and still is if you
search out those little shops where
computers were much more than that; and they
were sold by people who regarded them as
much more than that! And if the price was a
little higher; well, it was and still is worth it!
So long may they live and prosper!

PAGE 3

ICICLES

This page is sponsored by Bodo Schwarz

ELWYNS VIEW

(Continued on page 8)

FINDING AN ISP OR A BROADBAND PLAN

By Isabel Pauza, ICE

e discussed this briefly at our meeting on 26 October but for those who were perhaps not
quick enough to take notes or those who may want to investigate a bit further here is a
step by step guide for you to follow:

1. Type in the web address http://whirlpool.net.au/

2. Select Broadband Choice
3. Type in your telephone number and click OK

This page is sponsored by Computer Fairs Australia

4. A screen appears giving you details

of your exchange; whether the
exchange supports ADSL and the
Region (used for pricing). It also
advises of ADSL2 providers.
5. You now have the choice to search
for a Plan or show a list of ISPs. I
suggest you click on Plan Search.

6. Answer the questions by clicking on the option buttons when you have completed the page
click on FIND ALL SUITABLE PLANS.

Use the drop-downs

to make alterations

Summary area

7. A page similar to the following will appear giving a summary of your answers to your questions
at the top [you can make changes here by using the drop down arrows] and a list of potential
ISPs above.
(Continued on page 5)

QUOTE OF THE DAY

YOU KNOW YOU'RE AUSTRALIAN IF

"As of tomorrow, employees will only be able

to access the building using individual
security cards. Pictures will be taken next
Wednesday, and employees will receive
their cards in two weeks."
Fred Dales, Microsoft

You get choked up with emotion by the first

verse of the national anthem and then have
trouble remembering the second.
Submitted by Robert Davidson, ICE

Submitted by Michael McKeen, ICE

A job is for somebody thats not on the Internet.

ICICLES

PAGE 4

DECEMBER 2008

FINDING AN ISP OR A BROADBAND PLAN

(Continued from page 4)

Your sort by area choose your field (e.g.

sort by Cost) then click on Filter
List of ISPs

8. When choosing a plan, check if the Uploads [Upstream] are FREE or is there a charge?

Paying for excess usage

hen you create a table that ends at the

bottom margin, Word automatically
inserts a new blank page. If you turn on the
Show/Hide button, it reveals a paragraph mark
after the table.
If you dont need the extra page, your first
instinct may be to delete the paragraph mark,
but Word prevents you from doing so because
the mark is part of the documents table format.
Your next step may be to reformat the page so
the paragraph mark fits on the page, but there
is a third solution. Follow these steps to
eliminate the extra page:
1. Select the paragraph mark on the second
page.
2. Click in the Font size box in the Formatting
toolbar. (In Word 2007, click in the Font size
box in the Font group in the Home tab.)
3. Replace the font size with 1. Press [Enter].
If the paragraph mark is still on the blank page,
follow these steps:
1. Select the paragraph mark.
2. Go to Format | Paragraph.
DECEMBER 2008

Many people seem to be paying a

considerable sum for excess usage
especially on plans that only give for example
only 200 or 400 Mb/month.
To prevent the extra surprises at the end of
the month look for a SHAPED plan the
advantages of a shaped plan are that you
should never be charged for excess usage. If
you reach your limit for the month then rather
than pay more money your delivery will slow
down.
Just be aware that on some shaped plans
you can select the EXCESS USAGE box on
the application form in which case you may be
charged for excess usage.
3. Click the Indents And Spacing tab.
4. In the Spacing section, change any spacing
before or after the paragraph to 0.
5. Click in the Line Spacing box, select Single
and then click OK.
The paragraph mark should now be almost
invisible, but positioned on the same page as
the table.

PAGE 5

ICICLES

This page is sponsored by Robert Parsons

Is there a cost???

REMOVE UNWANTED BLANK PAGES

INSERTED AFTER A WORD TABLE

PIVOT TABLES IN EXCEL

By Olav Lehmann, ICE

A pivot table is a great reporting tool that sorts and sums independently of the original
spreadsheet data layout. If you have never used one, this demo may be of interest.
Date
7/01/2008
8/01/2008
9/01/2008
10/01/2008
11/01/2008
12/01/2008
13/01/2008
14/01/2008

Account
Payee
4691
Mcafee
EFT
Newsagency
4692 Colour Fencing
ATM
Auto Teller
4693
Guide Dogs
4694
ICE
Bpay
Optus Mobile
EFT
Ozemail

Memo
Virus Software
Newspaper
Deposit for Fencing

XPPro

This page is sponsored by Gladys Pickering

Category Expenditure
Computer
100.00
Newspaper
35.00
Home Repair
200.00
Cash
100.00
Charity
50.00
Computer
125.00
Utilities
19.50
Computer
49.50

irst, create some data, with 4 or 5 Payees, 8

or so different Categories and a little variety
of expenses: Date, Account and Memo can be
left out. Add as many rows as you can around 50
will do. The advantages of Pivot Tables increase
in proportion to the amount of data.

and the Amount header into the DATA area. If

the Amount tag does not show "Sum of Amount",
double-click it and choose the Sum option.

Now select any cell in this table and choose

Pivot Table in the Data menu. Excel asks for the
data source and suggests this table. Click OK

Finally Excel asks if the table should be

placed in a new worksheet. Click OK

Note: Insertion of Amount into the Data

area automatically finishes this step so make
sure this is the last header added.

Next question is the data range. Excel

suggests the table. If you expect to add data in
the future, set the data range to include as
many rows as you think you will need. Rather
than A1:F50, you may want to specify
$A$1:$F$200.
Note: All columns must have a header even
though you dont intend to use them.
Now Excel asks where you would like your
Pivot Table. Note that at the bottom left of this
information box there is a button marked
Layout. Click this button to get the dialogue
box shown on the right (Figure 1).
Drag the header Payee into the ROW area,
the Category header into the COLUMN area

Figure 1

Now you have your Pivot table, sorted and

with subtotals (Figure 2):
(Continued on page 11)

Figure 2

ICICLES

PAGE 6

DECEMBER 2008

Robert Castles

Special Event Videos

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Remanufacture and Save
UP To 60% on Printing Costs!
Remanufactured Cartridges for Inkjet, Laser,
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AGA Club Germania Ltd

636A Northcliffe Drive
KEMBLA GRANGE, NSW 2506
4271 5011
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germanclub@netspace.net.au
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424 Princes Highway, Corrimal, NSW 2518

Just South Of The Police Station
1300 139 419 or 4284 0022

Licence No. 2TA4622. A Travelworld Franchise

Office owned and operated by Keith and
Ann-Maree Scott.

YOU WILL FIND THE

BIGGEST RANGE OF

See Ann-Maree and Keith

for all your travel arrangements

HARDWARE & SOFTWARE

CNR KING STREET &
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WARRAWONG, NSW 2502

Shop 9B
Thirroul Plaza
Thirroul, NSW 2515
4267 4011
4267 4125
thirroul@travelworld.com.au

4275 2722
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McDonald's Woonona
Family Restaurant
Consulting
Networking
Integration
ASDL services
Service & support
101 Kenny Street
Wollongong, NSW 2500
4226 4255
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www.unitech.com.au
DECEMBER 2008

370-372 Princes Highway,

Woonona NSW 2517
4285 6248

4285 6251

www.mcdonalds.com.au
PAGE 7

ICICLES

This page is sponsored by George Hood

thirroul

 John Churchill AFL Premiership 2005

PC game

ROUND AND ABOUT ICE

(Continued from page 3)

2009 CALENDAR The 2009 Calendar can

be collected at any of our activities. Please
note that the calendar will not be mailed out.

Robert Parsons Copy paper

COMPUTER FAIRS ICE wont be manning a stall

October Day meeting

LUCKY DOOR DRAW

at Computer Fair at Unanderra, 21 December.

The Unanderra Fair on 14 December will be
manned as usual. Helpers are needed.

QUICKIE RAFFLE The results of the

raffles were:
October Day meeting

Fred James PC-cillin Internet Security

Suite donated by Robert Castles
November Night meeting
Arline Kime Optical mouse & mouse mat

Judy Gombera 1 GB Flash Drive donated

by ITSA
George Hood 50 x CD-R pack donated
by Eve Green
Don Estell Microsoft Digital Image Suite

This page is sponsored by George Hood

Eugene Keenan Optical mouses &

mouse mat

November Night meeting

Allen Chaplin 1 GB Flash Drive donated
by ITSA

Suzanne Marsh PC-cillin Internet Security

Suite donated by Robert Castles

BADGE DRAW
October Day meeting
Karin Schmidbauer CD marker pen
Don Estell Lanyard & 30 cm rule
(Continued on page 9)

WOLLONGONG DRAWING
& OFFICE EQUIPMENT
Incorporating
PRESENTATION PRODUCTS
Sales - Rental - Service

Wholesalers &
Importers
ABN 32 114 315 123

Of Quality
YOUR
HOME THEATRE
& PRESENTATION
SPECIALIST

Computer

109 Lakemba Street

BELMORE, NSW 2192
02 9740 8833
02 9740 8866
0433 766 127

ABN: 82 119 434 623

Accessories
Call Goran or Adrian on
4229 9333

: 4229 9966

wdoe@wdoe.com.au

www.wdoe.com.au

sales@cablelinkaustralia.com.au
www.cablelinkaustralia.com.au

CNR KEMBLA & BEACH STREETS, WOLLONGONG, NSW 2500

itsa

Zoom Computers & Services Pty Ltd

ABN 90 575 997 191

Illawarra TAFE Student Association

Inc Bookshop
Textbooks, software and
technical equipment
"Serving the students of the
Illawarra Institute"

Computers,
Parts, Repairs &
Service
Ink Cartridges

Shop1/263 Princess Highway

Corrimal NSW 2518
4283 3323
4283 3367
info@zoomcomputers.com.au
www.zoomcomputers.com.au

ICICLES

4229 0529
4226 4285
itsashop@shoal.net.au
www.itsa.asn.au
PAGE 8

DECEMBER 2008

LETTERS

ROUND AND ABOUT ICE

(Continued from page 8)

November Night meeting

Pat Colby Photo paper donated by
Bodo Schwarz
Suzanne Marsh Lanyard, pen &
30 cm rule

EDUCATION In order to plan better, all

training courses have been allocated dates
for 2009.
Enrolments close 14 days before the
commencement date of each course.
Access 1

4, 11, 18, 25 May

Access 2
Burning CDs

19, 26 Oct, 2, 9 Nov

4 Apr
4 Jul

Computer Basics

16, 23 Feb2, 9 Mar

27 Jul, 3, 10, 17 Jun

Create-A-Card

14 Mar
11 Jul

Excel 1

18, 25 Feb, 4, 11 Mar

Excel 2
File Management

29 Jul, 5, 12, 19 Aug

29 Apr
8 Jul
16 Nov

Internet
Outlook Express

25 Mar, 1, 8, 15 Apr
2 May
1 Aug

Picasa

22 Apr
21 Oct

Photoshop Elements 3, 10, 17, 24 Jun

4, 11, 18, 25 Nov
PowerPoint

DECEMBER 2008

2, 9, 16, 23 Sep

A word of thanks can hardly say

How much your kind thoughts of sympathy
on the passing of my mother meant to me
and family. To be succinct, I must conclude,
I'm overwhelmed with gratitude.
Bodo Schwarz
Photostory 3

30 May
5 Sep

Publisher

6, 13, 20, 27 May

Printing (Excel)

1 Jul

Tables
Train the Trainer

1 Jun
7, 14, 21 Mar, 7 Apr
15, 22, 29 Jun, 6 Jul

Word 1

23, 30 Mar, 6, 20 Apr

Word 2

7, 14, 21, 28 Sep

Detailed information is available at the

education table.
All courses take place in the UFARA
computer lab, which can be accessed
through the Community Centres front office
from Factory Road.
You need to bring with you the following:
A pen,
Notebook,
A flash drive
Additional items you will be advised of on
enrolment for some courses,
And the joining instructions given to you
on enrolment.
(Continued on page 15)

PAGE 9

ICICLES

This page is sponsored by Norm Gadsby

Envelopes & Labels 9, 16 May

Subject: Return Thanks

To all my friends at ICE

ANATOMY OF AN ALERT

oon after you install ZoneAlarm, you may

see Program or Firewall alerts. This is
normal alerts let you know you're protected

and help you set up the right permissions for

your network connections and programs.

If you do not recognise the program name,

click More Info, which will guide you to the
ZoneAlarm Web site. The site provides
descriptions for many programs in order to help
the users make safe decisions.

This page is sponsored by M & P Haane

Remember to check the box next to Remember

this setting so that you give permanent
permission to programs you trust. This will
reduce the number of pop-ups you receive.

PRINT SELECTED PAGES FROM DIFFERENT SECTIONS

OF A DOCUMENT
By Mary Ann Richardson

Choosing which pages you send to the printer is normally a straightforward

process, thanks to Words Page Range options. But if those pages belong to
different document sections, youll need to give Word a little extra guidance.

he Page Range section of Words Print

dialog box lets you print only the pages you
need. For example, if you needed to print
pages 1, 10, and 100 of a 100-page document,
you would enter 1,10,100 in the
Pages text box. That works as
long as your document is not made
up of more than one section.

section, you would add p and the page number

to the section number. For instance, to print
pages 1-1 and 2-2, you would enter p1s1,p2s2
as shown in the figure below.

For example, say you have a

document that is divided into 10
chapters, each in a separate section
of the document, and each
numbered separately starting with 1.
Thus, Chapter One is numbered 1-1
through 1-10; Chapter 2 is
numbered 2-1 through 2-20; and so
on. To print Chapters 1 and 4, you
would enter the following in the
Pages text box: s1,s4
To print Chapters 2 through 4,
you would enter: s2-s4
To print individual pages within each
ICICLES

Source: TechRepublic, 14 October 2008

PAGE 10

DECEMBER 2008

The buttons on the toolbars toggle

on and off. That is, when you click a
button, you turn on the attribute.
When you click the button again, you turn off
the attribute.

PIVOT TABLES IN EXCEL

(Continued from page 6)

The little down arrows next to Payee and

Category. Clicking on either of these will hide
selected Payee or Category items.
General Notes
Pivot tables is known as Data Pilot in
Open Office Calc (Open Office 3.0 is
now available).
Excel 2000 and 2003 allow you to take further
steps in arranging data which doesnt appear
to be available in Excel 2007 and is not
included in Open Office Calc
Its desirable not to have variations in
spellings of category names and to this end
its useful to set up dropdown lists for the
Category column. Dropdown list in Excel
come under the term Transcribe.

Submitted by Robert Castles, ICE

AFP

Googling is good for you. No, really. A team of US researchers has found that
searching the internet stimulates brain activity in the elderly and middle-aged and
may help keep their minds sharp.

he study was carried out by scientists at

the University of California at Los Angeles
(UCLA) and published in the latest edition of
the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
The UCLA scientists found that searching
the web triggers key centres in the brain that
control decision-making and complex
reasoning and may help stimulate and possibly
improve brain function.
"The study results are encouraging, that
emerging computerised technologies may have
physiological effects and potential benefits for
middle-aged and older adults," said Dr Gary
Small, the principal investigator of the study.
"Internet searching engages complicated
brain activity, which may help exercise and
improve brain function," said Small, a professor
at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience
and Human Behaviour.
The study's authors noted that their findings
are the latest to suggest that complex activity that
keeps the mind engaged, such as crossword
puzzles, may help keep the brain healthy.
The UCLA researchers said they tested 24
neurologically normal research volunteers
between the ages of 55 and 76, half with
experience searching the internet and half with
no experience.
DECEMBER 2008

The study participants performed web

searches and book-reading tasks while
undergoing functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) scans, which record braincircuitry changes.
They all showed significant brain activity
during book reading and web searching,
but the internet-savvy group registered a
twofold increase in brain activation during
web use when compared with those with
little Internet experience.
They said the web-savvy group also
registered greater activity in the frontal,
temporal and cingulated areas of the
brain, which control decision-making and
complex reasoning.
"Our most striking finding was that internet
searching appears to engage a greater extent
of neural circuitry that is not activated during
reading - but only in those with prior internet
experience," said Small.
"A simple, everyday task like searching the
web appears to enhance brain circuitry in older
adults, demonstrating that our brains are
sensitive and can continue to learn as we grow
older," he added.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 16 October 2008
Submitted by Lynnette Armour, ICE

PAGE 11

ICICLES

This page is sponsored by Fred and Lorna James

GOOGLING GOOD FOR GERIATRICS: STUDY

ADD A POPUP WINDOW TO A POWERPOINT SLIDE

By Susan Harkins

This page is sponsored by Elwyn Jordan

Sometimes you want to display additional

information thats not a permanent element on
a slide similar to a popup window. In other
words, the information is hidden until you want
to display it. For instance, you might want to
display quarterly bonuses to build excitement.
Or you might want to share a contact phone
number or e-mail address if asked. Theres no
built-in feature that does this, but you can still
get PowerPoint to display a pseudo popup
window by adding a trigger that displays a
callout.

Figure 1

A trigger is an object that executes an action

or animation when clicked. This technique
requires a graphic for you to click. If youre
lucky, your slide will have an appropriate
graphic to use as a trigger. If not, you can
create one by inserting and then hiding an
AutoShape. For the popup window, you can
use a callout AutoShape. By using a trigger
and a little animation, you can get PowerPoint
to display the callout with a quick click.

Figure 2

There are several ways to arrange these items:

You can use two separate objects: a trigger
and a callout.
You can use the same object for both
purposes by adding a trigger to the callout.
You can use an existing graphic in the slide
to trigger the callout.
The following example uses both a trigger and
a callout, as follows:
1. In Normal view, with the slide current,
choose Basic Shapes from the AutoShapes
control on the Drawing toolbar.
2. Select and insert a shape. How big the
shape is depends on how much coverage
you want. The advantage to using an
additional object as the trigger is that you
control the trigger area. Callouts can be
small and might be difficult to hit during a
busy presentation (Figure 1).
3. Next, add the callout AutoShape by
choosing Callouts from the AutoShapes
control, selecting and inserting a specific
callout shape, and then entering the
appropriate text (Figure 2).

To animate the callout, do the following:

1. Right-click the callout AutoShape and
choose Custom Animation.
2. In the resulting Custom Animation pane,
choose Entrance from the Add Effects
control, and then select More Effects.
3. From the resulting list of effects, click Faded
Zoom (at the bottom) and click OK.
PowerPoint will add the animated callout to
the effects list.
4. To set the trigger, choose Timing from the
effects drop-down list (Figure 3).
5. In the Faded Zoom dialogue box,
click Triggers.

PRINT A GROUP Just select

the worksheets you want to
print as a group before
choosing File > Print.
ICICLES

(Continued on page 13)

You enter the formulas exactly as

given for them to be effective.
Remember, formulas ALWAYS
with an equal (=) sign.
PAGE 12

DECEMBER 2008

ADD A POPUP WINDOW TO A POWERPOINT SLIDE

7. Click OK to close the dialogue box.

To complete the effect, hide the trigger graphic
(if you include one) as follows (Figure 5):
1. Right-click the trigger graphic (the
rectangular AutoShape) and choose
Format AutoShape.
2. Choose 100% from the Transparency
control in the Fill section.
3. Then, choose No Line from the Colour
drop-down list in the Line section.

(Continued from page 12)

Figure 3

Figure 5

6. Click (Figure 4) the Start Effect On Click

Of option and then select the object that
when clicked will display the callout. In this
case, thats the rectangular AutoShape you
added in the first set of instructions. (When
applying this to your own slides, give the
trigger graphics meaningful names;
matching the callout to the triggering object
will be much easier that way.)

Figure 4

Clicking the hidden trigger object again will

redisplay the callout rather than jumping to the
next slide. To continue the slide show, click
anywhere in the slide other than on the trigger
object. Experiment with the shapes and timing
once youre comfortable with the technique to
get the most efficient and effective results. You
might want to add an exit animation as well.
That way you can hide the callout if you want
to continue to view the slide without the callout.
Remember, you might not need a trigger
graphic. You might use an existing graphic or
even the callout itself.
Source: TechRepublic, 18 October 2008

Find Out Which Updates Have

Been Installed
Go to Control Panel, Add or Remove
Programs. Click the checkbox next to
Show Updates and scroll down to find
the 'Windows XP Software Updates' list
with all the installed updates.
DECEMBER 2008

PAGE 13

ICICLES

This page is sponsored by Lorraine and Lynnette

4. Click OK and save the presentation.

To preview the slide, press [F5]. Click the
trigger object to display the callout.

AVG ANTIVIRUS AND SECURITY SOFTWARE TOP THREATS

I-Worm/Nuwar
Propagation method of new Nuwar variant
is still similar to its predecessors. A
spammed mail with link in IP format directs
users to the worm web pages where the
users are prompted to download one of the
worm files with the name funny.exe.
Names of other downloadable files are
kickme.exe and foolsday.exe. AVG
detects this threat as I-Worm/Nuwar.R.
31 March 2008
I-Worm/Nuwar
New Nuwar variant spreading method is
similar to Nuwar.L last month propagation.
Spammed e-mails are brief containing link
in IP format to currently working pages
with worm. Compromised page code is
changed and as a result user is prompted
to download file with worm. Downloaded
filename is valentine.exe it's about 110 130kB long and it's detected by AVG as
I-Worm/Nuwar.N
14 February 2008
I-Worm/Nuwar
We have a new wave of spammed mail
messages containing link directing users to
website where the worm could be
downloaded. An e-mail contains short text
and IP address of currently working pages
with worm. In this case downloaded
filename is withlove.exe and it's about
115kB in size. Websites and worm files
changes every few minutes. AVG detects
withlove.exe as I-Worm/Nuwar.L.
14 February 2008
Win32/Mabezat.A
In last few days weve registered a larger
amount of PE files infected by this virus.
Win32/Mabezat is polymorphic file infector
which infects PE files. More information
could be found in our Virus Encyclopaedia.
(http://www.avg.com/virbase)
14 November 2007
Downloader.Tibs
A new Downloader.Tibs variant is
spreading today thanks to massive
spamming. Infected e-mails contains about
130-140kB long attachment, usually with
name happy2008.exe, which is Trojan
horse itself. There are also e-mails with
links directing users to a malicious web
page. The files are already detected as
Downloader.Tibs.
14 February 2008
ICICLES

Trojan Downloader.Agent.UZM
A new Trojan Downloader was spammed
today. Trojan is attached in zip archive to emails in HTML format with subject "Hot
game" and body text that claims some
Angelina Jolie or Lara Croft undressing
game; xgame.zip attachment contains
xgame.exe (20992B) which drops executes
and deletes kernel driver
C:\WINDOWS\System32\drivers\runtime.sys
and downloads another downloader
smartdrv.exe. runtime.sys runs injects and
hides Iexplore.exe process and downloads
another components. xgame.exe is detected
as Trojan Downloader.Agent.UZM,
smartdrv.exe is detected as Trojan
Downloader.Agent.UZN, runtime.sys is
detected as Trojan Downloader.Agent.THW
and other downloaded components are
detected as several variants of Trojan
Backdoor.Ntrootkit.
10 November 2007
I-Worm/Stration downloader
Next Stration downloader variant spreads
by e-mail in messages with randomly
generated subject and body with two
attachments. PDF attachment is harmless
but EXE attachment which is 18708B long
is downloader itself and AVG detects it as
I-Worm/Stration.
More information about Stration worm
family can be found in the Virus
Encyclopaedia. (http://www.avg.com/
virbase) 5 November 2007
I-Worm/Stration downloader
Latest Stration downloader spreads by email in messages with randomly generated
subject and body with one EXE and one
PDF file attached. EXE file is 20992B in
size and its downloader itself which is
detected by AVG as I-Worm/Stration.FJA.
The file downloader tries to download is
already detected as I-Worm/Stration.
More information about Stration worm
family can be found in the Virus
Encyclopaedia. (http://www.avg.com/
virbase) 1 November 2007
Stration downloader
A new Stration downloader was seeded
during todays morning using mail
messages where subject and body are

PAGE 14

(Continued on page 15)

DECEMBER 2008

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q External Hard Drives
My query is to do with external hard drives,
particularly those classified as portable. I
previously installed a 320 gig drive
powered with adaptor from a power point.
This has worked successfully but I was
tempted by an ad from Officeworks to
purchase another, classified as portable
and cost $69 for 160 gigs. It was powered
and connected via USB. As I was
unsuccessful in installing this drive
(Western Digital) I returned it to O/W. They
offered me a Maxtor, also 160 gigs to try.
This also didn't want to be installed. I
suspected some sort of conflict and I
managed to get some help from the Maxtor
site, their trouble shooter. The problem was
resolved by dismantling all USB ports and
installing the HD first before reinstalling the
other hardware. I might add that the Maxtor
HD had an unusual set-up, requiring twin
USB connections. One covers data and
power requirements and the other appears
to be just to give an additional power boost.
I am raising this as I do not understand
the configuration of this type of HD. Although
I have managed to copy some photos onto
the drive some other files have also been
transferred but are not recognised. (What
program has raised them?)
Perhaps some knowledgeable person
can provide a simple explanation of how
they work etc.

port. As drives get faster and larger they

often draw more power this could be a
source of this problem.
You always must make sure that the
drive is connected to a genuine USB 2.0
otherwise the transfer rate will be very slow
and this can cause errors. I have noticed
that some of these drives are format in
FAT32 it is useful to reformat these as
NTFS drives as this is a better and more
efficient file structure for a large drives e.g.
over 8 gig.
I have seen these drive work on
computers quite well as long as they
were properly connected - even a Athlone
1700 quite an old machine now.
Another thing to check is the power
supply itself. It may work but not deliver
enough power to support the additional USB
devices connected. A larger capacity power
supply could be helpful particularly one that
has a large fan to keep everything cool.
Pat Colby
ROUND AND ABOUT ICE
(Continued from page 9)

Note: Ownership of the relevant application

is necessary to gain the full benefit from the
courses offered.
By enrolling in a course you agree to the
following conditions:

1. You will receive a full refund if the course

is cancelled.

Keith Daniels
A This hard drive is a laptop hard drive and is
powered by 5 volt power source of the USB

2. A minimum of 3 enrolments must be

received before a course commences.

3. All fees are not refundable except in very

AVG ANTIVIRUS AND SECURITY SOFTWARE TOP THREATS

extenuating circumstances to be dealt with

by committee on a case by case basis.

(Continued from page 14)

variable and which contains two

attachments, one with pdf extension and
second with exe extension which is 4096B
in size and its downloader itself. AVG
detect this threat as Trojan horse
Downloader.Generic6.PFM. Downloader
tries to download and install Stration to
affect system, but Stration download link is
no longer active.
More information about Stration worm
family can be found in the Virus
Encyclopaedia. (http://www.avg.com/
virbase) 19 October 2007
Source: http://www.avg.com/top-threats
Submitted by Penny Ferguson, ICE
DECEMBER 2008

4. Failure to attend will result in forfeiture of

fees paid. This may be appealed in writing
to the committee.

BOOKS Titles of the popular in easy steps

series are available to members for $25, plus
$10 postage.
Place your order with the Treasurer. Full
payment must accompany order.
To eliminate the postage, we wont place
the order with the publishers until a minimum of
5 books have been received by members.
For more details see the Secretary at any of
our activities.

PAGE 15

ICICLES

AVG 8 INVALID UPDATE CONTROL CTF FILE

By Gary James, StrategyOnline

rror message: Update failed. Invalid

Update Control CTF File.

For the past two days my AVG Anti-Virus

hasnt been downloading its definition updates.
Instead its been telling me that I have an
Invalid Update Control CTF File. I assumed
this was Windows Firewall (which I have turned
off) or Windows Defender (which I have
throttled down), but apparently it wasnt
I eventually deleted all the *.CTF files in
my C:\Users\All Users\avg8
\update\download directory.
Because this post has received so much
interest I decided to create a little program that

will fix this problem for you. Simply download

and run AVG Mechanic. It will detect where
AVG stores those CTF files on your computer,
and then tells you how many CTF files it found,
and offers to delete them for you!
You can download AvgMechanic.exe
(321 Kb) from this link: http://
www.strategyonline.co.za/ftp/public/
AvgMechanic.exe
Source: http://www.strategyonline.co.za/blog/?p=876
STOP ME IF ...

How do hens encourage their

football team?
They egg them on

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