Microsoft Office is too expensive, help!
Everyone likes to save money, and students are no exception. If you cannot afford the £100+ for the full office set up (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc) then you could try Open Office. This download contains completely legal and 100% free versions of the popular Microsoft programs. This file is 64.2 Mb in size, so download it at Uni and take it home on a memory stick if you are on dialup.
I can't read this document that has been sent to me by the University!
Some Word processors may not be able to read certain documents. To be able to read these documents it is highly suggested that you download and install Word Viewer 2003. This application can read most of the document types that module leaders send out.
My computer is acting strangley and is really slow! Whats going on?
The chances are that you have inadvertently aquired a computer Virus, or some Spyware.
Viruses:
Be aware of the nuisance of computer viruses. This could be a problem if you are putting your memory stick into different machines, particularly outside the Computer Suite (e.g. at other campuses, at home, at work, etc).
Another source of viruses is from e-mail attachments. Be wary of unexpected files sent to you.
Should you have a problem, please ask the Technical Assistants or your support person at other locations.
Download antivirus software
What is a Virus?
In computer security technology, a virus is a self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other executable code or documents. Thus, a computer virus behaves in a way similar to a biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into living cells. Extending the analogy, the insertion of the virus into a program is termed infection, and the infected file (or executable code that is not part of a file) is called a host. Viruses are one of the several types of malware or malicious software more........
E-mail viruses
- Hoax viruses
- Budweiser Frogs hoax
- jdbgmgr.exe virus hoax
- Worm viruses
- Re: Thank you
- Re: Your application
- Re: Wicked screensaver
- Re: Your details
Some information about email viruses can be found at: E-mail viruses
Spyware:
Spyware is a broad category of Malware malicious software intended to intercept or take partial control of a computer's operation without the user's informed consent. While the term taken literally suggests software that surreptitiously monitors the user, it has come to refer more broadly to software that subverts the computer's operation for the benefit of a third party. More Information.
Spyware should and can be removed from your computer the same as a virus, you just need the software to do it. A good spyware removal tool that I have found is Crawler's Spyware Terminator which seems to discover more than other spyware removal tools that I have used.
You can scan your system by downloading the free, full version from http://www.spywareterminator.com/ and click the download button.
Firewalls:
A personal computer connected to the Internet without a firewall can be hijacked in just a few minutes by automated hacker ''Bots''. The only way to make your computer 100% secure is to turn it off or disconnect it from the Internet. The real issue is how to make your computer 99% secure when it is connected. Not having protection is like leaving your car running with the doors unlocked and the keys in it which a thief might interpret as "please steal me". More Information.