Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
June 22, 2008

Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter
http://www.terryscomputertips.com
A computer tips newsletter for users of PC's.

Volume 4, Number 2 — Sunday, June 22, 2008

IN THIS ON-LINE ISSUE:
   1.   Changing the Current Font and Font Size in Microsoft Outlook
   2.   Setting the Default Font and Font Size in Microsoft Outlook
   3.   My Computer Security Software Recommendations
   4.   User Feedback - Solving Locked Files
   5.   Recommend my Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter to Your Friends

IN THIS WEEK'S EMAIL ISSUE:
   "Article 0." JUST FOR EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS!
   0.1.   Copying and Moving Files and Folders - Left-click or Right-click?
   0.2.   Read the Articles in This Week's On-Line Issue
   0.3.   Removing a Virus Infection

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Welcome to the on-line edition of my Terry's Computer Tips newsletter.

1.  Changing the Current Font and Font Size in Microsoft Outlook

This week, reader John from Australia wrote to ask how to make a change to one of Microsoft Outlook's default settings.

John wrote:

In Outlook how to change the font to a default setting.

I am trying to find out how to change the font so it stays as the default in Outlook. I go to format and font inside of an email and it changes only for that email. The next time it reverts back to the old font. Basically I simply want to change from 10 to 12 font

I use XP Pro. Word 2003

Before we get to John's answer, let's take a look at the process of changing the font in an email that you are currently writingn.

When you are preparing an email, you can change the font (if you have the email type set to HTML or Rich Text, but not to Plain Text, by the following process.

To change it for a specific block of text, first, you highlight the text. Then, you can either select Format from the menu bar, or you can use any of the more limited choices on the formatting bar immediately above your draft message.

(click on the image for a larger version)

If you select Format from the menu bar, then you need to select Font from the sub-choices under Format. At that point, you will get a Font dialog box like the one below.

(click on the image for a larger version)

The current values of each item are shown (e.g., in the example, Courier New is highlighted, and Strikethrough is not checked). Make the changes you want and click OK.

You can similarly click in the email to identify an insertion point. Then, click Format or change the choices on the email format bar, and they will apply to the text that you type at that point.

This process is very similar to the process in almost every word processor that is available for Windows. In fact, if you have Microsoft Word, it becomes the default editor for Microsoft Outlook emails.

What if you don't have Microsoft Word? The process is almost the same. The dialog boxes are a little different, but you still get the Format > Font options on the menu bar and you still get a formatting toolbar within the email window.

This week, reader John from Australia wrote to ask how to make a change to one of Microsoft Outlook's default settings.

John wrote:

In Outlook how to change the font to a default setting.

I am trying to find out how to change the font so it stays as the default in Outlook. I go to format and font inside of an email and it changes only for that email. The next time it reverts back to the old font. Basically I simply want to change from 10 to 12 font

I use XP Pro. Word 2003

The answer is that the place to change the default font is not the same place where you change the font in a specific message you're writing.

First, you open Microsoft Outlook. Then, from the menu bar, select Tools > Options.

(click on the image for a larger version)

That will open the Outlook options dialog box. At this point, click on the Mail Format tab. There are two things to check here: (1) make sure that the message format is either HTML or Rich Text, if you want to be able to change fonts, and (2) in the Stationery and Fonts section, click on the Fonts... button.

(click on the image for a larger version)

Now, we get the default Fonts dialog box. We can choose the font and size for new messages. We can even choose to use a different font and size for our default wen we're replying to or forwarding an email.

Finally, when we receive plain text emails, since Outlook is a graphical user interface (GUI), the plain text is actually displayed in a font. Outlook defaults to the ugly Courier New font, but allows us to change how we view a plain text message when we're preparing it or when we read one that is in plain text format.

(click on the image for a larger version)

3.  My Computer Security Software Recommendations

Anti-Virus

I'm often asked about several other popular anti-virus or anti-virus combination packages. Yes, I realize that they are not in my recommendation list. "Enough said..."

My personal choice is the ESET's small, fast NOD32 anti-virus program, which offers a FREE 30-day evaluation license. I consider NOD32 to be the cream of the crop in anti-virus protection. Unlike some of the others, ESET offers multiple-year licenses also, including updates to the program in the multiple-year license.

Many antivirus programs will offer you an anti-virus signature subscription renewal when your subscription renews. I strongly recommend against this option — buy the full program or make sure you get program updates with the subscription renewal (like NOD32 does). Vendors routinely improve the capabilities and speed of the programs, too.

If you update only the signatures, you miss any program improvements. Fortunately, NOD32's subscriptions include both program updates and signature updates.

Read more about anti-virus programs on my web site.

Related articles:

• Anti-Virus Programs and Online Scanners
• Free Online Antivirus Scan
• NOD32 Anti-Virus Review - A Look at NOD32

Firewall Software

While the Windows XP firewall is much better than no firewall at all, don't count on the Windows XP firewall to meet your needs. You need a two-way firewall, which the Windows XP firewall is not!. Microsoft woke up and supplied a two-way firewall with Windows Vista.

The Windows XP firewall does not control outbound communications originating from your computer — and you should want to have control if adware/trojans/spyware or even commercial products want to talk to the Internet. Whether they are calling home or spewing spam, you want to be able to control your computer.

Do you want Windows Media Player to call home every time you play something? It does! Do you use the Search function in Windows Explorer to find things on your hard drive? Did you know that every time you search, Windows Explorer talks to Microsoft?

I didn't know that when I ran ZoneAlarm, but the Sunbelt Personal Firewall flags that to me, and I can stop it or allow it to happen. Many other programs try to call home when you run them, too.

I recommend my choice for a firewall program, which is Sunbelt Personal Firewall.

You can try the full-featured "paid version" of Sunbelt Personal Firewall free for 30 days — after that, you can register it or, if you're using it on a home non-business computer, you can let it revert to the free, lesser-function license.

Sunbelt Personal Firewall is regularly $19.95 (with discounts for multiple computers and/or multiple years!) for a non-expiring license for the program and includes one year of their updates subscription.

Related articles:

• The Internet Versus You
• Do I Need a Firewall Program?
• Sunbelt Personal Firewall Review

Anti-Spyware / Anti-Adware Software

CounterSpy, from Sunbelt Software, has received many kudos from the computer press for its always-running and periodic full system scans. It is also my personal choice for my PC's and my family's PC's.

Sunbelt released their CounterSpy v2 in February 2007 and I promptly updated my computers to it. Version 2 greatly improved CounterSpy's performance and reduced its load on the computer when it was scanning.

In July, 2007, Sunbelt released v2.5 of CounterSpy, which again both improved CounterSpy's performance against malware and reduced its impact on system resources and responsiveness when its scanning.

Sunbelt continues to release updated program versions. Nicely, they do NOT install the updated programs automatically. You have to use the Update process in the program, which means that you'll know that something significant has changed!

Related articles:

• Fighting Against Spyware & Malware
• CounterSpy Review

Anti-spam Software

In today's Internet world, the question is not "if" you will get spam, but "how much will you get?"

I use and now I recommend POPFile as my first choice for handling spam. POPFile sits on your computer, between your email program and your ISP mailbox, and handles emial as it downloads.

POPFile uses a different approach to handle spam than some other programs do — it does nothing to reduce spam. It is designed as an email classification tool — you train it to recognize spam and any other type of email that you want to classify. These classifications can help you sort your emails into appropriate folders in your email program.

Sunbelt Software, who makes the anti-spyware program CounterSpy (which I use and recommend) and the firewall that I use and recommend (Sunbelt Personal Firewall) also has a well-regarded, award-winning anti-spam program called iHateSpam for Outlook and Outlook Express. Since I don't use Outlook or Outlook Express for email, I haven't tried iHateSpam.

Mailwasher Pro is my first choice to handle spam before it ever gets into your computer's Inbox. Mailwasher Pro uses on-line Realtime Black Lists mail servers sending spam recently, "training" by you of what you think is spam, and your own "friends" and "blacklist" lists.

Mailwasher Pro can even bounce spam messages, as if your email address was not valid, although the usefulness and appropriateness of this is questionable. There is a free version called "Mailwasher," but it omits the functions that I consider critical for this purpose -- such as safely previewing the emails safely before they ever get to your email inbox.

Related articles:

• Spam Filtering
• Keeping spam out of your Inbox
• Getting Control of Your Inbox
• How Can I Prevent spam?

Cable/DSL Router

If you have a cable modem or a DSL modem, you need to have another layer of inexpensive protection between you and the Internet. A cable/DSL router isolates your computer from direct connection to the Internet. Your computer can easily request your email, web pages, etc. through the router. The responses come back to the router and are smoothly routed to your computer. But, someone on the Internet side of the router can not initiate a connection to your computer — they can only respond to your request.

Even if you only have one computer to connect to your cable or DSL modem, I recommend that you purchase and use a cable/DSL router because of the protection it can give you against attempts to attack through some flaws in Windows itself.

A router isolates your local network, whether it is only one computer or several, from the Internet by actually making it a separate network. The router gets the "public" IP address and handles all your outbound communications and the responses to them. But, it blocks computers on the Internet side from being able to initiate communications with your computer! This will prevent you from falling prey to many worms that try to attack security holes in Windows itself.

For a wireless router, I recommend the Linksys WRT54G wireless router. I'm using the relatively new version 6 of this router.

If you don't want wireless, I recommend the Linksys BEFSR41 wired router. Either way, based on my experience, I recommend Linksys routers for price, reliability and Linksys' habit of releasing updated firmware for their products..

See these related articles:

• Wireless Security
• Wi-Fi Hotspots and Computer Security
• Wireless Networking Problems & Wireless Networking Security

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