May 2004

IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE:

Beware of Spyware
Spring Cleaning
Just for Fun
Testimonial
Referral Bonus

Spyware and adware often go unnoticed on our PC's but according to an article in Information Week, Microsoft estimates that spyware is responsible for half of all computer crashes. In addition, Dell says that about 12% of its technical support calls involve some aspect of spyware. Besides slowing or crashing your computer, these sinister programs can gather information about you without your knowledge. Hackers can gain access to your PC and even use keystroke logging software to capture your passwords and personal account data.

There are many programs out there that can help protect your computer. You can simply perform a search and check out a few of them for yourself. Here at Adhost we have used a product called "Spybot - Search and Destroy" to protect our PC's from spyware. You can download this software for free from Cnet.com here:

http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10194058.html?tag=lst-0-1

To read the complete Information Week article:

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=19200218

Spring Cleaning Your Computer

It's that time of year again for spring-cleaning! When was the last time you backed up your Web site? Is your email inbox squeaky clean? Here are a few helpful tips to keep things in a good working order.

Download a clean copy of your Web site. It's always a good idea to have a copy of your Web content and these copies should be stored on your local machine and/or on a disk. While Adhost does backup your site nightly, we still recommend that you keep a clean copy of your site as a precaution. (Note: If you require Adhost to restore your site charges may apply.)
Clean out those old files in your Web site directory. We recommend cleaning out all unnecessary files in your directory to improve its organization and conserve space.
Email cleaning and back ups. While keeping all your email from years past may be helpful for future reference, it is always a good practice to clean out those trash bins and create a backup of old mail to be stored on disk. These backups can be lifesavers if your disk drive fails or a system is wiped out (knock on wood). The process to create a backup of your email files depends on the email software you are using. If you use the Outlook calendar you may also choose to back it up as well.
- For Outlook - Open a mail folder, then go to File, Archive. This will allow you to create a .pst file that can be saved to disk. You may also want to clean out your Trash folder by going to Tools, Options and clicking on the Other tab. You may also choose the Auto Archive button, which will give you the option of cleaning out your Trash folder.
- Creating a backup copy of a folder. On the File menu, click Import and Export. In the wizard, click Export to a file, and then click Next. Click Personal Folder File. Follow the rest of the steps in the wizard.
- Outlook Express - To compact and backup email folders select an email folder. On the File menu, point to Folder, and then click Compact. To back up the folder, find the folder file, and then copy it to a backup folder, floppy disk, or network drive. Outlook Express e-mail folders have a .dbx extension (for example, "Sent Items.dbx").
While you're in cleaning mode, be sure to update your Adhost account with any changes such as contact person, billing address, payment method, etc. The easiest way to do this is by accessing your Adhost Client Control Panel at https://client.adhost.com.

...And Just For Fun

Just in time for Mother's Day, here are some ways to honor your mom. There are many options for the traditional approach of taking mom out to brunch in Seattle. Woodland Park Zoo offers a champagne brunch, Earth and Ocean has a nice three-course brunch, while Serafina and Palomino also offer brunch menus. Busy on Sunday? Then check out Salty's brunch on Saturday. If you're looking for something different, why not take your Mum to the opera. "The Girl of the Golden West" by Giacomo Puccini is playing May 8th through May 23rd. Learn more here http://www.seattleopera.org/operas/2003-2004/goldenwest

Testimonial

"Just wanted to say thanks ... I'm sure we're a pretty small customer in the grand scheme of things, and it's nice to know that even us little guys don't fall through the cracks. Going with Adhost was obviously the right call..."

Best regards,

Les Hirsch
President
LMJ Consulting LLC

Adhost Internet
140 Fourth Ave. North,
Suite 360
Seattle, WA 98019
(206) 404-9000