Re: strange name on my hotmail acct sign in

From: Compromised (compromised_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 07/16/05

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    Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2005 14:25:08 -0700

    Thank you for all the great info and I have put several things in to use to
    add to the things I did know about. I have XP & XP Office Pro. My question
    now: Is there a way to require a password to browse the internet? I don't
    want to create guest or multiple user accts - just want to have a password
    box that pops up when someone clicks on my internet explorer icon. Content
    Advisor password doesn't seem to have this option. Let's say I have a
    tresspasser or a guest who asks to use Zorro to make a word Doc, then wants
    to use the internet and for whatever reason I don't want them to be able to
    get on the internet at all. Does XP offer that? 

    -- 
Compromised & pissed off
"Shenan Stanley" wrote:
> Compromised wrote:
> > OK, all you computer gurus:  I was home alone yesterday and used
> > Zorro (my computer) like I always do.  Went to bed and got up this AM
> > and went to work outdoors, didn't use Zorro until this evening.  When
> > I turned on my monitor, and went to sign in on my hotmail email acct
> > I was tired, and didn't really realize what I was seeing.  Ya know
> > how the sign in has the options to save e address or always ask, well
> > there was a strange name in the save e address line.  Unfortunately I
> > clicked on it and keyed in mine before it dawned on me that the
> > strange address shouldn't have been there in the first place.  Yeah,
> > I know, a real Sherlock. And yes, there is the possibility that
> > someone may have walked in my house without me knowing it, but
> > nothing else seems to have been touched in the house.  Is there
> > anyway I can track it down?  I don't know zip about Zorro's inner
> > brain - does he keep that info tucked away somewhere?  Does Hotmail
> > have a way to trace it?
> 
> How well do you secure your computer?
> 
> Microsoft has these suggestions for Protecting your computer from the
> various things that could happen to you/it:
> 
>  Protect your PC
>  http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
> 
> 
> Although those tips are fantastic, there are many things you should
> know above and beyond what is there.  Below I have detailed
> out many steps that can not only help you clean-up a problem PC but
> keep it clean ,secure and running at its top performance mark.
> 
> I know this text can seem intimidating - it is quite long and a lot
> to take in for a novice - but I assure you that one trip through this
> list and you will understand your computer and the options available
> to you for protecting your data much better - and that the next time
> you review these steps, the time it takes will be greatly reduced.
> 
> Let's take the cleanup of your computer step-by-step.  Yes, it will take
> up some of your time - but consider what you use your computer
> for and how much you would dislike it if all of your stuff on your
> computer went away because you did not "feel like" performing some
> simple maintenance tasks - think of it like taking out your garbage,
> collecting and sorting your postal mail, paying your bills on time,
> etc.
> 
> I'll mainly work around Windows XP, as that is what the bulk of this
> document is about; however, here is a place for you poor souls still
> stuck in Windows 98/ME where you can get information on maintaining
> your system:
> 
>  Windows 98 and 'Maintaining Your Computer':
>  http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/usingwindows/maintaining/
> 
>  Windows ME Computer Health:
>  http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/using/computerhealth/articles/
> 
>  Pay close attention to the sections:
>   (in order)
>    - Clean up your hard disk
>    - Check for errors by running ScanDisk
>    - Defragment your hard disk
>    - Roll back the clock with System Restore
> 
> 
> Also - now is a good time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
> information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:
> 
>  Search using Google!
>  http://www.google.com/
>  (How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )
> 
> 
> Now, let's go through some maintenance first that should only have to be
> done once (mostly):
> 
> Tip (1):
> Locate all of the software you have installed on your computer.
> (the installation media - CDs, downloaded files, etc)
> Collect these CDs and files together in a central and safe
> place along with their CD keys and such.  Make backups of these
> installation media sets using your favorite copying method (CD/DVD Burner
> and application, Disk copier, etc.)  You'll be glad to know that if you
> have a CD/DVD burner, you may be able to use a free application to make a
> duplicate copy of your CDs.  One such application is ISORecorder:
> 
>  ISORecorder page (with general instructions on use):
>  http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/beta.htm
> 
> Yes - it is BETA software - but very useful and well tested.
> 
> More full function applications (free) for CD/DVD burning would be:
> 
>  DeepBurner Free
>  http://www.deepburner.com/
> 
>  CDBurnerXP Pro
>  http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
> 
> Another Option would be to search the web with Pricewatch.com or
> Dealsites.net and find deals on Products like Ahead Nero and/or Roxio.
> 
> 
> Tip (2):
> Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a
> size between 128MB and 512MB..
> 
> - Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
> - Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
> - Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, do the
>   following:
>  - Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
>  - Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk space to use:" to
>    something between 128MB and 512MB. (Betting it is MUCH larger right
>    now.)
>  - Click OK.
>  - Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all offline contents"
>    (the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10
>    minutes or more.)
> - Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-open Internet
>   Explorer.
> 
> 
> Tip (3):
> If things are running a bit sluggish and/or you have an older system
> (1.5GHz or less and 256MB RAM or less) then you may want to look into
> tweaking the performance by turning off some of the 'resource hogging'
> Windows XP "prettifications".  The fastest method is:
> 
> Control Panel --> System --> Advanced tab --> Performance section,
> Settings button.  Then choose "adjust for best performance" and you
> now have a Windows 2000/98 look which turned off most of the annoying
> "prettifications" in one swift action. You can play with the last
> three checkboxes to get more of an XP look without many of the
> other annoyances.  You could also grab and install/use one
> (or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in particular:
> 
>  http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
> 
> 
> Tip (4):
> Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your
> personal and system security.  You may think you do not need to password
> your home computer, as you may have it in a locked area (your home) where
> no one else has access to it.  Remember, however, you aren't always
> "in that locked area" when using your computer online - meaning you likely
> have usernames and passwords associated with web sites and the likes that
> you would prefer other people do not discover/use.  This is why you should
> understand and utilize good passwords.
> 
> Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
> (mileage may vary):
> 
>  Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
>  string should contain at least three of these four character types:
>     - uppercase letters
>     - lowercase letters
>     - numerals
>     - nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !, :)
> 
>  Passwords should not contain your name/username.
>  Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.
> 
> One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
> describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
> password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
> It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
> in a pure sense.  For example, let's say my phrase is:
>  'Moved to new home in 2004'
> I could come up with this password from that:
>  'Mv2n3whmN04'
> 
> The password tip is in the one time section, but I highly
> recommend you periodically change your passwords.  The suggested time
> varies, but I will throw out a 'once in every 3 to 6 months for
> every account you have.'
> 
> 
> Tip (5):
> This tip is also 'questionable' in the one time section; however -
> if properly setup - this one can be pretty well ignored for most people
> after the initial 'fiddle-with' time.
> 
>  Why you should use a computer firewall..
>  http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/fwbenefits.mspx
> 
> You should, in some way, use a firewall.  Hardware (like a nice
> Cable Modem/DSL router) or software is up to you.  Many use both of
> these.  The simplest one to use is the hardware one, as most people
> don't do anything that they will need to configure their NAT device
> for and those who do certainly will not mind fiddling with the equipment
> to make things work for them.  Next in the line of simplicity would
> have to be the built-in Windows Firewall of Windows XP.  In SP2 it
> is turned on by default.  It is not difficult to turn on in any
> case, however:
> 
>  Enable/Disable the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
>  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283673
> 
>  More information on the Internet Connection Firewall (Pre-SP2):
>  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320855
> 
>  Post-SP2 Windows Firewall Information/guidance:
>  http://snipurl.com/atal
> 
> The trouble with the Windows Firewall is that it only keeps things
> out.  For most people who maintain their system in other ways, this is
> MORE than sufficient.  However, you may feel otherwise.  If you want to
> know when one of your applications is trying to obtain access to the
> outside world so you can stop it, then you will have to install a
> third-party application and configure/maintain it.  I have compiled a
> list with links of some of the better known/free firewalls you can choose
> from:
> 
>  BlackICE PC Protection (~$39.95 and up)
>  http://blackice.iss.net/
> 
>  Jetico Personal Firewall (Free)
>  http://www.jetico.com/index.htm#/jpfirewall.htm
> 
>  Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
>  http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
> 
>  Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
>  http://www.agnitum.com/download/
> 
>  Sygate Personal Firewall (Free and up)
>  http://smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htm
> 
>  Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$25 and up)
>  http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/
> 
>  ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
>  http://snipurl.com/6ohg
> 
> You should find the right firewall for your situation in that
> list and set it up.
> 
> Every firewall WILL require some maintenance. Essentially checking for
> patches or upgrades (this goes for hardware and software solutions) is
> the extent of this maintenance - you may also have to configure your
> firewall to allow some traffic depending on your needs.
> 
> ** Don't stack the software firewalls!  Running more than one software
> firewall will not make you safer - it would possibly negate some
> protection you gleamed from one or the other firewall you run.
> 
> 
> Now that you have some of the more basic things down..
> Let's go through some of the steps you should take periodically to
> maintain a healthy and stable windows computer.  If you have not
> done some of these things in the past, they may seem tedious - however,
> they will become routine and some can even be automatically scheduled.
> 
> 
> Tip (6):
> The system restore feature is a new one - first appearing in Windows
> ME and then sticking around for Windows XP.  It is a useful feature
> if you keep it maintained and use it to your advantage.  Remember that
> the system restore pretty much tells you in the name what it protects
> which is 'system' files.  Your documents, your pictures, your stuff is
> NOT system files - so you should also look into some backup solution.
> 
> I have seen the automatic system restore go wrong too many times not
> to suggest the following..  Whenever you think about it (after doing a
> once-over on your machine once a month or so would be optimal) - clear
> out your System Restore and create a manual restoration point.
> 
> 'Why?'
> 
> Too many times have I seen the system restore files go corrupt or get
> a virus in them, meaning you could not or did not want to restore from
> them.  By clearing it out periodically you help prevent any corruption
> from happening and you make sure you have at least one good "snapshot".
> (*This, of course, will erase any previous restore point you have.*)
> 
>  - Turn off System Restore.
>    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310405
>  - Reboot the Computer.
>  - Review the first bullet to turn on System Restore
>  - Make a Manual Restoration Point.
>    http://snipurl.com/68nx
> 
> That covers your system files, but doesn't do anything for the files
> that you are REALLY worried about - yours!  For that you need to look
> into backups.  You can either manually copy your important files, folders,
> documents, spreadsheets, emails, contacts, pictures, drawings and so on
> to an external location (CD/DVD - any disk of some sort, etc) or you can
> use the backup tool that comes with Windows XP:
> 
>  How To Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on Your Computer
>  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422
> 
> Yes - you still need some sort of external media to store the results
> on, but you could schedule the backup to occur when you are not around,
> then burn the resultant data onto CD or DVD or something when you are
> (while you do other things!)
> 
> A lot of people have wondered about how to completely backup their system
> so that they would not have to go through the trouble of a reinstall..
> I'm going to voice my opinion here and say that it would be worthless to
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