COMP 4, Summer 2005 with Lec-15Required READING w/Lec-15: REVISED(Excerpts from several sources, including PC Magazine and howstuffworks.com; many Web pages; and more)The individual parts marked OPT’L BUT USEFUL will not be tested on the final exam; but they are certainly worth your time to peruse—useful for any personal computer user.Note: All links and brands are provided only as a service to COMP 4 students; no endorsements by me or the C.S. Department are expressed or implied.Keep Windows OS and your Office applications patched!17 Aug 2004: According to researchers at the Internet Storm Center, an unpatched Windows PC connected to the Internet will last for only about 20 minutes, on average, before it’s compromised by malware (viruses, spyware, etc....).Aside from running virus protection (make sure your version includes Trojan horse and worm protection); a firewall; spyware protection; and other utilities (all described below), Windows users should keep their software “patched”: that means the many fixes that Microsoft provides for both its Windows operating systemAND the Office suite must be downloaded from the Microsoft site (URLs provided below) and installed on your PC/notebook often.For example, sometime in early fall this year, a large number of Microsoft apps that could read jpeg files included a security hole where an intruder could gain control of a system—even if you simply VIEWED a malicious jpeg. By patching your machine often, you can avoid such disasters. WINDOWS OS. Should I install Windows XP Service Pack 2?SP2 is a major patch that Microsoft recommends users of Windows XP to download and install.However, ATN (as of 8 Nov 2004) does not make any recommendation one way or the other at this time; they are still testing it on a number of machines. While it is supposed to make your OS less vulnerable to security problems, there have been conflicts reported (e.g., with other software that’s installed). You should read a little about it, both from Microsoft, but also from an unbiased source. OPT’L BUT USEFUL URLs about SP2:Pros: www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspxCons: www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,117990,00.aspWINDOWS OS UPDATES:It is recommended that for the Windows OS, you have Microsoft do additional updates automatically. When you turn on Automatic Updates, Windows routinely checks the Windows Update Web site for high-priority updates that can help protect your computer from the latest viruses and other security threats. These updates can include security updates, critical updates, and service packs (major updates). Depending on the setting you choose, Windows automatically downloads and installs any high-priority updates that your computer needs, or notifies you as these updates become available. Visit:v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v5consumer/default.aspx?ln=en-usMICROSOFT OFFICE UPDATES: You have to visit the Microsoft site (cannot yet be done automatically unless your ISP or employer is running some sort of Software Update Service over the network; don’t count on it). Do this about once a week. Visit: office.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdate/default.aspxBIOSBIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System, and it refers to the fundamental programming that provides a computer with the basic instructions it needs to load the operating system; find the disk drives; read the boot sector of the disk; organize memory; and perform other basic tasks. BIOS is also often referred to as “firmware.”The BIOS checks the CMOS (battery-powered) memory chip setup for any custom settings you have. Users can change those custom settings (that is, the user can write to CMOS) by entering the computer’s setup mode (for example, after pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del, BIOS will tell you what key to press in order to enter setup). Some common setup options include: ─System Time/Date (resetting the system clock)─Boot Sequence (the order that BIOS will try to load the OS)─Drive Configuration (configuring hard drives, CD-ROM, and other peripheral drives)…and lots more.UPDATING BIOS. Most users will probably not need to upgrade BIOS. You should find information about the BIOS for your computer on the manufacturer’s Web site; read all info carefully, and upgrade your BIOS only when there is a compelling reason to do so. Do not upgrade simply because a newer version is available. For example, in 1999─just prior to the Y2K problem─many users with older systems had to ensure that older BIOS programs were updated to use a four-byte year (instead of the two-byte year). As new devices and standards change, the BIOS may need to be updated in order to understand the new hardware. Older BIOS was stored in ROM; today most BIOS is stored in electrically erasable memory (EEPROM, sometimes called Flash ROM). To change BIOS, you’ll likely need a special program either from the computer manufacturer or from a major BIOS manufacturer (such as AMI, Acerlabs, etc.), often downloadable from their web site. On some mother boards, you must move a jumper to enable writing to BIOS memory.There is significant risk involved in updating BIOS. If something goes wrong, you can end up with an unbootable machine that’s useful only as a boat anchor. Some newer systems have extra protection built in, including a basic version of the BIOS stored in ROM. If your system does not have a special recovery featureand your BIOS upgrade goes south, you will have to get a replacement BIOS chip from the original computer manufacturer or contact a computer repair shop.OPT’L BUT USEFUL: For more info, try Wim’s BIOS site: www.wimsbios.com.OLE: Object Linking and EmbeddingLater versions of the Windows OS support a feature called object linking and embedding. How does this differ from regular copy and paste? When you ask the OS to simply COPY an object from one document and PASTE it into another (whether it’s within the same application program or between programs), the pasted object (in the target document) does not retain any link or relationship to the object in the original document.Each are now separate and distinct objects. If I edit either of the objects, my editing does not affect the other object. In addition, a regular copy and paste often will paste the object as a picture in the destination file. However, if you want the object to be pasted in its original format, such as pasting part of a spreadsheet into aPowerPoint