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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 2010)
business Intruder Alert: By Burt Tschache Happy New Year, Dear Readers. Just when I thought I was going to be branching out into other areas of com- puting, a cretinous little vermin called Internet Antivirus Pro or IAP has reared its pointy little head. Many computer owners have been infected with this ingenious piece of malware lately that masquerades about as an antivirus pro- gram. Do not be fooled. It seems to hitchhike onto downloads or as a part of under-secure websites and does a quiet install of itself. That will be the last moment of comput- ing quietude you will have until you re- move it, and removing it is not particu- larly easy. What happen next can best be described as “All hell breaking loose.” Messages from Windows Security Cen- ter begin popping up, warning you that your virus protection is off and your vi- rus definitions are out of date. IAP will then run itself auto- 2010 matically and warn you that you have numerous infections, could lose impor- tant documents, your firstborn child and worse unless you register the software. Do NOT register the software under any conditions, as that will only make it worse and you will likely lose any mon- ey you have paid to these shysters. It will also install other malware on your system, some of which could make a longshoreman blush. If you are already infected at this point, the best advice I can give is to shut down your computer before it does anything worse and take several slow deep breaths. Please do not hyperven- tilate. If you feel you want to do battle with this unmentionable piece of squat- ware, I can provide you the tools to do it. Best of all, they are free. I am not in the habit of recom- mending software; however, this is the best tool I have found for removing said malware. Restart your computer and Traditionally, the #1 New Year’s reso- lution goal is to lose weight and get in shape. As we begin a new decade, people from around the world will attend Jazzercise classes as part of their plan to get fit. These folks will have just as much fun burning off the “holiday calo- ries” as they did enjoying their favorite festive foods. Each 60-minute Jazzercise class of- fers a fusion of jazz dance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, and kickboxing movements set to popular music. The Jazzercise fitness pro- gram has benefited people of all ages and fit- ness levels for more than 40 years. Founded by fitness pioneer and Jazzercise CEO Judi Shep- pard Missett, Jazzercise is more popular than ever with 7,500 instructors teaching more than 32,000 classes weekly in all 50 states and 32 countries. At Vernonia Jazzercise, we offer 10 classes weekly to fit your busy schedule. The following is the current Winter schedule: 5:30 AM and 9:45 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays; 7:15 PM Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday and Saturday’s at 8:30 AM. For more information about Jazzercise, contact Costley at (503)429-0196 or at pcostley@agalis.net For class information, go to jazzercise.com, and click on “find a class” or call (800) FIT- IS-IT. LARGE OR SMALL WE DO THEM ALL Rabies Vaccination Special $8.50/ each pet (1 or 3 year) January thru February 2010 No appointment necessary Thursdays 10am to 5pm Walk-ins only 503-556-3084 58376 Nehalem Hwy. South, Vernonia 17 Safe Computing Practices - Internet Antivirus Pro Scam Dance Into Shape This New Year at Vernonia Jazzercise Valley Veterinary Clinic january 5 start slowly tapping the [F8] key until a menu of start options appears. Choose Safe Mode with Networking, press [En- ter] and wait for the start. If you are not comfortable with using Safe Mode, stop reading, call me and I will do battle in your stead. For those brave souls that want to vanquish the virus yourself, open your browser, go to www.malwarebytes.org/ mbam.php, download the free version or go to downloadcnet.com and enter mal- warebytes in the search bar at the top of the page. The free version is there, also. There are over 30 million downloads of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware as of De- cember 28, 2009, at CNet alone. Download the file to your desk- top and then right-click on the file and choose “Run as Administrator” to install Malwarebytes. Use the default settings for the program and then your sword is ready to slay the slobbering troglodyte. While remaining in Safe Mode, run the program (you may need to “Run as Ad- ministrator”) and use the Full Scan op- tion. Once Malwarebytes is complete, quarantine any viruses found, reboot your computer and resume computing as usual. Run Malwarebytes on a regular basis. As a computer security wonk, I must admit that IAP is one of the best- written pieces of malware I have ever seen. That does not mean that it has endeared itself to me. However, Mal- warebytes Anti-Malware has endeared itself to me and I have purchased the full-featured version for a one-time fee of $24.95. It allows you to run it in the background, schedule updates and scans at set times. It is well worth it. Be safe out there. Burt Tschache is the owner of B&B Com- puting in Vernonia. He can be reached at bnb998@msn.com or 503-429-0817. Holiday Bucks Results The Vernonia Chamber of Commerce wishes to thank everyone who participated in the Holiday Bucks Program. In one month’s time $150,000 was spent locally at Ver- nonia businesses-- just by the customers who participated in the Holiday Bucks Program. I bet a person could quadruple that number to have an accurate count of the monies spent here lo- cally in one month. That is truly amazing. Let’s shoot for a higher number next year! The following are the winners of Holiday Bucks gift Marilyn Nicks from the Vernonia Area Chamber certificates: Sharon Gibson, Rauna Johnson, John Brewer, of Commerce draws final winners in this year’s “Holiday Bucks” which encourages shoppers to Roxana Sherman-Heath, Scott Benzel and Danielle Fife. spend money locally during the holiday season. Family owned & operated for 40 years Get Ready For Winter! Generators Kerosene Batteries Propane Snow Tires Chains Ice Melt/De-Icer (503) 429-6364 834 Bridge St., Vernonia