Hey Readers! We’ve had a lot of calls today asking about the Conficker worm problem that is threatening to wreck havoc on 9 million-plus PC’s tomorrow (April 1, 2009). We understand the concern and are doing our best to protect ourselves — and we suggest you do the same.

In October, we sent out an e-mail blast alerting all of our contacts that Microsoft had released an urgent security update that was essential for any PC using any version of windows. This patch was designed to protect against the Conficker worm, specifically, as well as similar future attacks. The following directions come straight from Microsoft’s Technet. At this time, we strongly suggest you follow all of these precautions, knowing that we will be here to support you, should this worm prove to be as destructive as the media is presenting it to be. Protecting PCs from Conficker (Directly from Microsoft Technet)

1. Apply the security update associated with MS08-067. (Click Here!)
2. Make sure you are running up-to-date antivirus software from a trusted vendor, such as Microsoft’s Forefront Client Security or Windows Live OneCare. (All of our equipment at DE is protected by Symantec Endpoint Protection or AVG.) DO NOT Google search “antivirus” and download a free trial from anywhere today!
3. Check for updated protections for security software or devices, such as antivirus, network-based intrusion detection systems, or host-based intrusion prevention systems. The Microsoft Active Protection Program (MAPP) provides partners with early access to Microsoft vulnerability information. For a list of partners and links to their active protections, please visit the MAPP Partners page.
4. Isolate legacy systems using the methods outlined in the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 Threat Mitigation Guide.
5. Implement strong passwords as outlined in this whitepaper.
6. Disable the AutoPlay feature through the registry or using Group Policies. (See Knowledge Base Article 967715 for more information.)

NOTE: Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 customers must deploy the update associated with Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 967715 to be able to successfully disable the AutoRun feature. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 customers must deploy the security update associated with Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-038 to be able to successfully disable the AutoRun feature.

*** Now, before you spend anymore time panicking over whether or not you’ll be affected by Conflicker, make sure you’ve done what you can to protect yourself. If you’re reading this and you’re on our Fixed IT plan, you don’t have to do any of this because your security updates are automatic! We’ve got you covered ;)

We will post new information just as soon as we get it! Stay calm and good luck! ttyl, storm!

For months, Dell has been teasing a new laptop that everyone is certain “to fall in love with.” The new PC, aptly named Adamo, is sleek, stylish, and slim — three accolades for which any slave to trendiness would willingly perish.

So, what’s the story on Adamo? You’ll remember the uproar over the MacBook Air — the super-light, super-slim piece of Apple eye candy that fits inside of a manilla envelope (as advertised on TV just over a year ago).

The Air got people wanting more & less at the same time: more fashion, more envy, less to carry. It catered to a different crowd — The Design Freaks. (And by that, I don’t mean the “we do-design-work-and-need-serious-hardware-with-lots-of-RAM-to-power-it” people.)

Rising to the occasion, Dell decided it was time for a “product to demonstrate Dell’s commitment to upgrading the level of design in its products,” said Stephen Baker, an analyst for the NPD Group who keeps tabs on the electronics retail and PC industries. For this product, Dell has done a majority of their haute couture print advertisement for the product in magazines like InStyle, Vogue and Cosmo. Adamo, in short, is Dell’s fashionable response to the MacBook Air.

What does this mean to you, PC fashionista? You can expect to pay between $1,999 and $2,699, which includes mobile broadband and a 1.4GHz Intel Core Duo processor. The Adamo weighs 4 pounds, is 0.65 inches thick, measures 13.03 by 9.5 inches, and promises 5-plus hours of battery life. (The 13.3-inch MacBook Air, weighs 3 pounds and measures .76 by 8.94 by 12.8 inches — averages about 2.5 hours of battery life.)

Right now, there are two color choices for the Adamo, Pearl or Onyx — and yes, both are very pretty. Being one of those “I-really-only-care-how-this-computer-looks” types, there’s a good chance that I would probably buy Adamo if I had the extra cash lying around. Whether it meets your performance needs or not, it’s definitely worth a look!

Click here to explore Adamo.

That’s all for now, TTYL!

Looking to break yourself of that Start Menu addiction? Why not try out Launchy, an open-source Windows and Linux utility designed to give you easy access to your favorite programs, documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks in seconds.

In essence, Launchy is a search program that hides in the background until you hit the alt+space key combination; at which point, it tries to guess which program or file you are looking for, and it’ll launch it when you hit the enter key.

A few years ago, a guy named Josh Karlin set out to develop a personal-use application
that eliminated the need for hunting through applications hidden in unexpected locations throughout the Start Menu. It wasn’t long before he and his friends realized how useful such a tool could be. So he decided to release it to the world, for free!

Here are a few nifty ways you can use Launchy to simplify your life:

• Google Searching: Type in “Google,” press the Tab key, then your search query and hit Enter.
• Check the Weather: Type in “Weather,” Tab, then your zip code or city, state and hit Enter.
• Search other sites: Like, Google, you can search other sites like: Wikipedia, MSN, Yahoo, Amazon, Netflix, IMDB, and more.
• Browse your computer: Type in c:, Tab, then a folder or file, Tab again, and continue.

For the comprehensive story about Launchy, tips, and a walk-through guide, click here. And, to download Launchy for FREE, click here!

I’m writing today about a hard-fought lesson I’m learning. While I completely understand the “why” aspect  of this little chat, I find myself hung up on the “how.” So, without further delay, here’s the tip:

Don’t send huge file attachments — even if people know they’re coming!

A little background…
In marketing, I find myself sending drafts, revisions, and proofs of projects I’m working on all the time. (I e-mail a lot of mock-ups as well, but they’re generally low resolution to begin with, so they’re not so much of a problem.) But when it comes time for the boss to see the final version of a new brochure that we’re about to send to print, how do I make sure he gets the full effect of the project’s image quality / layout / design, etc. without bombarding his Outlook Inbox?

I’ve tried a number of methods, to include: 1. opening the Illustrator .pdf in Photoshop and compressing (BAD idea), 2. running it through Adobe Distiller (equally BAD) and finally, and 3. experimenting with different compression options when saving the .ai file as a .pdf in Illustrator itself.

I’ve found that in all of these “shots in the dark” the closest I’ve gotten to an acceptable (e-mail friendly) file size and print resolution is via method 3 above. So, in hopes that it will bring you closer to e-mail file-sharing bliss, I’m linking you to Adobe’s official recommendations for compressing .pdf files.

Click Here to Read.

I’ve had the most success using “average downsampling to” and inputting 300 dpi. This seems to bring the file size down considerably while making a negligible impact on image quality.

If you’ve discovered a better way to shrink and send graphic files, brochures, non-vectorart please let us know! We’ll be happy to add it to our blog and give you mad props as well!