Protecting your computer from intruders—and yourself

At our Tuesday, October 4, 2005 General Meeting our presenter will Gene Barlow of User Group Relations. Gene has been an old hand at DACS meetings and a perennial favorite of our members. His presentations are excellent, and he usually offers the products he discusses for sale at discount prices for user group members.

Gene will speak on the following topics:

Internet Security: Use of the Internet has become a very important part of our lives today. We spend hours on the Internet communicating with family and friends, managing our finances, researching our ancestors, planning our vacations, and shopping for things we need. While there is a lot of good we get from the Internet, there is a dark side that we may not be aware of. This topic will help you to understand what is going on behind the scenes while you are using the Web. It will show you the world of Hackers, and how they can take advantage of your computer and information. All of this is happening on your computer without your knowledge. Then he will describe the many things you need to do to protect your computer from these hackers. He will look at various protection options available to you and how effective they are at keeping you safe. Internet Security is a major problem today, and one that you need to both understand and be aware of what you can do to prevent serious problems.

Organizing Your Access to the Internet using Optimal Desktop Pro: We are living in the Information Age, and actually have an "information overload" to contend with. Finding information on the Internet, or even on our multi-gigabyte hard drives, is becoming a real problem. The best way to prevent this is by organizing your "Access Points" to the information. The perfect tool to help you is Optimal Desktop Pro. Finding the information you want on your screen can be done in three easy clicks of the mouse. Optimal Desktop Pro uses Cabinets, Drawers, and Sections. Gene will show you how to set up and tailor your desktop using Drawers and Sections by name, icon or color to make things easy to find and remember. Setting up and tailoring your desktop makes using this product simple and fun.

Backing Up Your Hard Drive using Acronis True Image: Backing up your hard drive is possibly the most important thing you can do with your computer. True Image has the ability to make incremental backups, which are relatively small and very quick. This product received the Editors Choice Award from PC Magazine three years in a row.

Gene Barlow has over 45 years of computer experience, including various technical and management positions at IBM. The last 14 years, he managed IBM's user group support organization, and because of this he is often called the Father of User Groups. After leaving IBM, he formed his own consulting firm to represent various computer vendors to the user group community. He has done this for the past 10 years, and is very well known in the user group community for his excellent presentations, plain English technical papers, and willingness to help users with their problems. You will come away from his presentations with a better understanding of your computer and issues relating to the Internet.

Since these are all important issues in today’s environment this session is a must for members and guests alike. Come to our October meeting and bring your friends and neighbors.

DACS meetings are held at the Danbury Hospital auditorium. Events begin at 7:00 p.m. with general networking and Random Access, followed by a brief business meeting at 7:30 and a short break. The main presentation commences at 8:00.