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100 GENERAL KEYBOARD SHORTCUT

100 GENERAL KEYBOARD SHORTCUT
The General Shortcuts * CTRL+C (Copy) * CTRL+X (Cut) * CTRL+V (Paste) * CTRL+Z (Undo) * DELETE (Delete) * SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin) * CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item) * CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item) * F2 key (Rename the selected item) * CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word) * CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word) * CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph) * CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph) * CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text) * SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document) * CTRL+A (Select all) * F3 key (Search for a file or a folder) * ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item) * ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program) * ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object) * ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window) * CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously) * ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items) * ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened) * F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop) * F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer) * SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item) * ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window) * CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu) * ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu) * Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command) * F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program) * RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu) * LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)



* F5 key (Update the active window) * BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer) * ESC (Cancel the current task) * SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts * CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs) * CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs) * TAB (Move forward through the options) * SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options) * ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option) * ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button) * SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box) * Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons) * F1 key (Display Help) * F4 key (Display the items in the active list) * BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts * Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu) * Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box) * Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop) * Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows) * Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows) * Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer) * Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder) * CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers) * Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help) * Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard) * Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box) * Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts * Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off) * Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off) * Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off) * SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off) * NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off) * Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts * END (Display the bottom of the active window) * HOME (Display the top of the active window) * NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder) * NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder) * NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder) * LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder) * RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)Shortcut Keys for Character Map * After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts: * RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line) * LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line) * UP ARROW (Move up one row) * DOWN ARROW (Move down one row) * PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time) * PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time) * HOME (Move to the beginning of the line) * END (Move to the end of the line) * CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character) * CTRL+END (Move to the last character) * SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Nor mal mode when a character is selected)Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts * CTRL+O (Open a saved console) * CTRL+N (Open a new console) * CTRL+S (Save the open console) * CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item) * CTRL+W (Open a new window) * F5 key (Update the content of all console windows) * ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu) * ALT+F4 (Close the console) * ALT+A (Display the Action menu) * ALT+V (Display the View menu) * ALT+F (Display the File menu) * ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)
MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts * CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane) * ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window) * SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item) * F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item) * F5 key (Update the content of all console windows) * CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window) * CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window) * ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item) * F2 key (Rename the selected item) * CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)Remote Desktop Connection Navigation * CTRL+ALT+END (Open the m*cro$oft Windows NT Security dialog box) * ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right) * ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left) * ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order) * ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu) * CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen) * ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu) * CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.) * CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)Internet Explorer navigation * CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box) * CTRL+E (Open the Search bar) * CTRL+F (Start the Find utility) * CTRL+H (Open the History bar) * CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar) * CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box) * CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address) * CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L) * CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box) * CTRL+R (Update the current Web page) * CTRL+W (Close the current window)

In Defence Of Islam In The Days Of Violence And Crises.

In Defence Of Islam In The Days Of Violence And Crises.

By

Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami)

isapantami@yahoo.com

We are really unhappy with the killing of innocent people in Nigeria in the name of Islam, because of this and many more I intend to write this flyer in defence of our universal religion Islam in these days of violence and crises. The name of Islam is being attacked, tarnished, subdued and vanquished in the media, particularly western media because of the action of some mischievous and extremist Muslims. People find it difficult to do justice to Islam by differentiating what Islam teaches and what Mischievous Muslims do in the name of Islam. Those mischievous Muslims in some situations are not even Muslims but they perpetrate and perpetuate violence under the pretext of Islam, in order to harm our universal religion.

However, most of the media houses (not all), print and otherwise, are ever ready day-in day-out to attack Islam through attacking the action of waggish and so-called Muslims to Islam, the good, the bad and the ugly. This is a clear injustice to Islam.

Maitashine came for the past three decades in Kano, Bulunkutu in Maiduguri, Malam-kuri in Gombe, Kaduna then Yola and killed innocent people in thousands. Most of the non-Muslims particularly western people classified the action of these few and insignificant people as the teaching of Islam by forgetting the action of the majority of the Muslims in Nigeria which is contrary to that, and contrary to the verdict of our contemporary Scholars then, like His Eminence, Late Shaykh Abubakar Mahmoud Gumi, Late Shaykh Isma’ila Idris, Shaykh Yakubu Musa Kafanchan (now Katsina), Shaykh Abba Aji and many more.

The recent crisis which engulfed some cities and towns in the northern Nigeria like, Maiduguri, Bauchi, Potiskum, Wudil and Danja local government in Katsina State, which started on Sunday 26th of July. These attacks are being launched, perpetrated and perpetuated by a sect that goes by different names in different places across the cities, vis-à-vis Taliban, Boko Haram, Khawaarij, Jamaa’atut-Takfir wal Hijrah, original ahlus-sunnah and Yusufiyya. The sect is being led by Muhammad Yusuf whom I had a debate with that lasted for almost six hours some four years back. Those that watched and/or listened to the debate said I was able to defeat him hands down, not because of my knowledge or wisdom, but because of Allah’s guidance. The debate is available on CDs and cassettes in many states in northern Nigeria. They issued out verdict prohibiting acquiring worldly knowledge (popularly known as western education), working under government and recognizing any government that does not judge with the Shari’ah. Their verdict is contrary to that of permanent committee of verdict in Saudi Arabia, volume 12, under the leadership of His Eminence, Late Shaykh Bn Baz, Kitabul-Ilm of Shaykh Muhammad Saleh Al-Uthaimeen and a book authored by Shaykh Salman Al-Audah entitled “Islam and the pursuit of wordly knowledge”. The verdict of this sect “Boko Haram” is contrary to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and all our pious predecessors, may Allah have mercy on them. The methodology of Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama’ah popularly known as As-Salafiyya never supports the verdict of “Boko Haram”.

Many people because of their enmity, sentiment and mischief consider their actions as the true and only teaching of Islam neglecting all the verdicts of our Scholars contrary to “Boko Haram”. In those days, in various newspapers, Scholars came out and attacked this sect. I read the verdict of Jamaa’atu Nasril-Islam, Shaykh Sani Yahaya Jingir, Shaykh Nazif Yunus, Imam Abubakar Ikara, to mention but a few. We kindly request the enemies of Islam to fear their Lord and avoid attacking Islam under the pretext of avoiding this violence. Islam teaches peaceful co-existence between mankind after fulfilling some conditions, as it has been vindicated in the Holy Qur’an. See suratul-Anfal: 61 and suratul- mutahanah: 8-9.

There is need for us to ask ourselves, what are the reasons of the emergence of this sect and its kinds? Among the reasons of its emergence there are some limitations and weaknesses of our leadership and followership, particularly in Nigeria. On the part of our leaders they destroy our country with lack of power, lack of portable water, insecurity, poor education and immorality. On the other hand our leaders perpetrate and perpetuate corrupt practices by looting our resources and indirectly starving our masses. They destroy our Schools in Nigeria and send their children abroad. Because of these problems and many more, youths in Nigeria instead of acquiring sound education and moral training and change the country by educating people through spiritual and moral restraint, they started taking laws into their hands which is Islamically prohibited. Let our leaders fear Allah and avoid looting our resources and eradicate immorality, and they should always recall that one day one time they will stand before their Creator and account for their actions. They circumambulate the world and see how other countries progress while Nigeria always diminishes.

Most of our Scholars (not all) are not safe, because they fail to train our youths, on sound moral and spiritual guidance, they abandon the methodology of our pious predecessors in preaching, they attack and curse our leaders on pulpit during their sermons without praying for Allah’s guidance for them, they fail to remind those leaders on the dangers of corruption and fraud, they sometimes teach extremism indirectly by attacking anybody directly, and they adopt double standard by legalizing extremism in other countries and denying it in our country. Let our Scholars fear Allah and invite people to Islam with wisdom and fantastic preaching with sincerity. May Allah guide our scholars to the right path and have mercy on them.

Most of our community leaders (not all) are not safe, because they neglect their main responsibility of adopting their position of elders in our various communities by dancing to the tune of mischievous people, abandoning the teaching of their fore-fathers like Shaykh Usman Bn Fodio, abandoning acquiring knowledge which is the back bone of leadership and adopting arrogance in the name of power while the power is not there in most cases.

Most of our parents are not safe, because they neglect and dismiss their responsibilities of sound upbringing, filtering their kids from bad friends and companions, teaching them sincerity and morality, correcting their mistakes and limitations and allowing them to join any Islamic and worldly school without investigating and confirming their legitimacy Islamically or otherwise, allowing their kids to watch any international satellite station or tape without screening, allowing them to listen to the preaching of any preacher without knowing his creed and methodology and giving them unlimited excess money without genuine reason. Over to you now parents.

most of our Youths and Muslim students have their own portion of mistake, they feel they are intellectually matured-enough while not, they consider themselves as Scholars while they are not, they adopt fire brigade approach by following short-cut to make Islam supreme and superb over night, they adopt bad friends, they like extremism while genuine Islam teaches moderation and balanced position, they fail to understand the true meaning of Jihad and its borders of how, where and when, they never respect the knowledge of their Scholars and they feel dogmatically whoever is killed genuinely or otherwise under the pretext of Jihad is a martyr, they take law into their hands which is prohibited instead of reporting whatever happens to their religious and/or community leaders or constituted authority. Islam teaches moderation and balance stand, it neither teaches extremism nor laxity. See Qur’an, Suratul Baqara: 143.

Most of our Security personnel (not all) are not safe, they take side during crisis, they brutally kill innocent people, they womanize, they smoke and drink alcohol, they take bribe, particularly in their various collection centres along high ways known as road blocks, they allow the importation of dangerous weapons into our country without following due process, they restricted the use of terrorism to one religion forgetting all the incidences of Niger Delta and the episode of Lagos.

Most of our professionals and technocrats (not all) are not safe, they abandon the ethics of their professionalism, and universities are being destroyed by immorality, terrorism with the name of cultism, raping, taking bribe from their students, university-politics migration and neglecting the character of their students which is an integral part of their certificates. Let our universities be rehabilitated with morality and spiritual restraint. Over to you now…

Some Men of God in other religions are not safe, they enjoy attaching any genocide and holocaust to Islam, the bad and the ugly. They always run to conclusion in trial situation by exonerating their religion and confirming the instigation of any violence to Islam and its leaders, they attack any Muslim community/political leader of taking sides. The men of God appropriate all Islamic legacies to their religion. Men of God, over to you now.

Most of our journalists (not all) are not safe, they never write a balanced and fair report, their personal interest usually reflects, some criticize constituted authority in order to be recognized and pocketed materially, some criticize because their personal demands and material request are not achieved, some desire only to report a unique and ugly story or event against Islam or any religion in focus. The ethics of journalism have been abandoned by some journalists. Over to you now.

In Nigeria, nobody cares, we are yet watching another decade of self-appointed Scholars, people come out and teach the message of God without going through sound, legitimate and legal metamorphosis of producing Scholars or clergymen, the reason is one, in Nigeria we have unlimited and infinite borders of freedom. And the leaders are not better than the populace, on the basis of this; they can hardly correct it without sentiment.

In the final analysis, the problem of Nigeria is not restricted to only one religion, state or person, we all contributed to it, but our leaders take the lion share of it. May Allah rehabilitate our religious, community and political leaders, may He as well rehabilitate our youths, security agencies and masses. If we change, definitely Allah will intervene by inducing peace, tranquility and stability. Now over to you Nigerians! Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) says: Fear Allah whenever and wherever you are.

Contributed by Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami)

Lecturer, Department of Information Technology, ATBU.

Chief Imam of Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa University Central Masjid.

Classic Windows Tips

Classic Windows Tips
Toggle between apps: Use Alt-Tab to switch open programs without touching your mouse. The oldest--and still the best--Windows timesaver.
Navigate app windows: Press Ctrl-Tab to cycle through an application's windows (or through a Web browser's tabs). First cousin of the tip above, and probably the most underrated tip ever.
When in doubt, type it out: If you don't want to hunt through nested menus and the like, you can access most functions, applets, or files the old-fashioned way--by entering them into the Search box. Type Calculator, Control Panel, or even the name of a piece of music on your hard drive, and press Enter.
Full-frontal folders: In Windows Explorer, click Folder Options (located under the Organize menu) to reveal hidden files, show the full path in the title bar, display file extensions, and more.
Unobtrusive updates: Keep your OS current by opening Windows Update (Automatic Update in XP) and setting it to Download updates but let me choose whether to install them. (To get there, press the Windows key and type Windows Update.) That way, you won't have Windows urging you to restart when you don't want to (or worse, triggering a restart when you're away from the PC with an unsaved document open).

Speed Up Your Services
Manage the Task Manager: Windows' built-in Task Manager (press Ctrl-Alt-Del and click Task Manager) is great for seeing what your system is up to, but power users will prefer Process Explorer, which shows more details that can help you find a memory leak or troubleshoot a pesky DLL problem.
Nudge your network: If you have network problems, try opening the command prompt (enter cmd in the Start menu's search box) and typing ipconfig /renew to reset your network connection.
Index this, not that: The Windows Search indexer speeds up built-in search functions, but the indexing process itself can consume system resources at inconvenient times. Open Indexing Options in Control Panel (or press the Windows key and type Indexing Options). The resulting dialog box will let you specify which folders or types of data are indexed to avoid bogging down your PC needlessly.
Clean up your startup: If your PC drags its feet during the startup process, press the Windows key and type msconfig to open the System Configuration utility. Check in the Startup tab to see what your machine is loading. Your computer might be loading services or apps that you don't need or want to use on startup.
Sharing is caring: For a little assistance in tracking your shared folders, right-click My Computer (or Computer in Windows 7) and click Manage to bring up the Computer Management tool. Then click Shared Folders to see a list of all of your machine's shared folders, file-sharing sessions, and open files.

Essential Add-Ons
Look, Ma, no mouse: XP users should grab Launchy, a free keyboard-driven launcher application that allows you to access programs, files, and even Websites with just a few keystrokes. (Vista and Windows 7 users get the same functionality from the Start menu's search tool.)
Cleaner than you found it: To make sure that your programs uninstall completely, use Revo Uninstaller--it's often more thorough than the programs' own supplied uninstaller routines.
Annoyance buster: If you're tired of User Account Control dialog boxes popping up all the time in Windows Vista, but you don't want to disable the security feature completely, grab TweakUAC to set it to Quiet Mode. Windows 7 has its own UAC controls, but can still benefit from TweakUAC.
Get your hands dirty with Greasemonkey: Optimize your Web browsing with Greasemonkey for Firefox, an add-on that lets you choose among thousands of user-designed scripts for blocking ads, changing the layouts of popular sites, and more. (Variants also exist for Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Safari.)
Work Your Windows Key

Lock your doors (and Windows): Stepping out for a minute? Remember to press Windows-L to lock your computer's screen so that no one can nose around without entering your account password.
Run, Windows, run: To access the Run command easily, press Windows-R.
Keyboard explorer: Want to open a new Windows Explorer window without leaving the keyboard? Press Windows-E.
Declutter your desktop: Access your desktop instantly by pressing Windows-D to hide all open windows. Press Windows-D again to return to where you were.

Tweak your taskbar: Right-click the Taskbar and choose Properties to find options for switching to the old Start menu, choosing which icons show in the notification area, setting default programs to appear in the Start bar menu, and more.
Partition, partition, partition: Make backups and restores easier by partitioning your hard drive and keeping one partition for the OS and the other for your documents and data.
Make your text special: Need a special character such as © or á? Press the Windows key and type character map in the field to bring up an app that will let you copy and paste the characters you need.
Simple screen capture: Take a screenshot by pressing Print Screen, which copies an image of your full screen to your clipboard so that you can paste it into Paint or your preferred image editor. To capture just the active window, use Ctrl-Alt-Print Screen. For more fine-tuned controls, try Screenshot Captor.
Take a shortcut: Right-click on any application icon, bring up the Properties menu, and click the Shortcuts tab. You can specify a keystroke combination to start your application here. Our personal favorite: Making a shortcut for Windows 7's Snipping Tool makes screenshots much easier. (Windows 7 only)
Sticky keys (the good kind): Holding down two keys at once--such as Ctrl-C to copy--is a royal pain. Press the Shift key five times to start Sticky Keys, a feature that allows you to initiate a keyboard shortcut by merely pressing Shift, Ctrl, Alt, or Windows instead of holding that particular key down. Press Shift five more times to toggle Sticky Keys off.
Line 'em up: Want to arrange two (or more) windows side by side in Windows XP or Vista? Hold down Ctrl and click on the desired windows in the taskbar; then right-click the taskbar and select Tile Vertically. In Windows 7, you can simply drag any open window to the right or left edge of your screen and then let go.
Instant classic (control panels): Miss Windows' old Control Panel, which conveniently displayed all of its items at once? In Windows XP and Vista, just open the Control Panel and select Switch to Classic View. In Windows 7, click the View by drop-down menu in the upper-right corner and select your preference.

LEMONS and SUGAR

LEMONS and SUGAR
This should probably be taped to your bathroom mirror
where one could read it every day.
You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.


1. There are at least two people in this world
that would die for you.


2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.


3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to be just like you.


4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don't like you.


5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you
before they go to sleep.


6. You mean the world to some one.


7. You are special and unique.


8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.


9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.


10.. When you think the world has turned its back on you
take another look..


11. Always remember the compliments you received.
Forget about the rude remarks.


So.........
If you are a loving friend,
send this to everyone,
including the one that sent it to you.
If you get it back, then they really do love you.

And always remember.....
when life hands you Lemons,
ask for Sugar and call me over!


Good friends are like stars.
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there.


'Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though
Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway'


I would rather have one rose and a kind word from a friend while I'm here
than a whole truckload when I'm gone.

Forward to all your friends.
And don't tell me you're too busy for this..
Don't you know the phrase
'stop and smell the flowers'?
See how many 'bouquets' you
end up with.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Life keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only
God keeps You Going

BY ALL MEANS... MARRY!

BY ALL MEANS... MARRY!

I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry.
That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste.
David Bissonette

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.
Sacha Guitry

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together.
Hemant Joshi

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. Socrates

Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them.
Dumas

The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want?
Sigmund Freud

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me.
Anonymous

"Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays."
Henny Youngman

"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years."
Sam Kinison

"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage."
James Holt McGavran

"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't."
Patrick Murray



Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming
1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,
2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
Nash

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once...
Anonymous

You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to.
Henny Youngman

My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.
Rodney Dangerfield

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong.
Milton Berle

Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy.
Anonymous


A son asked his Dad how much it costs to get married. His Dad replied: I don't know son, I'm still paying.


A man inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Wife wanted". Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
Anonymous

First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!"
Second Guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."

CHILLY QUESTIONS

Chilly Question & Ans.

Girlfriend: And are you sure you love me and no one else?
Boyfriend: Dead Sure! I checked the whole list again yesterday
*********
Waiter: Would you like your coffee black?
Customer: What other colors do you have?
*********
Manager: Sorry, but I can't give u a job. I don't need much help.
Job Applicant: That's all right. In fact I'm just the right person in this case. You see, I won't be of much help anyway!!
*********
Dad: Son, what do u want for ur birthday?
Son: Not much dad, Just a radio with a sports car around it.
*********
Diner: I can't eat such a rotten chicken. Call the manager!
Waiter: It's no use. He won't eat it either.
*********
Diner: You'll drive me to my grave!
Waiter: Well, you don't expect to walk there, do you?

*********
Husband: U know, wife, our son got his brain from me.
Wife: I think he did, I've still got mine with me!

*********
Man: Officer! There's a bomb in my garden!
Officer: Don't worry. If no one claims it within three days, you can keep it.
*********
Father: Your teacher says she finds it impossible to teach you anything!
Son: That's why I say she's no good!
*********

Some things you may not know......



1. Coca-Cola was originally green.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----
2. The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
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3. The name of all the continents ends with the same letter that they start with.
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4. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
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5. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States .
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6. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters
only on one row of the keyboard.
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7. Women blink nearly twice as much as men!
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8. You can't kill yourself by holding your breath..
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9. It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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10. People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you
Sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond.
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11. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.
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12. The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the
toughest tongue twister in the English language.
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13. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to

Suppress a sneeze; you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck
and die.
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14. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents great king from
History. "Spades" - King David; "Clubs" - Alexander the Great;
" Hearts" - Charlemagne; "Diamonds" - Julius Caesar.
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15. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321
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16. If a statue of a warrior on a horse has both front legs
in the air, the person died in battle. If the
horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has a all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural
causes.
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17 What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and
laser printers all have in common?
Ans. - All invented by women.
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18. Honey - This is the only food that doesn't spoil.
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19. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
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20. A snail can sleep for three years.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----
21. All polar bears are left handed.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
22. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive
from each salad served in first-class.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
23. Butterflies taste with their feet.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
24. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----
25. In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
26. On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----
27. Shakespeare invented the word 'assassination' and 'bump'.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----
28. Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
29. The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
30. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----
31. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the
body to squirt blood 30 feet.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
32. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over
million descendants.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
33. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in
your ear by 700 times.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
34. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
35. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----
36. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---
37. And finally 99% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.








A chat with Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya
( Heart Specialist) Bangalore was arranged by WIPRO for its employees .
The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone.


Qn: What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart ?

Ans:
1. Diet - Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil
2. Exercise - Half an hour's walk, at least five days a week; avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a longtime
3. Quit smoking
4. Control weight
5. Control blood pressure and sugar

Qn: Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?

Ans: No

Qn: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person
gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective?

Ans: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.

Qn: Are heart diseases hereditary?

Ans: Yes

Qn: What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress?
Ans: Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.

Qn: Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?

Ans: Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints .

Qn: You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so?

Ans: Mother Theresa , who was my patient.

Qn: Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?

Ans: Extremely rare

Qn: Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age
(I'm currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age?

Ans: Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.

Qn: How do irregular eating habits affect the heart ?

Ans: You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused.

Qn: How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines?

Ans: Control diet, walk and eat walnut.

Qn: Can yoga prevent heart ailments?

Ans: Yoga helps.

Qn: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?

Ans: Fruits and vegetables are the best and the worst is oil.

Qn: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive?

Ans: All oils are bad .

Qn: What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test?

Ans: Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.

Qn: What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?

Ans: Help the person into a sleeping position , place an aspirin tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to a coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour.

Qn: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble?

Ans: Extremely difficult without ECG.

Qn: What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 yrs of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems.

Ans: Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, edentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.

Qn: Is it possible for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy?

Ans: Yes.

Qn: Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?

Ans : Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may not have a software engineer as a child

Qn: Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a times we have to stay late nights in office. Does this affect our heart ? What precautions would you recommend?

Ans : When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.

Qn: Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short / long term)?

Ans : Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.

Qn: Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?

Ans : No.

Qn: Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease?

Ans : No.

Qn: How would you define junk food?

Ans : Fried food like Kentucky , McDonalds , samosas, and even masala dosas.

Qn: You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food?

Ans: Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.

Qn: Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?

Ans : No.

Qn: Can a person help himself during a heart attack (Because we see a lot of forwarded emails on this)?

Ans : Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary care unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up.

Qn: Do, in any way, low white blood cells and low hemoglobin count lead to heart problems?

Ans : No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.

Qn: Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise?

Ans : Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot.

Qn: Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?

Ans: Yes. A strong relationship since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.

Qn: What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?

Ans : Diet, exercise, drugs on time , Control cholesterol, BP, weight.

Qn: Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?

Ans : No.

Qn: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?

Ans : There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem, but my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure by walk, diet to
reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyles.

Qn: Does dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?

Ans : No.

Qn: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?

Ans : Nature protects women till the age of 45.

Qn: How can one keep the heart in a good condition?

Ans : Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise everyday, do not smoke and, go for health checkup s if you are past the age of 30 ( once in six months recommended) ...


\

HANDBOOK 2010
Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.

6. Play more games.

7. Read more books than you did in 2008.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others'.
You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18. Forget issues of the past.
Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past.
That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and
fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come.

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:

40. Please give this to everyone you care about

ESSENTIALS ON RESUME AND INTERVIEW

1. Start by making a list of all your accomplishments to date. Don't leave anything out. Include jobs, awards, educational degrees, skills, personal projects: anything that would be impressive and/or interesting to anyone (even if not impressive or interesting to /everyone/). Even after your resume is finished, maintain this list. That way, you don't have to revisit those portions year after year. Organize your list by category.
2. Tailor your list to the position you're applying for (this will require a bit of research). Trim out each item that is not directly relevant to the job and add on two or three sentences explaining the relevance of each item. Whenever possible, list your experience in terms of accomplishments and achievements rather than tasks and responsibilities. Show your success. You may end up with many different versions of your resume, each one emphasizing a different set of skills.
3. Consider stating your objective. Again, keep this short and to the point, a single sentence. Personalize it to the position. Make sure your objective doesn't contradict the position you are applying for. Many employers will ignore an objective; so if it doesn't add something to the resume, don't include it.
4. Now it's time to format. Mind the look and feel of your resume. It should have clean lines and be easy to read. Make it two pages max, and only one page if you're just out of school - if you have more to share, save it for the interview. The font should be 8-13, no smaller, no bigger, but you should be able to read it well when you print it out. Black and white is best unless you're emphasizing your artistic or publishing skills (and even then be careful and tasteful). Keep the format neat and organized.
5. Include an address, phone number and email address. But, do not include an email that shows you shouldn't be taken seriously, like beerandboys@email.com. Don't use your current employer's name, number or email, either. If necessary, get an extra email address with a professional name that you can use for job searches.
6. Proofread, proofread and proofread again. Have a friend or professional that you trust proofread. Have an enemy proofread. Have a stranger proofread. Then proof again! Take criticism well and remember that just because someone suggests something doesn't mean you have to make the change. Don't boast about written communication skills with a typo.
7. Toot your own horn, but be careful. There is a fine line between arrogance and confidence. Try not to cross that line.
8. Follow directions. This is a huge indicator of responsibility to a hiring manager. If the ad says "no calls please," then don't call! If the job description asks you to provide your salary history, then include that information in your resume.



Tips

• Remember: the point of a resume is not to get the job, it's to get the interview. Focus on your best accomplishments. Focus on things you've accomplished so that whoever reads the resume will think, "I want to find out more about how this person did that."
• Be consistent! Format each entry in your resume in the same way.
• You might not need to list your whole name if it takes up two full lines (Elizabeth Anna Emily Isringhausen; Elizabeth Isringhausen is fine or even Liz Isringhausen if that's the way you like to be addressed.
• Don't over qualify yourself for a position. Give enough information for interest and save the "wow" factor for the interview. Write the resume for the position you are applying for without altering the truth.
• Don't attach 6 letters of recommendation, your diploma, your birth certificate, and your CPR and fitness certifications. Indicate your current certifications and be prepared to give references upon request. Do /not/ waste space on your resume by saying "References available".
• If you're just out of school put your educational details in before your employment details, with the most recent first on both of them. If you've been out of school for more than a year, or you have significant job credentials then list past employment and accomplishments first.
• Another approach is to lead with your strong suit, whether it be education, skills, work or volunteer experience. The idea is to showcase your strengths and hide any weaknesses.
• Detail your duties within each position but don't go overboard. Accomplishments are more impressive than duties. "Cut expenses by 25% over six months while maintaining historic revenue levels," is more impressive than, "Was responsible for a $500,000 budget." The latter says, "I did this," the former says, "I did this and I can do it for you."
• Highlight your expertise in software programs, languages, customer service and/or any other particular skills that will impress the interviewer.
• Listing personal hobbies is optional, but make sure they are sending the right impression. In other words, you might want to mention your stamp collection if you're applying for a job at a delivery company, but don't include Monday night football at Hooters.
• Be careful about listing volunteer activities. When you start listing things that tie you to political and other emotionally charged organizations, you might get put in a bucket of preconceived notions. It's not right, but everyone has biases and it is better to avoid them if possible.
• Quantify your accomplishments, if possible, by applying specific numbers to your successes. For instance, if you streamlined the flow of work for your department, define how much time it saved the company over a period of, say, 4 months. Time is money.
• Most people are somewhat shy and modest about what they have done on the job. Don't be! Think hard about what you've done and what you've accomplished. For instance, instead of saying "answered phones," say "answered multi-line phone and routed calls for an office of 43 people." The example here shows the prospective employer the volume of work you've handled and the complexity of the equipment.
• Print your resume on good quality paper, such as 20 pound bond white paper. Fancy papers are nice, but it's the content of your resume that employers care about.
• If possible, keep the resume for a day or two before reading it again. You may think of something else you want to add before submitting it to prospective employers.
• Write a cover letter that is short, sweet and to the point (and specifically written for the job you're applying for). If at all possible, do not write more than a page-long cover letter (make sure, though, that you include everything the employer asks for). Try and remember that the person reading it is probably looking at hundreds of resumes. Address logical questions in your cover letter. If you're applying for a position in California but your resume has a New York address, explain why. If you don't, the reader will probably trash the resume (unless the company is ready and willing to pay for a relocation package).
• If you do have to use two pages, make sure that the second page is at least half filled. If not, go back and re-work the formatting to see if you can fit it on one page. You can also review all the information you have and make sure it is all necessary and relevant. Remove the "fluff".
• Use no more than three different fonts.
• Always backup your resume on a floppy (yes, a floppy), flash USB drive, or even print it out. * Use white space effectively. The resume layout should be professional, crisp and well-defined. If you have too much information on the page, feel free to leave out what you feel is not 100% necessary, such as that fast food job you had in high school, if you have other more relevant experience to draw from.
• Do *not* pad your resume. This may be illegal in some instances, and is quite likely to make you look like a fool.
• Do not include irrelevant personal information. If you make inappropriate personal disclosures on your resumes, employers may perceive you as having poor judgment. They may also, intentionally or unintentionally, discriminate against you.
• Although in some cultures, it's customary to list your age, marital status, and family status, it isn't common in the United States. If you think age is important, you can allude to it with the year you graduated college or high school. Otherwise, these dates aren't necessary. Beware that, depending on the industry, you may face age discrimination if you graduated many years ago. For example, in creative industries, having graduated more than a few years ago may disqualify you from getting an interview for a junior position.
• In some countries (like Germany) you have to include a photograph with your application. In others, like the US and Canada, including a photo will immediately disqualify you with many employers. This just goes to show how important it is to research the local culture if you apply for a job in another country.
• Many word processors, including Microsoft Word, have "fill-in-the-blank" style resumes. Check for one with an appropriate style and then follow their guiding. It can give you help on how to start.
• Make a lot of drafts!
• Remember, the resume lands you the interview and the interview gets you the job!

Here are some Resume writing tips, which you may find useful.
A Resume is a record of your personal, education and work details. It should be as up to date as possible. The layout of your Resume is flexible, however ideally it should be no more than two pages long. The use of headings such as Education, Career History can help to clarify sections. Don't use fancy layouts as these can detract from the contents of your RESUME. Don't make general statements about your qualities. Make sure you can support your statements with evidence. Try to link your skills and experience to the requirements of the job you are applying for.
A good RESUME will include:
Personal Details
Keep this section brief - your full name, address, email address and phone number are important.
Education Details
Usually stated in reverse chronological order, with your most recent experiences first. Include details of the name of the institutions, the dates you attended and the qualifications you obtained / will obtain.
Think about the relevance of the information you detail. You may want to include a list of relevant modules, information about projects and dissertations undertaken, average grades and/or skills developed.
Career History / Professional Experience
All experiences count, whether paid, voluntary or shadowing. These are usually stated in reverse chronological order with dates to illustrate how long you were there. Focus on your responsibilities and achievements in the role and remember to highlight where skills were used or developed.
Positions of responsibility/achievements/interests
These are all relevant sections to include and can be used to demonstrate that you are motivated to pursue other activities, have an interest in a relevant career and take the initiative to develop your involvements and skills. Try to focus upon recent achievements and what your contributions were, skills developed and outcomes.

Please remember that this is a platform for you to demonstrate your key attributes and qualities, recognise your own achievements and the key challenges you have overcome. This is your opportunity to demonstrate this and potentially could be your first step through the selection process.


 
How to Write a Resume as a Graduate Student
As a graduate student, the least thing you want to do is spend so much time researching on how to write a Resume or CV. And even if you want to make a break, sooner or later you will have to make the first step in order to apply for a job; you will need your Resume or CV ready in minutes.
Steps
1. First stage: Collecting the information
1. Collect only useful information that is relevant to your job! If you are applying for a number of similar jobs or fields, try to write a couple of Resumes by simply providing only important accurate details relevant to the job description.
2. Second stage: Start Writing a Resume
1. Organize your Resume in a following order:
2. Objective (concise, focused and compiling statement why you are qualified for the job position and how an employer would benefit from hiring you)
3. Experience (list all of your jobs related to the position you are applying for, consider listing volunteer experience as well, because non-paid experience is equally as valuable as paid experience)
4. Education (since this is strongest asset for graduates, focus the reader on your academic credentials by listing your major and minor area of study with classes relevant to the job that you are seeking)
3. Third stage: Key Elements for Resume of Graduate Student
1. As a finishing graduate there are four key elements that you need to include in your Resume:
2. Association Memberships (list all memberships related to your job target to demonstrate characteristics important to the job you are applying for)
3. Your Volunteer Work (list all your volunteer work through separate accomplishments, capabilities or skills sections)
4. Computer Knowledge (list all your software and hardware knowledge)
5. Knowledge of other Languages (knowledge of a second language or more will definitely make your Resume stand out from the rest of the candidates)
4. Fourth stage: Finishing Touch!
1. Be sure to include strong action words and key terms. As a finishing graduate use specific key action words to emphasize your leadership and team roles. For example: organized, performed, maintained, developed, team work, supervised, executed, etc. Here are a couple of additional rules to make your Resume elegant and smart:
2. In marketing there is a general rule "Give them what they want". So, try to include as many relevant points as possible,
3. Crucial to avoid grammar and spelling errors,
4. Exclude details that do not relate to the position that you are applying for.
5. Do not include the names of any references (once they ask you for them you can give these).
5. These are really essential points in each and every Resume that you need to prepare as a graduate student. Apply these rules and you will have a great in your hands in no time! That will be your first crucial step towards your job seeking process. So, watch your step buddy!
How to Avoid Interview Mistakes
If you want to learn how to avoid interview mistakes, keep reading. It is so important to know how to handle yourself in an interview setting.
Steps
1. Remember and accept that first impressions are essential. Are you dressed appropriately? Is your hair style attractive? Are your fingernails clean and trimmed? If you wear makeup, is it subdued enough for a work setting?
2. Be careful all the way. Yes, it sounds like this is just a little too much, but you can never be too careful in an interview. You want to eliminate anything and everything that might keep you from being considered for employment. Eliminate as many of the possible problem areas as you can so that the employer focuses on what you bring to the table in terms of qualifications.
3. Arrive on time. This is an absolute must. Actually, it is best if you arrive at the location ten to fifteen minutes before the scheduled interview. Take a few moments to calm your nerves, say a prayer (if you like) and check yourself in a mirror. When it is time to walk in the door, do so a minute or two before the interview is supposed to start. Never arrive late. If something comes up, such as a traffic accident, call the company as soon as possible to make them aware of the situation.
4. Be professional. Professionalism is highly valued. Are you chewing gum, smoking or tapping your pen on your portfolio? Everything you do will be judged in some form or fashion by the interviewer. Omit anything that might exclude you from further consideration as a potential job candidate.
5. Speak clearly and concisely. Remember the phrase, "Never use two words when one word will do." Address each person you meet as "Mr." or "Ms." and articulate your words using proper grammar. Also, keep your answers short and to the point. Talk to communicate a message, not just to fill the quiet spells in the interview.
6. Know the organization. If you have not taken the time to research the company, it will become very obvious in the interview. Check the company's web site or visit the local library and learn some key information about the place where you are thinking about spending 40 or so hours per week. What products do they make or what services do they provide? Who are their major competitors? Does the company have a mission statement and do you agree with it? Not only will you glean valuable information for yourself, but you will be better prepared for the interview.
Tips
• Be prepared.
• Plan your route to the interview.
• Take extra copies of your resume.
• Have a list of personal and professional references handy.
Warnings
• Don't talk too much.
• Sit up straight and act professionally.
• Turn your cell phone off.
How to Dress for an Interview as a Man
You finally got the interview for your dream job, but what should you wear? Unless it's a job in the fashion industry, you won't get hired for dressing well. What's important is to seamlessly blend with your interviewer's expectations for your appearance, so they can focus on what they say and who you are.
Steps
1. Be formal (no matter what the regular dress code is at the job). The only exceptions to this are if you are interviewing somewhere that they tell you specifically what to wear for your own safety (such as at a factory). For most interviews, a suit is the appropriate attire. A blue suit works the best and it gives you a lot of versatility in terms of shirt and tie choice. Light or dark grey are also good conservative choices. A three button suit will look good on almost anyone, while a 2 button will give a slightly taller/slimmer appearance.
2. Choose a solid white or blue shirt. You don't want to look too flashy with a brightly colored shirt, and striped (and especially patterned) shirts are a little less formal. A straight collar is also more formal than a button down. Choose one with a medium spread. (If you have a particularly large neck, a wider collar may look better.)
3. Wear a tie in a dark, conservative color (never pink). Stick to solids, rep (diagonal striped) or small patterned ties. A red tie will give the friendly politician look, while blue ties give a more serious FBI agent look. Both are acceptable.
4. Wear a belt or suspenders, but never both at the same time. It’s redundant. If you're a suspenders kind of guy, get buttons sewed into your trousers and wear suspenders that button on, not the cheap clip-on kind. They will make you look cheap.
5. Show off your shoes. A pair of black oxfords or cap-toed oxfords is the best choice. Get ones that don't have super thick soles so they won’t look like boots.
6. Wear solid, vertically ribbed socks in black or grey. Get socks that are long enough to cover your legs when you sit down in your suit.
Tips
• A nice watch rounds out the outfit. You don't have to spend a fortune on a Tag Heuer. Fossil and Timex make nice enough looking watches that can fool almost anyone.
• If you are lucky enough to be asked for a second interview, simply changing the shirt and tie combination can give the look of a whole new outfit, even if you don’t have another suit.
• Remember to turn off your cell phone before you go.
• Although it seems counterintuitive to wear another layer, putting on an undershirt will keep sweat from getting on your dress shirt and showing exactly how nervous you really are. The bonus is that your white shirt will look whiter with a white undershirt. Choose a white short-sleeved tee in favor of an athletic undershirt.
• Make sure your dress shirts' tails are long enough that they stay tucked in. Refresh your tuck right before the interview in the nearest restroom: unzip your fly and reach in to pull the front tail downwards, to align the placket with your trouser hitch and belt buckle.
• Wear unscented deodorant and no cologne
• Bring a folder or portfolio with at least one copy of your resume. Ideally, write down questions you want answered; you don't want to ever say "No" to the usual, "Do you have any questions?"
Warnings
• It is imperative that your clothes are clean and pressed. If you never iron your clothes, iron just this once for your interview.
• Some dress shoes can be slippery, and literally falling on your face is not the impression you want to make. Look for shoes with rubber inserts for traction.
• Also make sure your shoes are shined and the heels aren't worn down. If the heels are worn down, you can have them repaired at a cobbler.
• Don't get a watch that beeps.
• Some of the more technical organizations you may interview with have a "we don't hire suits" custom. Check beforehand with the firm's HR contact to inquire about this.
Things You'll Need
• A blue or grey suit
• 2-3 white and blue dress shirts
• 2-3 conservative ties
• Black oxford or cap-toed oxfords
• Black belt
• Dress sock
• Watch



 
How to Look Good in a Suit

Many people wear suits for special occasions. Whether it be for a cocktail party, wedding, reunion, funeral, or a job interview, looking good in a suit is top priority. By following these steps, you can improve your image through wearing a suit.
Steps
1. Make sure that your suit fits. These are some important elements to note when you purchase a suit:
o Your suit jacket should fit well and give you a full range of motion, both buttoned and unbuttoned.
o You should be able to fit one finger between the collar of your shirt and your neck, but no more than that.
o The shirt cuffs should not ride up when you stretch your arms. If you are wearing a button-cuff shirt, the cuffs should break exactly at the wrist; if it's a French-cuff shirt, the cuffs should break about 1/2 inch further.
o Your vest should button comfortably and hit just below the waistband of your pants.
2. Dress for your body type. If you're a shorter person, stick to single-breasted jackets. Double-breasted jackets can give you a "drowning-in-fabric" look and make you appear smaller. If you're bigger around the middle, wear a lower-buttoning jacket rather than one with a higher placket. It will give you a longer silhouette.
3. Wear the suit properly. Button all of the buttons on your dress shirt. If you are wearing a button-cuff shirt, remember to button those buttons — don't forget the small one on the placket!
o For two-button jackets, button the top button only.
o For three-button jackets, button the middle button, and the top button [if desired].
o Or, don't button any of the buttons on your jacket at all; this is also acceptable. However, you should NEVER button the bottom-most button on any jacket.
4. Choose the right accessories for the occasion. With a black tuxedo, try a silver necktie, or one with a subtle stripe or weave. White ties are ultra-formal. Black ties are formal. Colored ties can fit a wide range of occasions — just make sure that it doesn't take away the focus from your overall suit. Wear a matching belt — black is usually a good color for everything, except for khaki-toned suits, which should be worn with brown belts. Your belt buckle should match any other accessories that you are wearing, such as a watch. If you are wearing a watch, and your sleeve is above it, consider that your sleeves are too short. Also, don't wear necklaces hanging outside of your shirt, tuck chains and neck accessories into your shirt. Other accessories to consider are cuff-links and a stud set.
5. Choose comfortable, yet stylish shoes. The whole idea is to make sure they match the rest of the suit and don't cause any unwanted pain during the day (or night). Besides, you don't look good when you are wincing in pain or constantly adjusting your shoes. Your shoes should match the belt color.
6. Have your suit pressed. This is an obvious step, especially for important occasions. This ensures that you're clean and crisply pressed.
7. Be well-groomed. Perform all the small hygiene tasks that are not usually done every day. Remove earwax, clip your nails, remove your unibrow, and take care of any nasal or ear hair. Since your face is the first thing people notice when they meet you, make sure it is in top shape. This does not mean you have to shave off all your facial hair. If you have a moustache or goatee, make sure it is well defined, and that you keep unwanted hairs shaven off. Take a shower, brush, floss, and use mouthwash, and apply your favorite deodorant and cologne to your wrists and neck. Remember, less is more.
Tips
• If you anticipate a lot of walking, wear comfortable dress shoes. You don't want to be sweating under heavy wool in the heat of a summer, either. If you sweat easily, consider bringing a 2nd shirt to change into.
• When seating yourself, unbutton your jacket buttons so that your jacket falls to both sides of the chair, rather than tightly across your body.
• Boost your confidence. If your image of yourself is high, others will sense that and look at you the same way.
• Bring a Tide Pen to get rid of anything you spill on your suit. Excuse yourself to the bathroom for this.
Warnings
• Some people have their suits dry-cleaned after each wearing. This is the best way to ruin your suit. You only need to have a suit cleaned once per year, or less. If it smells like smoke, or wherever you've been, hang it out to let the fabric breathe.
Things You'll Need
• Suit
• Belt
• Necktie/bow tie
• Socks & Shoes
• Extra shirt (if you sweat easily)
• Razor/Electric Shaver
• Q-Tips
• Scissors / electric nose hair remover (if needed)
• Fingernail clippers
• Toothpaste / Toothbrush / Floss / Mouthwash
• Deoderant & Cologne
• Tide Pen (optional)
 
How to Go to an Interview
Going to interviews can be nerve-wracking. With these tips, rough seas soon become smooth sailing.
Steps
1. Arrive in the area 30 minutes early. Find a quiet cafe, relax and take your mind off of the commute. Iced mint tea is always nice.
2. Keep your cool. You probably will not get the job if you let the employer see how nervous you are.
3. Answer only the questions that the interviewers ask you and do not offer other information.
4. Be polite and don't insult the employer. Know that he or she could have many more people to interview.
5. Do not take offense to anything the interviewer says. If they do not give you the job, do not let it stop you from trying to get another job.
6. Be very forward in everything you say and in your actions.
7. Try not to confuse the employer. Be careful of what you say and realize that your employment is on the line!
Tips
• Be confident
• Sit straight
• Look up and at the interviewer
• Always write a thank you letter to the person who interviewed you!

 
How to Open an Interview
Opening an interview is the most important part of the interview. It sets the tone for the rest of the interview. If one knows how to properly open an interview, the interview is much more likely to be successful.
Steps
1. Establish rapport. Rapport is a relationship based upon mutual trust. Rapport is important to consider when establishing and maintaining a relationship between interviewer and interviewee. Oftentimes, the first few minutes of the interview are the most important. Establishing rapport can enhance the outcome of the interview. If an honest, sincere and persuasive attitude is not used by the interviewer, then the interviewee may not share their real opinions on the matter at hand.
2. Orient the interviewee. Explain the purpose, length and nature of the interview and why you selected the person to be interviewed. This is useful for establishing rapport and also gives the interviewee a sense of belonging.
3. State the purpose of the interview. By stating the purpose of the interview, the interviewee can have a better understanding of why you chose them.
4. Summarize the reason for the interview, but don’t go into body. The interviewer should avoid getting into the body of the interview so that the interviewee is not overwhelmed. By summarizing the reason for the interview, the interviewee has time to gather his or her thoughts.
5. Explain how the topic of the interview was discovered and by whom it was discovered. This enables the interviewee to understand how you came to interviewing them. It also helps them understand where you are coming from.
6. Refer to how you came upon choosing the interviewee. By doing so, the interviewer can understand why they are qualified for the interview. Thus, giving them a sense of belonging.
7. Refer to your organization and position to give oneself an identity to the interviewee.
8. Request a specific amount of time.
9. Always knock when entering the room for the interview.
10. Dress properly for the situation. If you do not dress properly, you may look out of place or unprofessional.
Tips
• Prepare an outline that accomplishes these goals.
• Ask others if they believe your dress attire is appropriate for the type of interview.
 
How to Answer Tough Questions in an Interview
There are no tough questions in an interview. Just ones you haven't prepared for.
Steps
1. Apply for jobs you really want. If you're not really sure about a job, every question will be tough to answer.
2. Know yourself. Consider your strengths and weaknesses, and be aware of the qualities you offer a potential employer. Think about how your past experiences have helped you.
3. Before the interview, think about (or write down) all the possible questions you could be asked, and come up with answers to them.
4. Recognize that the interviewer is interested in you. Don't sell yourself short, and realize that you have something to offer. This will make questions easier to answer.
5. Talk about the future as much as the past. Avoid discussing uncomfortable things from your past and focus on what you can do for the company and why you want to work there. If caught off guard with a question, don't answer right away. Take some time to compose your thoughts, and then answer as best you can.
6. Try to answer all questions as positively as you can. Don't speak negatively about former employers, former companies or former management.
7. Do some research about the company and the position you are interviewing for. If possible, talk to someone who has the job and find out what the companies look for in an employee. Don't lie, but position yourself as the ideal candidate.
8. Look over your resume' before the interview as many questions may come from your resume'.
9. Don't ramble especially when answering a tough interview question. Answer the question...get in and get out of it! If you seem unsure they may continue the same line of questions that are making you uncomfortable.
10. If you don't understand the question, it is alright to ask them to repeat it rather than assume you can fake your way through an answer. People usually rephrase a question the second time through and that can give you an edge.
Tips
• Be clean. Shower 1 hour before, no perfume, no "statements" like punk clothing/haircuts/jewellery/nose or earrings/other body art. If you want to sell yourself, be relaxed and ready to kick butt.
• Give yourself plenty of time to get to the interview. You don't want to be late or rushed--arriving early will allow you to enter the interview calm, cool and collected (and ready to answer questions).
• Keep in mind that a job interview is not "just about you". It is also your opportunity to determine if the company is one you wish to work for. When the interviewer asks if you have any questions, the worst thing you can do is say no. Always have at least two or three job or company related questions ready.
• Do a bit of research in advance of the interview and learn about the company's history and direction. During the interview, refer to things you've learned about the company. This tells the interviewer that you have an interest in the company and understand its mission, giving you an edge over applicants who simply "walk in".
• Turn potentially negative answers into positive ones. A common example would be "What are your weaknesses?" The worst answer to give is that you haven't any. Find a weakness that you've improved upon and use that for your answer to this common question. "I learned in my previous position that my computer skills were not as strong as I would have preferred. I have since completed classroom training in that area, and have greatly improved." Remember, the question isn't meant to determine what the "weaknesses" are- it is meant to determine what you have done to correct them.
• Always bring questions full circle back to your stated achievements and qualifications. When the interviewer asks a "How would you handle xxx?", a good answer would be "I had a similar situation in a previous position, and I handled it by.." Whenever a positive result was achieved, it is imperative that you note it. "My actions resulted in a decrease of operating expenses by 15% while increasing revenues by 25%."
• Practice asking yourself questions in a mirror or have someone you know assist. Do what all US Presidents, court witnesses and executives do to prepare for tough questions: using a role-playing format, have someone ask you the same potentially tough questions, giving you the opportunity to practice your answers and delivery. Allow yourself practice to work through not only the best answer but one you're most comfortable delivering.
• Use the STAR method when asked questions such as have you ever been in a group that did not work well together? Discuss the Situation, what Tasks you needed to achieve, what Actions you took, and the Results. It's okay if the situation ended badly. Discuss what you learned and how you would have handled the situation differently.
Warnings
• Do not go there hoping to get the job. It produces sweat, stupid answers, etc., as anticipation is not a good thing. Go there to show them what they will be losing if they don't hire you. Don't wish for the job, just go and prove how good you are. Do not humiliate yourself--just convince the company you are a good human and they will want you. Easy.
• Don't try to impress the interviewer by using vocabulary you don't know. If you don't know what a word means, don't use it. Otherwise you will come across as ignorant and insincere.
• Don't appear arrogant or the interviewer will try to stump you by asking even harder questions. Pay attention to your body language!

 
How to Prepare for a Behavioural Interview
Increasingly, employers are giving job candidates behavioural interviews. Behavioural interviewing is an interviewing strategy that considers the candidates' past performance the best indicator of future performance. If you're in the market for a new job, it's probably wise to prepare for behavioural interviews. Some 30 percent of organizations, including many of America's biggest corporations, now use behavioural interviewing -- and the number is growing.
Steps
1. Study the job description for the position for which you're interviewing.
2. Visit the organizations website to gain an understanding of what type of candidate the organization is hiring.
3. List the personal and professional attributes of the ideal candidate for the job.
4. Think about which of your experiences can be used to illustrate you have these personal and professional attributes.
5. Make up questions that demonstrate you have each of these attributes. Behavioral questions usually start with phrases like "Describe a time" and "Tell me about a situation" which force the interviewee to talk about specific experiences.
6. Develop two or three stories for each personal or professional attribute, using experiences from your past to show you have each attribute.
7. Try to use the SAR technique to tell these stories. Describe the Situation you were in or problem you were facing at the start of the story. Describe the Action you took or took part in as a result. Then describe the Result of your actions. Spend less time on the Situation and more time on Action and Results. This is what the interviewer cares about.
8. Practice answering the behavioral interview questions you invented, using the stories you created, so your stories become second nature.
Tips
• Use your resume/CV to help evaluate how your experiences can be used to illustrate you're the ideal candidate for the job.
• Don't limit yourself to the experiences on your CV, if there's some other story that best shows how you'd be a great a fit with the job.
• Do a Web search for "behavioral interview questions" to find sites with sample questions you might face in a behavioral interview. Good places to look are business school websites. You may often find the marketing club or finance club mini-sites, where the students share behavioral interviews.
 
How to Take Command of Your Career
To take command of your career means to keep control of it and not simply rely on other people to deliver on your behalf. Here's how you can do it.
Steps
1. Decide on a goal and direction for your career. Do you want to do your current job in a more advanced way? Do you want to work in a different industry or different field? Do you want to do or to manage?
2. Don't plaster your resume on every single Internet job board you can find. Hiring managers and recruiters start wondering why you can't get a job if they see your resume all over the Internet.
3. Make sure you understand what sort of job you are looking for and focus your job search rather than simply firing offer dozens of resumes and waiting for the calls to come in.
4. Don't apply for jobs you aren't qualified for. This upsets hiring managers and recruiters and wastes their time. It shows that you can't follow instructions or don't read job descriptions. On the other hand, do apply for jobs that are related to your experience, even if the job description doesn't match your experience completely.
5. Use recruiters to supplement your job search but don't rely on them to get you a job.
6. Learn. If you would like to take your career in a particular direction, take classes in that area, read books and articles on the subject, and seek out tasks in your current job to help you gain experience.
7. Talk to others in your target field, company or industry. Ask them what they like and dislike about their work and let them know you are looking.
Tips
• Understand what a company is looking for when you read over job descriptions. Look for "must have" skills and ensure you highlight in your resume that you have the "must have" skills and any "nice to have" skills too.
• Try to get as much activity going on in your job search as possible. Speak with people who can positively influence your job search, apply for jobs yourself, work with recruiters, attend job fairs, let your family and friends know you are looking for a new job, etc.


 
How to Write an Interview Thank You Note
Sending a note of thanks to a potential employer is a professional courtesy that can give you the "extra points" following an interview.
Steps
1. Compose, write and mail your thank you note as soon as possible following the interview; preferably on the day of the interview. Your note may be handwritten or typed.
2. Use good quality note paper or note cards that will be mailed in a matching envelope. Stay with note paper/cards of a neutral shade (beige, off-white, subtle grey, etc., no color). You may use a card having the words "Thank You" imprinted on the front; however, the font and/or type should be simple and professionally elegant. A note card that bears a small, graphic design is acceptable; such as a narrow colored border stripe. Avoid using note cards or note paper that bear a decorative picture. And no scented or fragrance paper!
3. Date the note in full: January 10, 2006 and not 01/10/06
4. Greet the interviewer: Dear Mr. Smith, or Dear Ms. Smith.
5. Write your message. Be direct, be personable without being personal. Use good grammar. Your message should not be longer than 2 short paragraphs.
6. Begin by giving recognition to the interviewer and the company: Paragraph One Example: "It was my pleasure to meet with you this afternoon regarding the Marketing Director's position with XYZ Enterprises. Thank you for the brief history of XYZ, and for providing me with a glimpse at XYZ's future growth plans. They are both quite impressive."
7. Give recognition to yourself: Mention something from the interview that will prompt the interviewer to remember you individually. Paragraph Two Example: "I came away from our interview with a strong sense that my qualifications and experience are an excellent match to the Marketing Director's position. I believe that by sharing my skills and ideas with the talented XYZ team, and while gaining the knowledge and plans of my colleagues, we will achieve the profitable goals you've described. I anticipate speaking with you again soon."
8. Close your message with "Respectfully"or "Sincerely."
9. If your note has been typed, type your name, then sign it in blue ink.
10. Address the envelope with the full name and title of the interviewer on the first line: Mr. Howard J. Smith, Vice President of Marketing. The second line of the address is the company name: XYZ Enterprises., the third and fourth lines are for the full mailing address and zip code.
11. Include your name and address in the return address area of the envelope; not on the back.
Tips
• If sending an email thank you letter, compose a good portion of it prior to your interview. After the interview, add the finishing touches and send it off. This allows for fastest delivery and minimal effort after the interview.
• Check for accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation. Have at least one other person proof-read your message.
• If you hand-write your message and make a mistake, start over on a fresh note card. No crossing out, no corrective products.
• Verify the correct spelling of the interviewer's name and his/her exact title. Contact the company's receptionist or Human Resources department, if necessary.
• Use the words "You" and "yours" more than the words "I" "me" and "mine." The word "you" is one of the 12 most persuasive words in the English language. It is up there with "money" "guarantee" and "health." Ex. Instead of: "I want to thank you for meeting with me." It is more powerful to write, "Thank you for the meeting."
• Refer to your interview as a "meeting" in your note. It subconsciously put you on more even footing. Every edge counts when it comes to salary negotiating.

What are computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses?
What is a virus?
A computer virus, according to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, is "a computer program usually hidden within another seemingly innocuous program that produces copies of itself and inserts them into other programs or files, and that usually performs a malicious action (such as destroying data)". Two categories of viruses, macro viruses and worms, are especially common today. Computer viruses are never naturally occurring; they are always man-made. Once created and released, however, their spread is not directly under human control.

A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make a copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems.
Since 1987, when a virus infected ARPANET, a large network used by the Defense Department and many universities, many antivirus programs have become available. These programs periodically check your computer system for the best-known types of viruses.
Some people distinguish between general viruses and worms. A worm is a special type of virus that can replicate itself and use memory, but cannot attach itself to other programs.
A

Macro viruses
A macro is a piece of code that can be embedded in a data file. Some word processors (e.g., Microsoft Word) and spreadsheet programs (e.g., Microsoft Excel) allow you to attach macros to the documents they create. In this way, documents can control and customize the behavior of the programs that created them, or even extend the capabilities of the program. For example, a macro attached to a Microsoft Word document might be executed every time you save the document and cause its text to be run through an external spell checking program.
A macro virus is a virus that exists as a macro attached to a data file. In most respects, macro viruses are like all other viruses. The main difference is that they are attached to data files (i.e., documents) rather than executable programs. Many people do not think that viruses can reside on simple document files, but any application which supports document-bound macros that automatically execute is a potential haven for macro viruses. By the end of the last century, documents became more widely shared than diskettes, and document-based viruses were more prevalent than any other type of virus. It seems highly likely that this will be a continuing trend.

Worms
Worms are very similar to viruses in that they are computer programs that replicate functional copies of themselves (usually to other computer systems via network connections) and often, but not always, contain some functionality that will interfere with the normal use of a computer or a program. The difference is that unlike viruses, worms exist as separate entities; they do not attach themselves to other files or programs. Because of their similarity to viruses, worms are often also referred to as viruses.

What is a Trojan horse?
Named after the wooden horse the Greeks used to infiltrate Troy, a Trojan horse is a program that does something undocumented which the programmer intended, but that the user would not approve of if he or she knew about it. According to some people, a virus is a particular case of a Trojan horse, namely one which is able to spread to other programs (i.e., it turns them into Trojans too). According to others, a virus that does not do any deliberate damage (other than merely replicating) is not a Trojan. Finally, despite the definitions, many people use the term "Trojan" to refer only to a non-replicating malicious program.
Some tips for avoiding computer viruses
Computer viruses implant instructions in other programs or storage devices and can attack, scramble, or erase computer data. The danger of computer viruses lies in their ability to replicate themselves and spread from system to system. Few computing systems are immune to infection.
High-risk behaviors
The following activities are among the most common ways of getting computer viruses. Minimizing the frequency of these activities will reduce your risk of getting a computer virus:
• Freely sharing computer programs and system disks, or downloading files and software through file-sharing applications such as BitTorrent, eDonkey, and KaZaA
• Clicking links in instant messaging (IM) that you receive out of the blue with only a link or general text; for more information, see the Knowledge Base document What should I do if my computer is infected with an AIM Trojan?
• Downloading executable software from public-access bulletin boards or web sites
• Using your personal disk space (e.g., floppy disks) with public computers or other computers that are used by more than one person
• Opening email attachments from people you don't know or without first scanning them for viruses; for more information, see the Knowledge Base documents Using Symantec/Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition in Windows, how do I immediately scan a file, folder, or drive for viruses? and Using Norton AntiVirus for Mac OS or Mac OS X, how do I immediately scan a file, folder, or drive for viruses?
• Opening any email attachment that ends in .exe, .vbs, or .lnk on a computer running Microsoft Windows (at Indiana University, UITS blocks certain attachments that commonly harbor viruses from being delivered via email; for more information, see the Knowledge Base document At IU, what types of attachments are blocked from my email account?)
• Continually running your Windows computer as an administrator; for more information, see the Knowledge Base document In Windows 2000 and later, why should I avoid running my computer as an administrator or Power User?
Signs of a virus infection
Note: For a list of resources to help you find information about particular viruses, see the Knowledge Base document Where can I find information on computer viruses?
If your computer begins to act strangely, or if it stops being able to do things it has always done in the past, it may be infected with a virus. Symptoms such as longer-than-normal program load times, unpredictable program behavior, inexplicable changes in file sizes, inability to boot, strange graphics appearing on your screen, or unusual sounds may indicate that a virus is on your system. However, it is important to distinguish between virus symptoms and those that come from corrupted system files, which can look very similar. Remain calm and objective, and rule out more standard causes before suspecting a virus.
How to avoid computer viruses
Prevention is a matter of vigilance and avoiding contact with unknown files, web sites, and disks. It is usually the unwary who get computer viruses. Following is a list of some recommendations for safe computing:
• The most important thing you can do to keep your computer safe is to install virus detection software and keep the virus patterns up to date. Antivirus programs perform two general functions: scanning for and removing viruses in files on disks, and monitoring the operation of your computer for virus-like activity (either known actions of specific viruses or general suspicious activity). Most antivirus packages contain routines that can perform each kind of task.
Note: The Indiana University Information Technology Security Office (ITSO) recommends that you run the latest version of Symantec/Norton AntiVirus software (available to IU students, faculty, and staff for free via IUware) for your operating system, being sure to upgrade safely (see In Windows, how do I safely upgrade to the latest Symantec AntiVirus software?) and that you update your virus definitions daily and scan your computer weekly. For instructions, see:
o Windows: In Symantec/Norton AntiVirus for Windows, how do I schedule automatic LiveUpdates and virus scans?
o Mac OS and OS X: In Norton AntiVirus for Mac OS or Mac OS X, how do I schedule automatic LiveUpdates and virus scans?

• Keep your operating system current with the latest patches and updates. The writers of viruses and worms often exploit bugs and security holes in operating systems and other computer software. Software manufacturers frequently release patches for such holes. For information on obtaining the latest patches, see the Knowledge Base documents For Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP, how can I get software updates and patches? and For Mac OS or Mac OS X, how do I obtain and install system software updates?
• Back up your files. Viruses are one more very good reason to always back up your files.
Note: If you back up a file that is already infected with a virus, you can re-infect your system by restoring files from the backup copies. Check your backup files with virus scanning software before using them.
• Keep your original application and system disks locked (or write-protected). This will prevent the virus from spreading to your original disks.
• If you must insert one of your application disks into an unknown computer, lock (write-protect) it first, and unlock your application disk only after verifying that the machine is virus-free.
• Obtain public-domain software from reputable sources. Check newly downloaded software thoroughly using reputable virus detection software on a locked floppy disk for any signs of infection before you copy it to a hard disk. This can also help protect you from Trojan horse programs.
• Quarantine infected systems. If you discover that a system is infected with a virus, immediately isolate it from other systems. In other words, disconnect it from any network it is on and don't allow anyone to move files from it to another system. Once the system has been disinfected, you can copy or move files.

What are some examples of popular virus hoaxes?
There are many computer viruses around, and it is wise to protect your computer from virus, worm, and Trojan horse attacks. However, you should view with care any unsubstantiated warnings you receive by email or see on newsgroups. Some of these warnings may be legitimate, but in most, the information is false and the danger is overstated. Below is official information on some specific virus hoaxes. If you receive messages about these, do not send them to others. UITS also encourages you to respond to senders of such messages, informing them that these are virus hoaxes.
For more information about virus hoaxes, see the US Department of Energy's Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC) Hoaxbusters page, the F-Secure Corporation's Hoax Warnings web site, or the Symantec Security Response Hoaxes web site. Also check the Information Technology Security Office (ITSO) Resources page.

Good Times
From CIAC Hoaxbusters:
The "Good Times" virus warnings are a hoax. There is no virus by that name in existence today. These warnings have been circulating the Internet for years. The user community must become aware that it is unlikely that a virus can be constructed to behave in the manner ascribed in the "Good Times" virus warning.
In the early part of December 1994, CIAC started to receive information requests about a supposed "virus" which could be contracted via America Online, simply by reading a message.
CIAC has also seen other variations of this hoax. The main one is that any electronic mail message with the subject line of "xxx-1" will infect your computer.
This rumor spreads widely, mainly because many people delete the message without reading it, believing that they have saved themselves from being attacked. These first-hand reports give a false sense of credibility to the alert message.
If you encounter this message, ignore it or send a follow-up message stating that this is a false rumor.
Irina
From CIAC Hoaxbusters:
The "Irina" virus warnings are a hoax. The former head of an electronic publishing company circulated the warning to create publicity for their new interactive book by the same name. The publishing company has apologized for the publicity stunt that has back-fired and panicked Internet users worldwide. The original warning claimed to be from a Professor Edward Pridedaux of the College of Slavic Studies in London; there is no such person or college.
Penpal greetings
From the F-Secure Corporation Hoax Warnings Pages:
This is not a virus, but a widespread hoax, warning about a dangerous email message titled 'Penpal greetings'. No such danger exists.
This hoax is very similar to Good Times.
Deeyenda
From the F-Secure Corporation Hoax Warnings Pages:
This is another virus hoax. There are a lot of warnings about this 'virus' going around, but such a virus does not exist, and no future virus will be named 'Deeyenda'. Ignore the hoax warnings and do not redistribute them.
Join the Crew
From the F-Secure Corporation Hoax Warnings Pages:
This is not a virus, but a version of the Good Times hoax. It was started by a message posted to some Usenet newsgroups in February 1997. The original message was like this:
... just to let you guys know one of my friends received an email called "Join the Crew," and it erased her entire hard drive. This is that new virus that is going around. Just be careful of what mail you read. Just trying to be helpful...
Ignore these messages and do not pass them on.
Returned Mail or Unable to Deliver
From the F-Secure Corporation Hoax Warnings Pages:
This is a hoax warning about an email virus that does not exist. It looks like this:
There is a new virus going around in the last couple of days!!! DO NOT open or even look at any mail that you get thar [sic] says: "Returned or Unable to Deliver" This virus will attach itself to your computer components and render them useless. Immediately delete any mail items that says [sic] this. AOL has said this is a very dangerous virus, and there is NO remedy for it at this time, Please Be Careful, And forward to all your on-line friends A.S.A.P.
Again, ignore this hoax warning and do not pass it on.
Win a Holiday
From the F-Secure Corporation Hoax Warnings Pages:
This is a false warning of a malicious email which does not exist. Here's an example of the hoax:
If you receive an email titled "WIN A HOLIDAY" DO NOT open it. It will erase everything on your hard drive. Forward this letter out to as many people as you can. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday (16/2/98) morning from Microsoft; please share it with everyone that might access the Internet. Once again, pass this along to EVERYONE in your address book so that this may be stopped. Also, do not open or even look at any mail that says "RETURNED OR UNABLE TO DELIVER" This virus will attach itself to your computer components and render them useless. Immediately delete any mail items that say this. AOL has said that this is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO remedy for it at this time. Please practice cautionary measures and forward this to all your online friends = ASAP.
Ignore this hoax warning and do not pass it on.

What are boot sector viruses, and how can I prevent them?
On this page:
• What boot sector viruses do
• Symptoms
• How they spread
• Precautions and damage control
________________________________________
What boot sector viruses do
Boot sector viruses infect or substitute their own code for either the DOS boot sector or the Master Boot Record (MBR) of a PC. The MBR is a small program that runs every time the computer starts up. It controls the boot sequence and determines which partition the computer boots from. The MBR generally resides on the first sector of the hard disk.
Since the MBR executes every time a computer is started, a boot sector virus is extremely dangerous. Once the boot code on the drive is infected, the virus will be loaded into memory on every startup. From memory, the boot virus can spread to every disk that the system reads. Boot sector viruses are typically very difficult to remove, as most antivirus programs cannot clean the MBR while Windows is running. In most cases, it takes bootable antivirus disks such as a Symantec/Norton AntiVirus (SAV/NAV) rescue set to properly remove a boot sector virus.
Some common boot sector viruses include Monkey, NYB (also known as B1), Stoned, and Form.
Symptoms
A boot sector virus can cause a variety of boot or data retrieval problems. In some cases, data disappear from entire partitions. In other cases, the computer suddenly becomes unstable. Often the infected computer fails to start up or to find the hard drive. Also, error messages such as "Invalid system disk" may become prevalent.
How they spread
Boot sector viruses are usually spread by infected floppy disks. In the past, these were usually bootable disks, but this is no longer the case. A floppy disk does not need to be bootable to transmit a boot virus. Any disk can cause infection if it is in the drive when the computer boots up or shuts down. The virus can also be spread across networks from file downloads and from email file attachments. In most cases, all write-enabled floppies used on an infected PC will themselves pick up the boot sector virus.
In the past, setting the computer to boot first from the C: (hard) drive and then the A: (floppy) drive, or never to boot from the A: drive at all, was a reasonable precaution against boot sector viruses. This is no longer the case, as viruses are now more dangerous and spread in more ways.
You can configure some CMOS setups to prevent writing to the boot sector of the hard drive. This may be of some use against boot sector viruses. However, if you need to reinstall or upgrade the operating system, you will have to change the setting back to make the MBR writable again.

Precautions and damage control
Prevention is usually a matter of vigilance and avoiding contact with unknown disks. The following suggestions will help keep your systems and data safe:
• The best protection against boot sector viruses is the same as against viruses in general: a good antivirus program with up-to-date virus definitions. Antivirus programs do two key things:
o Scan for and remove viruses in files on disks
o Monitor the operation of your computer for virus-like activity and look for known actions of specific viruses or general suspicious activity
Note: The Indiana University Information Technology Security Office (ITSO) recommends that you run the latest version of Symantec/Norton AntiVirus software (available to IU students, faculty, and staff for free via IUware) for your operating system, being sure to upgrade safely (see In Windows, how do I safely upgrade to the latest Symantec AntiVirus software?) and that you update your virus definitions daily and scan your computer weekly. For instructions, see:
o Windows: In Symantec/Norton AntiVirus for Windows, how do I schedule automatic LiveUpdates and virus scans?
o Mac OS and OS X: In Norton AntiVirus for Mac OS or Mac OS X, how do I schedule automatic LiveUpdates and virus scans?

• Back up your files, so that you can restore them if a virus damages them.
Note: If you back up a file that is already infected with a virus, you can re-infect your system by restoring files from the backup copies. Check your backup files with virus scanning software before using them.
• Keep your original application and system disks locked (write-protected). This will prevent the virus from spreading to your original disks.
• If you must insert one of your application floppy disks into an unknown computer, lock it first. Unlock your application disk only after verifying that the computer is free of viruses.
• Obtain public-domain software from reputable sources. Don't download software directly to a hard disk. Rather, save it to a floppy disk, lock the floppy disk, and check it thoroughly using reputable virus detection software. Don't copy it to your hard disk until you know it is safe. This can also help protect you from Trojan horse programs.
• Quarantine any infected computer. If you discover that a computer is infected with a virus, immediately isolate it from other computers. In other words, disconnect it from any network it is on. Don't allow anyone to copy or move files from it until the entire system has been reliably disinfected.

What should I do if my computer has a virus?
Note: For a list of resources to help you find information about particular viruses, see the Knowledge Base document Where can I find information on computer viruses?
First, do not panic if your computer seems to have a virus. Common software problems, such as program execution errors and corrupted files, can create symptoms that appear to be virus-related. If you just installed new software, try uninstalling it and see if the problems disappear. Otherwise, the easiest way both to find out if your problem is indeed a virus, and also to remove a virus, is to obtain a commercial antivirus program, install it, and immediately update the virus patterns and scan your computer.
Note: The Indiana University Information Technology Security Office (ITSO) recommends that you run the latest version of Symantec/Norton AntiVirus software (available to IU students, faculty, and staff for free via IUware) for your operating system, being sure to upgrade safely (see In Windows, how do I safely upgrade to the latest Symantec AntiVirus software?) and that you update your virus definitions daily and scan your computer weekly. For instructions, see:
• Windows: In Symantec/Norton AntiVirus for Windows, how do I schedule automatic LiveUpdates and virus scans?
• Mac OS and OS X: In Norton AntiVirus for Mac OS or Mac OS X, how do I schedule automatic LiveUpdates and virus scans?
If you cannot boot your computer, you should seek the services of a technology professional. At Indiana University, contact the UITS Support Center at 812-855-6789 or via email at ithelp@iu.edu . You may also visit a Support Center walk-in office.
For information about Support Center walk-in offices (hours and locations), please see the Knowledge Base document UITS Support Center walk-in locations and services.
No matter which antivirus software package you choose, it is important to update it on a regular basis. Viruses are constantly evolving, and new ones being created, so an out-of-date antivirus program may not detect or protect against the most recent variants. Also, it is possible that your computer could be compromised by means other than a virus, e.g., through a software vulnerability. You should keep your hardware and software up to date as new patches are released.
Note: With certain system-level infections, antivirus software cannot entirely remove or repair viral problems and cannot account for changes that may have been made during the infection. In these cases, you will need to perform a clean installation of the operating system. For more information, see the Knowledge Base document In Windows, how do I safely rebuild my computer after a system-level compromise?

What is security software?
There are two main types of security software: virus protection software (such as Symantec/Norton AntiVirus, or SAV/NAV) and adware and spyware removal software. It is important to understand the ways in which you can use these two different types of security software.
Virus protection software
Antivirus software prevents and removes computer viruses. It usually includes a "real-time" protection feature that will attempt to stop incoming viruses before they infect your computer. Antivirus software requires regular updating to keep it effective against new viruses. Additionally, you can use it to scan your computer for viruses.
Note: The Indiana University Information Technology Security Office (ITSO) recommends that you run the latest version of Symantec/Norton AntiVirus software (available to IU students, faculty, and staff for free via IUware) for your operating system, being sure to upgrade safely (see In Windows, how do I safely upgrade to the latest Symantec AntiVirus software?) and that you update your virus definitions daily and scan your computer weekly. For instructions, see:
• Windows: In Symantec/Norton AntiVirus for Windows, how do I schedule automatic LiveUpdates and virus scans?
• Mac OS and OS X: In Norton AntiVirus for Mac OS or Mac OS X, how do I schedule automatic LiveUpdates and virus scans?
Note: It is good practice to run security software scans in Safe Mode to ensure maximum results. If you don't scan in Safe Mode, the security software may not be able to detect or remove all of the security threats it finds. For more information about Safe Mode and how to enter it, see the Knowledge Base document In Windows 2000 or XP, how can I boot into Safe Mode?