Windows XP SP2 Update Crash Day - April 12 - aka Microsoft Fools' Day"

Windows XP users will be forced to upgrade to Service Pack 2 on April 12. Potentially massive problems for millions of home users and also business users.

(PRWEB) April 12, 2005 -- If you are like millions of Windows XP users who havent upgraded to Service Pack 2 yet -- watch out! On April 12 Windows Update will automatically download Service Pack 2 (a huge download) onto your computer.

When Microsoft originally released SP2 eight months ago, it wanted to give people enough time to update their own computers. But initial reports of problems with SP2 and standard inertia of computer users -- both home users and businesses -- means that that millions of computers are going to be force-fed SP2, along with a potential host of problems.

Before installing SP2 there are certain precautions computer users should take -- such as cleaning their machines of spyware and adware, updating software drivers from manufacturers websites and backing up their data. Without these and other precautions, computers may hang," data may be lost and computer repair specialists may be swamped. Resources to help computer users upgrade are available at HelpProtectMyComputerDotCom.blogspot.com.

The news is not all bad. SP2 has many security enhancements that will make the Internet safer for everyone. With Spyware, Password Stealers, Keyloggers and Identity Theft at an all time high, any improvement in the worlds most-used software is welcome. It is estimated that 80% of spam comes from individual computer users machines that have been turned into Zombies" by hackers, without the owners permission.

Of course SP2 does nothing to help protect computers against the Human Element," or Social Engineering attacks that are increasing every month.

The new eBook, "Help! Something"s Got Hold of My Computer and It Won"t Let Go!" contains tools, fixes and education to prevent hacking, phishing, browser hijackers and many other forms of attacks on PCs.
When Steve Freedman, the eBook author, turned on his new computer last July and connected to the Internet, he expected to see the CNN web page. Instead he got a porn page. When he changed his home page back to CNN, the porn page came back every time he rebooted his computer.

Like hundreds of thousands of other surfers, his computer had been hijacked by something called a "Browser Helper Object" (BHO) better known nowadays as a Browser hijack object -- a nasty little piece of spyware.

BHOs originally were developed by Microsoft to extend the capabilites of Internet Explorer. The problem is that the Bad Guys have learned how to use them to change Internet Surfer"s home pages, install password stealers and copy their keystrokes when they are doing their online banking.

Spyware is so common that over 90% of computers are infected with it. (1) At Dell, Inc. 15% of service calls are related to spyware problems, up from 2% in 2003. (2) But unlike most people who are attacked by BHOs, Steve is a Webmaster, computer geek and an educator.

"I got mad that some hacker jerk had hijacked my computer. While I was researching how to fix it on the Web, I found out how prevalent this exploit was, and also found great resources for fighting back," says Steve.

"I decided to write an eBook that anyone, even computer Newbies, could follow to clean their computers and prevent future hijackings. I knew that Newbies needed lots of pictures (screenshots) and plain talk, not technobabble, so that they felt secure every step of the way. I also built in a lot of interactivity, to make it fun."

"Even most Computer Wizards haven"t taken these simple steps to harden their computers against these malicious attacks. People and businesses really can"t risk losing all their photos and emails and business information, but they don"t know what to do. This eBook will help them."

"Help! Something"s Got Hold of My Computer and It Won"t Let Go!" is a short but information packed eBook available for download at www.HelpProtectMyComputer.com . It has vulnerability tests, awareness education and fixes for many Windows and Internet Explorer vulnerabilities and resources that will be appreciated by beginners and advanced computer users.

Mr. Freedman is available for TV, Radio and Press interviews. His engaging, non-technical style and ability to communicate complex information in an understandable way makes him an ideal interviewee.

About the Author
Steve Freedman, co-owner of Archer Strategic Alliances has been a Webmaster for more than seven years. His interactive websites have won Golden Web Awards, and he has done presentations for the Public Relations Society of America, Portland Metro Chapter, the Native American Business Alliance, MARSA (Marketing and Sales Association) and many other organizations.

Many of Mr. Freedman"s clients are at the top of the Search Engines.
Mr. Freedman has been interviewed numerous times on radio and television in his role as Director of the City of Portland Metropolitan Human Rights Center; Assistant Director, Donor Recruitment, American Red Cross Blood Services, Oregon Trail Chapter; Founder, Oregon Uniting, a racial reconciliation non-profit.

(1) Houston Chronicle "Tangled in Spyware" 10/31/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/2875335
(2) National Cyber Security Alliance/AOL study 1/6/04
http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0 ,20812,670186,00.html
(3) ZD Net "Alarm over "pharming" attacks" 2/21/05
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/software/internet/0 ,39024165,39188617,00.htm

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