ITS Knowledge Base

Before installing Sophos, please uninstall any anti-virus or virus-update software packages from your computer. Go to Control Panel->Add and Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Uninstall a Program (Vista) for removal.

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Sophos Anti-Virus for Linux (requires kernel version 2.4+, 2.6+)

Sophos Ant-Virus Engine Version: 6.4.3
Threat Detection Data: 4.35E

Release Date: 2008-11-03
File Size: 4,038,903 bytes
MD5 sum: 69f29025bb367de2ddce6ff032d7816b

WARNING!
This package is licensed for current students, faculty, and staff of Southwestern University. Redistribution or other unauthorized use is prohibited. Package contents are maintained by Information Technology Services.

Installation Instructions:

1. Uninstall Old Anti-Virus First: You should manually uninstall any anti-virus software currently on your machine before you begin the installation of Sophos Anti-Virus.
2. Install: Follow the instructions below for installation.
   1. Download: Save this file (Sophos Installer (Linux) - 2008-11-03.tgz) to your desktop or another location you’ll remember easily.
   2. Extract: Double-click the file to open it with Archive Manager, File Roller, or similar GUI. Extract the subdirectory sophos-av to the same location where you downloaded the archive file. Alternatively, you can run the command tar -zxvf Sophos\ Installer\ \(Linux\)\ -\ 2008-11-03.tgz to un-tar the file. (Remember, you can hit Tab after typing the first few letters of the filename to auto-complete the rest.)
   3. Run Install Script: Launch a terminal window (if one is not already open). Navigate to the directory where you extracted the contents of the archive in the previous step (for instance, cd /home/username/Desktop). Run the installation script as root (sudo ./sophos-av/install.sh). This will download engine binaries and virus definitions. It might take some time, especially on a slow connection. If you receive any errors during the downloading process, simply re-run the script.
3. Completion: For Linux, the administrative interface is accessed through a local web server. From any web browser on the machine, navigate to http://localhost:8081/ to view this interface. It will tell you the current status of the engine. (If you are running a web server on port 8081 already, contact ITS and we will recompile the package with a custom port number.) By default, the login username and password for the web interface are both sophos.

   The installer needs the source for the currently-installed kernel in order to build the on-access kernel module. This can usually be found in the software repository of your distribution as kernel-source or similar. (You may also download the source from http://www.kernel.org/, but it is safer to use the package from your distribution’s software repository.) The kernel module may not compile correctly for your distribution. It has been verified to compile in Ubuntu 8.04 x86, but not openSuSE 11.0 x86_64, for instance. Contact ITS if you would like assistance in building the kernel module.

4. If You Need Help: Call x7333 (512.819.7333), e-mail helpdesk@southwestern.edu, or add a help ticket at http://helpdesk.southwestern.edu/.

Before installing Sophos, please uninstall any previous anti-virus software (such as Virex) that you may have installed on your computer. (more…)

The latest version of Microsoft Office for Windows, Office 2007, introduces a new file format that will not open with previous versions of Office. This new file format is the default setting for saving new documents in Office 2007. Files stored in the new format look the same except you may see a different extension appended at the end of the file. For example, a Word file name may show docx instead of doc at the end of the file name. When you attempt to open an Office 2007 Word docx file in an older version of Office on Windows XP, you will receive a message containing “This file was created by a newer version of Microsoft Word. Do you want to download a compatibility pack so that you can work this this file?” On a Macintosh, the Convert File window will appear.

ITS has assembled information on how to download, install, and use the “Compatibility Pack for Windows XP” for Windows XP and the “Office Open XML Converter” for Macintosh. Click on the links below to view or print these documentation files.

Office 2007 and Previous Versions of Office for XP

Office 2007 Files and Office 2004 for Mac

After you have installed the software, it is recommended you delete the file you downloaded to free up your storage space.

Two Firefox extensions can be substituted for Endnote that I found in an article and copied info below.

Scrapbook link to Scrapbook (or Alternate link if the other link is too long)

Zotero “What works even better is Zotero, a free Firefox extension that makes it easy to collect, manage, and cite your research sources. You can compare it to EndNote, a frequently used program to create research bibliographies, but Zotero is free and works within your browser. Not only can you create notes from webpages, save their location and export them in a formatted bibliography style it also works nicely with Google Books and Google Scholar!” Link to Zotero

BibMe: Another Web-based Bibliography tool

BibMe is a new web-based bibliography tool created as a software development project at Carnegie-Mellon. Unlike CiteULike and Zotero, two other powerful web-based bibliography tools that seem aimed at scholarly researchers, this tool seems geared primarily toward students. It strips down the bibliography process to simply typing in search terms. All one needs to do is type in a search term under the appropriate category, and a list of possible sources appears. Clicking on an option automatically generates a bibliography entry. Entries may also be manually entered if the source is not contained in the database. The tool lacks the social aspects of CiteULike, where one can peruse other users’ libraries or browse through tags, but it does have a suggested reading feature where similar sources appear under the bibliography entries. Sadly, the bibliography can only be exported to Rich Text Format, and I didn’t see an import option so that existing citations could be uploaded. It does seem like an interesting tool and probably useful for students.

All students, staff, and faculty members at ICUT (Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas) member institutions can acquire Microsoft’s most popular products at greatly discounted rates!
To view all products available on this agreement and to place an order, please visit:
www.shopscholar.com

Update: Microsoft has re-released the offending patch with a fix that should resolve these problems.

Last week, Microsoft released a patch (MS06-015) that installed a binary component to verify shell extensions before they are executed, in an effort to improve Windows security, particularly for unsigned ActiveX controls. In certain situations, this process can stop responding, causing various strange problems, which can include (but is not limited to) the following:

• Unable to open documents in Microsoft Office.
• Unable to save documents from Microsoft Office.
• Special folders (such as My Documents or My Pictures) cannot be accessed.
• Microsoft Office freezes when you try to save or open files from My Documents.
• The Address Bar in Internet Explorer (where Internet addresses are typed) stops responding.
• When you try to expand a folder in Windows Explorer, nothing happens.
• Address Book entries or E-Mail messages are deleted in Microsoft Outlook Express.

For more information, please click on the following link: Microsoft Knowledge Base issue 918165. Continue reading for solutions to this problem. (more…)

Note: The menu layout of each version of Microsoft Outlook is slightly different. These instructions are written specifically for Microsoft Outlook XP - if you have a different version, these should still work well enough, but the exact wording may be slightly different.

1. With Microsoft Outlook opened, click on Tools and select E-Mail Accounts.
2. Select the Add new directory or address book entry. Click Next.
3. Select Internet Directory (LDAP). Click Next.
4. In the Server Information box, enter ldap.southwestern.edu.
5. Click on the More Settings… box.
6. On the Connection tab, under Connection Details, be sure that the Port value is set to 389. Double-check that the Use Secure Sockets Layer box is unchecked.
7. Click on the Search tab. In the Search Base box, enter o=Southwestern University. This is case-sensitive and must be entered exactly.
8. Click Apply and then OK.
9. Click Next.
10. Click Finish.

Outlook is now configured to use SU’s e-mail directory service!

The 2005 Resnet CDROMs will be distributed to faculty and students in the next two weeks. These CDs contain the latest versions of McAfee antivirus software for Macintosh and Windows computers, spyware protection, recommended software, and guides to help you with your computing. If you do not get a CD, you can access all the content online at this link.

If you have downloaded Ad-Aware this entry will help you understand how to properly use and configure Ad-Aware.
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Spyware on your PC is a major threat to both privacy and productivity. We are seeing many PCs that have some form of spyware infestation, and the PCs that were infested had an average of 90 spyware programs in place. Fortunately there are good, free tools available that can remove the threat from your system and immunize against future infestations.

We recommend if running Windows 98/ME/XP that ALL Security Patches are loaded including Service Patch 2 for Windows XP etc…
Windows update site

Make sure you have the latest Virus Software loaded with latest definitions loaded:

Southwestern Information Technology Knowledge Base Virus Software Page

We also recommend downloading and running anti spyware programs listed below:

Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.3

Click here to dowload spybotsd13.exe from download.com

SpywareBlaster 3.2

Click here to dowload spywreblastersetup32.exe from download.com

Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition 1.05

Click here to dowload aawsepersonal.exe from download.com

Scan your system with Housecall at:

Click here to go to Housecall site, follow on-line instructions

Scan your system free with PestPatrol just to check if any spyware is left. To remove you do have to purchase PestPatrol software.

Click here to go to PestPatrol’s site, follow on-line instructions.
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Gradebook software now available for download for Mac and PC:

http://www.gradekeeper.com/download.htm

• SU License Name is: Southwestern University
• SU License Code is: 502729

IMPORTANT:

Gradebook for the Macintosh Operating System does not add a file extension to saved files’ names. If you use Gradebok on a Mac, you should add a .grk extension to a saved file. That way you will be able to open your file on a Windows PC. If you are having problems opening Gradebook files from one Mac to another, try dropping your Gradebook file on the Gradekeeper PC->Mac utility.

This utility adds back the file resource data that identifies Gradekeeper files. Why would you have to do this? When a file is transferred across file servers or networks, the resource data that identifies a file can be lost. This is usually prevented by addingg an extension to a filename. In Gradekeeper’s case, this does not seem to work, so this utility is there.

Mozilla 1.7 is the latest release of the browser suite for Mac OS X.

To install Mozilla by downloading the Mozilla disk image, follow these steps:
Click this mozilla-mac-MachO.dmg.tgz link to download it to your machine. By default, the file is downloaded to your desktop.
Once you have downloaded the .dmg.gz file, drag it onto Stuffit Expander to decompress it (Stuffit Expander may launch and decompress the file automatically). If the disk image doesn’t mount automatically, double-click on the .dmg file to mount it. If that fails, and the file does not look like a disk image file, do a “Show Info” on the file, and, in the “Open with application” category, choose Disk Copy. In Mac OS 10.2, you can use “Open with” from the context menu.
Once the disk image mounts, open it, and drag the Mozilla icon onto your desktop.
We recommend that you drag it into the Applications folder.
Now eject the disk image.
If you like, you can drag Mozilla to your dock to have it easily accessible at all times. You might also wish to select Mozilla as your default browser in the Internet system preferences pane (under the Web tab).

McAfee 4.5.1 Save to your desktop and double click to install. This is a two year subscription.

A new virus has been released effective May 3rd, 2004 that is called 32/Sasser.worm.a, this worm spreads by exploiting a recent Microsoft vulnerablity, spreading from machine to machine with no user intervention required. What this means is you do not have to open an attachment to get this virus it will attack your computer if you haven’t installed the latest Microsoft Windows patches. This is what ITS is recommending you do immediately to prevent our SU systems from being infected.

Your Windows XP PC should be patched with: Security Update for Windows XP (KB835732)
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