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Does Anybody Else Like to Receive this Newsletter?
Virus Detection
Correction
How Do I?
Quote of the Week


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SAS2000 Newsletter Issue 6  


  Does Anybody Else Like to Receive This Newsletter?

We are pleased to hear that many people are forwarding copies of our weekly newsletters to other members of staff. It’s great to know that the information is interesting or useful (hopefully both) to your school.

To make things a little easier we are now able to add extra email addresses to our mailing list for your school. This means that everyone receives an emailed copy directly from us. If you would like us to include others then please advise us of both the names of anyone who would like to receive a SAS2000 e-mail newsletter along with their email addresses using the link below. We’ll add them to our list and they will receive a direct copy next week.

Contact Us

  Virus Detection

Computer viruses, and in particular e-mail viruses, are one of the biggest problems computer users face today. They can have a direct and significant impact, not only on those infected, but also on the people that they do business with. As we've seen in the past with the I Love You virus, whole networks can be crippled and the Internet can grind to a halt due to the flood of traffic that the virus causes. As companies come to rely on the Internet to conduct their business any negative impact on Internet access and performance can cause direct financial losses. Those infected by the virus face the possibility of long and costly downtime while their computers are cleaned or, even worse, the loss of valuable data. Many of the newer viruses will leave your computer open to more attacks or misuse by exploiting security flaws to take control of your workstations or servers.

While the only sure way of protecting yourself is to invest in virus protection software, there are some steps you can take to improve your own chances of spotting a suspect email.

Don't assume that an email from a known source (friend, family, business acquaintance) will be virus free. Most e-mail viruses are sent as attachments that, when opened, infect your PC and then send themselves to all the people in your address list without you knowing. That's why even an email from a trusted friend may contain a virus, as they may be blissfully unaware that it has been sent from their PC.  
If you open an email that has an attachment, never automatically run the attachment unless you are sure it is safe and relevant to the person sending it too you. Many email viruses will include a subject line that is the same as an email you originally sent to the person who has been infected. Because of this the email appears to be a response to your email but the attachment generally doesn't have any relevance. If you are unsure call the person who sent the email and ask if they intended to send it to you (as mentioned above, they may be unaware of sending it at all).  
Look at the name of the attachment carefully. It may end with .VBS, .SCR, or .PIF. All of these are extensions that can launch a virus. Virus writers may use attachment names like CheckThisOut.doc.vbs that include .DOC or .MP3 to make you think the file you are opening is harmless so be careful!  
If you are still unsure of an attachment, use your internet browser and your favourite search engine to see if the name comes up as a virus. Include the word "virus" and the name of the file (ie: Virus CheckThisOut.doc.vbs) and you may find that the virus has been discussed or identified by the popular Virus protection software companies (Norton Symantec, McAfee, etc). The same search could be performed using the subject line of a suspicious message as many viruses are identified by the subject line as well as the attachment name.  
Another way of using the internet to identify viruses is to go directly to the virus protection software makers and search their site for keywords. One example is McAffee's Virus Alert site www.mcafeeb2b.com/avert. The site contains a library of known viruses and even advice on how to remove from infected PCs.  
Many email readers (such as Outlook) have auto-preview options that open e-mails automatically. It's better to turn this off, giving you the chance to vet the e-mail before opening and reducing the risk of infection.  
If you don't recognise the person sending you the email then don't open it. In general a lot of SPAM email will come in with addresses like "ahgwe123@ru.ru" so you can just delete the email without reading it. Most will be harmless but you never know, so be cautious.  

The above are only tips to minimise the impact of viruses. The only sure way to protect yourself is to have up to date virus protection. A large selection of virus protection software is available, ranging from personal editions for PCs to network versions, mail server scanning software & firewalls that will protect your whole network environment. All these software packages offer regular updates, mostly on a subscription basis, to ensure that you are protected from even the most recent viruses.

  Correction

Census Information
On page 2 of the Tips & Tricks document "Setting up the Student Records for the Census" we listed the values to be used for each year level but forgot to mention Prep Students in the list of year levels. The Value that needs to be set for Prep Students is 0.

  How Do I...?

You have probably noticed that some of the text in this section is printed in CAPITALS. When you see an item in CAPITALS, it will refer to either a MENU choice, BUTTON or some other object on a SAS2000 screen. We have done this to make it easier to find the exact reference on the screen when following our step-by-step guides. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve these, then please let us know - simply click the CONTACT US at the top of the e-mail.

How do I get the Contacts to print on the Family list and verification reports in version 626 of SAS2000?

Previously all contacts automatically printed on the Family list report. With version 626 this report has been changed to let you specify which contacts you want to print on the family list and verification reports. The first time you go to run one of these reports you will need to set the default list of contact relationships you want to print on the reports.

Go to REPORTS>FAMILY>LIST OR REPORTS>FAMILY>VERIFICATION  
On the bottom left corner of the report form is a RELATIONSHIP button. Click on this and the Relationship form will open.  
Tick the relationship types that you want to print on the reports  
To make this selection the default, click on the DEFAULT button at the bottom of the Relationship form. You can change your default relationship selection in this way at any time.  

You can change the contact relationships that print on the report for one print out using the following method:

Click on the RELATIONSHIP button  
Mark off the relationships you are interested in  
Click on the OK button  

This relationship selection will only remain until the report form is closed.

How do I sort the content of a user code field alphabetically?

Go to MAINTENANCE>USER CODES  
Select the user code you are wanting to sort  
Click on the PROPERTIES button located at the bottom right of the form  
There will now be a choice of several tick boxes in the middle of the screen. One of these is AUTO SORT. Make sure this option is ticked.  
Click on SAVE  
Now click on the DATA button. The items for this user code will be sorted alphabetically.  

  Quote of the Week

"Failure is never fatal. Success is never final"
Anon.

Regards,
Heather McKay
Human Edge Software
Phone: 03 9690 5004
Fax: 03 9690 2802
sas2000@human-edge.com.au

Human Edge Software adheres to a policy of not sending unsolicited (SPAM) e-mail. You are receiving this e-mail because you are listed as the primary contact for one of the services that our company provides. If you are receiving this message in error or wish to have the contact details changed please advise us via return e-mail or call us on (03) 9690 5044