SUNYNP Student Computer Help Desk

If you are prompted to install a program called VIRUS TRIGGER, STOP! This is malware which the Student Helpdesk cannot remove at this time.

This is FAKE anti-virus software...it is actually a virus! Do not install it! If you see something on your screen that might indicate that it is installing, unplug your Internet connection immediately and then call the help desk.

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Computer makers are recalling 100,000 laptop battery packs made by Sony Corp. after 40 reports of overheating, according to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission notice Thursday.

The voluntary recall applies to certain Sony 2.15Ah lithium-ion cell batteries made in Japan and sold around the world in laptops made by Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Toshiba Corp.

Some incidents involved smoke or flames, according to Sony. Twenty-one of the reports claimed minor property damage, and small burns were reported in four cases.

Sony blamed two factors for the defects: adjustments on its manufacturing line from October 2004 to June 2005, which may have affected the quality of cells in certain production lots; and a possible flaw in the metal foil for electrodes.

The company said no reports have been filed for batteries made after 2006, and noted that the recalled units are a small fraction of the more than 260 million it has shipped over six years.

This also pales in comparison to the recall of nearly 10 million of a different model of Sony batteries in 2006 and 2007, which affected almost every major PC manufacturer, including Dell Inc. and Apple Inc.

In this batch of problematic laptops, the bulk of the 35,000 affected computers in the U.S. were sold by HP between December 2004 and June 2006, according to the safety commission, including HP Pavilion, HP Compaq and Compaq Presario models.

Some Dell Latitude and Inspiron models shipped between November 2004 and November 2005 are also covered by the recall, as well as some Toshiba Satellite and Tecra laptops sold from April 2005 to October 2005.

An additional 65,000 of the flawed batteries were sold outside the U.S. The PCs and separate batteries were sold directly by the computer manufacturers, electronics stores and online retailers worldwide, not by Sony.

Sony said its own Vaio laptops don't use the battery in question. Last month, however, the company recalled 440,000 Vaio notebooks worldwide because of a wiring flaw that can cause overheating.

The safety commission said PC users should remove laptop batteries immediately and contact the manufacturer to request a replacement. Details, including laptop model numbers and contact information for Dell, HP and Toshiba, have been posted on the commission's Web site.

The Recording Industry Association of America has stepped up its enforcement of illegal downloading and sharing of copyright protected materials. In recent years, the RIAA has paid particularly close attention to college and university usage. The SUNY system has required that all campuses comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act enforcement mandate.

During the past two years, more than 300 New Paltz students have been cited by the RIAA for unauthorized downloading or sharing of music, movies, and other copyright protected material. The procedures agreed to by the State University of New York (in compliance with the RIAA) are as follows:

First Offense: Loss of Internet access provided by the College for up to 10 days. It will be restored when the matter has been resolved and the file-sharing software has been disabled or removed.

Second Offense: Loss of Internet access provided by the College and a judicial referral to the Dean of Students Office. Internet access may be restored, but only following completion of the judicial process.

Third Offense: Permanent termination of Internet access from your computer and additional College judicial action.

We are writing at this time to prevent you from making choices to download or share copyrighted material that will affect your access to the Internet or possibly jeopardize your relationship with the College. If you share copyrighted materials, there is also the possibility of fines and/or prosecution by the RIAA. Additional information may be found by visiting: http://acs.newpaltz.edu/resnet/dmca or http://www.riaa.com

* Loss of access is to off-campus Internet sites from your personal PC or laptop (either in your residence hall room or via the College’s wireless network). Your use of campus resources (Blackboard, academic computing labs, etc.) is not affected.
Info: SUNY New Paltz DMCA