Unfortunately, according to Microsoft USENET Newsgroups, some brand new PCs, particularly in China, have come preinstalled with a virus. The Nitol virus was introduced to new computers between somewhere in the supply chain before they were purchased by consumers.

Through Microsoft’s investigation, codenamed Operation b70, the company found that some retailers had loaded a counterfeit version of Windows software that contained the malware. Microsoft warned in its blog post that the malware could send fake email messages or post to social media from the victim’s accounts to infect others to whom the emails were sent or who accessed the messages via the victim’s social media accounts.

The company warned that consumers should be wary of deals that seem “too good to be true.” Still, some consumers may have purchased infected computers from retailers that seemed perfectly legitimate. The investigators found that one in five of the computers that were purchased from an “unsecured supply chain were infected with malware.” According to PCWorld.com, about 85% of the computers infected with the Nitol virus were found in China, while about 10% were found in the United States.

Perhaps most scary, the researchers found additional strains of malware, some of which was capable of turning on the microphone and camera of an infected computer. Some was even capable of recording the keystrokes made into an infected computer, according to the company’s researchers.

While some victims who purchased infected computers may have had no way of knowing that the computer was infected, the revelations should come as a reminder of the importance of cyber security. Microsoft notes that consumers should demand that they be provided non-counterfeit products from any resellers.

For a discussion about cyber security, head over to the relevant Usenet newsgroups. Usenet is full of tech professionals and enthusiasts who probably don’t mind answering your questions or having a more detailed discussion of the issue.

Apple sold 925 iPhone 4S handsets each minute during the device’s debut weekend, and it sells 81 iPads every 60 seconds on average. Research In Motion sells 103 BlackBerry phones, Amazon sells 18 Kindle Fire tablets and Microsoft sells 11 Xbox 360 consoles every minute. More than 700 computers are purchased around the world every 60 seconds, and 232 of them are infected by malware. That malware stat seems surprisingly low, however, when you consider that 2 million people watch online porn every minute. Read on for more.

A picture passed along on USENET newsgroups recently spread a variety of technology-related stats out across an infographic and the result helps us put a lot of things in perspective. Beyond the scary amount of Internet porn watched around the world, we can see just how entrenched various consumer electronics and digital goods and services have become in modern life.

Eleven million conversations take place using various instant messaging platforms every 60 seconds, 2,100 people check in using foursquare and 1,100 acres of virtual land are farmed in FarmVille. Thirty-eight tons of e-waste is generated around the world every minute, though we’re not sure if that stat includes all of the virtual land in FarmVille.

Every minute, $219,000 worth of payments are made using PayPal, $10,000 of which is sent from mobile devices. EBay is used to purchase over 950 items each minute and more than 180 of those purchases are made using mobile phones or tablets.

Surprisingly, perhaps, physical media maintains a huge presence in our lives despite the advent of the digital age. Four hundred and fifty Windows 7 discs are sold, 1,400 Redbox DVDs are rented and a staggering 2.6 million CDs containing 1,820 terabytes of data are created each minute. Four thousand USB devices are sold every 60 seconds as well, along with 2,500 ink cartridges.

It’s amazing how much happened every 60 seconds in 2011 and as the year draws to a close, we can’t wait to see what each minute will hold in 2012.

One of the most iconic franchises in the business, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda, celebrates its 25th anniversary today. This is the day that the original Zelda went on sale in Japan, kickstarting a series that would sell 59 million units worldwide

The series, which was released in Japan on February 21, 1986 on the NES (known as the Famicom over in Japan), ushered in a completely new era of adventure games with its unique expansive overworld that hadn’t been seen in any other games during the time. The series has become one of Nintendo’s most treasured properties with every one of their platforms having a title grace it, save the Virtual Boy.

Created by a legend himself, Shigeru Miyamoto, the game was and is still considered the  title to help start many conventions in action/adventure RPGs – a huge, non-linear overworld, an attack button with animated weapon, and even battery-based saving inside the cartridge to avoid the dreaded scribbling of passwords. The game also gave birth to many recurring elements – including the land of Hyrule itself, the powerful Triforce, Dodongos, Darknuts, Keese, Octorok and Leevers.

As of April 2010, The Legend of Zelda series has sold over 59 million copies since, and the original game ranks as fourth best selling out of any NES game.

Dedicated USENET newsgroups have followed Zelda since the very beginning, first starting in general Nintendo newsgroups and then migrating to individual newsgroups for each game and platform for many of the chapters of the series.

After 25 years, the Zelda universe has stayed around in numerous sequels, TV shows, and merchandise, and you can guarantee, that people aren’t forgetting about this game for a long time.

Nintendo will be continuing the brand with the Summer 2011 release of the Nintendo 3DS port of the classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Alongside the Wii release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword later this year.

Speaking of games, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is currently running a Game Giveaway for the month of February. Anyone can register to win a game for either the XBox 360, PS3, PC or Nintendo Wii.