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Click on the links below to view all of the archives collected from my column in the Essex Voice. Feel free to use these as a resource.
As always, if you want to ask a question not included in this archive, click HERE and email it to me.
Here we go for 2006:
January 7, 2006
- Everyday I read more and more stories about hackers breaking into big businesses and stealing the average person's identity. What can I do?
Most hackers use the same tricks to break into computers and steal valuable information. Knowing these tricks will help you stay protected from hackers. Here are the four typical ways hackers break in to your computer.
Spam: Most hacker attacks start with junk mail….a.k.a spam. A hacker
will send out enticingly titled messages such as "I Love You" or "Free
Gift!" to hundreds or even thousands of illegally obtained email addresses.
These spam emails can trick you into giving away sensitive personal information,
going to dangerous websites, or even downloading programs that will give a hacker
total control over your computer! Hackers are very savvy in their computer knowledge
and will go to great lengths to make their spam emails as believable as possible.
Downloads: Downloading off the Internet became wildly popular when Napster was introduced to cyberspace. And now, even though law enforcement has cracked down on music downloading, a quick Google search will reveal tons of websites dedicated to downloading music, video, software and images (either legally or illegally) off the Internet.
But beware - when you download you could be getting more than you bargained for. Many “free” downloads have spyware, adware and even viruses hidden inside them that will infect your computer and put you at risk.
Popups: Everybody knows that popups are annoying, but did you know that they can also be a big security risk? Popups are a tool that Hackers use as another way of getting your attention and tricking you into doing things that could put your personal information at risk. Be on the lookout for both browser popups and Window Messenger popups. Hackers use these to advertise products and services that seem legitimate, but hidden within these popups viruses or spyware could be lurking and with just one click, you could be
infected! (I had one customer that installed 23 spyware programs as a result of one click on a series of popups).
ActiveX: ActiveX technology is used by many reputable websites like banks and online merchants in order to make your online experience better. Unfortunately, hackers have figured out ways to exploit ActiveX and use it against you. Hackers use documented security holes in ActiveX to get into your computer and steal the valuable information they find there. And all this could happen from just visiting a questionable website!
Fixing this problem doesn't take much effort; just knowledge. First and foremost, you must have an up-to-date anti-virus and firewall program on your computer (even more so with cable and DSL connections). The Yahoo and Google toolbars have good popup blockers built into them.
January 14, 2006 - Amanda from Essex asked, How do I get songs from my computer to my MP3 player?
Amanda, if your MP3 player is installed correctly, it will appear as a hard drive icon in My Computer. Double-click on my computer. When the Window opens, there should be a hard drive icon labeled Removable Drive (or Removable Device). This is you MP3 player. Now, navigate to your song's location on your computer. Select the song you want to put on the MP3 player by left-clicking on it once. You now have two choices. You can right-click on it and select Copy from the menu that appears and then paste it into the Removable Drive in My Computer; or you can open another My Computer Window and drag the file to the Removable Drive. Either way will accomplish the desired result. Remove the USB cable from your MP3 player and you are ready to go. In some cases, a icon with a green arrow above may appear in your tray icons located by your clock on the desktop. If it is present, click on it once and select Safely Remove USB device. In a few seconds a dialog box will appear telling you it is now OK to remove the USB cable. To remove MP3 files from your player, double-click on My Computer and then double-click on the icon that represents your MP3 player. Select the file in the next window that you want to delete and press the delete key on your keyboard. Answer yes to send it to the recycle bin and it is gone.
January 28, 2006 - When talking about spyware with someone, they asked me what a keylogger was. I thought I would consult an expert on the subject and let him explain.
More and more people have made the switch to using the Internet for personal tasks—online bill paying and shopping are just two examples. But while companies tout the convenience of using the Web for such purposes, the security threats continue to mount.
That's why user education is so important. Teaching users best practices for being safe on the Web can help mitigate some of these threats. But it's also important that users understand the full extent of the risks.
For example, using an encrypted link (i.e., HTTPS rather than HTTP) to access bank or e-mail online is a good way to encrypt the transmission of private information as it flows across the Internet. However, it's vital to remember that the encryption process doesn't take place until the information leaves the machine. This creates a vulnerability that some people may not be aware of—keystroke logging.
Keystroke loggers are a dangerous security threat, particularly because—like other forms of spyware—the user can't detect their presence. Let's look at the different versions of keystroke loggers and discuss what you can do to protect your organization and your users from this threat.
Keystroke loggers are available in either software or hardware versions. They can store everything a user types without the user ever knowing they're even there.
Some of the more clever software versions can even operate without antivirus or anti-spyware tools, such as AD-Aware or Spy Sweeper, flagging them. Even worse, nothing can detect a hardware keystroke logger, which can capture usernames and passwords as you log in to your machine.
Software keystroke loggers, such as CyberSpy Software, intercept data as the user types. They typically store that data in hidden encrypted files on the user's computer.
When malicious hackers want to access this file, all they have to do is start the program, which allows them to read everything the user has typed since the program activated. Some of these programs even sort the data according to the active window at the time of data entry and then categorize the information (e.g., Web sites, e-mail, etc.).
Most antivirus and anti-spyware programs will miss software keystroke loggers, so how can you protect against these sneaky devices? Fortunately, there are some programs designed for this specific task. For example, SpyCop and SnoopFree Software are both software programs specifically designed to detect software keystroke loggers.
On the other hand, hardware keystroke loggers, such as KeyGhost, are undetectable by any software. These keystroke loggers are physical devices that sit between the keyboard and the computer—connecting the keyboard with the keyboard port on the computer.
Some companies actually sell keyboards with built-in keystroke loggers, which means there's no way to visually detect them. These keystroke loggers have built-in memory chips that can capture a year or more of typing. Retrieval of that information requires typing a preset random-character sequence that brings up a menu of commands.
While there's no available software to detect hardware keystroke loggers, you can take steps to defend your systems. Tell users to always lock their computers when they're away, and ask that they don't surf the Internet with an account that has administrative rights—i.e., the rights to install software on the computer.
Final thoughts
Keystroke logging is an invasion of privacy and stands on questionable legal grounds. However—just like viruses, worms, and rootkits—that doesn't stop their availability and distribution.
That's why it's more important than ever to arm your users with knowledge and best practices. In addition, tell them to think twice about using a public computer to access private information.
For a comprehensive list of keystroke loggers, Keyloggers.com maintains an updated list of both hardware and software versions sold by a multitude of companies.
Mike Mullins has served as an assistant network administrator and a network security administrator for the U.S. Secret Service and the Defense Information Systems Agency. He is currently the director of operations for the Southern Theater Network Operations and Security Center.
February 15, 2006 - Bonnie from Essex asked, ". How can I do this? This will save long distance charges if you can help me."
Hi Bonnie, it is quite easy to set up your computer to talk to someone anywhere in the world. First, both parties must have the following: An internet connection, a microphone, speakers, a sound card and messaging software like Yahoo Messenger, Microsoft Messenger or AOL Messenger. Both people must be using the same messenging program.
To make sure your microphone and speakers are working right, you will need to test them. Go to Start > Control Panel > Sound and Audio Devices. Make sure your speakers are turned on and click on the tab Sounds. Select Asterisk form the list below and then click on the arrow tab to play the sound. If you hear the sound everything is set up right. If you do not, check to make sure your speakers are turned on and the volume is up and that it is attached to the right spot in the sound card in your computer.
After you have solved that, click on the tab labeled Audio. Make sure that your sound card is listed as the Sound playback and Sound recording device. Now, click on the Voice Tab. Make sure your sound card is listed as the Voice Record and Voice Playback. Under the Voice Recording list is a button called volume. Click on it to make sure the volume is about half way up the little meter that appears. If it isn't, slide the lever up until it is using your mouse. Click on the red X in the upper right corner to close that box. Now we have to test your set up to make sure it works. Click on the Test Hardware button. Click Next when the first window appears. A screen will come up telling you it is testing your hardware. Wait until it closes and the screen Microphone test will appear. Follow the directions on the screen and click on next to proceed. Now complete the speaker test as described on your screen and Click Next. If you get the screen to Finish your set up that means all has gone well for you. if it doesn't, you will need to try again.
After you have set up your hardware, sign into your messenging program. On all of them, there is a link to click onto to invite someone to your conversation. Once you have done that, the other person will have to click on accept and you should be ready to go. If you have any more questions regarding this, please feel free to email me again.
February 22, 2006 - Joe from Kingsville asked "What happened to my computer? I installed a program and when the computer rebooted I got the blue screen of death and the message unmountable_boot_volume. No matter what I tried (safe-modes, repair screens) and nothing would work." Please help.
Joe the issue is most likely that your boot.ini file is messed up.
So, what do you do about it, panic?...... No that is probably not a good idea. Set your bios to make sure that your computer is set to Boot from CD. Now put the Windows XP CD in your CD drive and reboot your computer (or in your case turn it off then on again). After your computer boots using the XP CD, select option 'R' (repair) at the Welcome Screen.
You will get a dos prompt. At the DOS prompt type "chkdsk /p" without the quotes and hit enter.
When that is done type "fixboot" and hit enter. Now, press"Y" (no quotes)
and press enter at the prompt. Last, type "exit" (no quotes) and hit
enter.
The system will now reboot into Windows.
If for some reason this method doesn't work for you, you can boot to the recovery
console like above and at the DOS prompt type "chkdsk /r" (no
quotes) and press enter. When the
computer finishes, type "exit" (no
quotes)and hit enter.
This will take longer, but the system should boot back into Windows.
Notice that my email address has changed to scott@slconsultingsolutions.com. Please continue to email me your questions to my new email address.
March 1, 2006 - Rob from Essex had a problem with his hard drive. When he was installing a new hard drive in his system, he wasn't able to get his computer to recognize the new hard drive. He needed help to finish the installation.
Rob, installing a new hard drive can be an ominous task for a beginner or even an intermediate computer user. Let's begin. Provided you have room for the hard drive, check all your current IDE Stands for "Integrated Device Electronics." It is the most widely-used hard drive interface on the market. The fancy name refers to how the IDE technology "integrates" the electronics controller into the drive itself.) devices to see what the jumper settings are. Most IDE devices (Hard Drive, CD, etc.) will have jumpers that will match up to a description somewhere on the device of what those jumpers mean. Your current hard drive should be set as master. For each cable, if there are two devices on it, one should be Master, and one should be Slave according to the jumpers. Keep this in mind when installing your new hard drive. You will usually want your hard drive to be master unless there is another hard drive on the cable (then one must be master and the other slave) i.e. if there is a CD-ROM drive on the cable you are putting it on, you will want to change the CD-ROM drive to slave and set the new hard drive as master. You also want to have your boot hard drive as the Primary Master (one IDE connector is Primary, the other is Secondary, labeled on your motherboard where the ribbon cable connects to it).
Now it is time to reassemble your case and install Windows. If you have set your jumpers correctly, your computer should recognize your new hard drive and display it on the POST (Power On Self Test) screen when your computer begins to boot (this is the first screen you see when booting. It is black background with white text). The next screen you will see is "No Operating System found" and that is normal. Open your CD-Rom and put your Windows CD in it and reboot your computer. Make sure your BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is set to allow your computer to boot from CD-Rom. Once this is complete, reboot your computer and when it says to press any key to boot from CD-Rom, touch any key on your keyboard and Windows XP will start to do its thing. To receive instructions on how to perform an installation of Windows XP or any other Windows operating system, please email me at scott@slconsultingsolutions.com. We do not have the room, nor do we know your circumstances under which you are installing. A personalized approach would be the best in this regard.
March 8, 2006 - How do you retrieve old email files from a hard drive in which the operating system will no longer reboot. I was using Outlook Express with my Windows XP
This dilemma confronts a lot of people. Usually people just think they have lost everything and have to move on. Well it doesn’t have to be that way. First, you must have access to a computer where you can attach your old hard drive to an existing computer as an extra hard drive. To begin, you will need to download the file DbxConv.exe from this web-site: http://people.freenet.de/ukrebs/dbxconv.html. This solution will work best with Outlook Express.
Now, follow these directions in their exact order and you should be able to retrieve your lost emails from your hard drive.
1. Create a directory on your C: drive called DBXConv.
2. Extract the contents of the file to the directory called DBXConv on your C: drive.
3. Close all open Windows and double-click on My Computer.
4. With My Computer open, click on the menu Tools and then select Folder Options from that menu.
5. Select the Tab - Views from the box that pops up.
6. From the list make sure that the option Show hidden files and folders IS selected.
7. Click on Apply and then OK to close the box.
8. Now it is time to go find the lost email files. In the next step, substitute the drive letter I have with the hard drive letter of your drive. Your path will not include my name; it will include the name of the profile this file is saved in.
9. Time to navigate. Double-click on the hard drive icon in my computer where you want to retrieve the emails.
10. Double-click on Documents and Settings.
11. Click on the Profile Name that appears in the window that opens up that relates to the emails you are trying to recover. There will be one called Default User (the folder will be faded. A faded folder means that it is normally a hidden file that you shouldn’t have access to), All users and then your user name for logging in to that profile. Double-click on that one.
12. At the next window, double-click on Local Settings.
13. Double-click on Application Data.
14. Double-click on Identities.
15. There should be only one folder I the next windows and it will be a folder name containing a lot of numbers and letters in a random order.
16. Double-click on that folder.
17. Double-click on the Microsoft folder.
18. Double-click on Outlook Express folder (The total path to your folder on your crashed hard drive will look similar to this: "D:\Documents and Settings\Scott Durward\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\ {E6BC7A2E-3651-40F5-AF51-1D9CC414217B}\Microsoft\Outlook Express"
19. All of your email folders that you created under that profile should appear.
20. We are now looking at the entire database files that contain all of your emails.
21. Select all of the folders you want to retrieve emails from. Do not select Deleted items, Sent items or Outbox. We cannot convert these back to emails. Hold down the control button as you select the folders. This way you can copy them all at the same time.
22. Go to the Menu up top and Select Edit >> Copy.
23. Paste the files into the directory DBXConv on your C: drive. Once you have successfully copied all of the files, close all open windows.
24. Click on the Start Menu and select Run.
25. In the dialog box that appears, type in the following three letters in the space: cmd and the Select OK.
26. A Command Prompt windows will appear. It will look like the old DOS windows of yester year.
27. Type cd\ at the flashing cursor and hit enter on your keyboard.
28. You will be at a C: prompt.
29. At the C: prompt, type cd DBXConv and hit enter.
30. Your line should read the following (without the quotes) "C:\DBXConv>".
31. Providing that you extracted the files in the beginning correctly, and you have copied the files from your old email folder correctly, the next command will convert them.
32. At the command prompt, type the following without the quotes: "DbxConv -eml *.dbx" and select enter.
33. Type Exit in at the prompt to close the Windows.
34. Navigate to the directory C:\DBXConv you made at the beginning through your My Computer on the Desktop.
35. You should see all of your emails in their respective folders. To view them, just double-click on the folder to view the emails in them.
36. Go to the menu Tools >> Folder Options >> Views and select “Do not show Hidden Files and Folders”. Click on Apply and then OK and you are finished.
March 15, 2006 - Joanne from Essex asked, "How do I set up my yahoo mail account to retrieve my regular email when I am on vacation. I do not like missing my emails when I am gone."
In order to complete the following procedure, you will need all of the information from your ISP regarding your email account. That will include your username, password and POP settings for the mail account. If you are unsure, call your technical support to get the information. They will know what you are talking about. For example, the POP server for MNSI is mail.mnsi.net, sympatico is pop.sympatico.ca and Teksavvy is mail.pppoe.ca. First of all, you will need to log into your yahoo account. Next click on Options located at the upper right of your screen. Now, under Management click on Mail Addresses. When the next screen appears, it will display Mail Accounts near the top. Your Yahoo account should already be listed.
Click on the Add button. Step 1 is Account Name. Pick a name for you to remember this account by (like "Home") then click Continue. Under the heading Mail Server, type in your POP mail server information as described above. Now put your username for the mail account in the Username box and put your password for that account in the Password box. Click on an indicator button to show you visibly that these messages came form your home email account when you go to your inbox in Yahoo mail. Click on Setup Mail Server button to continue. You will be taken back to the start page of the mail setup at this point. Now, click on Mail located just under the Yahoo logo at the top to take you to your inbox. Click on the link Check Mail . It will automatically check your home email account. Your messages received from your home email address will appear in your Inbox with a coloured dot beside it indicating where it came from. Happy emailing.
March 22, 2006 -
A gentleman from Essex wanted
to know how to set up Windows 98 on his computer. He wants to
know how to start by wiping everything out on his hard drive
and start over.
The following article assumes
that you still have your Windows 98 boot disk to use.
Here we go:
Put the
Windows 98 boot
disk into the computer's floppy drive and turn your computer on.
The first menu to come up when
it is booting from the floppy is: 1. Start computer with CD-Rom
support and 2. Start computer without CD-Rom support. Choose the
option, to start computer without CD-Rom support (it will
automatically choose the first option if left for 30 seconds).
When the computer finishes
booting you will see an a-prompt on your screen like this: A:\
with a flashing cursor. At the prompt type fdisk. If a warning
comes up asking you if you want your drive to support FAT32,
answer yes.
At the first menu that comes up
select option number 3 "Delete Partition. At the next screen,
choose "Delete Primary Partition". The program will give you a
warning that you are about to remove the partition. Answer yes
to this warning to allow the deletion of your partition.
At the menu that comes up next,
select the first option which is to create a Primary partition.
It may ask you for a volume name (eight letters) and it will ask
you if you want to use all of the hard drive space for this
partition. Answer yes. Twice during this process the computer
will count up to 100% verifying the integrity of the hard drive.
Once this is complete, it will prompt you to reboot your
computer.
Keep the floppy in and reboot
your computer.
When the options come up, select boot computer
with CD-Rom support. When you get back to the A:\ prompt, put in
your Windows 98 CD-Rom and type format c: at the A:\ prompt. A
warning will appear telling you that you are about to erase all
of the contents of the hard drive and if you want to proceed.
Answer 'Y' for Yes. The computer will now slowly count up to
100% representing the formatting of your hard drive. Once it is
done formatting, it will ask you for a volume name. If you do
not wish to enter one, just hit Enter on the keyboard. If you have a copy of Windows
98, follow the next procedure. If you have a system recovery
disk, wait for the next step.
With your Windows 98 CD in your
CD-Rom, type the following at the A:\D: (this is assuming that
you have only one CD-Rom in your computer). At the next prompt
which will look like D:\ type setup and hit 'Enter' on your
keyboard. The Windows 98 setup should begin from here and take
you through the Windows 98 setup. Be sure to have your valid
Windows 98 installation key handy. You will need it during
installation.
For those with a system
recovery disk, make sure it is in your CD-Rom drive.
Remove the
floppy disk from the floppy drive and push the reset button on
your computer case. The computer will restart and should boot
from the recovery CD automatically. if it does not, you may have
to go to the bios and change the boot order to CD-ROM as your
first boot device. After it boot from the recovery disk, sit
back and watch it install and set everything up for you.
Things you need to know.
If you use a recovery CD that
was made for your computer, all of the drivers and devices will
work for you because they came with the recovery disk. if you
are doing an installation from the Windows 98 CD, you will have
to find all of the drivers CD's for all of the hardware in your
computer because the Windows 98 CD does NOT come with the
drivers included.
This can sometimes be a very long frustrating,
agonizing ordeal especially if you are unfamiliar with
computers.
After either installation, be
sure to go on the Internet and get all of the updates for
Windows 98 from the Windows Update site. Microsoft no longer
supports Windows 98. What this means to the end user is that the
updates you download will not protect your computer from any of
today's spyware, malware or other invasive software programs. Be
sure to purchase and install an anti-virus program and a
firewall program to maximize your protection.
If your computer does not allow
you to install Windows, you have a software setup issue that you
need to address with a professional or you
may have a hard drive issue.
April 5, 2006 -
Rob from Essex had a problem. For
no apparent reason, his mouse started hesitating across his screen
and, at times, not responsive at all until a few seconds had past.
He had not installed any new programs and all of his anti-virus and
firewall programs were up-to-date. He is running Windows XP Service
Pack two and has a Pentium IV computer with lots of speed inside. He
did mention one thing though. He occasionally heard a ticking sound
from inside his computer tower. Not the normal tick of, say a loose
fan, or something, but more of a loud tock tock tock and then it
would go away.
I have been working with computers
for almost 25 years and even though they have grown to be bigger and
faster, some things have remained common. Some of them are the
structure of a stick of RAM, The design and basic architecture of
the motherboard, DVD, CD-rom drives, floppy drives and hard drives.
Even the power supply-tower relationship is still pretty much in
tact. It only took about 15 seconds to determine the cause by
hearing the ticking noise. It was IMPENDING HARD DRIVE FAILURE!! One
thing worked in his favour. His computer was still logged into
windows. His computer had frozen a couple of times and after several
retries, he was able to get it to boot. We did not play with fire.
Thankfully he had a CD-RW and was able to burn his valuable
information to a CD. Unfortunately just after burning his valuable
information, the hard drive did, in fact, cease to work. Rob did not
get his 4 GB of music off the computer. The real lesson here is to
back up your information on a regular basis. Using a CD-R or a DVD-R
makes it easy to back up your files using Windows XP. April 19 -
Ron from Essex had an error come up when trying to send an email in
Outlook Express. FOLDER COULD NOT BE DISPLAYED. Outlook Express could not open
this folder. Possible causes, low disc space, low memory. My OS is Windows ME.
Pentium 3. I have 255 MB RAM and 17 GB of free hard drive.
I asked Ron what kind of anti-virus and security software he was using
because sometimes that can corrupt the Outbox folder in Outlook Express just
because of the design of the software. In any case, by the time I had written
Ron back, he had been able to post to a newsgroup and got the answer to his
question. Because his Outbox was corrupted, he needed to change the name of the
folder so that when Outlook Express started again, it would create a new one and
never remember the old one again. You will have to set your computer to show
hidden files and folders (See my March 8, 2006 article on how to do this) and
then navigate to your Outlook Express location on your hard drive. These are the
folders I have to navigate through to get to mine. It will be similar for you:
C:\Documents and Settings\Scott Durward\Local Settings\Application
Data\Identities\{E6BC7A2E-3651-40F5-AF51-1D9CC414217B}\Microsoft\Outlook
Express. When you get to the folder, look for the item marked Outbox. Rename the
Outbox to folderold.exe or folderold.dbx. After you have completed this, reopen
your Outlook Express and all should be good to send and receive email again. April 26 -
Sharron from Amherstburg asked, "I just hooked up
a used monitor to my computer and no image came up. I realized the
computer was still on so I shut the computer off. When I restarted
the computer, all I hear is beeps and nothing shows up on my screen.
What Happened?".
After a few more questions, we also determined
that her computer has an on board video card and that the computer
was sitting on a carpeted floor. As always when you are attaching or
changing and hardware with your computer, you must turn it off and
unplug it to insure that there is no static electricity present in
the computer. Further, you must ground yourself to something BEFORE
touching the computer. What has occurred here is that you grounded
the new monitor using the video port on the back of your computer.
Therefore, your video port is no longer useful on your computer.
After examination, you do have one saving grace. Your motherboard is
equipped with an AGP slot so you will be able to purchase an
aftermarket video card and be able to use your computer again. If
your motherboard did not have an AGP slot, you would have to replace
your motherboard. Once you start replacing components like a
motherboard, the cost of repair could quickly become more expensive
than buying a new one. Hopefully others can learn from your
unfortunate situation. May 17
-
Stan from Kingsville asked:
Is there a way to have my printer print in
black and white only?
I'm with Yahoo for Email and they have their
logo in red. Every time I print a hard copy, I'm using the colour
cartridge and I don't need the colour.
To set your
printer to print only black and white, do the following procedure
(this procedure is for WindowsXP. It will also work for Windows 98,
ME & 2000). Click on Start >> Control Panel and then double-click on
the Printers icon in the Control Panel. Find your printer listed on
the windows in front of you. Right-click your mouse while it is over
top of that icon and select Properties from the menu that appears.
Select the General Tab (if not already selected) and click on
Printing Preferences. Click on the Paper/Quality Tab. Select print
Black and White radio button. It will fill in as a black dot to show
you that Black and White printing has been selected. Click on Apply
and then click OK. Click on OK to close the other box that is still
open. Close the Control Panel and now you are ready to go to print
Black and white only.
May 23 - A business customer wanted to know if it is possible to recover
emails after they have been deleted. He uses Microsoft Outlook for his email. He
had accidentally erased a bunch of emails and emptied his Deleted Files folder
already.
May 30 - I downloaded a video but I can only hear it and not see it.
Computer does not have the latest version of a codec installed and/or does not
have the codec required to view the file. Video requires a different player to view the video file. File is corrupt June 6 - Over the last
couple of weeks, I was asked to evaluate Microsoft Office 2007. This new release
of Microsoft Office is scheduled to be released when Microsoft releases their
new version of Windows called Windows Vista early in 2007. June 20 - Andrew from
Essex asked: "I am new to the Internet and I need to know, What is a
Cookie?"
Andrew a Cookie in short is a Internet File. The complete definition
of a computer Cookie is simply an HTTP header that consists of a
text-only string that gets entered into the memory of your browser. This
string contains the domain, path, lifetime, and value of a variable that
you set. If the lifetime of this variable is longer than the time the
user spends at your site, then this string is saved to file for future
reference. Many believe that computer cookies are dangerous and are a privacy
concern. However cookies are stored on your computer hard disk drive and
only accessible by the page it was created or the user of the computer.
Some examples of how computer cookies can help you are: Store on your hard disk drive your personal information and
preferences for a web site such as a Internet Store. This information
can only be accessed by that store and is used to help direct you faster
to places that most interest you.
Store information about your preferences for a start page. If you
have a customized start page which contains information such as local
weather and news this information is placed on the web page by looking
at information from a cookie. The above are just a few good examples of computer cookies, to help
understand what exactly they are used for. July 4 - Joan from Windsor wrote and
asked, "How do I get rid of the notification on my screen that says that
I do not have a genuine copy of Windows? I have a legit copy on my
computer and this Windows Genuine Advantage thing that keeps coming up
is very annoying. IS there anyway to get rid of it?" Well Joan, Microsoft is always attempting to close the hole on piracy and
this is another attempt. However, Microsoft did not ask permission from its
users to install the spyware portion of this software. Every time you log on to
your computer, The program sends data to Microsoft to compare your serial number
to its database. This is hugely flawed and the result is your notification even
though you have a legitimate copy on your cpu. Accusations of the WGA check
being spyware raised Microsoft's hackles. "Spyware is deceptive software that is
installed on a user's computer without the user's consent and has some malicious
purpose," Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler said in the report. If you dare, here is a way to stop the notification on certain versions.
WARNING!! This involves modifying your registry. If you are not an expert and
don't know the ramifications of incorrectly modifying your registry, DO NOT DO
THIS. Excerpt from Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 921924. Important These instructions have not been tested on the general release
version of the WGA Notifications. Therefore, these instructions are not
supported. Microsoft will offer the general release version of WGA Notifications
to users who uninstall the pilot version at a later date. These users will
obtain the general release version through the Microsoft Automatic Update
service. WGA Notifications is part of the Windows Genuine Advantage program. When you use a non-genuine version of Windows, you receive a message when you
log on that states that the copy of Windows appears to be non-genuine. Then, you
are directed to the WGA Web site to learn more. If you do not want to obtain a
genuine copy of Windows, you receive periodic messages that notify you that the
copy of Windows appears to be non-genuine. Note If you are running a genuine copy of Windows and want to use WGA
Notifications, you may receive messages to update Windows XP. Regardless of genuine status, users are not denied access to critical
updates. However, users who have not validated their computers as genuine are
not able to install other updates such as those for Microsoft Internet Explorer
7.0 and Microsoft Windows Defender. MORE INFORMATION b. Double-click Add or Remove Programs, locate and then click Windows XP -
Software, then click Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications, and then click
here for support information. c. In the Support Info dialog box, verify the version number, and then click
Close. • Rename %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.exe to %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.old b. Double-click Add or uninstall Programs, locate and then click Windows
Genuine Advantage Notifications, and then click here for support information.
c. In the Support Info dialog box, verify the version number, and then click
Close. • Rename %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.exe to %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.old b. At the command prompt, type the following, and then press ENTER: • Del %Windir%\system32\WgaTray.old • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Uninstall\WgaNotify July 11 - Shirley from Kingsville pondered, "I just bought a
new set of speakers with sub woofer and put them on my desk beside my
monitor (LCD 17") and after a couple of hours the whole screen shifted
on me and I could only see half of my desktop. When I turned the
computer again, the same thing happened after a few minutes. I took my
monitor to another computer and it works fine! What gives?!" Shirley, I have tested your problem at my end based on my experience
and I was able to reproduce your problem. We have several sets of
speakers hear and several types of monitors so I was able to conduct a
fairly thorough check. Here is what I found. On my Altec Lansing 3 piece
sub-woofer set, there were no issues. On my Volcano 200 W speakers,
there were no issues. On my $25 3 piece sub-woofer set, I was able to
reproduce your problem. This does not arise if you are using an older CRT
monitor. I was only able to reproduce it with a LCD monitor. My theory
is that the higher quality speakers are shielded electrically and so are
CRT monitors. The cheap speakers are most likely just that; no extras,
just a box with a speaker. Since it is not shielded, the electrical
fields interfere with each other and thus cause the monitor to react the
way it does. The only solution is to relocate your speakers or buy a
higher quality speaker asking the salesperson if they are shielded.
July 25
on vacation
August 1 - Welcome to all of my faithful readers. Your continued
questions to me always give me a lot to write about. I am writing my article for
you today from Belgium in Europe. This is a beautiful country who has figured
out that bicycle paths are necessary for the proper flow of traffic and not just
recreation. I apologize for no article last week, but I was not able to find an
Internet café in the Italian Alps.
The average rating I have seen so far is a 5.5 out of 10. Your call right now
until the final release is out later this year. August 15 - The PC turns 25 years old. August 22 August 29 -
Andrew in Essex phoned me with a problem. He said that he opened
an attachment in his email and then noticed his computer was
going much slower. He decided to reboot his computer and got the
message "Searching for Boot Record from CD.... not found"
"Searching for Boot Record from SCSI... not found" "Searching
for Boot Record from Floppy... not found" then it said "Boot
attempt failed...Press any key when boot device is ready." September 5 - This week I had a
question about the new Media Player 11 from Microsoft. Below is a
table comparing some of the pros and cons of the new media player.
The results are from a polling I did of ten teenagers used to using
the new Windows Media Player 11.
Pros
Cons User interface is
more updated Transmits
information to Microsoft to see if you are pirating
music without your permission. Easier to make play
lists using drag and drop. Need a lot more
resources to run. 512MB Ram is probably the best amount
and of course lots of hard drive space helps to store
all of your songs. Has setting so you
can turn off sending information to Microsoft. If you remove the
song from your list of songs, it will delete them from
your computer. When the song is
playing, it automatically downloads the music info from
the internet. More skins to keep
up with other media players. Ripping music from
CD’s is the same as before. List of recently
used songs is longer and it saves recent music Url’s
from the web for you as well. As illustrated, the pros seem to outweigh
the cons. Just be careful if you change your mind and want to
uninstall it. There have been some reports of Windows Media
player 10 not working after uninstalling Media Player 11. All in
all, I would give this one a thumbs up from Microsoft. September 12 -
How to Burn a data CD using Windows XP built in software. First insert a blank CD into your CD
burner on your computer and the following screen should come
up. Click OK and Windows Explorer will open
for you and be displayed like this: Now, open another Windows Explorer Window
by doing the following: Hold down the
Windows Logo Key (the key that is next to the Ctrl key on the
left bottom side of your keyboard) and, while holding it down,
press the E key and the following Window will open: You will now have two windows open. Use
your second window to navigate to the files you want to send by
Double-clicking on the hard drive icons and locating your files.
Once you have located the files you want to copy, select them
using your left mouse button (if you want to copy a whole
folder, just select the folder). After selecting the folder,
right click and select copy from the Menu (using your left mouse
button). It is time to write the files (or folders)
to your CD. Using your mouse, activate the first screen (it will
be blank and it will show the Disk letter of your CD-Burner).
Anywhere in the open space, right-click your mouse and select
Paste from the menu (use your left mouse button to select
paste). A window like this may appear depending on
the amount of data being transferred. After it has completed, your screen will
look something like this: Select Write these file to CD from the
left menu. The following will appear. You can name
your CD and then click next and the files will write to your CD.
When it is finished, a window will appear telling you it is
finished. Note: If, at the
beginning, the CD writing windows does not appear when you put
the blank CD in your burner, use the Windows Key + E option to
open an explorer window and navigate to the CD burner. October 4 -
Geraldine from Essex stated: I have a problem with
keeping the check mark beside "send pictures with message"
under "format".
October 18 - no article October 25 -
Scott, I have bought a new
keyboard and it won't work. No matter how many times I reboot
the computer or whatever USB slot I put it into, it just won't
work.
I believe this to be the answer. Since you have confirmed that this is a USB keyboard,
you will have to tell your motherboard to recognize and use USB
keyboards. You need to do the following: Reboot your computer
and when the first screen appears, push delete on your keyboard
to enter the BIOS. I know that seems weird that you will be able
to use it for that portion, but the POST sequence loads all
drivers just in case to allow you to get into the BIOS. After
the BIOS screen appears in front of you, use the arrow keys on
your keyboard to navigate to the item labeled Integrated
Peripherals. Hit enter on your keyboard to configure. Near the
bottom of the list that appears on the screen in front of you,
you will see USB Keyboard Support (or something very similar).
It will say DISABLED. Highlight the DISABLED by using your arrow
keys. Once you have highlighted the DISABLED, press the plus (+)
sign on your keyboard to change it to ENABLED. Now, press the
Escape keys at the top left hand corner of your keyboard to exit
to the main screen. Use your arrow keys to navigate to SAVE
SETTINGS AND EXIT. Press enter when you have highlighted this
and answer yes to save changes. Your computer will reboot and
your keyboard will work. If it doesn't , make sure it is plugged
in all the way and repeat the above procedure. If it still
doesn't work, take it back to the retailer you bought it from.
November 1 - A concerned parent asked me about MySpace.com.
Here are things to watch about MySpace.com that your teenagers may,
or may not be aware of.
http://www.myspace.com/Modules/Common/Pages/SafetyTips.aspx
(just type the web address into your Internet Explorer or Firefox
browser and it will take you to the page). November 8 -
Cam
from Essex called me in a panic this week. Over the last couple
of days, he had begun to hear an alternating alarm sound coming
from his computer while it was on. It didn't always start up
when the computer did, but it would appear later especially if
he was burning a CD or DVD or doing heavy artwork in Photoshop
or Illustrator.
First and foremost, we had to make sure that his computer was
well ventilated. Alarms that sound while your computer appears
to be running normally usually indicate impending hardware
failure of some kind. The first place to start is to make sure
your unit is not overheating because of lack of fresh air.
First, we removed the case and gave the inside a good dusting
out using compressed air in a can. In his case, there was a
tremendous amount of dust in the case and on the motherboard.
Careful use of compressed air and cotton swabs allowed us to
remove all of the dust that had caked onto the chips on the
motherboard. Further examination led us to the power supply. It
too was caked with dust and we had to clean it out. After
restarting the computer, nothing changed. The alarm came back
about the same time it had before. Turning off the computer
again, we cleaned the caked dust off the bottom of the hard
drives and CD-Rom drives. We cleaned the Memory chips (RAM) and
put the computer back together to try again. Same result. The
alarm came back.
This is a tough one because normally something
is "wrong" so past experience teaches you what to look for right
away. In this case, experience has taught me what the problem
was though it is very obscure and you don't ever want it to be
the problem. In this particular case because of the dust that
was allowed to accumulate inside the case, it too accumulated on
the CPU fan and chip. Because the CPU chip operates at
temperatures ranging from 37 C to 50 C, the dust baked onto the
chip under the cooling fan. Further, the CPU was not being
cooled properly for a long time (the computer was four years old
and never cleaned). The end result is a CPU chip that is going
to fail soon. The solution is not cheap. Because you have
"burned" your chip, you may have also burned the socket it is in
on the motherboard. Best case scenario is just a new chip if you
can find it (depending on the age of your computer). Most likely
scenario is new motherboard and new CPU chip. In this particular
case, it was new motherboard, CPU chip and RAM memory.
Moral: if your computer sits on a floor, you should dust it at
least every six months. In smoking households, bi-monthly is
probably best. I don't smoke but I still do mine once every
other month and I always find it amazing just how much can build
up in that short time.
November 15 -
Someone asked me this week how they should clean their LCD
Monitor. First let's consider what goes into an LCD Monitor or
TV.
First, I was reflecting about Remembrance Day this week and how
lucky we are. This year, I have had the privilege of visiting
the Menin Gate, in Ieper France, visiting Dunkerque, France, and
visiting the Maginot Line and Blokhaus in France. This last
weekend, I spent the day with the Korean War Vets at the Korean
War Memorial in Brampton. I see the pride and memories flush
through their minds as the Last Post is played and wonder to
myself, "What pain do they still suffer so that we remain free?"
The memories and horrors still all too alive. To the Veterans of
our Canadian Armed Forces, I thank you for your sacrifices made
so that we may enjoy our lives as we live them today.
Your LCD
television and LCD computer monitor or laptop is designed with
liquid crystal technology. These screens are very sensitive to
the touch and can be easily damaged. Also, because the screens
are not made of glass, ingredients typical to glass cleaning
agents, such as ammonia, should not
be used on your laptop or LCD monitor. Clean your LCD screen
whenever it's necessary, but do it correctly to avoid scratches
or lessening of screen quality.
You must take great care when cleaning LCD screens.
These displays are not constructed to be touched.
Pressing and poking, whether with a dull object such as your
finger, or a sharp object, such as a pen or knife, typically
damages far more than one individual pixel. Imagine not being
able to read lines of text on your screen because you have
damaged some of the crystals. You cannot repair the crystal once
they are damaged. When the pixels are damaged, black spots
rather than images fill those areas of your screen. Therefore,
keep your fingers and other objects away from the screen.
When
dust, pet hair, or other dirt builds up on the display, it is
important to clean the surface. Prior to cleaning
your unit, unplug it. Then, use a soft cloth such
as soft, untreated eyeglass cloths or microfiber cleaning
cloths, rather than tissues. Also, use the correct cleaning
solution. Be aware that you should not use any product
containing ammonia or ethanol, as these components will degrade
LCD screens. Make certain the commercial computer monitor
cleanser you purchase specifically states that it is for use as
a LCD screen cleaner. Rather than buying a commercial cleaner,
some people make their own solution using 50% isopropyl alcohol
and 50% distilled water (tap water may leave mineral spots on
your screen).
Spray the cloth, not the
screen. Do not place or spray the liquid directly
onto your notebook or television LCD screen. Instead, dampen the
cleaning cloth slightly with the specialized cleanser and then
gently wipe your screen in a consistent motion, such as counter
clockwise, rather than haphazard motions. As always, read your manufacturer's cleaning
suggestions. Check your owner's manual for instructions from the
manufacturer regarding their suggested cleaning LCD monitor
methods.
November 22 - Andrew from Essex asked: "I am trying to install and new DVD-RW
into my computer but I do not have any more power leads to plug
in to. What can I do? I'd hate to think I wasted my money. Do I
need a new computer?" November 29 - This week's article is to help warn
parents to keep an eye on what their teenagers are doing in relation
to the internet. A person from Essex received an email from his
Internet service provider stating, "Recently,
we have received notices that you may be in direct violation of
legal copyright holders. If you have been downloading any
copyrighted software we request that you discontinue such activities
as this is against our Acceptable Use Policy (Section 1c through
1e). December 6 - Sue
from Harrow had an interesting quandary. She bought a new
computer and wanted to transfer her old files from her old
Windows 98 computer and put them on the new Windows XP computer.
Being somewhat computer savvy, she used the msbackup utility
included with Windows 98 and make a back up image of all the
files she wanted to save. She burned the image to a cd and put
the cd in her new computer. She used the ntbackup utility
included with her new Windows XP computer to try to recover her
old files. Then came the problem. Microsoft Windows 98 saves the
backup file with the extension .QIC and Windows XP saves backup
files with the extension .BKF. There is no support from
Microsoft for Windows 98 and, as a result, Windows XP does not
recognize the file and cannot retrieve it.
This solution is only for the most advanced and expert users. The novice or
intermediate computer user should not attempt this unless you are just
experimenting and can afford to lose all email data.
Unorthodox methods often provide the most expedient avenues—and sometimes the
only options—for accomplishing certain support tasks.
We will suggest a solution that will, believe it or not, deliberately corrupt
the .pst file and then restore it with a common tool.
If you ever find yourself in a similar jam and it's important enough to veer off
the usual path, you can take the steps used in this method to recover what has
been emptied out of the Deleted Items folder and grab that one message you
really need.
Deleted doesn't really mean gone
The key is that deleted e-mails aren't really completely removed when they've
left the Deleted Items folder.
“A PST has its own File Allocation Table (own spot on the hard drive), so to
speak, and when an e-mail is deleted, it is simply marked to be replaced.”
The trick is getting back that one message that's been removed. This method
explains how you can deliberately corrupt the PST and then recover it,
retrieving all of the contents, including “permanently” deleted items. You can
follow these steps to pull this off:
Make a backup first!
As the following steps involve corrupting Outlook's PST file, I strongly
recommend you make a backup before attempting the process outlined in this
article. I realize PST files can be rather large, but it's better to be safe
than sorry.
To corrupt the PST file, I suggest opening it with the hex editor of your
choice. If you don't have one, I recommended searching for one on CNET's
download.com (search download.com for hex editor and several will appear for
download).
Delete positions 7 through 13 with the spacebar. Since you're using hexadecimal
numbering, this actually clears 13 characters in the following positions:
00007
00008
00009
0000a
0000b
0000c
0000d
0000e
0000f
00010
00011
00012
00013
(The editor displays the code “20” each time you clear a position with the
spacebar.)
After clearing those positions in the file, save it. Your PST is now corrupted.
Run the Inbox Repair Tool, SCANPST.exe, to recover the file. On Win2K and WinNT
systems, the executable is located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\NT.
You can also find it on the Office 2000 CD-ROM in Drive:\Pfiles\Common\System\Mapi\1033\NT.
In WinXP, the file is located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033.
For additional information on the Inbox Repair Tool, see Microsoft Knowledge
Base article 287497.
After creating a backup, the Inbox Repair Tool repairs the damage and recreates
the PST. Open the new PST in Outlook by importing it. The Deleted Items folder
should contain all removed messages, so anything you've emptied will be
restored.
Though this technique falls outside the lines of the usual measures available
for repairing or recovering data, it may be the best available option for
retrieving specific messages that have been permanently deleted from Outlook.
It's a fairly simple operation to perform, and you don't have to spend any money
on recovery tools. So the next time a user inadvertently removes a deleted
message, you might consider this an option for getting it back.
Contributions to this article by Ray Geroski
This issue may be caused by any of the below reasons.
This type of an issue is almost always caused by a codec issue. Verify your
computer has the codec required to play the video. If you do not know which
codec is required to view the file, we recommend you contact the location of
where you downloaded the file to determine which codec is required.
Many times videos downloaded from file sharing programs or other similar
locations require the DivX or XviD codec.
In some cases certain video files require different types of video players.
Ensure the video format you are attempting to view is supported with your player
and/or try viewing the file with a different player.
If you have verified that you have the proper codec is installed in the computer
and you know which codec the video requires but are still unable to view the
video, it is possible that the video is corrupt or bad and you may wish to
consider downloading the file again.
The installation of Microsoft Office is still the same as previous versions. You
can choose a complete, custom or minimal install like before. I like this
because not everyone wants all of the features it has to offer. For example, I
know a lot of people who do not use Microsoft Outlook for email and therefore
would not want to install it. The new Office also has a much better security
feature to help prevent illegal copies from being distributed. The display
screens have softer colours that are more eye friendly for those of us who spend
a lot of time on the computer. It will also integrate with the new Windows Vista
so that you can keep a displayed screen on using a second monitor even if the
computer is turned off.
This release comes with a lot of down sides too. For those of you who are
familiar with OpenOffice used by Linux users, you will see some similarities.
The new toolbars across the top are very confusing at first. The toolbars are
set up as tabs across the top. As you click on the tabs the toolbars change.
There are no menus across the top on the default installation and you will find
yourself searching for the tiny icon on the top in order to save your work. The
right click menu over cells has changed to and you have to search elsewhere to
find some of the formatting commands that used to be at your fingertips. I did
not evaluate Excel at the programming level or macro programming level because
most users do not use those features. I have experimented with Excel macros and
integrating them with Visual Studio 2005.net and it work great.
Overall, Microsoft expects to ship 98 million copies of Windows Vista early next
year and expects almost 30 million copies of Microsoft Office to ship as well.
It will take some time for people to accept this new Office. The real issue that
needs to be considered is: when is enough, enough? So far Microsoft Office 2003
will continue to work with Windows Vista, but there are no guarantee earlier
versions will continue to work. No longer will legacy hardware devices work with
the new Windows. The new Microsoft Office 2007 receives a three out of five from
me for usefulness and ease of use. There is no way the average user is going to
go spend another $500 to upgrade to this new Microsoft Office and then another
$300 to upgrade to the new windows. I think a lot of us will just stay with what
we have for as long as we can.
Now in the new age of the Internet, some site are using what are called Tracing
or Tracking Cookies. A tracking cookie is data stored on your computer in the
form of a cookie and is shared between two or more websites to enable them to
track your movements across the web. This will help them gather information
about your interests and tailor special marketing for you and gather statistics
when visiting their sites. While these tracking cookies are NOT in any way
harmful for your computer you might feel they are an intrusion to your privacy.
Anti-spyware and adware programs provide you with the ability to remove these
tracking cookies if you wish to do so. Cookies do not contain viruses and are
not harmful that way but they can track your every movement as you travel the
Internet. Unfortunately, you will not know when one gets saved on your computer.
Spyware removal programs are your only recourse.
Microsoft responded to complaints about the software by providing instructions
on disabling the WGA check on a system. It could be that Microsoft should not
have permitted its distribution in the first place without better disclosure on
its communications activity.
"The disclosure was slim to none, and it certainly isn't what we're looking for
as a matter of public policy from a distinguished company like Microsoft," said
Ben Edelman, noted spyware researcher, in the report.
Microsoft has updated and released a new version of the WGA software, which no
longer performs the daily check. Since Microsoft sees WGA as a useful tool in
its battles against the software piracy in claims costs the company an enormous
amount of revenue, it isn't going away.
This article applies to the version of Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA)
Notifications that is distributed during the pilot program. For example, this
version is included in the pre-release version that accompanies the Microsoft
Software License Terms. To safely and easily uninstall the pilot version, you
must install the general release version of WGA Notifications. If you do not
install this version, you can follow the steps in this article to disable or
uninstall the pilot version.
Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by
using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require
that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these
problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
Disable WGA Notifications
1. Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrative
permissions.
2. Make sure that the WGA Notifications version that exists on the computer is a
pilot version. The version format for the pilot version is 1.5.0532.x. In this
case, you can uninstall versions 527-532 only. For example, you can uninstall
versions that range from 1.5.0527.0 to 1.5.0532.2. To find the WGA Notifications
version, follow these steps: a. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
3. Rename the following files by changing the extension to .old:• Rename
%Windir%\system32\WgaLogon.dll to %Windir%\system32\WgaLogon.old
4. Restart the computer.
Manually uninstall WGA Notifications
1. Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrative
permissions.
2. Make sure that the WGA Notifications version that exists on the computer is a
pilot version. The version format for the pilot version is 1.5.0532.x. In this
case, you can uninstall versions 527-532 only. For example, you can uninstall
versions that range from 1.5.0527.0 to 1.5.0532.2. To find the WGA Notifications
version, follow these steps: a. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
3. Rename the following files by changing the extension to .old:• Rename %Windir%\system32\WgaLogon.dll
to %Windir%\system32\WgaLogon.old
4. Restart the computer.
5. Unregister LegitCheckControl.dll by using Regsvr32. To do this, follow these
steps: a. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
Regsvr32 %Windir%\system32\LegitCheckControl.dll /u
6. Restart the computer.
7. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
8. At the command prompt, delete the following files by typing the Del command.
Press ENTER after you type each command.• Del %Windir%\system32\wgalogon.old
• Del %Windir%\system32\LegitCheckControl.dll
9. At the command prompt, type regedit.
10. Locate and then right-click the following registry subkeys. Click Delete
after you locate each subkey.• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\
CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify\WgaLogon
July 18
no article
Two people asked me this question while I have been in Europe: I am going on
vacation and want to limit my kids` use on the Internet while we are gone. Can
you give me some suggestions?
There are several ways in which you can limit their access. One couple I know
took the DSL modem with them and I must say that will definitely guarantee no
Internet access while they are gone. Now some a little more less extreme advice.
If you have a firewall program on your computer (i.e. Norton Firewall, Sygate,
NOD32, PC Cillin, Zone Alarm, Windows Firewall), you can go into it and tell it
not to allow the program Internet Explorer to access the Internet. In most cases
the set up goes something like this: Open the Firewall Program >>Look for a tab
indicating Program Access or Control and select that. In most cases a tab will
be available that indicates you can add a program to the list of programs not
allowed to access the Internet. After you add the program to the list, Internet
Explorer will no longer work until you go in and undo the changes. To help avoid
your tech savvy kids from changing them back while you are gone, create a
password to get into your firewall program.
This next way, I have found to be the most effective: Change the access control
from within your router. Most houses that have more than one computer and a
broadband connection have a router/hub that is attached to the DSL modem. The
computers attach to the router/hub and are controlled by the router/hub. In your
router program, you can limit the use of Internet Explorer by blocking port 80.
By blocking only that port, users can still use MSN Messenger but cannot get to
the Internet at all. They will still be able to share printers and files
amongst the computers in the house, but will not have access to the outside
world. To be absolutely sure of zero access to the Internet, set the router to
Always block access to the Internet or port range 1-65535. Your router
documentation will give you further directions and tweaks you can do. Again,
make sure there is a password on your Router so your kids can`t change it back
while you are away.
There are many more ways to limit access but these are the two most common. If
you have any more specific questions, please email and I will answer them for
you.
August 8 - I was just reading up on the free
windows updates and I can install the new internet explorer 7 Beta 3 for windows
XP SP2. Is this a good thing? I have the requirements to load it, will it mess
up anything on my computer? IT IS SUPPOSE TO BE BETTER. Is there anything else I
have to download to make it work correctly, can I go back to the one I have now
if I do not like it???
Here is some of what I have found for Internet Explorer Beta 3.
Pros:
* This newer version IE 7 is very user friendly, with easy access to
multiple web sites for researching or comparison shopping.
* The one click option to approve ActiveX or pop-ups is great.
* The IE 7 makes internet browsing a lot simpler and safer.
* Faster, more refined.
* Easy to install or upgrade your Internet Explorer 6.
* Auto-hides taskbar. You can show the taskbar by hitting the Alt key.
* Shrink to print - IE 7 will automatically size a page so that when it
goes to your printer, you won't lose the content on the far right side of the
page. The text may be smaller, but the text will be whole. You also have the
ability to print only the highlighted section of a Web page.
* Address bars in every window - A new feature within IE 7 adds an address
bar to every pop-up window, allowing you to determine whether you want to view
that content (advertising, for example). This feature is currently available in
Firefox.
* A significant security enhancement is the new antiphishing component.
Using heuristics, or algorithms, rather than white lists, Internet Explorer can
analyze a given page and determine whether it's the real McCoy or a spoofed
page. Should you land on a suspicious site, you'll see a golden bar across the
top of the page. You'll have a chance to correct any errors, saving pages you
know are not frauds but that may appear so within Internet Explorer.
* The new IE7 beta handles favourites more smoothly
* The new add-ons site at http://www.ieaddons.com was scheduled to go live
at the same time as the new beta release.
Cons:
* Internet Explorer 7 will not work at this time with many online banking
service and my wireless provider.
* Several ecommerce and utility company sites will not work with this
version. There is a patch available through Microsoft to help on line banking
work.
* No links button you have to add it on another line.
* You are suppose to be able to uninstall it but there are thousands of
documented cases where the computer becomes almost unusable after uninstalling
IE 7 Beta 3. A complete OS install has to be performed unless you are an expert
at modifying the registry.
* No Alt + Tab function anymore.
* Only those running Windows XP SP2 will be able to run the latest version
of IE. This is Microsoft's way of forcing non-Windows XP SP2 users to upgrade.
Minimum Requirements for Installing and running Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3
Computer/Processor Computer with a 233MHz processor or higher (Pentium processor
recommended)
Operating System Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Memory For Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3:
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2),
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, and
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1):
64 MB of RAM minimum
Full install size: 12.5 MB
Drive CD-ROM drive (if installation is done from a CD-ROM) Display Super VGA
(800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor with 256 colors Peripherals Modem or
Internet connection; Microsoft Mouse, Mouse or compatible pointing device
If this transfer of copyrighted materials was unintentional, then
please immediately have your computer checked for trojans and
backdoors. Re: Unauthorized Use of NBC Universal Properties Notice
ID: 14-8815349 2 Nov 2006 23:36:11 GMT Please be advised that NBC
Universal and/or its subsidiary and affiliated companies
(collectively, NBC Universal) are the owners of exclusive rights
protected under copyright law and other intellectual property rights
in many motion pictures and television programs, including the
title(s) listed below (the NBC Universal Properties). NBC Universal
diligently enforces its rights in its motion pictures. It has come
to our attention that "internet provider" (I have purposely left the
name out) is the service provider for the IP address listed below,
from which unauthorized copying and distribution (downloading,
uploading, file serving, file "swapping" or other similar
activities) of NBC Universal's motion picture(s) listed below is
taking place. We believe that the Internet access of the user
engaging in this infringement is provided by "internet provider" or
a downstream service provider who purchases this connectivity from
"internet provider". We urge you to take immediate action to stop
this infringing activity and inform us of the results of your
actions.
To say
the least, they were shocked to receive such an email. After
investigating how their computers were set up and looking on their
kid's computer, they discovered one of their sons had download a
program called BitTorrent and then was using a site called
isohunt.com to search for and download pirated movies and songs. Not
known to many is the fact that when you download from some of the
torrent sites, they track the IP address (computer address) that the
downloading is coming from. With that address, they can trace it
back to the Internet Service Provider who provides your internet
service and then they can trace it to whatever customer it is. While
there is some grey area in Canada as to whether the downloading is
legal or illegal, you will most likely be violating the terms and
agreement of your service provider. if your internet service
provider deems that you are abusing downloading and file sharing
rule, they have the option to discontinue your internet service. You
will have no choice because it is at their discretion.
Bottom
line is to keep aware of the Internet activity in your house.
Note: for those of you who are waiting to hear about Windows Vista, I should be receiving my copy from Microsoft shortly and be able to review it for you.
December 13 - Jeff from Essex wants to know how to share a printer on his home network so that his son can connect to it and print some homework. First of all Jeff, you will need to run the Home Network Setup Wizard to make sure your Windows XP computers can “talk” to each other. If your network is already running and you can share files, skip this step and go to the next paragraph.To run the wizard, do the following: Click on Start>>Control Panel>>Network Connections. In the upper left corner of the window that is open, click on Set up a home or small office network. Click next at the Welcome screen. Provided you have installed all of the network cards correctly and have a hub, click next at the next screen. From the next screen, select how the particular computer connects to the internet. This is irrelevant when it comes to sharing a printer but the wizard wants the information so you have to give it. Click next. Under Computer description, type in something that will help you identify the computer across the network (something like “Jeff’s computer”). Leave the computer name at the bottom to the default listed. Click Next. The next screen wants you to pick a network name. It does not matter what you choose here. Make sure you remember it because you have to do the very same wizard on the other computer you want share. After you choose your network name, click next. Do not leave it at the default for security and hacking reasons (especially with wireless networks). At the next screen, click the radio button beside turn on Printer and File Sharing to allow other computers to access your files and printers. A warning will come up warning you about sharing across networks, but for small house networks you can ignore this and move on. The next screen is a summary of what you have set up. Click next. A progress screen will show and will disappear when the configuring is completed. At the last screen, select the last radio button saying to do nothing further and the program will exit. Complete the wizard on the other computer before continuing.
Make sure the printer you want to share is installed properly.
To Share the printer, go to Start>>Control Panel>>Printers and Faxes and double-click the icon. Find the name of the printer you want to share and right click over top of the icon and select Sharing from the list. Click on the Sharing Tab and then click on the radio button that says Share this printer. Type in a name of the printer share, or leave the default name. Click Apply and then OK and you are ready to go. In Windows XP, the other computer will automatically find the printer share over the network in a few minutes (if it is set up properly). Now on the second computer, open the document you want to print; Select Print and choose the shared printer from the list and print your document on the printer that is attached to the other computer.
Just an aside: I am looking for a turntable for my records. I own over fifteen hundred 33 rpm’s and over seven hundred 45 rpm and over two hundred 78 rpm’s and I am looking for a turntable so I can record them onto CD’s through my computer. Of course, a lesson will follow through my tip of the week. If anyone has a turntable for sale, please email me at scott@slconsultingsolutions.com. Please keep the questions coming to the same email address. Thank you.December 20 - I was asked this week, “How do I get rid of that annoying startup screen in Windows XP that makes me wait 30 seconds before loading to Windows unless I hit Enter”?
Good question. Actually, it is rather easy to get rid of this annoyance. Please do the following and it will boot straight to Windows always. Do not do this if you have a dual boot system like I do. My computer can boot to Linux or Windows XP, so this would not be an option for me. Click on Start and go to My Computer but do not click on it. Rather, hover over it with your mouse and right-click instead and left-click Properties from the menu that appears. Click on the Tab that says Advanced. Near the bottom of the window is a section called Startup and Recovery. Click on the Settings button. At the top of the window, there is a drop down list. From that drop down list, select the option that says, Windows XP /no execute fast detect (or something similar). The important thing is to have the selection that includes fast detect (only one choice will have the fast detect included in its description. Click on OK and click OK again to exit the screens. Your computer will no longer pause when booting to Windows.