Computer Security: Some websites carry misleading ads and wrong tactics to sell computer security products. Do not download or install these software. Be careful about installing ActiveX controls. The only ActiveX controls or plugins that ordinary people can safely install are that of Macromedia Flash, Real Player, QuickTime and Windows Media Player. All others like Gator or Bonzi are likely to be spyware of some sort. Many spware products are released along with dialers, screensavers, and programs like MP3 Dancer. They are almost impossible to uninstall. Even if you run their uninstall programs, they will continue to hide in your computer without your knowledge. So, be careful about installing software.

 

Paranoia 2: Deleting the files in the Temporary Internet Files folder can remove only part of your tracks. Cookies stored by websites usually remain in this folder with their full web address. So, that is a security violation. To remove them, choose Internet Options » Temporary Internet Folder » Delete Cookies.

 

1. Paranoia 4: When the Autocomplete feature is enabled, all your personal information including passwords are stored on the computer, which is available for others to misuse. So, when you are done with browsing at your office or an Internet cafe, follow the above three steps and clear the saved data by choosing Internet Options » Content » AutoComplete » Clear Forms and Clear Passwords. Sometimes, the Internet Options menu option might be disabled in your office or web cafe. So, delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\IntelliForms key from the registry. If you want to steal or backup passwords, export this key and import it on a different machine or installation. You will also have to copy the {username}.pwl file and cookies to the new machine/installation. Sometimes, there are ActiveX programs that sit silently recording everything. You can check them out at Internet Options » Temporary Internet Files » Settings » View Objects. This will open the Downloaded Program Files folder in the windows folder. By right-clicking the contents, you can either remove them or check out their properties.

Paranoia 5: In many Internet cafes, some people leave keylogger software installed on the PCs. These record everything that is typed on the keyboard, including your usernames and passwords. So, when you visit a Internet browsing centre, run Task Manager and kill all suspicious-looking programs you find. Some sophisticated keyloggers do not even appear in the Task Manager. To be safe, do not type the characters in the your password in the usual order. Jumble them up. Use your mouse to position the cursor so that the characters are in their proper positions. Few keyloggers are smart enough to detect mouse clicks. Try this demo. The password is "lkBg(tts)2" but we do not type it in that order.

 

ESCAPE: Many people do not know this. If a page is being downloaded and you want to stop it, then pressing the Escape key will do that. Also, pressing Backspace key will take you to the previous page.

 

1. Protecting Your E-mail Address: Junk mail seems inevitable but there are a few things you can do about it. Do not give your office e-mail address or personal POP address to any website or service. Just to make sure your contacts use your e-mail address responsibly, add the following to your e-mail signature (Tools » Options » Signatures).

1. E-MAIL BEST PRACTICES

2. When you send a joke to many contacts, put all e-mail addresses in the bcc (blind carbon copy) box. (None of the recipients will know who the other recipients were.)
3. If you do have to forward a joke, delete all names and e-mail addresses from the message before sending it. Respect others' privacy.
4. Never send a mail asking the recipient to forward it to everyone he/she knows. (Chain mail accumulate many e-mail addresses over time & spammers thank the Lord when they receive one.)
5. Never send virus warnings to anyone. (It may be a hoax and your contacts may end up damaging their machine or losing useful data. Making regular updates to the OS, firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware and other software is enough.)
6. Never use another person's e-mail address without his/her permission on any website. (Spammers harvest e-mail addresses by providing some free service.)

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1. Archiving E-mail Messages: Your e-mail messages are kept in a message store folder. The store folder's location can be found by going to Options » Maintenance » Store Folder. Copy the location of the store folder and paste it in the address bar of Explorer. Make a backup of this folder at regular intervals. When you want to move your old messages to another PC or a different installation of Windows, simply import messages (File » Import » Microsoft Outlook Express 6 » Import mail from an OE6 store directory » Browse) from the backup of your original message folder.

 

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When Windows throws up a lot of errors and refuses to stop them even after a reinstall, a clean install of Windows is in order. This process can be done more safely and easily if your data files reside in a drive other than the one where Windows sits on. This way you don't have to do time-consuming backups. So, after the first time you install Windows, follow these steps.

• Your My Documents would typically be in C:\My Documents or C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\My Documents. If you have space on drive D, why not keep your documents in it? If anything goes wrong with your C drive, your documents will be safe in the D drive. For this, right-click on your My Documents and select Properties » Move. Now, select a folder in the D drive. Now, your My Documents will be available from this folder.
• Change the store folder of your Outlook Express email messages as mentioned above, to a folder in another drive.
• It also helps to backup email account settings too. Select Tools » Accounts » Mail. Select the email account and click on Export. This will create a file with the extension .iaf. Whenever you want to re-create the email account, click on the Import button and select this .iaf file.

Most people format their Windows drive before doing a clean install. This is not necessary. If you have more than one OS, it will delete the boot files of the other OSs too. Just delete the Program Files folder and the Windows folder from MS-DOS or from another OS and go ahead with the install. After that is done, import your email messages from the folder you had created previously. Now, delete any files in that folder. Next, change the message store back to that folder. Also, change the My Documents back to the folder you had created earlier.

 

 

Q: My son tells me I don’t have enough memory to run a particular game, but my computer says I have 2GB of free space. I don’t get it!

A: Understanding the difference between memory and disk space is a common problem. Memory is a temporary work area your computer uses when performing tasks. It is measured in Megabytes (MB) and is wiped clean every time you start up your computer. More memory is needed to run some of the more complex programs and games and it allows you to leave several programs or documents open at the same time. To increase the size of your memory, you need to add chips to the inside of your computer.

On the other hand, your Hard Disk is like a huge CD in your computer where all your files and programs are permanently stored. It is usually measure in Gigabytes (GB). As you create more files and load more programs onto your computer, you use up disk space. You can create more disk space by deleting files and programs from your computer, then emptying your Recycling Bin.

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Q: How do I use a picture of my grandson as the background on my Windows desktop?

A: If you have the picture somewhere on your computer, you can easily use it as your desktop background. The following are instructions for later versions of Windows, like XP or Me: 

Close or minimize all your windows, so you see only the current desktop background. Click your RIGHT mouse button on your current background - where there are no icons - and a small menu should pop up. Click "Properties" to show the Display Properties window. Click "Desktop" at the top of the window to see your choices for backgrounds. You'll see your current background highlighted. Make note of the name and whether it says "Stretch", "Tile", or "Center" in the lower right corner, just in case you want to go back to it. You can scroll through other backgrounds stored on your computer to see if you like them, by clicking on each one.

Click the "Browse" button, find the picture you want to use, and double click it. You'll see what the desktop will look like in the mini-picture on the window. Experiment with changing the "Position" between, Center, Tile, Stretch. If you like it, click OK to change your desktop. Otherwise, click "Cancel."

What background do I use? I like "Prairie Wind," which comes with Windows XP. I like it because it's a nice soothing dark color, with a little character - but not too busy - so it's easy to pick out my desktop icons.