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Bullet Points
Spyware
What if you could download for free a great program that allowed you to
do almost everything that an expensive, brand-name program did? In
exchange for getting this incredible deal, all you have to do is give
your name, address, phone, e-mail, and some other general
information. Sounds great, doesn't it? But, what if personal information
stored on your hard drive was routinely transmitted via the Internet
back to advertisers? Sound scary? It is. This is what Spyware does.
Also known as "adware," Spyware is a hidden software program that transmits
user information via the Internet to advertisers in exchange for free
downloaded software.
Because spyware exists as independent executable programs, they
have the ability to monitor keystrokes, scan files on your hard
drive, snoop other applications, such as chat programs or word
processors, install other spyware programs, read cookies, change
the default home page on the Web browser, and then relay this
information back to the spyware author who will either use it for
advertising/marketing purposes or sell the information to another
party.
Oh, and because most spyware isn't a virus per se, your antivirus
won't provide you with much protection.
How can you protect yourself from Spyware? Well, before you
install ANY program that you've downloaded from the Internet, take a
minute and visit SpyChecker.com at
Those icons in Windows Explorer sometimes get in the way and you'd
rather view the details of a folder's contents. Of course you can
click on that option in Explorer's tool bar, but a quicker way is
to do this:
Right click on an empty portion of the right pane
Select View
Select Details
If the size of the screen prevents viewing the full
details, hold down Ctrl and tap the + key on
your numeric keypad.
Preventing Data Loss From Power Failure
Have you noticed slow downs, lock ups and blue screens on your new
Windows XP computer? There's a good chance that there's nothing wrong
with Windows XP or your computer hardware. The fact is that the quality of
the power we get from the utilities isn't what it used to be. There are
perceptible increases and decreases in
power that can wreck havoc on your Windows XP computer.
The solution is a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). A UPS guarantees
a smooth flow of power and protects you from data loss, program and operating
system corruption in the event of a power failure. You can make the
Windows XP Power Management feature work with your UPS to protect your system.
Here's how:
Click Start
Click Control Panel
Make sure the Control Panel is in Classic View, and then open the
Power Options applet
In the Power Options Properties dialog box, click on the Alarms tab
On the Alarms tab, put a checkmark in the Activate critical battery
alarm when power level reaches checkbox, and move the slider to 20%
Click the Alarm Action button
In the Critical Battery Alarm Actions dialog box, put a checkmark
in the Sound Alarm checkbox.
Put a checkmark in the When the alarm goes off, the computer will
checkbox
Select the Hibernate option from the drop down list box.
Put a checkmark in the Force stand by or shutdown even if a program
stops responding checkbox. This might cause loss of open files,
but your program file and operating system will be protected, as will
the rest of your files.
Click OK
Click Apply and then OK.
When you get your UPS in place, there's an excellent chance that those
random blue screens and lock up will go away.
Google Answers
For a fee, starting at $2.50, you can refer your most difficult questions to
Google's pool of more than 500 researchers. Eighty five percent of questions
are answered within 24 hours. To try it out:
Microsoft recently released a security update, warning Windows XP users
that specially crafted MP3 and WMA files can be used to crash your computer
or allow hackers to run programs on your machine. All you would have to do
is open a folder that contains the file, or visit a Web page with the file,
or just let your mouse pointer hover over an HTML email message that
contains the file.
Microsoft considers this a critical problem and it's something that you
need to take care of ASAP. Learn more about the problem and get the fix here:
Using MSCONFIG to Improve Performance, Reliability
MSCONFIG is a handy utility that comes with Windows 98, 98SE, ME,
and XP that lets you improve your computer's performance and
reliability. A step-by-step guide on how to use MSCONFIG can be
found at:
One of the most frustrating things about MSCONFIG is trying to figure
out what things like "Avgserv9.exe" and "Gilat SOM Enumerator"
actually ARE and whether or not they really need to be running all the
time. That's where the Start-Up Applications page comes in.
Collins has created a comprehensive alphabetical list of pretty much
every start-up application known to man.
MSCONFIG is not available for Windows 95, NT, or 2000.
However the free "Startup Control Panel" program you can find at:
