If there are any topics you would like to see discussed in the future or if you have any comments, please contact me at JoeT@HighCaliber.com
Bullet Points
Restoring Windows Explorer Folders - Windows XP
If you'd like a folder you are working in to remain open when you shut down
and restart later:
Right click on the Start button
Select Explore from the menu
Select Tools
Select Folder Options
Select the View tab.
In Advanced Settings, check the option for Restore previous folders at logon
Accessing Internet Explorer's Security Settings
To do this, double click on the Internet icon on the right side of IE's status bar, on the bottom of the IE window.
Backup Tape Reliability
Today, tape continues to be one of the most commonly used storage mediums
for backup, archiving and remote site disaster recovery. In addition, the
emergence of new compliance regulations has significantly raised the stakes
in data protection for both large and small-to-medium customers. A Yankee
Group and Sunbelt Software survey of 362 IT executives in March 2004 found
42 percent of respondents had been unable to recover data from tape in the
last year as a result of tape unreliability. As a result, customers now rank
tape reliability as a key buying criteria for tape cartridges.
Disk is emerging as an alternative to tape, but tape's importance has not
diminished as it continues to be used for a range of customer needs.
65 percent use tape to support backup operations.
61 percent use tape for disaster recovery.
30 percent use tape for archiving.
15 percent use tape for compliance/data retention requirements.
Customers often speak about the difficulty of successfully performing
backups during a given window of opportunity but customers should be most
concerned about recovery - especially since it appears the need to recover
data on a regular basis is growing.
33.6 percent of customers have had to recover data from tape five to 15
times over the last year
Close to a fourth of customers, 23.5 percent have had to recover data from
tape 20 times or more in the last year.
To summarize:
Tape restores fail a whopping 42%! And a third of you had to pull out tapes at
least 5 times last year. Twenty five percent had to restore 20 times or more.
If this concerns you, have a look at our Data Protection Services: Click Here to Learn More
Improving Text Readability
With Windows XP, ClearType can improve the resolution of text on your
screen. It improves readability on color LCD monitors with a digital
interface, such as those in laptops and high-quality flat desktop displays.
Readability on CRT screens can also be somewhat improved.
Through a Web-interface you can turn on ClearType (if you don’t have it on
already) and customize it so it looks best on your screen. Follow the
instructions on the Microsoft ClearType Tuner page.
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/1.htm
Select the text sample that looks best, and then click the Apply button at
the bottom of the Web page. This will save how ClearType looks on your
Windows XP system.
Removing Private "Metadata" From Word and Excel Files
Whenever you create, open, or save a document in Microsoft Word, Excel and some other
Micorsoft Office programs, the document may contain information that you may not want
to share with others if you distribute the document electronically. This information is
known as "metadata". Metadata is used for a variety of purposes to enhance the editing,
viewing, filing, and retrieval of documents.
Some metadata is readily accessible through the user interface of each
Office program. Other metadata is only accessible through extraordinary
means, such as opening a document in a low-level, binary file editor. The
following are some examples of metadata that may be stored in your
documents:
Your name
Your initials
Your company or organization name
The name of your computer
The name of the network server or hard disk where you saved the document
Other file properties and summary information
Non-visible portions of embedded OLE objects
The names of previous document authors
Document revisions
Document versions
Template information
Hidden text or cells
Personalized views
Comments
To learn more about how to get rid of this metadata:
Windows XP shutdown issues mostly center around a very few issues, especially legacy hardware
and software compatibility issues.
Currently, the leading cause of Windows XP shutdown problems is hardware incompatibility,
including driver issues. It is impossible to list every possible hardware or driver issue
individually. My best advice is: Check all drivers for all hardware devices to ensure that
they are the current best for Windows XP.
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information
(usually without your knowledge) to commit fraud or theft. It's a
problem that existed before the Internet, or even computers. But
computers and the Internet make it easier for criminals to learn
your name, address, birthdate, social security number, credit
card, bank account or driver's license number.
Armed with some or all of that data, it becomes possible for a
criminal to invade your privacy, run up a tab at your expense, open
bank accounts, apply for loans, establish phone or utility service,
request a postal change of address, or even commit crimes in your
name.
If you don't want to be among the 500,000 people who are victims
of identity scammers each year, here are some things you can do to
protect yourself:
Never send personal information such as credit card or social
security numbers by email. Think of email the same as a post
card, in terms of security.
Don't reveal your password to anyone. At websites that require
a login, use something other than your primary userid & password.
Put as little as possible in online profiles, especially if you
use AOL. Make sure children in your care understand this also.
Be very careful at public Internet terminals, ATMs and phone
booths. Someone could be "shoulder surfing" to learn your
password, PIN code or calling card number.
When you're in a public place and you have to enter private
data, use the "two finger" method. Put both of your index
fingers on the keyboard or keypad, and pretend to press a key
with one hand, while pressing the desired key with the other.
With practice, you can enter your password or PIN number in a
way that makes it virtually impossible for snoops to detect.
When making an online purchase, be sure the merchant uses a
secure server. (The site address should begin with HTTPS instead
of HTTP.)
Don't respond to messages informing you that you've won a prize,
if they require you to provide a credit card number, SSN, etc.
in order to claim the cash.
Don't respond to messages informing you that you've won a prize,
period. NEWS FLASH: You didn't win. It's either a spammer or
a scammer trying to get money or personal info from you.
Keep a close watch on laptops, PDAs and cell phones when you're
in a public place. Protect access to these devices with a
password.
