Articles tagged: answercast 107

Potentially Unprotected

Why is Microsoft Security Essentials constantly saying potentially unprotected?

The “potentially unprotected” warning seems fairly common in situations where you really are still protected. I’ll cover several theories as to why it might appear.

Open Hard Disk

If I copy a file to another drive will it be fragmented the same way?

Fragmentation is about how a file is stored on a disk and is not preserved across a copy. In fact, in some cases you can defragment a hard drive using copy.

What’s the easiest way to restore my machine to original factory settings if I didn’t get discs?

If you don’t have installation or recovery media then you’ll need to take additional steps to prepare for the day you might need to reset to factory settings. Additional steps using software that I hope you already have.

External Monitor

Why Doesn’t My External Monitor Work?

You plug a new monitor into a laptop with a broken screen and still can’t see anything! You may need to tap a few magic keystrokes to turn it on.

Binary Data

What Does It Mean When My Email Program Asks If It Should Compact My Email?

Compacting should be completely transparent. It makes files smaller and potentially makes access of email a little faster. There is one dramatic exception.

Can I Simply Copy Everything on My Drive in Case Something Bad Happens?

There are in fact utilities that can do an actual clone of your computer, but I would prefer you move to a more traditional image backup system.

Safety Deposit Boxes

Is My Data Safe in an Online Backup Program?

Whenever we use an online service, such as an online backup, we’re trusting that they’re doing what they say they do: keeping our information secure.

Clocks and Time Zones

Why Are Emails I Receive Five Minutes out of Sync?

Outlook doesn’t keep its own time. Outlook uses the system time. The real issue here is understanding where the “time” comes from when you receive an email.