Articles in Category: ask-leo.com

These are articles that have been migrated from the old “ask-leo.com” site but have NOT yet been cleaned up or otherwise updated. They’re here primarily as a reference. We’ll be updating the more important and popular ones over time.

Why does a web page show for a second, and then suddenly change to "Not Found"?

‘Not Found’ errors can occasionally result on web pages that are otherwise OK if some advertising referenced by the page is ‘Not Found’

Can I mix and match RAM I add to my system?

Depending on your computer you may be able to mix and match RAM chips of differing sizes. Or you may not.

Googled Yourself Lately?

Do you know what the internet says about you? And would you want your mother, or your boss, to see?

Must my mail server have a specific name?

Well, there’s nothing special about “smtp.” or “mail.” – they’re just names. But you might want to consider using something like them. They can make certain future changes a little easier.

Is this message that I'm infected a hoax?

A pop-up message that says you may have a virus may, or may not be legitimate. Anti-virus companies don’t make viruses, but virus makers do try to look like anti-virus companies.

What are MSN HotMail's POP3 and SMTP settings for Outlook Express?

MSN HotMail POP3 and SMTP settings are a common request. MSN HotMail provides no POP3 and SMTP servers for free accounts, but third party services might.

Why does my screen resolution change when I run this program?

Well, I know how to do it on purpose, but having happen by accident is a new one to me. Let’s look at how it’s done on purpose, and see if undoing that helps you.

What's a good portable PDF reader?

So far, every solution I’ve seen to this one has some serious disadvantages. The most promising, however, depends on how far you want to stretch the definition of “laptop”.

Is Big Brother Watching You?

Reports are that law enforcement is asking ISPs to keep records longer. Should we worry?

Will I have to start paying for Hotmail and Messenger?

No. It’s just another email hoax that’s making the rounds. It’s wrong on so many levels. Let’s look at why, and what you can do to tell beforehand.

Should I reinstall Windows from a fresh boot, or by running the installer from within Windows?

This question actually turned into a series of related questions regarding the two options, so let’s take a look at some of the nuances of installing a new copy of Windows XP.

What does "Beta" mean?

“Beta” traditionally refers to software that isn’t finished but made available for pre-completion testing and feedback. It also means that using that software entails risk.

What are my high speed internet options?

Surprisingly I can say this with all honesty: I feel your pain. OK, not the exact same pain, but my options are also limited, and it’s frustrating. Let me throw out the alternatives I’m aware of. Perhaps someone will chime in with something new and exciting and we can both get a faster internet fix.

Can I check when my last Hotmail login was?

I get questions similar to this a lot. To the best of my knowledge: you cannot. Period. I know of no way to make it happen.

So what do we do about spam?

So if not Blue Security’s approach, then what?

How can I read my email on more than one machine?

This is a problem I’ve dealt with for years. Being the geek that I am, I have several computers, and often will want to use one, or the other or another still to read email. I’ve settled on one solution, but there are many, many approaches to this problem. Naturally each has both pros and … Read more

Does seeing a different IP address mean I'm seeing a different computer?

I hate when I have to say this: Maybe. It depends on several things, but most importantly how your Ukrainian friend is connected to the internet.

Should I upgrade my DSL modem?

Upgrading equipment is a common way to get better performance or increased capacity. Upgrading a DSL modem, in and of itself, will likely do neither.

Why does Outlook ask me "Do you want to save changes?"

‘Do you want to save changes?’ happens when you download some email messages. You can take steps to avoid the ‘Do you want to save changes?’ message.

Blue Security: Singing the blues about spam.

A bad problem, a bad solution, and a bad outcome for all.

I keep hearing about Paypal problems. Should I avoid Paypal?

Paypal is perhaps the largest online payment processing service. With that size come issues and problems. Should you avoid Paypal because of them?

What's 'akamai', and why is my firewall alerting me about it?

I had to make an assumption or two, but a few steps lead me to an answer that I think is correct. What I can’t explain is why Zone Alarm is blocking it. Let me walk you through what I did. The steps may be useful in researching other domain issues in the future.

How do I tell if my ex has installed spyware on my machine?

I can understand a normal technician not wanting to get involved. But I also understand that it might take some money, money that most of us might not have, to actually find someone to do the detailed analysis, and then testify to it in court. So what should you do?

How do I change my POP3 account password?

It seems like such a simple question. And we know that managing your password is an important part of security on the internet. So why is it typically so hard to do something that should be so simple?

Why can't I access MSN HotMail through my router?

I have two guesses – one involves your router, and the other involves an obscure network setting.

Can GMail be traced?

Boy, do I get a lot of questions about tracing email. In this case, I think that both could be right, and both could be wrong. The issue boils down to: is the information kept? is it available? and what can you tell from it if you’re able to get it?

Should I dump my wired ISP for cellular broadband?

Well, I certainly feel your pain. My unlimited data plan costs me an additional $40 per month on top of my regular cellphone charges. Add to that the roughly $50 per month I pay for the DSL into my home, and it definitely adds up. Now, granted, in my case it’s my business, and I … Read more

Can a sender tell where I'm reading my mail?

Maybe. Or, to put it another way, if you’re not careful, absolutely. And they might even be able to tell when. And it’s not just Hotmail. I know this seems like it contradicts what I’ve said elsewhere: email cannot be traced. Let me explain.

My Mac is Back, and running Windows

My MacBook Pro is back from repair, and the first thing I do? Install Windows XP Pro.

Should I wait for Windows Vista?

In many ways, it really depends on how long you’re willing to wait. As we all know from direct experience, once you purchase a computer – any computer – a newer/better/faster/sexier model comes out just moments later. Adding Windows Vista to the mix makes things even more difficult.

How do I direct my web traffic to a single domain?

OK, this one’s geeky, and is obviously aimed at webmasters who are managing their sites. But it’s another question I actually get on a regular basis from folks who’ve visited my site. Yes, it’s easy to get “example.com” and “www.example.com” to show the same content, and essentially “be” the same site. But if you’re looking … Read more

Is this Macromedia Flash potentially unsafe operation message legitimate?

If Macromedia Flash is crashing or faulting, the best and possibly the safest thing to do is to simply reinstall it.

Will you care if you lose your connectivity?

A social service organization I work with lost it’s connection to the internet. It was more critical to their operations than they realized.

Why am I not getting the upload speeds I expect?

There’s one big potential point of confusion here, so let’s take this opportunity to review upload and download speeds, what they really mean, and what you can do to maximize them.

Will receiving large attachments eat up all my disk space?

I love cute videos as much as the next guy, but sending them around as email attachments is just wrong. They take up way too much space, and take way too much time to download. In an ideal world, the videos would simply live on the web somewhere, and we’d just email each other a … Read more

Windows Automatic Update Stumbles

A recent update to Windows broke a few things. Should we panic?

What's a "single point of failure", and why do I need to know?

It’s actually a concept that I’ve become just a little too familiar with in recent months, in part due to an accident down the road, and in part due to some aging computer equipment. If you rely on your network or internet connection to run your business, then it’s important to be aware of what … Read more

Will MSN Hotmail tell me who logged into my account?

To be honest, I’m still fairly shocked at how often this question comes up. Apparently there’s a lot of account hacking going on, though poor password management is actually more likely. Regardless of exactly how, accounts are hacked into, and havoc often results. I’m not at all surprised that people want to track down the … Read more

Why does IE now require "http:" in the address bar?

To put it bluntly … Microsoft messed up. I’ve gotten a flurry of reports of this behavior … all starting on 4/15. Right after Windows automated update. Microsoft acknowledges that there’s an issue, and I believe that this is the issue causing your behaviour. It affects more than just IE – but also places some … Read more

Why are one manufacturer's processors faster than another – even at the same GHz?

To be totally honest, this is one of those areas that I actually spend very little time on. There are hardware geeks out there that will happy rant and rave at how one is better than the other. In fact, I kinda hope some of them will enlighten us with a comment on this article. … Read more

Why does the URL change when I go to some pages?

It’s on purpose. To be absolutely strict about it, there is no http://www.zone.com. Just like there’s no http://www.hotmailtips.com. But they both take you somewhere. On purpose.

Old Technology on the Road

A couple of tools I use to manage old technologies while traveling.

How do I sign into multiple MSN accounts in Messenger?

MSN Messenger doesn’t allow you to log into multiple accounts, but there are ways to get around this.

Is there an easy way to stop internet activity on a computer?

I have a few ideas, but to me none of them are really any more practical than turning off the modem. Let me throw those ideas out, and perhaps they’ll be appropriate for your situation, or perhaps a reader will suggest a more elegant solution.

What processes in windows task manager should I be wary of?

I don’t mean this to sound snippish or snide, but the only reasonable answer is really … All of them. Or perhaps put another way … All the ones you don’t recognize, and perhaps some of those that you do. And I know, that’s not really a reasonable answer at all. Let’s look at what … Read more

Can I get a virus or spyware from a free video download?

I’ve always assumed that the “connecting” message was just Windows Media Player using a generic term that could be used both in cases where it truly connects to remote, streaming video, as well as opening a local, downloaded free video file. In other words, I assumed it’s just “connecting” to the media, wherever it is. … Read more