Articles in Category: Administration
Items related to Leo, Ask Leo! and overall website and related operations and administrivia.
Skeptic.com – Tools, information and education for skeptical thinkers
Every day we’re faced with outlandish claims and unverifiable statements. Now, more than ever, it’s important to be skeptical on the internet.
Do I need to install software for my monitor?
Many hardware add-ons come with installation CDs. Some need the additional software, some actually do not. The trick is guessing what’s really needed.
Does archiving compressed files increase the chance of corruption?
Compressing files prior to archiving to CD or DVD doesn’t increase the chance of corruption, but could dramatically increase the impact, if it happens.
2008 Most Popular Questions
A breakdown of the 10 most popular questions as measured by visits to Ask Leo!
Someone Has Stolen My Email Address. Can You Help?
We’ll use one person’s situation as a lesson in what not to do, and turn that around into a some steps and advice to keep your account and stay safe.
What will happen when Microsoft stops supporting Windows XP?
As official support for Windows XP is phased out, what you can expect from Microsoft will change. Fortunately, it will phase out over a fairly long time.
What's the difference between subscribing to a website via RSS and Email?
EMail and RSS Feeds are two different ways to get content. Often a site offering both will provide the same to both, but it’s not a requirement.
Is it safe to install an infected drive into a working machine to clean it?
One approach to disinfecting a drive is to install it into another machine for cleaning. It’s common, reasonable even, but there are risks.
I can't pass a firewall test, what should I do?
Firewall tests can be useful to identify any holes in your security. Rather than relying on simple Pass/Fail, though, examine the results carefully.
I Googled my phone number and it turned up my home address – is that legal?
The publicity of your phone book listing hasn’t changed, but its ease of access has changed dramatically. Should you care? What are the implications?
What's the best way for a non-profit group to interact online?
Getting a group, any group, to interact effectively online can be a challenge. Sometimes it’s a technology issue, but more often than not … it’s not.
How do I keep using a program past its free trial period?
Trial software packages use various techniques to enforce the trial period. There’s one sure way to keep using software after the period has expired.
Someone has stolen my Windows Live / MSN Hotmail Account and is scamming my contacts. What can I do?
Scammers are stealing email accounts and trying to convince your contacts that you’re in trouble and need money. I’ll look at your options for Hotmail.
How do I stop my computer from being a zombie?
If your machine is sending lots of email without you knowing it, it may be a zombie. Zombies are preventable, but may be difficult to clean up.
How do I change my router's password?
Changing your router’s password is important, but the steps aren’t always obvious. I’ll walk through changing my router’s password.
DropMyRights – Login as Administrator, but run select applications with limitations
DropMyRights is a small program that lets you securely run programs with more restrictions than they might get based on your login account.
What does it mean when a window turns white?
It’s an application’s job in Windows to draw what it wants to display in its window. A white window typically means that the application is unable to.
Do I need a file shredder for my USB Flash Drive?
Shredders or Secure Delete tools actually address two distinct problems, only one of which applies to Flash. Addressing the other could be harmful.
AutoHotkey – Mouse and Keyboard Remapping, Macros and Hotkeys
AutoHotkey is a free and powerful utility that allows you to remap, or even reprogram, your keyboard key sequences and more.
How do I block porn?
Blocking pornography isn’t always as simple as we’d like. However OpenDNS provides one of the easier solutions, particularly for an entire network.
How do I set up an Out Of Office (OOF) message?
Out Of Office or OOF messages are considered by many important to let people know when you’re away from email. Setting one up properly is difficult.
I formatted my machine and now all my programs and data are gone, how do I get them back?
Reformatting erases everything on your disk. Recovering from an accidental reformat is unlikely unless you’ve prepared.
Why didn't you restore from a Disk Image?
I recently described rebuilding a machine from scratch. I’ll look at alternatives, one of which some people expected me to use.
What are these blue lines on the left of my email?
Email programs will often automatically include the text of the original in a reply, and format it slightly differently. Some use blue bars.
Can I just copy an install CD to a USB device and use it that way?
It’s tempting to think that simply copying a bootable install CD to a USB device would work. Sadly, it’s not that simple.
Is webmail faster than downloading with POP3 over dialup?
Dialup users are frequently challenged with large emails taking forever to download. Webmail might help, but not consistently.
What do you install first?
I recently had to rebuild my Window Vista laptop after a hard disk failure. Here’s what I installed, and in the order that I installed it.
Chkdsk said my system was "dirty" – what does dirty mean?
Windows tracks unfinished business on your hard drive with a “dirty” flag. Turning off your computer improperly can leave the dirty flag set.
Why is there no Windows Live Hotmail https connection?
https is an important step to keeping the information you send and get on the web private. Hotmail uses it for login, but not thereafter.
How do I get an arbitrary email address?
You can have any email address on a domain you own, assuming you can own it, or use an email provider and take what’s available.
Why Would Installing Beta Software Cause Problems?
Installing Beta or pre-release software is, in effect, asking for trouble. One simple precaution can prevent disastrous data loss.
Dell – PC Desktops, Laptops and Accessories
Dell computers are a mainstay in my home and business. My experience over many years has been, and continues to be, very good.
What Do I Do About All the Leftovers After an Uninstall?
Uninstallers are notorious for leaving things behind. The question is why, and what you can do about it. The answer: various reasons, and not much.
How do all these "Documents" folders relate to each other?
My Documents, Username’s Documents and the My Documents folder in the Documents and Settings folder all relate … intimately.
How do I Uninstall Windows Live Messenger?
The location of the uninstaller has changed for Windows Live Messenger. I’ll walk you through the steps to find it and uninstall messenger.
Should I get an additional internal or external hard drive?
Additional internal drives have a role, but with external hard drives being cheap and common, adding storage to your system can be very quick and easy.
What are all these other pictures that appear when I view a picture from email?
Viewing a picture from email causes the email program to place that image on your hard disk, along side other pictures from other places.
How do I set up an email address for my son on my computer?
Setting up a new email account is more than just a setting on your PC – you’ll need to create a new email address with an email provider.
My work and home computers have the same IP address, how do I fix that?
Conventional wisdom says two computers can’t have the same IP address. Technically true but incomplete. The same IP can be used on different networks.
How do I recover my lost photos on my hard disk?
Recovering lost photos from a hard disk error, or a user error, can be tricky. Immediately stop using the disk and we’ll look at the next steps.
My anti-virus cleared something off my machine. Should I change my passwords?
When your anti-virus program tells you that it caught something, your next steps depend on what, when and how it was caught. And it depends on prudence.
ForwardedFunnies.com – Sooner or later, the jokes stop here.
We all get humorous emails and jokes forwarded to us. Forwarded Funnies is a collection of some of the best.
How should I protect my network and computers from my guests?
Whenever you connect a computer you don’t control to your home network you could be putting your computers at risk. I’ll describe how I deal with it.
Are there any legitimate uses for peer-to-peer file sharing programs?
P2P programs have a bad reputation because of the content they’re often used with. But P2P technology is legal and useful for legal purposes as well.
When I delete private email at work, can it still be found?
Whenever you do anything private on a work computer or network, you’re exposing yourself to snooping by the company. Even when you delete private email.
How do I access my Windows administrator account?
Windows administrator accounts aren’t intended for continual use and can be hard to find. We’ll look at logging in as administrator, and alternatives.
How did you clean up your friend's infected machine?
A friend brought me his machine infected with several viruses. I’ll review the steps I took to clean it up.
How do all these options for connecting to the internet differ?
With so many alternatives, it’s easy to get confused. I’ll present an overview of the many ways you can connect to the internet.
Why won't this "Your Computer Is Infected" warning go away?
If you’re getting messages that you computer is infected, it might be. But you MUST be skeptical and extremely careful about the steps you take next.
How do I clear history from my Google search?
When you visit the Google search engine and start typing, you’ll likely see a dropdown list of search terms. Those might be history, or something else.
