Articles in Category: Administration
Items related to Leo, Ask Leo! and overall website and related operations and administrivia.
How can I archive old hard disks?
Old machines and old hard disks have a way of accumulating over time. We’ll look at a few ways to keep the contents without keeping the entire machine.
How do I post a long link in email?
Long URLs or Links can cause problems when sent in email programs, since many email programs try to be helpful by forcing text to fit a fixed width.
Can my company read the email I send via Hotmail on my work computer?
When sending email on a company owned computer or using a company owned network, the company can watch. They can likely read your email and much more.
How do I get Windows XP SP3 on CD?
Windows XP SP3 is releasing. If you’re on dial-up, or have many machines, you may want to wait for the Network Install or for a CD to be available.
Who should I believe?
With different support resources offering frequently conflicting advice, how do you decide who’s right? Which tech support resource do you believe?
How do I fix bad sectors on a flash drive?
Once a flash drive starts to show wear by having errors, you shouldn’t treat it like a hard disk. You’ll be much safer replacing it.
What does it mean when you recommend something?
I occasionally recommend specific products or services. I’ll clarify exactly what it takes to get a recommendation, and what it means.
How Do I Protect Users on My Network from Each Other?
Be it tenants or children, it’s common to have machines on your network that you can’t trust. A secure solution involves setting up another network.
Some Other Podcasts
As I discontinue my weekly podcast, a few recommendations on other podcasts that I listen to.
Is it safe to post a picture of the product stickers when I auction a software package?
There are several stickers containing important information on product boxes. Some are generic and safe to display. Others are most definitely not.
Why can't I undelete these files?
Deleting a file doesn’t necessarily remove the data from disk. It then becomes a race to recover it before it’s overwritten by something else.
How do I view what cookies I have, and which are safe to delete?
Anti-spyware programs often list cookies as suspect without much explanation. We’ll look at how to find out a little more, and what to do. Or not.
Will Microsoft continue to support activating and patching Windows XP after they stop selling it?
Windows XP will soon no longer be available for purchase. We look at what that implies for Windows XP Support and Activation.
Windows XP SP3 is releasing, should I install it?
Windows XP SP3 is about to be released. Should you jump on the bandwagon immediately and install it? That depends on your tolerance for risk.
Podcasting, 3 Years Later
I’m considering discontinuing my podcast, and reflect on podcasting in general.
What is Java?
Java might appear on your computer, but it’s nothing to worry about. Java is a programming language that likely was used by a web page you visited.
How do I delete the default screensavers in Windows XP?
Screen savers are easy to locate and delete, unless they’re one of the default set included in Windows. Then extra steps are needed.
What are cabinet files?
Cabinet files are container files often used to distribute software. What to do with left over cabinet files after setup is done isn’t always clear.
Where do you hang out?
Social Media sites are all the rage. I’m on a few, are you?
What are XML documents?
XML is a specification for structuring data in a file. Exactly what data, and what it might be used for, is not part of that specification.
If people are getting spam from me, does that mean I have a bot infection?
There’s a lot of spam flying around, and much of it might claim to be from you. It’s not. Whether you have a bot infection is a different questions.
What's the difference between disk imaging and copying?
The word “imaging” when applied to disks is often misused and subject to some interpretation. Imaging can mean different things to different programs.
Why do different registry cleaners give different results?
Registry cleaning is a bit of a black art. There’s no real consensus on cleanliness, and different programs will often return different results.
How do I avoid re-installing all the Windows updates each time I reinstall Windows?
Windows is constantly being updated, and that means that after you’ve installed from CD there’s a lot to download. We’ll look at a few alternatives.
It's all about support
When making a purchase, do you think ahead to the kind of support you’ll get after?
How do I tell if this software is a good deal?
With so many products being offered how do you tell what’s good? We’ll look at some of the things I did in a recent bit of research.
How do I change the font that Windows uses?
Windows is highly customizable. The fonts that it uses are one of the items that you’re actually given a fair amount of control over.
Will hard disk encryption protect me from network attacks?
Whole disk encryption, or encryption in general, is an important tool in the security arsenal, but it shouldn’t be the only tool.
Why I chose XP
I decided that my new machine will run Windows XP, and not Vista. At least not yet.
Why do some programs say to "disable anti-virus" before installing, and should I turn it on again after?
It’s not uncommon for setup programs to recommend disabling anti-virus programs first. We’ll look at why. But do turn it back on when you’re done.
How do I delete my GMail account?
Gmail or Google Mail accounts can be quickly and easily deleted; we’ll walk through the steps. Just remember: it’s permanent.
Why are my Windows Live Hotmail Replies and Messages Blank?
Windows Live Hotmail appears to have a problem where the contents of some messages, typically replies, are blank. And there’s no fix or workaround yet.
How do I post a picture on the web?
Getting images from your camera to your hard disk is fairly easy. Posting pictures on the web is a little more work and a photo sharing site.
So why don't I run Linux?
I’d love to run Linux. I’m ready for Linux. But Linux isn’t quite ready for me. Or perhaps even you. But it’s getting closer.
Is remote printing secure?
Several computers often share a printer that’s connected to one. Printing activity can be logged, an in rare cases even documents exposed.
How should I maintain my Documents and Settings folder?
Documents and Settings contains a lot of information placed there by Windows and many applications. There’s no simple maintenance strategy.
Why Is My Firewall Software Alerting Me to a Connection Attempt from an Address like 192.168.1.1?
Firewall software can help protect against remote intrusion attempts, as well as outgoing attempts. 192.168 addresses give a clue as to the source.
Yes, it happens to me too.
I made what could have been an extremely expensive blunder.
How can we protect ourselves from botnets?
Botnets seem to be everywhere, and have become the single greatest source of spam and other malware transmission. Is it hopeless? Not at all.
Is this an email hoax? Will forwarding an email help a dying child?
We’ve all get emails asking us to forward the email so that some entity will make a donation to some cause. Don’t. Just don’t. It’s an email hoax.
Does my router have a firewall or not?
Most routers both do, and do not, have a firewall. The good news is that the protection offered by a router’s firewall is often exactly what you need.
What do normal people do?
What’s the average non-technical computer user to do when faced with incompetent technical support?
What's a T1 line, and how do I connect to it?
T1 lines are among the oldest of data technologies in use. They’re fast, reliable and a tad expensive. We’ll look at how they compare to alternatives.
Can I delete old versions of software?
Sometimes old software will not be removed from your machine. You can clean them up but there’s always risk. We’ll look at how to minimize that risk.
How do I synchronize Outlook 2003 between a desktop PC and laptop?
Moving from machine to machine with Outlook as a mail client is conceptually easier than you might think, but there are pitfalls.
Anonymous Comments – Good or Bad?
Is making anonymous comments illegal going to stop on-line harassment? I don’t think so.
How do I get rid of unused network icons in my taskbar notification area?
The area of you Windows taskbar near the clock can have an icon for every network connection. We’ll look at how to get only those you care about.
How do I share a copy of an application with a friend?
It’s tempting to try to email a copy of an application to a friend so you can share data. Unfortunately it’s probably wrong, and it won’t work simply.
How do bad software companies stay in business?
With so much bad software on the market its amazing that the companies stay in business. It’s not about technology, it’s all about economics.
How do I make sure that my deleted data is really gone?
There are approaches to data recovery that can sometimes retrieve deleted data. To ensure that your data is really gone requires a few extra steps.
