Articles in Category: Administration
Items related to Leo, Ask Leo! and overall website and related operations and administrivia.
What's the best way to publish an email chronicle?
One great use of the internet is historical preservation. There are several ways to post an email chronicle, but each requires a little work.
Am I Too Hard on Hotmail?
No. And it’s not only Hotmail that I’m hard on.
How do I keep myself safe from others on my LAN?
We put a lot of emphasis on keeping ourselves secure from internet threats. But what if the threat is on our own network? How do we stay safe then?
Is it OK to leave software I don't use on my machine?
Software often accumulates on your machine, and much of it remains unused. You can leave it alone, but there are things to check for.
What's this 1394 network adapter on my machine?
If your computer has Firewire, you’ll see a 1394 network adapter in your configuration. It can be used for networking, but I don’t recommend it.
How do I contact MSN Hotmail Customer Service?
If you encounter problems with MSN Hotmail, it’s natural to want to contact customer service. Not easy, perhaps not helpful, but it is possible.
Change Your Password – No, not that one…
You probably need to change a password, but not the one you think.
Can I mark my files so that they can be read, but not copied?
Record companies have been wanting to do this for years: make files that you can use but not copy. If that’s what you want, you, and they, are doomed.
How do I get a .reg file to install?
Normally double clicking on a .reg file will add its contents to the registry. If not, there are other ways, including re-enabling that functionality.
How do I get rid of the Quicktime Icon in the Windows System Tray?
Every time you update Quicktime, it reinstalls the Quicktime Icon in the System Tray. Annoying. And apparently unavoidable.
Does email coming from the same IP address imply that it was the same computer?
IP addresses are encoded into email headers. But if you get two emails from the same IP address you can’t assume that they came from the same computer.
Why am I getting email addressed to someone else?
Not a day goes by I don’t get email addressed to someone else with my address nowhere to be found. The reason? Spam.
Identity Theft of Another Form
Cyber Bullying often involves an all too common problem: a much easier form of identity theft.
Can a website cause my computer to get a "blue screen of death"?
The blue screen of death can happen for many reasons, usually hardware failure of software bugs. Issues with web sites, however, is not one of them.
Do I need to do something about the upcoming change to Daylight Savings Time?
The rules for Daylight Savings Time in the United States change in 2007. Most people need do nothing, but it’s important to know if you’re most people.
Is there a way to easily open email that's been forwarded multiple times as attachments?
A lot of forwarded email is forwarded as an attachment. When forwarded multiple times, each as an attachment, opening the original can be difficult.
Is it safe to connect a drive infected with a virus to my computer?
Mounting a disk drive on your system can expose you to various types of malware, most notably viruses. We’ll look at steps to do so safely.
Why can't I open a certain file that's on a CD?
CD’s are great for backup and storage. However CD-R’s are not so good for files that you need to directly access from certain programs.
What does "BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE" mean?
PGP SIGNED MESSAGE means that a message has been cryptographically signed. That means who signed it can be verified, and tampering can be detected.
My website is being pounded by spiders, what can I do?
Spiders that scan web sites are an important part of today’s internet. Sometimes, though, spiders can cause problems for web site owners.
I've lost the password to a "zip" file. How do I open the file?
ZIP files are a archive format that includes optional password protection. If you don’t have the zip file password you may still be able to get in.
Why does my anti-spyware program keep reporting the same cookies?
Many anti-spyware programs repeatedly report cookie or tracking cookie issues. Are those spyware? Maybe. Maybe not. Some thoughts on what to do.
So What About Open Office?
Is it time to look at Open Office more seriously?
How do I send email to a lot of people at once?
It’s very tempting to build a group or list in your email program to send mail to them all at once. But if the group is big, it probably won’t work.
How do I get a password reset or reminder sent to my alternate email if I can't login to it?
Many people fail to set up alternate email addresses correctly, rendering password resets and reminders useless. We look at how best to set them up.
What is msmsger.exe?
Msmsger.exe is, most likely, an imposter. Trying to look like something legitimate, msmsger.exe is probably malware.
Malware Using the News
A recent worm is using breaking news to peak your interest. Don’t fall for it.
What does it mean when a site says they "receive and store certain information"?
Privacy statements of many websites have wording that indicate they receive and store information. We’ll look at just what that might mean.
Can I recover from a virus by just restoring my registry?
Viruses and other malware often work in part by making changes to your registry, so it’s tempting to think that’s all that needs to be restored. It’s not.
Why isn't my Outlook PST getting smaller after deleting emails?
Deleting items in an Outlook PST doesn’t mean that space will be freed up right away. We’ll look at two reasons, and two ways around it.
What's a botnet? Or zombie? And how do I protect myself from whatever it is?
Botnets are implicated in the increase in spam in recent months. Bad news: many are infected and part of the problem. Good news: it’s easy to avoid.
How do I display my MSN Hotmail or other email in the order it was sent?
Every so often the sort order of email in your inbox may change unexpectedly. A stray click can do that, and a not-so-stray click can fix it.
How do I determine the capabilities of my wireless network adapter?
Figuring out the speed capability of your wireless network card may not be obvious. Using Windows you can examine the wireless card’s properties.
The Need for Speed
No matter how fast, the internet is never fast enough.
How do I stop, start and generally control videos I watch on the web?
More and more video is being placed on the web. Unfortunately, not every video producer is giving us the control we want. I look at how this comes to be.
Why is my friend getting two copies of my mail?
Getting multiple copies of email is most often a problem at the receiving end. We’ll look at both sending and receiving, and the most common causes.
TightVNC free remote control
A free alternative to Remote Desktop, TightVNC is compatible with Mac and Linux as well as providing remote access to Windows XP Home.
Can software firewalls and security packages cause problems?
Software firewalls and other security packages can definitely help keep things more secure, but they can also add their own level of confusion as well.
How do I know if I'm behind a NAT router?
NAT routers are a fundamental way to share an internet connection while protecting you at the same time. You may already have one. It’s easy to check.
Do ebook copy protection schemes work?
When publishing an ebook for sale, it’s natural to want to retain control over distribution. Sadly many techniques simply add barriers to purchasers.
Do I need all these instant messaging programs?
There are lots of instant messaging services. It’d be wonderful if we could talk to anyone on any service from any other service. Sadly, that’s not to be.
Running Without a Net
I discuss those few brave individuals who run Windows without recommended protection.
How do I extend my network wirelessly?
Extending your network using wireless technology holds both promise and complexity. Here are some ideas to extend a network using wireless networking.
How do I put my business on the web?
Every business should have some kind of presence on the web, but it’s not always obvious how to start. I share a couple of ideas.
Will sending someone a link to my Hotmail allow them to get in?
It’s easy to mistakenly send someone a link directly to your Hotmail mail. The good news it that, unless they know your password, it’s a benign mistake.
Why do I get "There is another user logged onto your computer" when I shut down?
‘There is another user logged onto your computer’ happens when another user is logged in. That can happen in a couple of ways – one obvious, one not.
Are Web-based Applications any Good?
I look at the potential, and risks, of applications such as Google Docs & Spreadsheets, and Zoho.
The link I want to use to post a picture on MySpace is too long, what can I do?
Putting pictures into comments on MySpace is easy – unless the URL is too long. We look at how to post a picture in a MySpace comment with a long URL.
Why is using Hotmail for my business such a bad idea?
Many small businesses uses free email services such as Hotmail as a shortcut or cost saving measure. Unfortunately it can costs them business in the long run.
Do you have a disaster plan?
A disaster prompts thoughts on the plan that’s keeping Ask Leo! running.
