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tweak

Did you miss us last night?

Many thanks for everyone who attempted to tune in last night. It was a great trial run and we have most of the kinks worked out. We didn’t actually get the live video and chat up until around 10:45pm. Once everything was up and running it was pretty lively. By the time we got off at almost midnight we were getting computer questions right and left.

We are very excited to get this going. One thing we can promise is that the new show isn’t just going to be an Internet version of our radio show. Last night we had questions from all areas of technology. We discussed HDTV, wireless networks and Internet security with people who had never heard the show.

Ubuntu – Day 1

I haven’t touched my Windows’ machine all day and won’t for the next 14. However, one program I already miss from my Windows’ computer is my wonderful anti-spam software called Cloudmark Desktop. Adam and I talk almost weekly about Cloudmark Desktop. We have both used it since we discovered it at the old Comdex computer show five or six years ago. Currently, they don’t have a Linux version of the software and don’t plan on it anytime soon. The Evolution program that comes with Ubuntu works very well, and I will test its anti-spam solution that is built-in and learn to tweak it over the next two weeks.

If anyone reading this knows of a fast, accurate anti-spam software for Evolution in Ubuntu, please let me know.

My confession

One of my client's this week caught me in the act…of searching my own web site. They then responded by saying, "Oh, you just found that on your web site?, I didn't know you could do that?"

I said, "Sure. Our web site is a gold mine of information for most everyday computer questions or problems."

More and more, we respond to questions on our radio show by referring the caller to our web site. When we don't have an answer on the site, we find the answer, then post it to the web site. On any given week, we post 8-14 new items on the site…usually relevant to every day computer users.

DSL Reports

DSL Reports is a great web site for testing your Internet speed and tweaking Windows settings to take better advantage of your high speed connection.

Delete only one entry from Internet Explorer Address Bar (history)- Video Tip

The address bar in Internet Explorer (or any web browser) allows you to type in known web sites and visit them quickly. Sometimes you might want to clean out individual entries from the address bar or history, but this isn't possible in Internet Explorer unless you edit the registry. Watch the video below to learn how to perform this delicate Windows tweak. The video has a surprise ending to make this process a whole lot easier!

Here are the registry steps for Internet Explorer to delete an individual entry from the address bar:

  1. Close any open windows or programs
  2. Click Start
  3. Click Run
  4. Type: regedit
  5. WARNING: Registry editing is for experienced computer users only.

Options and Preferences

I had a brief epiphany today as I helped two of my customers. When I'm setting up a computer or troubleshooting one, I am constantly in an out of the Options or Preferences of many programs. Almost all programs, from Quicken to Word to image editing software and of course Internet and email software, contain a section that allows you to customize the experience. For example, in Internet Explorer, I always click Tools –> Options, then the Settings button to lower the amount of saved temporary files to 4 or 5 megabytes. Sometimes this setting is set as high as 3000 megabytes! That's a lot of temporary files.

Firewalls Redux

Firewalls became a hot topic in the latter part of this week at HMR (a web site visitor abbreviated our name that way and it works pretty well). I decided to bring up this tip and updated it for 2006.

As recently as 2003, I recommended against dial-up users using firewalls. My reasoning for this advice included the substantially decreased time most dial-up users spend online in one stretch, ISP's provide firewall services into and out of their modem banks, and most 'hacking' at the time centered around denial of service attacks and other activities that was meant for computers with 'fat pipe' connections (DSL, cable, etc).

Today, however, I believe that a firewall is becoming an essential piece of our security arsenal. Firewalls (either hardware based or software based) prevent unauthorized access to and from your computer. The most recent threat of unauthorized use is spyware and adware. Spyware and adware can bring a system to its knees if not properly and completely stopped. A firewall can help reduce the toll of spyware and adware.

At the very least, every computer user using Windows XP should perform the following few steps to enable the XP firewall. If you have updated to XP Service Pack 2, the firewall will be enabled by default. Here's how to enable the Windows fiewall:

  1. Click My Computer from the Start menu (or your desktop)

  2. Click My Network Places from the task pane on the left

  3. Click View Network Connections again from the task pane on the left

  4. When the windows opens, RIGHT click on your Internet connection

  5. Click Properties

  6. Click the Advanced tab

  7. Check the box that says "Protect my computer and network by limiting…"

  8. Click OK

If you want a more industrial strength firewall that you can tweak and configure, try one of these free or commercial firewalls:

ZoneAlarm (free version)

ZoneAlarm Pro

Tiny Firewall

For broadband users who use a router to share access with other computers, the router acts as a firewall as well. Adam made some accurate points this week about the usability of firewalls. Too many computer users, hope to 'set it and leave it', but most firewalls require careful initial setup and a good knowledge of how to interact with the messages that it will generate. Read through your manual or go to the manufacturer's web site to learn how to best utilize your router and software firewall's capabilities.

sTRanGe Occurence

A client’s adult daughter had a problem where the ONLY site that she couldn’t pull up on the Internet was her bank. After thoroughly checking her computer for viruses and spyware, making sure firewalls were set properly, checking Internet settings and trying the site with multiple browsers, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She is a cable Internet user and was sharing the connection via a Linksys wireless router. Nothing I could think of made a difference.

Today, she called me and was gleeful about her computer…she could get to her bank’s web site, log in normally. Turns out that after she unplugged the router and connected straight to her computer, the site became available. I have never heard of a router blocking just a single site (routers do act as firewalls as well). I told her how to reset the router to its factory settings in case someone may have ‘tweaked’ the router to block the banking site. If the factory reset didn’t work, she would have to get another router in order to share the Internet again.

Windows Accessibility Options

Microsoft has built in a few features into Windows to make the operation of the computer a little less annoying. As the word Accessibility suggests, they were designed to aid computer users who have a hearing, visual or physical disability. However, many of the features can help any computer user.

To access the Accessibility Options, Click Start –> Control Panel, then double-click the "Accessibility Options" icon.

 

Keyboard Options


StickyKeys – If your fingers don’t function like a contortionist or you find it hard to press combinations of keys for shortcuts, enable this feature. It configures the computer so that if you need to push a combination of keys, you can push them one at a time and get the same affect as pushing them together.

FilterKeys – For heavy hands or if you tend to rest your fingers too long on the keys, enabling and tweaking the settings in this section will teach the computer to understand your individual touch of the keyboard.

ToggleKeys – If you tend to accidentally push the Num Lock or Caps Lock keys, this feature will give you an audible beep when those keys are turned on and off to bring your attention to them.

Sound Options

Use these settings to give you visual cues when your computer is making error or warning sounds.

Display

Set High Contrast mode if full color is hard to distinguish

Cursor Options – Make the "blinking cursor" easier to say by changing the width of the cursor (very helpful) and the speed at which it blinks.

Mouse

Enable this setting to use the directional keys on the keyboard like a mouse.

Other options available for accessibility can be found by clicking Start –> All Programs –> Accessories –> Accessibility.  You can find a basic "screen narrator" that reads the screen to you, a screen magnifier, and an on-screen keyboard to use in place of a traditional keyboard.

For more details on these tools and more, visit the Windows XP Accessibility Resources section of Microsoft’s web site.