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Answercast #19 - Freezing hard drives and mice, internet stealth, dual core processors, Java, salutations and more...

2012-05-21T06:55:29-08:00

Why do I get obviously wrong locations from IP addresses?
Why does my mouse curser freeze so I have to shut down with my keyboard?
Why does my hard drive just spin and then shut off?
How do I stop websites from knowing what I'm doing?
How do I get access to a second-hand PC that's password protected?
How do I send an email that can't be traced back to me?
Is a dual core processor really better? Or is it just a gimmick?
Is the Virus and Salutations Center and MS Safety Scanner Safe?
What is Java and what will happen if I uninstall it?

Continue reading Answercast #19 - Freezing hard drives and mice, internet stealth, dual core processors, Java, salutations and more...
Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
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What is about:blank, and how do I get rid of it?

2012-05-20T11:14:06-08:00

I'm too dumb to understand the "Dummies" books. I think I am running Windows 7. I get the "about:blank" whenever I log on IE. I didn't even know it was a 'whatever' until recently. What is a simple, fool-proof way to get rid of it?

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I almost discarded this question because it starts with one of the things that frustrates the heck out of me.

Please: never, ever refer to yourself as too dumb.

You're admitting defeat before you even start and that really makes it difficult for me or people like me to get enthused about even thinking about your question.

I don't care who you are – you're not too dumb.

With that mini-rant out of the way, let's talk about about:blank – it confuses many people (who, by the way, aren't dumb ).

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How do I back up my Truecrypt encrypted data?

2012-05-20T09:57:04-08:00

I'm very confused about Truecrypt and how I should back it up. Do I back up the files? The container? What if I'm using whole-drive encryption? How do I back up the encrypted stuff? I'm very confused.

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That's actually a condensation of several questions that I get about Truecrypt and backing up.

Backing up is critical, without a doubt. But when you're using Truecrypt to protect sensitive data, there's no one answer on exactly how you should be backing up. It depends a lot on exactly how you're backing up and a couple of decisions that you might want to make along the way.

But first, we have to start with a clear understanding of the two ways that Truecrypt can work and how that looks on disk.

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Is it dangerous to use a wireless mouse or keyboard?

2012-05-17T15:06:59-08:00

Hi, Leo. I read on your site that it can be dangerous to use a wireless mouse and keyboard. But everyone seems to be using them these days. I do like the convenience of it. But I'm worried. What can I do to make it safer? Will a firewall, router, or anything stop people from picking up the signals? I don't want to start using something where passwords or bank codes could be plucked out of the air.

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In this excerpt from Answercast #18, I look at the dangers of using a wireless keyboard or mouse (and if you should worry about using them).

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Why did a CD disc explode in my computer?

2012-05-17T14:42:57-08:00

I have an eMachine about 8 months old. I put a game CD in it to play. Before I could do anything, the CD exploded inside the CD/DVD drive. After we cleaned out all the tiny particles of pieces of disc out of the computer, the computer won't do anything. What could cause this or are eMachines lemons?

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In this excerpt from Answercast #18, I look at the 'Case of the Exploding CD' and some steps to get that machine operating again.

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Will turning off programs save me from hackers when I get online?

2012-05-17T14:26:49-08:00

If you have any programs operating on your computer, such as Word for example, when you go on the internet does this give hackers more of an access to the computer? Or should I always access the internet from my desktop with all other programs turned off (except Windows, of course)?

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In this excerpt from Answercast #18, I look at keeping programs open on your computer while being connected to the internet: I do it all the time.

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How do I boot from CD/DVD?

2012-05-17T11:11:23-08:00

I burned DBAN to a CD and then rebooted the machine with the CD inserted in the drive. To my surprise, it just booted right back into Windows. What gives? How do I get the computer to boot up from the CD?

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This is actually a pretty common problem with a relatively simple solution.

Your computer's BIOS needs to be instructed to check for a bootable CD or DVD before it tries to load whatever is on the hard drive. Right now, your computer is configured to either ignore the CD/DVD at boot time or check the hard disk first.

And because there's something bootable on the hard disk – namely Windows – that's what it boots into.

As I said, a simple solution conceptually.

The devil, as they say, is in the details.

Continue reading How do I boot from CD/DVD?
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How do I get around being blocked from watching Youtube videos?

2012-05-17T11:07:04-08:00

My problem is this: I'm in Kuwait now. I wanted to watch videos in YouTube of Brad Paisley, my favorite country singer, but when I try to view the video, it says, "Sorry, the uploader has not made this video available in your country." If I type in a proxy address, any proxy address for that matter, my ISP blocks it. I tried using Tor and Hotspot Shield, but it takes a long time to load the video. Perhaps even hours, so my question is there any way I can type in a proxy address without my ISP blocking me and is there any way to view these videos on YouTube? Any help would be appreciated

•

In this excerpt from Answercast #18, I look at the problem of getting through various blocks to watching YouTube videos.

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Can I plug all my router plugs into a switch to get more speed?

2012-05-17T10:46:34-08:00

I have AT&T two-wire DSL router. It has four output Ethernet plugs. Now I have like eight devices that need to talk to the two-wire modem. If I want all the devices to get the most bandwidth available, would I take all the outputs from the two-wire and put them into a 16-port switch? Will I get better bandwidth with that configuration or does the number of outputs inputting into the switch matter?

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In this excerpt from Answercast #18, I look at a few ways to connect through a 16-port switch to a router and a possible small increase in speed from connecting directly.

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Is it okay to use hibernate to shut down my computer daily?

2012-05-17T10:39:11-08:00

I often turn my computer off and on daily. I use the hibernate function always. Is this in any way possible to harm it? I'm aware of the slight power use, but hibernate really speeds things up. I use Windows XP and run on Verizon DSL. I've never had any problems.

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In this excerpt from Answercast #18, I talk about hibernate as a safe alternative to shutting off a computer and why I don't choose to use it.

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Why are my two anti-virus tools giving different results?

2012-05-17T08:36:29-08:00

XP Pro, Spyware Doctor, and Microsoft Security Essentials. Problem happens every time I have two anti-virus software. Spyware Doctor and Microsoft Security Essentials. I shut down Spyware Doctor completely and run only MSE for two weeks and not one single virus. I then close down MSE and start up Spyware Doctor and run it for two weeks and I get plenty of low risk stuff needing deleting and some occasional virus. What does this mean? That SD's findings are false positives or that MSE is not doing the job right? I understand that you, Leo, use both and recommend them.

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In this excerpt from Answercast #18, I look at a case where anti-virus and anti-spyware tools are showing different results and discuss why that may be happening.

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Is it faster to write to a drive that has lots of space than to one with less space?

2012-05-16T16:36:19-08:00

Is it true that writing to a disk drive having lots of empty space is faster than writing to one having less space? Suppose I have 1 GB of data to write and I have felt it is faster to write this data on to a disk drive having a space of 10 GB than on a drive having space of 5 GB? But I'm an electronics guy. Theoretically, the given amount of data should give the same amount of time to be written irrespective of the remaining space on the drive. Of course, given the empty space on the disks are greater than the size of the files being written to it.

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In this excerpt from Answercast #18, I look at the time it takes to copy files onto a disk with lots of space compared to copying the same files to a more full disk.

Continue reading Is it faster to write to a drive that has lots of space than to one with less space?
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What IP address do I put in my browser to secure my router?

2012-05-16T16:20:12-08:00

Running a Toshiba Satellite laptop, Windows 7 Home Premium on a DSL Wi-Fi connection. I tried to secure your router per your book Internet Safety Book and when I put my IP address into two different browsers, I finally gave up. They never connect to anything. The internet connection is fine. Now, I need to look at my router and decide if I need to change the password, etc. What am I missing here?

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In this excerpt from Answercast #18, I try to diagnose a problem in securing a router and walk through the steps needed to connect to that router through a browser window.

Continue reading What IP address do I put in my browser to secure my router?
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