The Ask Leo! Newsletter

Ask Leo! #444 – Saving downloaded programs, Using Windows file compression, Safe backups and more…

Connie Delaney — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:37 +0000

*** Featured

How do I reinstall downloaded programs?

I recently downloaded and installed an application. It works just great, but having no CD, how do I reinstall the program in the event of a disaster?

•

There are several possible answers to reinstall downloaded programs that depend on exactly what it is you purchased and where you purchased it from.

The good news is that there’s rarely a reason you would ever lose what you purchased, as long as you took a few precautions.

Let’s look at what those precautions might be.

Continue Reading: How do I reinstall downloaded programs?
http://askleo.com/?p=4004

•

Should I use Windows File Compression?

I was wondering if I should run the Disk Cleanup utility and select the Compress Old Files option to use Windows File Compression. It is currently taking up 14372KB of space. Should I compress old files?

•

While you’re only asking about the Disk Cleanup utility, I’m going to talk about Windows File Compression in more general terms. Using file compression to save space is nothing new, even when it’s native in the file system used by Windows. Whether or not it makes sense to use isn’t necessarily a slam dunk.

In fact, without knowing more, I get to use all three of my favorite answers:

Yes.

No.

It depends.

After you’ve finishing beating your head against the computer, read on, and I’ll explain why I say all three. We’ll also discover that later versions of Windows itself have made a not-too-subtle suggestion as well.

Continue Reading: Should I use Windows File Compression?
http://askleo.com/?p=2711

*** Answercast

AnswerCast 107 - Safe backups, broken monitors, restoring computer, too many updates and more...

Do you want to copy your entire computer or backup online? Wondering what compacting your email means or why an external monitor stays blank? Looking for mysterious time on an email or a hacker? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Listen Now!
(Includes the raw transcript on which the articles below were based.)

Why is Microsoft Security Essentials constantly saying potentially unprotected?
The "potentially unprotected" warning seems fairly common in situations where you really are still protected. I'll cover several theories as to why it might appear.

Continue reading: Why is Microsoft Security Essentials constantly saying potentially unprotected?
http://askleo.com?p=3953

Is my data safe in an online backup program?
Whenever we use an online service, such as an online backup, we’re trusting that they’re doing what they say they do: keeping our information secure.

Continue reading: Is my data safe in an online backup program?
http://askleo.com?p=3937

Why are emails I receive five minutes out of sync?
Outlook doesn’t keep its own time. Outlook uses the system time. The real issue here is understanding where the "time" comes from when you receive an email.

Continue reading: Why are emails I receive five minutes out of sync?
http://askleo.com?p=3942

What good are image backups if I can't restore an old backup to my new machine?
Image backups are excellent protection against almost all forms of data loss. They're not really intended to make transferring to a new computer easier, though in rare circumstances they can come in handy for that too.

Continue reading: What good are image backups if I can't restore an old backup to my new machine?
http://askleo.com?p=3963

Can I simply copy everything on my drive in case something bad happens?
There are in fact utilities that can do an actual clone of your computer, but I would prefer you move to a more traditional image backup system.

Continue reading: Can I simply copy everything on my drive in case something bad happens?
http://askleo.com?p=3967

What does it mean when my email program asks if it should compact my email?
Compacting should be completely transparent. It makes files smaller and potentially makes access of email a little faster. There is one dramatic exception.

Continue reading: What does it mean when my email program asks if it should compact my email?
http://askleo.com?p=3972

What's the easiest way to restore my machine to original factory settings if I didn't get discs?
If you don't have installation or recovery media then you'll need to take additional steps to prepare for the day you might need to reset to factory settings. Additional steps using software that I hope you already have.

Continue reading: What's the easiest way to restore my machine to original factory settings if I didn't get discs?
http://askleo.com?p=4031

Why doesn't my external monitor work?
You plug a new monitor into a laptop with a broken screen and still can't see anything! You may need to tap a few magic keystrokes to turn it on.

Continue reading: Why doesn't my external monitor work?
http://askleo.com?p=4040

How do I find who hacked my email?
It's natural to want to find who hacked your email and why. Begin by recovering your account and securing it. But then, just let it go. There's almost nothing you or I as individuals can do to find out who hacked you.

Continue reading: How do I find who hacked my email?
http://askleo.com?p=4044

If I copy a file to another drive will it be fragmented the same way?
Fragmentation is about how a file is stored on a disk and is not preserved across a copy. In fact, in some cases you can defragment a hard drive using copy.

Continue reading: If I copy a file to another drive will it be fragmented the same way?
http://askleo.com?p=4052

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Word o' the Week

compression

Compression is the process of running data through a mathematical algorithm which results in data that contains exactly the same information, but ideally using less data, i.e. resulting in a smaller file.

The key to any compression algorithm is that when decompressed the original data is recovered, exactly.

Most often we compress data contained in files on our computers. A compression program such as WinZip, 7-zip, gzip, WinRAR and many others, reads the file to be compressed, runs the data it contains through the compression algorithm and writes the result to a new, typically smaller file.

A compression algorithm is that mathematical function, of which there are many; zip, rar and gzip are three common examples. Any program that understands a specific algorithm can typically compress or decompress files interchangeably with other programs that understand the same algorithm. Many programs, 7-Zip being one good example, have the ability to understand several different compression algorithms.

Many compression programs, WinZip and similar being examples, double as file archiving programs. In addition to compressing files these programs bundle multiple compressed files into a single output file, referred to as a compressed archive.

It’s worth noting that all compression algorithms have worst-case scenarios where running data through the compression algorithm produces a result that is larger than the original. While possible, with most common algorithms it’s actually relatively rare.

Word o' the Week features a computer term or acronym taken from the Ask Leo! Glossary. If there's a word you're not sure of and would like to see defined, click here to let me know.

*** Featured Reader Comments

Can I install Windows XP on a machine that comes with Windows 8?

Ken B writes:

There are a couple of other choices:

First, if your computer supports it, you can install "XP Mode", which is Microsoft's "official" way of running XP within Windows 7 (and, I assume, 8).

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/install-and-use-windows- xp-mode-in-windows-7

Second, though this may be "too techie" for many people, is to install a "virtual machine" on your system. I have used Oracle's "VirtualBox" to run numerous operating systems on my system. (There are other VMs out there, but this is the one I'm using.)

https://www.virtualbox.org/

Yes, this requires that you find a legal XP install, but you would need that no matter what method you use. (Microsoft's "XP Mode" includes a legal copy.)

I happen to like choice 2, because it lets me run multiple systems on a single box. (Of course, I'm a geek, so I like having things like MS-DOS 6, Windows 3.1, Windows XP, and several flavors of Linux available at the click of a mouse.)

I'm a fan of approach #2 as well, though as you say it is a bit techie. Unfortunately I don't believe XP Mode is available in Windows 8. (Though I would assume it's preserved if you do an upgrade install of Windows 8 on top of Windows 7.)

-Leo

Is it safe to use a mobile banking app over an open Wi-Fi connection?

Michael writes:

Even if a tablet/smartphone app is using SSL that does not mean it is being used correctly. Lots can go wrong and a couple studies have shown that it does go wrong. App developers make some brutal mistakes.

A VPN is a good idea but not perfect. While it should protect you from snoops in your immediate vicinity, the VPNs available to consumers do not offer end to end encryption. I have tried using a VPN on both Android 2.3 and 4 and its a big pain. I ran into assorted coding errors by Google that my VPN provider had to work around. And on Android 2.3 it required entering two passwords to make a connection.

In contrast VPNs on iOS worked great for me.

Does installing lots of programs destabilize my computer?

James writes:

I slightly disagree with Leo.

Installing software can sometimes also cause problems. Not rot, but it seems that so many programs these days like to put themselves into StartUp or the Run registry key so that they run when you boot up your computer.

They say they are doing you a favour by pre-loading some components of the software so that it runs faster when you go to use the software. But the reality is, sometimes you are just turning on your computer to check your email and don't need five different programs to take the time to load up into memory or check for program updates (e.g. Flash) and slow down your computer.

I recently started from scratch on my Windows XP computer and I took the time to evaluate how I used that computer (I also have a laptop that I use regularly) and look at what software I was putting back on the machine. If another piece of software duplicated a task, I only installed one. I only use Excel on my laptop, so I didn't bother to install Excel on the XP computer, for example.

What I ended up with was a cleaner machine that is quicker to boot up so I can do what I really turned the computer on for, not what some software vendor thinks I might want to do.

Actually you raise a very good point with respect to start-up pollution.

-Leo

*** Thoughts and Comments

You broke my server!

Actually, I'm going to blame registry cleaners (yes, registry cleaners) for breaking the Ask Leo! server last week.

No, I didn't run one (the server runs Linux where there is no registry), but shortly after the newsletter came out last week the Ask Leo! server buckled under the load.

Twice.

I think a lot of people wanted to read all about registry cleaners, and many wanted to leave their opinion. There was no shortage of opinions on the topic.

So, imagine that your computer was slowing down or had a problem of some sort, and there was a dial on the side of it that you could adjust. In fact, three dials: number of CPUs, amount of RAM and amount of disk space. Simply by adjusting those dials you could give your computer more (or less) of those resources.

That's why I like virtual machines and virtual servers. Over the weekend I twisted a (virtual) dial, and the Ask Leo! server rebooted and came back up with twice as much RAM (the real culprit in last week's problem, I believe), a second CPU and a bunch more disk space.

Virtual servers like those that I use, actually live on significantly more powerful hardware that typically has many CPUs, oodles of RAM and buckets of disk space. When the virtual server is created a portion of the available physical resources are dedicated to the virtual machine. "Twisting the dial" means nothing more than changing the allocation.

Pretty cool stuff.

And a shout out to the folks at LiquidWeb's Storm On Demand, the server hosting that I use, for rebooting my server each time it failed, before I even noticed.

See you next week,

Leo A. Notenboom
Facebook - Google+
YouTube - Twitter

*** Administration

If you have a question don't reply to this email. Instead, head over here:

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That form is the best way to get an answer. (This article explains why.)

Need more help with or have questions about the newsletter? Check out the newsletter administration page.

Help Ask Leo! Just forward this message, in its entirety (but without your unsubscribe link below) to your friends. Or, just point them at http://newsletter.ask-leo.com for their own FREE subscription!

Newsletter contents Copyright © 2013,
Leo A. Notenboom & Puget Sound Software, LLC.
Ask Leo! is a registered trademark ® of Puget Sound Software, LLC

The post Ask Leo! #444 – Saving downloaded programs, Using Windows file compression, Safe backups and more… appeared first on The Ask Leo! Newsletter.

Ask Leo! #443 – The Best Registry Cleaner? How to remove malware, blocking suspicious downloads and more…

Leo — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:00:56 +0000

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

What's the best registry cleaner?

What would be the best software to buy to fix and clean the Windows registry?

•

There is no “best” registry cleaner.

There are a wide variety of opinions on registry cleaners and PC cleaning tools. Many people believe that they’re valuable and important tools to keep your system running smoothly.

My opinion’s a little … contrary.

Continue Reading: What's the best registry cleaner?
http://askleo.com/?p=2710

•

Changing Windows Explorer Settings

Windows Explorer is a ubiquitous, yet under-appreciated component of Windows.

For many people, Windows Explorer is their primary interface to Windows itself. It’s where they locate and open documents, music, and other files. It’s where they perform copy and sometimes even backup operations.

And it’s one of the primary tools often used when maintaining their system.

Unfortunately, Windows Explorer comes with default settings that are intended to make the system less confusing and more friendly, but often make it less than informative and sometimes even downright dangerous.

Let’s look at changing a few settings and setting a few defaults. I’ll throw in a speed tip as well.

Continue Reading: Changing Windows Explorer Settings
http://askleo.com/?p=3777

•

How do I remove malware?

One question that shows up almost every day in the Ask Leo! inbox is how to remove malware.

Every day.

The scenarios may be different, but the problem is the same: a machine has been infected with spyware, a virus, or some other form of malware and that machine’s owner is having a tough time getting rid of it.

And it often happens with anti-malware software installed that “should” have taken care of it before it got to this stage.

Hopefully, that’ll never be you. If it is, let’s review the steps that I recommend for removing malware and reducing the chances that it’ll happen again.

Continue Reading: How do I remove malware?
http://askleo.com/?p=3811

•

Can I move my old computer's hard drive to my new computer?

My sister has a computer with Windows 98se. However, it is crashing on her. She got a new computer with the latest Windows. My question is, can she install her old hard drive with 98se onto her new PC so she can transfer her files over to her new hard drive? She is very illiterate when it comes to computers.

•

The good news is that a working hard disk that was formatted for use by any prior versions of Windows can certainly be read by Windows versions that come later. Your Win 98 disk can be read by Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

The not-so-bad news is that you’ll have to open the box, extract the drive, and do something with it.

I’ll admit it – that’s not for everyone.

Continue Reading: Can I move my old computer's hard drive to my new computer?
http://askleo.com/?p=2424

*** Answercast

AnswerCast #106 - Making a secure website, asking for phone numbers, changing usernames and more...

Do you ever wonder if listing a recovery phone number is a good idea or if you should change all your user names? Want to make your website secure or password protect a USB drive? Do you need Windows Live Essentials or a file transfer cable? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Listen Now!
(Includes the raw transcript on which the articles below were based.)

How do I change a website to be an https secure site?
Setting up an https secure website is both simple, and complex. The HTML doesn't really change but you'll need different hosting for the secure layer as well as a certificate to provide the security of https.

Continue reading: How do I change a website to be an https secure site?
http://askleo.com?p=3641

I canceled a suspicious download. Am I safe?
Cancelling a suspicious download in progress typically prevents any part of the download from impacting your machine. Unfortunately there are still a few problems we should look out for.

Continue reading: I canceled a suspicious download. Am I safe?
http://askleo.com?p=3644

Do Gmail preview images pose a security risk?
Gmail occasionally includes preview images of attachments that are included with an email. Rather than being an additional risk, when present, these preview images can help keep you safer.

Continue reading: Do Gmail preview images pose a security risk?
http://askleo.com?p=3646

Why do services like Google and Microsoft ask for a phone number?
Many online services request that you provide additional information such as your phone number. I'll look at how that's typically used and why it's a good thing.

Continue reading: Why do services like Google and Microsoft ask for a phone number?
http://askleo.com?p=3648

Do I need Windows Live Essentials?
Windows 7 often comes with several pre-installed components that were part of the Windows Live Essentials package. They're not required to run Windows, and can be uninstalled or replaced with more recent components.

Continue reading: Do I need Windows Live Essentials?
http://askleo.com?p=3650

How do I open an .isc file in Outlook.com?
Outlook and Outlook.com are two different and unrelated programs. But once we get past a possible typo, they can both handle ics, not isc, files.

Continue reading: How do I open an .isc file in Outlook.com?
http://askleo.com?p=3652

Where do attachments live once they're sent?
Once an email is sent it, and the attachments it might include, are copied to a sequence of servers until they reach the destination inbox. Most importantly, once it leaves your machine, it leaves your control

Continue reading: Where do attachments live once they're sent?
http://askleo.com?p=3654

Do you recommend a transfer cable for transferring files from my old computer to my new one?
Transferring information from an old computer to a new one is a problem we all face every so often. I'll touch on a couple of approaches, and then describe what I do, and recommend.

Continue reading: Do you recommend a transfer cable for transferring files from my old computer to my new one?
http://askleo.com?p=3656

Would changing user names result in additional security?
Common wisdom is that you should change passwords periodically; so should you change user names too? My take: common wisdom is wrong from the start.

Continue reading: Would changing user names result in additional security?
http://askleo.com?p=3658

How do I password protect a flash drive?
Password protecting a flash drive isn't easy. Aside from purchasing a flashdrive with encryption built in, I'll look at a couple of approaches using free software.

Continue reading: How do I password protect a flash drive?
http://askleo.com?p=3660

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Word o' the Week

shovelware

Shovelware is a derogatory term applied to the additional unasked-for and unwanted software that often comes with new machines, or in other unexpected situations.

The term derives from the metaphor of using a shovel to transfer or add large quantities of something, as in “shoveling in even more software”.

Ask Leo! #442 – Security Software Recommendations, My Surface Pro Thoughts, Longer Passwords, Microsoft Messenger and more…

Leo — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:00:35 +0000

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

What Security Software do you recommend?

What security software should I use? How about a firewall? And what about spyware? Should I use one of the all-in-one packages that claim to do everything? Is there anything else I need?

•

As you might imagine, I get these questions like this all the time. As a result, I do have recommendations for security software and techniques to stay safe in various articles all over Ask Leo!.

To make your life a little easier, here’s a short version that sums it all up.

Continue Reading: What Security Software do you recommend?
http://askleo.com/?p=3517

•

Microsoft Surface Pro: the Good, the Bad and the Awkward

I was very intrigued when the Microsoft Surface Pro came out. The size and shape and the combination of it being both a PC and a tablet had me very interested in understanding whether or not this was something that was going to succeed.

Rather than being some kind of in-depth review (there are plenty of those elsewhere, I’m sure), these are simply my impressions after two months of having my Microsoft Surface Pro.

My emotions are mixed. I really want this device to succeed because it represents what to me is an incredibly interesting hybrid device – both tablet and PC. With that hybridization comes a tremendous amount of potential and power, and I’ll explain why I say that momentarily.

Unfortunately by trying to be both it’s possible that the Surface Pro fails to do either exceptionally well.

Good, perhaps, but not exceptional.

That may or may not be enough.

Continue Reading: Microsoft Surface Pro: the Good, the Bad and the Awkward
http://askleo.com/?p=3560

*** Answercast

Answercast #105 - Longer passwords, keeping Messenger, bounced emails, wrong websites and more...

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could always keep your favorite old versions of software, or always have a super long password. Would you like an easier way to manage recovery discs? Have you heard the scare about Geotagging? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Listen Now!
(Includes the raw transcript on which the articles below were based.)

How do I find the IP address of the person who created a Gmail account in my name?
It's not going to be easy. Only law enforcement has the ability to get full IP address information. The curious thing is, how do you have access to the email?

Continue reading: How do I find the IP address of the person who created a Gmail account in my name?
http://askleo.com?p=3697

How do I remove myself from a website I didn't ask to be on?
What you did in this situation is exactly what I would have done: start by contacting the website and asking to be removed.

Continue reading: How do I remove myself from a website I didn't ask to be on?
http://askleo.com?p=3589

How do I change the default install drive?
In this scenario, the real issue is that your C: drive is full. What I recommend you do is clean it up.

Continue reading: How do I change the default install drive?
http://askleo.com?p=3593

Why am I getting bounced notices to messages I didn't send?
Spammers want to send email that looks like it’s coming from someone who may be trusted. They want it to look like it’s coming from you - and you end up getting the bounce notifications.

Continue reading: Why am I getting bounced notices to messages I didn't send?
http://askleo.com?p=3606

Is geotagging my photos a bad thing?
When you take a picture, your camera saves “metadata”, or data about the picture. Geodata can be used to place an image in a geographical location.

Continue reading: Is geotagging my photos a bad thing?
http://askleo.com?p=3626

Do I need to make a new rescue disc every time my backup software updates?
If you don’t have a rescue disc, just find another machine and make one. You don’t need to make one every single time you update the software.

Continue reading: Do I need to make a new rescue disc every time my backup software updates?
http://askleo.com?p=3632

Is there some way I can keep Windows Live Messenger?
The most important thing is to determine which messaging program the people you want to talk to will use.

Continue reading: Is there some way I can keep Windows Live Messenger?
http://askleo.com?p=3662

What if a password is limited to only 8 characters?
Some devices, sites and software use passwords that are limited to 8 characters. Today that's often insufficient, but I'll look at what steps you can take to increase security.

Continue reading: What if a password is limited to only 8 characters?
http://askleo.com?p=3603

So is a long password of repeating characters good or not?
The problem is that we don’t know what approach hackers are using to break your password. So, to be safe, the best password is both long and complex.

Continue reading: So is a long password of repeating characters good or not?
http://askleo.com?p=3679

How do I detect web beacons in email?
A web “beacon” or “bug” is simply something in an email that reports back to the sender that you’ve opened the mail.

Continue reading: How do I detect web beacons in email?
http://askleo.com?p=3685

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Word o' the Week

Form factor refers to the size, shape and perhaps other physical characteristics of an object.

When applied to computers and related devices it typically refers to a “class” of device, such as a tablet, a laptop, a desktop and so on. You might see a device described as having a “tablet form-factor”, or having the “form-factor of a desktop”, in each case referring to its overall physical characteristics.

There are no absolute definitions of specific computer-related form factors which can lead to some confusion. For example the terms “notebook” and “laptop” might, or might not refer to the same general overall size and shape depending on who’s using the term and in what context.

Word o' the Week features a computer term or acronym taken from the Ask Leo! Glossary. If there's a word you're not sure of and would like to see defined, click here to let me know.

*** Featured Reader Comments

There's Just No Need to Hate Windows 8

James Morris writes:

My complaint about Windows 8 is really about the entire direction Microsoft is going.

I am running a business. I need a "Business Class" operating system. When I purchase an operating system labeled "Pro", I expect to get Business Class.

That is not what Microsoft is delivering. Every now release adds more time to the process of preparing a PC for my users. Stripping out the games, turning on "real" networking, etc., and now I have to provide 3rd party tools so my desktop users can have a desktop readily available to reach their desktop applications.

Sure, Windows 8 can be coaxed into being business desktop friendly, but why should professional users have to waste time doing that? Why can't Microsoft actually deliver a "Professional" grade opsystem right out of the box?

By the way, have you noticed the Windows 8 ads? They are all about your 10 year old child painting pictures of flowers, and other very unbusinesslike activities.

Where are the examples of running MRP, Accounting, Engineering, or serious 3D CAD applications?

It seems like business users, who are really the backbone of Microsoft's income, have been relegated to unwanted stepchild status.

There's Just No Need to Hate Windows 8

James writes:

Nothing in the first half of your article made me think I should switch. In fact if running Classic Shell makes it work and act the same as Windows 7, I just couldn't see the point of anyone upgrading unless they had touch/tablet hardware.

After reading the first half of the article, I was glad to see your number one recommendation was to not do anything, unless you have a reason to switch.

I've never been one to run out and get the latest and greatest. In fact my Windows 98 PC is still sitting on the floor here collecting dust (much to my wife's dismay). I think I used that until just prior to the Vista launch, when I got a Boxing Day special on a XP PC. XP is still doing fine and I have no plans of leaving XP. I would probably need a hardware upgrade if I did.

There's Just No Need to Hate Windows 8

Lester writes:

FINALLY! A sensible and reasonable article on Windows 8. I upgraded both of my machines before low priced upgrade vanished. I've had very little problem and I like it. I also installed an SSD on my laptop and it really sizzles now. I didn't even bother turning it into Windows 7 with a start button replacement. I just use the start screen for a few things and switch to the desktop for the rest.

Honestly, the anti- Win 8 vendetta is disturbing to me. Something is bad is happening to our nations when people can't accept the challenge of something new and learn to thrive with it. We need people who can take up challenges like this and enjoy them. Otherwise the Chinese will walk all over us. THEY know how to accept a challenge. We're too lazy for it.

*** Thoughts and Comments

I had someone ask if my security software recommendations article was still accurate, since it was dated a couple of years ago. The short answer is yes, but I took that as a reminder that it's an article worth updating every couple of years even if nothing substantive changes. That's this week's What Security Software do you recommend? I did take the opportunity to add a few thoughts about what to do when you can't download, and of course my ever present reminder to back up.

Also this week: I bought myself a Microsoft Surface Pro while on my sabbatical. I've been playing with it and using it off-and-on ever since. I finally took the time this weekend to write down my thoughts about the device. You can see those at Microsoft Surface Pro: the Good, the Bad and the Awkward.

Be sure and tell your friends about Ask Leo! and have them subscribe to the newsletter. It's your word-of-mouth, shares and links to the site that are an incredibly important, and highly appreciated, part of what keeps it going.

See you next week,

Leo A. Notenboom
Facebook - Google+
YouTube - Twitter

*** Administration

If you have a question don't reply to this email. Instead, head over here:

http://ask-leo.com/ask

and submit your question there.

That form is the best way to get an answer. (This article explains why.)

Need more help with or have questions about the newsletter? Check out the newsletter administration page.

Newsletter contents Copyright © 2013,
Leo A. Notenboom & Puget Sound Software, LLC.
Ask Leo! is a registered trademark ® of Puget Sound Software, LLC

The post Ask Leo! #442 – Security Software Recommendations, My Surface Pro Thoughts, Longer Passwords, Microsoft Messenger and more… appeared first on The Ask Leo! Newsletter.

What is “clicks.aweber.com”?

Leo — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:01:05 +0000

Aweber is the service that I use to send The Ask Leo! Newsletter. I’ve used them for years, and they are highly respected in the industry. I honestly can’t think of a better company to work with.

One of the things that Aweber supports, as do other email sending services, is the ability to tell which links people click on. “clicks.aweber.com” is the internet domain that they use to perform this function.

How do they do that and why do I let them?

Let me explain…

How click tracking works

When I put a link to something in my newsletter, say a link to http://buyleoalatte.com, that link is replaced by Aweber with a link of their own that begins with http://clicks.aweber.com/ followed by information that tells them exactly which link it was that was clicked, and who clicked it.

When someone clicks on that link, it’s http://clicks.aweber.com that gets requested. That server records the information about the click, and then automatically and transparently redirects the user to its actual destination – http://buyleoalatte.com in my example case.

You click on a link and get to where you’re supposed to go, clicks.aweber.com simply acts as an intermediary to record the fact that the link was clicked.

Why I let click tracking happen

I don’t pay as much attention to the data as I should but here’s the idea:

By understanding which links get the most clicks, I can tell which articles – and perhaps more importantly which types of articles – people are most interested in. It’s one data point that basically tells me to “do more of that”.
By noting who is clicking on links I know who’s actually interested in the newsletter, and who’s getting it but never bothering to look at it. More on that below.

It’s important to realize that almost any newsletter you sign up for anywhere, any time – be it a newsletter from your favorite tech web site, your utility company, or breaking news site – can and probably does something similar, and for much the same reason. It’s a way we as newsletter publishers have of seeing where we’re succeeding and where we could do better.

Isn’t this some kind of privacy thing?

It’s important to realize something that I’ve said over and over again… as an individual your activities just aren’t that interesting. Sorry.

I don’t think anyone has any particular interest in looking at what you, specifically, are or are not clicking on. Even if I did have some kind of bizarre curiosity at an individual level with tens of thousands of subscribers I just don’t have the time to do it.

On the other hand, the trends shown by rolling up all that data on tens of thousands of individuals is very interesting. This is the data that tells me things like only a handful of people bothered with this article, but almost everyone looked at that one.

I’m not looking at you as an individual, but the aggregate data is exceptionally helpful and valuable to me.

What’s that about whether or not I’m interested?

As I’ve also said repeatedly, there’s no 100% reliable way to determine if an email has been opened.

But we can get close.

If I include an image in the newsletter (as I do – my logo for one, my signature at the bottom for another), the act of fetching that image to be displayed tells Aweber that you opened the newsletter.

However, if, like many people, you have images turned off by default (and you see text like
“Ask Leo! – Be sure to allow image display for the best viewing” where the logo should be) then that technique doesn’t work. However if you click a link that also tells Aweber that you must have opened the newsletter to even see the link. That’s called an “inferred open”.

Why do I care so much about opens?

If you’re getting the newsletter but never opening it, that tells me you’re not interested. If too many people do that I need to know that what I’m doing isn’t what they want.

What’s worse, though, is that the major email service providers also see which emails you open and don’t. If they see that a lot of people subscribed to my newsletter never open it then that affects my “reputation” and my deliverability with that service. Put another way, if enough people never open the newsletter it gets sent to spam more often.

That’s why every spring or so I actually unsubscribe those people that haven’t opened the newsletter in “a long time”. Since they never opened it, they weren’t interested, and they never even notice that they’d been unsubscribed.

What about clicks.aweber.com problems?

Occasionally it appears that some security software, ad blocker or perhaps even malware causes clicks.aweber.com to be blocked, which means that when you click on one of my links that uses it you get some kind of “sorry, you can’t get there from here” message.

Thanks to a reader, I’ve confirmed that the MVPS host file replacement is one example, as it does indeed block clicks.aweber.com.

Let me be clear: I believe, strongly, that this is an erroneous and unwarranted block. clicks.aweber.com is safe.

That being said, I’m not going to argue the point. If you like you can simply remove any aweber.com domains from the hosts file and you should be just fine. If you elect to leave it in place, then you won’t be able to click on some or perhaps all of the links in my newsletter, and the newsletters of other aweber customers. In my case you can simply read the latest newsletter on the web.

The post What is “clicks.aweber.com”? appeared first on The Ask Leo! Newsletter.

Ask Leo! #441 – Why don’t people back up? Password reset disks, Office 2013 subscription, running without a net and more…

Leo — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:00:40 +0000

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

Why don't people back up?

I recently posted a recommendation for a specific backup program, but it got me to thinking about backing up in general.

It’s a common topic here on Ask Leo! and for a good reason. Not a day goes by that I don’t see somebody suffering for lack of a backup. Not a day goes by that I don’t see somebody who could have avoided a serious problem simply by having had a backup.

So why don’t more people back up?

Continue Reading: Why don't people back up?
http://askleo.com/?p=3388

How Do I Create a Windows 7 Password Reset Disk, and Why Would I Want To?

Since the day that password protection was invented, users (and the people that help them) have been dealing with the “lost password problem.” You know how it goes; you or someone you know can’t log in to their account because they can’t recall their password.

Take it from me, it happens. A lot.

For a long time – at least since Windows XP and probably before – Windows has included the ability to create a password reset disk that you can use in cases where you’ve forgotten your Windows login password.

There are a few prerequisites to using this tool. The most important one is you must create the disk before you actually need it.

Continue Reading: How Do I Create a Windows 7 Password Reset Disk, and Why Would I Want To?
http://askleo.com/?p=3395

*** Answercast

Answercast #104 - IE8 errors, advertising popups, defragging D, telling you are hacked and more...

Listen Now!
(Includes the raw transcript on which the articles below were based.)

How to tell if your email, computer, or Facebook has been hacked
It's actually quite difficult for the typical user to tell if their computer is being hacked. Email and Facebook are another story.

Continue reading: How to tell if your email, computer, or Facebook has been hacked
http://askleo.com?p=3414

Why do I get script error messages in Windows 8 and not prior versions of Windows?
The tiled browser seems to be a different version of Internet Explorer. From what I can tell, it has reduced features and is less functional when compared with the normal Internet Explorer.

Continue reading: Why do I get script error messages in Windows 8 and not prior versions of Windows?
http://askleo.com?p=3433

Is the Office 2013 subscription really worth it?
When Microsoft Office included the Office 2013 subscription on Windows 8 as something that home users could purchase, I had the same reaction. Then I did the math.

Continue reading: Is the Office 2013 subscription really worth it?
http://askleo.com?p=3440

Should I defrag the D drive on my Windows XP?
If you have a heavily used drive, make sure that it’s getting defragged on a regular basis. If it’s not getting used that heavily, there’s no harm in defragging it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way.

Continue reading: Should I defrag the D drive on my Windows XP?
http://askleo.com?p=3444

Why is Norton preventing me from installing Classic Shell?
The problem is that some third-party download sites (not all) actually add software to your download. It could be possible that Norton is correctly preventing you from downloading viruses.

Continue reading: Why is Norton preventing me from installing Classic Shell?
http://askleo.com?p=3447

Why is a website telling me I need IE8 when I already run IE8?
It might be the website's fault. It might be the browser's fault. Either way, start by trying a different browser.

Continue reading: Why is a website telling me I need IE8 when I already run IE8?
http://askleo.com?p=3450

Does Windows support drives larger than two terabytes?
Windows certainly does support large drives, at the worst you may have to overcome some formatting issues.

Continue reading: Does Windows support drives larger than two terabytes?
http://askleo.com?p=3456

Should I be worried about the "open in other locations" message from Gmail?
This is an interesting feature in Gmail. When you’re traveling, it’s kind of fun to see where Gmail thinks you’ve been accessing it from.

Continue reading: Should I be worried about the "open in other locations" message from Gmail?
http://askleo.com?p=3540

How do I get rid of this advertising popup that keeps coming back?
If your anti-malware tools removed the malware but this browser hijack keeps coming back, then you might be doing something to invite it back on to your system.

Continue reading: How do I get rid of this advertising popup that keeps coming back?
http://askleo.com?p=3522

I run no anti-virus software and now have viruses. What should I do?
It’s very possible that your machine has become so infected that recovery really isn’t a possibility. If this is the case, the only practical solution is to wipe the slate clean and start over from scratch.

Continue reading: I run no anti-virus software and now have viruses. What should I do?
http://askleo.com?p=3526

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Word o' the Week

A backup is nothing more than an additional copy of data kept in a different location than the original.

If there’s only one copy of something – say a photograph on a mobile phone – then it’s not backed up. If that device were to fail or be lost, then the photograph would be lost forever as well.

Computers are excellent at making copies of digital data, and backups are one important use of that functionality.

It’s generally recommended that important data be backed up in at least one, ideally more, separate devices or media, such as an external hard disk. In addition it’s recommended that critical data also be backed up in another physical location, such as a different building or by backing it up online.

More than anything the important concept is that there never be a single copy of important data. That’s not backed up.

Ask Leo! #440 – Just how many bits do you need? Software Rot, Emptying the Trash and more…

Leo — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:00:20 +0000

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

64-bit and 32-bit: Which Do You Want? Which Do You Have?

The difference between 32-bit and 64-bit computers and versions of Windows remains a point of very common confusion.

It's really no surprise because the concept is actually fairly geeky and not something a typical computer user should need to worry about.

And yet, it turns out that it's important to realize that there is a difference. When installing software, including the operating system itself, using the wrong flavor can lead to anything from decreased performance to installations that don't work at all.

It's also important to know what you already have, if for no other reason than to be able to select appropriate software and possibly system updates in the future.

Continue reading: 64-bit and 32-bit: Which Do You Want? Which Do You Have?
http://ask-leo.com/C6392

* * *

*** Answercast

Answercast #103 - Improving network security, mobile apps, paying for updates, destabilizing a computer and more...

Do you wonder if you should empty your trash or turn off Network Discovery for security? Afraid to install lots of programs or use a banking app? Want to make your public hotspot safer? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Continue reading: Answercast #103 - Improving network security, mobile apps, paying for updates, destabilizing a computer and more...

Does emptying trash in email keep others from seeing the email I deleted?
Most individuals wouldn't be able to access emails that you've deleted... but that doesn't mean that someone at the ISP wouldn't be able to find the message.
Continue reading: Does emptying trash in email keep others from seeing the email I deleted?
http://ask-leo.com/C6401

Does turning off Network Discovery improve wireless security?
Unfortunately, network sniffing is a very simple thing to do and it has actually nothing to do with the network discovery option.
Continue reading: Does turning off Network Discovery improve wireless security?
http://ask-leo.com/C6402

Does turning off remote access keep me safer?
Turning off remote assistance is an incremental improvement. But it is a very small increment in a much larger puzzle.
Continue reading: Does turning off remote access keep me safer?
http://ask-leo.com/C6403

If I delete files from my disk drive will they be deleted from the backup?
Old backups typically will have all of the files that were on your machine at the time the backup was taken.
Continue reading: If I delete files from my disk drive will they be deleted from the backup?
http://ask-leo.com/C6404

Is there a fee for all of these updates that are ready for your computer pop-ups?
The important thing is to develop a sense so you can recognize what the Windows Update message looks like.
Continue reading: Is there a fee for all of these updates that are ready for your computer pop-ups?
http://ask-leo.com/C6405

Does installing lots of programs destabilize my computer?
Skip the apps. Install the software that you're going to use and use your computer the way you want to use it!
Continue reading: Does installing lots of programs destabilize my computer?
http://ask-leo.com/C6406

Does cleaning cookies force me to re-verify my bank login?
It's a pretty quick process to identify all the internet domains that need to be listed in CCleaner as exceptions - so that you can easily login to your favorite sites.
Continue reading: Does cleaning cookies force me to re-verify my bank login?
http://ask-leo.com/C6407

Can I install Windows XP on a machine that comes with Windows 8?
If you can find a copy of XP, and if you can find drivers for the new hardware it's possible that it may work okay.
Continue reading: Can I install Windows XP on a machine that comes with Windows 8?
http://ask-leo.com/C6408

Does having a publicly visible Wi-Fi password add security compared to an open Wi-Fi hotspot?
Using a password protected WPA2 is a minor inconvenience for a very significant level of additional security. I'll explain...
Continue reading: Does having a publicly visible Wi-Fi password add security compared to an open Wi-Fi hotspot?
http://ask-leo.com/C6409

Is it safe to use a mobile banking app over an open Wi-Fi connection?
Checking that all apps are doing it right is not feasible, but I set up a sniffer to verify that Gmail was using an https secure connection. The results?
Continue reading: Is it safe to use a mobile banking app over an open Wi-Fi connection?
http://ask-leo.com/C6410

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Word o' the Week

SSID

SSID is an acronym for Service Set IDentifier. More commonly, it's the "network name" that's assigned to a Wi-Fi wireless access point.

The SSID is typically broadcast by a Wi-Fi access point to announce its presence and to allow computer users to identify the access point and network that they might then connect to. Broadcasting the SSID is actually optional and can be used to keep a network from appearing in "nearby networks" types of lists.

Word o' the Week features a computer term or acronym taken from the Ask Leo! Glossary. If there's a word you're not sure of and would like to see defined, click here to let me know.

*** Featured Reader Comments

What password should I change on my router for security?

Andy writes:

The only thing I would say about the SSID is that hackers target routers with default SSIDs because they assume that if you haven't changed such a simple thing, you will most likely not have changed passwords either. As long as you've changed your passwords to something far from default and a strong password (if you're not sure, there's multiple password strength meters online) you should be fine, but it's always worth remembering and it's nice to customize the SSID anyway.

Can I remove all these updates listed in add/remove programs?

DSU writes:

CCleaner also allows you to remove the items from the list. I do that as part of my monthly running of CCleaner.

There's Just No Need to Hate Windows 8

John Browne writes:

Great article, Leo, as always. But a few things I've found via Win8 vs Win7 et al that you might not have bumped into yet.

Windows 8 Store apps (those that are represented by tiles in the Windows home page) only run as full screen or a fixed size "snapped" to another app. So this means two things: either you have one app visible or two. Period. And there's no options to resize them. So, for example, if you want to run Skype and Outlook and see both at the same time, you have very few options. For this you probably want to jump into the desktop and use the traditional version of these apps--but you'll have to find the "desktop" version of Skype, as the version that comes with Windows 8 is a Windows Store app only.

You'll also have to deal with the fact that even running Classic Shell (which I rely on completely) the charms menu will pop up when your mouse hits the side of the screen. You can cancel that behavior in the configuration of Classic Shell.

If you don't run Classic Shell and you're not using a touch-based computer you are hosed.

For me the good news is similar to what you found: under the hood Win8 is a great OS, fast, light, and robust. The UI, however, will drive you crazy if you've used Windows for any time at all. (Frankly, having used Win8RT on my Acer tablet for several months now, I'm less than awed with the touch experience compared to an iPad, but that's just my opinion).

*** Thoughts and Comments

For the past 10 years I've owned the domain ask-leo.com, and that's where Ask Leo! has lived it's happy little life.

Last year I was fortunate enough to be able to pick up askleo.com (the one without the dash). Since I got it I've had it simply redirecting to ask-leo.com so there was no real difference, and no matter what you used you got to where you thought you were going.

As of yesterday I turned that part off. askleo.com is where the new Ask Leo! will live.

Now, before you run out there to poke around (and you're welcome to do so), a couple of notes:

The look is not the new Ask Leo! design. The current look is simply me selecting and tweaking a Wordpress theme to look kinda-sorta enough like Ask Leo! that I'd be OK with it going public. It's actually the same look as answercast.askleo.com and newsletter.askleo.com.
Not everything is there. In fact, not everything will be there, but that's another discussion. For now a few articles have been duplicated out there to get a feel for how things will work. (The impact on how we put together the newsletter is pretty dramatic, for example.)
It's possible ... likely even ... that new articles will soon be posted only on the new site beginning in the very near future. That shouldn't affect you, as links will still link and the newsletter will still point to all the right places. It's just that the edges might be a little rough.
I do have a new look-and-feel being designed as we speak, so don't worry if the font's too small or the site doesn't look pretty enough, that should also change in the coming weeks.

Honestly I'm very excited to see this transition happen. While its mostly about making Ask Leo! a more professional looking site and helpful experience, the changes that you don't see, the changes on the back end that affect how we put things together are pretty darned cool as well.

So, as the disclaimer on askleo.com says, "Thanks for your patience."

See you next week,

Leo A. Notenboom
Facebook - Google+
YouTube - Twitter

*** Administration

Need more help with or have questions about the newsletter? Check out the newsletter administration page.

Newsletter contents Copyright © 2012,
Leo A. Notenboom & Puget Sound Software, LLC.
Ask Leo! is a registered trademark ® of Puget Sound Software, LLC

The post Ask Leo! #440 – Just how many bits do you need? Software Rot, Emptying the Trash and more… appeared first on The Ask Leo! Newsletter.

Ask Leo! #439 – Replacing my hard drive, flakey Bluetooth, how viruses spread and more…

Leo — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:00:29 +0000

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

Replacing An Old Hard Disk With a Solid State Drive (SSD)

Before I upgraded my primary desktop machine to Windows 8, I decided to replace its hard disk with a solid state drive.

There was no other reason than "wouldn't it be cool" to really drive my decision. The expectation was that certain operations on the upgraded machine would be faster.

As it turned out, my machine had plans of its own, and the timing of my upgrade honestly couldn't have been better.

Here's what I did.

Continue reading: Replacing An Old Hard Disk With a Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://ask-leo.com/C6389

* * *

*** Answercast

Answercast #102 - Quitting anti-malware protection, accessing protected files, flakey bluetooth, popping surveys and more...

Are survey popups or flakey bluetooth devices annoying you? Keep trying to go to a website that has a trojan or frustrated with a crashing Firefox? Wonder why you have such a long IP address? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Continue reading: Answercast #102 - Quitting anti-malware protection, accessing protected files, flakey bluetooth, popping surveys and more...

Does lapsed virus protection leave an open door for viruses?
Letting your anti-malware subscription lapse is never a good idea. I'll look at why that is, and the alternative you have.
Continue reading: Does lapsed virus protection leave an open door for viruses?
http://ask-leo.com/C6384

Firefox crashes and I can't uninstall it, how do I get it to work?
Problems with a program that won't install can be tricky. It's important to capture the exact wording of any error messages you are receiving.
Continue reading: Firefox crashes and I can't uninstall it, how do I get it to work?
http://ask-leo.com/C6400

Survey Pop Ups - Annoying Ad or Even More Annoying Spyware?
Survey's popping up on a website could be the result of programming on that site - or something more sinister.
Continue reading: Survey Pop Ups - Annoying Ad or Even More Annoying Spyware?
http://ask-leo.com/C6391

Why am I getting Object Errors on Windows 8 when I visit ESPN and Yahoo Sports?
My understanding is that the version of IE that you access from the Start menu is almost an Internet Explorer light... the full version is available elsewhere.
Continue reading: Why am I getting Object Errors on Windows 8 when I visit ESPN and Yahoo Sports?
http://ask-leo.com/C6393

Why Can't I Go To a URL that Avast Tells Me is Related to a Trojan Horse?
Sounds like Avast is doing its job and keeping you away from websites that are infected with a trojan.
Continue reading: Why Can't I Go To a URL that Avast Tells Me is Related to a Trojan Horse?
http://ask-leo.com/C6394

Why is Bluetooth Often so Flakey?
Bluetooth connections, when they work, are pretty darned cool. It would be great it if were a little bit more solid!
Continue reading: Why is Bluetooth Often so Flakey?
http://ask-leo.com/C6395

What's up with this IP address?
This IP address looks like both the IPv4 address and the IPv6 address that's been assigned to that particular network node.
Continue reading: What's up with this IP address?
http://ask-leo.com/C6396

How do I access a file on a hard drive from another Windows installation with restrictive permissions?
Windows is not Unix. What you need to be is the administrator on the machine that you have these disks installed on.
Continue reading: How do I access a file on a hard drive from another Windows installation with restrictive permissions?
http://ask-leo.com/C6397

Can a flash drive transmit a virus?
If there is malware on the flash drive, it could very well be in the files from that drive that you are copying to your computer.
Continue reading: Can a flash drive transmit a virus?
http://ask-leo.com/C6398

Can a virus spread over a local network?
Windows Firewall will protect your machine from other computers that share the "safe side" of the router.
Continue reading: Can a virus spread over a local network?
http://ask-leo.com/C6399

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Word o' the Week

netizen

A netizen is simply someone who is online in one form or another.

It's a play on the word "denizen" - "an inhabitant of a particular place", with "net" implying that the particular place being inhabited is the network or internet.

It might also be considered a play on the word "citizen", once again implying that a person is a "citizen" or resident of the internet, even though there's no such formal concept as internet citizenship.

Word o' the Week features a computer term or acronym taken from the Ask Leo! Glossary. If there's a word you're not sure of and would like to see defined, click here to let me know.

*** Featured Reader Comments

The Most Important Skill

Larry C writes:

I'm the IT guy at a community mental health center - we hire people-people, not geeks. I train incoming users to be skeptical of spam, etc. I point out that one of the most common traits of spam is poor grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Since I am the one who sends out e-mails from IT warning about this and that, I tell them I want them to know it is really from me (rather than a spoofed 'System Administrator). I point out that my writing style is inimitable, as I use humor - a lot of folks tell me that whenever they get an e-mail from me, they read it immediately; they know it will make them laugh. And I also train our folks to expect that my e-mails will have perfect spelling, grammar, and punctuation. If they do see an error, they should tell me about it, I want to learn.

I remember my 8th grade English teacher, Miss Tilly. She was somewhat grim and imposing, but here I am, 50 years later, saying she made a good mark on my life. Spelling counts!

Is 60 megabits per second too much bandwidth?

Mike W writes:

I am running with Verizon fios. I just went to speedtest.net. Results: Download speed = 24.58 Mbps Upload speed = 5.45 Mbps Leo are you sure your download speed is only 3Mps? If true then can you change to another ISP for a faster internet service?

Trust me when I say I have looked. My neighborhood is not wired for FiOS, and also not wired for cable, so those two options are out. DSL is an option, but because our neighborhood was one of the first to get DSL years ago, it now has some of the oldest operating DSL equipment and as a result there are no modems available. I'm pestering the telephone company to upgrade.

-Leo

How do I determine, not reset, the Windows administrator password?

Mark J writes:

I personally think that the most common reason someone would want to determine the account password without resetting it, would be to crack into someone else's account. Otherwise, resetting should be a workable solution.

*** Thoughts and Comments

I told you that I "played" during my sabbatical. This week's article Replacing An Old Hard Disk With a Solid State Drive (SSD) wasn't a research project it at all. It was me playing. Honest.

Fortunately, sometimes playing pays off. Not just in more things I can share on Ask Leo!, but sometimes actually saving my bacon. I didn't start out needing to replace the drive, but as I dove in I realized ... I had to.

Fortunately all's well and good once again.

See you next week,

Leo A. Notenboom
Facebook - Google+
YouTube - Twitter

*** Administration

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http://ask-leo.com/subscriber

and submit your question there. That's for newsletter subscribers only, and puts all newsletter subscriber questions at the head of the line.

That form is the best way to get an answer. (This article explains why.)

Newsletter Subscriber Benefits (only mentioned here)

Visit http://ask-leo.com/subscriber to submit your comments and questions and get to the top of the question queue.
Coupon code NEWS20 gets you 20% off everything in the Puget Sound Software Store, where you'll find my books and other Ask Leo! related merchandise. That coupon code changes from time to time, so be sure to check here each week.

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The post Ask Leo! #439 – Replacing my hard drive, flakey Bluetooth, how viruses spread and more… appeared first on The Ask Leo! Newsletter.

Ask Leo! #438 – No need to hate Windows 8, Outlook.com on the other hand, my use of cookies and more…

Leo — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:00:00 +0000

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

There's Just No Need to Hate Windows 8

During my recent two-month sabbatical, I took the opportunity to do a few things that I'd been putting off.

One of those things was to upgrade my main machine - a nearly five-year-old, quad-core desktop with eight gigabytes of RAM - to Windows 8. Not a dual boot. Not a "try it in a virtual machine." No, this was a commitment. I did this with the intent to completely commit to Windows 8 moving forward and suffer through whatever it is that I'd been hearing of from people for the previous few months.

I was deeply disappointed.

Not by Windows 8. With only a couple of exceptions, it's been great.

Instead, I'm disappointed by all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth that I've been hearing from readers and in the tech press.

If you're good with Windows 7, then you can be just fine with Windows 8. Mostly because, Windows 8 essentially is Windows 7.

I can hear heads exploding already. Let me explain.

Continue reading: There's Just No Need to Hate Windows 8
http://ask-leo.com/C6378

* * *

*** Answercast

Answercast #101 - Hating Outlook.com, tracking cookies, crashing flash, cloud backup, Google Talk and more...

Are you wondering about Google Talk or cloud backups? Want to copy USB drives or avoid tracking cookies? Do you hate outlook.com or thinking of getting a new laptop? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Continue reading: Answercast #101 - Hating Outlook.com, tracking cookies, crashing flash, cloud backup, Google Talk and more...

How can I switch back to the old Hotmail from Outlook.com?
If it is still possible to switch back to Hotmail... it won't be available for long. If you really hate it, you might want to consider changing programs.
Continue reading: How can I switch back to the old Hotmail from Outlook.com?
http://ask-leo.com/C6380

Which laptop is best?
The best laptop is the one that will fit your needs. To decide what you want you'll need to first look at how you'll use it.
Continue reading: Which laptop is best?
http://ask-leo.com/C6381

Why am I getting tracking cookies from your site?
"Tracking" cookies from most sites aren't that bad, and usually not tracking you personally. They are there to help with your user experience.
Continue reading: Why am I getting tracking cookies from your site?
http://ask-leo.com/C6382

Why does Flash keep crashing in Firefox, but work fine in Chrome and IE?
Flash crashing in Firefox means something is wrong with either Flash or Firefox. We'll take an investigative approach to get running again.
Continue reading: Why does Flash keep crashing in Firefox, but work fine in Chrome and IE?
http://ask-leo.com/C6385

Is cloud backup a reasonable alternative to an external hard drive?
Cloud backup vs. backing up to an external drive isn't really a debate. You may want to do both!
Continue reading: Is cloud backup a reasonable alternative to an external hard drive?
http://ask-leo.com/C6386

How do I move all emails of a certain year to a folder?
Moving emails to a folder for storage depends on which email program you are using. First you sort them...
Continue reading: How do I move all emails of a certain year to a folder?
http://ask-leo.com/C6387

Is Google Talk a good thing?
Google Talk is a way to talk with other people on their computers. That's good if you want to do it and don't already have an alternative service.
Continue reading: Is Google Talk a good thing?
http://ask-leo.com/C6388

Can I copy one USB drive to another without using a computer?
Copying a USB drive without a computer is unlikely. Even a USB duplication device will need to be some sort of computer.
Continue reading: Can I copy one USB drive to another without using a computer?
http://ask-leo.com/C6390

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*** Word o' the Week

TL;DR

TL;DR is a simple acronym for the phrase "Too long; didn't read".

It's often used as a slightly snarky introduction to a short or pithy summary of a longer post or article for those that don't have the time, desire or perhaps the attention-span to read the entire work.

Technically it's somewhat backwards, in that the phrase "too long; didn't read" would be stated by a potential reader, but recognizing that some authors have elected to use it in this summary fashion.

Word o' the Week features a computer term or acronym taken from the Ask Leo! Glossary. If there's a word you're not sure of and would like to see defined, click here to let me know.

*** Featured Reader Comments

How do I go back to Windows 7?

snert writes:

Mr. Leo, what are you running on your most-used computer? I'm still with XP Pro, because if it works, it don't need fixed, but I be curious as to what you run. You run a business, I'm just a home-user. I don't feel I need to up-grade when what I'm using works. Ok, XP is out the door as far as Micro$oft is concerned, but it works for me, and I've made my system as bullet-proof as possible - anything downloaded sits in Sanboxie until I decide. It's MY computer and it does what I want it to do, or I'll turn the damned thing off and go read a book. I trust your advice but nobody is right all the time. Ignore this at your own peril!!! I had to say what I had to say and I feel like I might have wasted your time, but... Thanks for listening.

I actually run several machines. My primary desktop runs Windows 7, and has for a long time. I'm seriously considering upgrading it to Windows 8 in the not-to-distant future. My old PC laptop ran Windows 7 for a very long time as well, as did my wife's laptop - even longer, in fact. Hardware issues and age on both laptops dictated it was time to replace them and I opted to use Macs for both, so when I travel I now bring my MacBook Pro. On top of what I've described so far I have two additional machines running Windows 7, and two running Ubuntu Linux. I no longer have any machines running Windows XP, and don't feel the loss at all.

-Leo

What's in it for the creators of malware?

Ken B writes:

Or, as we tell people who tell us "I have nothing on my computer worth stealing -- I don't bank online with it, I don't buy things online, I have no personal information on it":

"Your computer's internet connection is worth stealing."

CHKDSK: What is it and how do I run it?

andré writes:

maybe a weird question but why do i need to put a space between chkdsk and the parameter. it works okay without it for me... just saying, because a lot of some people stress the point of putting a space in between without feeling the need to further explain that.
thx

It signifies the boundary between the command (chkdsk) and the parameters to that command (/f, for example). In some situations without the space windows might look to run "chkdsk/f.exe" which doesn't exist - what should be run is "chkdsk.exe" with a parameter of "/f". I haven't checked it out specifically but the command processor may have gotten smarter about this over time.

-Leo

*** Thoughts and Comments

It's been a busy time since I got back. I have lots of new things to play with, I've made several decisions relating to the site, I've started to deal with ramifications of those decisions (there are always ramifications ), and so on.

The most visible new thing that you may, or may not have seen, are that newsletter and answercast archives have each been moved to their own domain:

http://newsletter.askleo.com now houses all the back issues of the Ask Leo! newsletter from day 1 (November 18, 2005 for those curious).
http://answercast.askleo.com now houses all the answercast audio recordings.

The look of those will change at some point, but the organizational change has been a big part of getting ready for more changes on the Ask Leo! site itself.

Part of that is a new, more professional looking design for the site. I hope to have that in place in the coming few weeks.

Meanwhile the questions and answers have resumed.

On top of that I'm sharing some of my own experiences. As you can see from the first article in this issue, I had some fun over my sabbatical, and came to a startling and unexpected conclusion. Yep, when it comes to Windows 8 I don't get all the fuss.

See you next week,

Leo A. Notenboom
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and submit your question there. That's for newsletter subscribers only, and puts all newsletter subscriber questions at the head of the line.

That form is the best way to get an answer. (This article explains why.)

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Visit http://ask-leo.com/subscriber to submit your comments and questions and get to the top of the question queue.
Coupon code NEWS20 gets you 20% off everything in the Puget Sound Software Store, where you'll find my books and other Ask Leo! related merchandise. That coupon code changes from time to time, so be sure to check here each week.

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The post Ask Leo! #438 – No need to hate Windows 8, Outlook.com on the other hand, my use of cookies and more… appeared first on The Ask Leo! Newsletter.

Ask Leo! #437 – He’s Back! Letting your neighbor share your WiFi, cookies, keyloggers, clipboards and more…

Leo — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:00:32 +0000

*** Featured

If I let my neighbor share my WiFi, can they see my network traffic?

I have a home network with three computers (two desktops connected with ethernet cables to a Linksys router; laptop is wireless). The wireless signal is encrypted and I gave my next-door neighbors my network key so they can wirelessly connect just to check email, do banking, etc. They are not on my home network, but can they still see where I am surfing (such as my bank site with passcodes, etc.)?

Let me, at least, make one important correction to what you've described:

If you give someone access to your wireless access point, you have given them access to your home network.

They're on it.

Now, what they can see depends on a number of things but to be blunt...

I hope you trust them.

Continue reading: If I let my neighbor share my WiFi, can they see my network traffic?
http://ask-leo.com/C2395

* * *

*** Answercast

Answercast #100 - Stuttering music, blank email drafts, clipboard warnings, fooling keyloggers and more...

Ever wonder why you are getting clipboard notices or why websites like to put stuff on your computer? Need to know if you can remove updates or fool keyloggers with Lastpass? Finding blank messages in your drafts folder? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Continue reading: Answercast #100 - Stuttering music, blank email drafts, clipboard warnings, fooling keyloggers and more...
http://ask-leo.com/C6368

Why do some sites ask to store information on my machine?
Sites download information onto your hard drive to create a smooth user experience. There is a simple action that will solve the whole problem.
Continue reading: Why do some sites ask to store information on my machine?
http://ask-leo.com/C6369

Can I remove all these updates listed in add/remove programs?
Removing updates from "Add-Remove Programs" would be a bad idea. You would be removing updates that your system needs to run smoothly and safely.
Continue reading: Can I remove all these updates listed in add/remove programs?
http://ask-leo.com/C6370

Can I move this green block of files in disk defragmenter?
A green bar in disk defragmenter shows files on the hard drive that cannot be moved. Usually nothing to worry about.
Continue reading: Can I move this green block of files in disk defragmenter?
http://ask-leo.com/C6371

Will Roboform or Lastpass bypass keyloggers?
A password tool may bypass a few keyloggers - but that's no reason to use it. You should be thinking of your overall computer and account safety.
Continue reading: Will Roboform or Lastpass bypass keyloggers?
http://ask-leo.com/C6372

Is a longer password of repeating characters more secure than a short password made up of random characters?
A longer password of repeating characters is more secure than a short complicated password. They are not cracked letter by letter.
Continue reading: Is a longer password of repeating characters more secure than a short password made up of random characters?
http://ask-leo.com/C6373

Why might streaming music play only with starts and stops?
Music that starts and stops while streaming indicates some resource is overloaded. We'll check for overloads on both the internet and locally on your computer.
Continue reading: Why might streaming music play only with starts and stops?
http://ask-leo.com/C6374

Why are blank messages showing up in my Hotmail Drafts folder?
Blank messages in your drafts folder don't necessarily indicate a hacker. There could be a less nefarious explanation.
Continue reading: Why are blank messages showing up in my Hotmail Drafts folder?
http://ask-leo.com/C6375

Why am I asked about putting a lot of things on the clipboard? And what's a clipboard?
A message saying you have lots of things on the clipboard is common and nothing to worry about. It's simply managing the information you have copied into memory.
Continue reading: Why am I asked about putting a lot of things on the clipboard? And what's a clipboard?
http://ask-leo.com/C6376

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Featured Comments

Has LastPass had a security breach?

chovy writes:

I don't believe lastpass is that secure. I use it for firefox and it supposedly encrypts the password locally and then stores that value on the server. HOWEVER - I then logged into my lastpass.com account in safari and was able to see all my passwords. SO they absolutely can decrypt your data on their server, I used no plugin in Safari. I think its totally possible they could get hacked, or be compelled to release passwords w/ a court order.

They did NOT decrypt on the server. The encrypted information was downloaded into Safari, and decrypted there, on your PC. Lastpass remains safe.

-Leo

What's in it for the creators of malware?

Mike writes:

I think there is one other noteworthy category, namely sophisticated malware that is used to spy on organizations and governments and cause major trouble, such as Stuxnet, Flame and recently Red October. I'm not sure how widespread they are, but one of the concerns with them is that if that kind of sophisticated software ends up in the wrong hands, it could perhaps be used to make malware even more malicious.

Espionage is overrated. :-) That's not to say it doesn't exist, just that the average computer user is impacted much more by more pedestrian money-making efforts.

-Leo

*** Thoughts and Comments

I'm back!

Or, rather, I'm in the process of ramping up the engine that is Ask Leo!, and getting back in the saddle.

Rather then make this newsletter even longer, I have a write-up of my sabbatical, how it wasn't really a sabbatical and ultimately why the very future of Ask Leo! was at risk. Yep, I needed to take some time away to assess my priorities and desires. You'll find it here: Leo's 2013 Sabbatical Results.

Don't bother reading that if all you want is tech help, news and information - I won't be offended. This is more about Ask Leo! behind the scenes, and why I do what I do.

(The TL;DR version: Ask Leo! will continue, the newsletter stays weekly, quality will hopefully improve and eventually the site will get better looking.)

As I said, I'm back but ramping things back up, so today's newsletter still contains a featured article which is a selection from The Best of Ask Leo!, and a new Answercast, pre-recorded before I left.

Leo A. Notenboom
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The post Ask Leo! #437 – He’s Back! Letting your neighbor share your WiFi, cookies, keyloggers, clipboards and more… appeared first on The Ask Leo! Newsletter.

Ask Leo! #436 – Removing yourself from Google, malware traces, router passwords, Internal RAM sticks and more…

Leo — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:00:00 +0000

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

How do I remove myself from the search engines?

It was unwise of me to take part and put in my name in some guestbooks. I'd like to remove my information from the search results of the major search engines: Google, Yahoo, and so forth. I tried in vain to contact the webmasters of those sites. I'm becoming fussier about that and it's getting more awkward as far as my profession is concerned. Would you please assist me in dealing with this problem?

Search engines are amazing. They've collected and indexed billions of pages of information out on the internet. And while we think of Google, Yahoo, MSN, and other name brand search engines, the reality is that there are hundred of search engines that could all be indexing pages on the web.

Getting into the search engines is not terribly difficult. Getting out? The news is not good.

Continue reading: How do I remove myself from the search engines?
http://ask-leo.com/C2450

* * *

*** Answercast

Answercast #99 - Reliable hard drives, bigger memory, traces of malware, security of Skype and more...

Do you think hard drives are getting more reliable, or less? Want to change your router password or perform a malware scan offline? Ever wonder about the traces left by malware removal or the security of your Skype calls? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Continue reading: Answercast #99 - Reliable hard drives, bigger memory, traces of malware, security of Skype and more...
http://ask-leo.com/C6358

Are hard drives getting more reliable?
Drives are getting bigger, but are they more reliable? That's a hard question.
Continue reading: Are hard drives getting more reliable?
http://ask-leo.com/C6359

Are bigger internal memory or RAM sticks faster then those with less capacity?
Bigger RAM sticks only matter if they help add up the overall total internal RAM in a computer. Get the most you can!
Continue reading: Are bigger internal memory or RAM sticks faster then those with less capacity?
http://ask-leo.com/C6360

What password should I change on my router for security?
Routers have several usernames and passwords. One is very important to change for network security.
Continue reading: What password should I change on my router for security?
http://ask-leo.com/C6361

Do I need to be online to perform anti-malware scans or backups?
An internet connection is not required for anti-malware scans and backups, but it is required to keep your software up-to-date.
Continue reading: Do I need to be online to perform anti-malware scans or backups?
http://ask-leo.com/C6362

Does minimizing the time data is spent in use improve security?
Improving data security is best done by keeping anti-malware scans up to date, and practicing safe internet policy.
Continue reading: Does minimizing the time data is spent in use improve security?
http://ask-leo.com/C6363

Is Skype recording my private video calls?
Skype calls are probably private and secure. Skype is encrypted and you don't need to worry about someone in the middle sniffing your conversation.
Continue reading: Is Skype recording my private video calls?
http://ask-leo.com/C6364

Why do some Android apps need so many permissions?
Android app sometimes legitimately need services from your phone. But it's always good to use some caution in giving out permissions.
Continue reading: Why do some Android apps need so many permissions?
http://ask-leo.com/C6365

What does it mean when "traces" are left behind from malware removal?
Traces of malware could be left in various places on a computer after a virus or spyware infection. First thing: don't panic!
Continue reading: What does it mean when "traces" are left behind from malware removal?
http://ask-leo.com/C6366

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Featured Comments

How should I password protect an external drive?

Tom R. writes:

Right now I'm using a Linux Mint box connected to a portable hard drive that I encrypted with Truecrypt using a Win 7 machine. Truecrypt is totally the way to go.

How do I fix "Windows Installer not working" after I ran a registry cleaner?

bob price writes:

Exported my reg and it's 380mb. So, deleting even thousands of strings from the reg with a cleaner is equivalent to snipping off a small corner of page 257 of the Sunday edition of the LA Times.

Over the years, I've run full diagnostic performance tests before and after running cleaners. Zero improvement. Complete waste and high risk.

*** Thoughts and Comments

I'm on sabbatical this week. Today's newsletter contains a featured article which is a selection from The Best of Ask Leo!, and a new Answercast, pre-recorded before I left.

I'll be back on April 1st, 2013.

Leo A. Notenboom
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The post Ask Leo! #436 – Removing yourself from Google, malware traces, router passwords, Internal RAM sticks and more… appeared first on The Ask Leo! Newsletter.