Security

Infopackets Reader Bob T. write s: " Dear Dennis, First of all, thanks for all the great info. I have a security question for windows. With all the security I have, such as a firewall, and virus protection, I thought I was pretty safe when online. ... However, the other day I stumbled upon a web site that had the contents of my hard drive revealed to me through a link. The software is called Spy Detect . This is from a security firm that is selling software to stop this sort of thing from happening. I would like to know -- is my computer at risk? " My Response: This is a scam that preys ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Diane K. asks, " How can I uninstall Hotbar? It is now an integral part of my Internet Explorer. PS: Thanks for your great newsletter. " My Response: First things first: Hotbar is Adware [now more commonly known as 'Spyware']. It ... explicitly states so on their web site, although, you have to "read their terms of agreement". There are three methods you can use to uninstall Hotbar: 1. Try to uninstall it from your system using Add / Remove programs in the Control Panel; if it isn't listed there, look for an Uninstall program in the Program Files (Start - ... (view more)

With regards to the last issue of the Gazettte newsletter, I received many responses. Here's a few more workarounds: Infopackets Reader Chris B. writes: " As you suggest in the last newsletter, Using the Internet Explorer Unsafe File List to Filter ... E-mail Attachments: Start Outlook Express, and then on the Tools menu, click Options. Click the Security tab, and then click to select the Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus check box under Virus Protection. This option is not enabled by default. If you enable this option, Outlook Express uses the ... (view more)

What's a software crack? A "crack" -- as it is commonly referred to -- is program that removes copy protection from software. Commonly, cracks are used on software applications and games that would otherwise require an unlock code or registration to ... continue using the software. Windows XP Service Pack 1 was released September 9th, 2002 Yep, that's right. The big bad Service Pack that the world has been waiting for has finally been released. It promises to fix all those nasty bugs that plague Windows XP and make it a lot more stable. Will it fix my GeForce NVidia MX400 video driver ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Joyce J. write s: " Dear Dennis, Outlook Express keeps telling me that it has 'removed access to the following unsafe attachments in your mail: Fw_ (and it lists the subject).' Now I cannot gain access to the email. I've just ... started having this problem about a week ago after installing the MS02-047: August 22, 2002, Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer ( Q323759 ). I sure don't want any virus but these are e-mails from people I know and trust. I have McAfee firewall Plus and VirusScan Online and never have received this message before. Has anyone else received this ... (view more)

This past Sunday, I loaded up Outlook Express only to find that my Inbox was flooded with emails from people that I didn't know, inviting me to install a "cool" screen saver which was conveniently file-attached to the email. The email messages ... varied in topic. Most of the file attachments ended in .SCR, some of them ended in .EXE. How nice. Of course, I know better than to open an email attachment from someone I don't know, because 99.999% of the time it contains a virus. If you know a little bit about computers, you might know that a file that has the extension .SCR is generally a ... (view more)

Windows 2000 users have a reason to jump for joy -- Microsoft has recently released Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3). What is a Service Pack (SP)? If you're new to Windows or have never heard of a Windows Service Pack -- it's a major software ... release which makes Windows more stable. Software fixes generally include: resolved security breaches, compatibility issues, bug fixes, and the like. Generally speaking, a HotFix is a downloadable program that resolves a recently discovered exploit in the Windows Operating system. A HotFix is also referred to as a "software patch", and can ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Christine R. write s: " Dear Dennis, I do not know a lot about Internet Explorer, so I wanted to know why is it that my firewall will not let me browse the Internet unless I give permission to Windows Explorer to access the Net? ... If I say "No" when permission is requested, it comes up 'unable to connect to that site', which leaves me with the only way to browse the site by clicking on "Yes." I have uninstalled and reinstalled the firewall and tried everything I know, but to no avail. So now I'm asking your opinion, as I am worried that if my Windows ... (view more)

Woops! It looks like Microsoft has goofed again. If you haven't been watching the news lately (maybe you don't get CNN?) -- Microsoft has released a security bulletin ( Q320920 ) regarding a critical flaw in Windows Media Player which can allow an ... attacker to gain unrestricted access to your system. Who is affected? Anyone who is using Windows Media Player version 6.4, 7.1 or Windows Media Player for Windows XP (version 8) should download a software patch to their system immediately. Side note: A software patch is piece of software that fixes a program (which is also software). In this case, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sarah M. write s: " Dear Dennis, Alas, I left my boyfriend home alone with the computer and he downloaded Morpheus to find some songs. He then uninstalled it because he knew I didn't like the 'spyware' that comes with it from ... Brilliant Digital and figured I could clean up the residue it left. Well, I don't know what's going on, but running in our system tray is a little icon that looks like a gold coin with a $ on it. The coin says that it is the Morpheus Shopping Club. If you click on it, it will take you to a website for the club. You can also right-click and choose ... (view more)