Security

Infopackets Reader Bill S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just finished reading your article on how important it is to maintain a clean System Registry in order to achieve optimal PC performance. I have a question for you: I have two computers (one with ... Windows XP and the other with Windows 98); the Windows XP computer has a feature called "system restore" which automatically reverts my System Registry to a previously working state [in case I get attacked with Spyware, for example] ... however, my Windows 98 PC doesn't have the system restore feature. My question is: how can I backup ... (view more)

Commenting on yesterday's article concerning How to track down and report a Hacker , Infopackets Reader Robert M. writes: " I read yesterday's article with great interest; however, I noticed that you did not really define the different types of ... Hackers that are out there. I'd like to briefly comment on that, with some definitions I've come across. Hacker: While there are *many* different definitions of the term 'Hacker', Google's #1 answer reads, "[Hacker]: a slang term for a computer enthusiast. Among professional programmers, the term hacker implies an amateur or a programmer who ... (view more)

Happy Birthday to me! Today, I turn 30. Special thanks to those folks who noted my Birthday pre-announcement in the "today in History" section in Yesterday's newsletter. And now getting on with today's question, Infopackets Reader Roberta W. writes: ... " Dear Dennis, I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to report a hacker that has been trying to hack in to my computer. I have 3 firewalls and plenty of antivirus software installed on my computer. I keep getting messages that dav.bay0.hotmail.com is 'sniffing' my communication ports, and is attempting to send me ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Woodstock216' writes: " Dear Dennis, Can you please tell me how to erase all the info that Windows stores automatically? Example: when I visit a web page, sometimes Windows will store the web site address so that I do not have to ... retype it all the time ... or when I fill in my email address, name, phone, etc on a web site? I have no clue where to even look to try to find this. Help! " My response: This is a frequently asked question. What you are referring to is called MRU history, which also refers to "Most Recently Used" information. Two of my all- ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Richard D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've read on some web sites that people are using more than one Spyware scanner on their systems for an added layer of protection. In a similar respect, is it safe to run two virus protection ... programs at once? Can there be any conflicts? " My response: Both Spyware and Virus scanners operate using the same type of mechanism: a database of 'signatures', which are used to recognize infected or suspicious files on your system. The reason why some people choose to scan their systems twice is simply because not all Spyware databases ... (view more)

Recall -- Last week , Jim W. asked if there was a way he could install the latest updates to Windows at the same time as installing Windows to a freshly formatted PC: " I find myself frequently formatting / reinstalling Windows for many of my ... clients (because their copy of Windows is too messed up to attempt any type of quick-fix). When I do a reinstall, there is often a ton of Windows updates I need to download, regardless of which Windows Operating System I'm working with. Is there any way I can consolidate steps and somehow integrate Windows Updates into a fresh install of Windows? ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jim W. writes: " Dear Dennis, As a computer professional, I enjoy your newsletter a lot because I learn so much from it, and the information is usually relevant to me and a lot of my clients. Now, I'd like to ask you this. I find ... myself frequently formatting / reinstalling Windows for many of my clients (because their copy of Windows is too messed up to attempt any type of quick-fix). When I do a reinstall, there is often a ton of Windows updates I need to download, regardless of which Windows Operating System I'm working with. Is there any way I can consolidate steps ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Richard G. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thank you for your newsletter, as it helps a 'silver surfer' like me to get by with the day-to-day computing tasks. My problem is that Bargain Buddy has somehow managed to find its way onto my ... computer and now I've got advertising PopUps coming out the wahoo. Worse yet, I can't seem to remove / uninstall it successfully from my system. I have tried all sorts of downloads that say they can remove the bugger, but when I do another Spyware scan, the darn thing is still there! Any help will be greatly appreciated and I am pretty sure I'm ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Kathy O. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am getting ready to build a new computer and plan to put Windows XP Home Edition with XP Service Pack 1, although I have already ordered the XP Service Pack 2 CD from Microsoft. As it stands now, ... I will be running both computers from my LinkSys router; however, I was told by a friend that I would need to turn off Windows XP's firewall from the Control Panel after I install Service Pack 2. Is this true? And also, is it necessary to apply XP Service Pack 2 since my router acts like a firewall? If so, should I disable the Windows Firewall ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Dirk J. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm a bit confused about the outcome of scans performed by 'Registry Mechanic' and 'RegSeeker'. RegSeeker always finds more than 50 'problems' even if Registry Mechanic has done it's job and ... corrected the 'problems' it found. Does this mean that a program like RegSeeker is more thorough than Registry Mechanic -- or does it just work in a different way? It reminds me of identical differences in the outcome of spy scans by Spybot and AdAware. Thank you for being a such a beacon in the IT jungle. " My response: I get asked similar ... (view more)