internet

Fri
21
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

The Hidden Dangers Your Kids Face on MySpace, Part 2

In a previous article, I detailed the hidden dangers your kids face on MySpace.com . Specifically: the web site's age verification system requires no proof, thus making it easier for sexual predators to access your child's personal information. Just ... recently, MySpace landed itself in a lawsuit. A 14-year-old girl has sued the company because she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old man who lied about his age and status on his MySpace.com profile in order to "gain access" to her web page. According to the lawsuit, MySpace has "absolutely no meaningful protections or security measures to ... (view more)

Wed
19
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Firewalls: Definition

A firewall is a barrier to keep destructive forces away from your computer. In fact, that's why it's called a firewall. Its job is similar to a physical firewall that keeps a fire from spreading from one area to the next. Firewalls use one or more ... of three methods to control traffic flowing in and out of the network: Packet filtering: Packets (small chunks of data) are analyzed against a set of filters. Packets that make it through the filters are sent to the requesting system and all others are discarded. Proxy service: Information from the Internet is retrieved through the firewall and then ... (view more)

Thu
13
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

A Continent Connected: The (Slow) Rise of WiFi

As North America becomes increasingly dependent on the Internet, WiFi is becoming a household term across the continent. City planners are building WiFi into future plans, and in many U.S. cities wireless Internet can be reached from the average ... cafe. What is WiFi, exactly? The name WiFi was originally coined by the company WiFi Alliance as a descriptor of its Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). However, as wireless technology and the name itself have become so popular, WiFi is no longer a licensed term, and it even appears in recent versions of Webster's dictionary. By engaging anything ... (view more)

Wed
12
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

'Private Folder', and 'Internet Ok'

Private Folder Microsoft Private Folder 1.0 is a useful tool for you to protect your private data when your friends, colleagues, kids or other people share your PC or account. With this tool, you will get one password protected folder called 'My ... Private Folder' in your account to save your personal files. The following hardware and software are required to run Microsoft Private Folder 1.0: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Professional Edition and Media Center Edition with SP2, Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor. Please note: Microsoft Private Folder 1.0 is ... (view more)

Fri
19
May
Dennis Faas's picture

'Internet Logger', and 'Easy 2 Share'

Internet Logger Save both incoming and outgoing Internet traffic (all data sent or received by browser) on the hard drive for future use. http://www.softx.org/internet-logger.html Easy 2 Share Sharing files between computers can be daunting even for ... experienced PC users. It doesn't help that Windows scatters the menus and wizards you need for networking seemingly at random all over the operating system. GlobeSoft has created easy2share to alleviate many of the technical issues and to overcome the apprehension around sharing information between computers connected through a network or ad hoc ... (view more)

Wed
17
May
Dennis Faas's picture

WinOptimizer Platinum Suite 3 Review

One of my all-time favorite multi-purpose optimization utility programs just got a major update. Of course, I'm talking about the release of WinOptimizer Platinum version 3: and there's plenty to talk about. To recap: What is WinOptimizer Platinum? ... For years, millions of users have depended on Ashampoo's award-winning WinOptimizer series to keep their PCs clean and running smoothly and efficiently. As one user put it, "[WinOptimizer Platinum 3] gives you all the maintenance tools that should have been included with Windows in the first place. And it's all so easy to use, you don't need a ... (view more)

Thu
11
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Trace the Origin of Email: Visually

Infopackets Reader 'Jennifer' writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently received an email from an unknown person via Yahoo. I think I understand how the email got to me but I'm not sure. Would the email headers help to tell me this? I'd really like to know ... how this person sent me the email. Can you help? " My response: To sum it up the answer briefly: email headers are often forged by spammers, so it's plausible that the email you received came from somewhere else (other than what is stated in the email header). Having said that, most big-name ISP (Internet Service Providers) have an onslaught of ... (view more)

Sat
22
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Block Remote User from Probing my PC?

Infopackets Reader "Jessie" writes: " Dear Dennis, I play Yahoo pinochle quite often. Someone recently told me that they could track my ISP from inside the game room; I assume this could be done by clicking on my name while I'm in the game room. ... What kind of program would they use so that I can block my ISP to it and/or track their ISP? Thank you. " My response: Just to clarify: ISP means Internet Service Provider. For example: Bell Sympatico provides DSL Internet access to its customers. On the other hand: IP means Internet Protocol. Additionally, an IP Address is a number (like a "mailing ... (view more)

Wed
05
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

'Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar', and 'Drive Rescue'

Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar From Microsoft, the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar provides a variety of tools for quickly creating, understanding, and troubleshooting Web pages. This version is a preview release and behavior may change in ... the final release. http://www.microsoft.com Drive Rescue Drive Rescue is a program for exploring your hard disk, and locating lost files on it. The idea for this program originated from processing a disk with Scandisk which suddenly contains "no data." Since off-the-shelf Windows methods could not recover any data in this type of scenario ... (view more)

Wed
08
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

Windows Lives beyond Your Computer in 'Web 2.0'

The world of 'the Internet' versus 'computer users' (realized as separate entities) is amazing, but I've found that attitudes on both sides tend to polarize folks. For example, you have The Browser Wars: Internet Explorer vs Netscape with Firefox as ... the latest Mozilla contender and Opera watching from the wings with an aloof cultured shrug; or The Operating System Wars: Apple vs PCs (IBM and clones), Windows vs Linux (pick your distro); add to this, GTalk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, Trillian ... and your head starts to get dizzy. From my seat over here in the Old Newbie corner, I ... (view more)

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