Jim's Column for 2/28/05
I have thousands of e-mails and a guilty conscience, so let’s get right to the answers.
Q. I heard Yahoo was using cookies to track what people do on the Web, not only on their site but other sites. Is that true or a myth?
A. It’s actually true. Yahoo is using something called “web beacons”, or a “super cookie” that tracks not only where its users go on the Yahoo network but also tracks where they go outside of the Yahoo network using a persistent file on the hard drive. Note that you have to have a Yahoo account to be tracked. If you want to opt-out of this tracking, log in to your Yahoo account then go to
http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy Scroll down to the section about cookies. You will see the words “web beacons” as a highlighted item. Click on that. That will bring up another page and you’ll see the phrase “outside the Yahoo network.” There you will see a small link to “click to opt-out.” Click on that.
That brings up a confirmation page saying you are now opted-out. STOP. If you click the normal looking confirmation button on the page, you will opt yourself back in. (Yahoo is learning sneaky tricks from spyware folks on how to trick people into clicking the wrong buttons.) Close the page using the X and if you trust Yahoo, you can consider yourself opted out.
Frankly I would never sign up for one of these free accounts any more using a real name or any real personal information. Nothing is free any more.
Q. I downloaded Firefox and am using it. I like it a lot. Should I delete Internet Explorer or just let it be?
A. Well, you really can’t delete Internet Explorer even if you wanted to. Parts of it are entangled in Windows, so you’re stuck with it. However, you need to keep it. As good as Firefox is, you will come across certain Web sites where it won’t work. (My online bank and the online version of Quickbooks are two that I have come across that do not support Firefox.). I would keep using Firefox if it meets your needs and keep IE around for sites that absolutely require it. Eventually as other browsers like Firefox and Safari get more popular, sites will learn they have to design to the html standards and not to Microsoft’s.
Q. I saw where you recommended Microsoft’s Anti-Spyware tool. I saw it was a beta product, should I be worried? Also what about that genuine Windows test? Is that a problem?
A. It’s not really in beta in that sense because Microsoft bought a fully-working product. I would install it and use it given that it is free. It is yet another tool in the arsenal; it won’t solve all your problems but it can help. As for the genuine software test, Microsoft is starting to require that updates go only to legal copies of Windows. Type in your activation code and the Web site will verify your copy is legit. For a limited time you also can just decline and also download the software, too.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Go to
www.mozilla.org to download Firefox, the new browser, and some cool plug ins. I have one that tells me, right on my browser, if Abe Vigoda is still alive or not.
James Derk is co-owner of Cyberdads, a computer repair firm, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail is
jim@cyderdads.com
Jim's Column for 2/20/05
Tidbits from the computer file fill the space today, including at least one you will find interesting or your money back.
---I got a sample copy of an upcoming magazine in the mail the other day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Called “Make,” the magazine (sized and shaped more like a small book) is aimed at geeks, hackers, tinkerers and those who like to make things with their hands.
The inaugural issue has features on how to make your own Steadicam for your camcorder, how to make an aerial photography rig using popsicle sticks, Silly Putty and a kite and how to camouflage your car so you can park in loading zones, among many more.
Initially to be published quarterly, the concept is slick, the magazine is just the right size (about 7 x 9 inches) and is deftly written and edited. My only complaint is the price…at $15 cover price or a subscription price of 4 copies for $35, the magazine costs about twice what it should to be a real success.
You can see a sample of the content, a few downloadable stories and participate in their blog at
http://make.oreilly.com/ ---If you own one of the early Xbox consoles, Microsoft has launched a voluntary recall of the power cord. If your unit was made before Oct. 23, 2003, you need a new one. You can check your manufacture date by looking at the sticker on the bottom of your Xbox. Take that info and your serial number to
www.xbox.com and Microsoft will mail you a new cord for free.
---Speaking of recalls, Dell still is trying to locate thousands of power adapters for laptops for free replacement. The models affected include: Latitude CP, CPi, CPiA, CPtC, CPiR, CPxH, CPtV, CS, CSx, CPxJ, CPtS, C500, C510, C600, C610, C800, C805, C810, V700, C-Dock, C-Port, the Inspiron 2500, 2600, 3500, 3700, 3800, 4000, 4100, 4150, 5000, 5000E, 7500, 7550, 8000, 8100, Advanced Port Replicator, Docking Station and Precision M40. The adapters were also sold separately, including in response to service calls. The adapters were shipped to customers between September 1998 and February 2002. The words "DELL," and either "P/N 9364U", "P/N 7832D", or "P/N 4983D" are printed on the back of the adapters. Only certain adapters need to go back; You can check that one out at
www.delladapterprogram.com (no hyphens)
---Apple has recalled some batteries for the 15-inch Powerbook G4, some display screens for the same model and some logic boards for the Ibook. To see if your unit qualifies, head to
www.apple.com, then select Support and see “Repair & Exchange Programs in the lower right corner.
---Google released a new version of its browser toolbar, including a spell-checker for text typed into Web forms and a tool to translate English into other languages. There’s even an auto-link button that can turn a street address listed on a page into a link to a map on Google's new maps site. The downside? It requires Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, which I am trying very hard to ditch in favor of FireFox.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: If you have not tried FireFox yet, give it a shot. You can’t ditch IE completely yet (my bank and Quickbooks still requires it) but it’s a great treat to have on your desktop. Get it at www.mozilla.org.
James Derk is co-owner of Cyberdads, a computer repair firm and columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His email address is
jim@cyberdads.com
Jim's Column for 2/12/05
Let’s cover the week’s developments in technology in a nutshell, with some commentary that I hope will shed some light.
---Investigators are finally getting tough on “click fraud,” the practice of screwing around with pay-per-click ads on sites like Google and Yahoo. The idea is simple…let’s say you own a banana plantation in Alaska. You purchase the keywords “banana plantation” from Google. That assures your link is at the top of the search link. You have agreed to pay Google a fee for every person that clicks on the link. (It could be 20 cents, it could be 50 dollars, depending on how in-demand the words are.)
Of course, where there’s a good idea there are morons to spoil it. So when it comes to banana plantations in Alaska, a rival operator simply clicks on your link over and over until he runs out your present spending limit or bankrupts you. (There are even reports of companies hiring off-shore contractors to repeatedly click on an ad.)
Now Google and Yahoo and the other sites that use pay-per-click are trying to come up with ideas to block repeated clicks, spot fraud and combat this problem.
---Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, which has been the Achilles Heel of security for Windows because of its lax security, continues to get hammered by Firefox. Millions of Windows users are using the browser replacement now and the numbers are bound to grow. (Keep in mind Firefox is not perfect, either, but it is more secure than IE.) Yahoo last week released the beta of the Yahoo toolbar for Firefox. I personally won’t use any toolbar other than Google, but the Yahoo release does give Firefox a stamp of commercial credibility. You can download Firefox from
www.mozilla.org. (Interestingly, a new spoofing vulnerability was discovered last week that affects all browsers on the market EXCEPT Internet Explorer, which I thought was funny. And yes, Mac fans, Safari flunked, too. Details on this one can be found at http://secunia.com/)
---Microsoft shut off its whole MSN messaging service last week after a security issue was released in the wild. (Microsoft? Security issue? You’re kidding me!) Unless you had the newest version of the client, you were just not getting on. Run Windows Update if you use MSN. Heck, run it every few days or so, if not hourly.
---If you want to do your taxes this year electronically, you may not have to buy any software this year. Instead, gather your records then head to
www.irs.gov/efile/ and click on FREE FILE. If you go directly to a company’s site, they are under no obligation to give you the free filing offer (you may get it, you may not) but if you pick a vendor via the IRS site first, there is no charge. It doesn’t matter how much you earn. State returns are not included.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Looking for a new search engine to take a peek at? Give Gigablast a whirl at (
www.gigablast.com)
James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His email address is
jim@cyberdads.com
Jim's Column for 2/6/05
Well, we’ve had our fun with the Apple-philes, so let’s get back to talking about spyware, adware and viruses, the virtual playground of the Windows world.
I actually got several nice questions (among the thousands of not-so nice from the Mac faithful) discussing free screensavers, add-ons to Outlook, smiley add-ons and the like.
Here is the basic rule unless you know a lot about computers. Ready?
There is NOTHING free in the computer software world any more.
You may think it’s free, but when you install it what comes along with it is the price of the freight. And for many, many applications (especially those I would consider on the cheesy side, like puppy dog screen savers and emoticon collections) these are chock-full of spyware and advertising programs.
And the more of these you install, the more infected your PC gets. And no, they don’t have to ask your permission before they install or if they do, they bury it so far into the legal yadda yadda on the acceptance screen that people ignore it and move on.
And there are tricks, too. Every time I installed the Real Player (when I used to use that piece of nonsense) it would carefully deselect every option and it still would install all manner of stuff. (One of its tricks was to show everything deselected until you scrolled down and you’d find all of the hidden things checked.)
So, when you find something free on the Web that is offered as free (and promoted via pop-ups or advertising) there is hidden stuff in it, I can almost guarantee you.)
So what can you do to fight it?
1. Buy an Apple
2. Quit installing stuff you find on the Internet that looks “cute.”
3. Install a popup blocker like that in the Google toolbar or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (or both)
4. Quit clicking on pop-ups. Never click the yes or no box or any content inside the box. Always close them with the X in the corner. If you can’t see the X, close it with a Control W. If that doesn’t work, hit it three-fingered salute (Control, Alt, Delete) and hit Task Manager and select the box and hit End Task.
5. Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, Add-Remove Programs and uninstall every other toolbar and search program you see, as well as other programs you didn’t want installed. (Most adware and spyware won’t be listed there but some will. Answer the install question carefully; some are worded in reverse so you don’t get them uninstalled.)
6. Try the Microsoft Anti-Spyware tool beta (for Windows XP and 2000 only) available free (for now) on Microsoft’s web site (
www.microsoft.com.) Install it, let it update and do a full scan (default is a fast scan) and kiss the puppy screen saver good bye.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Like millions of others, I miss Johnny Carson and his quiet wit. You can visit
www.johnnycarson.com and relive some of the best moments from the show, send comments to the family and more. Good night, Johnny.
James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is
jim@cyberdads.com
