Notebook items fill the space this week
I have several things on my mind, none of which will fill a whole column but let’s see what’s in my notebook this week.
---Is any software perhaps more annoying than Real Player? You take special care to install it with the least invasive options and it still takes over all of the settings it wants to and installs this annoying popup box that, this morning, told me there was a hurricane in the Gulf. (I think I had heard a rumor of same many days earlier). Real for years has been the annoying uncle of audio and video players; today I solved it by deleting the software after unsuccessfully trying to find a preference to turn off the popups.
---Apple has released a pretty huge security patch for its laptops and desktops. Users should run Software Updates if you don’t get them automatically.
---Speaking of Apple, there’s a new version of Itunes out as well; this one seems to work much better on the Windows platform than previous versions. I have had issues with many previous versions of Itunes on Windows, mostly with the Itunes Music Store being sluggish to respond. This one (5.0.x) is much better.
---Steve’s Gibson’s security web site (www.grc.com) remains one of the better overall sites out there and his free “Shields Up!” testing program remains my favorite tool to test firewalls and the overall security of your network and PC.
---In response to several questions, Microsoft has not released the official system requirements for the next version of Windows (called Vista) but if you have 512 megs of system RAM, 128 megs of video RAM (maybe 64 if you’re lucky) and a decent, current processor, then you should be able to run Vista. Microsoft has not released pricing for an upgrade, but I would guess $129 as a probable starting point. As always, the best way to get the new Windows (assuming you need it) is to get a new PC.
---If anyone has successfully found a wireless print server that actually works reliably and can install without bloodshed, please let me know. I know I have personally tried three or four brands and none have worked well. Many won’t install, period.
---Ditto these “range expanders” sold by Linksys for wireless routers. Never could get any to work correctly and the box never quite explains they only work with certain routers with certain firmware levels and that even if you do get them to work, there is a significant speed drop off.
---Don’t buy a flat panel monitor today without digital video input (DVI). There are lots of cheap monitors out there that offer only “analog” input. That’s fine assuming you have no intention of ever upgrading but DVI is the way to go if you ever plan to get another PC. One with DVI should not cost much more.
---Printer companies who sell printers without USB cables are jerks.
---Computer companies who give away printers with PC purchases yet sell $2 cables for $25 are jerks.
---Make sure you are running Windows Update if you own a Windows PC. If you have a dial-up connection it may take all night but you need to keep a Windows machine up to date, now more than ever.
---If you do not have an anti-virus product, get one. If you don’t want to buy one, get the free AVG from (free.grisoft.com). Install it, update it and keep it up to date. With several companies willing to give it away for free, there’s no excuse.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: See who the latest blogger is at Blogger.com. There are tens of thousands out there.
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
Crimeware is new thing; free credit reports
First there were viruses, then came spam, then adware, then spyware.
Now comes “crimeware,” the growth of which is really scaring some security officials because of the growth of online banking and the growing practice of entering credit card data online.
It gets on your PC when you click on a link in an email, via an attachment, via an infected instant message, or via an infected Web page. What it does is log your keystrokes when you log on to a banking site or other secure location and send that data to a crook over the Internet.
I know, you’re tired of hearing more about crime on the Internet. But consider what your computer is; it’s basically a window on the world. And the world has good parts and bad parts.
What can you do to protect yourself?
---Never, ever respond to an email from a financial institution by clicking on any link. If your bank sends you something and you think it’s legit, type the address into your browser directly. Never click on a link.
---Install an anti-virus program. If you don’t buy one, use a free one like AVG or Avast.
---Keep your PC up to date. This is critically important for Windows PCs, which have far more security holes than Apple or Linux machines. For Windows, use the Windows Update site regularly (www.windowsupate.com) and install all critical updates.
---Turn on the Windows firewall at least or installl a second party firewall.
---Use Mozilla’s Firefox browser instead of Internet Explorer. Firefox, though not perfect, has far fewer security issues. Some sites will require Internet Explorer so you need to hold on to it but use it only when you have to.
---Pick a secure password. It needs to have both letters and numbers, scattered throughout. Don’t make it something like “password” or “password11” or something. Much better is something like “rt56pz41we”. Make it a code that you understand. On the first of every month, change your password for every banking site you use, plus sites like ebay, Paypal and your credit card sites. Each change should take only a few moments and it’s an hour that will save your good name someday.
---Get your credit report and see what’s on it once a year. You can get a free copy of your credit report (but not your score) from each of the three major credit reporting agencies at a new Web site (www.annualcreditreport.com). It is a good idea to keep an eye on this to assure no one is using credit that you did not apply for.
---Once you use your PC for sensitive information, such as doing your income taxes, burn the data onto DVD or CD then delete the data files from your hard drive.
---If your PC is slow and you see lots of pop-ups and you’re obviously infected you need to clean it up. If you lack the know-how, hire someone to clean it up and install some software to keep it that way. That way you can be sure you are not sending any data to some scumbags on the other side of the world.
---When you travel keep your laptop in the safe in your hotel room or use a security cable.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Interested in selling items at auction on the Internet? Check out the Auction Guild (www.auctionguild.com) for up to date info on the latest sites and the controversies therein.
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
Dell's pricing model is revolutionary
I receive dozens of e-mails every week about the dropping prices of computers and when it is a good idea to dump the old machine and move on. And several more letters discuss the cheapest of computers and if they truly are a good value.
Let’s talk about the last question first. The very cheapest units on the market today will outperform the best units of five years ago, so if you’re still running a Windows 98 computer the answer is pretty clear...you ought to upgrade.
But whether the cheapest computer on the market is a bargain is still the question. When you look, for example, at the current $299 Dell desktop on the market there are a few questions you have to answer. How Dell got down to that admittedly amazing pricepoiint (when Windows XP accounts for $100 of that) includes: whacking the warranty or telephone support to either none or 90 days, depending on the model (you can add more if you wish at extra cost), by not including a decent optical mouse (which you will want to add for $10), by not including the reinstallation CD for Windows (which you will want to add for $10) and by only offering 256MB of computer RAM (which most will want to bump to 512 if this is the model they wish to buy.)
What Dell has been doing is not allowing a memory upgrade on the lowest model at all (at least from the factory) which forces some to think they need to move up to the next model. If you purchase the cheapest model you might want to purchase a memory upgrade. (After rebate Circuit City recently was selling 512 memory upgrades for $17.99, making adding memory a pretty incredible bargain.)
Also fueling this price drop is the surge in popularity of flat-panel monitors. Because these are now the monitors of choice, the older CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors have fallen in price like the proverbial rock.
We also ought to talk for a moment about the “free printer” deal that Dell is aggressively pushing too. For one, they are offering the printer for free, then selling the $7 USB cable for $25 which is a pretty large shame. But let’s just examine the rationale for a second fro why all of these free and cheap printers are floating around out there.
t’s what I call the Barbie doll retailing concept (give away the doll, sell the clothes for 15 bucks). What Dell and others are doing is engaging in an aggressive war to get printers on every desktop so that you have to keep ordering ink from them. They are selling the printers at at loss just to get the recurring ink business which is where all of the profit is. Dell and others have exclusive rights on the designs for the ink cartridges.
Last but not least we need to talk rebates. Dell’s $299 desktop actually has a retail price of $374, but it offers a $75 “instant rebate” that is applied automatically in the checkout cart. So there’s no way the consumer won’t get it. Dell’s $499 laptop, on the other hand, is another story. That price is after a $150 mail-in rebate, which Dell knows many consumers won’t fill out and mail back in. I have been on a personal crusade against mail-in rebates because they simply are a rip-off in many cases. (I am waiting on one from Kbyte myself for 4 months.) Industry estimates are that fewer than 20 percent of overall estimates are successfully redeemed but many consumers use them for purchasing decisions.
Dell simply could make all of its laptops $499 using the instant rebate it uses for the Dimension desktop but it knows that some consumers won’t fill out the paperwork correctly, some will forget, some won’t get the checks, some won’t cash them once they get them... Dell just stands to make additional profit on mishandled rebates.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Please visit the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org and see what you can do to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
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
Reader mail
Well, lots of mail filled the box (including more than 100,000 mails from Apple enthusiasts) over the last couple of weeks...let’s get right to it.
Q. I hope you ended up finding your applications in your new Apple Ibook. If you have not found them by now, try double-clicking on the hard drive icon in the upper right corner.
A. Yeah, I figured that out. The hardest part about learning the Apple is unlearning the Windows environment. Even tougher is I use both about 50/50 so now I am not truly comfortable in either world at this point.
Q. After I installed a free screen saver program in Windows XP I found my PC was inundated with pop-ups. Is that program letting them in?
A. Probably. There is nothing free on the Internet. Everything you install, from that free solitaire game to that free screen saver to that free utility, probably has spyware or adware attached to it. What these nutcases are doing now is putting their wares into these “free” tools (need free smileys or emoticons?) and wait for unsuspecting people to install them. Here is a quick rule of thumb. Never install anything cute from the Web. Never install anything free without checking with a knowledgable person.
Q. Why doesn’t someone invent something to remove all this spyware junk?
A. Well, there are dozens of utilities out there. The trouble is there is a war going on between the junk writers and the utility writers. As uilities are written, the scum writers come out with something that beats the system. As a rule it takes about a dozen utilities, used in the right order, plus some manual tinkering with the registry and file directories, to clean most Windows PCs. Many of these pests reinstall themselves even if you figure out how to get rid of them the first time.(And on a Mac? Rarely, if ever, infected. with anything because of the way it is designed.)
Q. What is reasonable in terms of laptop battery performance? I am getting less than an hour for my laptop and it is driving me crazy.
A. Well, there are a couple of variables here. First of all, you can adjust the brightness of your screen while on battery power to preserve battery power. You also can adjust how long the hard drive stays spinning. Enter the Control Panel, then Power Options. You also can see if you have a Ni-Cad battery (not as good) or a Lithium-Ion battery (better). Check with a battery store (like Batteries Plus) to see if there is a battery upgrade for your model. If you truly are seeing less than an hour, you may have a bad battery. Also, some models (such as Dell Latitudes) can hold more than one battery so you can extend the battery life that way. In terms of what is “standard” or normal, most laptops get 2 or 3 hours.
Q. I am seeing an icon now for Microsoft Update now in my system tray. What is that for?
A. Microsoft is enhancing Windows Update with Microsoft Update, which is supposed to update not only Windows but also other Microsoft products such as Office at the same time. It’s a good idea if it works. (The last time I tried to update Office it wanted the original CD, which I never received because Office came pre-installed on my new PC.)
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Obviously the tragedy with Hurricane Katrina has proved yet again how important the Internet has become. Some people even were rescued because of Web postings about their locations. Please give generously to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Feed the Children or another charity to help the victims.
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
Every Apple owner writes to say "hello"
I’ve got kind of a funny story this week... some of you may recall that I told the story of my purchase of a gleaming new Apple Ibook in last week’s column. Well, that column was picked up by MacDailyNews, which suggested that every Mac reader send me a note welcoming me to the Apple fold.
Nice sentiment but I wasn’t aware of this welcoming gesture when I was sitting in my computer repair shop and decided to check my e-mail (using a Windows machine, naturally) and received so many emails that Outlook Express choked on its own lunch and died a horrible, flaming death.
So thanks for the nice notes, even if I have to FTP in and manually retrieve them one by one someday.
I am enjoying my Ibook and am undoing my years of Windows programming. I have found most of my applications, even.
One of the first things I did was install a 1 gigabyte memory chip from Crucial.com, which triples the installed memory of the Ibook. I would not say this would be required for most applications because the Ibook is plenty peppy out of the box but I plan on using the Ibook for a couple of memory intensive applications going forward.
For $159, the 1 GB chip improved the performance of the Ibook noticeably. In particular, Microsoft Office applications and Adobe Photoshop applications were much faster; the latter was 60 percent faster opening a 4 MB photo.
Installing this is a do-it-yourself affair if you have a couple of small screwdrivers; you take out the Ibook battery from the bottom of the case then remove the keyboard by twisting the little nut between the F5 and F6 keys and moving the latches next to F1 and F11.
Remove the four screws holding the metal plate down, carefully insert the memory stick until it snaps into place, then reverse the steps. That’s all there is to it.
If you don’t need a full gig, Crucial.com will sell you 512MB for $69. Just make sure you order PC2700 memory for the Ibook; the manual that comes with the new Ibook has a misprint. (The memory selector on the Crucial Web site is correct.)
For details hit www.crucial.com
As for protecting the thing, so far I am using a Glove (a neoprene protective case) from RadTech. It is form-fitting, soft and has a strong zipper. Then I can put the Ibook in a regular briefcase and not scratch the heck out of the thing.
It’s $29.95 and comes in any color you want as long as it’s black. You can see the details of this at RadTech (www.radtech.us)
Some of you may have other suggestions for backpack cases... I’d love to hear them assuming you don’t all write at once.
I also am experimenting with Virtual PC 7, which allows one to run Windows XP or 2000 on the Mac... I just got it installed and patched to the latest version and have successfully installed XP Pro. I do confess it’s pretty odd to see the XP desktop on the lovely Apple hardware. (And, a second confession, when you compare the two desktops, the Apple desktop is elegant and refined and the Windows XP desktop is pretty clunky looking.
Next step is installation of Microsoft Office but I have to wonder if I need it given Appleworks, which I have not had time to fully examine yet. I am guessing it is along the lines of Microsoft Works, which I quickly outgrew but you never know.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Want to see some cool icons, images, desktops, themes and more? Head to Pixel Girl Presents (www.pixelgirlpresents.com) for some great stuff for XP and OSX.
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
