Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - General
This is a relatively random set of answers to questions that have been
asked of of our company with 1 or 2 that people SHOULD have asked.
Additions are by definition questions - by all means ask (at Contact us)
but they may not end up here for others to see.
Please try to ask generic questions that
have more chance of being relevant to others.
Please SEARCH BEFORE asking a QUESTION (See
 How to search) because
anyone asking a question who obviously has not looked for an answer on this
page will be 'barred' from asking questions for an appropriate period!
Questions that have answers below - just click on the question, how should/can I...
Search this web page - OR ANY OTHER - very quickly - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-01)
Navigate this page and what are these -> <- images? - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-02)
Assess XP memory requirements - now 512MB is normal, 256MB is bare minimum - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-03)
Set up a router securely - even if not using the Wireless option! - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-04)
Set passwords on devices and web sites - you need 'a system'! - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-05)
Prevent a PC from 'going over the edge' in terms of memory/disk storage - created 5 Jun 2008 (ref: 865-01)
Change my Antivirus from AVG 7.5 - should I take AVG 8.0? - updated 6th June 2008 - created 5 Jun 2008 (ref: 865-02)
Share files between PCs on a network - but WIRELESS BEWARE, esp. if WEP (or BT)... - created 5 Jun 2008 (ref: 865-03)
Install Printers and Cameras - less is good - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 866-01)
Install Wireless hardware - USB or internal card - let Windows XP manage them - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 866-02)
Minimise the risk when using Wireless Hotspots - you (almost!) can't! - created 7 Jun 2008 (ref: 867-01)
Risks when using a shared/public/Internet Café PC - you can't stop them! - created 9 Jun 2008 (ref: 869-01)
Our web page to help specific connectivity problems - Server not found etc. - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-01)
Are you a company director? - legislation for web sites & e-mail usage - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-02)
Online/Remote assistance - well established, productive and secure - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-03)
Software for personal use - what I normally recommend - latest list - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-04)
Cheap 'phone calls - UK and international - line rental to BT required - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-05)
Broadband suppliers who allow you to keep you line with BT - see 'cheap calls' above - created 2 Jul 2008 (ref: 872-01)
Malware threats now prevalent on authentic web sites and clicking is NOT required - created 9 Jul 2008 (ref: 879-01)
PC startup in 20 seconds and save energy - well - 6 days a week anyway... - created 11 Jul 2008 (ref: 87b-01)
Q. Websites fail asking for latest Adobe Flash Player or JavaScript - created 3 Aug 2008 (ref: 883-01)
File Transfer program - can you recommend a free one (for updating the website of the charity I'm involved with)? - created 11 Sep 2008 (ref: 89b-01)
Do I need a (software) firewall if I have a (hardware) router - updated 22 Oct 2008 - created 11 Oct 2008 (ref: 8Ab-01)
Getting rid of pop-ups on Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) - this is ONE (of several) options to try - created 24 Oct 2008 (ref: 8Ao-01)
Phishing, SafeSearching and other filters that affect your browser and e-mail - created 24 Oct 2008 (ref: 8Ao-02)
How do I ask a question and will the answer appear on this list
That's the end of the question list,
now for the answers...
Search this web page - OR ANY OTHER - very quickly - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-01)
The most effective method of searching within a page is using 'Ctrl+F' in
your browser because it is very, very fast AND shows you the results in
the context of the rest of the page / words that surround them.
Those who prefer to use a mouse should click on Edit and then Find.
This page will get quite large over time which is why those images
() are dotted all over - they allow you very quickly go from
one section of this page to another as illustrated by the (4) links below
after the words 'Back to:'.
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Navigate this page and what are these -> <- images? - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-02)
This page will get quite large over time which is why those images
() are dotted all over - they allow you very quickly go from
one section of this page to another.
A search facility could be provided but for the time being I think the
most effective method of searching is using 'Ctrl+F' in your browser
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Assess XP memory requirements - now 512MB is normal, 256MB is bare minimum - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-03)
Although Windows XP Pro itself plus the real basics - Firewall (exc. Norton!),
Anti-Virus, e-mail, browser and a word processor (excluding Office 2007)
can usually run in 256MB there are very few people
who can restrain from using software such as Windows Media Player or the
software that comes with printers and cameras.
XP Home edition probably consumes 50MB less memory than Pro but is very
similar in all other respects.
If you have less than 384MB of RAM and your PC is becoming too slow for you
to tolerate then a simple hardware upgrade is often possible and relatively
easy for anyone who is used to going inside their computer case.
Belarc advisor will help you find out the basic hardware configuration of
your PC has as well as listing the software you have installed -
see Personal Software for a link to download and run.
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Set up a router securely - even if not using the Wireless option! - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-04)
Routers allow more than 1 PC to connect to your Broadband and most also now have
a wireless (a.k.a. WiFi) facility.
If ANY of your PCs are used for anything more important than
casual surfing and non-confidential e-mail then there
are TWO passphrases on such a router that you MUST set
otherwise your PCs and the information on them are at
risk from more than just kids stealing your bandwidth to view pornography!
See Wireless security WPA not WEP as the topic is non-trivial
in terms of risk and what you need to do about it.
If your wireless router was supplied
by BT this
is a must read as your router may be capable of high security
but it was probably delivered without it! - see BBC article! from
the link on the page above.
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Set passwords on devices and web sites - you need 'a system'! - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 864-05)
Although thieves will often gravitate towards 'easy pickings' you
should be aware that MIGHT BE YOU!. The most important two things are to
(1) Understand just how easy it is to guess and/or crack passwords and
(2) Keep your passwords very distinct in every respect between those
that protect trivial things such as forums and non-financial web sites
from those things that REALLY MATTER such as anything financial (even if the
site just has your credit card number!), your ROUTER and your PC!
Obviously the latter two need very strong passwords,
see How to manage passwords as the topic is non-trivial.
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Prevent a PC from 'going over the edge' in terms of memory/disk storage - created 5 Jun 2008 (ref: 865-01)
IF your PC is fully up to date with Microsoft patches and it feels sluggish
already then you probably don't want to take the latest two 'patches' from
Microsoft which are both very large because they will consume that extra
5-10MB of main memory and perhaps another 100MB of disk space that might
make your PC unusably slow, see
Stop XP SP3 in Windows update (only)
and
Stop IE7 in Windows update (only)
In general terms you should look at each piece of software when you install
it and determine if it really needs to automatically update itself.
The classic was the ZoneAlarm firewall which has grown from 5MB to nearly 50!
and yet as a Firewall does virtually exactly the same today as it did then.
Apart from tools that need regular DATA updates such as Anti-Virus and
Anti-Spyware PROGRAMS such as AVG or Windows Defender which need to have
their Virus/Spyware definition files (i.e. DATA) updated on a very
regular basis there aren't many programs that need to update themselves and
if you do allow them to do so all you tend to get is nagging promotional
features or new functionality which has a good chance of conflicting with
other programs on your PC.
I would certainly disable auto-update on Acrobat Reader, any Camera or
DVD writing software (e.g. Nero) and many more - please ask if you have
a commonly used example.
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Change my Antivirus from AVG 7.5 - should I take AVG 8.0? - updated 6th June 2008 - created 5 Jun 2008 (ref: 865-02)
If you do then I suggest that you carefully ensure that you click on
the correct links on
this page
to ensure that you get the FREE edition - FOR PERSONAL USE only!
HOWEVER, this is a classic case of software not just becoming bloated and
consuming more resources but trying to extend the scope of the features and
tools they provide in an attempt to become 'entrenched' in your PC and more
difficult to opt-out of later.
Note that AVG are now advertising that updates will be withdrawn on the 25th
of June rather than the 1st.
AVG 8.0 may also create browser connectivity
problems because it has a feature which will try to
take over your browser 'in the interests of your online safety!'
Personally I would
disable this feature as I have read that even if you
ask for it not to be installed it will be anyway!
Update: There are now instructions at
the AVG FAQs to install AVG without the "Safe Surf/Search" feature
but they aren't very easy to use unless you are a familiar with the 'DOS Box'
and can copy and amend their instructions to create a working .BAT file.
This IS much preferable to simply disabling the user interfaces of the
features because the part of their 'program' will not be installed or updated AND I am pretty
sure that this would also stop a large volume of DATA updates which are almost
certain to be regularly downloaded to support these features of AVG 8
even if you have disabled the User Interfaces of each.
BUT, at the end of the day, this feature may have more value than
pain to SOME users - your choice.
An alternative to AVG 8.0 that we are investigating is
AntiVir by Avira but it isn't a
trivial task to conduct a replacement AND you need a 'tweak' to suppress
the intensely irritating pop-up that it frequently displays.
For 30 years it has always been a prudent choice to avoid the
'bleeding edge of technology' unless there is a truly pressing need.
That is why almost all software releases ending in 0 or worse still 0.0
should normally be avoided due to the number of bugs inherent in all new
software and the churn and risks that this will incur.
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Share files between PCs on a network - but WIRELESS BEWARE, esp. if WEP (or BT)... - created 5 Jun 2008 (ref: 865-03)
It is now possible to download a bootable CD which can be put into any
reasonably modern laptop with a wireless card to make it boot up as a
powerful WiFi-cracker which can break the WEP protocol in less than 10
minutes in most circumstances.
IF you have used better security than WEP (AT LEAST WPA) AND have used a
STRONG PASSPHRASE and changed its SSID - i.e. broadcast name
then you can ignore the rest of this item.
That has two massive consequences - firstly you MUST have a PassPHRASE
to protect the router login as well as the router network - these should
be different just in case someone creates a tool to reverse-engineer
the network key (which they will already have!) into the actual password.
If a hacker gains control of your router then they can direct any web
connection they like to whatever server they choose - would you like to connect
to a REALLY ALTERNATIVE BANK - another Natwest or Barclays for instance!
The second issue caused by the high availability of cracking tools is that
you really do need to be careful about file sharing between PCs.
The basic problem is that to share files on an XP network you will need to tell
your Firewalls to allow File (and Printer) sharing ON YOUR LAN (not Web please!).
Once you have done that then anyone else on your LAN, including the person
who is outside with his Laptop can share your files too!
At the very, very least you need to set a STRONG PASSPHRASE restriction on
Read Access to your shared folder(s) and NEVER SHARE a DRIVE.
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Install Printers and Cameras - less is good - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 866-01)
To avoid software conflicts and generally minimise complexity and size of
the software that fills the memory of your PC you should only install the
options that you REALLY need rather than take the defaults.
Most cameras and printers come with a plethora of multimedia tools which
apparently aim to help you exploit their hardware - in fact what they often
ALSO do is to try to make it easier for you to buy more services from them
at some later date.
To install the minimum-required software then you will often have to
ignore advice from the vendor about installing the software before attaching
the device. If you do the latter first then XP will ask for places to find
the relevant drivers for the hardware and will almost always find them when
you THEN insert the CD, do not get distracted if the CD starts to 'AutoRun'
because you simply exit any vendor installation menu that appears.
If the installation by XP appears to fail then simply cancel the install
rather than 'Finish' because when you take that option XP will leave the
device as un-discovered and next time it is attached it will be as if you
had never tried to install it.
Be aware that installing multiple multimedia devices can often cause conflicts
if you don't take a minimalist approach even when they are from the
same manufacturer! but even more likely when mixed manufacturers.
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Install Wireless hardware - USB or internal card - let Windows XP manage them - created 4 Jun 2008 (ref: 866-02)
Most vendors bundle management tools with their hardware which,
when installed, CAN conflict with other software - including Windows itself.
Now that everyone is on at least Service Pack 2 (SP2) of XP there should
be now need to use the vendor-specific software.
See Installing (printer and camera)
devices with XP for
details of how to perform an XP-only install.
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Minimise the risk when using Wireless Hotspots - you (almost!) can't! - created 7 Jun 2008 (ref: 867-01)
When using any open WiFi network you must assume that all but the most
secure (SSL = browser padlock) interactions are totally available to
any hacker who has decided to check out that particular hotspot.
What you MAY not realise is that this exposure doesn't just include other
web sites that don't use secure sessions (SSL) but ALSO ANY normal E-MAIL
session, including your USERNAME AND PASSWORD!
Which of course makes online identity theft a proverbial piece of cake!
See Keep safe in Wireless HotSpots for more details.
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Risks when using a shared/public/Internet Café PC - you can't stop them! - created 9 Jun 2008 (ref: 869-01)
Whereas a Wireless hotspot is wide open to a remote hacker who may be a
hundred metres away but still capturing all of your web interactions the
slight and relatively minor
benefit of a public PC is that the hacker would typically have to
either be attached to the wired network*¹ while you are OR they could
have attached software or hardware to the network or PC prior to your usage.
The latter is of most grave concern because it allows hackers to do even more
damage than a WiFi hotspot - because even Secure VPNs
(Virtual Private Network) and secure Web browsing sessions
are vulnerable when a public PC has been compromised!
- see Dangers of the Internet Cafe for more details.
Note*¹ also see Keep safe in Wireless HotSpots for details about the risks that are
common to WiFi and Wired networks if the latter has been compromised!
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Our web page to help specific connectivity problems - Server not found etc. - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-01)
I strongly suggest that you
Bookmark (a.k.a. Add to favourites by right clicking on link) our
Re-connect to
web by BrianR page which will help when you have problems connecting
to the Internet.
Please don't wait until you have a problem and then realise that you
didn't do so!
If the link takes you to our site then it identifies the problem relatively
clearly (DNS for anyone semi-technical) and you can either call to have us
talk you through the resolution of the problem or you can follow the
'DIY' instructions AT YOUR OWN RISK as we will not be held liable for errors
in the guide, the lack of applicability or any injected by yourself in
following the instructions.
If you connect to the Internet via a router you will probably have already
had intermittent connectivity problems - this link helps to identify where
your current problem is situated.
If you get a 'cannot connect' message then you will either need our
telephone assistance and/or the simple tool that
is available on request to install on customers' PCs.
As a customer, please at least request our guidance
when first using the above link even if you later feel sufficiently
confident to make judgements and subsequent changes yourself.
If you find the above link useful then 'feel free' to pass it on to others
along with caveats and hopefully your recommendation to use our services
in conjunction with the guide.
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Are you a company director? - legislation for web sites & e-mail usage - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-02)
For more than a year now, limited companies have been required to
include company information within their contact details on both
e-mails and web site pages, see http://www.out-law.com/page-7594
for a more rigorous description.
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Online/Remote assistance - well established, productive and secure - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-03)
Many of our customers have had first hand experience of this and can ignore
this item because they will already understand the benefits to themselves
and the productivity it yields for us all.
We thoroughly recommend this facility as a safe, secure and extremely
productive method of both support and 'learning to use' a PC. Within 5
minutes of your call it is usually possible for you to allow us to view
your PC and provide immediate assistance.
We can help you either fix non-network problems or guide you through using
some PC software whether the problems you are having are simply a
lack of familiarity through to requiring in-depth I.T. knowledge and skill.
PCs are so complex and there is so much that you could learn (and
often never use, therefore quickly forget!) it isn't really possible to
do so in a classroom. What does work is when you have an actual need to
achieve something with a PC or the Internet and someone can guide you
through the activity by seeing your PC screen and talking through each
click/key.
From the perspective of learning to become an effective user of the Web and/or
your PC realtime assistance is so much more effective than almost any other
way of achieving that goal.
The quickest way to
request remote assistance from us
is to use Windows Messenger to initiate the session - call us if you don't
already have us as one of your contacts or need help in setting up Windows
Messenger.
If you are using a PC which is heavily protected behind both hardware
(e.g. router) and software firewalls then we recommend that you
set-up your own highly secure, virtual private network (VPN)NOW
(because when you need help this may not be as easy or quick!)
which will allow you to then
request remote assistance via e-mail
Note that although we COULD simply accept that as the request, you would
need to know that we were ready to do so! Hence we need to know 5-10
minutes in advance by telephone (or text 07 986 580 233 if you know we are 'in the office')
that you want assistance at a particular time and date
and there may be days when no-one is available to do so - please
accept out apologies if that happens.
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Software for personal use - what I normally recommend - latest list - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-04)
Many of our customers have PCs at home that are not part of their business
operations and I am often asked to recommend software that is suitable for
that environment.
My first response is always to ask about their current and planned:
- usage in terms of 2way risks - cause and effect -
children through to financial loss through on-line banking!
- new or changing requirements driving the change -
or fixing problems/issues with current set-up
- network connectivity technology - Broadband (cable, BT-wired or mobile),
Routers, WiFi, multiple PCs etc.
- PCs in terms of some aspects of hardware and more importantly software
- usage of multimedia from audio, video and pictures through to downloading
material from the Internet using File Sharing (Peer to Peer) technologies
- backup status of both Windows system and their own data e.g. documents,
spreadsheets and other important files
Because this web page cannot ask the initial and then the RELEVANT secondary
questions there is no simple set of answers, however - the link below
is a reasonable starting point for the majority of users. No warranty,
applicability or recommendation should therefore be implied or taken.
For details see: http://bb4t.co.uk/Page/Personal+Software.html.
Please ensure that you make an appropriate system's backup if you are
adding or replacing any of these, especially if they have a 'realtime'
component such as Firewalls, Antivirus, AntiSpyware etc..
If you don't know what this means or you don't have the software to do this
(e.g. Norton Ghost) then please request assistance before taking ANY action
whatsoever - even downloading software can have disasterous consequences.
Also note that
unless you ask me to undertake the assessment of your requirements,
choice of software and then implementation I will not be liable for any
consequences and may only be able to assist with a repair unless a full
system's backup has been performed.
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Cheap 'phone calls - UK and international - line rental to BT required - created 1 Jul 2008 (ref: 871-05)
If you have elected to remain a customer of BT for your landline then
you can very likely save 80% of the cost of your calls at no risk to
your service.
Many associates, friends and several customer are advocates of the
telephone service that we originally suggested as 'worth a try'
All calls have a 5p connection charge, then within the
UK, calling numbers starting 01 or 02 is 0 ppm and mobiles (almost all 07 but
some 07 are not mobile rates) being 6ppm. International calls
start at 0.5ppm e.g. USA and 10 others.
There are also well over 30 countries at 2ppm or less.
For details see: http://18185.co.uk . Non-BT and mobile
users CAN use
this service but it involves dialling an interim '0808' or '0208'
number which
may or may not be free / low cost depending upon your line / mobile
provider.
Please note that this service is unlikely to be usable from your 'BT' line
if you have opted to pay your line rental to another company such as
Sky, TalkTalk, Tiscali etc. because they 'own' your local (loop) line rental.
To get broadband from a company that allows you to remain a BT customer
SEE THE NEXT ITEM below.
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Broadband suppliers who allow you to keep you line with BT - see 'cheap calls' above - created 2 Jul 2008 (ref: 872-01)
Most Broadband (BB) suppliers want to gain control of your landline usage
and save themselves the fees from BT wholesale for the equipment in the
exchange which services your 'phone line.
What most people do not realise in advance is that this then means
they have no choice about making calls and how much they pay for them.
Keeping your line rental with BT allows you plenty of choice
(see 'cheap calls' above) as well as giving you a direct relationship
with BT if you have a fault with your line rather than via a 3rd party
who will always point out the charges from BT they will pass on to you if
BT (can) find a reason to charge them!
To get BB from a company that allows you to remain a BT customer
for your BT line then our normal recommendation is for you to use Plusnet
- see link below.
Offers made by Plusnet - please READ BEFORE CLICKING on the link below
Although we often recommend Plusnet there is no warranty or suitability
implied as that would need a dialogue which this web page does not provide.
If you are a customer then please call us to provide such advice.
All of the residential part of Plusnet site is very easy to understand
in terms of what you pay and what you get - please call if you want to
consider the (Business) Teleworker option they offer.
- Remember to choose Broadband ONLY no matter what BB option
you choose (1, 2, 3 or Teleworker)
- At £10 p.c.m. for low-usage (e.g. primarily e-mail customers
or ex-dialup), option 1 is ideal with 1GB download quota 8am-midnight.
You should have no plans for large downloads of music or worse still - video.
Unlike many other ISPs - BB will still work if you exceed your quota and
if you don't want to buy more for that month then you continue to have BB
but at a slower speed.
If you regularly end-up purchasing more than £5 p.c.m. of extra
download quota then upgrading to option 2 is easy and painless.
- option 3 is only really needed for people who download more than
2-3 movies or 8-9 TV shows per week and if that isn't regularly the case
then taking option 2 and buying extra GB of download when needed
may be cheaper than the extra £5 p.c.m. every month.
Starting with option 2 and upgrading to option 3 if needed is
a simple and sensible approach.
- The Business Teleworker deal and option 2 of residential are similar in
price (£16/15 p.c.m.)
but the latter has much more inclusive download quota
(15GB rather than 2GB) just in case you might use the line for large downloads.
The Teleworker package has more emphasis on speed and quality of support.
This is why we suggest that you call to discuss.
Now
remember to choose Broadband ONLY with Option 1, 2, 3 or Teleworker
before clicking HERE
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Malware threats now prevalent on authentic web sites and clicking is NOT required - created 9 Jul 2008 (ref: 879-01)
Earlier this year, antivirus company Sophos released a report
showing a dramatic increase in Web-based 'drive-by'! threats
where just visiting a site for half a second might result in infection!
In 1st quarter of this year (2008), Sophos researchers discovered newly
infected Web pages every five seconds, three times more than last year.
Seventy-nine percent of the sites were legitimate ones that were hacked.
Those sites include ITV in the UK! as well as a major site which sold tickets
to football matches - so you can't just be careful!
This means that even users who are careful about where they surf and even
what they click upon are now very vulnerable.
Many of the technologies that are exploited are based on Active-X, I-Frames,
Flash or similar 'Scripting' tools. Luckily all of these
can easily be disabled, even within Internet Explorer.
Another technique in the battle against hackers is to run all Applications
that are at risk (Best to assume ALL 'brands' of Browsers, e-mail clients,
messaging clients, file-sharing programs, media players etc.)
as if you were logged on as a limited-privilege user.
If you are a customer and the creation or usage of such a user is not something
you would want to attempt this then please make contact.
On a broader perspective, this is yet another reason to avoid OVER-reliance
on protectionist technology such as Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware et. al. as these
will always be suspectible to some degree
from mass distribution of zero-day exploits.
Obviously protective software IS useful and desirable but to avoid exploits
of base Windows XP technologies the latter must be inherently made safer
rather than using such a 'sticking plaster' approach.
I enclose just a single Sophos report but there are many more on the site
and well worth reading (for as long as you can keep up with the jargon!)
if you have a high dependency on your PC and/or web access.
Sophos news article
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PC startup in 20 seconds and save energy - well - 6 days a week anyway... - created 11 Jul 2008 (ref: 87b-01)
Instead of going through the painful process of shutdown and startup of your
PC every day you can save time and energy by using Hibernation when
shutting down.
This uses less energy than turning off and on again no matter how long your
PC remains in the 'off' state - quite different to 'Standby'.
Your PC can even be switched off at the socket to save the standby power
consumption which would typically cost £10-30 p.a..
This facility was only available to Laptop users for many years but has been
in XP since at least 2004 and is not well publicised.
For a brief guide see Fast PC startup using no power.
Note that it is recommended to fully close down your PC once per week just
to give it a regular fresh start as some PC activities are only enabled
or refreshed when XP goes through it's startup process.
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Q. Websites fail asking for latest Adobe Flash Player or JavaScript - created 3 Aug 2008 (ref: 883-01)
Q. I quite often get websites failing to function claiming I don't have the
latest Adobe Flash Player or I have JavaScript turned off.
This is despite the fact that I have installed it (V9).
I follow your IE settings advice; and I've tried enabling
"Scripting of Java Applets" temporarily to see if that helps, but it doesn't.
A. When a web site fails and (1) You trust in the competence and integrity
of the owner (of the site) and (2) You have a need / desire to see what what
you are missing and (3) The scope/risk associated with the site isn't high
then simply use the best feature of MS IE which is the Security Zones -
they allow you to designate a domain as Intranet or even Trusted levels
- be careful because it appears to affect
the whole of a domain - so ones such as MicroSoft.COM is huge and hsbc.co.uk
COULD be risky if you bank there!
The simplest way to escalate the domain is to double click the zone symbol
in the very bottom right of the browser (usually a globe for Internet)
and you can then click on Sites and Advanced (if Intranet or just Sites if Trusted)
and then add the domain name which it will almost certainly help you to fill in.
After changing the Zone you should see the zone symbol has changed to reflect
it's new status.
Flash isn't classed as a Java Applet - it gets associated with Active-X
which is a LITTLE unfair!
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File Transfer program - can you recommend a free one (for updating the website of the charity I'm involved with)? - created 11 Sep 2008 (ref: 89b-01)
Filezilla is certainly worth trying but don't assume it will work with 100%
of server hosting companies as FTP is a two-way connection and prone to
"arguments" between the software at each end about what "language(s)" to speak
as well as more obscure details such as error reporting, handling etc..
Take a look at:
http://filezilla-project.org/
If Filezilla doesn't work then give me a call and I'll see if there are any
obvious solutions before pointing you at an alternative.
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Do I need a (software) firewall if I have a (hardware) router - updated 22 Oct 2008 - created 11 Oct 2008 (ref: 8Ab-01)
Certainly if you have Windows XP or older then you SHOULD have one because
it is critical to have it check for OUTGOING requests to the web because:
- Requests TO the web from software on your PC could mean you
already have a problem! if it is a
Trojan Horse or other malware "calling home" for instructions or worse-still
new code for it to download!
- When a firewall explicitly (as in you click 'Allow' on a software firewall)
or worse still - IMPLICITLY as happens with a hardware firewall then you are
telling (all! - inc. your ISP!) those firewalls that the recipient address on
the Internet IS NOW ALLOWED to pass through that firewall to your PC IN RETURN!
I cannot recommend a firewall without asking many questions and there is no
simple set of answers, however - the link below
is a reasonable starting point for the majority of users. No warranty,
applicability or recommendation should therefore be implied or taken.
See the firewall related comments and links at:
http://bb4t.co.uk/Page/Personal+Software.html.
Background behind Firewall recommendation rationale
The reason that some authors suggest that you DON'T need a software firewall
is that
most MODERN (post '05) routers have feature (SPI = Stateful Packet Inspection)
which attempts to prevent unsolicited connections FROM the Web - however -
with an increasing number of commercial and 'normal' web sites becoming
infected I will quite happily have both types engaged in my defence!
The benefit of a software firewall is that (1) it has knowledge of where the
requests ORIGINATE and (2) has the option to ask the user for a decision
based on that information.
It is therefore better able to act upon your behalf.
I currently recommend Comodo personal firewall but WITHOUT the Safe Surfing
feature or any other add-ons - paid or free!
I currently allow Comodo to install Defence+ because it appears to be quite
good at intercepting requests to XP that could potentially be malware but
that 'recommendation' is very likely to
be retracted at some point if they become intrusive, use excessive resources
or conflict with other software that I may choose to use.
Another reason that Defence+ MIGHT need to be disabled is that it is
overlapping functionality with various other tools that try to protect you
and your PC while you are online.
ZoneAlarm used to be good because it
was an excellent basic firewall and if you still have a copy of v5.5.062
(as I have) then it is probably still working very well.
It is now dreadfully
bloated and often conflicts with other software because they 'tried' to
manipulate their customers towards adopting their software for more and more
protective tasks and are now a 2nd-rate suite rather than a 1st-class Firewall.
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Getting rid of pop-ups on Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) - this is ONE (of several) options to try - created 24 Oct 2008 (ref: 8Ao-01)
Q.
I've a friend who is getting masses of advertising pop-ups on IE (some very explicit!) after letting her teenage grandson use her PC. I've run AVG, Ad-aware and Spybot which has improved the situation, but she still gets a lot. Is the IE Pop-up Blocker any good - I've never tried it myself?
A. From the symptoms this is LIKELY to be a downloaded Add-on to MSIE that
has been granted access to change the way that MSIE works.
The simplest way to test if this is the problem is to go into Internet Options
(from the Control Panel) and then click on Advanced. Scroll down to a line that
says 'Enable third-party browser extensions' and un-check it.
Then close any and all windows of MSIE and launch it again after a few seconds
and see if that has solved the problem.
If the action above works then you MAY want to take a more refined approach
and disable the specific Add-On that is causing the problem. To do this you
again go to Internet Options but select the 'Programs' tab and then click
the 'Manage Add-ons' button on the bottom right.
Disabling can be done at an individual program level but if their appear to be
groups (even just two) then I would disable either all or none. You might want
to make a note of what you disable and what effect that appears to have but
note that many legitimate add-ons are only used when the web page
visited has content which needs that add-on so I would start by disabling
anything that wasn't Microsoft or Adobe.
Don't forget that you will need to go back to the advanced tab to
ALLOW any/all add-ons to work at all before you test any individual
changes that you make on the 'Programs' tab.
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Phishing, SafeSearching and other filters that affect your browser and e-mail - created 24 Oct 2008 (ref: 8Ao-02)
Q.
She also asked about the IE Phishing Filter - I explained what phishing
was and to be careful about emails with links. Do you have any views on
using the Phishing Filter? I did a bit of internet searching which threw
up a few performance concerns, but which are claimed to be fixed by a
Windows security update.
A. Although this SOUNDS like a good idea there are huge technical /
implementation problems because of a combination of several things:
- Phishing can only really be stopped effectively by intercepting
'the phish' BEFORE you click upon it... that means the 'filter'
has to inspect, analyse and ALTER the CONTENT of what you see BEFORE
YOU see it... and bear in mind that is potentially every web page and
every e-mail that you view!
- What you receive in an e-mail or even much more on web pages is SO
DIVERSE that software is always going lag behind even 'normal' sites
and of course the CRIMINALS will always be creating NEW threats and
DISGUISING them in increasingly complex methods.
- Part of the filtering process is (usually) matching all the links in a
page or e-mail against a database of known 'bad' sites.
These databases are constantly updated and will almost certainly need to be
copied to your PC even if incrementally.
This doesn't just slow down your access to web pages - I take the option to
have 100 results on a Google web search page for instance - that means well
over 200 links to be analysed, matched etc.
Phishing filters are increasingly being offered by software vendors that have
some offering in the 'PC security / safety / privacy' area - Comdodo, AVG,
ZoneAlarm, Symantec (Norton), Microsoft (IE7 plus performance
patch (KB928089)
) et. al..
You MUST AVOID using MORE THAN ONE as they are almost certain to conflict with
each other with possible dire consequences even worse than a major performance
degradation.
My personal view is that it is better to rely on:
Ideally you would ALSO run both your browser and e-mail without Administrator
privilidges so that there is less chance (not zero!) of damage being done to
your PC system software if malware WAS allowed to run.
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How do I ask a question and will the answer appear on this list
At the moment the method of asking a question would be to send me an
e-mail or to use the Contact us page to do so.
Please try to ask generic questions that
have more chance of being relevant to others.
The chance of the question getting a reply is fairly high as long as
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The probability of the Q & A ending up on this list is 50/50 as I am keen to
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