Ask Leo! #352 – Removing personal information from a machine, where user accounts come from and more…

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** New Articles

How do I remove my personal information from a machine before giving it away?

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When disposing of a machine - regardless whether it's a sale, a donation, a recycle, or a discard - it's critical to remove all of your personal information from the storage included in that machine.

In this audio segment from an Ask Leo! webinar, I'll discuss one approach to doing so, that - unfortunately - also requires that you erase Windows itself as well.

Continue reading: How do I remove my personal information from a machine before giving it away?
http://ask-leo.com/C5297

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Why are there so many user accounts on my machine?

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As with so many things, the answer is: it depends.

To begin with, Windows has a slightly different idea of what it means to be a "user" than you and I do.

Add to that the various and sundry software packages that you might have installed and the number of user accounts can get ... interesting.

Continue reading: Why are there so many user accounts on my machine?
http://ask-leo.com/C5298

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AnswerCast #15 - Protect yourself from your IT department, emails, disk space, 32-bit games, passwords and more...

• Can I safely remove update files and folders that are taking up disk space?

• Can the IT department send emails that look like they are from me?

• Can I reinstall my XP with SP2 even though updates have ended?

• How do I get my saved Outlook emails onto my new computer with Windows Live Mail?

• Is it safe to leave programs opened on my computer when I go onto the internet?

• How do I play a 32 bit game on my 64 bit computer?

• Should I change the security information on all my emails after my Hotmail was hacked?

• Why are there only six asterisks in the password field when my password has more characters?

• How do I tell if programs are using too much memory?

• Can you copy a program file to another computer and run it?

• Should I always sign out of my online email account?

• How can I recover my data after I reinstalled Windows?

Continue reading: AnswerCast #15 - Protect yourself from your IT department, emails, disk space, 32 bit games, passwords and more...
http://ask-leo.com/C5299

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*** Last Issue's Articles

• Will not having a paging file slow down my system?
• How do I decompress all the files that Windows compressed for me?
• Why should I pay for free software?
• Answercast #14 - Lots of Firefox and Mac questions, alternate emails, slowing videos, filling up hard drives and more...

*** Word o' the Week

focus

Focus is the concept that in a multi-window operating system such as Microsoft Windows or Mac OS user input can be directed to only one application's window at a time.

An application which is that receiving input, typically keyboard and mouse input, is said to "have focus", implying that it is this application which is focused on receiving user input. This application is usually, though not always, in the foreground; it's window displayed on top of or in front of any other application windows.

The concept can apply within an application as well. A dialog box - perhaps a File, Open file selection box - may take the focus away from the main application window until the dialog is dismissed.

An application that takes focus from another application unexpectedly or without interaction from the user is sometimes said to "steal focus". An example might be typing in one program and suddenly seeing that some or all of the input is being entered into some other application that at some point stole focus.

Word o' the Week features a computer term or acronym taken from the Ask Leo! Glossary. If there's a word you're not sure of and would like to see defined, click here to let me know.

*** Leo Recommends

DBAN - Darik's Boot And Nuke

I get questions surrounding data recovery fairly often. People are often concerned that files they've deleted might be recoverable after the fact, and it's good and security conscious of them to be concerned.

At the other end of the spectrum are people who give no thought at all to the potential recoverability of their data, and discard old computers and hard drives without giving it a second thought. We often hear about people who've picked up an old computer at a recycler or yard sale, only to find that the hard disk is full of the previous owner's sensitive data.

Identity theft often follows.

DBAN, short for Darik's Boot And Nuke, is a free utility dedicated to doing one thing, and one thing well...

Erasing hard drives.

Continue reading: DBAN - Darik's Boot And Nuke
http://ask-leo.com/C3585

Each week I recommend a specific product or resource that I've found valuable and that I think you may as well. What does my recommendation mean?

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