Ask Leo! #344 - Libraries and Kindles, how spammers hide IP addresses, does your email have a virus and more... - Confident Computing

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** New Articles

Why have libraries stopped offering ebooks for Kindle?

The big six publishers have stopped providing ebooks to public libraries. This was in a letter from my local library. You can just Google it to check it out. I love my Kindle just like you do and I love the fact that I can borrow a library book without having to drive to the library to pick up the book and drive back to the library to return it. It's bad for the environment - not to mention my wallet. What's your take on this?

In this excerpt from Answercast #7, I look at the effect Kindle and ebooks are having on libraries and publishers and explore some possibilities that may be available to libraries in the future.

Continue reading: Why have libraries stopped offering ebooks for Kindle?
http://ask-leo.com/C5184

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My friend says I have a virus in my Hotmail email, what should I do?

A friend of mine, who has a Macbook Pro, has informed that in my emails which I've sent him is hidden a virus. I scanned my computer with Norton. I found nothing.

In this excerpt from Answercast #7, I look at the difference between accessing Hotmail online or through a computer-based program and outline the steps needed to clean up that account.

Continue reading: My friend says I have a virus in my Hotmail email, what should I do?
http://ask-leo.com/C5175

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Can you disguise an IP address?

Can you disguise an IP address? Lots of spam in many different countries that spam is sent from the same person using the same computer?

IP addresses are fundamental to the way that packets travel between computers on the internet. It is not possible to send a packet from computer A to computer B and hide or disguise the IP address of computer A, or the router though which it is connected to the internet.

What that means is that in order to "disguise" your IP address, you need to use a different computer entirely.

Spammers have just the technology for that, in the form of botnets. The result is that spam could easily be coming from computers that are completely unrelated to and nowhere near the spammer.

In this audio excerpt from a recent Ask Leo! webinar, I'll discuss what this all means.

Continue reading: Can you disguise an IP address?
http://ask-leo.com/C5182

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How do I manage a large number of client workstations?

I have a dozen client computers on my server. All of them access the server for their working files, but programs like Office, Photoshop, Dropbox are loaded on each client. If I wanted to do a complete format on one of the clients, what is the best way to save all of the server side administration tools, anti-virus software, map drives and other shortcuts that have been created in the profile since the last format?

When you're dealing with a large number of computers, automation can be exceptionally helpful in keeping system management ... well, manageable.

In this audio excerpt from a recent Ask Leo! webinar, I'll discuss a couple of the concepts, even though I don't have a specific answer.

Continue reading: How do I manage a large number of client workstations?
http://ask-leo.com/C5181

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Answercast #7: XP security, moving program files, Hotmail account names, wireless questions and more...

Continue reading: Answercast #7: XP security, moving program files, Hotmail account names, wireless questions and more...
http://ask-leo.com/C5171

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Word o' the Week

hacker

The term hacker is generally used as a catch-all term for anyone who gains access to computer resources through illicit, typically technical means. It most likely derives from activities that require a prolonged trial-and-error approach to gaining access - perhaps like hacking at a tree branch to cut it down.

Today "hacker" is frequently used to refer to anyone from a single individual who may successfully guess a password to gain access to an email account, to large networks of individuals - hackers - attempting a coordinated break-in to protected systems and resources.

Less commonly the term can also refer in a positive way to someone who implements clever but perhaps inelegant solutions to complex computing problems.

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

Fujitsu ScanSnap - A Fast, Sheet-fed Document Scanner

This might appeal to only a small portion of my audience, but I've fallen in love with this device, and wanted to share it with those who'd find it as useful as I do.

I'm all about computers; I think you get that. But that also means that I'm all about using them - particularly when it comes to documents and document management. I find digital documents easier to store, backup and search than their paper counterparts. In general, I'd much prefer someone send me an email or give me an electronic copy of whatever document they're wanting to share - no need to waste paper for me.

On the other hand, between home ownership, running a couple of businesses and more, people are sending me paper every day. Paper that, in all honesty, I should keep - at least for a while. And yet, I'd really rather not.

You might guess that my ideal would be to scan all those documents into digital form, and then discard or shred the physical paper in favor of storing and backing up the documents on my computer. The problem is that traditional flatbed scanners are slow and cumbersome for any volume of scanning. And slow. Did I mention slow? And cumbersome?

The Fujitsu ScanSnap solves those issues.

Continue reading: Fujitsu ScanSnap - A Fast, Sheet-fed Document Scanner
http://ask-leo.com/C3552

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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