Ask Leo! #412 - Malware by looking at email, starter printer cartridges, transferring software and more... - Confident Computing

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

New malware (including viruses) appears every day and it seems like they're constantly getting smarter and craftier. And of course, each new piece of malware is an opportunity for even more people to become infected.

In the past, asking if you could catch an email virus just by reading your email would get laughs from the techie geeks in the crowd. "Of course not!" they would giggle.

Then came Outlook. Not only could opening an email infect your machine, but for a while, you didn't even have to be present to do it.

And the geeks stopped giggling.

For a while.

Fortunately, today things are different.

Continue reading: Can I really catch an email virus just by looking?
http://ask-leo.com/C1931

* * *

*** Answercast

Answercast #75 - Browsing forensics, naming backups, blocking animation, programs on external drives, starter ink cartridges, and more.

Is it a good idea to name your backup files or try to get rid of animations on advertisements? Wonder about those little ink cartridges that come with new printers or why a DVD won't burn? Want to organize your taskbar notifications or use software from another machine? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Continue reading: Answercast #75 - Browsing forensics, naming backups, blocking animation, programs on external drives, starter ink cartridges, and more.
http://ask-leo.com/C6088

How can I see what websites a person has been to on my computer, even if they deny it?
Seeing what websites a person has been to is easy to view unless the person is highly tech savvy and knows how to cover their tracks.
Continue reading: How can I see what websites a person has been to on my computer, even if they deny it?
http://ask-leo.com/C6089

Why can't I burn an ISO to this blank DVD?
If you can't burn to a blank DVD, you'll need to narrow down exactly what's causing the problem. The failure may be in the media or the drive.
Continue reading: Why can't I burn an ISO to this blank DVD?
http://ask-leo.com/C6090

What's a "starter capacity" cartridge for a printer?
Starter capacity ink cartridges for many printer brands come with a fraction of the ink available in full-sized ink cartridges. They are just for starting.
Continue reading: What's a "starter capacity" cartridge for a printer?
http://ask-leo.com/C6091

How do I make this browser-based online game bigger?
Enlarging online games can be tricky, depending on how they were written. If browser zoom functions don't work, you may have to change your monitor's DPI.
Continue reading: How do I make this browser-based online game bigger?
http://ask-leo.com/C6092

What's the difference between repairing Office and reinstalling it?
Repairing Microsoft Office will usually preserve your settings. If you uninstall and then reinstall it, you will be back to the factory default settings.
Continue reading: What's the difference between repairing Office and reinstalling it?
http://ask-leo.com/C6093

Can I block all animation in web advertisements?
Blocking ad animations is tricky because there are so many formats an advertiser can use to display the animation. You may need to vote with your feet.
Continue reading: Can I block all animation in web advertisements?
http://ask-leo.com/C6094

Will it cause a problem if I choose a different name for my backup than that recommended by Macrium Reflect?
Changing backup file names is easy and safe to do. It's only an identifier for Macrium.
Continue reading: Will it cause a problem if I choose a different name for my backup than that recommended by Macrium Reflect?
http://ask-leo.com/C6095

How do I control what shows in the Windows 7 taskbar notification area?
The Windows 7 taskbar notifications area can be arranged in several ways by right-clicking in the taskbar "Notification Area."
Continue reading: How do I control what shows in the Windows 7 taskbar notification area?
http://ask-leo.com/C6096

Hotmail displays wrong under Safari. Is there anything I can do?
If Safari displays Hotmail pages wrong, it could be a problem with Safari itself. There are a couple of steps to take to clear the problem.
Continue reading: Hotmail displays wrong under Safari. Is there anything I can do?
http://ask-leo.com/C6097

Can I transfer software from one machine to another using an external drive?
Transferring software to an external drive usually doesn't work - unless that software is portable and does not need to be installed into the registry to run.
Continue reading: Can I transfer software from one machine to another using an external drive?
http://ask-leo.com/C6098

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Word o' the Week

RAM

RAM is an acronym for Random Access Memory. This is the part of your computer that holds the programs that you're actually running right now, such as the operating system, your word processor (if you're running it), your email program (again, if you're running your email program) and so on. It also holds the data that's being worked on right now, such as the document that's currently shown in your word processor or the email that you're typing up.

Computers these days typically have somewhere between two to eight gigabytes (two to eight billion bytes) of RAM. What's important is that when you turn the computer off or if it crashes - poof - anything stored in RAM is gone.

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.

*** Thoughts and Comments

As many of you know, earlier this year I got my amateur (HAM) ratio license. (I'm N7LEO for those who're curious.)

And, as should be pretty darned obvious, I'm all about computers and technology.

This Sunday as I was driving home these two worlds collided in an interesting way.

I had a conversation with a gentleman in England via the HAM radio in my car.

Now while many HAM radio activities do involve radio contact around the globe, the equipment in my car isn't capable of that. My range is more along the lines of perhaps 50 miles give-or-take, depending on the terrain and the weather.

In this case another local HAM had connected via an internet-based service that in turn allowed him to connect to a transmission tower in England. My overseas conversation went via radio, then internet and then radio again, and back.

In a day and age where Skype and other technologies like it makes global computer-to-computer voice communications almost trivial, that may not seem like much. To me, however, the marriage of a centuries old technology with the much more recent technologies, ubiquity and capacities of the internet is fascinating.

Particularly since my conversation was, in effect, by accident.

And while I was driving.

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy living in the future? Smile

'till next time...

Leo
Leo A. Notenboom
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