Ask Leo! #413 - Cookies and how they're made, do not track, magnets, expiring email accounts and more... - Confident Computing

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

How do I delete cookies? And just what are cookies, anyway?

Cookies themselves typically aren't as evil as most stories - and some anti-spyware tools - might have you believe.

A cookie is nothing more than some information a website can save on your computer that your browser then provides back to that same website the next time you return.

Seriously. That's it. That's all. That's a cookie.

It's what some sites use cookies for that has some people concerned and why you might care about things like deleting cookies and perhaps even looking inside of them.

Continue reading: How do I delete cookies? And just what are cookies, anyway?
http://ask-leo.com/C2032

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*** Answercast

Answercast #76 - Erasing & recovering email, computers that turn on, magnets, hibernate vs. shutting down, do not track and more...

Do you wonder if all these new tablets need malware protection or if magnets will ruin computers? Want to erase lots of email, recover lost messages or abandon an account? Does "Do not track" even work? Should you turn off a computer? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Continue reading: Answercast #76 - Erasing & recovering email, computers that turn on, magnets, hibernate vs. shutting down, do not track and more...
http://ask-leo.com/C6100

Is there a way to bulk erase emails?
Bulk erasing emails can be done in several ways depending on what type of program you are using to read your email.
Continue reading: Is there a way to bulk erase emails?
http://ask-leo.com/C6101

How do I recover my lost files and folders in email?
Recovering lost files and folders is easy if they were backed up. If not, it's going to be a long process and your technician will need to know all the details about how the files were lost.
Continue reading: How do I recover my lost files and folders in email?
http://ask-leo.com/C6102

How do I stop my computer from turning itself on overnight?
Computer turning itself on at night could be the result of a faulty switch. It might not be an easy fix mechanically although there is one easy solution.
Continue reading: How do I stop my computer from turning itself on overnight?
http://ask-leo.com/C6103

Are multiple instances of IE causing it to slow down dramatically?
Multiple instances of IE showing in the Task Manager could simply be multiple tabs open in the browser. This sounds more like a memory problem.
Continue reading: Are multiple instances of IE causing it to slow down dramatically?
http://ask-leo.com/C6104

How long after an email account is abandoned is its email address available for a new account?
Abandoned email account addresses can be difficult to recover. It will be quite a while before they are returned to the pool of available addresses, if ever!
Continue reading: How long after an email account is abandoned is its email address available for a new account?
http://ask-leo.com/C6105

Can magnets cause problems for external hard drives?
Magnets damaging hard drives is not something you and I need to worry about on a day-to-day basis, as long as you are not putting bulk-erasers next to your disks!
Continue reading: Can magnets cause problems for external hard drives?
http://ask-leo.com/C6106

Are hibernate and standby easier on a computer than rebooting it from scratch?
Hibernate and standby vs. rebooting to start your computer is pretty much equal. It all has a slight wear and tear on your machine's hardware and software.
Continue reading: Are hibernate and standby easier on a computer than rebooting it from scratch?
http://ask-leo.com/C6107

Does "Do not track" work?
Do not track means different things to different people. Ultimately, you are relying on the receiving server to honor this ambiguous term.
Continue reading: Does "Do not track" work?
http://ask-leo.com/C6108

Do tablets need anti-malware software?
Anti-malware software for tablets is not needed... yet. We may see a rise in necessity in the coming months and years.
Continue reading: Do tablets need anti-malware software?
http://ask-leo.com/C6109

Can I network two PCs without network cards?
Networking without network cards is a reverse hack. You'll be much more successful in the long run using established networking equipment.
Continue reading: Can I network two PCs without network cards?
http://ask-leo.com/C6110

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Comments

If I have nothing to hide, do I still need a Windows password?

John Nightingale writes:

I would be most worried that someone else sets up a password, then I can't get in.

Should I upgrade to Windows 8?

Philip Moseley writes:

I am an avid reader of your column and love it but I have a question I have upgraded to windows 8 pro from windows 7 and don't really like it or care for it that much I was more happier with win7 ultimate ,my question is is there a way to reverse the process so my original OS is then back on?

There's no reverse, no. The only two approaches are to restore the backup you took immediately before upgrading (taking that backup is highly recommended for just this reason), or reformatting and reinstalling Windows 7 from scratch. In general I recommend moving forward by adjusting to Windows 8 rather than moving backwards, but it's up to you.

-Leo

I suspect the large number of emails and folders in my PST is causing problems with Outlook. How can I fix this?

James writes:

Creating a new PST needs a bit of thought.

When you create one, Outlook usually wants to create it on your C: drive. At work, people found it to be problematic whenever they changed desks (hence they got a different PC) - their personal PST folder was no longer accessible. The trick was to use the employee's personal space on the network drive to save the personal PST file.

Of course this can have a downside too. I use a laptop, and by saving the PST on the network drive, I lose access to the PST whenever I leave the office.

As others have commented already I strongly recommend against putting a PST on a network share and accessing it over a network. It's easily corrupted in those situations. To resolve the issue you're describing I'd simply place the PST in a different folder elsewhere on the same machine, or move it to a new location on that new machine. There's really no reason the accessibility problem couldn't be solved.

-Leo

I suspect the large number of emails and folders in my PST is causing problems with Outlook. How can I fix this?

keith writes:

Great advice on archiving and labeling those archives!

I was surprised that this article didn't mention the free tool included with Windows that acts like chkdsk for your PST. It is called SCANPST.EXE and can be found in various folders depending on your version of Office. Do a Windows search for the file and run it. You then select the PST file that you want to scan/repair and it runs for a while. After a reboot, you can test things out to see if this fixes the problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/272227

Outlook 2007 and beyond should have no problem working with PST files in excess of 4GB. With versions of Outlook before 2007, it is best to keep the PST files below 4GB to prevent corruption.

How do I prevent a former employee sending email that looks like it's from my company's domain?

Ken B writes:

Years ago, when people would tell me that it was "impossible" (or, at least, "almost impossible") to spoof the "from", I would demonstrate otherwise. A few minutes later, they would get an e-mail "from" the President of the United States, explaining that such spoofing was quite easy to do.

Many years ago at a certain large software company I'll admit to originating some internal mail that came "From: Santa.Claus@northpole.com". :-)

-Leo

*** Leo Recommends

CCleaner - Windows Cleaning Tool

CCleaner's been around a long time and with good reason: it provides several very valuable and useful functions.

Several of CCleaner's functions may well duplicate some tools that you already have, but its primary claim to fame is its ability to clean up files, history, and other things from your computer that you might not need or want to keep around.

It lives up to its name as a cleaner.

Continue reading: CCleaner - Windows Cleaning Tool
http://ask-leo.com/C5033

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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