Leo's Answers
A Weekly Newsletter From
Ask Leo!
Leo Notenboom
Hello {!name_fix}!
(You're receiving this newsletter because you subscribed, and then confirmed your subscription. Simple instructions for unsubscribing are at the end of every newsletter.)
*** Contents
- New Articles of Note on Ask Leo!
- Popular Articles from the Archives.
- Thoughts and Comments
- Newsletter Administration
*** New Articles of Note on Ask Leo!
Why does Outlook ask me "Do you want to save changes?"
How do I turn off the prompt in MS Outlook 2003 that reads "Do you want to save changes?"
This appears when I download a picture for an incoming eMail. I am glad that Outlook gives me the option to not download pictures, but I consider that I have already committed to the changes when I do the download. So this is annoying.
While it can be annoying, I know of no way to turn that off globally. But you can do so per-sender.
The real question is why is it asking in the first place? There are actually valid reasons. And yes, there are times when you might want to answer "yes", and times when you might want to answer "no".
Continue reading: "Why does Outlook ask me "Do you want to save changes?""
http://ask-leo.com/why_does_outlook_ask_me_do_you_want_to_save_changes.html
* * *
Blue Security: Singing the blues about spam.
A bad problem, a bad solution, and a bad outcome for all.Continue reading: "Blue Security: Singing the blues about spam."
http://ask-leo.com/blue_security_singing_the_blues_about_spam.html
* * *
How can I tell if an exe is "safe" or not?
Someone's pointing me to a downloadable program as solution for a problem I'm having. I'm really hesitant to download and run unknown EXE files. Is there any way I can scan it with some program or otherwise ascertain if it's clean or riddled with subtle spyware, viruses, or what ever else could be bad?
I was somewhat taken aback by this question. It's a perfectly good question, and in fact one that people should be asking themselves more often.
No, my reaction was due to the lack of a good answer.
It turns out that it's fairly difficult to ascertain whether or not something you've downloaded is about to play havoc with your system.
Continue reading: "How can I tell if an exe is "safe" or not?"
http://ask-leo.com/how_can_i_tell_if_an_exe_is_safe_or_not.html
* * *
I keep hearing about Paypal problems. Should I avoid Paypal?
I wanted to buy you a latte, but it seems you only accept Paypal. I've seen warnings about Paypal - Paypal fraud, Paypal phishing and the like, so I've avoided Paypal completely. I don't want to get my Paypal account hacked.
Am I over reacting? Should I avoid Paypal?
Personally, I'm always a little mystified when I hear of folks who don't like Paypal, or who are afraid of it. You just have to treat it for what it is: another on-line banking service. Personally I find it fast, convenient and reliable.
Are there horror stories? Of course. But then, the same's true for whatever institution you keep your money in.
There are definitely some steps you can take to keep your Paypal account safe.
Continue reading: "I keep hearing about Paypal problems. Should I avoid Paypal?"
http://ask-leo.com/i_keep_hearing_about_paypal_problems_should_i_avoid_paypal.html
* * *
What's 'akamai', and why is my firewall alerting me about it?
Hi Leo, My Zone Alarm is constantly blocking "a1255.g.akamai". I did a Google on it but didn't find out much. Can you tell me what it is?
I had to make an assumption or two, but a few steps lead me to an answer that I think is correct.
What I can't explain is why Zone Alarm is blocking it.
Let me walk you through what I did. The steps may be useful in researching other domain issues in the future.
Continue reading: "What's 'akamai', and why is my firewall alerting me about it?"
http://ask-leo.com/whats_akamai_and_why_is_my_firewall_alerting_me_about_it.html
* * *
How do I tell if my ex has installed spyware on my machine?
I came across the web page that I found you on in the attempt to find information out if there is a possibility that my husband who I am in the middle of a nasty divorce could have, sometime since he moved out 2 years ago, put a spy program on my computer. I know it is possible, but am wondering how I can find if he has been monitoring my activity on the computer. In the past I know while he was in the residence he had put a program on and I found out by him showing me what he had done. When he moved out, I had the computer basically stripped down and reloaded and all programs supposedly were erased. I did purchase E. Blaster thinking he might be using that program but it loaded so I would assume that he is not using that program. Could there be another? Some computer technicians do not want to even get involved because they have told me that they do not want to be involved in a court case. I just need direction on where I should start or where I might find someone to investigate my computer and see if they can find any trace of him doing this.
I can understand a normal technician not wanting to get involved. But I also understand that it might take some money, money that most of us might not have, to actually find someone to do the detailed analysis, and then testify to it in court.
So what should you do?
Continue reading: "How do I tell if my ex has installed spyware on my machine?"
http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_tell_if_my_ex_has_installed_spyware_on_my_machine.html
* * *
How can I automate an SFTP transfer between two servers?
I'm trying to set up an automated sftp transfer from one Linux box to another. I understand that you have to create a key with ssh-keygen, then put the key file on the other machine. But sftp still prompts me for the password. I read that the users on both machines must be the same... is that correct?
No, not correct.
As it turns out, this is something I do regularly with ssh, as well as both sftp and rsync, as part of my backup and load balancing approaches for Ask Leo! Let me walk you through what I've done.
Continue reading: "How can I automate an SFTP transfer between two servers?"
http://ask-leo.com/how_can_i_automate_an_sftp_transfer_between_two_servers.html
*** Popular Articles from the Archives
Anyone walking in front of my RV this week would notice an odd contraption on my dashboard. I call it my "pizza-pantenna". It may look funny, but it works when I'm away from home.
How do you stay connected in weak cellular areas?
This is another of those questions I asked myself. I'm finding myself spending more time in rural Washington state, with more expected. My primary way of staying connected to the internet is my cellular phone's data plan, but out here on the farm we're in a fringe area. Coverage is weak, and disconnects are common.
Correction: they were common. I've got quite a good connection as I'm writing this.
Here's what I did...
Continue reading... How do you stay connected in weak cellular areas?
http://ask-leo.com/how_do_you_stay_connected_in_weak_cellular_areas.html
*** Thoughts and Comments
Last week I mentioned that I'd be taking a couple of days and hitting the Washington coast. The weather was gorgeous - we couldn't have asked for better. And my cell phone, connected to my laptop, kept us connected. My wife's business, as well as mine, have become heavily dependant on the internet, so staying connected while we're away actually lets us relax just a little more.
Cell coverage was weak out there, but this week's articles from the archives shows you exactly how I dealt with that to get a nice, strong, signal while working in the RV.
And yes, much email and even a question or two, was answered while sitting in a beach chair overlooking the waves of the Pacific Ocean rushing up on shore.
I love technology that lets me do that.
Take care,
* * *
The latest at Forwarded Funnies:
"Baby Airplanes"
http://www.forwardedfunnies.com
The latest essay on Taming Email:
"Do I Have New Mail? Do I Have New Mail? Do I ..."
http://www.tamingemail.com
The most recent tip at Leo's MovableType Tips:
"Dealing with a Wealth of Comments"
http://www.mttips.com
*** Newsletter Administration
Do you have a question? A comment, perhaps? Newsletter subscribers can drop me a line at leo <at> ask-leo.com. (I only give that email address to newsletter subscribers, so I'll know it's from one of my loyal readers.) If you like, you can make sure you get past any spam filters by simply posting your question or comment using the Ask Leo! question form: http://ask-leo.com/askleo.html.
I'll be honest: I'll try to respond, but I get a lot of questions every day - I just can't answer everyone. Rest assured, though, that even if you don't hear from me directly, I read every email I get.
Leo's Answers Newsletter is a weekly publication of Ask Leo! and Leo A. Notenboom. It's also available as an RSS feed at this URL: http://ask-leo.com/newsletter.xml?UD=nl. Archives of previous newsletter issues can be found on the Ask Leo! web site, http://ask-leo.com/newsletter.html.
You're quite welcome to forward this email in its entirety, but you should probably delete your unsubscribe link below, so your friends don't unsubscribe you by accident. You may forward individual articles from this newsletter only if you include all and only the text of that article as found in this newsletter, including any links therein. You may not copy full articles from the Ask Leo! website - more on that in my section on copyright: http://ask-leo.com/terms.html#copyright.
I'd sure appreciate it if regular readers got a subscription of their own. You can sign up at http://newsletter.ask-leo.com.
]]>
Hi Leo..
I think you are my last chanse!! I hope to be lucky dear.
Well,I remeber my answer to private question,but unfortunately I dont remeber the date, the zip code and even the Country I entered! cuz It was 7 years ago I made the ID and It was my first time! 🙁