Home > Technobuddy > Archives > 2006 > November > 10
Friday, November 10, 2006
Confusion about computers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Several years ago I spent days getting ready for a costume party. I ended up dressing as the dictator of a South American country.
It was a pitiful effort — sword, pith helmet (hey, I know that dictators do not often wear pith helmets, but I found one in a closet) and a high school band uniform. It was the closest thing I had to a flashy and over-decorated uniform.
I made a big entrance at the party, and I could tell everyone was impressed. That’s because the guys were wearing tweed jackets and the women were wearing ordinary dresses.
I’m not sure why I thought it was a costume party. But it wasn’t. It was just a party.
I have spent a large part of my life being confused and mistaken. So don’t get your feelings hurt when I talk about some common sources for confusion and mistakes about computing — based on telephone calls and e-mails from readers.
Don’t feel too secure
Many of you think your anti-virus program is the Swiss Army Knife of computing — something that protects you against all threats. The name should offer a clue. It protects you against viruses. So you still need a firewall. Use the version that comes free with Windows if nothing else. You also need a program to hunt down adware and spyware and, if you wish, a program to stop spam. Unless your software is a “security suite� that includes all these programs, you need one of each.
Lightning does strike twice
There are enough misconceptions about lightning strikes to fill a small book. And, yes, it can strike the same location twice. You knew that, but there may be a few surprises in store.
For starters, your surge protector or your Uninterruptable Power Supply may help if lightning strikes at a distance. But it won’t protect your computer if lightning strikes a power line coming into your home. If lightning hits close enough, it will fry your gadgets. The only foolproof lightning protection is a simple one — unplug your electronic gadgets when there is a severe lightning storm. Do I always do this? No. But I should.
Here’s another misconception. Many of you believe the most common way for lightning to find its way into your home is over the electrical power line. But damage is done more often by lightning that follows the telephone line into your home. So — if you really want to be safe — disconnect telephone and cable connections to our computer in a big lightning storm.
Bill Gates wants to give you money
You’ve seen these e-mails, along with the ones from African nobility, that claim you’ll get all kinds of wonderful stuff if you forward a message to 100 of your closest friends. Then there are the e-mails that warn of a new virus so powerful that it will destroy your computer and maybe even give you bad breath.
Most mass e-mails, even from friends and family, are wrong. If something sounds too good to be true, or offers you huge amounts of money for doing something really simple, then take my word: It’s not true.
Hard disks provide permanent storage
You hard disk will fail. This isn’t an “if� it is a “when.�
If you do not make back-up copies of the information stored there you will eventually lose it — telephone numbers, e-mails, tax records, Aunt Emily’s recipe for spaghetti sauce, everything.
At the very least, copy essential records to a CD once or twice a week. Using a back-up program — either the one furnished by Windows or one from the software store — is even better.
Internet coffee shops are safe
It’s a convenient way to work while on the road — grab a cup of coffee while your laptop connects to the wireless connection in the coffee shop or hotel. Since so many business people use these connections, it’s bound to be safe. Right?
Wrong. Most of these wireless networks are wide-open. To prove it, I sat down in a coffee shop with a security expert. With a couple of mouse taps we were watching passwords and user names scroll by on the screen of the expert’s laptop.
You don’t need to be an expert to peek at stuff like that. I could list Internet addresses that offer free programs that let you do what the expert did. Plenty of crooks use them. That’s why it’s smart to use a VPN (virtual private network) connection if your employer furnishes it, or to rely on a wired connection.
I’d like to hear your own nominations for this list.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns
