Q: My daughter recently had to replace her computer; it had died. But before it could start on the journey to computer heaven, it disappeared from her garage. Is there anything she can or should do to try to protect herself from misuse of any data that may be retrieved?
P. Vinci
A: She should immediately change any passwords she was using. Some of these passwords -- even on computers not set up to automatically log on to websites -- may still be stored on the hard disk. If her computer stored financial data she should contact all her financial institutions and tell them of the possible breach. In some cases, banks and brokerages may want to create new account numbers to guard against a breach. If the computer contained information such as Social Security numbers or other identifying personal data, I'd strongly recommend paying for a subscription to a firm such as Lifelock that makes it difficult for others to use any of that data to steal her identity or to apply for loans in her name. You can read about Lifelock here: www.lifelock.com.
Q: I love to collect recipes. But I'd like to transfer my printed recipes to digital form so I could search for recipes and ingredients.
Nancy Mueller
A: It's possible to scan printed material using the same sort of scanner used to turn a photographic print into a digital image. That will convert the printed recipe into what amounts to a digital photograph of the recipe page. The next step is to use OCR (optical character reading) software that will convert the photograph of the text into actual text -- like what you'd produce using a word processor. Here's the rub: The process of scanning and then using the OCR software will take quite a bit of time if you have an extensive collection of recipes. Also you need to know that OCR software is far from perfect, and you need to budget extra time to correct mistakes it makes when converting the image to text.
Readers offer help
Often times I learn more from readers than they do from me. Here are a few examples:
I recently wrote about ways to straighten up the wiring used in home offices and recommended using nylon wire ties to neatly bundle Ethernet and electrical cables. Robert Creel had an even better idea for that, as well as a way to neatly route cables:
"Use Velcro wire ties, not the nylon type. When it is time to put in a new cable, you don’t want to be in the dark under your desk with a pair of scissors or wire cutters [to cut the nylon ties]. Also, get plastic wire way (the most common is made by Panduit) from a building supply or electrical supply house. This product is used to route wire inside control cabinets and has slots to allow the wires to exit wherever you want. I have this attached to the underside of my desk, and when I change a component; I just remove the cover, run the new wires and snap the cover back on."
Another reader, Steve Dunn, offered a better way to protect discarded CDs or DVDs from prying eyes. I recommended breaking the discs apart. But Steve's system is more appealing. I've edited his e-mail for space reasons:
"I take a screwdriver or a nail file and scratch the top of the disk all over. Then I take a piece of Scotch tape and press it firmly over the scratches. When you lift the tape off, the plastic layer that contains the data comes off, too. Then I just toss the now blank clear plastic disk into the trash."
Have a question?
Please send questions to Bill Husted at tecbud@bellsouth.net. Although he reads every e-mail, not all are answered. E-mails are selected for publication based on the likelihood the answers will be of general interest.
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