Dennis Faas

Infopackets Reader Denise D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Windows XP and currently subscribe to the Road Runner high-speed Internet service (offered by Time Warner). I have tried to install Windows XP Service Pack 2, but after installing it, I ... could no longer access the Internet. I kept receiving a message 'cannot find server' on all sites through Internet Explorer. Subsequently, I had to uninstall the Service Pack in order to regain access to the web. What do I need to do in order to install the service pack and have access to the Internet? " My response: This has been a ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Deanna K. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thank you for your wonderful newsletter and relentless dedication and support for computer newbies (like myself)! I have been carefully following your recent discussions concerning SP2; however, I ... have a question that I cannot seem to find the answer to. I understand that I can get Windows XP Service Pack 2 CD for free from Microsoft. Subsequently, a number of tech articles that I've read recommend that I get the Service Pack 2 CD instead of downloading SP2 from the Internet. Can you explain why this is so? " My response: I've ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader James T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I read and enjoy your newsletter everyday that it's published -- yet, I can't understand why (as of late) you've giving so much hype to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)? I agree that SP2 is a ... critical and necessary update ; nonetheless, Microsoft's Service Pack releases almost always coincide with incompatibility issues. As with any Service Pack, I feel, there is no guarantee that it will install successfully -- nor is there a guarantee for anything, when dealing with computers. ... My reason for writing you today, in fact, is with ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Polly B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've downloaded and successfully installed Service Pack 2 onto my computer. The only complaint I have so far is that Outlook Express is so security tight, that a lot of the email messages I have put ... aside (with file attachments) now cannot be opened. I went in and took off the Outlook Express Security 'do not allow me to open potentially dangerous attachments' option, and now everything is OK. I felt safe in choosing to disable this 'security features' because I use Norton Security which blocks potentially malicious email attachments. My ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Suzie B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've been keeping up with the buzz in your newsletter about Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Although I haven't downloaded your SP2 Fail-Safe Install Guide , I would like to make a comment on my ... nightmare-ish experience with Service Pack 2. When I heard about the extensive features and benefits of Service Pack 2, I thought it sounded great -- and so decided to install it onto my machine. And that's when my nightmare began. The first time I tried to install Service Pack 2, it took a few hours to complete the install. When it was all said ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Glenda 'LadyInRed' writes: " Dear Dennis, Since I am not that tech-savvy when it comes to making changes on a computer system, I have decided to ask this question. I hope that you can give me an answer to it, then I can stop ... trying to figure it out on my own. I have a son that is 27 years old and he is very intelligent when it comes to the computer. He likes to get on my computer since I have a fast Internet connection (DSL), and downloads music using Kazaa. The problem is that every time that Kazaa is installed onto my computer it causes a lot of problems. I have ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Glenda 'LadyInRed' writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your response . Unfortunately I don't have Windows XP on my computer (I'm still using Windows 98). So, my question to you now is: other than security, what is better about ... Windows XP? And if I can't use Windows XP, would you recommend that I upgrade to Windows ME? " My response: I can't provide you with an exhaustive / comparative list of differences between Windows 98 and XP, but there are a number of obvious differences that I can highlight: With respect to Windows 98: an announcement was made in December 2003 ... (view more)

Roughly two weeks ago, I wrote an article that featured a nifty utility that Password Protects Files and Folders. The program is particularly useful if you share your computer with others and don't want them accessing sensitive data. Recall -- " ... ... People are going to be curious and want to look at your files, and there's not much you can do (as far as protection) with the current Windows security if you haven't logged out. Folder Password Expert does exactly what the title implies. It's as easy as choosing a folder to protect and creating a password! ... As opposed to other software, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Peter D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm running Windows 2000 Professional on a machine that uses a Pentium 3 processor. After around 1 hour online, a RAM defrag utility I use reports that most of my RAM has been lost and I need to ... defrag. Can you tell me why I lose most of my RAM, and why it's necessary to defrag constantly? PS: your newsletter is great. " My response: RAM is just that -- Random Access Memory -- which means that it will get fragmented *very* quickly as computing information is randomly written, read, and deleted from memory. It is true: RAM gets ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Donna E. writes: " Dear Dennis, My subscription to Norton AntiVirus is about to expire and I am thinking about switching to a different software company for my virus protection. I have done some reading on the Internet, but I am ... still not sure of which products are the best. I have Windows XP Professional on my computer and use DSL for my Internet connection. PS: Thanks for all of your wonderful advice in the newsletter! " My response: I personally use Symantec Norton AntiVirus on my system, largely because Symantec has an excellent reputation for quickly ... (view more)