Dennis Faas

Infopackets Reader Brian W. writes: " Hi Dennis, I've got a question: at one time, I had a program that searched for duplicate files on my PC; unfortunately, I can't find this gem of a program on the web any longer, and was wondering if you might ... know the name or where to get it? PS: I must say, your infopackets newsletter is a *must read* every time it's received in my inbox! " My response: Aside from Ashampoo WinOptimizer (which searches for duplicate files / weeds out garbage files / makes Windows run faster), I don't remember mentioning any freeware programs that have this ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bob M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I always enjoy reading your newsletter. Every issue seems to have a topic or two of interest. Thanks very much for that. I have a question: I would like to receive the 'online' version of the ... newsletter, so that I don't always have to click on a link to read the rest of the story online the web site. I cannot find how to change my subscription information so that I receive all of the newsletter in my email inbox. How can I change my subscription to receive the online version? " My response: The newsletter used to be delivered via ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Betsy S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am such a beginner on the computer, but enjoy reading your newsletters (even though some topics are way over my head)! I'm writing you today because I am concerned about some of the freeware ... programs that are mentioned -- not only in your newsletter -- but on other web sites, as well. I just read your article on " How to Visually trace down a Hacker ", and I was very interested in downloading VisualZone and trying it out on my machine. My question is: Don't hackers often use 'free' software to get into your computer? How can ... (view more)

Since writing this newsletter, I have received a number of questions with respect to burning CD recordable discs. One question came from Infopackets Reader Bob T., who recently asked how it was possible to transport movie files from his computer ... onto his DVD player. Bob writes: " Dennis, I have a number of .MPEG movie files that I've downloaded through Kazaa. Friends tell me it is possible to play these files using my DVD player, but I need special CD burning software to do it. Is this true? If so, what program do you recommend? " And Infopackets Reader Sheila S. asked how to ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jim R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I read your article about sending music with e-mail. I had already been through all the HTML setup when I had trouble not getting pictures sent. All the solutions you mentioned I have done, but I ... still can't send music as background with email. Any other solutions? I am at a loss as to where to go next. I am running Windows XP, Internet Explorer 6, and Outlook Express 6. " My response: You are correct, in that that you need to ensure that your mail sending format is set for HTML (rather than plain text), in order to insert (*not* ... (view more)

Is there a simple way to organize Internet Explorer (IE) favorites -- without the need to 'flip' through dialogue menus, or worry of accidentally moving the wrong file? That's the question I asked Infopackets Readers last week after describing the ... method I used for sorting IE bookmarks. Below are some of the responses I received: Leo F. recommended AlphaCuts: " AlphaCuts swiftly displays, in alphabetical listings, your programs on the Start Menu, favorites in Internet Explorer and documents in the My documents folder. It lists the relevant directories and categories and the items they ... (view more)

Side note: I have been extremely busy for the last 3 weeks making adjustments to the web site. I haven't had much time to work on newsletters this week, so I'm reposting some 'best of' Infopackets Gazette. Without further adieu, please enjoy this ... previously posted article on "How to visually trace a hacker". -- Wouldn't it be great if you could visually trace back the path of a hacker? A little while back, I received an email from Infopackets Reader 'J. Noway' who provided me a link to two freeware programs that do just that. J. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently came across a ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Marilyn W. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am absolutely desperate to find a program that will poll my Linksys router periodically and report any changes in the email address periodically. I have done some research, and while I can find ... lots of programs that will update a DNS server or post the new IP on an FTP or website, I can't seem to find one that will just send me an email. There is one, Keep Me Posted, but I have run into issues with it, and I have had several XP machines that it won't run on. Can you or your Readers assist? " My response: I was unaware of such a ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Gary G. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just bought a new computer. I'd like to know of the best product to use in order to copy files from the old computer's hard drive to the new one, then possibly delete the files off the old ... computer. I have looked around but am not sure of what product to buy. Can you help? " My response: If you want to copy some files over to your new system, your best bet is to extract the hard drive out of the old system and attach it to the new system. Although this involves opening up your PC, this is a relatively simple task. Once the drives ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ron E. 'fiftylakesfox' writes: " I recently ran Safe Mode (under Windows ME) and after restarting my computer, almost all my Desktop icons showed up with the blue big "E" (as in Internet Explorer). I used the Microsoft 'System ... Restore' feature, but it didn't help at all. I've contacted Microsoft about this problem but haven't received a response in over two days. You or your readers are probably best source to help me get my hijacked icons back. Any suggestions? PS: Thanks very much for providing such an excellent newsletter. " My response: This has ... (view more)