computer

Yesterday's Visitor Feedback asked, " Can I track down a hacker ?" My answer to that question was a passive one -- mainly based on the fact it would take an inconceivable amount of time to prosecute each and every hacker who tries to wallow his way ... into your computer system. An algorithm for a typical Hacker might look something like this: Randomly select a computer to hack; Attempt to gain access to randomly selected computer; If access is granted, deliver a payload (send virus/trojan, delete files); If access is not granted, disconnect from this computer; Repeat process. With the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader - J Lerch. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have an ethernet card (network card) and external Cisco modem installed on my old computer. I recently purchased a new computer, and would like to transfer my network card and modem to the new ... computer. Could you give instructions on how to do this? I would like to do this myself (this time) because the last time cost me almost $200 dollars! " My Response: Anything to do with networking a computer can be highly involved. I will outline the steps taken, but will not go into too much detail: Open your old computer. Take out your ... (view more)

Do you trust Microsoft? Is Bill Gates the Antichrist? While a new computer user may not know a thing or two about Microsoft, its trustworthy practices, Bill Gates, and the Windows operating system -- the usual response from most experienced computer ... users is: "no way," and "yes!" I guess the first thing that comes to my mind regarding antitrust and Microsoft is the Netscape scandal: most people refer to it as the browser war . I suppose this antitrust scandal is most pertinent because of all the media attention it received at the time. It pretty much set the wave for other ... (view more)

Abstract This article is a continuation of last week's issue of the Infopackets Gazette. This article presents an overview of current privacy issues, discusses potential methods in which an individual's privacy may be jeopardized, and examines ... specific countermeasures that can be used to protect private information. Information Technology Abuse -- Privacy Issues (Part 1 of 2) -- Third Layer: Firewalls, Web Filters, and Tracking Detection Firewalls: Any computer system that accesses the Internet should be equipped with a firewall to enable the user to detect and prevent unauthorized access to ... (view more)

Ron Smith wrote in and had a few comments to make about a past issue of the Infopackets Gazette, concerning whether or not Windows is transferable onto another machine using the same hard drive. While I still feel that installing Windows freshly on ... a new machine is a better choice, you may want to try Ron's suggestion if you're willing to get your hands dirty. Here's what he had to say: " Dear Dennis, With deep respect, I feel that your answer was incomplete when you advised that Annette couldn't take over her hard drive to the new computer. Last week, I did exactly that, and it was ... (view more)

Millions of Internet users got a big shock this week when a popular, free MP3-sharing client, Morpheus Music City, went offline. Before Morpheus became all the rage, Napster was known to the world as the premier music swapping program. What set ... Napster ahead of its competition was its ease of use, and most importantly -- its reliability and transfer speeds. Napster allowed millions of Internet users to locate and share music files through Napster's central computers (also known as "servers"). The Napster servers kept track of who signed in and out of Napster, who had what MP3, and ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Victor R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently bought a CD-RW 24x10x40 drive and have used to to copy two disk without trouble. Lately, I tried to make an audio CD from files that I downloaded from the net. I got up to 75% completion ... and then my computer had a fatal error. The error was 'Vcache (01) +00000fc7 Error: oe: c004E663'; I wasn't sure if my computer was fast enough for the 24 spin recorder, so I tried slowing the speed of the copying process but still received the same error. As another possibility, I turned off the virus protect and all other running programs ... (view more)

A few weeks ago, I was called to do an upgrade on an older, Pentium 200 (P200) MHz computer. The P200 was equipped with an old-style scanner that used a special interface. After a few years of good use, the scanner died and needed to be replaced. ... Since the Pentium 200 did not come equipped with a USB interface (universal serial bus), shopping for a new scanner was difficult. The options were to buy an old-style scanner which used the Parallel Port (Printer Port) as its interface - but this was not a viable option because it was extremely slow and would not meet the demand in an office ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Annette K. writes: " I think I am going to get another replacement computer from Hewlett Packard. This computer is starting to make noises, and I get error messages in Internet Explorer all the time. Since the warranty expires on ... the 31st of this month, I am going to do this soon. My question is this: Can I take my whole hard drive, just as it is, copy it onto a zip disk and then reinstall it all on the new case? Or do I just take everything but what is in the Windows folder? If not, can you tell me how I can take everything I have right now, just as it is, and save it ... (view more)

Downloading programs and drivers off the Internet and installing them on your computer can get a little tricky, especially if you don't know what to do after the file has been downloaded. This guide provides Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000, and XP ... users a methodical approach to program and driver installation, without any techno jargon or fluff. Although this article is a bit lengthy, it should be known that Steps 1 and 2 provide much of what is to know, while Step 3 reintroduces the familiar concepts with a few extra twists. With that said, let's get on with it! A file has been downloaded. Now ... (view more)