Computer Info – June 7, 2000

This Week’s Program

        Question and Answer session will be the topic for this week. And, yes, I know that I had the date wrong on last week’s handout – it should have been May 31, 2000 instead of June 1, 2000. Wes tells me that I have no excuse since I have a calendar so easily accessible on the desktop – just double-click on the time and the calendar pops up. I do know it is there, but always forget to take advantage of it.

Shortcut Keys for Browsing a Web Page

        If you get tired of trying to scroll through an article on the internet by clicking your mouse on the scroll bar and don’t own one of the newer mouses that have the scroll wheel, then maybe you will find these keyboard shortcuts handy to use.
        All of these features work in the majority of programs that use text – but they really work well with Netscape and Internet Explorer.
    Page Down         Using this key will scroll down a page (screen) at a time
    Page Up              Using this key will scroll up a page (screen) at a time
    Down Arrow        This key will scroll down a line at a time
    Up Arrow             This key will scroll up a line at a time
    Ctrl-End               This combination will take you to the bottom of the page
    Ctrl-Home            This combination will take you to the beginning of the page

Move Your Data Files to another Drive
(from James Coates’ column in The Chicago Tribune)

        Q--I want to transfer all my personal files (text and graphics) on my hard drive to an external drive I just bought. Is there a reasonably fast way of doing this and then deleting those files from my hard drive?
        A--Microsoft recommends simply using the cut and paste commands built in to the operating system to move files from one device to another. Select whichever files or folders you want to move and tap Control+X to cut. Then move the pointer to the icon for your other storage device and once it is open, tap Control+V (the V comes from "moVe").
        By holding down the control key while selecting file and folder icons, you can move large batches of stuff at a time. So that's Microsoft's way. Coates' way is a bit different because I am chicken about cutting stuff until it is backed up. So I click Control+C to copy files and then do the same moVe as Bill Gates recommends. Once my stuff is safely moVed, I go back and delete it.

Combining Documents in MS-Word

        If you have created numerous documents (for example – Notes 1998 – Notes 1999 – Notes 2000) and you have now decided that you would like these files (or documents) to be all in one document (for example – Notes), one method you could use is -----
            (1) – Open the first document (in this case --- Notes 1998)
            (2) – Place your cursor at the end of that document
                        Choose INSERT from the menu
                        Then choose FILE
                        Locate the file on your computer (in this case – Notes 1999) and click on OK
                        The contents of Notes 1999 will now be a part of the document that you are working on
            (3) – From the FILE menu, choose SAVE AS
                        Give it a new filename (in this case --- Notes) and click on SAVE

Two Views on Whether to Install a Firewall Program

The Chicago Tribune – column by James Coates (May, 2000)
Q--While I always enjoy your column, I can't agree with your "not to worry" recommendation when it comes to hackers and DSL or cable modems. A better choice, in my opinion, would be to get a low-cost software firewall. I'm a DSL user at home, and my firewall detects probes virtually every day--better safe than sorry.

A--While it is possible that some hacker is probing your Internet address bent on mischief, chances are much more likely that your cheap firewall software is simply registering background noise, which is commonplace in the frenzied exchanges of data bits that make up the Internet. There are millions of ordinary people using always-on DSL connections and, to my knowledge, not a single confirmed case of a hacker attack at the solitary consumer level.

Peter Norton, America's great exploiter of PC phobia, is (as you may well imagine) already Peter on the Spot with Norton Internet Security 2000 for $53 with complicated firewall modules as well as some pretty welcome features, including Norton's fine anti-virus software. If it makes you feel better, by all means, go for Norton, but beware that these kinds of fixes can often cause more problems than they correct.

The News Journal (Monday, June 05, 2000) – Dr. DOS column by Tony Briggs
        You may not realize it but the Web community is pretty much a reflection of society in general. Most users are fine people whose only interest is surfing from site to site, chatting or sending e-mail. And then there are the bad guys. In the real world, they are called thieves, crooks, embezzlers, swindlers or whatever. On the Web, they are called hackers. And because they can tap into the power of the Web, they can do things beyond the imagination of the average crook - like rummaging around in your private files, planting programs that do bad things or even destroy data.
        I never really gave much thought to these cyber crooks until I got an always-on, digital subscriber line Internet connection at home. Heeding the advice of experts, I decided I should install a program to keep the bad guys at bay. Only then did I discover there were a lot of people - some of them on the other side of the world - trying to poke around in my computer. The program that told me this is called Black Ice Defender, one of several applications now being marketed to give home computers the same security found in the corporate world.
        When you install Black Ice, which retails for $39.95, it begins by shutting a lot of doors normally left open on home PCs. These are the entryways most hackers use to get inside your computer. Black Ice then renders your computer largely invisible to the outside world while monitoring for and blocking intruders. When hackers attack, the Black Ice shield icon on your system tray flashes. Clicking on the icon opens a window to show the type of intrusion and the IP address it is coming from. Black Ice is not technically a firewall but works like one, blocking access to unwanted intruders, identifying them and giving the user the option on contacting the Internet provider used by the hacker. Another less expensive Internet security option is ZoneAlarm. It does basically the same thing as Black Ice but it's free for individual users. The program is small, less than 2 megabytes, and is almost as easy to use as Black Ice. ZoneAlarm offers more configuration options but also works well in load-and-forget mode.
        If you want to get an idea of whether you computer is vulnerable, aim your Internet browser to www.secure-me.net/scan and follow the instructions for scanning your system. It'll probably convince you to install more security.