Computer Security & Other FAQs
The ease and convenience of Internet commerce certainly has revolutionized the way we communicate. But how can you be sure the personal or business information you are typing into a website is safe and secure? A knowledgeable IT consultant will advise that reputable websites use SSL technology to ensure that your information is being transmitted to them securely. Basically, SSL scrambles or encrypts the information you type before it leaves your computer and is sent across the Internet. Once the information arrives at the other side, it is unscrambled or decrypted using a code that only they know.
So how do you know a website is using SSL technology? There is a status bar at the bottom of your browser that displays some important statistics about the site you are viewing. If the site is using SSL, a little yellow lock icon will appear on that bar toward the right hand side. If you double-click on that lock, you get a “Security Certificate” window displaying information about who the SSL certificate was issued to, and who it was issued by.
How do I know they are who they say they are? There are many third-party companies called Certificate Authorities who issue SSL Certificates to websites. These companies verify that the website is a legitimate business.
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Identity Theft is a rising problem and one you should never say “that will never happen to me”. Identity theft is not a crime exclusively directed at computer users, but the wide-spread use of technology certainly makes people who conduct personal and/or business transactions online much more susceptible. There is nothing you can really do to guarantee 100% that you never fall prey, but there are many things you can do to improve computer security and minimize risk. Here are a few tips to help you protect yourself:
Every time you visit a website, Internet Explorer (IE) will download images and text to your computer so it can display them on your screen. It stores all this information in a temporary location on your computers' hard drive. This is useful if you frequent some site regularly because IE uses these files instead of downloading the information again. This “caching” improves performance but over time all these files can end up slowing your browser down, or cause other problems. It is a good idea to periodically purge this cache. You can tune-up IE by the following:
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In order for Windows to load the appropriate program for a specific file type, it needs to know which one to use ahead of time. In this case, Windows is telling you that it does not know which program to use for this particular file. Windows “knows” which programs to use by something called file associations. These associations are determined by file extensions. For example, Windows knows to launch Microsoft Word any time you double-click on a file with a .DOC extension because .DOC files are associated with Word. The file associations are just a list of file extensions and corresponding programs.
There are 2 reasons why you are receiving this prompt. First, you may not have the correct program installed. For example, if you try to open a file with a .PDF extension and you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed, then you will be prompted with this message. When you install Acrobat it will automatically tell Windows to use it when a user requests to open a PDF file. It does this by making an entry in the file associations list. The second reason you might get this error is because someone or something has altered your file association list. Sometimes the installation of other programs can change entries in the list causing this to happen. In this case, the file associations must be manually repaired.
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There is a lot of debate over whether you should shut down your computer when not using it. We believe you should. Here is why:
As you might expect, the answer depends. Sometimes you may not have much of a choice as service depends on location availability. But, if you have a choice, the answer is still unclear.
Cable modem generally offers much higher speeds at a relatively low cost. Cable is also available in nearly all areas since Cable TV has a strong presence. However, there are some drawbacks to Cable Modem service. First, the cheapest level of service does not offer static IP addresses. This is important if you want to host your own mail, web or terminal server.
Second, cable is a non-switched (or shared) technology which means speed is dependent how many other users in your area are using the same service. Although the speed is generally much higher than DSL, there are times when it can fall far below it.
Although T1 and DSL is becoming more widely available and less expensive in recent years, you cannot always get service. DSL technology depends upon the distance of your facility from the local telephone companys' central office. The further away you are the slower the speed you will get. Many times the distance is too great to get service at all. DSL services are available in 2 basic flavors: ADSL and SDSL. ADSL offers fast download and slow upload speeds. Depending upon the ISP, you may or may not be able to get a static IP. SDSL on the other hand offers the same download and upload speed and usually comes with 1 or more static IP addresses.
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This question really should read: Should I buy a laptop instead of a desktop? The obvious benefit of a laptop is mobility both inside the office (using wireless) and outside. But there are a number of drawbacks to consider. First, feature for feature, you will pay a premium for a laptop when compared to a similarly configured desktop. You are paying for the miniaturization of the same technology. Second, performance is always sacrificed for size so don't expect screaming number crunching speeds on a laptop. Third, a laptop is not as ergonomic as a desktop. The screens are generally smaller, the keyboards are not suited for a lot of typing, and the pointing devices are not nearly as comfortable as a full sized mouse or trackball.
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Are you wondering why your mouse seems a little jittery? Does the pointer skip around a lot? Is it somewhat hard to control? Is the motion rough? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then your mouse is suffering from dirty rollers.
If you are using a roller-type mouse then turn it over. Carefully remove the ball by opening the door on the bottom of the mouse. Clean the ball by blowing off any dust or particles. Set the ball and door cover aside and look inside the mouse. You should see 3 rollers: 1 thin wheel and 2 long bars. Using your fingernail gently scrape off the accumulation on the surface of the rollers and the wheel. Make sure you turn them completely around to get off all the debris. Replace the ball and cover, then take it for a spin.
Better still... buy a laser mouse!
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Keeping the outside and inside of your computer won't necessarily extend the life of your computer, but it can certainly help avoid a premature demise. Dirt is a big enemy of electronics. Here are some helpful hints on how to clean and how to keep your computer clean:
Keep the computer off the floor. Dust tends to accumulate under desks. Since your PC uses internal fans to cool itself off, that dust is likely to end up inside your computer. This can cause fans to get clogged and thereby reducing their effectiveness. Dirt can also coat chips and other components and settle inside CD-ROM and diskette drives.
Do not spray cleaners directly on the computer. Liquid sprays can easily drip into seams and crevasses causing damage to your system. Use a soft cloth moistened with ordinary glass cleaner to wipe dirt or dust off screens. Take extra care with LCD screens. Too much pressure can damage the fragile screen. You can use the same technique on keyboards, mice (the underside too), and other components. Make sure your PC is turned off when cleaning it.
If your computer operates in a dusty or dirty environment (such as a factory or warehouse), then consider cleaning the inside of the computer periodically. You should have an experienced technician do this for you as you can likely damage the system if you are not careful. Air Cans will sometimes release the pressurized liquid chemical in addition to the air itself. These chemicals may short circuit electric components. Take extreme care if you plan to use an industrial strength pneumatic air system as the air pressure can actually rip components right off the motherboard. Use a diffuser nozzle with short bursts.
Back to Top
There are a number of solutions available that can help you either tele-commute or to bring work home. The right solution will depend on many factors including how many people will be doing this, how often, and budget. Here are some of the most common scenarios:
GoToMyPC.com is a subscription web-based remote access solution. You install their software on your office computer. Now, all you need is to go to any computer with an Internet connection and you will be able to remotely access your office computer.
Symantec PC-Anywhere is much like the GoToMyPC solution but there are some important differences. You buy PCAW once and can install in on 2 computers: the host and remote. There is no monthly fee. But, if you want to access the office computer from multiple places, then you will have to buy and install additional copies of the “remote” program. This can be inconvenient if you plan to access your computer from many other places. PCAW makes more sense if you will work remotely from only one place.
Microsoft Terminal Server allows you to provide many people in your company to remotely access corporate resources remotely. Microsoft Terminal Server is much more robust and cost effective if you have 5 or more remote users especially if they work offsite full time. It is also much more secure because you can control and limit what remote users can do once they log on.
If your business is fortunate to be using Microsoft Small Business Server, then you could use Remote Web Workplace (or RWW for short) to remote control desktops within the office from home.
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We often get a lot of good questions about computer security and system maintenance from our clients. Here is a sampling of questions and answers you might find useful.
- How do I know a website is secure?
- How do I prevent Identity Theft?
- How can I improve the performance of Internet Explorer?
- What does the message “Windows cannot open this file” mean?
- Should I shut off my computer when I'm not using it?
- What is better for my business: T1, Cable Modem or DSL?
- Should I buy a laptop or a desktop?
- My mouse is not working properly.
- How should I clean my computer?
- What is the best way to access the office computer remotely?
Q&A 1: How do I know a website is secure?
The ease and convenience of Internet commerce certainly has revolutionized the way we communicate. But how can you be sure the personal or business information you are typing into a website is safe and secure? A knowledgeable IT consultant will advise that reputable websites use SSL technology to ensure that your information is being transmitted to them securely. Basically, SSL scrambles or encrypts the information you type before it leaves your computer and is sent across the Internet. Once the information arrives at the other side, it is unscrambled or decrypted using a code that only they know.
So how do you know a website is using SSL technology? There is a status bar at the bottom of your browser that displays some important statistics about the site you are viewing. If the site is using SSL, a little yellow lock icon will appear on that bar toward the right hand side. If you double-click on that lock, you get a “Security Certificate” window displaying information about who the SSL certificate was issued to, and who it was issued by.
How do I know they are who they say they are? There are many third-party companies called Certificate Authorities who issue SSL Certificates to websites. These companies verify that the website is a legitimate business.
Back to Top
Q&A 2: How do I prevent Identity Theft?
Identity Theft is a rising problem and one you should never say “that will never happen to me”. Identity theft is not a crime exclusively directed at computer users, but the wide-spread use of technology certainly makes people who conduct personal and/or business transactions online much more susceptible. There is nothing you can really do to guarantee 100% that you never fall prey, but there are many things you can do to improve computer security and minimize risk. Here are a few tips to help you protect yourself:
- Never give your password to anyone else.
- Never email personal or business information – even to trusted parties.
- Never respond to unsolicited email or spam.
- Use hard-to-guess or strong passwords.
- Password protect files that contain sensitive information.
- Make sure you are using a firewall and anti-virus program.
Q&A 3: How can I improve the performance of Internet Explorer?
Every time you visit a website, Internet Explorer (IE) will download images and text to your computer so it can display them on your screen. It stores all this information in a temporary location on your computers' hard drive. This is useful if you frequent some site regularly because IE uses these files instead of downloading the information again. This “caching” improves performance but over time all these files can end up slowing your browser down, or cause other problems. It is a good idea to periodically purge this cache. You can tune-up IE by the following:
- Open Internet Explorer
- Click Tools
- Select Internet Options
- On the General tab, click Delete under Browsing History
- Select the “Delete all offline content” option.
- Click OK
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Q&A 4: What does the message “Windows cannot open this file” mean?
In order for Windows to load the appropriate program for a specific file type, it needs to know which one to use ahead of time. In this case, Windows is telling you that it does not know which program to use for this particular file. Windows “knows” which programs to use by something called file associations. These associations are determined by file extensions. For example, Windows knows to launch Microsoft Word any time you double-click on a file with a .DOC extension because .DOC files are associated with Word. The file associations are just a list of file extensions and corresponding programs.
There are 2 reasons why you are receiving this prompt. First, you may not have the correct program installed. For example, if you try to open a file with a .PDF extension and you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed, then you will be prompted with this message. When you install Acrobat it will automatically tell Windows to use it when a user requests to open a PDF file. It does this by making an entry in the file associations list. The second reason you might get this error is because someone or something has altered your file association list. Sometimes the installation of other programs can change entries in the list causing this to happen. In this case, the file associations must be manually repaired.
Back to Top
Q&A 5: Should I shut off my computer when I'm not using it?
There is a lot of debate over whether you should shut down your computer when not using it. We believe you should. Here is why:
- Despite energy saving features, you are still wasting electricity.
- Leaving your computer on increases the risk of damage during lightning storms, power surges or outages
- While on, your computer is subject to attack by hackers.
- hile on, other people may be able to access private information.
- You don't have to wait for it to power on.
- The Window Automatic Updates has plenty of time for downloads.
Q&A 6: What is better for my business: T1, Cable Modem or DSL?
As you might expect, the answer depends. Sometimes you may not have much of a choice as service depends on location availability. But, if you have a choice, the answer is still unclear.
Cable modem generally offers much higher speeds at a relatively low cost. Cable is also available in nearly all areas since Cable TV has a strong presence. However, there are some drawbacks to Cable Modem service. First, the cheapest level of service does not offer static IP addresses. This is important if you want to host your own mail, web or terminal server.
Second, cable is a non-switched (or shared) technology which means speed is dependent how many other users in your area are using the same service. Although the speed is generally much higher than DSL, there are times when it can fall far below it.
Although T1 and DSL is becoming more widely available and less expensive in recent years, you cannot always get service. DSL technology depends upon the distance of your facility from the local telephone companys' central office. The further away you are the slower the speed you will get. Many times the distance is too great to get service at all. DSL services are available in 2 basic flavors: ADSL and SDSL. ADSL offers fast download and slow upload speeds. Depending upon the ISP, you may or may not be able to get a static IP. SDSL on the other hand offers the same download and upload speed and usually comes with 1 or more static IP addresses.
Back to Top
Q&A 7: Should I buy a laptop or a desktop?
This question really should read: Should I buy a laptop instead of a desktop? The obvious benefit of a laptop is mobility both inside the office (using wireless) and outside. But there are a number of drawbacks to consider. First, feature for feature, you will pay a premium for a laptop when compared to a similarly configured desktop. You are paying for the miniaturization of the same technology. Second, performance is always sacrificed for size so don't expect screaming number crunching speeds on a laptop. Third, a laptop is not as ergonomic as a desktop. The screens are generally smaller, the keyboards are not suited for a lot of typing, and the pointing devices are not nearly as comfortable as a full sized mouse or trackball.
Back to Top
Q&A 8: My mouse is not working properly.
Are you wondering why your mouse seems a little jittery? Does the pointer skip around a lot? Is it somewhat hard to control? Is the motion rough? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then your mouse is suffering from dirty rollers.
If you are using a roller-type mouse then turn it over. Carefully remove the ball by opening the door on the bottom of the mouse. Clean the ball by blowing off any dust or particles. Set the ball and door cover aside and look inside the mouse. You should see 3 rollers: 1 thin wheel and 2 long bars. Using your fingernail gently scrape off the accumulation on the surface of the rollers and the wheel. Make sure you turn them completely around to get off all the debris. Replace the ball and cover, then take it for a spin.
Better still... buy a laser mouse!
Back to Top
Q&A 9: How should I clean my computer?
Keeping the outside and inside of your computer won't necessarily extend the life of your computer, but it can certainly help avoid a premature demise. Dirt is a big enemy of electronics. Here are some helpful hints on how to clean and how to keep your computer clean:
Keep the computer off the floor. Dust tends to accumulate under desks. Since your PC uses internal fans to cool itself off, that dust is likely to end up inside your computer. This can cause fans to get clogged and thereby reducing their effectiveness. Dirt can also coat chips and other components and settle inside CD-ROM and diskette drives.
Do not spray cleaners directly on the computer. Liquid sprays can easily drip into seams and crevasses causing damage to your system. Use a soft cloth moistened with ordinary glass cleaner to wipe dirt or dust off screens. Take extra care with LCD screens. Too much pressure can damage the fragile screen. You can use the same technique on keyboards, mice (the underside too), and other components. Make sure your PC is turned off when cleaning it.
If your computer operates in a dusty or dirty environment (such as a factory or warehouse), then consider cleaning the inside of the computer periodically. You should have an experienced technician do this for you as you can likely damage the system if you are not careful. Air Cans will sometimes release the pressurized liquid chemical in addition to the air itself. These chemicals may short circuit electric components. Take extreme care if you plan to use an industrial strength pneumatic air system as the air pressure can actually rip components right off the motherboard. Use a diffuser nozzle with short bursts.
Back to Top
Q&A 10: What is the best way to access the office computer remotely?
There are a number of solutions available that can help you either tele-commute or to bring work home. The right solution will depend on many factors including how many people will be doing this, how often, and budget. Here are some of the most common scenarios:
GoToMyPC.com is a subscription web-based remote access solution. You install their software on your office computer. Now, all you need is to go to any computer with an Internet connection and you will be able to remotely access your office computer.
Symantec PC-Anywhere is much like the GoToMyPC solution but there are some important differences. You buy PCAW once and can install in on 2 computers: the host and remote. There is no monthly fee. But, if you want to access the office computer from multiple places, then you will have to buy and install additional copies of the “remote” program. This can be inconvenient if you plan to access your computer from many other places. PCAW makes more sense if you will work remotely from only one place.
Microsoft Terminal Server allows you to provide many people in your company to remotely access corporate resources remotely. Microsoft Terminal Server is much more robust and cost effective if you have 5 or more remote users especially if they work offsite full time. It is also much more secure because you can control and limit what remote users can do once they log on.
If your business is fortunate to be using Microsoft Small Business Server, then you could use Remote Web Workplace (or RWW for short) to remote control desktops within the office from home.
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