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Ask Mr. Modem!
Q. After sending an e-mail that contains both CC and BCC copies to individuals, I can check my Sent Items folder (in Outlook Express) to see who received CC copies. But how can I check whom I included as BCC copies?
A. When you include someone as a CC recipient of an e-mail, all other CC recipients can see who received the e-mail. If you include a person as a BCC recipient, none of the other recipients can see that he or she received a copy. CC, back in the primordial typewriter era, meant "Carbon Copy," and BCC meant “Blind Carbon Copy.” Today, the same abbreviations are used with e-mail, but the “CC” stands for "Cyber Copy" or "Courtesy Copy." Now, to answer to your question: Go to your Sent Items folder and right-click the e-mail you would like to check. From the menu displayed, select Properties > Details. You will see a list of all the people who received your message.
Q. I'd like to be able to visit Web sites anonymously. Can you suggest the best way to do that?
A. Even your question was submitted anonymously, but rest assured questions from witnesses under Federal protection are always welcome. A service known as The Anonymizer (www.anonymizer.com) makes you invisible while surfing. You surf the Web through the Anonymizer, which prevents sites from tracking your online explorations. Normally, you would have to start your surfing at the Anonymizer Web site, but if you download the free Privacy Toolbar, you'll have an on-off switch located within Internet Explorer, so you can become invisible at the flick of a switch. Price for one-year subscription after trial: $29.95. ___________________________
Q. My hard drive shows that I have 6.17GB of free space on my computer. I have a large software program to install, which requires 650MB of free space. I'm embarrassed to ask this, but do I have enough room for the program? The whole megabyte and gigabyte thing is confusing to me. Can you help, Mr. M.?
A. Absolutely! Let's begin with a quick review of our megs and gigs: 1GB (gigabyte) equals 1,000MB (megabytes). Well, okay, call me a liar: It's technically 1,024MB, but what are a few megs among friends? If the program you want to install requires 650MB of free space, and your computer has 6.17GB of free space, that's 6,170MB, so you've got a mountain of megabytes and a gaggle of gigabytes available. Any way you phrase it, you've got more than enough room to install your software.
Q. I'm using Windows XP. When I right-click a file and choose Properties, it shows two different sizes, labeled "size" and "size on disk." Which one should I use when I'm trying to figure out the actual size of a file—and why are there two sizes shown? I'm confused.
A. Your question requires a semi-technical answer, so I'll do my best to respond in a way that won't cause your eyes to glaze over. Caution: Do not continue reading if you are operating heavy machinery! Okay, here goes: Hard drives save data in what are called clusters, and cluster sizes vary. A cluster is comprised of disk sectors, and it's the sectors that you tidy up when you run Disk Defragmenter. When you run Scan Disk, part of what you're checking is the integrity of your clusters. And nobody likes a person with untrustworthy clusters. For the sake of our example, let's say your hard drive's clusters are 10 kilobytes each in size. And let's say you need to save an 8-kilobyte file. Because clusters aren't shared, your 8-kilobyte file is going to use the entire 10-kilobyte cluster, making it unavailable for other files. So the "size on disk" figure refers to how much space the one file is consuming on your hard drive, based on utilized clusters. If you want to know what the actual data size of the file is, then you'll want to refer to the "size" number. (Anybody still awake?) ___________________________
Q. I have a question that no one else has been able to answer: What determines the listing order of URL’s (Web addresses) that appear in the Internet Explorer Address bar when you start to enter a Web address? The listing order doesn't make sense, but it never seems to change. Why is that?
A. I understand why nobody else has been able to answer your question: It's a tough one! But I did a little research, and here's the scoop: The technical name of the feature you're referring to is "Inline AutoComplete for Web Addresses." You can turn it on and off through the Advanced tab located under Tools > Internet Options. When the feature is turned on, as it is by default, it provides a list of suggested matches as you type each letter of a Web address into the Address bar. The suggestions come from your History folder, and the sort order looks strange until you realize that certain prefixes are ignored for sorting purposes. In particular, "http://www." is ignored, as are "http://" and "www." After typing the letter "s," as an example, you might see a list like this:
http://www.shipping.com If you ignore the prefixes, you'll see that they actually do appear in alphabetical order: Shipping, software, and support. Mystery solved! ___________________________
Q. I own a small retail business. Are there any laws that require me to archive my business-related e-mails for a certain period of time, or can I just delete them at any time?
A. There are no laws (other than state and Federal laws relating to tax-related documentation) that require you to retain e-mail for any period of time, but it's a good idea to establish an e-mail- retention policy for your business. At a minimum, I would suggest two years. The specifics of any e-mail retention policy will vary, but, as a general rule, when e-mail messages are filed as part of the documentation of a particular project, they should be saved for the same amount of time as the records with which they are filed. The easiest way to save important e-mail is to print it, but if you elect to save e-mail to your hard drive, CD or other storage media, just be sure you always have a backup. As with paper records, there is a need to retain information for a period of time, but the exact time depends on the nature of the correspondence. For example, it may not be necessary to retain personal correspondence at all, while e-mail involved in litigation may need to be retained indefinitely. A typical small-business policy might include the following for various categories of e-mail retention:
Occasionally, politicians will attempt to clarify retention policies, as is the case with the United Kingdom’s "Data Protection Act." Offering something less than a helping hand, this act states that "data should be kept for as long as is necessary for the purpose it was obtained." With help like that, how can you go wrong? ___________________________
Q. Sometimes I think my computer has a virus, but I'm never sure. What are some of the signs to watch out for that could mean my computer is infected?
A. Call me “Mr. Broken Record,” if you must, but it's impossible to discuss viruses without emphasizing how important it is to use a current and updated antivirus program at all times. Before opening any new file or installing any software, you must check it for viruses. Typical symptoms of an infected computer may include the display of strange messages, music playing for no reason (though if you're hearing voices, that could be an unrelated problem), unusual or unexpected graphics displays, your computer taking longer to start up or operating sluggishly, or the discovery of substantially less unused hard drive space than should be present, based on the size of the drive and the amount of data saved. You can check your hard drive status by launching My Computer, right-clicking the icon for your hard drive, and selecting Properties. Any of the above conditions can be caused by problems other than a computer virus, but the only definitive way to know is —let's say it together—"to use a current and updated virus-checking program." Excellent! ___________________________
Q. I just bought a new computer. When I click the Start button and go to Programs, I see a whole bunch of computer programs. Where did these programs come from, and should I be using them?
A. Those programs were installed by the computer manufacturer. While some of the programs may be worthwhile, others aren't worth their weight in modem fumes and can be deleted. The best way to determine how useful any of them might be is to try each one. Some programs will be nothing more than a promotional offer to sign up with a new ISP or to subscribe to some Internet-based service you probably don't need. Double-click each application to launch it and see what it does. You'll know quickly if it's something you can use or not. You won't hurt anything by exploring, so have fun! ___________________________
Q. Is there any way to stop a document from printing once it starts? Sometimes I accidentally click the Print button by mistake and waste a lot of paper in the process.
A. I hate it when that happens, but here's an easy way to bail out and save the rain forests in the process: Click Start > Settings > Printers. When the Printers window opens, double-click the icon for your printer. The print queue, displaying the print job (file) currently printing, will appear. Right-click the file being printed and select Cancel Printing, which will cause that job to disappear from the list. Your printer may print out a few additional pages before it stops, because some pages are already "spooled" or ready to print. But that should do it. ___________________________
Q. When I print certain Web pages, sentences run off the right-hand edge of the paper. I can't seem to correct this with the scroll bar or by moving the paper in the printer's paper tray. I hope you can help me, Mr. M.
A. I'll be happy to help. If you're using Internet Explorer, click View > Font Size, (or click View > Text Size in Netscape), and select a smaller font than is displayed. With the smaller font selected, try printing the Web page. If that doesn't resolve the problem, try printing in Landscape mode, which will print across the 11-inch length of a sheet of paper as opposed to normal Portrait mode, which prints across the 8.5-inch dimension. Depending on the version of Windows you're using, you can change to Landscape mode by clicking File > Print or File > Print Setup. Look for an option that addresses page layout or orientation. ___________________________
Q. I’d like to block e-mail from one particular person who has been annoying me. If I do that, will he know I'm not getting his e-mail because it gets bounced back to him?
A. In most cases, blocked senders won't know their messages are not being seen; however America Online and some permission-based e-mail systems such as Choice Mail (www.digiportal.com) do notify the sender that their message was rejected. Popular programs such as Outlook Express and Eudora (www.eudora.com) permit users to set up rules or filters to dodge e-mail sent from specific addresses. The mail is still received by your computer, but the filters allow you to route it directly into the trash. The best way to definitively determine if a blocked address will be notified is to test the blocking with a friend. In other words, block a friend’s e-mail address, then ask him (or her) to send you an e-mail and tell you what, if any, notification they receive. ___________________________
Q. I'm confused by all the different versions of Windows available. Can you sort them out for me?
A. In the past, when a new version of Windows appeared on the digital scene every couple of years, it wasn't difficult to keep track of what was what. First, there was Windows 3.1, then along came Windows 95, then Windows 98. Life was so simple then. During the past two years, however, Microsoft has released four—yes FOUR—versions of Windows and created a lot of confusion in the process. I feel your pane. Here's a thumbnail view of each of the currently available Windows versions.
Windows XP Professional: Microsoft is touting this version for business customers. On the plus side, it's very stable, which means it doesn't freeze up or crash the way Windows 95 and 98 tend to do. It also boots (starts) quickly. On the minus side, there may be some compatibility problems with hardware or software. Call Tech Support or check the Web site of any hardware device or software program to determine its compatibility with XP.
Windows XP Home: Great for games, but not intended for business applications. Lacks the ability to access the computer remotely, unlike XP Pro. On the plus side, XP Home is less expensive than XP Pro, so if you're in the market for a new computer, be sure to check what version of XP is installed. Many computer retailers install XP Home to save a few dollars.
Windows 2000 Professional: Mr. Modem's favorite operating system, Windows 2000 made its debut in early 2000. It's very stable, fast, and there are few, if any, compatibility problems with hardware or software. As an added bonus, it looks and feels almost identical to Windows 98, so there is virtually no learning curve.
Windows ME: Shame on Microsoft. ME (Millennium Edition) appeared on the scene in late 2000 and really didn't serve any purpose other than to give Microsoft something new to sell before XP came out almost a year later. ME missed the mark with consumers and was quickly abandoned by computer manufacturers.
Windows 98 SE - SE (Second Edition): This is still the most popular operating system in use today. Sure, it crashes occasionally, and who among us hasn't experienced an adrenaline rush when facing the infamous Windows "blue screen of death" or a "fatal error" message? On a happier note, Windows 98 SE doesn't have any compatibility issues, it's easy to use, and it's as comfortable as an old Birkenstock. Windows 98 SE is impossible to find on any new computers today and is no longer officially supported by Microsoft. ___________________________
Q: When I use Windows’ Send To feature (right-click on an item, then select Send To from the menu presented), I know I can copy a file to a floppy or another drive, folder, etc. Can I also move files with this feature, or just copy them?
A: To move a file or other item from its original location using Send To, hold down the Shift key while clicking the item you would like to move, then select its destination location. If you don’t hold down the Shift key, by default you’ll just be copying a file or folder item to a second location. ___________________________
Q. I frequently hear the term "bandwidth" used in conjunction with Internet access. What does it mean?
A. Information on the Internet flows like water through a garden hose. If you think of data as water, you can think of the diameter of the hose as bandwidth. (Sounds like one of those I.Q. test questions: "Air is to granola as sawdust is to beryllium. True or False?") The greater the bandwidth, the more data that can be transmitted at one time. To the Internet user, high-speed or broadband access via cable modem or DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) provides greater bandwidth, which translates into Web pages and files downloading faster than with slower, dial-up access. To determine the availability of high-speed Internet in your area, visit www.getspeed.com. ___________________________
Submit your questions to MrModem@MrModem.net. If your question is selected for publication, you will receive a FREE six-month subscription to Mr. Modem's weekly newsletter. |
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