Can You Spot the Problems With This Fake Email?

Recently, I received an email from "Skype".  It told me that my account had been suspended and detailed what I needed to go through in order to reactivate my account.  I knew right away that it was fake because I have never had an account on Skype.  However, if you do have an account, how easily would you be able to identify this as a fake email?  Without reading on, can you spot five problems with this email?  (You can click on the picture to enlarge it.)

Here are five problems you should have caught:

1) Email Address - If this email were really from Skype, it would be coming from blahblah@skype.com.  This email is not coming from skype.com, it is coming from account53654156pod6501_verifcation.com.  Also, check the spelling carefully.  I once received an email that came from statefram.com.  Obviously, they were hoping that I would not realize the transposed letters and think this was actually from State Farm.  If the email is coming from something other than the company's main website or it is extremely long (both apply in this case), be suspicious.

2) Missing Logo - Yes, a small Skype logo appears on the right-hand side, but most companies put their logos all over their emails.  You would expect a full-sized logo that says "Skype" somewhere in a email coming from Skype.  If an email is text only or only contains a small logo, be suspicious.

3) Poor Grammar/Spelling - Except for the misspelled "verifcation" in the email address, this email actually has good spelling.  However, there are multiple grammar issues with this message.  The first paragraph is missing a space after a period, none of the paragraphs end with any punctuation, the colon after Reference Number has a space before it and not after it, and there are a few words that should not have been capitalized.  An automated email like this coming from a large company will have been proofread by multiple copywriters.  Minor grammar errors will sometimes happen, and occasionally a company will make a major mistake, but no company would ever allow an email with this many errors to go out in its name.  If you are not an English teacher and you notice more than one spelling or grammar error, be suspicious.

4) Strange Wording - Skype is not going to be concerned with the activity on your credit card.  The would obviously want to make sure that purchases you made through Skype are legitimate, but they would reference activity on your account, not on your credit card.  If the wording seems strange or overly urgent, be suspicious.

5) Link in Email - Due to all the phishing attacks, very few companies will provide a link in an email for you to confirm your account details.  Almost all of them will ask you to go to their website and log in there.  (This does not apply to opt in emails for lists, like the one you received to confirm your subscription to my mailing list.  You should know the link is legitimate since you requested it.)  If there is a link in the email for you to confirm your personal information, be suspicious.

There are two more items you would not have been able to see from the email picture, but that were apparent to me from seeing the actual email:

1) Single Image - You would not have been able to notice this based on the picture provided, but the entire email is an image, with all the text and pictures contained as part of the image.  This is a tool used by spammers and scammers.  Since spam filters will not see any text (they cannot read the text in the image, they just see it a giant picture), it is much more likely to make it to your actual inbox.  Not only does this mean that it will more people will read it, but appearing in your inbox makes it seem more credible.

2) The Actual Link - When I hover over the link to "confirm my information", it does not take me to skype.com.  It actually takes me to http://j.gs/7174136/gqsw82.  A large company is unlikely to use shortened web addresses for something like this.

The simple way to never be scammed by emails like this is to never click on links in emails.  As I mentioned earlier, most companies will tell you to go to their website and log in instead of sending a link.  Even if Skype did actually send links in their emails, they would not mind at all if you went to skype.com and entered your log in information there.  If they were legitimately concerned about activity on your account, they would provide instructions on how to reactivate your account once you log in.

The Scroll Wheel Does So Much More!

For years, the majority of mice have come with a scroll wheel. Yes, the scroll wheel allows you to do is to scroll up and down, but did you know it can do more?  Here are five other things you can do with your scroll wheel:

1) Open a Link in a New Tab - Browser tabs have made our lives more convenient.  Instead of having to open multiple browser windows, we can now see all the pages we have open in one simple bar at the top of the screen.  It is not uncommon for me to have five or more tabs open at a single time.  If you need to open a link in a new tab, simply click with the scroll wheel (called a 'middle click').

2) Close a Browser Tab - Staying on the topic of middle clicking, if you want to close a tab in your browser, simply middle click anywhere on the tab at the top of the page.  It's much easier than trying to get your mouse right on the little 'x'.

3) AutoScroll - Middle click in a browser window, an Office document, or many other programs, and your cursor will turn into a small compass.  Move your mouse in a any direction to scroll in that particular direction.  Once you've reached where you want to go, middle click again to get your regular cursor back.  This may not work in every program, but the only way to know for sure is to try it.

4) Close a Window - This one only works in Windows 7 or 8.  The taskbar at the bottom of your screen contains an icon for every program you have running.  When you hover over that icon, a thumbnail of the window or windows you have open will show up.  You can right click to open a particular window, or you can middle click on the thumbnail to close it.

5) Zoom In and Out - Holding down the Ctrl key while scrolling up or down will zoom the current window in or out.  This works in most programs, and once again, the only way to know for sure is to try it in your favorite program!

Three Steps to Secure Your Home Network

Wireless networks are wonderful.  We can take our laptop, tablet, or phone and sit anywhere in the house while we surf the web.  However, having wireless access in your home also means that someone sitting in their car across the street can use your internet unless you take steps to block that person out.  And while you might just think that you are being generous by allowing others to use your bandwidth, any activities (including illegal ones) performed by a person on the network will be connected back to you.  You may be able to clear yourself eventually, but you will end up with many hassles and legal bills before that happens.

Fortunately, it is simple to secure your home's wireless network to block out intruders.

1) Add a password - This is the most basic security step you can take.  When someone tries to connect to your network, they will be forced to enter the password you set up.

To set up your password, you will need to access your router's control panel.  To access this panel, you will need to go to a web browser window and enter your router's network address.  (The network address will be listed in your router's documentation, or you can look up the address for your router online.  It will begin with 192.168.)  Next, you will need to enter the user name and password.  These have a default setting, so if you have not changed them, look up the defaults in the documentation or online, as well.  Then, you will need to navigate to where you can change the password.  The exact procedure will differ based on your router, but for my router, I click on "Wireless" and then "Security".  For the best security, you will want to use WPA2 security unless you have a device that cannot connect with WPA2.  On my router, this is changed under "Authentication Type".  Underneath that option is a place for the "Passphrase".  This is obviously where you will enter the password that you want.

While this step will keep most people off your network, a determined person will still be able to get around your security if all you do is add a password.  To stop these people, you need to do more:

2) Change your SSID - The SSID is a name that identifies your wireless network.  By default, it will usually contain the brand name of the router.  Remember how we could access the control panel earlier by looking up the router's address online?  If your router's brand is listed in your network name, anyone on your network could look up that address and access your control panel.  Even if the model number is not in the description, most manufacturers use the same one or two addresses for all their routers.  Once on your network, it would not take long to be inside your control panel.

To change your SSID, you will once again go to the control panel and search for an "SSID" option to change.  On my router, I can access that by simply clicking on "Wireless".  Once there, think of a creative name for your network.  You can use your last name, your address, or even change it to "FBI Surveillance Van".  (Yes, I know of at least two people who have done that!)  This is not a password, so there is no need to be concerned about coming up with a complicated name.  The critical factor is that your router's brand name is gone!

If you want to be extra conscious about security, you can disable SSID broadcasting.  This will cause your network to appear as something like "Unidentified Network" or "Unnamed Network".  Then, in order to connect, you will have to enter the network name along with the password you set earlier.  While this provides a little extra security, it also adds the inconvenience of having to remember and enter the network name along with the password.

3) Change your Access Password - Remember how we had to enter a user name and password to access the router control panel.  Because so many routers use the same default address, it would not take long to guess the address of most routers.  Once the person has done this, they will almost always have access to the model number of your router (it is usually displayed on the login page).  If your user name and password to access the control panel is still the default, they can look it up just as easily as you can!  Once inside your control panel, they can make all kinds of changes to your network, including blocking you from accessing your own router.

To stop this, change your router's access password.  (Some may also allow you to change the user name, but others may not.)  This may take a little time to find in your control panel, but it is worth it.  You can also attempt to look up directions in your documentation or online.  Make sure you write this password down!  You will most likely use it infrequently, so you want to have it written down where you can find it when you need it.

Adding Hardware to Your Computer

I received a question from a customer this week that I felt I should discuss in a more general sense.  I helped a couple recover their pictures, videos, and other files off of a dying hard drive and put it onto DVDs for them.  They purchased a new computer when it was on sale, but then they discovered that it did not have a CD/DVD drive on it.  They came to me to ask what they could do to get their files off of the DVDs and onto their new computer.

The answer that I gave them is true not only for DVD players, but also for many types of devices.  I recommended an external DVD drive that I found on sale for $25.  This drive will plug into a USB port and provide them with a drive when they need it.

This solution works if you need to add many different types of functions to your computer.  If your new laptop doesn't come with a port for a network cable and you want one, you can get a network port that plugs into a USB port.  This also comes in handy to replace a port on your computer that has failed.  If the wireless card in a laptop fails, you would be unable to connect to any WiFi.  However, you can find WiFi devices that plug into your USB ports for less than $5.

The key to remember:  your computer isn't dead just because one port died or because it doesn't have a capability you want.  Almost every device that you can have built into your computer also comes in an external version at a reasonable price.

Clean Up Week: When All Else Fails...

If you have been following the tips this week, you have probably freed up some space on your computer, fixed some errors, and disabled some programs that ran when you started your computer.  However, you may find that your computer still seems to be running slow.  When all else fails, there is one simple way to restore your computer to peak performance.

First, if you think your computer is running slow, you should always do a scan with your antivirus.  If that doesn't fix your problem, try running a second scan with a program like Malwarebytes or Hitman Pro.  If multiple antivirus scans don't catch anything, then your computer is probably suffering from operating system decay.

Operating system decay occurs over time as you use your computer.  While certain operating systems have worse records when it comes to decay, it is an inevitable part of using any operating system on any computer or device.  Fortunately, your operating system is software, and you can always put a fresh copy of your operating system on your computer!  This will restore your system to the way it was when you first took it out of the box, minus any slower performance due to wear on the physical equipment.

Before you begin, you need to realize that this will completely delete everything on your computer.  Make a backup of your Users folder on your C drive (this is where all items on your desktop and in the folders My Documents, My Pictures, etc. are stored.)  Also, make sure you have copies of any software on your computer, as these will be deleted, too.  Finally, I recommend running Magical Jelly Bean's Keyfinder and writing down any product keys that it locates.  Not only will this make the reinstallation process easier by consolidating all your keys in one place, but it will also be a lifesaver if you lost your key or the key sticker faded.

Now that you are ready to install a new copy of Windows, you need to figure out how to access the recovery partition.  Most computers have a recovery partition that can be accessed by pressing a certain key combination at startup.  Some also have software in Windows that can start the process.  To find out what you need to do, check your computer's documentation or look it up online.  At the beginning of the process, it may offer to save all your files for you.  I do not usually select this option because I want a completely fresh copy of Windows on my computer, not one that has information from the old installation on it.  If you do select this, make sure you still have a copy of your data in case something goes wrong.

If you are uncomfortable going through this process by yourself, most computer stores will be able to perform this for you at a reasonable price.  Call around to several stores in your area and check prices.

Clean Up Week: Check Start-Up Programs

When you start up your computer, you know that Windows is loading.  However, Windows also has instructions to load a variety of start-up programs, too.  Some of these are important; you want your antivirus software to load right away!  However, sometimes programs that you don't actually need will be set to load at startup.  Once, I found a program that I rarely used had a little feature that "pre-loaded" portions of the software at startup so that the software would start faster when you opened it.

If it seems like it takes forever before you can use your computer after you log in, these startup programs might be the problem.  CCleaner (which I mentioned in yesterday's tip) has a feature that will allow you to disable or delete startup program entries.  Click on the Tools button on the left side, and then select Startup.  On the tabs at the top, you can see which programs start when Windows loads and which add-ons start when your browsers are opened.  If there is a program that you do not want to start, you can double-click the entry to disable it.  (Just like the programs list, do not disable entries unless you are sure that you do not want them.  You don't want to disable something critical to your computer's operation.)

If you don't want to install CCleaner, you can also do this through Windows.  In Windows Vista/7, go to a search box (on the Start Menu) and type "msconfig".  Then, click on the "Startup" tab to see the list.  Uncheck each option you do not want to start with Windows.  In Windows 8, the process is even easier.  Do a Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select "Task Manager" and then go to the "Startup" tab.  To disable an item, right-click it and select "Disable."

These tools are also helpful for fixing error messages that occur at startup.  Sometimes a program will be removed but its entry in the startup options will not, leading to an error message every time you turn on your computer.  If you get a message stating that "vloader.exe" is not available, you can go to CCleaner or msconfig and search for an option with that file name.  (You may need to look at the file name on the far right of the window.)  Disable that entry, and you should not see the message the next time you restart.

Clean Up Week: Scan for Junk

Your computer creates a lot of files on a daily basis.  Many of these are temporary files that are meant to be created for a specific purpose and then deleted.  In most cases, these files are deleted, but events sometimes result in these files being left on your computer.

Installing programs can also create entries in your registry that are unnecessary once you decide to uninstall the program.  Even if you used yesterday's tip and scanned your registry for leftovers after you uninstalled a program, there may still be unnecessary entries left over that Revo Uninstaller did not catch.

CCleaner will scan for both types of junk.  Download and install CCleaner, and then run it.  On the left-hand side, you will see options for "Cleaner" and "Registry".  The cleaner will scan for temporary files and a variety of other items that might be taking up space on your computer.  You can control what it searches for by selecting or deselecting the checkboxes.  Click the Analyze button and let it scan and determine what it can find.  Then click the Run Cleaner button to clear it all out.  When I ran this on my computer this week, it found 4 GB of unnecessary information to clear (that's a lot!).

You can also have it scan the registry for errors or unnecessary entries.  Click on the registry button on the left-hand side.  Then select "Scan for Issues".  After the scan, select "Fix selected issues..." to fix what it finds.  If will first ask you if you want to back up your registry, ALWAYS do this! One bad edit to the registry can severely damage your computer, so you want to have a backup in place in case something goes wrong.  (I have used this program on to clean many computers and never had any problem, but it never hurts to be cautious!)  Then, you can see the suggested edits one-by-one or simply have it fix all of them.  Once you have cleaned it, go back through the process again (I normally skip the registry backups on successive scans) until it tells you that it found no issues.  In many cases, clearing one entry will make a dependent entry unnecessary, too.

Tomorrow, we will look at another useful feature of CCleaner.

Clean Up Week: Scan for Leftovers

For those who saw the title of today's tip and thought I would teach you how to find leftover food, you will be disappointed!  While leftover food might make for an easy meal, one place you do not want leftovers is on your computer.  Unfortunately, that is exactly what most programs leave when you uninstall them using the built-in uninstaller.

When you install a program, it will copy files onto your hard drive and make entries in your Windows registry.  (A complete discussion of the registry is best left for another tip, but it is one of the major forces behind the scenes that makes your computer to run properly.)  When you uninstall it, you would think that it would undo each of the changes to the registry and delete each of the files it added to your hard drive.  However, this is not the case.  Very often, a program will leave files and registry entries behind.  Not only will these take up valuable space on your computer, but they create additional information Windows has to sort through (especially in the case of registry entries).

Fortunately, there is a way to scan for some of these files and registry entries.  Revo Uninstaller will display a list of the programs you have installed (using the Windows list we learned about yesterday).  When you choose to uninstall a program, it will launch the program's standard uninstaller, and then it will conduct its own scan of your files and registry for leftovers.  When it displays its results, you can choose what you want to delete or leave.  There are instances where you might want the leftovers, such as if you are uninstalling a program because it stopped working and you want to leave your user configuration file on the computer.

Revo Uninstaller has a free version and a paid pro version, which you can try out free for 30 days.  Unless you think you might use the pro version, I recommend you just download the free version.  The pro version comes with some additional features, but in tomorrow's tip, I will introduce you to another program that can do much of that for free!

Clean Up Week: Checking for Unwanted Programs

This week, I will be sharing a series of tips on how to clean up your computer.

I share a lot of links to programs in my daily tips because I like to try out free programs and see if they work for me.  If you are like me, it is easy for your computer to become filled with a variety of programs that you don't really need or use.  Fortunately, computers today usually come with ample storage for all these programs, but if you want to see what programs you have installed, Windows will provide a list!

Simply go to the Start Menu and click on "Control Panel".  (On Windows 8, you can access the Control Panel under "Settings" on the Charms Bar.)  Once there, you need to look for either "Uninstall a Program" (if your control panel is set to Category view) or "Programs and Features" (if your control panel is set to Icon view).  Windows will provide a list of all the programs currently installed on your computer.  If you see one you don't use anymore, double-click it to launch the program's uninstaller.

A word of caution:  don't uninstall a program unless you know what it is and that you don't use it anymore.  Manufacturers will install software on your computer to increase functionality, and some programs will rely on other software in order to work.  You don't want a component of your computer to stop functioning because you accidentally uninstalled the software that controls it.  If you are unsure what a program does, check it out online.

However, you can go to the uninstall list today to see what programs you might want to delete, but I am going to recommend you wait until tomorrow to actually begin uninstalling software.  In tomorrow's tip, I am going to discuss a better way to uninstall programs!

Listen to Free Audiobooks

If you have a long drive or just don't like to read books, audiobooks are a great way to pass the time.  I have a friend who drives a tractor-trailer and listens to 3-5 audiobooks each week while he is driving.  However, websites like audible.com can be expensive, especially if you listen to several books each month.

Fortunately, you can download plenty of audiobooks for free from Podiobooks.com.  Podiobooks splits books into smaller files of two or three chapters, combining the idea of a podcast with an audiobook (hence its name).  While the books are available for free, you also have the ability to donate to your favorite author.  If you like a book, make sure to donate to encourage that author (and maybe others) to put more books online.

See Where a Shortened Link Is Taking You

Link shorteners became popular as Twitter users searched for a way to easily share links in 140 characters or less.  However, they have become a popular way for scammers to hide where you are going when you click a link.  The standard trick of hovering over the link doesn't work because all you will see is the shortened link.

Fortunately, there is a way to find out where a link is taking you before you click it.  Unshort.me will look up the destination of the link and display it for you without taking you there.  If the site is legitimate, you can continue on to your destination.

For Chrome users, there is also an extension available.  Install the Unshorten URL extension, and then you will be able to unshorten links right in your current window.  Simply right-click on the shortened link and select "Unshorten" to see the full address.

Check for Fake Listings with a Reverse Image Search

Images have become a critical part of the web.  Ebay, Craigslist, Facebook, and online dating sites all rely on images to verify authenticity.  But what happens when you come across a listing that seems too good to be true?

While there is no way to guarantee that a listing is genuine, there is one quick test that can tell you it is definitely fake.  Both Google and Bing have an option to enter an image as your search term, and it will return other places where that image can be found.  If you find a profile picture from someone's dating profile all over the internet, chances are good that the listing is fake.  If an Ebay or Craigslist photo is actually the manufacturer's stock photo, it might not be fake, but there is definitely reason to be concerned about the item's actual condition.

To do a reverse image search, you must first find the URL (internet address) of the picture (not of the page you see the image on.)  To get the image URL, right-click on the picture, and then select the following option (depending on your browser):
Internet Explorer - "Copy"
Firefox - "Copy Image Location"
Chrome - "Copy Image URL"

Now that we have the URL, we are ready to go to Google or Bing and search:

Google - Go to google.com/images and click on the camera icon on the right of the search box.  Then click on Paste image URL.  Right-click in the box underneath and select paste.  Then, click on "Search by Image" to see a list of the pages with your picture.

Bing - Go to bing.com/images and click on "Image Match" next to the search box.  Right-click in the search box and click paste.  Then, click on the search icon to see a list of the pages with your picture.

Once again, no matches does not necessarily mean that the listing is legitimate, but numerous matches greatly increases the likelihood that the listing is fake.

Check The Value of Your Old Tech

One of my readers sent me the following question: "What do we do with our old, outdated hardware? I mainly mean modems & routers. Is there a way to recycle them? Should we just trash them? Is there a way to check if they have a resale value or not?"

Unless you are one who is constantly upgrading these devices, your old modems and routers probably have little value.  Most of us will keep our modem and router until it dies or our internet speed starts slowing down.  Even if it still works great, it is probably years behind the current standards, and it may have some security holes that the manufacturer isn't fixing.  However, it never hurts to see if your device might have some value left in it.

A good place to start is at Amazon's trade-in site:  www.amazon.com/tradein.  Some routers qualify for a credit of up to $70 (possibly more, since I didn't check each page on my search).  However, others only qualify for 25 cents.  If it isn't worth your time to trade it at Amazon, then we can check one more place.

Some people like to purchase old routers and put other software on them to expand their functionality.  If your device is still in working condition, you might find someone on eBay willing to buy it.  However, if you don't want to go through the process of setting up a listing without knowing how much it might sell for, you can check for completed listings.  Simply search for your item's model, and then scroll to the bottom of the options on the left side.  Underneath "Show Only", check the box for "Completed Listings".  This will show you only the final sale price for your item.  If you see a big price, make sure that the model number in the listing is the same before you get your hopes up!

If you know someone who likes to scrap metal, they might be interested in taking your old devices.  If you are out of options, you are not supposed to put these devices in the trash due to some of their materials.  However, many electronics stores will offer free recycling, or you can try to find a place that accepts hazardous materials for disposal.  A local environmental group or government agency should be able to help you find a place that will accept your old electronics for recycling.  (Near where I live, there is a monthly "open dumping" day where all types of materials are accepted and there is also an annual household waste clean-up day.)

When Deals Aren't Actually Deals

With Black Friday gone and Cyber Monday here, the Christmas shopping season is fully upon us.  With retailers spending so much time trying to attract our money, it is no surprise that we will see ads full of "deals."  However, with tech products (and many other categories), be careful to fully research a product before buying it.

Yes, there are great deals out there this time of year!  Many companies will offer some deals as "loss leaders".  These deals actually cost the company money (they sell the item for less than they paid for it).  Their goal is to use that deal to get you in the door so you will buy other items to make up for the loss on the deal.

However, many other products are advertised as "deals" when they are actually just the lowest-priced item in their category being sold at its regular price.  Two years ago, I got caught by a special deal on a tablet.  While it actually had good specs for a tablet and its $60 price tag was appealing, I purchased it only to find out that it was actually almost worthless for me.  For example, it advertised that you could "download apps from the pre-loaded app store", it never specified that it was referring to a third-party app store, not Google Play.  Since I had purchased it to be able to make use of a few specific apps that were only available through the Google Play app store, I quickly returned it for a more expensive version.

Also, make sure to read the fine print.  While there are plenty of "free phone" deals, you might ultimately be better off by purchasing a phone at full price and avoiding the expensive on-contract plans.

The key to getting great deals this month is to evaluate every deal before getting sucked in by a low price!  Even though the ad may make it sound like a competitor to the iPad, a $20 Android tablet (yes, I saw one in a Black Friday ad) is not going to be very powerful.  Great deals are out there; just make sure you are getting a deal and not a dud before you buy!

See What Google Knows About You

If you use any of Google's products, Google probably knows a lot about you.  While there are ways to opt out of some of Google's most invasive tracking features, use of Google's products will allow them some freedom to gather information about you.

If you want to find out what information Google knows about you, simply head to:
https://www.google.com/ads/preferences

The most interesting area was the interests category.  While many of the interests did apply to me, I have no idea why Google thinks I am interested in (to name a few):

• Air Travel (when I haven't flown on a plane in years)
• Bicycles & Accessories (I don't even own a bike)
• Hygiene & Toiletries (I guess I have some interest in this area, but I don't think I have more than the average Google user), or 
• Make-Up & Cosmetics (The only time I wore make-up was when I was in a high school play)

As a final note, the last option displays your settings for opting out of interest-based advertising.  However, clearing your cookies can change this setting.  At the very bottom is a link to install the "DoubleClick opt out extension".  This will permanently set your preference to opt out, even when you clear your cookies.

Change Your Desktop Background

Many people decide to stick with the default background for their desktop.  While there is no problem doing that, changing the background to something more exciting is easy and fun!  You can personalize your desktop for your favorite sports team, the next holiday, or even with your significant other's image.

To change your background, simply right-click on the desktop and select "Personalize".  (In Vista, you will need to select "Desktop Background" after selecting Personalize.)  You will then see a window with a few desktop options, but in the middle of the window will be a link:  "Get more themes online".

This will take you to Microsoft's website, where you can download from a variety of desktop backgrounds.  Many of them have a series of pictures that will alternate.

You can also add your own picture as a desktop background.  At the bottom of the window, click "Desktop Backgrounds".  In the new window, you will see a drop-down box after "Picture Location:".  Select "Pictures Library" to see all the pictures available.  (If a picture is not here, you may need to move it to your pictures folder.)

Four Tips To Protect Your Email

The more we learn about government surveillance and hacking efforts, the less secure email really seems.  Yes, there are simple steps we can take to protect our email accounts, but there are also many vulnerabilities in email systems that can be exploited.  Here are four reminders to protect your privacy:

1) Strong Passwords - If your email password is "password", it is time for a change!  If you don't want your email account hacked, you need to choose a strong password.  If you need help selecting a strong password, you can read my tip here.

2) Trust Your Gut - Got an email from someone you don't know?  It's probably best not to open it!  Did your friend send you a strange-looking link?  Better check with your friend before you click it.  If anything seems strange, it's probably best to avoid opening it until you're sure it is legitimate.

3) Keep Your Private Information Private - The best way to keep your information private is to not share it at all.  Before you send information over email, think about whether or not you would want it posted online.  Even if your email is secured, do you know for sure that the recipient is not using an insecure password or being careless about opening emails?

As an additional thought, don't forget that the recipient could choose to forward the email or post it online.  I once received a very rude email from the owner of a company, and I chose to reply with a snarky, sarcastic response of my own.  I ended up taking the matter all the way to mediation through the Better Business Bureau, and my email was forwarded to the mediator.  Even though I was able to pass along multiple rude, insulting, and profanity-laced emails I had received from the business, my case would have looked much better if I had thought before I responded.

4) Watch Who's Watching You - I once was logging into my laptop in the car with a friend sitting in the front seat.  My friend was jokingly pretending to spy on my password as I entered it.  Fortunately, I can type very fast.  (I can regularly hit 70-80 wpm on a typing test and break 100 wpm on a short sprint.)  To my friend's amazement, I had my password entered in less than a second.

What happens when that person watching you isn't a friend with a sense of humor, but a man casually chatting with the lady at the computer next to you in the library?  If you type with your two pointer fingers (and there's nothing wrong with that!), that man could steal your email address and password from over your shoulder.  If you must check your email from a public place, take a look around before entering any sensitive data.

See What Apps Protect Your Privacy

Do you read each privacy policy before you click the "Accept" button?  If you don't, you are certainly in the majority of tech users.  Wouldn't it be nice if there was someplace we could turn to cut thought the legal junk and quickly explain how each privacy policy impacts us?

Well, for Android apps, there just happens to be a site for that!  PrivacyGrade.org looks at the permissions each app requests and compares them to the functions of the app.  (For example, it will be fine with GPS mapping software accessing your location, but it will be skeptical if a free game wants the same permissions.)

PrivacyGrade gives each app it analyzes a grade based on the permissions it uses, and it also offers an more detailed analysis of the app's permission requests.  If you are concerned about privacy, check the grade and analysis of some of the apps you use most often.  You might be surprised!

Convert File Formats Easily

Have you ever been given a file only to find that you don't have the right program to open it?  Or do you want to send a file to many different people, but you are afraid that they will not be able to open it.  Today's site will help you!

Zamzar supports over 1200 types of files.  Simply upload your file, select the file type you want it converted to, enter your email address to receive the link, and click Convert.  You will usually receive a link to your file in under 10 minutes, and the file will be available on Zamzar's server for download for 24 hours.

If you want a larger file size, ability to do batch conversions, and priority in the conversion queue, you can sign up for an account for as little as $9/month.

Free Alternatives to Expensive Software, Part 2

Yesterday, we started looking at free alternatives for paid software.  Today, we continue our list.

Microsoft Publisher - Microsoft's Publisher provides greater control over your document than a simple word-processing program.  However, if you are going to go with LibreOffice (or another free office suite) instead of Microsoft Office, you may need to find a replacement for Publisher.  Scribus is a great alternative for creating professional-looking pages.

Adobe Illustrator - Part of Adobe's suite of programs, Illustrator is a vector graphics program that creates items like logos and signs that need to be scalable to a variety of sizes.  (Vector graphic images won't pixelate when enlarged like other image formats.)  Inkscape is a free alternative to Illustrator for creating vector graphics.

Photoshop - Another Adobe program that I'm sure you have heard about is Photoshop.  This software allows you to do image editing.  Professionals will probably want to stick with Photoshop (despite its $19.99/month price tag), but amateur photo editors will likely find that GIMP meets all their needs.  While it may not contain all of the features of Photoshop, it does contain most of the major ones, and there are many more available through third-party plugins.

Adobe Acrobat - Most of us use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files, but the full Adobe Acrobat software allows you to create PDFs.  However, you can use PDF Creator to create PDF files from any program.  This software installs like a printer.  Simply create a file in any program, go to print, and then select the PDF Creator printer.  The software will then walk you through the process to create your PDF file.

Quicken - Intuit's personal finance management software is great, but it is also expensive, especially if you want advanced features like rental properties or business income/expense tracking.  For most users, KMyMoney will do the job.  It is user-friendly and it still syncs with your online banking like Quicken.  The only reason I use Quicken instead of KMyMoney to track my business expenses is that Quicken allows me to scan my receipts and attach them to a transaction.

If you want income and expense tracking that can go with you anywhere, consider using Mint.com.  Mint is an online program that will sync across all of your devices to keep track of your spending and help you set financial goals.  Mint also has Android, iOS, and Windows Phone apps to track spending on the go.  Mint was independent when it started out, but it became so popular that Intuit (the makers of Quicken and QuickBooks) bought it in 2009.

QuickBooks - Unless you are a business owner, you probably don't need QuickBooks or a replacement for it.  However, if you have your own business and find that Quicken isn't powerful enough for you, check out Front Accounting ERP.  It does not currently handle payroll, but there are payroll add-ons available.

Obviously, no one could write a complete list of paid software and available free counterparts.  If you are looking for an alternative to a particular program, consider searching for "Open Source alternative for [Program]" and see what results you get.  If there is an open-source program available, chances are good that it will show up on the first pages.

Free Alternatives to Expensive Software, Part 1

Software can be expensive.  Very expensive.  The cost of Windows alone runs over $100, Microsoft Office will set you back another $100, and various other software can quickly add up.  By the time you're done, the cost of the software you are loading onto a computer can easily exceed the cost of the physical components.

However, for many of these expensive software programs, there are free alternatives available.  Before you pay hundreds of dollars for expensive software, it might be worth your time to see if a free program might meet your needs.  While these programs will differ in their capabilities and performance, many of them will work similar to their expensive counterparts.

By now, you are probably wondering, "Are these programs really free?"  The answer is yes!  Many of these programs are considered open-source, which means that the program's code is freely available.  If you know how to write code, you could even download the code and edit it to add features.  (While I have some familiarity with coding, I prefer to simply contact the software developer and request that they add a new feature in the next version.)

The companies that produce open-source software make their money from selling support and custom development packages to companies that use their software.  Many will also ask for a donation when you download the software.  A few of the programs on this list are not open-source, but in each case, the company has developed its own way to cover its costs outside of charging for the software.

Now, here is my list of free replacement software:

Windows - Yes, you aren't stuck with Windows on a non-Apple computer.  There are many open-source operating systems available for your computer, most of which are based on the Linux kernel.  My preferred version is Ubuntu.  For geeks, a new version is released every six months, and for typical users, an edition is released every-other April that offers long-term (5 years) support for security flaws.

I recommend sticking with Windows unless you are an advanced computer user.  Installing an operating system has become much easier, but it still takes some know-how.  Then, you will have to learn an entirely new interface.  Finally, most computers come with a Windows license included in the purchase, so there is really no reason to switch to a different operating system unless you are building your own system.

Office - Before you spend over $100 on a version of Office, give LibreOffice a try.  Before I started my business and wanted to use some of the more advanced programming features of Access, I was a LibreOffice user exclusively.  Writer, Calc, and Impress have almost all of the features of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and they even contain some that are not included in Microsoft's software.  Plus, they can open and save documents in Office format, so you can easily share documents with Office users.  If I have one criticism, it would be the lack of features in the database program (Base), but most users are not going to be creating complex databases, anyway.

Outlook - One item included with some versions of Microsoft Office that is missing in LibreOffice is a desktop email client.  While most people simply connect to their email from a browser window, some people prefer to have desktop software for offline access to email.  If you are among the group preferring desktop email access, check out Thunderbird.  It contains most of the features of Outlook.

Internet Explorer - Internet Explorer is already a "free" program (included with your purchase of Windows), but you may find that another internet browser may work better for you.  Firefox is a great open-source browser that many say works faster and better than Internet Explorer.  Google's Chrome browser is my preferred choice, but many people try to avoid using Google products.

Windows Media Player - This one is also "free" with Windows, but once again, there are other options available.  One of my favorite media players is VLC.  This is a lightweight player that, in my opinion, functions much better than Media Player.  It does not require codec installation for different media formats, and it also has the ability to play broken files that other media players will not play.

I'm running out of space for today, but we're not done yet!  Tomorrow, I will finish the list for you!

Using the Windows Key

If you use a Windows computer, you have probably figured out that the key with the Windows logo (usually located between the Ctrl and Alt keys on at least one side of your keyboard) will open the Start menu.  However, the Windows logo key can be combined with many other keys to create a variety of shortcuts to perform useful features on your computer.  Here are a few of the ones I use the most:

Windows + E - Opens a Windows Explorer window, which allows you to view all the files on your computer.

Windows + F - Opens a search box, allowing you to search for files, programs, and Windows tools.

Windows + L - Locks your computer, requiring a login screen (and password, if applicable) to get back to your desktop.

Windows + T - Cycles selection of the programs located on the taskbar.  This is helpful if you want to open a program off the taskbar and your mouse is not working.

Windows + [Number] - Using the Windows key plus the number 1 will open the first program on the taskbar, or it will switch to that program if already opened.  Using the 2 key will open the second program, etc.  This works for all 9 numbers, plus the 0 (10th item).

Windows + [Arrow] - The Windows key can be combined with the arrow keys to resize Windows.  Using the up arrow will maximize the window.  Using the down arrow will unmaximize the window (restore it to its previous size).  Using the down arrow on a window that is already unmaximized will minimize it.  Using the right and left arrows will maximize the windows on one-half of the screen (left for the left side and right for the right side).

Staying Safe on Public Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is wonderful when you are travelling away from home or you work some distance away from a home or office.  However, free unsecured Wi-Fi can also be a way for someone else to gain access to your computer or your data.  There are many tricks that people can use to threaten your security.  Here are a few tips to stay safe when you are using public Wi-Fi.

1) Recognize You Are Vulnerable - Unless you absolutely must, avoid connecting to any site where you have to enter your password when you are using public Wi-Fi.  This includes email, online banking, and social networking sites (probably the majority of the sites that you use).  Also avoid making any purchases where you have to enter your credit card information.

2) Mark Your Network Public - The Windows Firewall has three built-in levels of security:  home, work, and public.  When you connect to a network for the first time, Windows will ask you to identify it as one of these three.  Be sure to select "Public" for unsecured Wi-Fi.  This will activate a stricter set of rules for allowed connections.

3) Verify the Network Name - For a long time, a restaurant that I frequented because of its free Wi-Fi had a very strange name for its network.  (I can't remember exactly what it was, but it had nothing to do with the restaurant's name.)  But what would happen if someone set up nearby with a network that contained that restaurant's name?  Most people would probably connect to that network thinking it was the restaurant's Wi-Fi network, but all their data would now be going through someone else's hands on its way to the web.

To avoid using a malicious Wi-Fi network, be sure to double-check the network name with a server at a restaurant or a front desk clerk at a hotel before you connect.

4) Connect Securely - HTTPS Everywhere is a free add-on for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera that forces sites to use a secure connection whenever it is available.  Most major websites have support for secure connections on the entire site, but only use secure connections by default when entering personal information.  This utility will force sites to connect securely if they are designed to do so.  However, understand that it cannot force a site to connect securely if it the site owner has not enabled a secure connection.

If you must connect to a site where you have to enter a password or other information, at a minimum, be sure the address begins with "https://", indicating a secure connection.

5) Use a VPN - A Virtual Private Network (VPN) sends all data in an encrypted format to the VPN provider, who then forwards the traffic to the internet.  Returning traffic is sent to the VPN provider, who encrypts it before forwarding it back to your computer.  Using a VPN makes it much more difficult for an intruder to gain access to your data.  SecurityKISS offers a free VPN with a 300MB/day cap (this should be more than enough for checking email a few times from a hotel or coffee shop).  If you think you will use more data per day, you can purchase a one month plan at a low cost.

If you must give personal information over public Wi-Fi, a VPN is a much safer option than a secure connection.  Plus, since you now have a free option for a VPN, there is no reason not to use one!

How Safe Is PayPal?

Recently, a friend asked my opinion on the safety of PayPal.  I have not researched the exact security methods that PayPal uses, so I cannot comment on exactly what PayPal is doing to keep your information safe.  However, I did make two points regarding PayPal.

First, PayPal's entire business model depends on its security.  If PayPal's security is less than what you would expect to find on an average retailer's site, then no one would be interested in using PayPal.  PayPal knows that one major hack could cause enough people to lose trust and make it go under.  Therefore, I would expect that PayPal's security procedures are similar to that of the largest banks.

Second, given the number of hacks that have occurred recently, I would be most interested in keeping my credit card number in as few places as possible.  If a site offers PayPal as an option, I usually choose that option.  I can then keep my card number in one place (PayPal) as opposed to two places (PayPal and that retailer).  (Obviously, this assumes that you already have a card number entered into PayPal.)  If you think about all the retailers that you might do business with online, paying with PayPal whenever possible will greatly reduce your vulnerability.

Five Online Threats You Need to Know About

It seems like there is no end to the ideas people come up with to steal information from you and your computer.  Most people lump all these threats into a single category of "viruses", but the term actually refers to a specific type of threat that is somewhat rare in comparison to other threats.  While you may not need to know the specific terms for the myriad of threats we face online, it is important to be aware of the types of threats that we will face and how we can avoid falling victim to them.

Trojans - The term trojan comes from the Trojan Horse of Greek history, where Greek soldiers were hidden inside a horse that the soldiers of Troy took to be a peace offering.  Trojans are usually installed along with a free download.  Sometimes, the a person will write a free useful program and package it along with the trojan for download.  However, it is more common for people to take a legitimate free download and build a new installation program that will install the program and a trojan.  By getting toward the top of the search list, a person can trick many people into downloading the program from their site instead of from the legitimate site.

We can steer clear of trojans by being careful of what we install on our computers.  Do not simply begin searching for free software to solve a particular problem.  Do some research and select a legitimate software provider for a particular program type, and then make sure you only download it from the company's site.  Also, make sure you stay away from sites that offer paid software for free or at a greatly reduced price.  That $10 version of Windows probably has several of these threats built in to it.

Phishing - Phishing gets its name from the idea of catching fish:  you throw bait out and see if you can get anything to bite.  A phishing scam usually begins when you receive an email from a company claiming that suspicious or unauthorized activity has taken place on your account and provides a link for you to confirm your information.  Then, you immediately enter panic mode, click the link, enter your information, and it gets sent to hackers in Russia or China who will then actually hack your account.

We can avoid phishing scams by staying away from those email links.  Remember, no legitimate company will ever send you an email link asking you to confirm your personal information.  They will always ask you to go to their website and log in.  Also, for the few that do trick us when our minds enter panic mode, installing a browser add-on like Bitdefender's Traffic Light will double-check the sites we are visiting and warn us when one claims to be something it is not.  (I actually clicked on a link once, and Traffic Light popped up a warning saying that this site was asking for my Amazon credentials but did not appear to be associated with Amazon.)  Finally, if you use a password manager to generate random passwords, the password manager will recognize when an unaffiliated website is asking for you information and refuse to give it up.  As one person put it, "You can't accidentally give your password to the wrong person if you don't know what your password is."

Pharming - Pharming is similar to phishing in that the goal is to get you to give up your personal information, but it differs in how it goes about getting it.  In phishing, you receive an email and click on the link that takes you to the site.  However, in pharming, software on your computer convinces your browser to go somewhere you don't want it to go.  When you try to go to Ebay or Amazon, the software will step in and tell your computer to go to a similar-looking page that will steal your login credentials.

Unlike the two threats above, you actually do nothing wrong in a pharming threat (unless you allow the program to install on your computer.)  You enter amazon.com, but the software on the computer automatically has your browser go to an illegitimate site.  Besides having an up-to-date antivirus, the best way to stop a pharming scam is to check the address bar at the top.  If you simply type ebay.com and end up at a site with a 1000-character address, you may be a victim of pharming.  Also, be careful of the information you enter on a public computer.  It would be very easy for someone to slip software on the computer to conduct pharming scams.

Ransomware - Ransomware is designed to hold your computer hostage until you pay a fee.  The two most popular ransomware threats are the FBI scam and Cryptolocker.  In the FBI scam, the computer boots to a message claiming that your computer has been locked by the FBI and you must pay a fine in order to access everything.  Cryptolocker would encrypt all your personal files and then require you to pay a fee to get the encryption key in order to decrypt them.

The FBI scam was relatively easy to solve with a good software program that could boot around the ransomware, but Cryptolocker was much more dangerous because removing it still did not give you access to your files.  While there were sometimes ways to recover your files, there were other occasions where you had to hope that important files had been backed up.  Good browsing habits and a good antivirus would help you avoid these threats sometimes, but unfortunately, they may still find a way to get on your computer.

Spyware - Spyware is designed to track your activity and then transmit it back to someone else.  Some people may use spyware to check on a spouse they think is cheating or to track their kids' internet activity.  However, others will use spyware to steal your information or invade your privacy.  Keyloggers are designed to keep track of everything you type and transmit it back to a location.  When you enter your email password, banking password, or social security number, it is stored and then sent later.  Adware is a little less threatening:  it simply keeps track of the sites you visit and then begins displaying advertising for products it thinks will interest you.

Scanning with a good antivirus software (or even several programs) is the only way to stop spyware, although good browsing habits can limit your chances of getting it.  If you suspect that your computer is infected, it is best to stop using it altogether until you can get it cleaned.  Also, be sure to check the terms of use for everything you install.  You may be giving the publisher of a program permission to install adware on your computer, too.

Seven Security Programs You Should Have on your Computer

If you have a Windows computer, you probably know that you need an antivirus.  But did you know that you need more security software than just an antivirus?  Here are seven types of security software you should have on your computer:

1) Antivirus - We'll start with the most obvious one.  Antivirus software is designed to protect you from threats trying to get onto your computer.  Antivirus software actively scans to protect you from the latest threats.  In addition to performing regular scans of your hard drive, it will usually scan websites and downloads.  If you do not have an antivirus on your computer, Avast and AVG are the two free programs I recommend.  Make sure you only have one antivirus program that is actively scanning your computer.  Running more than one program will cause conflicts that may allow viruses into your computer.

2) Firewall - A firewall uses rules to determine which network connections to allow.  Without a firewall, anyone who knows or guesses your internet address (known as an IP address) can send you messages.  While we can't stop them from sending messages to your IP address, we can stop those messages from ever reaching your computer.  Most firewalls are configured upon installation to work with your computer, but you may need to enter exceptions to allow programs to connect to the internet.

Fortunately, Windows has a built-in firewall that runs automatically unless it detects another firewall, so you probably already have a firewall running.  To check your firewall settings or enter exceptions, simply type "Windows Firewall" into a search box.  If you want to use something other than the Windows Firewall, I recommend ZoneAlarm's free firewall.  Just like antivirus software, you should never run more than one firewall on a computer.

3) Emergency Cleanup - It doesn't matter how good your antivirus is, it will not catch everything.  When something slips past your antivirus software and a full scan still won't catch it, it is time to call in some backup!  These programs scan like antivirus software, but they do not actively scan everything in the background and they are designed to work alongside your primary antivirus.

My preferred programs are Hitman Pro and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.  Malwarebytes is totally free (although it will offer you a free trial of its premium version).  Hitman Pro is free to scan.  If malware is detected, it will offer you a free 30-day trial license to remove it.  If you have already used the 30-day trial once, you will need to purchase a license in order to remove any malware.

4) Emergency Boot - Malware is continually finding ways to make it harder to remove.  I dealt with a computer recently that blocked the download of just about any antivirus software.  Fortunately, I already had software downloaded onto a flash drive!  Recently, there has been an abundance of malware that stops the boot process.  The FBI scam is the most notable example.  Instead of booting to your desktop, your computer is taken to a screen claiming that your computer has been locked by the FBI and requiring a MoneyPak code be entered to pay your "fine".

These emergency boot programs will bypass your computer's normal boot process in order to allow you to run their scanner.  My preferred emergency boot programs are made by the same companies that I recommend for emergency cleanup programs:  Hitman Pro with Kickstart and Malwarebytes Chameleon.  Both programs contain instructions on how to set up a flash drive with the software for your use.

5) Website Reputation - When you conduct a search on Google (or some other site), the pages are ranked in order of the search engine's perceived relevance to your search terms.  However, there are companies that specialize in getting websites to the top of your search results.  If these companies are able to manipulate search engines to get to the top of your results, don't you think that the bad guys know the same tricks to get their pages up there, too?

When you get a list of search results or even visit a site, do you know what pages are safe and what are not?  Fortunately, there are products that specialize in providing analysis of pages.  My favorite is Bitdefender Traffic Light.  It will analyze each page you visit and give you a green light (appears safe), a yellow light (appears questionable), or a red light (not safe).  The traffic light appears at the top of your browser window and also next to your search results.  Bitdefender Traffic Light is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, but it is not currently available for Internet Explorer.

6) Ad Blocker - For years, I refused to use or recommend using an ad blocker.  I felt that advertising was the price we had to pay for the availability of free content on the internet, and I still hold that opinion today.  However, recent stories of advertising networks allowing malicious software to be transmitted through their ads has changed my opinion on ad blockers.

I now use AdBlock Plus to block advertising.  It is available for all major browsers, and it offers a great compromise between my feelings on internet advertising and security by not blocking non-invasive advertising (the criteria for this determination is set out on their website).  If advertising networks are not going to keep us safe, then we will have to take the necessary steps to do it ourselves.

7) Privacy Protection - Websites are getting sneakier at tracking everything you are doing online so that they can give you "relevant" ads.  Recently, it was revealed that two of the most popular cellular providers were using "supercookies" that were difficult to remove in order to track users.  It seems like everywhere you go, there is someone wanting to watch you.

To assist in protecting my privacy online, I use Blur (formerly DoNotTrackMe).  This will stop secret data collection on your devices.  It also has the ability to mask your email address with a disposable one and generate and store secure passwords for all your accounts.  (I do not currently use the password feature and I rarely use the email feature.  I primarily use it to block tracking.)  Blur is available on all major browsers and also for your mobile devices.

Do I Need to Update My Antivirus?

I received the following question from a reader last week:

"My AVG keeps telling me it is downloading updates.  Is it normal for it to always be updating?"

Yes, it is normal for an antivirus program like AVG to be updated regularly.  More on that in a minute.  However, I first want to address one other issue.  If it seems like your antivirus is constantly updating, it might be a good idea to make sure that updates are actually being downloaded and installed.  To check this, open your antivirus software from either the Start Menu or the Notification Tray (near the clock).  Then, search for a place where it lists the date of the last update (it could be in a variety of places depending on what software you are using).  If it is more than 24-36 hours old, there is probably something not working properly with the update process.  If you cannot quickly solve the issue, I would recommend uninstalling and reinstalling your antivirus.

Now, back to why antivirus updates are important.  Antivirus software relies on files (called "definition files") that provide information on the latest threats detected.  These files tell the software what clues will be left on the computer for each type of infection.  This makes these programs excellent at detecting threats that they know about, but it means that a new threat (not in its definitions) can easily escape detection until the file has been updated with its information.  While software is getting better at detecting threats based on behavior, detection based on definition files is still much better.

In order to keep your system safe, antivirus software will update regularly.  Some software will be programmed to only update once per day, and others will update anytime it is connected to the internet and a newer file is available.  Most antivirus software publishers will release multiple updates each day, and most will update as soon as it realizes a newer file is available.  Fortunately, most of these updates are small and need very few resources.

I do not know of any antivirus programs that allow you to shut off automatic updates, but I definitely do not recommend doing this.  Turning off automatic Windows updates is generally not a good idea, but turning off automatic antivirus updates is even worse.  Not keeping your antivirus up to date is almost as bad as not having an antivirus.

Seven Fun Ways to Use Google

Yesterday, we talked about some useful ways to use Google's search.  Today's tip will not be nearly as useful, but it will be a lot more fun!

Before we begin, it is important to note that Google adds and removes features regularly, so some of these may not work if you reread this in a few months.  (Unless otherwise noted, they do work right now.)  I was very disappointed to see that one of my favorites, the "Kayak across the Pacific Ocean" instruction on Google Maps, had been removed.  You can read about it here if you didn't see it before.

Now, here are seven ways to have fun on Google's search pages:

1) Give Google Commands - Type "do a barrel roll" into a search box and watch the page...do a barrel roll.  Type "tilt" or "askew" and watch the page go slightly off.  Around Christmas last year, you could type "Let It Snow" and the page would snow and frost over, allowing you to draw on the window.  (But as I tell the kids on my school bus, "Keep it school appropriate!")

2) Calculate More Than Numbers -  The Google Calculator is also programmed to handle other questions, such as "what is the loneliest number" (a reference to a song from the 60's) or "what is the answer to life, the universe, and everything" (a reference from the movie, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.)  Type anything with a numerical response in and see if Google knows it.  Then, amaze your friends who don't know the references (that's what happened to me with both of those examples!)

3) Calculate a Bacon Number - No, this isn't how much bacon you should eat each day, this is a play on the "Six Degrees of Separation" game using Kevin Bacon.  Pick any actor or actress and see how many connections must be made in order for Google to connect that person to Kevin Bacon.

4) Fight Off a Zerg Rush - I had never heard of a Zerg Rush before reading this online, but apparently, this is an alien race that attack in swarms in the video game Starcraft.  Search for "zerg rush" and a whole bunch of little O's will invade your screen and eat your search results.  Keep them from destroying your screen by clicking on them to destroy them.

5) Get a Random Result - Hover your mouse over the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button with nothing in the search box, and the button will change to another random "I'm Feeling ..." statement.  Click on the changed button to get a search result related (at least loosely) to the revised statement.  For example, I just got "I'm Feeling Stellar", and my random page was pictures of nebulae.  Another time, I got "I'm Feeling Trendy", which brought up a list of the top searches.

6) Fly Yourself Anywhere - If you use Google Earth, you can use the flight simulator option to fly anywhere in the world.  In Google Earth, click on Tools and select Enter Flight Simulator or press Ctrl+Alt+A.

7) Browse the Google Doodles - Okay, this one is fun and somewhat useful!  You have probably noticed that the Google logo often changes based on current or historical events.  These are called "Google Doodles".  Google actually produces many different doodles for events around the world.  If you go to google.com/doodles, you can browse the many recent doodles published around the world.  Not only can you have fun looking at the various doodles, but you can learn some history at the same time.

Bonus:  Google has released some doodles that are actually games.  You can play goalie in this soccer game, race a canoe in this slalom canoe game, jump the hurdles in this race, or play Pacman in this doodle celebrating the game's 30th anniversary.

Eight Useful Ways to Use Google

When most people think of Google, they usually think of the search engine first.  Most of Google's other online products are usually referred to by a different name (such as Gmail) or by something added after Google (Google+, Google Apps, etc.)  However, Google's search page has a lot of useful (and some fun but not so useful) features.  Tomorrow, I will talk about some of those fun ways to use Google, but today, I will cover some of the more useful ways to use Google's search.

As a side note, most of these work in the search boxes or address bars on Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome if they are programmed to use Google.  All of these features are available on various sites, but Google simply makes them all available with just the search box.

Here are ten things that might make your search experience more useful:

1) Weather - You can get the weather without having to leave Google.  Simply type a city or zip code followed by "forecast", and Google will display a detailed forecast for today along with simplified forecasts for the week ahead.  Type your city or zip code followed by "weather" to get the current weather along with the week's forecast.

2) Translate Words - Typing "translate <word/phrase> to <language>" will quickly access the Google translator and display the result.  Just be careful, because while Google Translate is usually pretty good with words, it can be less accurate with longer phrases.  People have made blog posts and videos of what happens when you take a poem or song and translate it through several languages before taking it back to English.

3) Check the Time - Can't remember if London is four or five hours ahead of us (it can be either due to the differences in the daylight savings time dates)?  Type "time in <location>" and Google will give you the current time and date.

4) Do Math - Instead of taking the time to locate a calculator on the internet or find the one installed on your computer, just type your math problem into a search box.  Google will do the math and display the result.

5) Conversions - Need to convert from one unit of measurement to another?  Google can handle it. Simply type "<amount> <unit1> in <unit2>"  (for example, "100 dollars in pounds") and Google will handle the conversion for you.

6) Check Flight Status - Now you don't need to go to the airport and look through many television monitors to see the status of a flight.  Simply type the airline and flight number into a search box to see the status of the flight.

7) Search Public Data - Want to see the latest population estimates or unemployment rate for a particular location?  Simply type what you are looking for and the location into the search box and watch Google give you the data.  Want historical data?  Google gives you a 10-year lookback, and by clicking on "Explore More" underneath the graph, you can view older data.

8) Define Words - If you want a dictionary definition of a word, simply type "define:<word>" to have Google give you its definition.

Tomorrow, we'll look at the fun side of Google by examining some of the little built-in tricks.

Creating a Secure Password

Yesterday, we discussed methods to keep track of all your passwords.  However, there is no point in trying to store your passwords securely if they can be easily cracked by software.  It would be wonderful if we could create a simple, four-letter password to get into all of our accounts.  Unfortunately, this is definitely not secure.

Password-cracking software is designed to break passwords by trying all possible options.  If your password is only six lower-case letters, it can be cracked in less than a second.  Even adding capital letters, a number, and a symbol only takes the total for a six-character password to 52 seconds.  An eight-character password (with all of the above items) would take only 3 days to crack.  It is critical that you use a long password.  So that you don't have to constantly make your passwords longer, I recommend using at least 12 characters.

But this leads us to how you can remember your password.  Obviously, you can use a password manager or a notebook to store them, as long as you keep them secure.  But there are some easier ways to remember your password.

One possible way is to think of a sentence.  For example, I might choose:  "The Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl in 1985, the same year I was born!"  Then, I can take the first letter of each word to make my password:  "TCBwtSBi1985,tsyIwb!"  That's a 20 character password!  Even if I need to write down the password, I can write down the sentence as a reminder without needing to actually give up my password.

You can also use a similar method.  Instead of the sentence, I could just use a few words of it:  "Chicago Bears Super Bowl 1985!" and take the first three letters of each word to create:  "ChiBeaSupBow1985!"  That's 17 characters!

A less secure method would be to use symbols to replace letters in a sentence.  For example, "I love to watch soccer!" could become "Il0vet0w@tch$occ3r!"  You could also misspell words, creating something like, "Iluvt0w@atch$ock3r!".  These passwords are not as secure as the ones earlier, but they will still be difficult to crack.

One final method is to use the same root word or words for a password, and then add modifiers to it.  For example, I might choose to use my name and the names of my parents:  "JimYvonneSteve".  Then, I can make unique changes to it for each website.  "J!mYv0nneSt3ve", "!jImyV0nnesTeve", or even "Jim!22Yvonne!22Steve!"  This method also helps you if you need to write down your passwords:  you can write down clues to help you remember the modifications, but only you know the root password.

As a final note, password crackers are optimized to do what most of us will do when forced to create complex passwords.  They will usually check the top passwords first, then they will start to use words, and then start adding an uppercase first letter, a 1 or 2 placed after the word, and a symbol at the end or used to replace a letter.  Enough passwords collected from password dumps follow these guidelines.

Keeping Your Passwords Safe and Accessible

Passwords are a necessary evil.  On one hand, we have to have them to keep our information secure.  However, on the other hand, we also have to remember them all so that we can keep access to our information.  This situation is what prompted one of my readers to email me last week asking about the best way to keep track of passwords.

Of course, it would be wonderful if we could use the same password for everything.  Unfortunately, that is no longer a secure option.  With the large number of hacks that have occurred in recent months, we can be assured that a password to one of our accounts has probably been compromised somewhere.  If that password is the same for everything, knowing your email (probably accessible from inside your hacked account options even if it wasn't hacked itself) will give others access to any accounts using that same password.

I certainly wish I could write a "best-in-all-cases" option for keeping track of your passwords securely.  Unfortunately, there is no best option.  The key is to find something that works for you.

One option is to use a password management program.  These programs will keep track of all your passwords, and many will automatically insert them in the proper places.  Some will even generate random passwords for you.  These passwords will be secure because they not only use all the general password-selection criteria (lower-case and upper-case letters, numbers, symbols, etc.), but also because you will not remember the random passwords they generate.  This prevents you from accidentally giving your password out to a phishing site that you think is legitimate.

However, there are some problems with password managers.  If a password manager is installed on your computer, you are unable to sync it with your phone, tablet, or other devices.  You will need to install a separate program on each device and then update passwords on all of them when they are changed.  An online password manager stores your passwords on a server so that they sync between all your devices.  Unfortunately, this is my least-recommended method because it can be hacked to expose all your passwords.

If you don't want to use a password manager, you can consider using a notebook to keep track of your passwords.  (Before writing down login information for work in a notebook, check with your company's IT department.  Many have prohibitions against writing down passwords.)  This works great if you primarily access the internet from home on one device.  However, if your computer travels or you use many different devices, this becomes a problem.  Your notebook could be lost, exposing your passwords, or you could leave the notebook at home and not have any way to access your information.

If you do use a notebook, do not write your user names along with your passwords.  If your notebook is stolen, someone will have quick access to your accounts if both are written down.  You can also write down your user name along with some generic hints that remind you about your password.  This way, you will know your password by reading it, but others will be unable to decipher your password from the information.

If you are wondering what I use, the only simple answer is:  "All of the above".  There are many accounts that I only access from my primary computer.  I use a password manager installed on my computer to provide me quick access and secure passwords for these accounts.  For my most-used accounts (email, Facebook, bank, etc.), I simply remember the passwords.  And I store user names and hints for all of my passwords in a password-protected file that I store in my Dropbox account, making it accessible on all my devices.

Obviously, my solution is not going to work for everyone.  Some people will find that a notebook in a desk drawer will work fine.  Some will be willing to take the risk to have the convenience of an online password manager.  Others might opt for a hybrid solution like me.  Whatever method you choose, be willing to accept the risks and inconveniences that will come with your method, and don't be afraid to try out different methods until you find the one that works best for you.

Can Software Keep Windows XP Safe?

I received a question this week regarding ads on TV that promise to keep Windows XP safe.  The customer specifically asked if this product would allow someone to continue to use Windows XP even though Microsoft is no longer supporting it.

I responded by stating that not only would this product not be able to keep Windows XP completely safe, but also that I would not trust a security product that promises that they can keep Windows XP completely safe.

Yes, this program may be able to keep Windows XP safer than if you did not have it, but that would be true for any security product.  However, there is much more to keeping Windows safe than what this program can do.  There are holes in any version of Windows that can be exploited, and only modifications to the source code can fix these holes.  Since Microsoft does not release the source code for Windows, this program would be unable to find the exact hole and patch it.  It might be able to provide a workaround that renders the hole useless, but the hole will remain unless Microsoft release a patch (which it says it will not do).

Yes, I realize that many people do not want to upgrade to anything newer than Windows XP.  However, XP is now 13 years old, and that is well beyond the lifetime for a technology product.  When XP was released, the first Blackberry device was two years away from its release, and the iPhone would not come along for another six years.  Hard drives were measured in tens of gigabytes instead of terabytes, and 256 MB of RAM was considered adequate (most systems now use at least eight to sixteen times that amount).  If you have a Windows XP computer, the simple fact is that it is time to upgrade.

Software may be able to help keep Windows XP safer, but nothing will be able to keep XP completely safe.  Without patches from Microsoft, Windows XP is a risk, especially when it is online.  If you want to keep your XP computer around as a device for your kids to play games on or for you to type a few documents while offline, that is fine.  But if your primary internet computer is running XP, then you need to upgrade!

Search for Sex Offenders Near You

Tonight, millions of kids across the country will take to the streets for trick-or-treating.  Obviously, for parents, safety is an important concern when your kids will be knocking on the doors of people you may not know.

One thing you can check (even when it is not Halloween) are the state and national sex offender registries.  While it only lists those who have been caught and are keeping their information up-to-date, it can be helpful to know if there is an offender living near you.

You can view the registry at http://www.nsopw.gov/.

Fix a Scratched CD/DVD

As careful as we may try to be, sometimes our CDs or DVDs end up getting scratched.  However, a scratch does not automatically mean that your disc has become an expensive coaster for your living room table.  There still may be ways to restore your disc to optimal condition.

Two quick notes:  first, it is important to understand that your best option is to not let your disc get scratched.  Any of these methods for repairing a scratch may help, but they also have the potential to hurt the disc.  Second, whenever possible, it is advisable to make a backup copy of your disc on your computer or on another disc.  Burning a backup copy of a disc is legal as long as it is only for personal use and it does not circumvent any digital rights protections built in.

Once a scratch does occur, the first step to take would be to clean the surface with a jewelry-polishing cloth.  These cloths are fairly inexpensive and available at most stores that sell jewelry.  This removes some of the dust and dirt that can accumulate in the scratches and eliminates other areas of the disc as the problem.  (You might find that the light scratch isn't the problem at all).  To avoid causing further damage, rub the disc from the center to the outside and back, not along a circular path.

If this does not work, you can use a variety of substances to try to fill in the scratch.  I have heard of people using car wax, furniture polish, petroleum jelly, and even banana to fill it in.  I would recommend the car wax personally, but you can choose whatever you have available.  Once again, always be sure to rub from the center to the outside of the disc, and make sure you give it plenty of time to dry (overnight would be best) and clean it thoroughly before putting it back in your DVD player.

If you can't find any substance that will repair the scratch, then it might be time to approach it from a different angle.  If you have a cheap or older player, find a friend with a new player that was reasonably expensive.  Technology is always improving, and it might have improved enough so that the latest players can read what your older device cannot.  This might have the lowest probability of success, but it is worth a shot if nothing else is working.  If it works on your friend's player, it might be time to upgrade yours.

Finally, when you have run out of options to do it yourself, turn to your local movie rental store.  Almost all of them have devices that will buff dics and remove the scratches.  Find a friendly-looking clerk, explain the situation, and see if the clerk will help you out.  Obviously, they are under no obligation to help you, but it would make business sense for them to do so.  You could go the DIY route and buy a machine yourself, but unless you have a lot of scratched discs, your wallet would probably be better off replacing your scratched discs.

If the $500+ machine at the movie-rental store can't help you, then it is time to buy a new disc or say goodbye to your movie or music.  Obviously, with a music CD, you can always burn the unaffected tracks to a new CD to use in the meantime.

Do I Really Need to 'Safely Remove Device'?

Most of us know that we should use the "Safely Remove Device" feature in Windows before removing a flash drive (or any other type of USB device) from our computer.  And most of us have probably figured out that you can simply pull the drive out and your files will still be there the next time.

If you don't know what I am talking about, each time you want to remove a USB drive (flash drive, external hard drive, etc.), Microsoft says you should go to the notification area of the taskbar (near the clock),  click on the small icon that looks like a flash drive, and then select "Eject [Name of Drive]".

That brings us to the question:  Is the "Safely Remove Device" feature even necessary?  And the answer is:  Definitely!

Yes, it is true that you can usually unplug a drive without any problem, but that is not always the case.  There are many things that could be happening in the background that could harm your data if you do not use this feature.  First, if the drive is in use, the files in use will most likely be corrupted.  Using "Safely Remove Device" will prevent you from corrupting those files.

However, sometimes the drive will be in use when you don't realize it.  The drive could be rewriting its file system (the directory of all the files on the drive).  You might think it is okay to just pull the drive out because you haven't used the drive for several minutes, but if the file system is being modified and becomes corrupted when you pull the drive out, everything on the drive will be lost.  Safely removing the drive will stop the rewrite at a safe place so you can remove the drive.

Second, you can enable performance features on a drive that make it even more important to use this feature.  Windows can be programmed to cache data being written to a drive.  This saves the data on your hard drive until Windows determines that it is best to write it to the flash drive.  (This can keep your system from becoming strained by low resources or demanding programs.)  While this feature is disabled by default, you probably cannot tell me for sure that caching has been disabled on your computer without checking.  It is best to treat your files as safe as you can!

For these two reasons alone, it is best to always safely remove your device before you remove it.  In fact, the only time you should remove a drive without this feature is if you have already shut the computer off.  Otherwise, the few seconds you save by not using this feature will be more than wasted if you have to recreate all the files on the drive or spend time and/or money trying to recover data.

One Important Setting to Check

I recently replaced the power jack on a laptop, but when I finished replacing it, I found that the computer would not completely boot.  While I do not know the exact reason for the problem, my suspicion is that Windows was in the process of performing an update when the system lost power.  There would have been a simple way to fix the boot process, but unfortunately, this computer had that feature disabled.

The System Restore feature will allow your system to recover from many problems, including malware, a corrupt registry, or a failed update.  However, if it is disabled, you will find that you have no restore points available when you need to use it!

Unless you have a very good reason for disabling it, I highly recommend that you enable System Restore.  This feature may not only allow you to recover your system from a failure, but it may also save your important files from the Cryptolocker or Cryptowall ransomware.  These programs encrypt your files and require you to pay a fee to get the encryption key to decrypt them.  However, System Restore may save shadow copies of your files that will remain unencrypted.  They may not be the most up-to-date versions of your files, but they are better than either losing them completely or having to pay the ransom to get your files back.

To see if you have System Restore enabled, follow these instructions:

Windows Vista:

1) On the start menu, right click on Computer and choose Properties.

2) Click on System Protection on the left side.

3) Respond to a UAC box if it appears.

4) About halfway down the window, look for your main hard drive.  It will usually say "(System)" after it.  If the box in front of it is checked, you are fine.

5) If the box is not checked, then check it and hit Apply.

6) If you just enabled System Restore, click on the Create button to create a restore point right now.

Windows 7:

1) On the start menu, right click on Computer and choose Properties.

2) Click on System Protection on the left side.

3) About halfway down the window, look for your main hard drive.  It will usually say "(System)" after it.  If it says "On", you are fine.

4) If it says "Off", then select the drive and click on Configure.  Then select, "Restore system settings and previous versions of files".

5) If you just enabled System Restore, click on the Create button to create a restore point right now.


Windows 8/8.1:

1) Go to the charms bar, and select Settings, then PC Info.

2) Click on System Protection on the left side.

3) About halfway down the window, look for your main hard drive.  It will usually say "(System)" after it.  If it says "On", you are fine.

4) If it says "Off", then select the drive and click on Configure.  Then select, "Turn on system protection".

5) If you just enabled System Restore, click on the Create button to create a restore point right now.