Dennis Faas

Infopackets Reader Joe J. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently received an email forwarded from a friend via a Yahoo email Group, which states that Yahoo is using 'web beacons' to track Yahoo Group members Internet activity. The email I received ... follows: ' For your information: Yahoo is now using something called 'Web Beacons' to track Yahoo Group users around the net to see where you visit and what you're doing -- similar to Internet cookie files. Take a look at their updated privacy statement . About half-way down the page, in the section on cookies, you will see a link that says web ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ted B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm stumped! An elderly lady recently came into the shop and needed help with wireless networking (802.11) between her older Hewlett Packard computer (running Windows 98SE) and her XP notebook. ... Unfortunately, we could not get the connections working. She had opted for a wireless network because she did not want to run a long cord from her bedroom to her living room to connect the two computers. The representative at the Motorola help-desk told me (several times) that we had to buy a router as a source point before the two computers could ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Don K. writes: " Dear Dennis, My computer has 1000 megabytes of primary system memory (RAM). I recently partitioned (split) one of my hard drives into a separate drive letter (Drive Z, for example) and set it as a dedicated unit ... handle all my virtual (secondary) memory. After it was all said and done, a friend of mine commented that having 1 gigabyte of RAM in my machine is plenty of primary memory, and I've wasted my time trying to optimize my system by setting up a separate drive letter for virtual memory. Do you agree with my friend's comments? " My response: ... (view more)

Today's issue of the Gazette marks the end of the special promotion for my Service Pack 2 Fail-Safe install guide . Reminder: you can save up to 54% off the guide if you purchase before midnight tonight. Before we move onto other topics of interest ... featured in our newsletter, I've decided to end this special promotion with a lightening round of SP2-related questions from our Readers. Answers are short-but-sweet and will address the most frequently asked questions I've received via email / from the newsletter over the last 2.5 months. Ready? Round 1 ... Begin! Q: " I have installed ... (view more)

XP SP2 Frequently Asked Questions: Continued from Part 1 ... Q: " I already have Norton Internet Security installed and running. Does it make sense to use the Service Pack 2 Firewall or should I stick with Norton? Should I use both at the same time? ... " A: It is not recommended that you run two firewalls at once, as this can cause problems with programs which rely on your Internet connection. I don't have any experience with Norton Firewall, but I personally recommend using Zone Alarm (free), as it is widely accepted among the Internet community as a very strong and secure firewall ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Lee C. writes: " Ever since I installed XP Service Pack 2 on my system, all I get is blank boxes where pictures used to be in emails, every time I launch Outlook Express. Do you know why this is happening? I installed Service Pack ... 2 onto a clean system. Please help! " My Response: This is another frequently asked question. With Windows XP Service Pack 2, a new security measure has been put into place that -- by default -- will now block pictures that are embedded into emails. The reason for this is because some spammers use picture files as 'web beacons' to verify ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Denise D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Windows XP and currently subscribe to the Road Runner high-speed Internet service (offered by Time Warner). I have tried to install Windows XP Service Pack 2, but after installing it, I ... could no longer access the Internet. I kept receiving a message 'cannot find server' on all sites through Internet Explorer. Subsequently, I had to uninstall the Service Pack in order to regain access to the web. What do I need to do in order to install the service pack and have access to the Internet? " My response: This has been a ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Deanna K. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thank you for your wonderful newsletter and relentless dedication and support for computer newbies (like myself)! I have been carefully following your recent discussions concerning SP2; however, I ... have a question that I cannot seem to find the answer to. I understand that I can get Windows XP Service Pack 2 CD for free from Microsoft. Subsequently, a number of tech articles that I've read recommend that I get the Service Pack 2 CD instead of downloading SP2 from the Internet. Can you explain why this is so? " My response: I've ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader James T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I read and enjoy your newsletter everyday that it's published -- yet, I can't understand why (as of late) you've giving so much hype to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)? I agree that SP2 is a ... critical and necessary update ; nonetheless, Microsoft's Service Pack releases almost always coincide with incompatibility issues. As with any Service Pack, I feel, there is no guarantee that it will install successfully -- nor is there a guarantee for anything, when dealing with computers. ... My reason for writing you today, in fact, is with ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Polly B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've downloaded and successfully installed Service Pack 2 onto my computer. The only complaint I have so far is that Outlook Express is so security tight, that a lot of the email messages I have put ... aside (with file attachments) now cannot be opened. I went in and took off the Outlook Express Security 'do not allow me to open potentially dangerous attachments' option, and now everything is OK. I felt safe in choosing to disable this 'security features' because I use Norton Security which blocks potentially malicious email attachments. My ... (view more)