Computer Fact or Fiction?
By Laurianne McLaughlin
One thing is true about urban legends: People love to repeat them. Better
yet, they love to e-mail them.
Did you see the picture of the 4500-pound, man-eating alligator caught in
New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina? Turns out he's not quite that big, and
he's never been on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
More recently, maybe you received an e-mail warning you about an Olympic
Torch virus making the rounds that would "burn" your computer's hard drive.
Don't get hot and bothered over this one--it's also a hoax.
In fact, owning a computer opens the door to a host of myths and tall tales
about the care and feeding of your pricey info system. And because a
computer can be an expensive, mysterious piece of equipment, many cautious
people take some of this maintenance "advice" as fact. But rest assured,
most of it isn't.
Here's a simple true-false quiz designed to help get to the bottom of common
computer misconceptions. Finally, here's some information you can feel good
about e-mailing to your friends.
True or false? My PC will start behaving worse than a tired toddler if I
don't power it all the way down at night, every night.
False. Your PC doesn't need to be shut down fully every day to stay healthy.
Many people hate to wait for Windows to shut all the way down. And they
really hate to wait for it to boot all the way up again. The more programs
and utilities you have running, the worse that boot time becomes. One
answer: Use Windows XP's Hibernate option (look for it in your Control Panel
under Power Options). This will make your PC go to sleep instead of shutting
all the way down.
True or false? If I spill a drink on my keyboard, it's totaled.
False. A desktop computer's keyboard will usually survive a spill (though
you Big Gulp types should be extra careful). Turn the keyboard upside down
on top of a kitchen towel and leave it alone for a while. Then you can wipe
the top of the keys down with a slightly damp cloth and be back in business.
Disclaimer alert: You can try the same drill with a laptop's keyboard, but
it may not fare as well because critical parts live beneath the keyboard and
some liquid may ooze down. And beware, spills typically void a laptop's
warranty, so some owners may find it worth the money to buy an extended
warranty or accidental damage coverage that specifically covers drops and
spills. Get it from the manufacturer who sold your equipment to you.
True or false? If I stick a magnet near a floppy disk, it will erase the
contents.
True. You've never seen James Bond do it, but it works. If you rush to the
refrigerator, grab a magnet, and stick it on a floppy disk, you'll probably
destroy the files.
True or false? My PC is running slow and I have strange icons in my system
tray, therefore I probably have a virus.
False. If you are running antivirus software and keep it updated, you
probably have spyware instead. These nasty little invaders run in the
background, slow down your PC, change your Web browser settings, and leave
weird stuff lying around that can be harder to remove than dishwasher gunk.
True or false? I can't have spyware, because I ran an anti-spyware program
and it erased several items.
False: Anti-spyware programs vary greatly in effectiveness. In PC World's
recent tests, these programs grabbed as much as 90 percent of spyware and as
little as 66 percent. You may need to run a couple of programs to remove it
all. (Fortunately, a few good spyware removers are free.) For the scoop on
which products to consider and how to kill all the spies, see PCWorld.com.
True or false? There's no way for me to remember all my passwords, so I need
to make crib notes on a piece of paper and hide it well.
False. Some people write passwords on Post-It notes and stick them someplace
near the computer, but this is a really bad idea. Sure, you have to remember
a ridiculous number of user names and passwords these days, for dozens of
programs and sites. But there's a better solution to the problem. Check out
Password Safe, a free utility that creates strong, unique passwords and
saves all the info in an encrypted database. You don't have to remember all
your passwords, just one.
True or false? If my PC breaks under warranty, my PC company will replace
the parts good as new.
True. But the key phrase here is "good as new," not "new." Many PC owners
are surprised the first time a part fails, and they learn this lesson. But
most PC companies have language in the warranty that allows them to send you
remanufactured parts as replacements. These parts are not strictly brand
new, though they go through some reconditioning and testing.
True or false? My laptop's batteries will become less effective if I keep
recharging them before they're empty.
False. That is, unless you have an ancient notebook PC with a nickel cadmium
battery. Today's lithium ion batteries do not suffer from this problem. You
don't have to run them down to empty all the time, but you should
occasionally.
True or false? I don't need to pay for tech support because my cousin's kid
works with computers and helps me out when I have questions.
False. Your little helper will never tell you, because he or she is too
polite, but no one likes being the "computer kid" to the extended family or
neighborhood. Here's the good news: Great tech-support services now exist
where you pay a reasonable monthly fee, or buy a block of phone-support
minutes, with a company that can use the Internet to remotely peek at,
control, and fix your PC--or just quickly answer your PC-care questions. For
a good option, try PlumChoice.
True or false? I'm ready to give away my old computer after I've deleted all
the files.
False. Deleting files isn't good enough. You'd be amazed what people can
pull from the hard drives of secondhand or donated computers if the hard
drive hasn't been completely reformatted and Windows reinstalled. (And if
you pass along the PC to a family member, you're probably not going to do
this.)
PC World did a story where we found Social Security numbers, income tax
returns, and other personal and important information on old, discarded hard
drives. Once you pass along your old PC, you have no idea where it will
travel down the line. To erase your info, try a free utility program, such
as Eraser, to zap documents into oblivion. There's also Webroot's Window
Washer for cleaning up the many little nuggets that lurk elsewhere.
source:
news.yahoo.com/s/ttpcworld/20060223/tc_techtues_pcworld/124807&printe
r=1;_ylt=Apz8VH8bRJLT49OGdG0.dHpSNroF;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-