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Q. After leaving my computer on standby instead of turning it off, I usually get a message when I go on later telling me that other people are using my computer and if I turn it off, they will lose their files. I have only one home computer and am not connected to anyone else. How can someone else use my computer? And if they can, will it harm mine?
A. If you are not part of a local area network (directly connected to other computers in your home or office), this could be a sign of people hacking your PC. And, yes, it can be very harmful.
If you are connecting to the Internet by broadband, such as with cable or a digital subscriber line, I recommend that you immediately get a hardware router to put between your PC and modem. These are easy to install, are inexpensive (about $50) and will give you immediate protection from the outside world.
If you want a more complete solution, routers are best used with some sort of software firewall that protects both incoming and outgoing communications with the outside world. A free one, Zone Alarm, can be downloaded at www.zonelabs.com
Undoing an e-mail rule
Q. I read your Nov. 3 instructions about whitelisting e-mail addresses. I was successful in implementing it, but lo and behold, I receive mortgage documents by e-mail from title companies that are not on my friends list. I never know what title company may send them to me. How can I reverse, or delete, the filter in Outlook Express?
A. And therein lies the problem with spam filtering. It is impossible to be 100 percent effective in filtering only what you want.
In your case, the e-mail with the various mortgage documents still will be delivered to your regular inbox.
To bypass the filter, go to Tools, Message Rules, Mail on the Outlook Express menu bar. You will see the rules currently in effect. Simply click to clear the check box to the left of the rule you want to disable. Click Apply Now, then OK.
If you want to delete this rule permanently, do the same as above, but this time click the Remove button after clicking the rule once to select it.
Other antispam options?
Q. I tried your suggested technique on whitelisting. It worked, to a point. I receive messages from those I chose from the address list, but I still receive the garbage in the Outlook Express inbox. Is there a way I can stop receiving this stuff. If not, would you suggest an antispam program that works fairly well?
A. The whitelisting technique I outlined in the Nov. 3 column sends incoming e-mail that matches addresses in your Address Book to the Friends folder. The remaining e-mail in your Inbox folder are from others, including spammers. Rather than create another rule to delete these, I would manually delete then after giving them a quick look - without opening them - to make sure you weren't missing a real e-mail.
There are many programs you can purchase that will handle spam, to a degree. None is perfect and all will occasionally delete nonspam e-mail.
It's not a popular theory, but one I have found to provide great results is to click the "Opt out" or "Please do not send" links in spam e-mail. Of course, a certain percentage of these are phony links, but I have found it to be effective in reducing my spam. It is also a good idea to have an alternative e-mail address (one of the free ones, such as Yahoo or Hotmail) for use whenever you are required to provide an e-mail address on Web sites. I have three active e-mail accounts and get very little spam.
A shutdown shortcut
Q. I once had info on how to place an icon on my desktop that could be clicked to shut down the system. I thought it came from your column?
A. I don't remember discussing this particular item, but here's how to do it:
For Windows 9x/Me, right-click any empty space on the Desktop. Select New, Shortcut. In the Item location box, type:
C:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows.
For Windows XP users, type:
SHUTDOWN -s -t 01.
Click Next, give the shortcut a descriptive name (such as Shutdown) and click Finish.