Q. An answer in the Jan. 4 column said "consider using a router . . . (it is) a very effective firewall when used correctly." Is there a simple way of confirming that the router is being used correctly?
Good question. Ten years ago, I'd have thought we would all be flying around with personal jetpacks on our backs sooner than the average home PC user would be using and configuring a network router. The good news is that you don't have to do anything.
Most routers use something called Network Address Translation, or NAT, which "hides" your PC from the outside world. Routers also can be configured to "open holes" from the outside into your computer, and this can compromise its safety. But as long as you don't do this and also keep your antivirus and Windows security patches (auto updates) up-to-date, you'll be safe.
A more complete solution would be to have a hardware router and a software firewall working together. A software firewall can help keep you safe from things that initiate on your PC, possibly from trojan horses or viruses that you unknowingly download.
I prefer to use just a hardware router to keep my system as simple as possible.
Protecting your home page
Q. A writer on Jan. 19 indicated that she found out how to lock the Internet Explorer home page. She wanted to know how to change it. I know how to change it and, apparently, so does every two-bit popup hacker in the world. It is constantly being changed. I've run Spybot several times. My question: How did she LOCK her IE home page?
First, to keep this from happening, never install anything that is offered to you while surfing unless it is something that you recognize or trust. And as painful as it may seem, always read the End Users License Agreement before installing anything. Often it will disclose that the software you are installing contains other programs such as spyware components or do things such as change your home page.
If the license agreement states that, cancel the installation and delete the software. Go to gmpservicesinc.com and click on the Home Page Hijacking article. It discusses updating your Java VM (some versions will allow Web site operators to change your home page).
There's also a download link to a utility registry file that will let you lock (and unlock) your home page to prevent this from happening.
These files will have an extension of .REG. When they are double-clicked, they update your registry. I've checked these out and they are safe.
Internet Explorer settings
Q. I have used Microsoft Internet Explorer for more than six years. Recently, when I tried to bring it up, I got "This window cannot be shown and MSIE server can't be found." Why did this problem develop? What can I do to recover MSIE? I'm 83 years old and enjoy the computer age but this situation frustrates me. I am running Windows Me.
First, try clearing your cache: On the Internet Explorer menu bar click Tools, Internet Options. On the General tab, click the Delete Files button in the Temporary Internet files section. Close and reopen Internet Explorer and try a known address such as www.google.com If still no luck, you are probably best off calling your Internet provider and have it help you examine your configuration settings.
