Loosening Content Advisor settings

By JOHN TORRO

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 12, 2000

Q. I use the Content Advisor setting in Internet Explorer to allow my son to surf the Net without supervision. Lately, the content settings are reset to zero, the most restrictive level, each time IE opens. It also demands a supervisor password to view unrated sites. I have adjusted settings in the appropriate pop-up menus, but they do not hold when closing or opening a new window. The disable button on the pop-up menu also no longer functions. I installed the latest version of IE but the problem persists.

A. This can occur when Content Advisor is enabled, but the "User can see sites which have no rating" option is disabled. Microsoft suggests:

1. In Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu.

2. On the Content tab, click Settings under Content Advisor.

3. Type the supervisor password in the Password box, and then click OK.

4. On the General tab, click the "User can see sites which have no rating" checkbox under User Options to select it.

5. Click OK, and then click OK again.

Troubled by virus

Q. I have a bootup problem with Windows 95. As the desktop appears, a window pops up with: "REGISTRY EDITOR -- Cannot import C:\Windows\kak.reg Error Opening the file. There may be a disk or file system error." Also, a friend says that he gets a virus alert when he opens e-mail from me, something about "isolating a kak virus/worm."

A. KAK is an Internet worm that uses ActiveX and Windows Scripting Host to propagate itself through e-mail using Microsoft Outlook. This worm consists of three components: an HTA file (HTML for Applications), a REG file (Registration Entries Update) and a BAT file (MS-DOS Batch), using an ActiveX exploit known as Scriptlet TypeLib. Microsoft has published a security update that addresses this ActiveX exploit and users are encouraged to update their systems. (This virus first appeared in December.) You need to update your virus software, which everyone should do on a regular basis. You can find more about this particular virus and how to eradicate it at http://vil.mcafee.com. Enter KAK in the Search field and follow the links.

Frozen pointer problems

Q. Occasionally, the mouse will lock up as I try to move around the screen, usually for a couple of seconds at a time. I have tried to shut down any programs running in the background, but it only improves for a short time.

Q. My computer freezes up frequently and the mouse pointer will not move. Ctrl-Alt-Del does not respond. It usually occurs when I am browsing on the Net, but it also happens when I am browsing my photo albums. I have to shut down the machine and go through the ScanDisk program before I can boot up again. Is there some area in the machine accumulating data that fills up and just quits?

A. There is a good chance that these problems are related to a software driver. Check the Web site of your PC's video adapter vendor for an update. You also can check the Video Hardware Acceleration slide bar (right-click My Computer, choose Properties, Performance, then click the Graphics button). It is a good idea to start with the setting on the right (the Full setting) and move the slider one setting to the left until you find the setting that works best.

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