InBox

By DON McALLISTER

Welcome to InBox, where we attempt to answer your internet questions.

Q: Denis is getting a taskbar message "Outbreak Warning Settings" on boot-up. "I just close it and continue, but it bothers me because I don't understand why. I can't find any reference in Microsoft Help and Support either.

A: It's a new component of Trend Micro Internet security products (Trendmicro), Denis. Essentially it warns of new threats that Trend hasn't managed to solve and tells you how to avoid them while it develops a cure. It's an excellent concept, but new active viruses are common, resulting in an annoying quantity of alerts. You can take note of them, ignore them, or if they frustrate you, disable it. "Start/Programs/Trend Micro Internet Security/Outbreak Warning Settings" uncheck "Enable Outbreak Alert to provide proactive recommendations". Reboot.

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Q: How do I remove a previous owner's data from my computer hard-drive? Ian writes: "I bought a second hand ex-business machine recently. Part of the sale agreement was that the drive had to be low-level formatted and the previous owner said that simply formatting the drive was not acceptable under the agreement.

A: A low-level format removes everything Ian, even the partition table of the drive. It's not the same as a basic format which effectively clears only what is within the partition, allowing you to repartition and format for a clean install. To accomplish this task you need a LLF (low-level format) utility and your drive manufacturer should have one to accomplish this.

The Ariolic website has a clear explanation of the process and links to each drive manufacturer.


But low-level formatting doesn't always remove all trace. If total obliteration is what you are after, choose a LLF utility that also writes zeros and ones across the empty drive to completely cover previous contents. This can take a long time, but it is the only effective clean solution, short of axing the drive.



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