InBox

By DON McALLISTER

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

Q. Some more information following last week's question about spike protectors and uninterruptible power supplies.

A. Many users forget the monitor, printer, scanner or speakers should also be protected. Cheaper spike protector units are slower to respond when hit by a bolt from the blue, which means they may be fine for appliances such as fridges, but are absolutely useless at protecting sensitive computer components. When buying a spike protector, the "ns" (one trillionth of a second) response time is the best guide. Older computers should be safe with 10ns units (about $50). But 1-3ns units costing about $100 are the minimum for computers with a 233MHz chip or faster. Dick Smith Electronics has a full range.

Q. Karen is one of many readers frustrated when entering information on a web form. Internet Explorer drops down a list of email addresses and previous entries. "How can I remove those old entries?" she asks.

A. Internet Explorer's "Auto Complete" feature can be controlled, Karen. Go to Tools/Internet Options/Auto Complete. You can remove ticks from the list or hit the "Clear Forms" and "Clear Passwords" buttons to clear previously stored information.

Q. Andrew received a CD with Internet Explorer 6 on it. "Do I have to remove Internet Explorer 5 to install it?" he asks.

A. Internet Explorer 6 will install over the top, Andrew, but where did that CD come from? If it's not directly from Microsoft or your internet provider, many of its settings may be locked, modified or even contain annoying advertisement headers. If in doubt, use your Windows update feature. Go to Start/Windows Update (for Windows XP, Start/All Programs/Windows Update) to obtain the latest available version from Microsoft for free.

Q. Shane highlighted a contact and hit delete to remove it from his Incredimail address book, yet it's still there.

A. Try right clicking the contact and select delete from the dropdown menu, Shane. Incredimail has an FAQ that covers this.



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