InBox

By DON McALLISTER

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

Q. "Almost yearly I get fooled by one of these innocent-looking Christmas cards and this year was no exception; wasting several hours and dollars in recovery efforts," Sally writes woefully.

A. You're not alone, Sally. As these greeting attachments enter via your email, take a moment to think what they might contain. We all know that viruses often live in attachments - yet we still open the darn things. Now would be a good time to make sure your antivirus scanner is up-to-date.

Q. "I note that blank CDs have a warning on the packaging 'Do not attach labels, protective sheets or chemical coating preparations to the disc surface'. Confusing! Have you a recommendation?" asks Paul.

A. Those warnings refer to the "data" side (the bottom clear side) of the disk, Paul. Writeable CDs have a manufacturer's coating on their label side that allows labels and writing to be done. But beware of spirit-based pens or sticker glues that react with the disk (just like petrol in a plastic milk bottle), rendering data unusable. Hint: use your nose. If the pen/sticker has a strong petroleum or alcohol smell, it'll probably trash the disk.

Q. Alan was one of several readers concerned that even wiped data can be retrieved from your hard drive by professional forensic software.

A. Data can never be regarded as fully wiped, Alan. That's because of things such as "Drive slack space" and "Shadow data". The only sure way to destroy sensitive data is "Sledge Hammer" the drive. This article explains those terms and just how many ways remnants can sit hidden from the view of amateur sleuths.

Q. Henry logs on to Slingshot and is disconnected the first time, but can surf okay on a send try.

A. Change your Slingshot password, Henry. Some smart cookie is using your account. Slingshot sees two users on one account when you first dial up, so it disconnects both of them.


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