There’s been a lot of talk lately about how unreliable tape backups
are, but I’m not buying it. Just because you may personally know four
or five people who’ve lost all their data to a defective tape drive
doesn’t mean that it will happen to you.
One option you might consider is backing up to another hard drive.
That way, should C: die, you merely have to open your computer, switch
C: and D:, study the drives’ documentation to find out if you need to
change any jumper settings, and plug everything back in to discover that
whatever wiped out the first drive also destroyed the second.
Another possibility is to use an Internet-based online backup
service. Simply upload everything on your hard drive via modem to a
secure Web site every couple of weeks. This will leave you about
five minutes in between backups for using your computer. Should your
hard drive fail, it’s a simple matter of booting from a floppy,
installing DOS, your 16-bit CD-ROM drivers, Windows 95, your browser and
dial-up connection, and waiting through a 72-hour download to discover
if the online service’s tape is any good.
I recently upgraded my Pentium-75--with 8MB of RAM--to Windows 95.
When I use Notepad, the computer runs fine. But when I try to load Word,
Excel, Netscape Navigator, Lotus Notes, and Corel Draw at the same time,
everything slows to a crawl. What can I do?--I. Newton, Backen,
Tennessee
You’re still running a Pentium? Not even MMX? Sorry, but I don’t
help Neanderthals.
I want to shop on the Web, but I’m concerned about security. Is it
safe to give my credit card number over the Internet?-- J. Cousteau,
Seattle, Kansas
Completely safe! You’re in more danger having your credit card
number stolen in a raid by the Swiss army than over the Net. But if you’re
really worried, you can e-mail your credit card number to Ask Dr.
Deeram and I’ll make sure no one else sees it.
I’m about to buy a scanner. What are the advantages of sheet-fed
vs. flatbed scanners?--A. Turing, Ippississim, Mississippi
This isn’t an easy subject to summarize. How do you compare one
peripheral that eats bedclothes with another that rides around in a
truck?
To put it as simply as possible, sheet-fed scanners are best if you
don’t want to spend a fortune on yet another gadget that looks like a
copy machine. On the other hand, flatbed scanners are preferable if you
want to plagiarize printed material that’ s already in books.
I’ve found all sorts of bizarre files on my hard drive and I don’t
know where they came from. There’s mm2048.dat, mm256.dat, _ofidx.ffa,
_ofidx.ffl, ffastun0.ffx, assorted autoexecs, and something huge called
win386.swp. What are they and can I get rid of them?--A Einstein, San
Juan Capistrano, Maine
They’re just wasting space and yes, you can get rid of all of them.
Better yet, delete the source of the problem, the one file that’s
producing all of the others: win.com.
I was fooling around with my BIOS settings and decided to give my
system a password. After a half hour of fun--rebooting, entering my
password, and rebooting again--I took the rest of the day off to watch
TV. Now I can’t remember the password. Is there a way I can get back
into my computer?--C. Darwin, London, Texas
There are several ways you can access your secured computer without
knowing the password. Take your pick of the following:
1. Keep trying new passwords until you hit upon the correct one.
Assuming you can enter 150 different letter combinations an hour, you
should be able to complete the task within five centuries.
2. Hire a teenage hacker who can crack any password in the world
within five minutes while the police are closing in. Two disadvantages:
First, the hacker will know your password and probably be able to ruin
your life. Second, hackers of this sort only exist in the movies.
3. Go to your system vendor’s Web site and download a BIOS upgrade.
With the upgrade file in your c:\Windows\Temp folder, click the Start
button and select…never mind.
4. Buy yourself a new computer, reinstall all of your software, and
retype all of your data.
What can I do about spam?--G. Galileo, Mooseneck, California
Why do you keep sending me this question? Stop it! Now!
How can I find out if my stupid, overbearing, fascistic boss is
reading my email?--C. Ptolemy, Hackensack, California
Writing me a letter like this one is a good test. If you still have
your job by the time this column appears, chances are your boss doesn’t
read your email. If you still have it after this appears, your
boss doesn’t read my column, either.
Have a computer question that you’re dying to get answered? Go
ahead, make a fool of yourself. Ask Dr. Deeram.
