Q. I have a USB flatbed scanner that works fine on my old machine. I downloaded newer driver software for my XP machine, but when I start it up from my application it takes about 5 minutes before it eventually complains that the device isn’t responding. The device shows as “working properly” in Device Manager. A. When you do “Acquire” is it pointing at some other device, such as a digital camera? In most programs you do an Acquire - Select Twain Source, and then select the scanner. Then do Acquire and do the scan. Is your application software also up to date? It may need to be upgraded as well. Another thing to check would be to download a free application that can drive a scanner and see if it works properly. Most scanners are interfaced via the TWAIN standard (by the way, TWAIN stands for “Technology Without An Interesting Acronym). If you go to www.irfanview.com you can download a nice little image editing program (IrfanView) that can work with scanners and cameras. See if it works with your scanner. If it does, then you know that the problem is with the application software rather than the scanner and its drivers. Q. I have been using AdAware for some time, and recently also started running Spybot S&D. Spybot repeatedly complains about a DSO Exploit. What is it and how do I get rid of it? A. There was a bug in Internet Explorer that could let an untrusted program run. The bug has been fixed and you will be protected against it if you have done your Windows Updates and downloaded the “critical updates”. Provided that you have applied the critical updates, you may safely ignore the complaints about the DSO Exploit. While we are on the topic of spyware—be aware that due to changes in the “engine”—the program that makes use of the reference files that describe spyware, LavaSoft has discon-tinued updating the reference files for AdAware 6. You must down-load AdAware SE—it is still free, and looks much the same, but uses reference files that are different. Support/updates for AdAware 6 stopped a few weeks ago. Go to www.lavasoftusa.com to get the new utility. Q. Is it true that Apple machines don’t have the same problems with viruses and spyware etc.? A. There are fewer that affect Apple Macs. The reason isn’t necessarily that Macs are more secure than Windows machines, it is more that since there are so many more Windows machines out there the virus writers tend to “go where the pickings are” and target Windows machines. Q. I have a question about things that start when my computer starts. There may be as many as 50 things running when I look at the task manager applications page and/or the processes page. How do I identify what’s good, and what’s not? A. Take a look at BlackViper.com —it has a page where he examines what “Services” are running within Windows 2000 and Windows XP. A service could be most anything - your anti-virus software is a service, as is your fax application if you have one. Some services are essential, some are optional, and some just shouldn’t be running. (For example, if you never send or receive faxes using your machine, you don’t want the fax service to be running.) BlackViper only addresses Windows components. If you have things installed by other applications, etc., it gets a little harder to separate the wheat from the chaff. One option is to download a copy of HiJackThis (www.spywareinfo. com/~merijn/). Important Note: HiJackThis does not have a database or reference file that identifies what programs are, and makes no value judgement (good, bad, dangerous, etc.). It only reports what is currently running in the machine, or what will start via registry entries etc. It is up to an experienced user to determine whether something should be allowed or removed. If you have an internet connection, one way to resolve it is to do a search using Google to look up the items that are identified. If it is a problem, it will show up within the first few hits on Google. Another method is to save the log file and post it on any of several web sites where volunteers will analyze it and make recom-mendations. Q. I’m not concerned that things are “bad” as much as having so many processes running at once. Won’t it run better without them? A. True - your machine will run much better if it isn’t bogged down with applications and services that aren’t needed. For example, there are benign and innocuous things that take up space. For example, some Logitech mice search for a new driver every day. QuickBooks loads QDAgent that looks for updates every day. You probably don’t need them to run that often. Q. Should I install Service Pack 2 on my XP machine? A. Service Pack 2 installs with very few problems provided that you follow the instructions. The most critical things to do before you do the installation are to first make certain that you have your anti-virus software up-to-date and that it is compatible with Service Pack 2. Then do a full system scan. Make certain that your computer is free of spyware. Run AdAware SE and/or Spybot S&D. Then do your installation of SP2. There are a few application programs that have problems, most are very specialized such as high-priced developer tools etc. Here is a link to an article that lists some of them. "Application Problems in Windows XP SP2" If you are using them, you probably know about the necessary fixes already. Note that SP2 installs an updated Windows Firewall on your machine and turns it on by default, where the XP installation made the firewall available but did not turn it on by default. The firewall will alert you when an application attempts to connect to the internet (i.e. “Call Home”) - it is up to you to tell it whether to permit or deny the application’s access. Most of this is plain common sense - if you just installed a program and it says that it is going to register, and then you get a notification that the application is trying to use the internet, then it is probably OK to allow it. However if you are surfing the internet and all of a sudden something tries to access the internet, you probably want to investigate before you allow it. You should install it. Your computer will be much better off with it than without it. Q. I have a printer that I sometimes use to print envelopes. It works correctly when printing from the computer directly attached - it tells me to insert the envelope, etc. and then prints. When I print from another computer that has a wireless connection to my router/firewall, it doesn’t print properly - it just comes out on plain paper. A. Check in the “Port Properties” for the printer. You might have to set “Enable Bi-directional Communi-cations” or “Enable Advanced Features”. Beyond that we came up empty on this one - will have to investigate further. |
| Bruce Preston is president of West Mountain Systems, a consultancy in Ridgefield, CT specializing in database applications. A DACS director, Bruce also leads the Access SIG. Members may send tech queries to Bruce at askdacs@dacs.org. |
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