Ask DACS
October 2007

Jim Scheef, Moderator
Lisa Leifels, Reporter

We welcome questions from the floor at the start of our General Meetings. In addition, members who are not able to attend the General Meeting may submit questions to askdacs@dacs.org. We will ask the question for you and post the reply in DACS.ORG. Please provide as much information as possible since we can’t probe during the session.

Q. I am using a new HP notebook computer with Windows Vista. I have a Motorola modem with a loud motor. I no longer hear an audible dial tone and the slider control volume has disappeared.

A. Go to Control Panel: Phone and Modem options and make sure you have the speaker enabled and, if you have a volume slider, set it to the highest setting.

You can also make sure that the check box is checked to show the volume control if you open up the Control Panel: Sounds and Audio Devices.

If this doesn’t fix the problem, you may need to get an updated driver for your modem and/or your sound card.

Q. Sometimes when I send out an e-mail one of the recipients doesn’t get it. Why didn’t I receive a non-deliverable report?

A. Check to see if the e-mails are getting caught in the spam filter of the recipient who hasn’t received the message. Find out if they have not received other e-mails that have been sent to them.

You should also verify that you have the recipient’s correct e-mail address. Some mail servers will respond to an invalid e-mail address with a non-deliverable report (NDR); others will silently discard the e-mail. The reason that mail servers have stopped sending NDRs is because spammers use the NDRs as a way to harvest valid e-mail addresses.

Q. Is it still possible to get a virus from opening an e-mail, but not opening the attachment?

A. Yes, a virus can be embedded into an e-mail message. This is not possible in a plain text message, but an HTML message could contain a script which executes a virus while a person is reading the e-mail text. Some email programs such as Outlook 2003 will allow you to block HTML mail.

Rich text can also be exploited to send unauthorized messages, and even plain text messages can contain URLs that may take you to web sites where scripts run and disseminate viruses.
Make sure that your computer’s operating system, e-mail and browser software are all properly patched against known security risks.

It’s a good idea to turn off the preview pane, which is the automatic opening of e-mail. If you are using Outlook Express, click on view, layout and clear the check in preview pane. You will have to double click to open your e-mails but this will add another layer of protection for you to see the subject title before you open the e-mail.

Q. I am using a third party firewall that says to turn off the windows firewall. How do I now if the third party firewall is working?

A. Unfortunately, in today’s world anti-virus and anti-spyware programs alone don’t give you all of the protection you need. If you are using Windows XP or Windows Vista you have a built in firewall that is turned on by default. You can verify that the Windows firewall is turned on by going to the Control Panel and select either the Security Center or Security if you are running Vista.

For most people, the Windows firewall will be enough protection, however there are a number of third-party firewall programs available that may offer more robust protection. Before installing a third-party personal firewall software, be sure that the firewall built into the Windows is turned off. It’s a bad idea to have more than one firewall running at the same time.

One way you can check to see if your firewall is working is by going to a trustworthy website where you can test your firewall such as the Gibson Research Corporation at GRC.com

Submit any question to: askdacs@dacs.org.

 


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