Epinions Computers Q&A: Week 6
May 06 '01
The Bottom Line They say one of the best ways to learn is from other people's experiences, and that's no exception when it comes to learning computer skills.
They say one of the best ways to learn is from other people's experiences, and that's no exception when it comes to computers. One of the best examples is the long standing tradition of PC "Q&A's" in computer magazines and websites, where readers submit their various questions on computer topics in hopes of getting their question (and, more importantly, the answer) published. Who knows how many hours I've saved by reading these Q&A's, and avoiding the same pitfalls that other computer users have already been victimized by?
With that in mind, I've created an email address at "computers_qa@yahoo.com" where you can send any computer-related questions you may have, and I'll "publish" the answers to the best questions. I will also respond via email to all questions received, even if they don't end up appearing in the actual Q&A.
I also promise to make each Q&A as educational as possible--not just to the people asking the question, but to everyone reading it as well. My goal is to make this a series of editorials about the topics you're interested in, not just the ones I want to write about.
As far as what makes a good question, basically any question relating to computers is fair game. As readers of my prior epinions can probably tell, my main areas of interest deal in upgrading advice, hardware buying advice, CPU's, system optimization, and troubleshooting, although of course questions needn't be limited to these topics. Feel free to check prior Q&A's for examples of good topics.
Again, please send all questions to computers_qa@yahoo.com and also let me know, if your question makes the next Q&A, whether you would like your Epinions member name published or if you'd rather stay anonymous.
This Week's Questions:
-How Can I Stop Email Harassment?
-Blue Screens of Death: Possibly CPU or Video Card Related?
-Why Is One Modem Much Faster Than the Other?
How Can I Stop Email Harassment?
Submitted by jaguardog
Q: I receive Email daily from two places I can't seem to block them. One I have visited their site and tried to figure out how to stop mail there with no success. I send replies to the address and a second address I found on their site asking to be unsubscribed form whatever list I am on but it always comes back as undeliverable mail. I am not sure how they get through the block unless they change a letter or number in their address everyday to avoid blocking? I also receive one form another company weekly with new company address no return address no way for me to find out where it is coming from. They always advertise something about going to College or University. Any suggestions on any other options I might try are greatly appreciated.
A: It sounds like they're sending you spam with fake return addresses and changing them slighly each time, which would easily defeat Hotmail's rather primitive blocking feature. Unfortunately, I don't know of a simple quick-fix, since there aren't a whole lot of spam-fighting options when it comes to web-based mail (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc). I've been hounded by a similar spammer myself, who keeps inviting me to fraternity parties using fake return addresses :-).
The best solution I've been able to come up with is:
1. Download a shareware application such as @nyMail (available at www.download.com) which allows you to download web-based email directly into Microsoft Outlook (it might support other email clients such as Eudora, but they only mention Outlook).
2. Then, by using an off-line mail program, you have a whole plethora of anti-spam tools at your disposal. For example, shareware such as SpamBuster (http://www.contactplus.com/products/spam/spam.htm) scans your email and filters out your spam before it even gets to you.
3. If you really want to get revenge against the anonymous spammers, you can also download apps such as Spam Hater, which can actually help ID the lowlifes and prepare legal threats against them. Fun stuff: http://www.cix.co.uk/~net-services/spam/spam_hater.htm
OR, If you'd rather take the simpler route and simply reject all emails that have no return addresses, an app called CheckMail has that feature, although using CheckMail would seem to rule out options #1 and 2. (CheckMail is also available at www.download.com).
Blue Screens of Death: Possibly CPU or Video Card Related?
Submitted by karenortwein
Q: I have a problem and I need to know what could be wrong. Here is the low down: The quick launch bar stays black all the time, no matter what I do. I had been getting BSOD every other 5 minutes or so that said: Fatal Exception OD at 0028:c001545a then it would go to another BSOD: Fatal Exception OD at 0246.014747fb. After all the "press any keys", I would return to the desktop. Now I don't know if they two situations, ie the black quick launch and the BSOD are related or not. I have also developed some problems with display in my email program Eudora. I disabled McAfee ActiveShield and it seems to help on the BSOD--nothing else. Do you think my graphics card is going out? Could it be the CPU? The computer is 3 years old and runs constantly. The video display driver is very out of date as is the video card itself--Intel doesn't even make them anymore and therefore has no replacement drivers.
A: Your problems don't sound video card or CPU related per se, although those could be a contributing factor. I say that because the kinds of problems you're describing are very similar to those caused by overheating, especially the intermittent BSOD's. I've also seen the black quicklaunch bar immediately after recovering from a Windows crash, so these definitely sound like symptoms of the same problem.
I'd suggest doing a quick check of the inside of the case for dead fans or anywhere dust is blocking the vents. Especially check the CPU fan to make sure the it's still spinning, and that dust isn't slowing it down or jamming it completely. If you don't see any obvious problems, the easiest way to rule-out heat is to open your CPU case and blow a fan (i.e. a "real" fan) directly into the case. If heat is the cause, that should put an end to the crashes (as long as the fan is blowing into your PC, at least).
If the problem isn't heat, you might try a re-installation of Internet Explorer, or an upgrade to the newest version of IE. One or more of your core Windows files might have gotten corrupted, and many of those files are part of IE as well, so an IE installation should restore those to normal. The QuickLaunch bar is also closely tied to IE, so there may be a connection there.
Why Is One Modem Much Faster Than the Other?
Submitted by thedragonweyr
Q: I have been spending a lot of time using a brand-new Gateway with Windows ME. For three weeks I had my Gateway here and we used it until this new beast was delivered. With a 56k modem, I was only able to connect at about 28 kps, and attributed this to poor local phone equipment. Imagine our surprise when we connected the new system at a consistent 46-50 kps! Why were we connecting so slowly with my older computer with a brand-new 56k modem? Is there a problem here that needs to be addressed?
A: It sounds you may have a problem with conflicting protocols. You might remember the whole debacle when 56k modems were first released, where you could buy the modems supporting either the "X2" protocol or the "56KFlex" protocol, but not both--and your ISP had to be of the same type, or it was simply impossible to get 56k speeds.
Now that the two protocols were basically "merged" into the V.90 protocol over a year ago, the problems were supposed be solved as long as you're using a V.90 compliant modem, which I assume your "brand-new 56k modem" was. Unfortunately, I've heard of some ISP's who still aren't fully supporting V.90, and in that case you STILL need the same protocol as your ISP. Or, for ISP's that have separate dial-up lines supporting each protocol, you need to use the proper dila-up number.
My guess is that your new modem happened to support your ISP's protocol, but your other one did not. Of course, it's also possible that the "slow" modem was not V.90 compliant, despite being new. If you know the modem manufacturers and/or brand names, that might shed some light on that situation.
Another possibility is that the modem settings under the Control Panel were misconfigured. It could have been something as simple as setting the maximum connect speed too low, for example. There's an excellent modem tweak guide at Tweak3D.net that gives lots of modem configuration and performance-enhancement tips:
http://www.tweak3d.net/tweak/modem/
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
vicwang
|
|
Member: Vic Wang
Location: Texas
Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 216 members
About Me:
Systems Analyst and all-around computer guru who's always keeping up with the latest technology.
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.