Accessing and Reading Usenet Newsgroups

By terry Leave a Comment

Reader Greg H. wrote recently to ask for help solving his inability to access the Usenet newsgroups on Verison’s servers.

For those not familiar with Usenet newsgroups, think of them as a mailing list type of system that has been around for well over 25 years. Rather than emails sent to our computers, though, the postings stored in special servers at the Internet Service Providers or at companies that specialize in serving newsgroups (I use GigaNews as my Usenet newsgroups provider).

The postings to the newsgroups are readable by special newsreader software, but some more ubiquitous software like Outlook Express, Opera and Netscape also read newsgroups. They’re also readable via Google Groups, as are other groups that are available only via Google Groups.

I’ve been reading and posting to the newsgroups for 24 years, and even ran my own DOS-based email, news server and newsreader program called Waffle. Now, I use the Agent newsreader, from www.forteinc.com , which is available in free and paid versions.

Anyway, Greg made some changes and could no longer access …

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Internet Access – Traveling Without Your Computer

By terry Leave a Comment

If you’re on business and are visiting one of your company’s other locations, you can probably use a computer there to check your business email. Depending on the company’s Internet Acceptable Use Policy, you may or may not be allowed to check your personal email.

Tech Tip
Remember that the Internet Acceptable Use Policy is a corporate policy. It is designed to tell you what you can and can’t do. The company network may, or may not, prevent violations of the policy. Just because the network does not block you from doing something or from going somewhere on the Internet, do not assume that it is permitted.

Many hotels have a business center that is open to the hotel’s guests. Sometimes, the computers are available for use for free. Other hotels will charge you based on the time that you use it. Remember that this is…

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Filed Under: Dialup, Internet Access, Security, Terry's Computer Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wireless Security Issues

By terry Leave a Comment

In IP Addresses and Security, I wrote about how the Internet works — your computer has an IP address, your intended destination has an IP address, and both have to know and use the IP address of the other in order for communication to occur between them.

The article was in response to a reader who wrote to ask if he could keep his IP address secret, since he had been accused of copyright infringment by downloading a movie (which he says he didn’t do).

One of the potential issues was that his IP address could have been involved, even without him or anyone in his family being involved.

He uses a wireless router, as many of us do. He mentioned that he had a wireless password that had to be used in order to access his router. This kind of password is not a log-in password to the router — it is a password to the router’s encryption. Over the years, though, password security has gotten better and better. Unfortunately, some of the older encryption methods have become almost trivial for someone to crack with today’s fast computers.

However, even using the best wireless encryption available isn’t enough. There are other steps necessary to secure a wireless network.

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Filed Under: Internet Access, Internet Privacy, Intrusion Detection, Networking, Security, Wireless, Wireless Security

Broadband Problems and Questions

By terry Leave a Comment

Recently, I received two interesting questions from U.K. subscribers. I wrote about and answered the other one, which was about external hard drives, in this week’s email newsletter.

In this question, subscriber Robin wrote about problems she is having with her broadband connection…

Hi Terry

I have a stand alone desktop computer with a Tiscali.co.uk 8mb broadband connection and Windows XP Home edition.

Whenever I make or receive a telephone call, it cuts off my broadband connection. Any ideas on what could be causing this? I am using a Speedtouch 330 modem to connect.

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Filed Under: Broadband, DSL, Internet Access, System Control, Troubleshooting, Usability

The SeaMonkey Internet Suite (Free!)

By terry Leave a Comment

Once upon a time, Netscape was THE Internet web browser — and it was a commercial product. Then, along came the big bad wolf. He dreamed of world (wide web) conquest and so he wrote his own web browser; then, he gave it away with the operating system he sold.

It was bad, but it was free and everyone got it whether they wanted it or not. And, his monopoly grew…

Netscape (the company) eventually sold itself and became a part of AOL, but not before they released a snapshot of the web browser source code to an open source foundation that they created. Thus was born the Mozilla Internet Suite.

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Filed Under: Email, Firefox, Internet Access, Internet Explorer, Security, Software, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability, Web Browsers, Windows XP

Wireless Networking

By terry Leave a Comment

Why have a Wireless Network?

By using a wireless network, you can share your Internet connection between computers that are not in the same room, without running wires from one room to another or from one end of the house to another.
Wireless Networking Flavors

* 802.11b – 11 Mbit/second, the original “consumer” wireless. This is the most common variety.
* 802.11a – 11 Mbit/second, but on a different frequency for better penetration of walls.
* 802.11g – 54 Mbit/second, compatible with 802.11b, but one person with a “b” card can slow entire network

Wireless Networking – Distances

The nominal maximum distance for 802.11b (the 11 megabit/second version) is 100’ indoors. In practice, this is a function of where you place the router, how many walls & how much glass the signal has to go through, metal window frames and ductwork between the router and the wireless client and whether you’re using the default antennas or optional hi-power versions. If you want to maximize the distance, you should place the router on a high shelf or in another high position.

However, a directional antenna can change all that — a 21 dB Yagi directional antenna can give a usable distance of 14 kilometers. Also, there are simple fabrication directions on the Internet. In other words, distance from you neighbor isn’t enough.
The Hook-Up

Getting your wireless network set up is often not much more difficult than setting up a wired network. The easiest and best approach is to have Windows XP (either Home or Professional, but I prefer Professional) on the computer(s). Windows XP is much more robust on networking than any earlier version of Windows. XP handles many updates and changes without requiring reboots, also.

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Filed Under: Internet Access, Networking, Terry's Computer Tips, Wireless, Wireless Security

Thinking About Broadband Internet Access

By terry Leave a Comment

If you’re still using dialup Internet access for use from home, you should start thinking about “broadband”.

What’s broadband? That’s the term for getting your Internet access via a cable or DSL connection, or even a fiber-optic connection if that’s available to you.

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During the roll-out stage of cable and DSL Internet access, there weren’t too many choices. If only one was available in your neighborhood, that’s the one you got.

For some of us, that’s still the case. Although I live in a relatively large city (Baton Rouge), my area of Baton Rouge does not have DSL access available. The phone company’s equipment servicing my subdivision is not compatible with DSL.

Unfortunately, just a few years before the DSL rollout started, the latest-and-greatest phone switching equipment was released — and it turned out to be incompatible with DSL.

Read more in Thinking About Broadband Internet Access

Filed Under: Broadband, Cable, Dialup, DSL, Internet Access, Speed-up, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability

Backing Up Your Firefox Bookmarks

By terry Leave a Comment

Firefox has a convenient function in its Bookmark Manager (Bookmarks / Bookmark Managerr). Once you’ve opened BookMark Manager, which opens in a new window, just click on File, Export and choose where to save the bookmarks file. By default, the file titled bookmarks.html.

Of course, if you ever need to restore the file — or to import it into a new Firefox installation — there is a similar Import function there.

That makes it easy to back up the Firefox bookmarks. It also makes it very easy to take a copy of them with you — on a floppy disk, a CDROM or a USB Flash Drive, or on any type of memory card (Compact Flash, Memory Stick, SD/MMC card, etc) if you have a card reader to take along.

I usually do it the hard way, though — just out of habit because early browsers didn’t export and import well. Plus, my way, I always have a backed up copy from my nightly backup across my network using Karen’s Replicator Firefox actually stores the bookmarks all in one file, which you can even open with your web browser. You might need to know that, if somehow Firefox becomes corrupted and you are unable to get it to start up or to export the bookmarks.

Read more in Backing Up Your Firefox Bookmarks

Filed Under: Backup, Firefox, Internet Access, Stability, Storage, Terry's Computer Tips, Web Browsers

Free Dialup Internet Access – great backup solution

By terry Leave a Comment

I was chatting with Walter Scott, one of my local friends and a Terry’s Computer Tips Newsletter reader, at lunch last week. Walter has a new notebook computer and was trying to come up with a good solution for dialup access for two purposes.

First, when he travels, he wants to have a good dialup solution with local phone numbers in most of the country. Many hotels have wired or wireless Internet access, but not all of them — or they charge an outrageous price like $10/day for high-speed access.

Second, he wanted a backup connection via dialup for those times when he has cable Internet troubles (ever notice that your phone still works, even though your electric utility has lost power in your area of town?) — I sent my August 29th Terry’s Computer Tips Newsletter via dialup on Hurricane Katrina Day — no power, but my notebook had its battery and my telephone worked.

I mentioned to Walter that he could Get Free NetZero Internet Access for 10 hours per month.

Read Walter’s comments about free dialup from NetZero

Filed Under: Backup, Dialup, Internet Access, Other, Terry's Computer Tips