Leo's Answers #115 - February 15, 2008

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Leo's Answers
A Weekly Newsletter From
Ask Leo!
Leo Notenboom

Hello!

*** Contents

• This Week's New Articles on Ask Leo!
• A Word from our Sponsor
• This Week's Most Popular Articles
• Popular Articles from the Archives
• Thoughts and Comments
• Newsletter Administration

*** This Week's New Articles on Ask Leo!

Can hotels sniff my internet traffic?

My friend's husband has been getting into her email even though she's not given him her password. He has confronted his sister about an email and when asked how he got into the email he says that where he works (A large hotel chain) they have a program that searches emails for keywords and brings info up. Could that be true?

Yes.

Hotel network security is one of the most overlooked risks travelers face. And I'm not just talking wireless, I'm talking any internet connection provided by your hotel.

In fact, I'm actually writing this in a hotel room, and yes, I have taken a few precautions.

Continue reading: "Can hotels sniff my internet traffic?"
http://ask-leo.com/can_hotels_sniff_my_internet_traffic.html

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How can I be sure that there isn't "legitimate" spyware on my machine?

Many of my client's install spyware and monitoring programs such as "eBlaster" on their PCs for various reasons. How can one tell if such a hidden program has been added to their machine?

We talk a lot about spyware, and typically what we're talking about is true malware: software that's been installed with malicious intent. Keystroke loggers, phishing redirector and the like, all designed by bad people to do bad things.

What we're talking about here, though, is what I'll call "legitimate" spyware. Tools that are available to computer owners that "spy" on the computer user to keep tabs on what they're up to.

Continue reading: "How can I be sure that there isn't "legitimate" spyware on my machine?"
http://ask-leo.com/how_can_i_be_sure_that_there_isnt_legitimate_spyware_on_my_machine.html

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Why can't I login to this website until the page is fully downloaded?

I have a dial-up internet connection and the slow speed is probably the problem, but lately I have noticed that on some web pages I have to let the page completely load before I can hit login or whatever is the next logical thing to do. If I hit login before the current page loads I'll get the browser error screen Aren't there supposed to be some interrupts in good programming that allow the keyboard to take control of the situation before the web page is completely loaded? One of the pages I am having trouble with is Discover Card while Master Card works like a champ. I suppose I could minimize the problem by using the other card as the main one.

I can only speculate, but I've got a pretty good hunch as to what's going on. It is likely a design issue, meaning that it's a side effect of how that particular web page is constructed.

Absolutely you can interrupt the page download, but the problem is that if you do the browser may not yet have everything it needs to do what you've asked.

Continue reading: "Why can't I login to this website until the page is fully downloaded?"
http://ask-leo.com/why_cant_i_login_to_this_website_until_the_page_is_fully_downloaded.html

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Will adding RAM to my system solve my problems?

Can you tell me if it would be worth my while upgrading the RAM on my machine? I have 512 RAM at the moment, Win XP, Inspiron 510m. I mostly use my system for browsing the net and chatting on-line. Sometimes web pages take a long time to open or video chat freezes. Would extra RAM help this?

It's impossible to say whether additional RAM would help the specific symptoms you're experiencing. It could, but there are probably hundreds of other possible explanations for those symptoms as well that don't involve the amount of RAM on your system.

So let's look at what some of the more likely problems are, and whether more RAM might be something to try.

Continue reading: "Will adding RAM to my system solve my problems?"
http://ask-leo.com/will_adding_ram_to_my_system_solve_my_problems.html

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MicroHoo?

My thoughts on the Microsoft bid to acquire Yahoo.

Continue reading: "MicroHoo?"
http://ask-leo.com/microhoo.html

*** A Word from our Sponsor

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*** This Week's Most Popular

The ten most popular articles in the last 7 days on Ask Leo!

1. How do I put a picture in a comment on myspace.com?
2. How do I make a new MSN Hotmail account?
3. How do I delete history items from my Google tool bar?
4. Svchost and Svchost.exe - Crashs, CPU maximization, viruses, exploits and more.
5. How do I put a picture into the caption of a picture on myspace.com?
6. What are the POP3 and SMTP settings for Hotmail?
7. How do I change my MSN Hotmail password?
8. What are MSN HotMail's POP3 and SMTP settings for Outlook Express?
9. How do I hack into someone's account?
10. My desktop Recycle Bin has disappeared - why, and how do I get it back?

*** Popular Articles from the Archives

Like last week's article on phishing, I also frequently refer people to this article:

Spyware: How do I remove and avoid spyware?

It's a modern scourge. It's certainly on the top 5 list of topics I deal with here on a regular basis. Some actually live up to the name - "spy" ware that actually monitors what you do. Others are worse: acting almost like viruses, hijacking your web browser, popping up ads, or just generally wreaking havoc.

Unfortunately the reality is that it requires vigilance on everyone's part to control it.

Besides taking normal precautions, you must scan for spyware.

Continue reading...
Spyware: How do I remove and avoid spyware?
http://ask-leo.com/spyware_how_do_i_remove_and_avoid_spyware.html

*** Thoughts and Comments

Thanks much to those of you who expressed support as a result of my missing an issue as mentioned last week. I'm on the road and still catching up, so not a lot to say here this week.

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As always, if you appreciate this newsletter or the site, one of the best ways you can say "Thank You!" is to link to Ask Leo! or simply to tell a friend or colleague. Just send folks to askleo.net.

'till next time...

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Some of Leo's other sites: The Ask Leo! Store, Leo's Online Business Card, Forwarded Funnies, Taming Email, MovableType Tips, Leo's Blog, Buy Leo a Latte (or a Beer), A Letter To Myself, Dolls and Friends, Corgwn.com

*** Newsletter Administration

Do you have a question? A comment, perhaps? Visit http://ask-leo.com/ask to submit your questions.

I'll be honest: I'll try to respond, but I get a lot of questions every day - I just can't answer everyone. Rest assured, though, that even if you don't hear from me directly, every email gets read.

Leo's Answers Newsletter is a weekly publication of Ask Leo! and Leo A. Notenboom. It's also available as an RSS feed at this URL: http://ask-leo.com/newsletter.xml. Archives of previous newsletter issues can be found on the Ask Leo! web site, http://ask-leo.com/newsletter.html.

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Newsletter contents Copyright © 2008, Leo A. Notenboom & Puget Sound Software, LLC.

Article 12229 | Posted February 15, 2008