Banking Online

Computer Care: Online banking is great, if you take precautions

By Arthur Glazer

arthur@glazerthepctech.com

POSTED: October 2, 2010 1:00 a.m.

Online banking can take the stress out of transacting with your money. You can check your balances and pay your bills from home, but depending upon which type of online bank you use, it can have its pitfalls.

Banking online, no matter what type, is as secure as your password and your Internet connection. The majority of the risk is at your end. The bank secures their end.

Next time you buy something online, look at the address bar. It will have an "s" after the http://. The "s" is for secure. Often you'll also see an icon of a padlock. This is telling you the site you are paying through is encrypted, secure and unhackable.

If you use Internet banking or even just your credit card online, make certain you have a secured connection at your end, especially if it is wireless. It needs to encrypted in one of the methods Windows offers. You should also choose your password carefully and not use the same one for all of your accounts for obvious reasons.

Don't use your address, birthday, Social Security number or dog's name either. Be original and change it on a regular basis.

Don't write it on a sticky note fastened to your monitor or on your credit card. Use a password manager like RoboForm or memorize it.

There are online-only banks like Paypal (which technically is not even a bank) and there are brick-and-mortar institutions that offer online services. Both types make it easy work with your money online, but the former has its drawbacks.

Sure you can pay for anything 24/7 from your home or hotel, but try to get help should something go wrong. Most online financial institutions, Paypal especially, offer no customer service. You are on your own in cyberspace and it gets lonely when trying to track your money.

At least if you use the services of a local bank, you can go there or call them in the morning. I like the fact they know me at my bank. Online, you are a stranger.

The biggest fault of online banking is that sites go down - both theirs and yours.

Online there are no tellers and no ATMs. Then there is the trust thing. Did that transaction really go through? The page went blank after I clicked "pay."

But I am not trying to scare you away from banking online, just to be aware of whom you are dealing with.

Many banks will let you pay your bills, or anyone for that matter, for free. You can pay them electronically in most cases or with a printed check they mail out if electronic payments are not accepted.

You can check your investments, transfer money from one of your accounts to another and even pay your mortgage from your checking account and it shows instantly.

What I like is that you have until 4 p.m. to get to the bank, but until 6 p.m. to get to your computer. If you make a payment at 5:45 p.m., it still counts as that day's payment.

Anytime you transact online, you will receive a confirmation e-mail that day. The best thing to do is scrutinize your bank statement, whether on paper or online. If there is a discrepancy, you usually have 30 days to contest it with most banks.

You need to beware of e-mail scam artists that send announcements of pending doom if you don't click the link to fix errors in your account.

If you get one of those, click nothing. They want you to fill out forms, including your account number and password. The bank knows your account number and will never ask you for your password.

Either go to your account online securely or call them to see if there is anything wrong. Then report the e-mail.

So you need to watch for scammers; nothing new. If you are banking online, you are safe but need to take a few things into consideration. If bill-paying via the Internet, find out if your utility accepts electronic payments. If not, you need to allow for a check to be mailed, just as if you did it yourself.

Always save and print your receipts when you transact online.

Be cautious with your passwords and know that your connection is secure.

Paypal was originally fashioned as a way to pay for eBay auctions. Eventually eBay bought Paypal and now it has become a questionable e-commerce paying institution that favors the buyer, often freezing funds from seller's accounts.

If you want to pay for online auctions, it's fine. If you want a real bank, look elsewhere.
Banking with computers is easy and safe. All of your payees are on a list that you set up.

You set the dates and amount you want paid. They can be a one-time or recurring payment.

There is something to be said for the convenience of banking from the kitchen table at dinner time.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Buying a Laptop

Laptops: You get what you pay, for so get what you need By Arthur Glazerarthur@glazerthepctech.com POSTED: September 18, 2010 12:30 a.m. [This listing has become corrupt & unfixable. It can be read at the Times site at www.gainesvilletimes.com. In the "Search Archives" box, type "Arthur Glazer" and look for this column.] With so many new types of computers to choose from lately, it's hard to know what to buy. More people seem to be purchasing the ubiquitous laptop, so let's take a look at them today. It used to be just a laptop. Now there are Netbooks, ultra lights, UMPCs or ultra-mobile personal computers (they are the size of a Kindle-type device). There are rugged models, gaming models, tablets and desktop replacements. Then there is the mainstream laptop. Within each of those categories come varying components. There is not a standard in any one of them. When you shop for a laptop, after you decide how much you want to spend and what type you want, that still leaves you with many decisions. Should I get a 32- or 64-bit system? The latter is faster and will take advantage of more memory, but not all software will run under a 64-bit system yet. Many computers will ship with a disc allowing you the option to choose which you'd prefer. There are also hard drives, RAM (memory) and the processor, clock speed and system cache to consider. The processor really defines the system. It's not just Intel versus AMD, either. AMD has its Athlon, Sempron, Turion and Phenom (X2, X4, X6) processors, while Intel has the Pentium, the Atom, i3, i5 and i7 and Xeon models. Each has many configurations. Each is suited for different purposes. If you just need a laptop for general computing, I wouldn't lose any sleep over not knowing the differences. As long as you have at least a gigabyte or two of RAM and a 300 GB or so hard drive, whatever processor comes with that would suffice. If you are a gamer or work extensively with videos, I would drop a few more dollars and get a higher-end system. More memory helps, but a better processor will help more. Most laptops now come with at least a dual-core processor. That is one physical processor working as two. It is faster than the old single-core type. There are now also quad cores and they can be faster and even more expensive. At the low end, Netbooks generally use the Intel Atom processor. It is weak. There is a small 7-10 inch display with a keyboard not suitable for chubby fingers. The hard drive is small, there is little memory and there is no optical drive (CD/DVD drive). It's lightweight and may be great for students, but you get what you pay for. In the mid-range or mainstream area, there is an abundant of devices to choose from. For $500, you can get a decent laptop, good enough to check your e-mail and go on Facebook, anyway. For $700 to $900 you can get a really nice system. You will find the most choices in that range. It will come down to what features you are the most comfortable with. Generally a benchmark of how good a computer is, is what's called the clock speed of the processor. In 1993, I had a Pentium with a clock speed of 33 MHz. That was a blazing 33 million cycles per second. In contrast, I now have a Turion with 2.3 GHz clock speed. That means it processes at 2.3 billion cycles per second. Some newer models have better than 3 GHz. But with today's newer processors, there is more than just the clock speed. You need to look at the cores as well. There is also something called hyperthreading that allows the processor to actual multitask efficiently. A dual core i5 may be faster than an Athlon dual core, but could cost lots more. Do you need the speed and the extra cost? You can get a mediocre Netbook for $300 or a great desktop replacement for $1,800. Ask yourself a few questions prior to shopping. Determine what you will use the computer for before you get to the store and it won't be so overwhelming when you get there. First and foremost set a budget. Know that you won't go above a certain amount. Then determine how it will be used. Next, how much power will you need? How light does it need to be? Will a 300 GB hard drive and 3 GB of RAM be enough? Look at the processor. Get a dual core. Unless you store lots of music, video or photos, a 300-500 GB hard drive is plenty. Some systems now ship with a terabyte drive, which is 1,000 GB. One gigabyte of RAM is minimal; two is better, but 3-4 GB is best. As far as accessories, consider an external drive. With it, you can transfer data from one system to another. Also if you find the glidepad uncomfortable, get a wireless USB mouse. If you determine what you need the night before, you'll make a quicker and an informed decision once you're at the store. Whether you end up with an Acer, Toshiba, Dell, Samsung or HP, once you get it home, you will be amazed how technology has grown since your last computer purchase. Enjoy your 3 billion cycles of processing per second. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Quick Computer Tips

Computer Care: Quick, easy steps to make your PC run smoother By Arthur Glazer arthur@glazerthepctech.com In the Information Age, good information is good as gold. What follows, you could take to the bank. Don't deposit it. Cash it. Here are a bunch of quick tips, information you can use as soon as you finish reading it. This information is relevant, whether you have XP, Vista or Win 7. Want to make shortcuts on your desktop of your webmail address or any address? Open your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer) and go to the page you want. Left-click on the icon to the left of the URL (address) and drag it to your desktop. Have too many miscellaneous icons on your desktop? Create folders to organize them. Right-click on an empty spot on your desktop and choose "new" and then "folder." Name it what you want. I have one for pdf files and one for utilities. Drag the respective icons into their new folders. Have trouble running programs sometimes? Right-click on the program icon from the desktop and choose to "Run as Administrator." To not corrupt data on your USB flash drives, don't just unplug them when you're done. In "My Computer," right-click on the USB drive and choose "Eject." Alternatively, go to the taskbar to use the "Safely Remove" option for USB devices. These turn the device off before you unplug it. Tired of Windows updates being thrown at you? Right-click on "My Computer' (or Computer) and go to "Properties." Find the Updates tab and choose another option. You can choose to have the system tell you when updates are available, but to download and/or install them when you want to. Back up often. It's not a matter of if a hard drive or another component will fail, but when. Save your data to an external source like another drive, a CD or DVD. Having trouble suddenly with things not being responsive? Try a System Restore. Find it in (XP) Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools or on Vista/7, just type it in the search box. Alternatively, press F8 when the system reboots and choose, "Return System to Last Known Good Configuration." Want to alphabetize your programs menu in XP? (It's automatically done in later versions.) Right-click on any entry on the list and choose to "Sort by name." Are your laptop keys not fully pressing down? Grab them with a finger nail and pull them off to dust underneath them. Then just press them back on until you hear a click. With desktop keyboards, turn them upsides down and shake, vacuum or use compressed air. Feel like your system is sluggish? See the processes list to determine which might be the culprit program. Press Control + Alt + Delete at the same time and see the Processes tab. If one has a very high number click on it, then choose "End Process." (Make sure it is not a system item or you'll just reboot.) If your system is better now, you have a found a resource hog program. If you don't have a lot of RAM (memory) in your computer, turn off the enhancements. In XP go to System Properties from My Computer again and choose "Advanced "and then "Settings". Choose the "Best Performance" option. In Vista/7, type, "fade" in the search box and turn off the superfluous enhancements. You really don't need animations, fade in and outs, transparencies, etc., especially if your RAM can't afford it. Remember to reboot your system after any changes are made for them to take effect. Also reboot when you install a new device (printer) or a new program. Pause or temporarily disable your antivirus program before you install new software. There is the potential for conflicts otherwise. If you lost sound, your Internet connection or anything, check the Device Manager for notification of a missing driver. In XP look under Hardware, from Properties in My Computer. In Vista/7, just type in the search area for Device Manager. This is more of an FYI than a tip: If you know you have a gigabyte of RAM but your system is showing only 704 megabytes, nothing is wrong. Your system is sharing memory with your video card. High-end cards come with their own RAM, others do not. When you install a printer, don't plug in your USB cable until the installation program tells you to do so. It probably won't work otherwise. When you get an error message, especially one you don't understand, Google it, in quotes if necessary to find out what's wrong. If you lose your Internet connection, try resetting your modem and router if you have one. You can wait on hold with your service provider for an hour and that is the first thing they will have you do. There are so many things you can fix or enhance on your computer by yourself. But others do require a technician. Not everything is a do-it-yourself job. If you experiment in the Windows Registry for example, you can turn your computer into an expensive doorstop in a matter of seconds. Tread lightly. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns

Google: not just a search engine

Google is not just a search engine anymore

By Arthur Glazer

arthur@glazerthepctech.com

Firefox used to be my browser of choice. I never liked Internet Explorer and have dabbled with both Opera and Safari, but always returned back to Firefox — until recently.

One day I downloaded and installed a Firefox update only to discover my browser crashed like the Dow on Black Monday.

Then Firefox would crash almost every time I used it. I would click on a link or type in an address and boom — gone. But they are so polite at Mozilla, the creators of Firefox. Each time it crashed, I would get a message saying they were sorry and would I like to report the incident? Each report I sent got a bit stronger than the last.

With some research, I discovered the Firefox enhancements — or plug-ins, as they are called — don't work under Windows 7. I was told I should update each of the plug-ins. That wasn't going to happen and I just got rid of them instead.

I soon found it was the new Firefox that didn't play well with the new Windows and since I wasn't about to get rid of Win 7, it was time to retire my browser.

Enter Chrome, from the folks at Google. I like their search engine; I use Gmail, their e-mail client; the highly customizable home page iGoogle they offer is superb, so I thought I'd give Chrome a try.

It was touted as a lean, clean, super-fast browsing machine. They weren't lying. I can't think of a single bad thing to say about Chrome. It is wonderful. It's easy to use, stable and extremely fast.

Other browsers needed outside applications to tweak their settings. Chrome doesn't require any tweaking. This is not Googles's first barbeque. They apparently know what they are doing — and do it well.

Chrome can be downloaded here. It will take less than three minutes to download and install it.

You'll find it is also highly customizable with hundreds of themes to use. They will put pictures at the top of your page, from sunsets to SpongeBob. Their plug-ins are called extensions and there are many to choose from to enhance your browsing experience.

At first glance, you may notice there is only an address bar, no search bar like Firefox has. Well, it is an all-in-one deal. In that one space you can type the URL (address) you want to go to or type in your search query, then just hit Enter.

Not only is it a tabbed browser, but it allows you to arrange the tabs simply by dragging them to wherever you want.

It will save your passwords for you, has malware and phishing protection and will import your settings and favorites from another browser.

You have the option of opening it to a home page of your choice or to a page with large thumbnails of either your most recent pages visited or your most often pages visited.

I have mine set to a custom iGoogle page. Once you have any account with Google, you just sign in and make your page. I use my Gmail account to do that. My iGoogle page has local weather, headlines, an editable to-do list, my recent Gmail inbox (with the ability to compose an e-mail from that page), as well as a calendar and a search box. It has all of that content plus a nice tropical palm tree/ocean motif at the top of the page.

There is a shortcut bar you can toggle on and off by typing Control + B. It will keep your most often used website shortcuts there for you. If you are on gainesvilletimes.com and go there every day, just drag the star before URL to the bar below, and voila: You just created a shortcut. You can delete it by right-clicking on it and choosing delete.

Other shortcuts that will make your browsing easier are Control +Shift + N that opens an incognito window that doesn't save your history or cookies.

Alt + Home opens your home page. Control + J takes you to recent downloads. Control + T opens a new tab, while Control + Shift +T opens the last tab you closed. There are lots more.

I like the fact that it saves downloads to bar beneath the main window. This saves you the trouble of searching the system for the file you just downloaded. From that bar, you also have the option of seeing your entire download folder, should you need to.

Google has proved to be a cutting edge company with lots of products I find useful. Recently, I began using their Google Voice, which transposes my cell phone voicemail to a text message and an e-mail. It also lets me play the message on my computer. Now how cool is that?

Google is not just a search engine anymore.

And Firefox is not my browser.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Google: not just a search engine

Google is not just a search engine anymore

By Arthur Glazer

arthur@glazerthepctech.com

Firefox used to be my browser of choice. I never liked Internet Explorer and have dabbled with both Opera and Safari, but always returned back to Firefox — until recently.

One day I downloaded and installed a Firefox update only to discover my browser crashed like the Dow on Black Monday.

Then Firefox would crash almost every time I used it. I would click on a link or type in an address and boom — gone. But they are so polite at Mozilla, the creators of Firefox. Each time it crashed, I would get a message saying they were sorry and would I like to report the incident? Each report I sent got a bit stronger than the last.

With some research, I discovered the Firefox enhancements — or plug-ins, as they are called — don't work under Windows 7. I was told I should update each of the plug-ins. That wasn't going to happen and I just got rid of them instead.

I soon found it was the new Firefox that didn't play well with the new Windows and since I wasn't about to get rid of Win 7, it was time to retire my browser.

Enter Chrome, from the folks at Google. I like their search engine; I use Gmail, their e-mail client; the highly customizable home page iGoogle they offer is superb, so I thought I'd give Chrome a try.

It was touted as a lean, clean, super-fast browsing machine. They weren't lying. I can't think of a single bad thing to say about Chrome. It is wonderful. It's easy to use, stable and extremely fast.

Other browsers needed outside applications to tweak their settings. Chrome doesn't require any tweaking. This is not Googles's first barbeque. They apparently know what they are doing — and do it well.

Chrome can be downloaded here. It will take less than three minutes to download and install it.

You'll find it is also highly customizable with hundreds of themes to use. They will put pictures at the top of your page, from sunsets to SpongeBob. Their plug-ins are called extensions and there are many to choose from to enhance your browsing experience.

At first glance, you may notice there is only an address bar, no search bar like Firefox has. Well, it is an all-in-one deal. In that one space you can type the URL (address) you want to go to or type in your search query, then just hit Enter.

Not only is it a tabbed browser, but it allows you to arrange the tabs simply by dragging them to wherever you want.

It will save your passwords for you, has malware and phishing protection and will import your settings and favorites from another browser.

You have the option of opening it to a home page of your choice or to a page with large thumbnails of either your most recent pages visited or your most often pages visited.

I have mine set to a custom iGoogle page. Once you have any account with Google, you just sign in and make your page. I use my Gmail account to do that. My iGoogle page has local weather, headlines, an editable to-do list, my recent Gmail inbox (with the ability to compose an e-mail from that page), as well as a calendar and a search box. It has all of that content plus a nice tropical palm tree/ocean motif at the top of the page.

There is a shortcut bar you can toggle on and off by typing Control + B. It will keep your most often used website shortcuts there for you. If you are on gainesvilletimes.com and go there every day, just drag the star before URL to the bar below, and voila: You just created a shortcut. You can delete it by right-clicking on it and choosing delete.

Other shortcuts that will make your browsing easier are Control +Shift + N that opens an incognito window that doesn't save your history or cookies.

Alt + Home opens your home page. Control + J takes you to recent downloads. Control + T opens a new tab, while Control + Shift +T opens the last tab you closed. There are lots more.

I like the fact that it saves downloads to bar beneath the main window. This saves you the trouble of searching the system for the file you just downloaded. From that bar, you also have the option of seeing your entire download folder, should you need to.

Google has proved to be a cutting edge company with lots of products I find useful. Recently, I began using their Google Voice, which transposes my cell phone voicemail to a text message and an e-mail. It also lets me play the message on my computer. Now how cool is that?

Google is not just a search engine anymore.

And Firefox is not my browser.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Wireless Home Networking

Computer Care: Tweaking your wireless network

	By Arthur Glazerarthur@glazerthepctech.com

Is your laptop across the house from your router or on a different floor? Do you get the same poor reception on your wireless network that you get on your cell phone?

I can't get a decent cell signal inside my house without standing in front of a window. Sometimes I place the phone on the windowsill and use my Bluetooth headset.

But on your wireless network, there is no reason you shouldn't have a good signal. Here are some tips to help you improve reception. Most are easy fixes and many are either free or inexpensive.

First try rearranging your modem and router. If it is one device, move it across the desk; if two devices, put some space between them. Keep them away from cordless telephones that use the 2.4 GHz frequency (the 900 MHz and 5 GHz models are OK).

Try to place them centrally in the house, not in an end room or by a window. Don't put them on the floor, near other electronics or by metal filing cabinets. A DSL modem can connect to any phone jack in the house and a cable modem can connect to any coaxial outlet. You can get splitters for both to accommodate your Internet while maintaining your phone and TV connections.

The signal is line-of-sight, so if it has to travel through block walls, walls with aluminum studs and microwave ovens, the signal will be affected. Higher is better; thus, the placement of cell towers on hills (for all the good it does in my house).

If your router has antennas, try adjusting them to a lower angle. I got good results with this reaching down stairs in my house.

If you want to cut the (Ethernet) cord on your desktop, you can purchase a PCI wireless card for less than $50. Open the case, push in the card on an empty PCI slot, screw on the antenna, load the driver and you're set.

Alternatively and easier to install is a USB wireless adapter for about the same price.

While any wireless adapter will connect to any router, sometimes you get more speed staying with the same manufacturer. If you have a Linksys adapter, try to get a Linksys router.

The standard for wireless is 802.11 and has types g, b or n, each being progressively faster than its predecessor. All will work and are backward compatible.

Another thing to try is updating your router's firmware. Make sure you download the correct version. See the label under the device to be certain. Also update the driver for the wireless adapter in your computer.

To extend the wireless range in your house, you may consider getting a repeater or a wireless access point. Again, stick to the same brand with these.

These won't make the signal stronger, but will stretch the distance it travels. Less expensive than buying a wireless access point, is buying a second wireless router, as the former can be pricey. For instructions on using a router as an access point, go to http://ezlan.net/router_AP.html.

For a You Tube video on repeaters, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft0ji8-y4w0. While there, look in the right margin for other tutorials that may be of assistance.

You could also swap out antennas on either or both the router and your wireless adapter. Depending on placement of the router, get either unidirectional or omnidirectional antenna replacements. These don't cost much and often yield great improvement.

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, watch this short video tutorial at http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/11/20/how-to-extend-your-wireless-range-for-5-cents/. It's a good, cheap antenna fix.

Another option for getting better reception is to try changing channels in your router setup. Although many channels are listed, I suggest you stick with 1, 6 or 11.

To access router's setup, you need to type its IP address in your browser's address bar. Linksys for example, uses 192.168.1.1 for the (private) IP address. D-Link uses 192.168.0.1 for theirs. The User and Password for Linksys is "Admin," while for D-Link it is "Admin" for the user and the password is left blank.

If you want to determine your public or outside IP address, the easiest way is to go to whatismyip.com.

With wireless networks, be sure the information is encrypted. Setup usually does this for you. WEP encryption is good; WPA is better. If it is not encrypted, not only will your neighbors (or passers-by) be able to see your network, they will be able to log on to it.

You will then be sharing your bandwidth with them, experiencing a slower connection. If they can access your network, they can access your computer and your files. So yes, encryption is important.

I can't elaborate here. Like I've said before, that's another column.

So if your wireless network's reception is as bad as my cellular reception, try some of the changes I've suggested. I can check my e-mail all over the house. You should be able to as well.

Can you hear me now?

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.

Updates vs Upgrades

Computer Care: Updates vs. upgrades: Know the difference

By Arthur Glazer
arthur@glazerthepctech.com

UPDATED July 9, 2010 9:50 p.m.

Every program on our computers needs updating every now and then as does the operating system itself. But wait; is it an update or an upgrade?

Let’s see, if I upgrade to a newer version, it will be current, but is it free? Hmm, I’m not going to pay every time I get a new version of a program. Or will I?

You upgrade an operating system, but update an application. No, you can upgrade them both, but you can also update them both.

Well, who’s on first?

OK, now that I have thoroughly confused some of you, this is the way it works. There are both updates and upgrades for programs, utilities, games and even operating systems, Windows included. The difference being that usually updates are free while upgrades are not.

For example, if you have the free edition of Advanced System Care, version 3.60 and it advised you of an update, it will be free. You then go to the website and download version 3.61.

But they also want you to upgrade to their Pro version. It has more bells and whistles, perhaps a scheduler and is an all-around better program. That one will cost you.

Some companies charge when the update is to the next full integer, like from version 3.9 to 4.0.

If you paid for an application like your anti-virus program, then you will get free updates for that year, as they are on an annual basis. Those you should set to update automatically.

In most programs, you’ll have the option to set it to update automatically. To upgrade though, you’ll need to click on a link or a button.

Keep in mind, whenever you initiate a system restore with Windows, you will lose your updates previously installed and will need to redo them. Some installations in Windows Update are permanent. Be sure you need these as there is no going back.

Driver updates are always free from the device manufacturer and a good thing to look for occasionally.

The big one in question is Windows Update. There are many options when it comes to updating. Upgrading would be from XP to Vista or Vista to 7, and we all know that is not free.

If you click on the update link in Windows, whatever version you have, you will be given choices. You can set it to Automatic and let it download and install whatever and whenever it sees fit. It is in control.

There is also an option to only download the important updates, but they decide what is important. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like decisions being made for me.

You can also choose to have it download the updates, but not install them; that would be on you.

Alternatively, you can turn it off and look for the updates manually from their website. They will let you know when the updates are available. This way, you are in control. You get to look over the menu and order only what you want. You choose what to download and when to install it. This is the way I like to do it.

You can also turn off the update option completely, should you want to.

In XP, you can right-click on My Computer, choose Properties and then click on the Updates tab. All of your options will be there.
In Vista, click on the Start button and then go to Control Panel. Click on the Security heading and you can get your updates there. Look in the left panel to change your update settings.

In Windows 7, you click the start button and then go to the Control Panel, then to Windows Updates. Look in the left column to change the settings.

There are other ways to get there in all versions. That’s one of the nice things about Windows. There is always more than one way to get somewhere.

So more about updates; I used to let the system call the shots. I set it on automatic and soon discovered I was downloading and installing fonts I’d never use (Korean and Russian), security patches for Internet Explorer (I use Firefox and Chrome) and add-ons for the scientific calculator (I’m a wordsmith, not a mathematician). So now I avoid the ones I know I won’t need or use.

Plus the fact, I hate when I get a pop-up telling me Windows is installing something and then wants to reboot the computer. I feel like I’ve lost control of my system. Hey, I’m writing a column here. Hold off on the reboot, will you guys!

It’s like the User Access Control in Windows 7 and Vista where you are constantly being asked for permission to open a folder on your computer. I thought I was in charge; obviously not. You can turn that off too, by the way. But that’s another column.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly. Arthur welcomes your computer questions and ideas for future columns.