Getting  Along With Your Computer Column Archive

Checking the In Box
By Cate Eales

Appeared February 8, 2007 on castanet.net

Sometimes this column just about writes itself. Other times I wonder what I can say that would possibly interest people. Why is it good to get mail? Because I don't have to wonder! I can just answer the mail! Here are some of your questions answered.

Why the heck can't I change the home page in Internet Explorer?
Well, starting with the basics, the way to change your home page is:

If you do that and the next time you open up Internet Explorer it's taking you someplace else, one of three things is going on. Either your browser has been hijacked by spyware, it's pre-set by your PC vendor, or it's locked by one of your security applications,.

If your browser has been hijacked, you'll probably be taken to a site with adult content and bombarded by pop-ups. Your best bet might be to call in a professional. If you want to work through the problem yourself, you can download the free utility called HijackThis, run it and post the log to the forums, and get some advice from the experts. Instructions and a tutorial are on this page.

Some vendors strike agreements with software companies so that a branded home page comes with your Internet Explorer. When I bought my Toshiba laptop, it came with a home page that was a huge ad for Toshiba and Yahoo! If you want to change that page, try the basic way, described above. If that doesn't work, you're going to have to dig through all the likely add-ons in your browser and disable them. Once everything is disabled, change your home page and re-enable the add-ons one by one until you find the guilty party. Then disable or uninstall it. To manage add-ons in Internet Explorer 7:

Finally, in an effort to protect us from ourselves, makers of computer security products have put our browser home pages in lock-down. If you haven't been hijacked and your vendor isn't controlling your browser, it's probably your Norton Anti-Virus, Spybot Search & Destroy, SpySweeper, or Windows Defender. You are just going to have to look in there for a setting that prevents you from changing your "browser configuration" or "unlocking" your home page. These are obscure settings. Consult your program's help file, search Google for an answer, or bring in a pro. Once the problem is solved, you might also consider installing Firefox as an alternative to Internet Explorer.
 

Do I have to uninstall the Windows XP firewall if I want to use a different firewall?
If you want to install the a firewall from your anti-virus security package, then you should turn off the built in firewall that came with XP. Here are the steps to do that:

It can't be removed, but it's perfectly fine to turn it off provided you have another firewall turned on. You never want more than one firewall on at the same time.


Daylight Saving Time is different now. Do I have to do something special about that?
Yes, you do. Daylight Saving Time will start earlier and end later than before. If you want your computer to know what time it is, you have to apply a patch or maybe two. I'll have more on this in a future column, but for now Windows users can download the patch here (scroll down). If you use Microsoft Office Outlook (NOT Outlook Express), you'll need to patch that also. See this article for more information. Daylight Saving will begin the second Sunday in March.


As always, thank you for your questions, comments, and suggestions. Please keep them coming! You can email me at cate@rlis.com. And remember, you can browse the column archives at any time here.  You can subscribe to the column by email, or add the RSS feed to your feedreader.


Links
HijackThis http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/programs.php#hijackthis
Firefox http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
Windows DST patch http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928388
Outlook DST patch http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931667
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=20618
RSS Feed: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml
Cate's list of good, free software http://rlis.com/columns/column75list.htm


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Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric, and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions, helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management. Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit the Real Life Internet Solutions website at www.rlis.com.