Ian, whose computer knowledge is far greater than mine, writes:
1. <<I pulled one stick (of ram) out to see if it ran any differently. I
can't detect any
changes.>>
Try running some intensive CAD design work to really test your computer's
memory capacity. Otherwise, you wouldn't expect to see any material
difference, unless you're seriously into high-end gaming. I gather CAD is
about as memory-intensive as it gets. Or maybe video editing----maybe you
could start with Lord of the Rings 2. I'm sure Peter Jackson won't mind.
But first of all, you'll have to learn advanced CAD. And for that, you'll
probably need a degree in engineering.
2. <<I'm trying out Zone Alarm. I saw a mention somewhere in my travels about
dial-up connections not needing Zone Alarm or similar firewalls. I'm
curious to know if there is any foundation to this comment.>>
I think I've seen similar comments. My totally uninformed guess is that
hackers don't much look at dialup connections because of the time it would
take to load their nefarious spyware into your computer, crack whatever
passwords you have, and extract whatever info they want---the hard drive
activity would probably be quite noticeable and would in itself put you on
guard that something extraordinary was going on.
My own attitude is: if there's anything on my computer you want, please
feel free to help yourself. I may feel a little put out if you put
anything in that I don't want. But as I'm now 6 years overdue for a
reformat, and have everything important backed up as I go, you might even
be doing me a favour by hacking me into oblivion.
To put it crudely---if hacking matters to you, if you have vital info to
protect, go for ZA. If it doesn't, why bother? I have the impression
that many of us are over-paranoiac about such things. Until I get hit by a
hacker---then doubtless I'll scream blue murder!
Maybe being well downunder and thus hidden away, as it were, nobody cares
about us. Sad!
We're missing all the fun.
Just my random thoughts.
Don Penlington
Free computer tutorials at: http://www.geocities.com/donaldpen/
Also Fractal Galleries, free icons, poetry, and beautiful Queensland beaches.
The NOSPIN Group is now offering Free PC Tech
support at our newest website:
http://freepctech.com
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