Computer and Web Articles

Question: I’m having a hard time understanding the difference between my computer’s “Hibernate” and “System Standy” energy-saver options. Can you please help me out?? -Andrea, Breckenridge

Answer: Sure thing, I’d be happy to help. Hibernate and Standby are different sleep options found on computers with Windows XP. People can set their computers so that after a determined amount of idle-time, the computer enters one of these energy-saving modes.

A computer entering Hibernate mode saves an image of your desktop (including open files and windows), then powers down your computer–just as if you’d shut if off. When you turn your computer on again, however, you don’t need to wait for your computer to run through its standard (and often lengthy) startup process; instead, your windows and files are open just as you left them.

When a computer enters Standby mode, the power to your computer’s “non-critical systems,” such as the hard drive, monitor, fans, and peripheral devices (mouse, printer, etc.) gets cut. Power to your computer’s memory (RAM) is not shut off, though, so you’re essentially running your machine in a very looooooow power mode – and your computer *is* still on.

A computer in Standby mode will wake upon mouse, keyboard, or other peripheral activity whereas a computer in Hibernation mode requires a push of the power button. Computers in Standby mode also wake and restore more quickly than those in Hibernation. On the other hand, if there’s a power outage, unsaved files on the Standby machine could potentially be lost or corrupted, whereas files on the Hibernate machine would be saved.

Question: On my Microsoft Internet Explorer homepage (which is Google news) the conventional toolbar at the top comes up but so does an unwanted Yahoo toolbar. I can right click on the Yahoo toolbar and get a list of options which includes a checkmarked ‘Yahoo Toolbar’ item which I can uncheck and get it to go away, but it always comes back. How can I permanently keep it off?  - Robert, Breckenridge

Answer: That checkmark you’re fiddling with simply toggles the display of the Yahoo! toolbar on and off; it doesn’t remove it from Internet Explorer completely.

To remove the Yahoo! toolbar once and for all from your browser, you’ll need to click on the little Pencil button that sits in the toolbar. Then click Uninstall and close your browser. All done.

Alternatively, if you run into trouble trying to remove the toolbar using the first method, you could alternatively go to Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs, scroll down and click on the “Yahoo Toolbar!” item, then click Change/Remove.

Question: I’ve been tracking the stats for the blog section of my website for a while now and I’ve noticed that lots of people show up, read one of my blog posts, and then leave without visiting other parts of my site or blog. I know I have good content. Do you have any ideas that could help me out and encourage people to look at other parts of my blog and site?

Answer: I took a look at your blog, and you’re right - you do indeed have good content. The problem you’re experiencing, in which people visit a post within your blog and then leave without looking elsewhere - is quite common. Luckily, there’s a simple tweak that you (and others with blogs) can make to encourage people to explore other parts of your sites and reduce your bounce rates.

That simple tweak is nothing more than displaying more of your site’s content right *after* your blog posts. There’s nothing at the bottom of your articles except for a “Next >” link; consider adding a list of “most popular articles” …. or a list of “Most Recent Articles” … or what about a link that allows people to subscribe to your blog? It’s pure common sense: people are more likely to explore your site if you make it easier for them to do so.

Question: Very often when I’m online (using Internet Explorer) my work is interrupted by an insidious message in a square box about 2 x 2”inches or so. “ERROR” is in the upper left corner under which is a large red circle with a white X through it. Under the X is the message: “A runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to Debug? Line:12 (although this number varies a great deal) Error: ‘com’ is undefined.” Under this message are two boxes: “Yes” and “No.” This message is very hard to get around. Even after clicking the “NO” button and trying to get away, the message continues to pop up over and over again precluding navigating anywhere else. Do you know what causes this, or how to get rid of it permanently? Thanks so much for your help! — Annieb, Silverthorne Colorado

Answer: Hi there Annieb. Yes, I do know this error; I’ve repeatedly seen it slowly drive people toward madness with its ridiculously annoying tendencies. Thankfully the problem isn’t serious and it’s an easy one to solve.

The error you’re seeing (over and over and over again) is actually an error message that’s intended specifically for web developers who are testing and debugging their sites. And of course, I know of a solution.

To prevent the error from appearing in the future, you’ll need to open Internet Explorer, look up near the top of the page, and then click Tools, then Internet Options, then the Advanced tab. You should now be looking at a long list of options and associated checkboxes. Scroll through these options and make sure the following two are checked:

• Disable script debugging (Internet Explorer)
• Disable script debugging (other)

Then, make sure the option below these two (Display a notification about every script error) is *not* checked.

Last, click OK to close the dialog box and your problem should be solved. Bye-bye, annoying ERROR message.

Question: Dear Erin, how come most websites are not clear upfront about shipping methods? It’s frustrating to enter my PO Box blah blah only to have the screen come back with a red notation “We can’t ship to PO boxes.” I try to make it a habit of looking at the shipping information when that’s an option, but even then, a number of companies don’t have the information clearly listed. Is there a secret to figuring it out before all my info gets wiped clean and I have to type again?

Answer: While there’s no secret to avoiding the occasional frustration inherent with having online purchases shipped to Summit County (where the PO box vs. physical address dilemma lives strong), I can tell you what I do whenever purchasing products online.

Before checking out, I always attempt to learn how a particular company ships; do they ship USPS? UPS? Fed Ex? If I can find a “Store Policies” or a “Shipping” page providing that information upfront, checkout is usually quite painless because I know exactly what address to use for my mailing address.

If I’m unable to locate an online store’s shipping policies, I’ve found that entering either my PO box and physical address separated by a slash or my physical address in the “Address 1” field and my PO Box in the “Address 2” field usually works without a hitch.

Question: Hi Erin. I have a secure wireless connection at my home and in my office but when I’m on the road I tend to use a lot of public wi-fi spots. My question is: Is it safe for me to access my bank account information and conduct online banking transactions if I’m not on a secure connection?

Answer: Great question.

The answer is yes, it’s safe.

While it may seem like a frightening concept to access your banking info from an unsecured wireless connection, you’re actually totally, completely fine in doing so. This is because financial institutions encrypt all online banking sessions, meaning that other people cannot access your info while you’re logged in — that’s what the little “lock” at the bottom of the screen means when you login to your bank site.

Just remember that with the exception of when you’re actually viewing these secured pages (ones displaying the lock icon that also have URLs starting with https:// instead of just http://), you should always operate under the assumption that anything you view and send online could potentially be read by others.

Question: Hi Erin. I have a question relating to technology.  I was wondering what is the easiest and cheapest way to start a personal weblog/blog? Thanks.  -Tara

Answer: Two of the quickest, easiest, cheapest options to start your own personal blog would be:

1. www.wordpress.com (see the big shiny “sign up now” button?)
2. www.blogger.com/start

Both options are totally free.

Just take a look around the two sites to determine if one solution appeals to you more than the other.  And when I say these options are easy, I mean e-a-s-y.  You can have your very own blog up and running within minutes. Have fun.

Question: I read a fair share of lengthy online articles each week and when doing so, I normally use my mouse’s scroll-wheel to move down the page as I read. My son has mentioned he prefers using the “Page Down” key on his keyboard. Out of curiosity, what method of scrolling do you use when reading online long articles?

Answer: If I’m scanning through content, I’m a huge fan of my mouse’s scroll-wheel.

When I’m doing more thorough readings of web page content, however, I use … the spacebar. When viewing websites, the spacebar typically functions just like your keyboard’s Page Down key; it’s just bigger and much easier to use.

When I want to move up instead of down, I just hold down the Shift key with my pinky before tapping the spacebar. Very easy.

Question: I often use AOL Instant Messenger to chat with contractors and clients living in other parts of the world. However, because many of these conversations contain sensitive information, I’m concerned about the security of my chats. Is there a way to encrypt Instant Messenger conversations? Even better, is there a free way to do this?

Answer: Yep, there sure is. Visit this link: http://tinyurl.com/3mskdq; it’ll take you to a page on the Download.com where you can download a program called Trillian (for free, of course). Trillian is a full-featured, stand-alone chat program that will let you connect to AOL Instant Messenger and then encrypt your chat conversations so that they can’t be read by others.

As a side note, in addition to AOL Instant Messenger, Trillian supports ICQ, MSN, IRC and Yahoo Messenger.