Since this blog went live in July 2007, there have been over 70 postings. For my all but mandatory end of the year review, below is a cheat sheet to the postings to date. I maintain a full blog index on my personal web site.
2007 Individual Postings
Prepare for networking failures by reading the lights on your router July
The pros and cons of LEDs for backlighting LCD screens July
Ask Leo Notenboom your computer questions July
Be careful when downloading software August
Task Manager in Windows XP August
Scan a suspicious file with 29 anti-virus programs August
What makes a good surge protector September
Create a second Windows userid for backup September
Why Apple isn't selling for Macs September
A new approach to securing USB flash drives September
Is Linux right for your mother? October
One Web site, many names: an introduction to domain forwarding October
Disgracefully unreliable software October
Why Java can't do addition correctly October
Avoiding new software November
60 Minutes on TJX computer security November
Be careful when shopping for a replacement laptop battery December
Sweet spot in monitors December
Antimalware software suites December
Am I the real John Hodgman? (the only humorous posting all year) December
IE6 crashes in Windows XP: fixing the fix December
Get Spyware Doctor for free - a first look at the Starter Edition December
2007 Topics With Multiple Postings
RAID Level Zero
Don't get burned by RAID Zero July
Following up on RAID Level Zero July
The Mozy online backup service
Everybody likes Mozy--except me Part 1 July
Everybody likes Mozy--except me Part 2 July
DropMyRights
Every Windows XP user should drop their rights August
DropMyRights part 2: Installing and configuring August
DropMyRights part 3: Living with it August
Restricting insecure applications November
Backing up e-mail August
Thunderbird August
A new e-mail scam August
Portable Thunderbird September
Defending against a phishing email message October
Test your email program October
Is that e-mail message legit? How a computer nerd analyzes it November
Second Guessing Walter Mossberg
Wall Street Journal Readers - check this out September
Debunking Walter Mossberg - better PC buying advice October
Improving on Walter Mossberg's PC-buying advice November
Parsing disk-partitioning advice December
Windows XP vs. Vista
I pity the fool (Windows XP good, Vista bad) September
When to convert from Windows XP to Vista, Part 2 September
Putting Windows Vista on trial October
More FUD for Windows Vista November
IBM Recommends Windows XP December
Windows Vista gripes from Lenovo December
Amazon's MP3 Download Store
Amazon's MP3 Download store--a book report September
Defensively shopping at amazon.com October
Microsoft Updates Your Computer Whenever They Feel Like It
Windows is Spyware September
Defending yourself against Microsoft September
Sending Files Too Big To E-mail
Sending big files with SendThisFile November
Transferring big files with EatLime, SendThisFile, and FTP November
Transferring big files with DropSend and TransferBigFiles December
Dealing With Software Crashes
Dealing with software crashes - Part 1 November
Dealing with software crashes - Part 2 November
The System Restore feature of Windows XP
Four Tips to Using System Restore on Windows XP July
No restore point for you December
Bugs in the Flash Player
Update your copy of the Flash player now. And do it right December
Problems updating the Flash player in Firefox? Here's Help December
OpenDNS
OpenDNS provides added safety for free December
More about OpenDNS, including adult site filtering December
Stalker
Finally, avoid reading comments by tenc21. He, she or they were stalking me, doing nothing but griping about anything and everything I say. All the comments made by this CNET user were on this blog, no others. They may appear to be on the topic at hand, but in reality, the purpose of these comments is not to debate anything just to argue. The comments are personal in nature, but thinly disguised as being technical.
See a summary of all my Defensive Computing postings.
Can't get on the Internet? Can't print to network printer? It's bound to happen sooner or later. Wired Ethernet networks are pretty reliable, wireless ones can be brutally finicky. But no matter what type you're using, it's good to be prepared for networking failures in the future.
When there is a networking problem, the knee jerk reaction may be that there is something wrong with the computer. Perfectly understandable.
But the first step in debugging a networking problem should not involve any of the computers. Rather, you should look at the lights on the box(es) sitting at the hub of the network. The hardware is talking to you and may have something useful to say.
The box(es) may be a number of things. Often there is a broadband modem (cable or DSL) and a separate router. There may even be a third box for VOIP to which a normal telephone is connected. On the other hand, all these functions may be combined in a single box. The advice is the same either way.
Before trouble strikes look at the box(es) holding your network together and make a note of the normal state of every light while the network is functioning properly. Is the light on or off? Green or Amber? Solid or blinking?
So that it's always at hand, I suggest keeping this cheat sheet right next to the device in question. Maybe even tape it to the box, so it can't get lost. Now, when the network fails, the first thing to check is the lights on the box(es).
That's step one. Step two is to examine each box and make a note of the vendor and model number. Then go online to learn what every light can tell you. It's one thing to know that a certain light is normally green, but exactly what does it mean when the light is amber? Or blinking green instead of solid green?
I try to find the manual for the device at the web site of the hardware manufacturer. In addition, I try to find documentation on the lights at the website of the broadband provider. Cable and DSL modems can be modified by an ISP, so their documentation may be more accurate than that from the hardware manufacturer.
If you were given a manual/booklet/pamphlet with the device and can still find it, great. But this would be my last choice for information as it may not be up to date, may cover multiple models or may not reflect customizations made by the ISP.
If, at your ISP's web site, you can't find anything documenting the meaning of each light, then contact your ISP and ask them. Someday, you may be very thankful you did.
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