OK, you have a new computer and you’ve made the decision to keep your old computer, and you want your spouse and children to be able to do email and surf the web without demanding your computer.

Let’s assume you already have an existing home computer network — if you don’t, the first article in this week’s online newsletter is for you…

There are two basic ways that computers on home networks can get the IP addresses and other network data they need in order to communicate with each other: we can enter the data into the configuration screens, if we want to use static (unchanging) IP addresses, or we can set the router to assign IP addresses dynamically using DHCP.

DHCP is the default setting for home routers, it’s the way most Internet Service Providers assign IP addresses, and it’s the way Windows has networking set up by default. Let’s assume you’re using DHCP.

Continue reading Adding a Computer to an Existing Home Network

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I answered a question recently from someone who was using WEP (the so-called “Wired Equivalent Privacy”) encryption on their wireless network. They were considering changing to WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). The real answer is that they need to change to the second generation of WPA — WPA2.

The biggest question in their mind was whether they’d have to change the wireless passphrases on all their computers (quick answer: yes).

Why change? WEP is old, way, way old in computer terms. When it was first released, it was effective.

But, by 2004, second-generation WEP-cracking tools were widely available. In an article, SmallNetBuilder reports on a 2005 demonstration by a team of FBI agents who were able to crack a 128 bit WEP key in about three minutes.

WPA replaced WEP as the choice for encryption. Then, it fell prey…

Continue reading Router Encryption — Increasing Wireless Security

Ed Pilarczyk wrote last week to ask:

Hey Terry,

As a long time subscriber, I have to say that you continue to do a GREAT job. Thanks for all your hard work!!

Two things. First, I can find no way to register for any of your blogs. I found the link to log in…but not sign up. Please advise.

Second, my OS is Vista Ultimate x64 sp1, on an HP with a Core2 Quad, with 6gb ram. which I have be using for almost one year without any problems or complaints. Several days ago my windows updater said sp2 is available to upgrade. What I have found on the web is mostly negative, or at best inconclusive.

What is you take, should I or shouldn’t I upgrade to sp2? Thanks again, Ed P.

I wrote back to tell Ed…

Continue reading Blog questions & Vista SP 2

Have you ever noticed that some programs always assume where you want to save a file? Or, they assume the directory from which you will open a file?

Somehow, the program’s guess never seems right…

Oh, it may be close, for people who store all their files and data in My Documents or subdirectories of My Documents. I don’t, at home or at work.

At home, I like to store my data in a folder named Data, which usually is not on the C: drive partition. In “my day job,” I store almost all of my data on the department file server.

Programs are often so insensitive to this issue that they do not allow you to pick a default folder that’s different from the programmer’s choice.

Outlook 2007, just like Outlook 2003, aggravates me every time. When I select the function Save As for an email or an attachment, Outlook (at work) selects a special hidden, accessible-only-from-within-Outlook, Temporary Internet Files folder. At home, it selects My Documents.

Notice that particular point — the folder at work is hidden and is not accessible via Windows Explorer, it is a special Outlook file folder that is encrypted. That’s because the office emails are being handled by the Microsoft Exchange mailserver.

Continue reading HowTo: A Tip for Saving Data Files

Sometimes, I can read and understand the problem, but I’m not using the software that the subscriber uses, and can’t give a good answer. Even then, I try to steer them to an answer.

Such was the case with the first question from Chet Norris recently:

Hi Terry,

Weird problem..I’m running vista home premium (32 bit) on my HP LAPTOP and I just noticed the icon for my wireless program is missing from the task bar.

Usually it sits next to the HP power plan icon but now it’s gone. I’ve gone to “network and sharing” in control panel and played around for 30 minutes and can’t find a mention of the icon.

I was able to click on it and know the signal strength etc and if I was connected thru it or the dsl modem.

Any thoughts?

Continue reading Icons Missing From Vista Status Bar

In How to Fry a Wireless Router or Two, I wrote about my brother’s experience frying a pair of wireless modems in a lightning storm. Last week, I talked about what had happened, why it happended, and what he could do to prevent the problem in the future (this was the third set of routers, plus he lost a computer motherboard in that storm).

This week, we’ll look at his network layout, and why he could not get the network to set up properly.

To summarize the situation, he has an office an a shop, with computers on his network in both locations. Some connect via wired connections (Ethernet), while others use wireless connections. His Internet cable comes into the office first.

In the past, he first used Linksys wireless routers. Then DLinks. This time, he chose Belkin wireless routers.

The incoming cable (standard cable-company RG6 coaxial cable) connects to the cable modem.

Then, the cable modem connects to the WAN (wide area network “Internet”) connection on the router.

The local wired ports on the router…

Continue reading How Can One Cable Modem Work With Two Wireless Routers?

One of the differences between inkjet printers and laser printers has to do with handling of the data to be printed.

An inkjet printer gets its commands for each printed line, one at a time, from Windows. It prints the line and gets the data for the next line. Sometimes they buffer a little of the data so there’s no hesitation, but Windows is talking to the printer thoughout the whole print job.

That’s not the way that laser printers work. A laser printer has to get all the data for a whole page before it starts to print that page.

What happens if there is so much content, shapes or colors, that the printer’s memory can’t receive the entire page? You can’t print it. You have to add memory.

That happened to me one time with my LaserJet 1200, so I had upgraded its memory a long time ago.

Now, with the new printer, I needed to think about that possibility. Surely it wouldn’t be a problem, but it shouldn’t have ever been a problem with the LaserJet 1200, either.

HP offered extra memory for the Color LaserJet CP1518ni printer, which has an easily accessible side door so the user can pop extra memory into it.

Continue reading Adding Memory to the HP Color LaserJet CP1518ni