Answers to e-mail, hardware questions
Q. You mentioned how easy it is to hack Yahoo's e-mail service. What service is better than that one then?
A. I think you are being too simple if you categorize my conclusion like that. Yahoo's service is fine if you follow my recommendations and don't give out a lot of personal information when you sign up. However, all in all, I think Google's implementation of free Web-based mail is likely the best. That's because you can select your own security question. (Just make it a good one that is not easily guessed!)
Q. I ordered a laptop battery on eBay that was supposed to be a genuine replacement battery, but when I got it, it was clearly a counterfeit. It was much lighter, was made out of inferior plastic, didn't fit right and even had typos in the label. I complained to eBay but they referred me to PayPal, which closed my case without any action. What else can I do?
A. You can try to complain back to eBay, but because eBay owns PayPal, it may be a lost cause. I think it is best if you actually phone eBay and not write, which is easier to ignore. I would also alert the laptop manufacturer that there are counterfeit batteries for sale. They can file a complaint with eBay and get the sales stopped if they choose to. That may be too late for you but could help others. Of course, also file negative feedback for the seller, which also can serve as a warning to others.
A. A good free one is K9 Web Protection from Blue Coat. It is free for non-commercial use, allows parents to make decisions on specific categories of blocking and is very powerful. Keep in mind, no software will block everything, but every parent should have some blocking software on every Web-connected computer these days. There is simply too much junk on the Web now. You can get the software free at www.k9webprotection.com.
Q. If my Windows computer has a round keyboard slot, can I replace the keyboard with a newer USB keyboard, or do I have to buy another round one?
A. Yes, assuming you have a USB slot free, you can use a wired or wireless keyboard. (The round ones are called "PS/2," by the way.)
Q. I am about to order a laptop, and I want a wireless cellular card inside the laptop and not as an external card. The company (Dell) says I need to pick my provider when I order the laptop. Does that mean if I change providers, I need to change the card inside the laptop?
A. Yes, the cards are proprietary to the individual carriers, unlike wireless cards. The swap is very easy to do, so don't let that worry you.
James Derk is owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm, and tech columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is jim@cyberdads.com.
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