ShareThisWe've been talking about Windows 7 and other new products for a little while and the letters are piling up. Let's get to the pile and answer a few.
Q. If I install Windows Defender, do I still need SpyBot Search and Destroy and AdAware?
A. I install Windows Defender on every Windows XP machine as sort of a basic level of protection. (Windows Defender is a free spyware utility available on the Microsoft Web site.) The other two programs you mention are for cleaning computers of infections and not so much for prevention of infections as they occur. (Spybot has a real-time feature called Tea-Timer but it is sort of intrusive and annoying.) So I would say all three are valuable and should be used for different things. Just be careful when downloading all three that you get them from reputable sources.
Q. My laptop's fan won't shut off any more. I blew it out with a can of air but it is still doing it a few minutes after my PC turns on. What could be causing it?
A. Even though you blew out the dust I would bet you a dollar you have dust bunnies clogging the fan intakes or the fan housing that you won't be able to get out until you take off the keyboard or otherwise expose the fan housing and see what is going on inside the computer. Once you get it off (the instructions on how to do this vary widely; you can download the service manual and try it yourself or get a tech to do it) use the can of air to clean out the inside of the computer and the fan.
Once you expose the fan, clean it completely including the housing and the path of the air in and out, including all vents. Also clean the processor heat sink and the video card heat sink. In short, kill a whole can cleaning the dust out of there.
If it still runs after you do that, take it to a tech.
Q. I have a Dell laptop that is about three months old and my friend bought one that has a really handy glow in the dark keyboard. Can I add that to mine now?
A. It is not glow in the dark but probably "backlit." If your model offers it as an option, like some of Dell's Latitude line, you simply need to change the keyboard with the backlit model. They are usually three times more expensive, or more, than the standard model but you can often find them on eBay. They come in handy for dark rooms but can drain battery life so use it sparingly. There is a keyboard combination that shuts off the light (Function, right arrow)
Q. What wireless utility should I use, the one that comes with Windows or the one that comes with my wireless card?
A. I generally use the Windows "Zero Configuration Utility", or the one that comes with Windows, thinking that it is less likely to break when Microsoft issues a patch or update.
(James Derk is owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm and a tech columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is jim(at)cyberdads.com)
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