This week, subscriber JNC wrote to me to say that he'd been using Acronis True Image for a while and wanted to know about keeping old backups:

I have just completed a total backup via Acronis on my external hard drive. Is there any reason to save previous total backups?
My external (500) hard drive is over 2/3 full.
jnc

I wrote back to JNC to say that I wouldn't get rid of all of them. I suggested that he keep some recent ones and one or two full backups from the past — including the oldest one he had.

I find that, most of the time, I'm reaching for a backup file or backup image file because my brain messed up, not because of a hardware failure. It's too easy to change a file and not realize that we haven't done the change correctly. We find it out later when we try to use the file, or that part of the file. It might be days, weeks or even months later.

When I find the problem and find my backup image, my first step is to rename the current (bad) version. Then, I restore the old one (the backup copy), and then copy & paste to add whatever data I can from the most recent copy into the "good" older version.

It's not a new problem. Back in the Lotus 1-2-3 days, I had a data clerk working for me who tried to hide some columns from view (to enable him reformat the screen to include more columns he was using); instead, he accidentally deleted the columns. He didn't realize it for about 3 weeks, and he had no backup old enough to have the missing parts of the spreadsheet. He had to go back to the original data to completely re-create the spreadsheet, cell by cell.

Back in the early days of pc's, my rule of thumb was "You always need one more backup than you have."

When backups are a pain to create, you won't have enough.

When backups are easy to create, especially with image backup programs like Acronis True Image which can make complete computer backups, differential backups and incremental backups on a scheduled basis, you can make sure that you won't lose your data.

Subscriber Robin wrote from the U.K. to tell me about a problem she was having with her computer's Internet connection — and wrote again to say that she'd solved the problem, too.

Hi Terry

I am a subscriber to your newsletter which always contains some good tips and advice.

My problem is that when I connect to the internet through my Speedtouch modem router, I used to see a small icon on my task bar (near where the antivirus icon shows) that looked like a small blue/grey television. I noticed a few days ago that this icon had vanished. I then went into Network Connections and unchecked the box to "show an icon when connected" and then re-checked the box again. I have had to do this previously when I had manually closed my internet connection before shutting down my computer and it worked ok.

However, this time it did not work and I also noticed that in Network Connections, my internet connection always shows disconnected, even when I am connected, which I suppose explains why the icon is missing!

How do I now get my internet connection in Network Connections, to correctly show whether or not I am connected to the internet?

I have googled this and although several others seem to have this problem, I have not found anything to solve the problem. Can you help?

Details of my system are:-
Windows XP home edition with SP3 and all the updates.
Broadband connected through Tiscali.co.uk.
Speedtouch ST585 v6 modem router.
Regards
Robin

Before I could respond to Robin with some suggestions or answers, she solved the problem herself.

Hi Terry
Regarding my attached email that I previously sent you regarding the missing tv icon (I should have said missing icon showing two small computers), I have now found what caused the problem but not the resolution to the problem.

I found that the connection icon with the two small computers that was missing from my taskbar at the bottom right hand of the screen, came back when I uninstalled the free Online Armor firewall and the connection correctly showed whether I was connected or not. I downloaded and installed another copy of Online Armor but the problem returned. I therefore uninstalled Online Armor and downloaded and installed the free ZoneAlarm firewall and the problem was resolved.

Thought you would like to know just in case anyone else asked the question.
Regards
Robin

3.  My Computer Security Software Recommendations

Anti-Virus

I'm often asked about several other popular anti-virus or anti-virus combination packages. Yes, I realize that they are not in my recommendation list. "Enough said..."

For the last five years, until very recently, my personal choice has been ESET's small, fast NOD32 anti-virus program, which offers a FREE 30-day evaluation license. I consider NOD32 one of the best in anti-virus protection. Unlike some of its competitors, ESET offers multiple-year licenses also, and includes program updates in the multiple-year license.

Now, I've changed from my long-time programs NOD32 (antivirus) and CounterSpy (antispyware) to Sunbelt's new VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware.

I've found that VIPRE puts even less load on my computer than the speedy combination of NOD32 and CounterSpy. I've also been impressed with the way its "deep scan" has found and eliminated risks that were stored in zip files, which is one of the latest malware email tricks.

Read more about anti-virus programs on my web site.

Related articles:

• Anti-Virus Programs and Online Scanners
• Free Online Antivirus Scan
• NOD32 Anti-Virus Review - A Look at NOD32
• VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware Review

Click here for more information about VIPRE.

Firewall Software

While the Windows XP firewall is much better than no firewall at all, don't count on the Windows XP firewall to meet your needs. You need a two-way firewall, which the Windows XP firewall is not!. Microsoft woke up and supplied a two-way firewall with Windows Vista.

The Windows XP firewall does not control outbound communications originating from your computer — and you should want to have control if adware/trojans/spyware or even commercial products want to talk to the Internet. Whether they are calling home or spewing spam, you want to be able to control your computer.

Do you want Windows Media Player to call home every time you play something? It does! Do you use the Search function in Windows Explorer to find things on your hard drive? Did you know that every time you search, Windows Explorer talks to Microsoft?

I didn't know that when I ran ZoneAlarm, but the Sunbelt Personal Firewall flags that to me, and I can stop it or allow it to happen. Many other programs try to call home when you run them, too.

I recommend my choice for a firewall program, which is Sunbelt Personal Firewall.

You can try the full-featured "paid version" of Sunbelt Personal Firewall free for 30 days — after that, you can register it or, if you're using it on a home non-business computer, you can let it revert to the free, lesser-function license.

Sunbelt Personal Firewall is regularly $19.95 (with discounts for multiple computers and/or multiple years!) for a non-expiring license for the program and includes one year of their updates subscription.

Related articles:

• The Internet Versus You
• Do I Need a Firewall Program?
• My Sunbelt Personal Firewall Review

Anti-Spyware / Anti-Adware Software

CounterSpy, from Sunbelt Software, has received many kudos from the computer press for its always-running and periodic full system scans. It has been my personal choice for my PC's and my family's PC's.

Sunbelt's CounterSpy v2.5, both improved CounterSpy's performance against malware and reduced its impact on system resources and responsiveness when its scanning.

Sunbelt continues to release updated program versions — the current version is v3.1. Nicely, they do NOT install the updated programs automatically. You have to use the Update process in the program, which means that you'll know that something significant has changed.

Now, I've changed from my long-time programs NOD32 (antivirus) and CounterSpy (antispyware) to Sunbelt's new VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware.

I've found that VIPRE puts even less load on my computer than the speedy combination of NOD32 and CounterSpy. My computer seems to have much more pep and power than it had previously. I've also been impressed with the way its "deep scan" has found and eliminated risks that were stored in zip files, which is one of the latest malware email tricks.

Related articles:

• Fighting Against Spyware & Malware
• My CounterSpy Review
• My VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware Review

Anti-spam Software

In today's Internet world, the question is not "if" you will get spam, but "how much will you get?"

I use and now I recommend POPFile as my first choice for handling spam. POPFile sits on your computer, between your email program and your ISP mailbox, and handles emial as it downloads.

POPFile uses a different approach to handle spam than some other programs do — it does nothing to reduce spam. It is designed as an email classification tool — you train it to recognize spam and any other type of email that you want to classify. These classifications can help you sort your emails into appropriate folders in your email program.

Sunbelt Software, who makes the anti-spyware program CounterSpy (which I use and recommend) and the firewall that I use and recommend (Sunbelt Personal Firewall) also has a well-regarded, award-winning anti-spam program called iHateSpam for Outlook and Outlook Express. Since I don't use Outlook or Outlook Express for email, I haven't tried iHateSpam.

Mailwasher Pro would be my first choice to handle spam before it ever gets into your computer's Inbox. Mailwasher Pro uses on-line Realtime Black Lists mail servers sending spam recently, "training" by you of what you think is spam, and your own "friends" and "blacklist" lists. Note: I found that PopFile generally meets my needs and stopped using Mailwasher Pro, even though PopFile works AFTER the emails have been downloaded. If I used a dialup connection, I would be more interested in Mailwasher Pro.

Mailwasher Pro can even bounce spam messages, as if your email address was not valid, although the usefulness and appropriateness of this is questionable. There is a free version called "Mailwasher," but it omits the functions that I consider critical for this purpose -- such as safely previewing the emails safely before they ever get to your email inbox.

Related articles:

• Spam Filtering
• Keeping spam out of your Inbox
• Getting Control of Your Inbox
• How Can I Prevent spam?

Cable/DSL Router

If you have a cable modem or a DSL modem, you need to have another layer of inexpensive protection between you and the Internet. A cable/DSL router isolates your computer from direct connection to the Internet. Your computer can easily request your email, web pages, etc. through the router. The responses come back to the router and are smoothly routed to your computer. But, someone on the Internet side of the router can not initiate a connection to your computer — they can only respond to your request.

Even if you only have one computer to connect to your cable or DSL modem, I recommend that you purchase and use a cable/DSL router because of the protection it can give you against attempts to attack through some flaws in Windows itself.

A router isolates your local network, whether it is only one computer or several, from the Internet by actually making it a separate network. The router gets the "public" IP address and handles all your outbound communications and the responses to them. But, it blocks computers on the Internet side from being able to initiate communications with your computer! This will prevent you from falling prey to many worms that try to attack security holes in Windows itself.

For a wireless router, I recommend the Linksys WRT54G wireless router. I'm using the relatively new version 6 of this router.

If you don't want wireless, I recommend the Linksys BEFSR41 wired router, which I also use. Either way, based on my experience, I recommend Linksys routers for price, reliability and Linksys' habit of releasing updated firmware for their products..

See these related articles:

• Wireless Security
• Wi-Fi Hotspots and Computer Security
• Wireless Networking Problems & Wireless Networking Security

In last week's email newsletter, I wrote about a question by a subscriber who was having Outlook Express email problems. Mickey had copied or moved his emails and email folders from Outlook Express to his Windows Desktop before as a backup step before trying to fix an Outlook Express problem. Unfortunately, he didn't Export them, he just copied them. Now, however, he can't get Outlook Express to recognize them.

Well, the helpful suggestions came rolling in via email and via comments on my Terry's Computer Tips blog.

Here are a few of them:

Subscriber Harry G. wrote to suggest these steps as a possible solution to Mickey's problem:

Have you tried these steps:

1. In Outlook Express, create a new identity, and go through the setup to assign servers, password, etc. to be the same as your current corrupt account. But don't let it automatically import new emails now (you can change this later, once you have recovered your old emails).
2. Once the main Outlook Express window appears, click on each mailbox once. Additionally, if you had created other mailboxes under your old account, create them for this new account. Make sure to name them EXACTLY the same as previous.
3. Check the store folder for the new account (Tools/Options/Maintenance/Store Folder).
4. Close Outlook Express.
5. Copy all of the old .dbx files to the Store Folder (make sure hidden files are being displayed). NOTE: I believe this works only after the FIRST TIME you have created and then looked at the new account in OE.
6. Open Outlook Express. Unless the .dbx files are really screwed up, you should now see your emails in the new identity.

Subscriber James Ford wrote that he did some searching:

I typed "open dbx file" in Google and found a lot of utilities that are suppose to open dbx files and recover the emails in them. Here is link to one of them:
http://www.oemailrecovery.com/open-dbx-file.html

I have not used any of them since I do not use Outlook Express. Remember "Google is your friend".

Reader James Biddle suggested:

See if they can be exported as a csv file. If that fails, see if Thunderbird can open them.

Subscriber Tom wrote:

I concur with James Biddle, install Thunderbird and see if it will import the OE emails. If Thunderbird works, DUMP OE for the piece of junk it has become.

At one time I would recommend OE to new users for its simplicity and ease of use. With each new version it has become more complicated and less user friendly. I try to get newbies onto Thunderbird or some other email program early before they get into trouble.

In my online issue last week, I wrote about a problem that subscriber Irving was having with Zip files.

Another subscriber, Clif of the Clif Notes Newsletter wrote to suggest that Irving try to restore the XP default zip association.

Clif pointed out that there are step-by-step instructions at http://www.techsupersite.com/ziprestore.html .

5.  Recommend my Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter to Your Friends

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