Q. We have DSL Internet service with an Ethernet connection for our second computer (my wife’s laptop) some 15 feet and one floor away from the primary Gateway desktop with Windows XP.
Recent media stories about pirates sitting in wireless users’ driveways and logging on to the Internet and their financial records has caused us to question if there’s any protection for clueless users like us. Is there some way that the 360-degree signal can be focused only toward the second computer that is also in a permanent location and does not roam the house?
David L. Spalding, Mishawaka, Ind.
A. Let’s start with that fear of a hacker parking in one’s driveway to access the Internet through a wireless connection inside the house. While this certainly is possible, I’d put it mighty far down on my list of concerns, because it’s terribly simple to prevent during the setup of your equipment.
Virtually all wireless routers get installed by a user who connects the device to a PC using an Ethernet cable. The user then fires up the Web browser and types in an address made up of four numbers separated by dots to open a Web page stored in the hardware itself. That then walks one through the few steps needed to start broadcasting to all the other computers in the house.
Early on in the process, users are shown how to set up a choice of two types of encryption: one called 128 bit that hardly any government spy agencies can crack, and one called 256 bit that nobody without a supercomputer can crack. Either one is far beyond the expertise of the types of hackers who try this stunt.
Set up one of these wireless routers from the likes of Linksys, D-Link, Belkin, U.S. Robotics, etc., and you’ll see the simplicity of it all, Mr. S.
As to your other question, there are, indeed, parabolic transmitters that can focus the signals in one direction, but I can’t find any gear in the consumer market to do that.
May I suggest that since you say both computers always will be at the same place in your house, why don’t you just string some old-fashioned Ethernet cable over those 15 feet and save yourself a few bucks? You still would need a router to make signal sharing possible, but wired ones are much cheaper than wireless and even easier to set up.
Many experts urge everybody to get a router, whether they have just one computer or more, because the boxes come with built-in hardware firewalls that offer powerful protection from Web-borne attacks far worse than some geek in one’s driveway.
Q. I’m starting to think you don’t love me anymore. The last question of mine you answered was three years ago, when I got my first computer. I keep trying. I downloaded Microsoft’s anti-spyware software, and it is scheduled to do a daily scan at 2 a.m.
Sheila [email protected]
At that time, usually, the computer is turned off. Can it still scan?
A. I get a lot of mail, Ms. D, and I do my best, but I must try to focus answers on items that will help a wide variety of readers. Your question addresses something bothering a lot of folks who acquire software for things like hunting spyware, defragmenting drives and updating virus definitions that is set for times when their computers are switched off.
The answer, of course, is that it depends upon what the meaning of “off” is. If you use the power-management modules built in to Windows to put your machine into a state of simulated sleep with the monitor dark and the hard drive shut down, then these programs can kick in and do their stuff. But if the definition of “off” is pulling the plug or pushing the switch, then these important tools never will run.
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So you either can use the sleep mode or change the times for when the stuff kicks in. To set the computer to sleep right, right-click on the Desktop and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Click the Screen Saver tab in the next display and open the Energy Saver or Energy Star menu you’ll see there. This lets you set up the sleep options.
If you’d rather change the time and pull the plug, click on Start and Accessories and then System Tools. There you will find a Scheduled Tasks icon. Open it and you will see entries for all of your standby items and will be able to change their kick-in times by giving each a right-click.
Q. I recently purchased a Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop for Bluetooth (keyboard and mouse). A CD titled “Microsoft IntelliPoint for Bluetooth Mouse Software” came in the box.
I am not able to get anything to happen when I open the CD. I click on the EXE icon but nothing happens. When I contacted the seller, I was told to go to the Microsoft Web site and download the drivers. I couldn’t figure out which one of the drivers to use.
Kent Kociss @att.net
My question to you is how can I get this keyboard/mouse to work?
A. What a shame, Mr. K. You become one of the few people on the face of the planet to acquire one of the new, extremely long-range Bluetooth wireless keyboards, capable of reaching 30 feet and beyond, and then it won’t work because of an errant CD.
Anybody who acquires a piece of hardware and then finds that the software included on a CD isn’t working should know that in almost every instance the actual drivers to make a gadget work are on that CD and will be found even if other stuff won’t run. This happens far more often than it should, and we victims have learned the drill for getting past it.
So plug the transmitter for your Bluetooth in an open USB 2.0 port and wait for the operating system with Windows XP SP2 to detect something has been added. This will bring up an “add new hardware” wizard that will walk you through setting it up. It does this by asking you to specify where the drivers are, and you respond by using an included browse button to point the wizard to your CD drive.
The computer will read the driver files off the CD, and your keyboard will be activated in a matter of seconds.
If you have plugged the transmitter in to the computer, you will need to remove it from the list Windows keeps of everything ever plugged in. If a device gets on that list, Windows won’t recognize it when you plug it in a second time.
So right-click on the My Computer icon and select Properties. Now open the tab for Hardware in the display this produces. Next, click on the Device Manager button. This will bring up a list of all the stuff plugged in. Scroll down to USB devices and look for your Bluetooth transmitter. If it is there, give it a right-click and pick Disable or Remove from the menu this summons. Now your computer will see the device the next time you plug it in.
Whether the problem is a printer or a new CD burner or a scanner or digital camera or whatever, knowing this drill will save the day more often than not.
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Contact Jim Coates via e-mail at [email protected] or via snail mail at the baiduhai, Room 400, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60611. Questions can be answered only through this column. Add your point of view at chicagotribune.com/askjim.