The Computer Geeks - Computer Services

VOL: 001 Issue: 008 2005

Letters to the editor
By Jeff Bourque
www.thecomputergeek.ca

At The Computer Geeks we receive a wide range of questions via email from our clients and networking associates.
People are looking for good advice on everything from software issues to hardware problems.

This month, we will respond to a couple of the 'puzzlers' that came our way.

Question:
Submitted by Joey D. of Montreal

I store a lot of personal information on my drives, which I then back up on CDs. How can I password-protect these files/folders on my computer and on CD-Rs so that no one else can view the contents? I am running Window XP Pro.
Thank you for any detailed help.

Answer:

Joey, you are on the right track by backing up everything you do.

Too many people fail to back up their information and then…disaster strikes and your hard drive dies.
This computer perversity usually occurs when you have major client deadlines or the day after the warranty expires.
Don't laugh, it happens!

As with any problem, there are many ways to go about solving it. I will answer your question with a question.
What method of back up do you use?

There is no direct way of password protecting the data if you are simply burning the files to disc.

For password protection you will need to use some sort of utility.

The most basic of the utility options is something like WinZip (http://www.winzip.com) or WinRAR (http://www.win-rar.com).

Both of these utilities allow you to create multi-volume files that have a specified maximum size and are password protected.

They are also relatively inexpensive.
The only drawback to using these utilities - you must create the ZIP or RAR file(s) ahead of time and then burn them to disc.
The backup process can be LONG - especially if you're creating a LARGE ZIP or RAR file.

By default, Windows Backup - the utility bundled with Windows XP is a very basic utility that does not support CD or DVD drives as a backup medium.
You can, of course, create a 650 or 700 MB file and save it to another hard drive and then burn the resulting file(s) to disc.
Of course, using the Windows Backup utility doesn't really give you the ability to put a cap on the resulting file's size.
Nor does it give you very good password protection; all it can do is enable a setting that makes the file accessible only to Administrators.
This is not very effective given that most basic installations of Windows create the default user as an administrator.
The backup is therefore available to just about any computer with Windows installed.

Most of your better professional grade backup utilities will allow you to do a backup with a password.
Some will support writing data to CD or DVD; however, most require a tape drive or tape library for backups.
But they can also take a HUGE bite out of your wallet.

That should be reason enough for you to think twice before installing additional antivirus software on your PC.

Question:
Submitted by Jennifer P. East York, Ontario

Answer:

Well Jennifer I'm not Dr. Phil but I have to agree with the I.T. department's advice.

Running your computer 24/7 is never a good thing to do.
Over time the computer processor will over heat causing your main board to fail.
These are just a couple of hardware problems that can develop over time.

The rule I follow is when I am going off to bed or have finished my work for the day I shut my computer off.
This allows the hardware parts to cool off and extends the life of your machine.

However, your computer does have some power down options that help it run more slowly and with less power when the machine is idle.

First click on Control Panel, then Power Options and choose a power scheme.

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