Ugrading USB Ports; Installing a Firewall
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about eliminating Messenger pop-ups in Windows XP, firewalls and upgrading USB ports.
If you have a question, send it to me at
mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg's Mailbox.
Q: I tried to follow the instructions you printed last week for eliminating Messenger pop-ups in Windows XP, but couldn't find the "Administrative Tools" control panel you said to use. When I open my Control Panels screen there's nothing there by that name. Can you help?
A: I think so. In Windows XP, Microsoft hides the individual control panels in a "category view" that conceals their individual names. You have to first open the category icon to see the specific control panels within. To find the Administrative Tools control panel, click on the category called "Performance and Maintenance." Then follow the steps I offered in last week's Mossberg's Mailbox.
To get rid of this category view in the future, you can click on "Switch to Classic View" at the upper left of the main Control Panel screen, the one titled "Pick a Category."
Many readers who found the correct control panel reported that the procedure I outlined killed off the Messenger pop-ups. But some others weren't successful. I'm not sure why it didn't work for them, but in some cases the fix won't take until you reboot the computer.
Q: I've just installed a wireless network in my apartment and am happily broadcasting my DSL broadband connection to my desktop and laptop, and my wife's notebook. I love it, but I'm concerned about security. Is Windows XP's firewall enough? Do I need encryption software and all sorts of other stuff?
A: Yes, you should be using a firewall. The built-in firewall in Windows XP is very basic, but better than nothing. More importantly, you should make sure you're not "broadcasting" your wireless network, unshielded, to other apartments, where your neighbors can use it to either access the Internet on your dime, or, worse, to snoop into your computers.
To prevent this, you should turn on the security feature in your Wi-Fi system. This usually requires checking off a box next to an option called "Data encryption" or "WEP" or "WPA." It will require you to use a password to log on to your wireless network, which might be a pain. But it will keep out your neighbors in the apartment building, unless they are determined hackers with lots of time.
Q: My Dell Dimension 4400 came installed with four old-style USB ports. Is it possible to change over to the new USB 2.0 version, and what might be necessary to do so?
A: You can't convert the USB ports you have, but you can add new USB 2.0 ports to your Dell, by buying and installing a USB 2.0 card. Some of these cards will even add a mixture of USB 2.0 ports and another type of high-speed port called FireWire, or 1394. A good manufacturer of such cards is Adaptec. Installation isn't difficult, but I recognize that most computer owners are reluctant to tinker inside their machines. If you lack the time or skill to install the card, you can hire someone to do it for you, or pay a store to do it.
如何升级USB端口和安装防火墙
在我们大多数人所拥有的大型电器中，没有什么比个人电脑更令人费解和难以捉摸了。每个人都有一堆关于电脑的问题，而我们将为您提供解答。
以下是我就最近读者提出的一些电脑问题所做的解答。为了便于阅读，我对问题稍微进行了一些编辑和重述。本周'莫博士信箱'的问题包括：如何在Windows XP操作系统中取消Messenger弹出的窗口，如何安装防火墙以及如何升级USB端口等。
如果您有任何问题，请发电子邮件至
mossberg@wsj.com，我将挑选部份问题在'莫博士信箱'栏目中回答。
问： 我曾尝试著用您上周所教的方法来取消Windows XP操作系统中的Messenger弹出窗口，但是我找不到您所说的名为'管理工具'(Administrative Tools)的控制板。当我打开'控制面板'(Control Panels)窗口的时候，里面根本没有叫这个名字的图标。我应该怎么办？
答： 我想是这样的：在Windows XP操作系统中，微软(Microsoft)将单个控制板的名称都隐藏在名为'选项查看'(category view)的菜单下，你首先必须击开'选项查看'的图标才能从里面找到具体某个控制板的名称。如果想找到'管理工具'控制板，你只需点击'选项查看'菜单下名为'性能及维护' (Performance and Maintenance)的一项即可。然后可按照我上周在'莫博士信箱'栏目中所说的步骤操作。
如果你以后想去掉这种查看选项的功能，你可以点击位于'控制面板'主窗口左上方的'选择类别'(Pick a Category)命令，然后单击'转换到常规查看模式'(Switch to Classic View)确定。
虽然有许多已经顺利地找到了控制板的读者回信说，我所提供的步骤能够消除Messenger弹出的窗口，但也有些读者未能如愿。我不太清楚为什么这些人失败了，但请记住这种改变要重新启动电脑才能生效。
问： 我刚刚在公寓里安装了无线网络，很高兴地将我的台式机、笔记本电脑和我太太的笔记本电脑连接到DSL宽带网络上。但我在感到高兴的同时也担心安全问题。Windows XP的防火墙是否足以让我高枕无忧呢？我是否需要加密软件或者其他这类的工具呢？
答：是的，你的确应该使用防火墙。虽说Windows XP自带的防火墙属于很基本的一种，但有总比没有强。更重要的是，你应该确信你没有在毫无遮挡的情况下把无线网络'传播'到其他公寓，否则你的邻居将能够在由你付费的前提下登录互联网，或者出现更糟糕的后果：侵入你的个人电脑。
要避免以上危险，你应该启用无线保真(Wi-Fi)系统提供的安全特性。通常要求你检查一项名为'数据加密'(Data encryption)（或者是WEP和WPA）的选项旁边的对话框。这个操作将要求你登录无线网络的时候输入口令。这可能让你觉得麻烦，但可以避免同楼的邻居侵入你的无线网络，除非他们是花费大量时间钻研此道的'黑客'。
问：我的Dell Dimension 4400电脑安装了4个老式的USB端口，能不能换成新版的USB 2.0端口？要升级的话，有哪些东西是必需的？
答：你无法把现有的USB端口升级，但你可以通过购买和安装USB 2.0卡，把新版的USB 2.0端口添加到你的戴尔电脑上。有些USB 2.0卡甚至能同时支持USB 2.0端口和另一种名为FireWire或1394的高速端口。Adaptec是生产这类产品的著名制造商。安装这种卡并不困难，但我也知道许多电脑用户不愿意自己拆开机器。如果你没有时间或者不知道怎样安装，你可以雇别人替你安装，或者付费让商店帮你装。
