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Subject: Debunking Computer Myths

With this month's issue of the ELM Bulletin we debunk some computer myths that have become unreasonably popular. If you have heard one that is not discussed in this ELM Bulletin please feel free to bring it to our attention.

MYTH # 1 - Leave Your Computer Running - The idea behind this myth is that when you power up your computer it experiences an undue amount of stress as components begin to heat up and that if you leave your computer running 100% of the time this stress will be avoided, thereby prolonging its life. While this is not entirely untrue, the lifespan of the typical office computer is not only limited by its hardware but also by advances in technology. These advances will eventually render a computer obsolete long before it wears out mechanically.

Some other objections to this myth are:

- A computer running for a full year will use over four times the electricity of a computer that is shut down during non-business hours. The average cost to keep a computer running all year is $150.00.

- A running computer generates heat which can cause other damage.

- A running computer can be used by for unauthorized after-hours access to proprietary corporate data.

The only significant downside to turning a computer off is that it may fail to receive automatic updates, a situation that is very easily rectified through a minor change in its configuration.

MYTH # 2 - Disable The System Paging File To Improve Performance - While this may be Greek to some of our readers, many of you may have read that you can improve the performance of your computer by disabling the Paging File, a portion of hard drive space set aside for Windows to use as temporary storage. You may also have heard this file referred to as the Swap File. The idea behind this myth is that the Paging File can be disabled on systems that have 512Mb or more memory in order to eliminate behind the scenes disk access and speeding up your computer. You may enjoy some small performance boost by disabling the Paging File but this will reduce system stability and prevent you from being able to work reliably on large documents or images.

MYTH # 3 - Microsoft Products Are Inherently Insecure - Promoted largely by a vocal network of Microsoft "bashers" this myth has reached epic proportions. PC Mechanic (http://www.pcmech.com/show/kudos/898/) presents the following analysis:

According to ZDNet, a study by the US government found that in 2005, "out of 5,198 reported vulnerabilities, 812 were Windows operating system vulnerabilities, while 2,328 were Unix/Linux operating vulnerabilities. 2,058 were multiple operating system vulnerabilities"

Microsoft vulnerabilities are more visible for a number of reasons:

- Microsoft software, of one form or an other, exists on over 90% of computer world-wide, promoters of alternatives as being more secure ignore the fact that Microsoft's universality makes it a tempting target.

- Microsoft is taking the responsibility of addressing security issues seriously and continues to improve the security of its products.

- Regardless of the inherent security of any software this general rule of thumb applies: With sufficient incentive, if someone can make it, someone else can break it.

MYTH # 4 - Screen Savers Are Essential - Screen savers were designed originally to prevent "phosphor burn in" on the older style of display. Any of our readers who have been using computers before Windows 95 was released will probably recall being able to see data etched onto a computer display, especially on any monitor presenting a static display. Current monitor technology is such that phosphor burn in is no longer a significant concern and screen savers have changed in function from utility to entertainment. With the advent of Windows 95 a screen saver can even perform as a rudimentary security device: Simply give the screen saver a password, once the screen saver becomes active anyone who does not know the password will be locked out of the system.

MYTH # 5 - Internet Cookies Are Dangerous - An internet cookie is essentially a session tracker that allows a website to "remember" you over multiple visits, maintaining personal preferences and giving you a consistent experience on each visit. Some internet cookies are used by advertising firms to track your surfing on client sites to ensure that the same advertisement is not displayed too frequently. Most cookies, however, cannot connect what you do on one website to what you do at an other website. Some cookies are less altruistic but even then the limit of their capability is to track your browsing habits to a limited degree.

Cookies can be disabled in most browsers if you are concerned about them but this is unadvisable as your ability to view content at many websites will be curtailed. A better solution is to periodically scan your system for spying cookies with a product such as Spybot Search & Destroy or Lavasoft's AdAware which can remove them while leaving your regular cookies alone (see our website for links to these products).

MYTH # 6 - If I Press The Wrong Button My Computer Will Explode - There is no way that the typical computer user can press any combination of buttons on the computer and end up with fire. Heh, heh.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions about this or any other computer issue.

Peter Rhebergen

Technical Specialist, Systems and Software

Email: peter@elmcomputers.com

ELM Computer Systems Inc.

502 Gordon Baker Road

Toronto, Ontario, M2H 3B4

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