| Why
do I need to worry about computer viruses? State Enrolled
Nurse Sybil (click to go back) |
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If
you only use the hospital network, you may think your terminal
is safe. Surely, your System Administrator has taken care
of this, you might believe.
The
problem is that computer viruses are becoming ever more prevalent.
And an important new route of infection has been identified
-- schools.
They
are becoming breeding grounds for viruses because many schools
cannot afford to keep their virus-detection software up to
date.
Your
child downloads a file from the school network onto a floppy
disc to work on at home. This is loaded onto your home computer.
Later that night, you, keen to complete that article you are
writing for Nephronline, download your draft copy from your
home computer onto another floppy and load it onto the department
computer. By doing so, you have potentially allowed a virus
to get into the hospital system through the back door.
Most
network security systems are designed to protect the system
against attack through the front door of the Internet. Although
they may periodically check the overall system, it might be
too late, not just for your locally stored files and profile,
but also for other network users.
So,
if you don't already have a Virus Detection Software (VDS)
program on your home computer, you should get one. This is
even more vital if your home system is connected to the Internet.
And once you have installed your VDS, keep it up to date.
You can usually do this through the software vendor's update
Website. Update regularly: at least every couple of weeks.
There
are several Virus Detection Software packages available through
retail shops. You can also often get them bundled with other
programs, usually Utilities, designed to help you keep your
computer buzzing.
If
readers would like Nephronline to discuss the virus threat
in more detail, let us know by email and we'll put an article
together.
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| I
am worried about racking up an enormous telephone bill while
I am reading and answering my emails on my stand alone PC. Can
I avoid this drain on my pockets? Dr T H Rifty (by unstamped
postcard) (click to go back) |
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The
trick is to learn how to work Offline. Once your computer has
binged and bonged its way through to connecting with your Internet
Service Provider, you will see a small flashing icon appear
on the toolbar at the foot of your screen. It looks like two
computers joined by a dotted line. |
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Wait until your emails have been downloaded onto your system.
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Point
and right click on this icon. |
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This
produces a mini menu. One of the options is Disconnect. |
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Left click on Disconnect and this closes your connection to
your ISP. You may see a little white X in a red box appear on
the dotted line, then the icon will disappear. |
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But
your list of emails should remain on the screen. |
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Scroll
through your mail and reply, forward, etc by clicking these
options on the top toolbar of your mail screen. |
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To
keep things tidy as you work, it is best to click on the line
on the left of the "line, small screen, closeX" option
in the top right-hand corner of each email. This shrinks the
reply etc down to the toolbar at the foot of your screen, leaving
your screen clear for working on the next message. |
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Once you have dealt with all your mail, shrink down, or exit,
the email browser. |
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Reconnect
to your ISP. |
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Draw
up each email you have shrunk to the botton toolbar, check it
if you want, and click send. |
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It
will disappear from your screen, but not reappear on the botton
toolbar. |
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If you forget an email, your system should remind you that you
still have mail to send before it lets you log off. |
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You
can also write emails before connecting to your ISP at all. |
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Launch
your email browser. |
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Left
click X, or Cancel, to close the Dial-Up Connection box at this
stage or left click the Work Offline option. |
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Left
click the To Mail button on the top toolbar of the email browser.
This will launch a blank email page. |
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Write
your email, shrink it down as described above, go through the
connection procedure, and send as described above. |
| I
have written the definitive article on the care of kidney patients
and want to send it to Nephronline for publication. How do I
attach this magnum opus to an email for your consideration,
a forgone conclusion I am sure? Dr I M Modest. (click
to go back) |
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Sadly,
sending an attachment to an email is terribly easy.
Once
you have written your covering email, go to the top toolbar
on your email browser. You will see a button called Attachment
with a representation of a paperclip on it.
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Left double click on this button. |
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This
will launch a menu which offers the action File. |
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Left click on this option. |
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This
launches a menu which allows you to drill down through all the
folders on your system. You do so by left clicking on the small
arrow next to the Look in: field at the top of this menu until
you are in the folder in which the file you want resides. |
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Left
click on the file you want, highlighting it, and you will see
its name appear in the File name: field below the main white
box. |
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Click
Open and you will be returned to the email browser. The name
of the file you have selected should have appeared in the white
field above the email message. |
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Repeat
this procedure until the white field above the email message
lists all the files you want to send. |
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Once
you have reconnected to your ISP, left click Send. |
| I
don't like some of the icons on my desktop. Can I change them?
(click to go back) |
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Some
icons offer you the chance to change them to representations
which have more meaning to you. |
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Left
click the icon to select it. |
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Right
click to get a drop-down menu. |
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Left
click to select Properties at the bottom of the menu. |
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You
will be presented with a dialogue box with tabs at the top,
one of which will offer you: Shortcuts; or Programs. |
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Select
this tab to open another dialogue box. |
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Left
click the Change Icon button. |
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This
opens a list of icons scrollable from left to right. |
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Scroll
along until you find one you prefer. |
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Left click to highlight it. |
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Left
click Okay to select it. |
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Left
click Okay again to exit the menus and to return to the desktop. |
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After
a couple of seconds you'll see the icon change to your new preference. |
| Quick
Tip . (click to go back) |
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Worried
you may not have enough space on the hard drive for a new program?
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Left
double click on the My Computer icon on your desktop. |
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Right
click on the hard drive icon which appears in the pop-up menu.
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Select
Properties at the foot of the drop-down menu. |
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The
schematic which appears tells you how much space you have
left.
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