1. Viruses: What are they and how can I protect my computer?
2. Spyware and Adware: What is it and how can I protect my computer?
3. How do I know if I'm on a secure site?
4. Cookies: What are they?
5. How do I get my home page back? How do I change it to a different page?
6. How can I find how much RAM memory my computer has?
7. How can I find how much Free Hard Disk Space my computer has?
8. How can I tell if my computer has an Ethernet card?
1. Viruses: What are they and how can I protect my computer?
Click here to go to our page that describes this in detail.
2. Spyware and Adware: What is it and how can I protect my computer?
Click here to go to our page that describes this in detail.
3. How do I know if I'm on a secure site?
One way is to look at the web address; non-secure sites start with http:// a secure site will read https:// the 's' following the http indicates the site is secure. Or, look for the padlock in the lower left corner of Netscape's window and the lower right corner of Internet Explorer's window. If the padlock is in the locked position, the site is secure. If it's in the unlocked position (Netscape) or if there's no padlock (Internet Explorer) the site is not secure.
A computer cookie is a piece of data which often includes an unique identifier that is sent to your browser from a web site you visit, stores as a file on your computer, identifies you as a unique user and tracks your web usage. Computer cookies can do everything from monitoring your visit throughout web sites, tracking how many times you've visited the site, how long you've been on the site, your log-in information at a particular page and remembering important information about your computer.
Over time, cookies can occupy considerable space on your hard drive. To delete the cookie files follow these steps:
Firefox: Click Tools and click Clear Recent History. Select Everything in the Time Range and click Clear Now.
Safari: From the Safari menu, drop down to ‘Preferences’, Click the ‘Security’ tab at the top (the lock icon), Click the “Show Cookies” button, From here you can search for site specific cookies if you only want to remove those, or remove all cookies. Click ‘Done’.
Internet Explorer: Click Tools then Internet Options. Click Delete Files under Temporary Internet Files. Click OK twice. Open your email, click Edit then Empty Deleted Items folder. If you don't find this under Edit, look under Tools.
5. How do I get my home page back? How do I change it to a different page?
Internet Explorer: Open Internet Explorer. Click Tools then Internet Options. Type your desired web site's URL in the Home Page Address field under the General tab. Example: http://www.mosaictelecom.com. Click OK to save the change.
Firefox: Open up the website you want to be your home page. If you want a blank home page, open a new tab. Click on the icon to the left of the web address, drag it to the Home button and then let go.
Safari: Open Safari and navigate to the page you wish to make as the default. Click on the "Safari" menu on top and go to "Preferences." Under the "General" tab, simply click on the button "Set to Current Page." Close and that will save your setting. Close your Safari browser and launch it again for it to take effect.
6. How can I find how much RAM memory my computer has?
Windows Vista: Click Start/Vista icon, right click on Computer. Under the System category you will find the amount of RAM memory.
Windows XP: Click Start, right click on My Computer, then left click on Properties. Click on the General tab you will find RAM near the bottom of this page under "computer".
Windows 7: Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.In the System section, next to Installed memory (RAM), you can see the amount of RAM your computer has.
Macintosh: At your desktop, click on the "apple" icon and drag to About This Mac. The number next to "Total Memory" is what you are looking for.
7. How can I find how much Free Hard Disk Space my computer has?
Windows Vista: Click Start/Vista icon, go to Computer. Under the Local Disk (c:) it tells you how much free space you have compared to the total space in your computer.
Windows XP: Click Start then click on Control Panel. Open My Computer. Right click on Local Disk (c:) and select Properties. You will see a pie chart detailing your free disk space in the General tab.
Windows 7: Click on the Computer Icon. You'll see each drive with a small percentage bar of how much disk space is being used as well as a description of how much is free and the total disk space. If you're wanting additional information right-click the drive and click Properties.
Macintosh: At your desktop, single click on Hard Disk icon to highlight, then click on File, and drag down the Get Info. The window "Hard Disk Info" will open. Look for Size.
8. How can I tell if my computer has an Ethernet card?
Windows Vista: Go to your Start/Vista icon, right click over the top of Computer, select Properties, then on the left side of your window pane will be Device Manager. You should see a list of devices on you system. Find the item on the list that says Network Adapters and click the + (plus sign) next to it. If it has a - (minus sign) instead, ignore this step. Under Network Adapters, you should see a list of all network adapters installed on your computer. If you have an Ethernet card, it will be listed here.
Windows XP: Click Start, then right click on My Computer and left click on Properties. Click on the Hardware tab (at the top). Click the Device Manager button. You should see a list of devices on you system. Find the item on the list that says Network Adapters and click the + (plus sign) next to it. If it has a - (minus sign) instead, ignore this step. Under Network Adapters, you should see a list of all network adapters installed on your computer. If you have an Ethernet card, it will be listed here.
Windows 7: Click on the Start button and then choose Control Panel. Click on the System and Security link. Note: If you're viewing the Large icons or Small icons view of Control Panel, you won't see this link. Simply click on Device Manager and then proceed. In the System and Security window, click on the Device Manager link located under the System heading. You should see a list of devices on you system. Find the item on the list that says Network Adapters and click the + (plus sign) next to it. If it has a - (minus sign) instead, ignore this step. Under Network Adapters, you should see a list of all network adapters installed on your computer. If you have an Ethernet card, it will be listed here.
Macintosh: Look on the back of your computer for a plug-in that resembles a telephone jack. If the jack is the same size as a telephone jack then that's your modem. If you see a similar, but wider jack, that may be an Ethernet card.
