Superior Electronics Q&A

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press March 9, 2010.

Q: Is it safe to use my laptop on those free wireless networks I see at airports and hotels? I have heard that you can pick up nasty things when you connect to them.

A: For the most part, it’s pretty safe to use free WIFI spots. You just need to practice safe networking habits. If you have Windows 7 or Windows Vista, this is a pretty easy thing to do. Whenever you connect to an unsecured network, Windows should ask what type of network you are connecting to. If you do not know who else will be on this network, then the best option is to select public network. This option will automatically turn off all of your shared folders preventing easy access s to data, as well as turn off network discovery. This option makes you practically invisible to other users on the network. There are still ways to intercept data that you send from your computer so to be safe, you should avoid doing any sensitive work on a public network. Things like banking, personal emails, or other things of a private nature, are best left to be done at home or somewhere that you know the network is secure. As for picking up nasty things on open wireless networks, for the most part, viruses, spyware, and malware come from the internet so again, just using safe browsing habits will minimize the risk.

Q: What’s the best way to clean the inside of my computer? I took it into a store the other day to have it looked at. When they opened it at the counter, I was so embarrassed by the amount of dirt and other junk that had built up in it.

A: This happens to a lot of people. Computers are like little vacuums; they suck up everything around them. The best advice is to keep a can of compressed air handy, and blow the computer out at least once a month. If you live in a really dusty area, then you may want to do it more often. You’ll want to power down the computer, disconnect it, and take it to a well ventilated area. The last thing you want is to breathe in all that dust that you blow out of the computer. Always use some sort of compressed air, even an air compressor set to around 40 psi will work. Never use any sort of chemical cleaners or brushes to clean inside a computer. If you do, you may inadvertently break a component causing the system to stop functioning. The same holds true for vacuum cleaners. It may seem like a good idea to vacuum out all the dirt, but more often than not, you end up knocking something loose or worse.

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