What's up with wireless, regular routers?

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), May 3, 2004 by James Derk Scripps Howard News Service

More letters have filled the box and then some. Let's lighten the load a little bit.

Question: I just got a cable modem installed, and I had Norton installed. The cable installer said that was not enough protection and I needed to buy a router. Is that true, and, if so, what is the difference between a wireless router and a regular router? I am confused by the technology.

Answer: Great question. If all you had installed was Norton Anti- Virus, the installer is correct. If you had Norton Internet Security installed, that is enough protection as long as you keep it updated. However, if you plan to add another computer to use the same connection, I would consider a router.

A router has a firewall built in, so you don't need to add another software product. A router can be thought of mainly as an outlet strip. It allows more computers to be plugged in to the same Internet connection. A typical router is wired; you have to run a network cable to each computer back to the router. A wireless router connects computers to the Internet wirelessly, assuming you have wireless network cards installed in each computer (and the computers are within range of the receiver).

Question: Whenever I log on to my computer, a warning comes up says there is an error in MFC70.DLL. Any idea how to correct this problem?

Answer: Yup. A third-party company has decided to install a toolbar in your browser. Sometimes it's a good thing, such as the Google toolbar. Sometimes not. You can go to the Web site www.dll- files.com and download and install the above file.

If it were me, I would disable third-party plug-ins. For Internet Explorer 6, here are the steps. (1) Click on "Start" then click on "Control Panel." (2) If "Pick a Category" is displayed, click on "Switch to Classic View" on the upper left-hand side. (3) Double- click on "Internet Options." (4) Click on the "Advanced" tab. (5) Find the check-box next to "Enable Third Party Browser Extensions (requires restart)." (6) Uncheck the box in step 5. (7) Click on "Apply" and then "OK." (8) Close the Control Panel and restart your system.

Question: I'm a 74-year-old fan of yours, and in my frustration I'm turning to you to see if you can answer a question for me. First, I lost a close friend last weekend, and while I was being sent this information my Norton screen popped up to show it had deleted a virus. When I was sending this news to another friend, another one popped up. My question: What kind of sick monster takes pleasure in invading a stranger's privacy and ruining something good like the Internet for the use of others?

I no longer believe this is done by someone just having fun. It is a malicious act and destructive as well. Is it possible to profile these creeps and report on any updating that is being done by the industry to stop this?

Answer: I can say there is an aggressive campaign to plug holes in operating systems, but it is like a game of "Whack a Mole." As one is plugged, along comes another. We have most definitely moved on beyond the teen hacker looking for a thrill. These attacks are clearly getting organized.

WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Many people have asked me about Ad-Aware. Try www.lavasoft.de and install Ad-Aware.

James Derk is new media editor for The Evansville Courier & Press. His e-mail address is jderk@evansville.net.