Erase The Past

Dear Alfred: How can I cover my tracks after using my computer?

Pat Curran 

It must be a sign of the times, because I'm asked this question often. You can erase the temporary files created by Web surfing and cover up other activities in a number of ways, none of them guaranteed.

When you delete a file, its space is marked as available. The data is still there, however, and you can easily recover it, until another file needing that space overwrites it. Even then, the residual data may still be detectable with the right equipment. That's why some "wipe" utilities repeatedly overwrite available space to obliterate the old information. This still doesn't guarantee the old data can't be recovered. Traces of the original magnetic fields that contained the data may still exist.

If you want to be absolutely certain no one can track your activities by looking at your hard drive, don't use it. Configure your system with a bootable, removable disk drive. When you turn off the system, take the drive with you or lock it somewhere safe.

The File That Ate My Hard Drive

Dear Alfred: I found a file on my hard drive named WIN386.SWP that keeps growing incrementally. It's now up to 98MB. I don't know what it does. Can I get rid of it?

Richard D'Amico

You've found the Windows swap file, which Windows uses as virtual memory. When you load more programs and data than will fit into your computer's physical memory (the RAM), Windows will shunt some of the information to your hard drive. Windows treats the hard drive space as if it were memory, hence the term "virtual memory."

Windows also makes the file dynamic by default, so it can grow and shrink as needed. As the file size changes, however, the computer's performance can suffer, because the size changes can seriously fragment your drive. Fixing the size of the swap file cuts down on the work your system has to do and may improve performance.

Before you get started, defrag your drive. Then right-click on My Computer and select Properties. Click the Performance tab, the Virtual Memory button, and then the "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings" button. The amount you'll need depends on how much you do at one time, but try 100MB to 200MB to start. Make the amount you choose both the minimum and maximum setting. You'll see a warning message before you can finalize the changes. Click Yes, and Yes again, to restart your computer.

Although you may see a performance gain, you're better off adding more RAM, which is much faster than any hard drive.

Tone-Deaf Modem

Dear Alfred: When my dad tries to use his ISA modem card, he gets an error message reporting no dial tone. I plugged a phone into the line, and I can hear a dial tone. What could the problem be, and how can I fix it?

Laura Taylor

Try testing the modem using the Windows modem test. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel, and select the Modems applet. Click the Diagnostics tab and make sure the modem is assigned to a COM port. If it isn't, it's installed incorrectly. If it is, highlight that line, and choose the More Info button. You should see a window filled with information about the modem's settings. If the modem doesn't respond to this test, it's probably damaged and needs to be replaced.