 FAQ's
(Frequently
Asked Questions)
Table of Contents
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Q:
What is e-mail?
A: E-mail, or electronic mail, is an electronic
way to exchange messages with one or more
other people. The idea is really the same
as that of a post-office. You send messages
from your ‘mailbox’ to your
local ‘post-office’ and then
your post-office sends that message to
the recipient’s post-office. The
recipient’s post-office then puts
the message into the recipient’s
mailbox. The recipient can then retrieve
their messages from their mailbox at their
leisure.
Q:
Can I get my e-mail at a location other
than my home?
A: Yes, you can.
Go to http://web-mail.sgci.com to check your email through a web interface.
Q:
I saw website listed in a magazine that
I was looking at. How do I get to the
website?
A: Open your favourite Internet Browser.
(i.e. Internet Explorer or Netscape) There
will be a bar across the top of the window
called either Address or Location (right
now it says http://www.sgci.com/support/faq.html).
Click in the white bar and erase any text
in there. Type the whole address that
you want to go to, and press Enter.
Q:
How do I Download software?
A: Create a temporary folder (directory)
on your hard disk.
- Double click on the My Computer
icon Double click on the (C:) icon
- Right-click anywhere on the white
background of the window
- Go to New --> Folder
- Give the file a name that you
will remember
- Click on the link for the file
that you want to download.
- Save the file to the new folder
that you made. When the download is done,
go to the new folder, double-click the
XXXXXX.exe file to install or open the
program files.
Q:
Is it safe to Download files from the
Internet? Will my computer catch a virus?
A: Just as in any
other situation in life, you have to ‘consider
the source.’ If you are downloading
from a reputable site, you shouldn’t
have any reason to be concerned. There
are no guarantees, but catching a virus
from a reputable/well-known site is extremely
rare.
There
are a number of ways that you can protect
yourself from getting a computer virus.
1.
Have a Virus Scanner on your computer
and keep it updated.
2.
If you receive an email with an attachment,
check to see what the ending of the filename
of the attachment is. If the filename
ends in .exe, .com, .bat, or .asp, this
is a file that could be a virus.
If you are certain of what the file is,
and you have a virus scanner on your computer,
feel free to open it. If you aren’t
sure of the origin of the email, or the
file isn’t something that you were
expecting, delete the email. Just reading
the text of an email will never cause
you to get a virus.
3.
Many viruses are passed on by using Word
Macros. It is advised that MS Word users
disable macros. (click Tools/Options/General,
then turn on the "Macro virus protection"
checkbox) Microsoft has also created a
patch that can help stop viruses that
are hidden in Macros. You can download
this from the Microsoft website at: http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/downloaddetails/wd97sp.htm
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Q:
Why does my 56K (or 33.6) modem sometimes
report a slower connect speed?
A: This is usually just a factor of how
clear the phone lines are. It may even
be a reflection of the weather. If the
line is not clear enough to connect at
full speed, your modem will renegotiate
the connection at the next best possible
speed. 56K modems will never connect at
56K. This is a limitation of the phone
lines, not of Spectrum Global Communications
Inc. or your computer. Owners of these
modems usually connect at 42,000 bps.
Factors that contribute to noisy lines
vary quite a bit, but one thing which
some people find helpful is to disconnect/disable
any other telephone devices (fax machines,
answering machines, call waiting, ring-id
selectors, etc.) that you have on the
same line.
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Q:
Why do I always connect at 57600 (or 115200)
even though I only have a 28.8?
A: What you are seeing here is not the
modem to modem connect speed, but rather
the modem to computer (or, more specifically,
serial port) speed. Just because you see
a 115200 connect speed does not mean your
connection is actually going any faster.
Your connection will only go as fast as
your modem will go. You can usually tell
your modem to report the actual connect
speed. See your modem manual for details.
Q:
I've been advised when in the MasterCard
Website that for security purposes, it
is best to:
- close/exit my browser
when finished with the site and/or
- clear my cache
What exactly do these things
mean & how do I accomplish them?
A: The important concept
to remember is that Windows saves information
about visited websites on your hard drive.
This saves a LOT of time. You may note
that things you have done or places you
have visited may be a different colour
(on some screens). Or that it seems to
'know' when you have been somewhere before.
This is a 'History' or Cache. It is a
temporary storage of information from
recently visited sites. You may also get
a prompt to 'Save' information like a
logon and password when visiting secure
sites. You should NOT save that information,
rather you should elect to re-type in
the login and password each visit. That
will keep the information from storing.
You may clear your cache
by resetting a parameter in your Windows
Browser to clear the history file every
day. There is a downside to doing this.
IF you clear your cache, then every web
site you visit will have to load everything
from scratch. This can really slow down
operations. If you have been there recently
and your cache is intact, then MOST of
the parts of that web site could load
directly from your hard drive, rather
than through your modem.
Instructions on How to Clean Cache In Different Browser
Q:
What is "Spyware"?
A: "Spyware is a program designed to collect information and monitor usage.
It is generally installed without the computer owner's knowledge and can be used to collect personal information. (ie credit card numbers)
There are several programs designed to detect and remove any sort of spyware infection on a person's computer.
The top two Anti-Spyware programs can be found here http://tech.sgci.com/pchealth.htm . Both of these programs are free to use."
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