Internet and E-Mail
Symptom: I can't get my e-mail.
Minor: If you got all your mail yesterday and your e-mail program seems to be working properly otherwise, don't do anything. Almost without exception, a mail outage signifies nothing more than a problem with your Internet service provider: a severed cable, a mail server that's swimming with the fishes, or a worm attack that's left the country in slow-mo. If you change your e-mail settings, your chances of breaking something are very good. Don't do it. Wait a few hours and try again. If your ISP has a Web page with reliable status reports, keep an eye on it.
Moderate: So you've gone a few hours without your e-mail fix; you've checked the news, and there aren't any reports of new MyDooms ping-ponging around the globe, and it seems very likely that something's wrong with your system. Your next step is to pick up the phone and call your ISP. Explain the problem in detail. In all likelihood, some change at the ISP is affecting service to you, and if you've waited a suitable amount of time, the tech support people should know exactly what went wrong.
Dire: If the fault doesn't lie with your connection, your e-mail program may have gone out to lunch. Outlook, for one, is notorious for behaving strangely and even locking up in some instances if its data file--also called a PST file--gets scrambled. Microsoft ships an Inbox Repair Tool with Outlook. To get the most out of it, see the instructions at the Slipstick Systems site. If you use Outlook 2000 or 2002, regenerate your PST file every month, and copy contacts, calendar entries, and in-box messages from the old PST file to the new one.
Symptom: Internet Explorer has the wrong home page.
Minor: If you have a new PC, Internet Explorer probably opens on the manufacturer's Web site. If you haven't changed that already, navigate to the home page you want, click Tools, Internet Options, and in the 'Home page' box on the General tab, click Use Current. Occasionally, IE may open to a Microsoft page to inform you of a critical update. If clicking the Home button returns you to the expected place, everything is fine.
Moderate: Some programs or Web sites change your home page. (You may find a warning about the change in the fine print of a license agreement.) Follow the procedure above to switch it back; then reboot to confirm that the change has taken effect.
Dire: If the unwanted page returns, some piece of scummy software is resetting the home page every time you start Windows. Most evil apps of this type can be cut off by one of two free programs: Ad-aware or Spybot Search & Destroy.
