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Web and Network Know-How

Turn ads off (and PC protection on): Plenty of good programs can block Web ads, but there's something especially elegant about using the controls that Zone Labs includes with its $50 ZoneAlarm Pro firewall software to keep your browsing ad-free. Just move the slider under Ad Blocking on the Privacy tab to High to banish all bandwidth-hogging advertisements: banners, Flash movies, even those big eye-blasters that appear in the middle of your screen uninvited and won't go away. Oh, yeah--ZoneAlarm is a darn good firewall, too.

Head over to our download page to get a trial version of the program. Note, however, that ZoneAlarm Pro's High ad-blocking setting may suppress legitimate information on Web pages when such data is displayed like an ad.

Fine-tune your TCP/IP settings: Is your TCP/IP all that it should be? Zip over to SpeedGuide.net and find out.

First, click the TCP/IP Analyzer link to see whether your connection--from Windows settings to modem options--is properly configured. If the analyzer finds something amiss, click the TCP/IP Optimizer link to download a little tool that analyzes your connection and tweaks your settings; alternatively, you can dig into the optimizer and set your own custom preferences. The topper: It's all free.

Cloak your e-mail address on the Web: Listing your e-mail address on a Web site is like issuing an invitation for it to be harvested by spambots, those nasty automated programs that troll the Web for anything that looks like an e-mail address and then sell their catch to spammers. Keep the canned creepy-crawlies at bay by showing your e-mail address as a bitmap image rather than as text--bots can't read images. Alternatively, you can add characters (such as Remove) to your e-mail address (for example, "rluhnREMOVE@msn.com"), and then include a note telling visitors that they should delete the extra characters when sending messages to you. A more sophisticated approach is to place a field on your Web page in which visitors must enter a code that's shown elsewhere on the page to display your e-mail address. Pay a visit to JavaScripts.com or to other JavaScript libraries to locate free scripts like this one that require only minimal adjustment.

NIC network slowdowns in the bud: If your PC seems to take forever to find your network, its network interface card may be running on automatic pilot, trying (and failing) to detect a network setting that isn't there. Or you may be faced with mismatched settings: For example, your computer's NIC may be configured to function at 10BaseT, but your LAN hub may recognize only 100BaseT. You can't easily change the hub, so instead try tweaking the network card. Right-click My Network Places (or Network Neighborhood in Windows 98 and Me), select Properties, and click the Configure button for your network card. Choose the Advanced tab, and look for an entry labeled 'Link Speed' or 'Media Type'. The typical options are 10BaseT and 100BaseT (full or half duplex for each), Hardware Default, and Auto. Make sure these settings match the specs for your network router or hub. When you're unsure how to proceed (if you have both 10BaseT and 100BaseT devices on the LAN, for example), just go with the lowest common denominators--10BaseT and half duplex.

Ferret out network printers: Setting up a shared printer is normally the province of your friendly neighborhood IT department; but if they're off fishing, why not try setting it up yourself? (Note that Windows XP's Add Printer Wizard should find network printers for you, but your network's server may not cough up the information XP needs.) First, select Network printer in the Local or Network Printer dialog box, and then choose Browse for a printer. This may show all the printers attached to the LAN. (Just don't pick the printer in the CEO's office!) If the printer you want to use isn't listed, but you know the printer's server and shared name, enter that data in the 'Browse to' text box in this format: \\servername\printername. Make the connection, and then select the appropriate printer driver (XP may already have it on hand; if not, download it from the printer vendor's Web site). If this doesn't work, find the IP address of the networked printer or print server, open the Printers and Faxes control panel, double-click Add Printer, and click Next. Select Local printer, uncheck the Automatically detect box, click Next, choose Create a new port, and select Standard TCP/IP Port. In the subsequent dialog boxes, enter the IP address of the printer or print server, and select the Device Type according to the printer or server appliance name. Choose the make and model, and finish the driver installation. You'll need to download and install the proper driver for any print servers as well.