Summer is coming. The temperature is rising. This time of year, the number one problem we see with computers is that they're overheating because their cooling fans are clogged with dust. Don't let this happen to your computer. We recommend you take your computer's cover off at least once every six months and blow all of the dust out of it - especially if you keep your computer on the floor. Want to know more? Call for our free report, Ten Steps to Proper PC Maintenance. Request our free document 905101. Like we said last month, an ounce of prevention...

Q: I'm concerned about the security of the data on my laptop. I travel a lot and I have real sensitive data on my laptop. If my laptop is stolen, the replacement cost of the laptop itself is nothing compared to the value of the stolen data. I wouldn't want that information getting out. What do you recommend? >Joe N., Amherst NY

A: There are several things you can do to protect your data. First, we recommend you use the Windows NT operating system. Windows 95 and 98 do not have much hard drive security at all (you can press ESCape to bypass a logon prompt, or boot from a floppy). Windows NT, however, has a special drive format called NTFS which does provide pretty good security for your files. Next, we recommend you password protect your individual files. There are many programs available on the web which allow you to encrypt your files. Additionally, programs like Word and Excel contain their own methods to password protect your files. If you would like to learn more about this, just give us a call and request document 905102 for our report on personal computer security.

Q: I am a longtime America Online user. I loved the "buddy list" feature where I could see if my friends or family are online. Sick of AoL's busy signals, I recently switched to a local Internet provider. Is there anything available like AoL's buddy list for normal Internet users to see if friends are online? >William, Cheektowaga NY.

A: There is a program available called ICQ ("I seek you") which you can download for free at www.icq.com. It is a buddy list for the Internet. The only problem is that you have to remember to start it yourself when you log on to the Internet. Most us here at Amicron use it for real-time chatting (and we have a special ICQ number set up for technical support, too). Want to know more? Request document 905103.

Q: I heard that Windows 98 is the last in the line of Windows operating systems to be like Windows 95. What's Windows 2000 going to be like? >Scott, Lackawanna NY

A: Originally, Microsoft said that Windows 98 was going to be the last operating system based on it's "Windows 9x kernel." Future versions of Windows would be based on the Windows NT kernel. Which basically means that all of their future OSes would be like Windows NT; a business-level operating system. Now, however Microsoft has released a statement saying that Windows 2000 will be based on the Windows 9x kernel. In addition, there is supposedly a Windows 98 Second Edition coming out this fall which is not a free upgrade (yes, you have to pay for it.) We're keeping our ear to the ground to see what Microsoft is doing. The bottom line is that we'll have to wait and see what's going on. We'll keep you posted right here.

Y2K is less than 235 days away! Get our free Y2K Report. Call for document 905104. Also, remember that the year 2000 does not mark the beginning of a new millenium. The Third Millenium (or the 21^st Century) does not start until midnight, January 1^st, 2001.

STOP! Before you buy your next computer, you owe it to yourself to read our report What You Should Know Before Buying A Computer. It's free. Just call for document 905109.

Documents are free by fax to the Buffalo/WNY area. You can call us at 716-837-4685, fax us at 833-6724, email us at cfaqs@amicron.com, or visit our web site at www.amicron.com. Be sure to leave your name and fax number. For a complete listing of documents, or for back issues of this newsletter, request document 905115. ComputerFAQs is copyright ©1995-1999 by Amicron Technology Services, all rights reserved. Please contact us if you are interested in any of our products or services, or if you would like your number removed from our database. We never sell our database of fax numbers to any outside sources.