Block hijacking programs with a change in computer options

By Kim Komando
Gannett News Service

Q. A friend was hit by a program that used his computer to make long-distance calls. His bill was over $500! Is there a setting in Internet Explorer that can prevent this?

A. Yes. Programs that hijack parts of your system, such as the modem, are often written in a scripting language called ActiveX. Set Internet Explorer to reject these scripts by selecting Tools and Internet Options. On the Security tab, click Custom Level. Either disable the ActiveX settings or force the browser to prompt you when an ActiveX control tries to access your system.

Q. I have Windows Media Player on my Quick Launch Bar. When I put the cursor on it, it says: "Plays your digital media including music, videos, CDs, DVDs and Internet Radio." The message covers everything. Can I shorten it up?

A Yes. First, right-click the Windows Media Player icon. From the pop-up menu, select Properties and go to the Shortcut tab. Delete everything in the comment box. That kills the message.

Q. I'm in direct competition with another site on the Internet. Is there a way, preferably free, that I could be notified by e-mail when something on the competitor's site changes?

A. A notification service will send you an e-mail when a site changes. ChangeDetection (changedetection.com) and WatchThatPage (watchthatpage.com) are two free services.

Or, here's another idea: GoogleAlert (googlealert.com) runs daily Google searches and e-mails you whenever new results appear. Set it to search using your competitor's name. It's free, too.