Proxy service .. hmm .. I like secure things, but I don't like Proxy servers. The free ones anyhow. Unreliable & Slow.. plus who's in the Cache looking around at my logins or capturing my credit card info from there ??/ Maybe before doing that, investige the available router security, if you dont already have one, consider that they make it darn near impossible for someone with your iP to touch your computer on the home LAN side... & look into OpenDNS.com for some added free security, that maybe speeds up your browsing while stopping you from going to some of infected sites. . Here is a link that might be useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server

Give me your old computer, or give it to someone you trust , i wouldnt risk giving a hard drive to the trash without a hammer. I have been using Avast on Vista laptop here as it seems to be the most popular right now... but that could change fast with a new version. Unless you live in a multifamily building its seriously doubtful anyone will want to steal your wifi connection and the connections with your bank and such will be highly encrypted,, no one will be cracking into that quickly in the short amount of time you're going to be using it. Follow proper security recomendations and you'll be fine. New solo browser window for your banking or other secure financials... highly recommended if you have wifi or cable network of any kind ;) And close it and clear cache when youre done,,, unless youre positive all youre sharing is blocked. Public hotspots ,,, Vista has a special public place security feature you can use... great for single stand alone non networked computers in the home too. Wifi is cool and 'nearly' totally secure - it would be unusual for someone to gain access to yours unless you have a crook for a neighbor or a stupid kid. ,, im fixing to unsecure mine now for a few days... if I see someone using it ,, I'll block them if its not one of my freindly neighbors accidentally connected. Not a big deal to me if I know the user. But easily secured so youre the only one that has access without some hacking. Hacking into wifi is a serious crime in most communities. my two pennies anyways.... if you dont have wifi now call your isp before running out and buying something,, they maybe will sell you something cheap,, or give it to you and then support it too if you need help setting it up.

So after much thought - we decided to talk to our daughter and let her know that we wanted to get her a laptop - but that we also have concerns about her use of technology - and that we would only do this with a contract. I'm going to be working on the contract for a while - and would welcome any ideas. So far, I know it will include that I have administrative control of the laptop - which will be used to update programs, run antivirus and antispyware - and generally ensure me that I have access (unlike her ipod which she changed her password on so I don't have access). It also includes that all technology (ipods, laptop, etc) will be in the parent's bedroom - from when it's time to get ready for bed - until after school the next day (or the next morning if there's no school). (not having it in the kitchen over night bc. she'll sneak down and get it if she's awake in the middle of the night. She won't sneak into our bedroom to get it.) This will prevent her from using it in the middle of the night (esp. tempting when her friend lives in Vietnam is is available to chat at those times) - and thinking she can have the laptop open in the bathroom while she's getting ready for bed. For now, I am not setting time limits - but will include that those could get added in the future if we think she's using it too much. The reason to not add it now is that she is using it a bit too much. BUT - that's bc. she loves her new Sims game - which is actually motivating her to do her homework as soon as she comes home. For the first time ever, I do not have to monitor her homework and keep asking her to do it (I still pay attention to what she's doing, but it's nice that the impetus to do it and stay organized is now coming from her). She's also coming out of a serious depression - and having some pretty terrific, responsible behavior - so any limits on amount of her free time spent on the computer - when she's meeting all her responsibilities - isn't as pressing for right now. She's also healing form a broken ankle - so in fairness to her, there's not as much active stuff she can do with her free time. ------------------------------- I have some questions about how to set up her computer so I have administrative control. I have that set up on my computer now - and she can use it as a guest. But if my computer is off - and restarts, she needs the password to get on. She doesn't have the password to my computer (which is how I want it). But I do want her to be able to log into her own computer without me giving her the administrator's password. Is there a way to do this? Set it up so she can start the computer and log in as a guest? Thanks. Lynn.

Always nice to have conversation! I'd like to change one comment I made. I suspect smartphone email use is very high. How high, I don't know, but almost every public and private system of any size accommodates their use with special access and apps. Google's Mail Fetcher will combine up to 5 different email accounts into one, so that you can access them all in one place. When you do "reply", you can change the return address so it looks to have come from the other "remote" account. I suspect you could do more than 5 by cascading the accounts, but no one should need more than a few email accounts. If that's wrong, let me know! grandms, my comments had nothing to do with work vs private use. Awkward is awkward, easy is easy. Make yourself happy with however you want to go about your mail tasks. I was just trying to offer a suggestion to people having questions or trouble trying to do something that they may not have known was unnecessary DA, if your governmental agency didn't want web access used, they could turn it off. I suspect the reason is an attempt to decrease the load on their system by offloading some of the work to the client software. Mudlady, keep up the good attitude. Be open to new ways, that's what technological advances are all about. Without those advances, you'd still be struggling away with that Zenith and getting by without all the great functionality today's online world offers. Those changes seem to have been ok with you, you may be more open to change than you think.