Freelance
TECH TALK
QUINCEY HOBBS
Tucson Citizen
Q I mentioned I’m not quite an expert so I do have one question to ask of you. I’ve been running Firefox as my browser for the longest time. With the latest Firefox update that I downloaded I’ve noticed that my browser now gets an “f” where the Flash Player stuff should be.
I have to click the little “f’s” or arrows in order to view a YouTube video, for example. That wasn’t the case before the new update was installed. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling the Flash Player but with no luck. Guess I’m still not as close to being an expert as I thought. Any help you could provide would be appreciated.
F. Ramos
A: This is a known problem. I would ask if you have the latest update for Adobe Flash? The latest version is supposed to fix this problem. The problem is unique to the Firefox plug-in for Flash. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, then you may want to consider using another browser to watch videos. Internet Explorer or Google Chrome should meet your needs.
Q: Mr. Hobbs, I have a problem. I was having a problem with my ISP one night. I called them and explained that I could not get into some sites once I clicked my mouse. One of the support personnel said that I had a virus and suggested that I buy a program to remove it. I answered that I had Norton 360 and that I would call them and run it.
I decided to run it first. I did this and that and somehow came up with a site where Norton said I had an unknown cookie and that it would be simple to remove. The only thing about this is that they or I could not find out how to remove the program. I have 10 cookies on this list, but this one’s name is only, “unknown.” This list also said that this has been tracking me since last July 2008.
How do I find out who is tracking me with this cookie deal and how do I get rid of this program as the Norton program suggested?
A. Ortiz
A: Mr. Ortiz, there are two types of cookies. The ones that are used while you are visiting a Web site are called session cookies. These stop tracking when you leave the site. The one that you are concerned about is called a permanent cookie. The name is slightly misleading.
Although they track you after you leave a Web site, they aren’t permanent. They have dates of expiration. To delete your cookies, open your Web browser. I will use Internet Explorer for this example.
Look in the Tools header. You should a section on the General tab named Browsing History. It is here that you can delete cookies. If this doesn’t remove them, then consider using Malwarebytes or SUPER AntiSpyware to remove them. The free edition should get the job done.
Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds @yahoo.com.