ItsGeekToMe.co

Q: Last February my Microsoft scanner & camera wizard program stopped working.  When I plug my camera in a box appears with options to do.  It does not matter what option I click on the program does nothing.  When I click on accessories and scanner and camera wizard the computer will cannot find the camera.  I have to click on removable device before I can access the camera.  I also found that I could not copy onto a disk.  I thought it was my disk drive and had it replaced but it still did not work unless I used Nero.  I have paid two computer techs to fix this but they are both bewildered and I am poorer for it. 

– Alan F.
Santa Rosa Beach, Fla

 A:  The first thing I always suspect in cases like this is outdated software.  Before doing anything else, make sure you have the very latest camera driver and all Windows updates installed.  The interesting thing about the Scanner and Camera Wizard is that the mechanism that causes it to launch when you connect the camera is the same basic mechanism that causes Windows to take actions when you put a CD in the drive, or connect a memory stick to a USB port.  Depending on how Windows is configured for the device in question, it will either take a default action (such as running the Scanner and Camera Wizard) or it will prompt you, or it will do nothing.  You forgot to tell me the particulars of your system (which version of Windows, camera model, etc) so my best guess for a solution for you would be that these AutoPlay settings have gotten messed up for your device.  Microsoft has a fix that deals with this issue which, while very old, is still available on their website.  It scans your computer devices looking for defective AutoPlay settings, and fixes any that are bad.  You can download it from here: tinyurl.com/47l3xzj

Q: Sometime in the past few days something has been sending emails from my Cox Outlook Express address to random people.  I become aware when a couple of notices come to me of mail undeliverable notices in my inbox.  One person has not been in my address book nor does he have an active email.  The emails sent always have a familiar subject line…hi or hey or good morning.  The mail is not sent to everyone in my address book.  I have opened the attach. with no harm done to my computer, but it is annoying to a couple recipients.  I would like this to stop.  A call to Cox helpline was not helpful.  Is my only recourse to change email addy? 

– Nancy C.
Fort Walton Beach, Fla

A: This is a classic case of someone hijacking your e-mail address to send SPAM.  I wish you would have retained one of the e-mails and sent it to me, because I could have told you this with certainty, but based on your description it’s very likely that the spammer hasn’t actually been sending mail “from” your Cox account, but rather, is sending e-mail that contains your address in the “From:” and/or “Reply To:” fields.  The difference is subtle, but important.  In the former case, it means your e-mail password has been compromised, and someone is able to get into your e-mail server using your own account, and there perform all actions you can perform, which include sending, reading, and deleting all your personal mail.  It is a form of identity theft.  The latter description is much more common, and far less dangerous to you.  It simply means that your address has landed on a SPAM list, and is in the rotation for addresses a SPAM sender is using to hide their activity as they send SPAM from some unknown account out in the vast expanse of the Internet.  The activity is likely to have stopped by the time this publishes, but you may see a long term increase in the amount of SPAM you receive.  Unfortunately, the only way to cure it with 100% certainty is to do what you said: change your e-mail address.