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Q: I have two laptops. Laptop #2 is a Toshiba. I am giving it to my daughter. Windows 10 has been downloaded and kept updated. Here’s one problem that Cox is unable to solve. I have gone on line for a chat, called 4 times, eventually being transferred to a special technician and still no solution. Cox says it’s a Windows problem. Hmm. Heard this with another problem Cox couldn’t solve. It turns out it was a Cox problem. You call Windows – you pay Windows. No good old boys free info. I have removed everything that will not apply to her use of the laptop. Everything functions correctly. The only thing I cannot delete is the Cox Web Mail account on laptop #2. I deleted the Outlook Express account in settings on laptop #2 so there is no server but the Cox Web Mail still comes in on this computer.

 In red it states I cannot delete the Web Mail account on laptop #2 unless I contact Cox. Cox says they are unable to do this.

– Jackie B.
Niceville, Florida

A: In reading your question, I suspect that you might be using certain terminology incorrectly. For one thing, in your question you repeatedly refer to “Cox Web Mail” which, as its name says, is a web-based service that does not reside on your computer. It is accessed via any web browser, so there isn’t anything to really delete on the computer. It’s possible that the browser is automatically loading the Cox Webmail page at startup. If that’s the case, you should do the following: First, sign-out of Webmail on Laptop #2, and remove all stored passwords for Cox Webmail from the browser. Second, go into the browser configuration and remove the Cox Webmail page from the list of tabs that automatically load at startup.

If I’m mistaken in my reading, and you’re not actually talking about Web-based e-mail, you have a problem that may require Cox to intervene for you. Feel free to counter their denial with a reading of the dialog you mentioned that says you must contact Cox. You might also try escalating your request to a higher level of support. The first person to answer the phone when you call may simply not be familiar with the problem, or how to help you. Good luck!

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 Q: What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of using a VPN for a home network that is connected to a router. I do not connect to any outside work place. I have read that a VPN is more secure and permits access to web sites that may not be accessible using my regular high speed cable connection.

– Phil K.
Navarre, Florida

A: What you said is partially correct, Phil. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) doesn’t really help you to access any web sites that you can’t already access. Joining your computer to a VPN makes it a component of the network to which it is connected. As the V in VPN implies, the connection is virtual. The computer is actually physically connected to the local Internet, but functionally, it appears to be connected directly to the distant network. This usually includes encrypting and securing the data that travels between the client system and the distant VPN server.

VPNs are most commonly used by business travelers to access corporate network resources such as shared network storage, printers, and e-mail services. No matter where in the world you are connecting from, when attached via a VPN it appears that the computer is plugged directly into the company’s LAN just like it would if you were sitting in your office.

As with many technologies designed for business use, people have found uses for VPNs at home too. There are many home network services that you lose when you carry your laptop outside of your home network’s firewall. These include such things as attached network storage devices, media content streamed from one PC to another, and other peripherals that are shared among a home’s PCs. If you had a VPN server at home, you could securely connect your laptop to your home network from anywhere, and all the network services and shared devices would appear exactly the way they appears when you’re home. Now, in this Geek’s opinion, this is amazing and useful technology, but whether it is actually useful to you is a matter of personal need.