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Q: Answering your call for questions. I already asked this same question of you before during your last call many months ago, so I’ll make it brief… how do I go about installing and playing older legacy DOS/early Windows games like 95 and XP on my Win 10 computer? Games like Return to Zork, Myst and a host of others? There was something online about setting up a DOS shell that I could hardly understand. Any easy tips to accomplish this?

– Mike M.
Odessa, Texas

A: I agree that you previously asked this question, Mike.  However, it wasn’t just “many months” ago, it was over a year ago.  And, because I’m a helpful and stand-up Geek, I used your question in a column a short time after (Geek Note: I.G.T.M. #723, May 30, 2021).  In that issue, I provided you with all the revelations and knowledge that you’ll need to play all the games you mentioned and more.  Please visit my website and look up the column.  I’d like to take this opportunity to remind all my readers that every issue of I.G.T.M. ever written can be found in the archives there. This week’s column happens to be Issue 769.  If you don’t have the opportunity to read the column every week, and you’re not sure whether a question you sent-in ever got used, the best way to search is look for your first name and last initial, since that’s how I credit people.  For example, if your name is John Smith, you’d search for “John S.”.  The results might not be unique, but it will cut them down from over 769 to no more than a few.

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 Q: I have several email accounts, including several each in Yahoo! and Gmail. How can I check and be sure ONLY I am the recipient of my emails able to read them. I am somewhat suspicious a relative who previously had access to my computer and emails may have added a hidden link (if possible) so they can read my emails without my knowledge.

– Name and City Withheld by Request

A:  What you are describing is the exact reason why online accounts are secured with a username and password.  This is what keeps your accounts secure – for example, if you think someone else has access to your account.  All you need to do is go into the account and change the password and he or she will instantly be locked out.  Be sure and choose a good password – one that contains random letters, numbers and symbols, to prevent your nefarious relative from guessing your new password.  Avoid words, names, and meaningful dates that would be easily guessable.

Beyond turning the key in the lock to prevent unwanted access, both of the account providers you cited offer ways to look at account activity.  At a minimum, these will include dates and times that your account was accessed, but might also include an IP address and estimated location.

In Gmail, at the bottom of any page, near the right corner, you’ll find a block that says “Last Account Activity:” along with the time the last access occurred.  Accompanying this is a link that says “Details”.  Click that link!  At the top is a list of Concurrent sessions – or Gmail sign-in sessions that are open simultaneously, presumably from multiple devices.  Read carefully to glean what you’re looking for.  Below you will receive a comprehensive list of the last several account accesses along with details of each.

Similar data exist in In Yahoo! mail.  Start in your mail account, by tapping the Menu icon, then “Account info.”  Then you’ll find “Recent activity” that has everything you need to know.

Whether or not you suspect that someone else has access to your account, it’s a good practice to check these security logs now and then, and especially to change your passwords.  This becomes critically important if you use the same password on multiple sites, because once one is compromised, they are all compromised.