Kim Komando answers questions on consumer technology.
8:09AM EST November 9. 2012 -
Spot a Facebook scam
Q. A couple of my Facebook friends have posted a link to a program that says it can tell me who visits my profile. Is this real?
A. No, it's not. Most of the information about profile views and details like that are kept deep in Facebook's servers. There aren't programs readily available that can give you this information. One good way to spot a scam like this is that several of your friends posted it. I'm willing to bet all of those posts look the same and weren't in those friend's usual tone of voice. That means your friend clicked on the scam and the post was automatically added to their profile. If you see posts like these, it's best to just ignore them and not click them.
Battle of the 7-inch tablets
Q. Is the iPad Mini a better buy than the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD? Which of these would you recommend?
A. I don't really think the iPad Mini is the best buy of this bunch. It's really only the smartest buy if you're already invested in Apple products. If you don't have a bunch of Apple apps already, the Nexus 7 and Fire HD are going to be a bit more powerful and you'll pay less. As for deciding between those two, that depends on what other services you have. If you have or want to sign up for Amazon Prime, stick with the Fire HD. If you use Google Calendar or other Google Web apps, you'll find the most value with the Nexus 7.
Adjust your monitor's resolution
Q. All the text and images on my monitor suddenly got huge. How do I fix this?
A. The problem lies with your monitor's resolution. All monitors have an ideal resolution, and your monitor is currently using one that is too low. That means more pixels are going into each letter, which makes it look weird. To change it in Vista and 7, go to StartControl PanelAppearance and PersonalizationAdjust Screen Resolution. Click the drop-down list next to resolution to change it and click "Apply." In XP, right-click the Desktop, select Properties and adjust the resolution slider. If you like what you see, click "Keep." You might have to try a few different resolutions before you find the best one for your monitor.
Protect yourself from phishing
Q. I clicked a link in an email that had a .gov on the end of it. Now I think there might be a virus on my computer. Is this possible?
A. Definitely. Some scammers have a trick that makes a government website redirect to a malicious site. All they have to do is attach their link to a .gov address in a certain way. Then, they can shorten the link of a sketchy looking URL to make it look like it's a .gov address. The best way to avoid this is to never click on a link in a sketchy email. If you're not sure, manually visit the website in your browser and then use the site's search to find the right information. You should also download a security program like Avast! or AVG to protect yourself.
Upgrade your browser
Q. I've been using Internet Explorer 7 for years now with no trouble. Everyone tells me I should upgrade, but I'm not so sure. What do you think?
A. I definitely recommend you upgrade, either to Internet Explorer 9, Firefox or Chrome. First, older browsers don't have the same features that newer browsers do. So you're missing out on features like HTML 5, faster browsing and even better tab management. Plus, security has taken some major strides in the last few years - an older browser is an easy target for hackers. Internet Explorer 7 didn't have very good security measures to begin with. Some programmers have even stopped programming their sites to work in older browsers, so more sites will stop working correctly for you in the future.
Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about consumer electronics, computers and the Internet. To get the podcast, watch the show or find the station nearest you, visit www.komando.com. E-mail her at techcomments@usatoday.com.
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