WiFi hotspots might be security trouble spots, too

Q: When I use dialup at home to access my bank and brokerage accounts via the Internet, I know that all communication with the financial institutions is encrypted and reasonably secure. I'm wondering if use of my laptop (also capable of 128-bit encryption) to access those same financial institutions via WiFi hotspots when I am traveling would be equally secure.

Eldon H. Graham

A: You're right to be concerned. Most public hotspots do not encrypt data traffic and they don't require user authentication. That means it's a snap for hackers to snag information flowing across the hotspot, and that information may include your credit-card numbers or other sensitive information. Even worse, if you've turned file-sharing on in your device, a competent hacker may also access information on your hard drive.

And be aware that some hackers have set up so-called "poisonous hotspots." These are hotspots that masquerade as legitimate public hotspots. They're just waiting for you to get on so that they can sample your data.

The best rule is to try to avoid transmitting sensitive data over a public hotspot. If you're going to use a public hotspot and you have sensitive data on your computer, you're going to want to do the following:

1. Make sure you're connecting to a legitimate hotspot. And certainly don't configure your wireless adapter to connect to the nearest hotspot automatically.

2. Make sure you've got your personal firewall active.

3. If possible, use a virtual private network (VPN) to connect to sites. Using a VPN provides additional security. Unfortunately, VPNs require managing and most sites you're going to connect to do not offer this option.

4. Manually encrypt files before transmitting them.

5. Make sure you don't have your computer configured for file-sharing.

6. Make sure your operating system is updated regularly.

Q: In your Q&A column March 3, you had a question that concerns a number of us who bought Sony Vaio computers with 14 gigabyte C: drives and much larger D: drives. The last line of the question is of particular interest to me, but you did not answer it specifically: "Is there any painless way I can ... get more space on the C drive?" Is there a relatively easy way to move the partition between C and D drives to gain more room in the C: drive?

Paul Ackerman, Kenmore

A: Yes, there is a painless, though not costless, way to change partition sizes. Specifically, you can buy a program such as Partition Magic that will allow you to resize partitions. Partition Magic, recently acquired by Symantec, has a list price of $69.95. You can find out more about the product at www.symantec.com.

Q: I use a Mac, and there must be thousands of others like me who would like to publish a small book(let) without using InDesign. For example, I'd like to self-publish a 32-page book of poetry. I've scoured the Internet for a Mac program where I can drop in (poems) and have a few basic formatting tools to center, adjust fonts, etc. Maybe I need to do this on a PC? Do you know of any friendly software for self-publishing?

Bill Hoke, Bremerton

A: Sounds like all the tools you need are available in most word processors for both Windows and Macintosh computers. Of course, you'd need special equipment if you wanted to actually bind your pages into a book. All you'll get out of a PC is individual pages.

Note: In a recent column (March 3) a reader asked about options for running Windows 98 and Windows XP on the same computer. I directed him to the steps for setting up a dual-boot system. A number of readers immediately e-mailed to me to point out an overlooked solution: Microsoft offers a free utility for running legacy applications on multiple versions of the operating system. The solution is called Virtual PC.

I was definitely remiss in not suggesting this option. Readers can find out more about Virtual PC at: www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/virtualpc/default.mspx

Questions for Patrick Marshall may be sent by e-mail to pmarshall@seattletimes.com or pgmarshall@pgmarshall.net, or by mail at Q&A/Technology, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.