Computer cookies aren't necessarily crummy

Q: . I run a program called Spybot that searches out unwanted third-party entries on my computer. It always turns up a lot of tracking cookies. I do not know how they get there, but I am sure if my computer has them, so do many others and the users are unaware that they exist. Spybot removes them but they quickly show up again. Who is putting them on my computer and what if anything can be done to prohibit this invasion of my privacy?

— T.R. Craig

A: Not to worry. There are lots of "innocent" cookies. When you visit a Web site, for example, the site will record such things as passwords and personal configuration choices you might have made. Some sites will also record where on the Internet you came from and which pages you visited, likewise storing this information in "tracking" cookies. These cookies are generally harmless, though if someone has access to your computer he or she could learn a lot about your Internet habits by viewing them.

You can delete all these cookies, but the next time you visit the site they will be re-created unless you have turned off cookies in your browser. Unfortunately, if you turn off cookies, you may lose certain features of convenience, such as the automatic password entry.

Q: You often refer to reformatting the primary disk and reloading all programs. I have questions I can't find answers to: how to do a new install of Windows XP with an upgrade CD, what files to save, etc. In other words I probably need a step-by-step list of procedures to follow. Is there such a list and where do I find it?

— Ray Strand

A: Aye, there's the rub. You need an original bootable version of Windows to do the reformatting and not just an upgrade version. And even then, some versions of Windows allow you only to install a set number of times before you have to contact Microsoft to get the OK to reinstall again. Just think: If it weren't for software thieves, things would be so much simpler!

As for step-by-step instructions, what version of XP do you have? Detailed instructions for reinstalling the home edition are available at: support.microsoft.com/kb/896526/en-us. I'm not sure why they don't have instructions there for other versions as well, but the steps are nearly identical.

Q: Recently I have noticed among junk mail received that sometimes my e-mail address is attached to their names — i.e. theresedickwilsonjrw@msn.com. Usually, of course, most e-mail, junk or otherwise, shows their address with their e-mail name. I delete it right away but am afraid to report it to MSN as junk because MSN might consider my address as junk. It's like I'm sending junk mail to myself. How can this happen?

— Dick Wilson

A: There are a variety of ways that spammers could get your e-mail address to use as a fake return address, but the most likely is that you or an acquaintance has acquired a Trojan horse that is reading the contacts in the computer's contact manager.

Another possibility is that your computer has acquired a "bot," or Internet robot. If you're infected with a bot, the originator of the bot can take control of your computer and use it to send spam. In short, if you have a bot, the spammer might not just be using your return address, he might be using your computer to send spam.

What can you do about it? Three things. Make sure you're running up-to-date antivirus software. Second, if your antivirus solution doesn't protect against bots, install a separate program that does. (Symantec has just released a $29.99 stand-alone program called "Norton Antibot.") Third, lobby your legislators for stronger measures against spam and spammers.

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.