Anti-virus product available, needed for Windows ME

Q: I have a Dell Dimension 4100 running Windows ME. I cannot upgrade to Windows XP due to the configuration (memory, etc.) of the computer. I am perfectly happy with the computer as it is, but I can't find virus protection for Windows ME. What do you recommend? Are there satisfactory free anti-virus programs for Windows ME? (AVG will only support Windows ME until August 2008). Since the operating system is so old, is it safe to go on the Internet without virus protection at all?

Louise Alburas, Seattle

A: You are definitely not safe from viruses just because you're using an older version of the Windows operating system. I would strongly recommend that you install an anti-virus program as soon as possible.

There are a number of available anti-virus programs that support Windows ME. Just search the Internet for "antivirus Windows ME" and you'll find a wide offering. And, yes, some are free. Generally, with the free products you'll have to put up with some advertising, and you may find the protection to be not quite as complete and up-to-the-minute as with full-service offerings.

As for specific recommendations, I don't make them unless I've just completed a thorough review of the programs. But you're generally safe with the big-name products.

Q: My family uses a Dell desktop running XP Home Edition. With the advent of digital cameras, we are increasingly placing more photos on the hard drive, and relying upon it as our repository of family vacations, close family memorials, everyday candid snapshots, etc.

If this hard drive fails (as they eventually do) and if I don't have a sound backup of these cherished memories, I'm (at best) sleeping on the couch or worse — in the doghouse indefinitely. Question: What would you recommend as a reliable means to back up these files?

I have seen portable USB hard drives, CF or PCMCIA solid-state drives, secondary installed hard drives and others. What would you recommend for someone who knows how to use PCs, not "fix" them? I would give up download speed for convenience as long as I can count on the accessory to save my marriage!

Jeff Hovorka

A: There are, of course, a whole lot of options — from backing up to floppies to installing tape drives, from external USB drives to mirroring servers.

Here's what I do. First, I have an external USB drive that is always connected to my computer, and I have Windows set to make an automatic backup of selected folders to that drive every night. That covers me against most accidental losses of data. But if my office is flooded or if there's a fire, I could still lose everything. So I periodically burn a copy of the backup to a CD and put in our safe deposit box at the bank.

If you don't trust yourself to make copies of your backups and store them off-site — and, come to think of it, it has been several months since the last time I did so — you may want to consider subscribing to an online backup service that lets you store copies of important files across the Internet. Just search the Internet for "online backup" and you'll see a number of providers offering this service.

Note: A number of readers have responded to the recent item about a computer that kept resetting its time to an hour earlier. I had suggested that the user replace the battery on the motherboard. Another possibility suggested by astute readers is that the computer might be using an older version of Windows that does not automatically adjust for daylight-saving time. That is certainly a possibility. If so, the user should make certain all patches and updates have been applied. Then go to the Date/Time utility and make sure that the software is set to automatically adjust for DST.

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.