Security barrier keeps new computer offline

Q: I recently received a new HP Pavilion Slimline computer loaded with Vista. My computer-repair person installed an anti-virus program or firewall, I'm not sure which. After he did that, the next day I was unable to connect at all to the Internet. When I called him about this, he said that there is some feature in this program that seems to affect some computers and not others, but he's not sure what it is. How can I fix this?

Also, I have a genealogy program that was installed on my old XP system. How do I run this on my new computer?

Finally, I feel like my computer is being accessed and information taken. Is there a protection program that will alert me if this is happening? How can I stop people from illegally accessing my system?

— Roger Henry

A: Sounds like your repair person installed a firewall, which manages (and monitors) the ports that connect your computer to the bigger world outside. If the firewall is not correctly configured, you won't be able to access things beyond the firewall, whether it's another computer or the Internet. If your repair person can't correctly configure the software, you're going to have to find someone who can.

If that's not possible, you may want to simply uninstall the software firewall and activate the one that comes with Windows. The Windows firewall isn't particularly robust, but it does provide basic protection. And it is by default configured in a way that shouldn't cause any trouble.

As for running the older program, if it doesn't work with Vista you should try using the Program Compatibility Wizard, which allows you to run programs written for earlier versions of Windows. Most programs written for Windows XP will work with this feature, even if they aren't fully compatible with Vista. To launch the wizard, open the Control Panel and select Programs. Next, click on "Use an older program with this version of Windows." Microsoft, by the way, warns you not to use the wizard with anti-virus programs, disk utilities or other system programs.

Finally, if you suspect someone is hacking into your computer, you definitely should be looking at your firewall. Firewalls are designed in large part to prevent hackers. Unfortunately, detecting whether a hacker has attempted to intrude or succeeded in getting into your PC requires more expertise than most users have, so you may need to bring in a consultant.

Q: I store a lot of content on jump drives. In recent weeks, all the files on my jump drives open very slowly. The video files stop and start. If I put the same files on my hard drive, they play normally. Directories for other files open slowly. I have downloaded drivers for the jump drives and video players, but nothing seems to work. What's going on?

— John Wright

A: I assume by "jump" drive you're referring to USB flash drives? Flash drives, like hard discs, can experience file fragmentation that results in reduced performance. My guess is that's what is happening with your flash drives. The solution is to defragment the drives, which can be done using the Windows defrag utility or a third-party application.

It's also possible the flash drive may have format errors or corrupt files, so you should also run a scan on the drive.

For both scanning and defrag operations, right-click on the drive in Windows Explorer, select Properties and then click on the Tools tab.

Q: Since installing Internet Explorer 8, the addresses in my URL bar are partially grayed out. For instance, when I go to www.seattletimes.com/">http://www.seattletimes.com, the only thing not grayed out is "seattletimes." It just bugs me as to why this happened after the install of IE8. Any ideas as to the cause/cure?

— Janni Jaco, Portland

A: This feature was added to Internet Explorer 8 to help users easily see the domain name of the Web site. The idea is that if you inadvertently find yourself in a phishing site, the domain name may tip you off. The domain name is displayed in bold type, while the rest of the URL, including the specific page being accessed, is lighter in color.

I can't find a way to turn this feature off, but it does not affect functionality in any way.

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.