Q. I fear that my Rediffmail account, which I have been using for the past 20 years, is not secure. This year, I got two messages saying that my account has been hacked. Both times I changed the password. I regularly scan my laptop using K7 Security available on our office LAN and change passwords frequently. How do I secure my account?
Subhasis Ray
I am afraid you will have to dump Rediffmail or opt for their premium email service, which is more secure. Rediffmail lacks two-factor authentication and I do not like this. Sometimes, you will receive emails saying your account has been hacked. Take it with a pinch of salt. To protect yourself, use Windows 10 and keep it up to date with the frequent updates from Microsoft. You must get a paid security software installed in your machine for the times that you do not use the office LAN and work from home. Also, take basic precautions such as not visiting shady websites and arbitrarily exchanging pen drives with friends and colleagues. If you do exchange files through a pen drive, make sure you scan them first.
Default PIN
Q. I have been getting configuration update notifications from Vodafone on my Lenovo K8 Plus phone. When I tap on Install, I am asked for a PIN provided by my service provider. I do not have any PIN from them. I cannot delete the update either because I am warned that the application may behave erratically.
Patrali Pradhan
It is always advisable to accept updates from your provider and your phone’s manufacturer. Never delete them or postpone updating your phone. In this case, the default PIN for Vodafone is 0000. Other service providers may have the default PIN of 1234. Do not try putting in any other numbers because after three wrong tries, your SIM will be locked.
WiFi disconnect
Q. My Sony Vaio laptop has been experiencing WiFi connectivity problems ever since I upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1. It does not connect at the first attempt and often drops the connection. At times it does not detect any WiFi router.
Amitava Ganguly
This happens to some laptops after an upgrade to Windows 10. Right-click on My Computer or on This PC icon and select Properties. Choose Device manager from the next screen. Go to Network Adapters and right-click on your wireless adapter and select Properties. The name of the wireless card can vary from model to model. Go to the Advanced tab and select ‘802.11n Channel Width for band 2.4’ and change its value to Auto.
If this does not fix your problem, download the Intel Driver & Support Assistant from `https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html`. Instal this utility and run it. It will automatically find the right driver for your WiFi card and update it. Restart your computer.
Time to update?
Q. I use a PC with a genuine version of Windows 10. The three-year-old Samsung monitor’s screen turns reddish and then becomes dark. This happens sometimes when I boot the computer or in the middle of my work, but not always.
Asim Sarkar
You should first check all the cables and plugs to and from the monitor to see that they are not frayed or damaged. Sometimes, the cable might be loose in the socket and may need to be plugged in all the way. After you are sure everything is fine with your cables, you have to check for outdated drivers.
Type Device Manager in the Search bar and open it. Right-click on your display adapter and choose to update the driver. Sometimes, a few third-party software create problems too. Look for something called softOSD.exe. Open Control Panel—Program and Features and uninstal softOSD. If you are also asked to get rid of sds64a.sys, choose to let it remain.
