q+a Is there a way for me to figure out if a website is safe or not? I do not want to be swindled by fake websites.

Saheli Hazarika

 

Browsing the web can be like walking a tightrope sometimes. Not only are there questionable content, but you are also exposed to phishing attacks, adware, malware, viruses and other attempts to invade your privacy and steal your personal information. If you have any doubts about the website you are going to visit, it is a good idea to run a check through the Norton Safe Web site. Go to https://safeweb.norton.com and paste the URL in to the text box for the site address. Norton will check and give you a rating.

Windows warning

q+a My computer shuts down on its own when I am working with the warning that Windows has detected a problem. When it restarts, the same thing happens again after a while. I use a HP Pavilion laptop with Windows 7 Ultimate.

Bama Dasgupta

First, download all the updates to your antivirus program from the vendor's website and update your Windows too. See if this solves the problem. If it does not, go to Start on your desktop and type cmd. Click on cmd.exe from the results. This will open the Command Prompt. At the prompt, type sfc /scannow. The program scans to check the integrity of all protected Windows 7 system files and replaces incorrect, corrupted, modified, or damaged versions with the correct versions if possible. This usually solves the problem.

Otherwise, you will need to restore your computer to a date when it was working properly. To do this open System Restore by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type system restore. In the list of results, click on System Restore. You will need administrator privileges for this. If you are prompted for an administrator password provide it and follow the steps in the wizard to choose a restore point and restore your computer.

Unable to format

q+a I am not able to store any files on my 32 GB Sandisk pen drive. I get the message "unable to format" when I try to wipe it clean. Please help.

Aniket Sarkar

There are two reasons for this. Either your pen drive has faulty hardware or it is infected by viruses. There is no way to fix a damaged pen drive. If there is a virus infection, plug in the pen drive into your computer and click on the Start button. Open the Command Prompt by typing cmd. In the window that opens type Format f:/fat32. Replace F with the letter of your pen drive.

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