Q: I am the father of a teenage boy. Recently I heard him and a friend discussing the Internet and the advantages of "InPrivate" browsing with the Internet Explorer browser. I am wondering, as a parent, if there is any way that I can determine how he is using that feature? Nothing shows in the normal browser history file.
A: Because the "InPrivate" feature of Internet Explorer makes it easy to use the Web without leaving any tracks, there's no way to determine how it's being used.
The only work-around is to use parental-control software that blocks the InPrivate feature.
InPrivate comes with two components that protect privacy in completely different ways.
"InPrivate Browsing" allows people to hide what they do online by leaving no record on the PC of the websites that were visited. It works by automatically deleting cookies (bits of code that identify you to websites) and temporary Internet files (copies of Web pages you've viewed.) In addition, it never stores Web page history or passwords.
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The other component, "InPrivate Filtering," detects attempts by websites to track you online, learn your habits and create a profile of you.
InPrivate Filtering works by looking for third-party content (content created by someone other than the website you're viewing), and giving you the option to block it. Why? The third-party content could be a "web beacon," a tiny bit of code that helps websites track your movements.
The InPrivate controls can be overridden by Microsoft's free parental control software, called Windows Live Family Safety. Find it at www.tinyurl.com/3memymd or at www.tinyurl.com/5vmv3nd
To turn InPrivate's features on and off normally, see www.tinyurl.com/27lc6tt and www.tinyurl.com/qozysf
Q: Sometimes Microsoft Word documents that come as email attachments show up as ".docx" files, and when I open them all I see is garble. Is it encrypted? I use Word 2007. What should I do?
A: The file you've received isn't encrypted, but it is different from the .doc Word files you're used to seeing. Word 2007 introduced the new .docx format, so if you're using Word 2007 you should be able to read those files correctly.
If you can't read them, I suspect you're using an earlier version of Word. If so, download the free "Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats" (www.tinyurl.com/234a3yn) that allows you to open, edit or save 2007-era documents with earlier versions of those programs.
Email questions to Steve Alexander at steve.j.alexander@gmail.com Include a full name, city and phone number.