Last week I wrote about Spyware and how to get rid of it. Obviously that column touched a chord and I received some very nice letters as a result like this one; ?Many thanks for your column in yesterdays Royal Gazette ? I ran the Ad-aware program last night and found 285 bugs ? it scared me to death as I do use my laptop for internet banking, booking holidays etc!!?

Be sure to write to me and tell me if you found even more than the relieved reader above.

The all time record that I have seen is 485 but I did see one last week with 401 newly discovered bugs on it!

If you can prove a worse case than that and send me a screen shot of the Ad-aware screen I?ll see what we have around here and give you some kind of prize!

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Question: The Operating system on my PC isWindows XP. I recently learned how to create an Explorer shortcut on the Desktop (explorer.exe) but when I use it, which is many times daily, it opens to My Computer not My Documents. Can you tell me how to fix this? Thanks.

Answer: Good for you using the Explorer view. For managing computer files and directories and just conceptualizing the contents of your computer there is no better tool than Windows Explorer.

To get your Desktop shortcut to point to My Computer right click on the shortcut for Windows Explorer, select properties and copy this to target (you have to get it exactly correct, don?t get creative with spaces or punctuation);%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n,/e,/select,C:\That should do it!

When you get to My Computer in Windows Explorer you can then easily look at the various drives that are in your PC for example you will find drive C: and A: at least and probably at least one other letter representing your cd-rom drive too.

Try right-clicking on the drive letters and untold vistas of interesting information will be there for the taking.

Go ahead you can?t do any harm.

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Question: I?m new to Windows XP Pro so please excuse me if this is dumb question but what is the difference between XP Backup and System Restore?

Answer: This isn?t a ?dumb? question at all. Both of these functions have in common the preservation of data on your computer at a given moment in time for the purpose of system safety or disaster recovery. However, there is quite a difference between the function of System Restore, which first appeared in Windows ME and was possibly its most redeeming feature, and Backup.

When we talk here about Backup we?re going to be talking about the feature incorporated into Windows XP Pro (Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Backup) or as an extra option which can be installed from the Windows XP Home CD.

System Restore (rstrui.exe) preserves essential file and system settings at any specific point that you choose or it can automatically from time to time make a record of your system settings.

System Restore is very easy to use following the Wizard, and there are few options so it?s just about impossible to go wrong.

The most difficult part is remembering to set a System Restore Checkpoint before doing anything adventurous to your computer.

I use it religiously when making changes or adding programs or hardware which might result in a conflict.

If you ever attempt a system alteration after which you find yourself staring at the screen thinking things are worse than before you started, System Restore can return your system to a better time.

Backup (ntbackup.exe) is included in Windows XP but has to be installed as an extra option on the Home version. Even when added to the Home version it is slightly different than it is on XP Pro and this is one of the reasons I prefer the Pro version despite the extra cost. Backup opens to a Wizard which allows you to compress everything on your computer or just those parts you choose, probably to removable media (I use an external USB drive) it also works in reverse to regenerate the data. One thing to remember is that an inherent limitation of FAT32 file systems is that file sizes cannot exceed 4gb?s. You might find that when backing up a large hard drive (say 80gb?s or more) with a lot of data as well as the system state that the backup file will be larger than 4gb?s. One way around this problem is to convert your file system to NTFS which doesn?t have the file size limit.

On the computers I work on I routinely create Desktop shortcuts for System Restore and Backup and urge their regular use.

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Question: I?ve read in your column and in a couple of computer magazines that building a computer from components isn?t rocket science so I?m going to give it a try. That brings me to my question; I know there are two different XP Operating Systems to choose between, XP Home and XP Professional. I know XP Pro costs more than XP home and I don?t want to waste money on features I wouldn?t ever use or miss but is there any easy way to determine which of the two versions I should buy?

Answer: The answers to the following five questions should help point you toward the version of Windows best suited to you;

Question 1: Do you want to access your computer remotely in order that you can work with your programs and data while away from your desk? For example might you want to access your work PC from home in the evenings?

Answer: There is a feature found only on Win XP Pro called Remote Desktop (a bit like PC Anywhere) which lets you set up a connection from any other Windows based computer.

Q2: Do you plan to connect to a large network?

Answer: Windows XP Pro is best for people who connect to large networks such as an office or a school network. XP Pro allows you to join and be managed by a Windows domain.

Q3: Do you need to protect sensitive data files stored in your computer?

Answer: There is a feature not found in Windows XP home but present in Windows XP Professional called Encrypting File System (EFS) which allows you to encrypt your files and folders for added security. Additionally there is a feature also only found in XP Pro which allows restrictions to be placed on access to selected files and applications.

Q4: Do you need to restore your system in the event of catastrophic failure?

Answer: Well this is no-brainer. But you might not know that XP Pro has much more robust options for backing up and restoring data than does XP Home. This one alone decides it for me.

Q5: Would you consider yourself a ?power user??

Answer: Even if you just think you are go for XP Pro because you won?t be happy knowing you are missing features. There are a number of incremental differences which would take up too much space to be listed here which are not present or not as versatile in XP Home. Other more obscure features of XP Pro which might be important to you are advanced networking for multiple PC environments, support for multiple processor systems and support for multiple languages.

Now, clearly all of the above reads like a strong endorsement for XP Pro but I have to say the majority of the XP PC?s I see run XP Home, belong to individuals and are not for commercial use. Often XP Home is the operating system that was installed in the factory and the users are delighted with it. It looks much the same as XP Pro, cost less and is just as stable. So don?t feel bad if you have XP Home and now I?ve got you thinking you might have been better off with XP Pro.

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James W. Lapsley of ComputerWorks, specializes in PC repairs, upgrades and advice for the home and small office user. ComputerWorks welcomes your questions and comments. Send your PC questions by e-mail to computerworkslogic.bm