Don’t trust links in emails, Patrick Marshall advises a reader. Instead, reset a password by going to the service’s website, making sure you’re gaining access through its legitimate URL web address. Other topics: deleted Outlook emails and safety in downloading files.
Q: I received an email from Carbonite indicating that I needed to change my password and offering a link to do so. Do you know anything about this?
If this is Carbonite and not a hack, the approach seems more like phishing. I can’t find much online about this, only some other folks wondering the same things I’m wondering.
I’ve tried to use my old password, and, indeed, it has been changed. I haven’t reset my password per the email. When I go to the Carbonite website, it also tells me I need to reset my password and instructs me to click on a link to do so.
— Wendy Gelbart
A: Assuming you have a Carbonite account, yes, you’ll want to reset the password, but onlyby going directly to the site and not by clicking on the link in the email. You’re right not to trust any links in emails, even if they purport to be from a service you know.
Because the site is also referring you to reset your password and is offering the link — and because the URL for the site is legitimate — I’d go ahead and follow the instructions.
Yes, it’s possible, but very unlikely, that the site has been taken over by hackers. And if that were the case, you’d no doubt be seeing warnings on the web.
By the way, if you’re concerned about the site having been hacked, you can check your documentation for a confirmed number to call and ask if the company is requesting that users to reset their passwords.
Q: I have a Dell Inspiron computer running Windows 10. My email program is Microsoft Outlook 2013. When I delete email, it goes into the trash folder. If I want to go back to look at an email in the trash, it will not be there after about 12 hours.
I can’t seem to find out where it goes. My wife’s computer has the same program, and hers does not delete email from the trash folder.
I have tried to compare both computers and cannot find any differences in the setting on both computers. Can you help?
— Glenn Whitten
A: With the desktop version of Outlook — that is, not the version accessed through a web browser — deleted items should stay in the Deleted Items folder until you specifically empty that folder.
What might be happening, however, is that Outlook may have been configured to autoarchive items in that folder.
To check, go to Outlook and right-click on the Deleted Items folder. Select Properties and then click on the Autoarchive tab.
Q: I keep getting this error message when I try to load certain programs on my PC: “Can’t find import DLL may be missing, corrupt or wrong version. File avformat_55.dll error 126.”
I searched my computer to see if there is an existing file by this name and there isn’t. I went online to see if I could download it, but there are also warnings online to never download DLL files.
Is that true? If they shouldn’t be downloaded, what can I do next to fix the problem? I am still using Windows 7.
The programs that won’t open are all casual game files downloaded from an online game company. I contacted them, but the game company was unable to figure out a solution to the problem.
— Ann Fuller
A: I don’t recommend downloading any files, including DLLs, unless you feel confident about the source. Some sites that offer drivers also deliver various kinds of malware along with the file you’re after. The same applies to downloading games.
My suggestion is to uninstall the games and see if the problem goes away. If you trust the source of the games, try uninstalling and then reinstalling. It’s possible that a support file may have been corrupted, and reinstalling it should resolve the problem.
Finally, if you don’t already have an anti-virus and anti-malware program installed, I urge you to install them immediately and then run a full scan.
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only, and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.