Q: My Dell PC, which is an older model running Windows XP, is very slow to boot up and I have a lot of icons on my desktop. Does the number of icons on my desktop have any relationship to the time it takes my PC to boot up?

A: Everything a PC must do when it starts up takes some time, and that includes drawing the desktop. A desktop with fewer icons takes less time to re-create. But, if your machine is very slow to start up, you may also have accumulated too many programs that are set to run upon start-up, including programs that you cant see because they are launching behind the scenes. So, it would be wise to examine these programs and remove or disable as many as you can, keeping only those you really need. I suggest you obtain and run a program designed to help you do this. One good one comes from PC Magazine and is called Startup Cop Pro 3. It costs $8 and can be found at pcmag.com/downloads.

Q: If I buy a Mac, can I move all the programs on my Dell over to the Mac?

A: While most common Windows file types can be copied to a Mac and will work there, the Windows programs on your Dell wont run on the Macs operating system, so theres no point in moving them to a Mac. There is one exception: If you plan to install and use Windows on your Mac, then your programs should run. However, some programs are designed to be locked to a single PC and wont run on a second machine, even if it is a new Dell instead of a Mac running Windows. Furthermore, it can be difficult to move Windows programs to a new machine, because they are often made up of parts that are scattered in various places on the hard disk.

Two of the companies whose software allows you to run Windows on a Mac, Parallels and VMWare, do offer utilities that will copy the contents of a Windows PC to the portion of the Mac devoted to running Windows. The Parallels utility is called Transporter and the VMWare utility is called Converter.

Q: Like many Internet users I have used Wi-Fi in airports, hotels and coffee bars. I have used it to access banking and brokerage accounts. Just how much at risk have I been? I am a Mac user. Am I more or less at risk than a Windows user?

A: No matter what kind of computer you use, there is some chance, however small, that a crook can intercept any data you send or receive over a public wireless network. So, my advice is to never, ever conduct financial transactions, or any highly sensitive communications, over any network you dont control. Its the same principle people should use when making voice calls on cellphones, which are easier to intercept than voice calls made on land lines. Be cognizant of the content of your communications of any kind when you are using public wireless networks.

专栏作家莫博士就有关电脑和其他电子设备的常见技术问题答读者问。

问：我的戴尔电脑型号较老，运行Windows XP操作系统，每次开机时都启动得非常慢, 我的桌面上有许多图标。桌面上的图标太多与电脑的启动时间有关系吗？

答：电脑启动时要做的每件事情都要花点时间，这也包括显示桌面。桌面上的图标较少所需的显示时间就会更短。不过，如果你的电脑启动“非常慢”，那也可能是因为电脑启动时要运行的程序太多了，其中包括你看不到的程序，因为它们是在后台运行的。因此，明智的做法是检查这些程序，尽可能多地移除或关闭它们，仅保留你真正需要的程序。我建议你获取并运行一个专门帮助你从事这项工作的程序。PC Magazine杂志上一个叫做Startup Cop Pro 3的程序不错。这个程序售价8美元，可在pcmag.com/downloads处下载。

问：如果我买了一台Mac电脑，我能将自己戴尔电脑中的所有程序都移到Mac电脑上吗？

答：尽管大多数常见的Windows文件类型都能拷贝到Mac电脑中，并正常运行，但你戴尔电脑中的Windows程序不能在Mac操作系统下运行，因此将它们移到Mac电脑中没有意义。这其中有一个例外：如果你计划在Mac上安装和使用Windows操作系统，那么你的Windows程序应该能也运行了。不过，一些程序可能仅限于在某一台电脑上运行，而不能在另一台电脑上运行，哪怕它是一台运行Windows的戴尔电脑。而且，将Windows程序移到新电脑中并不容易，因为它们常常由分布在硬盘中不同地方的各种构件组成。

广告Parallels和VMWare这两家公司的软件可以让你在Mac电脑上运行Windows，它们提供的实用程序可以将Windows电脑中的内容拷贝到准备运行Windows程序的Mac电脑中。Parallels的实用程序叫做Transporter；VMWare的实用程序叫做Converter。

问：同许多互联网用户一样，我也曾在机场、宾馆和咖啡厅中用过Wi-Fi。我用它进入银行或经纪公司的账户。这样做的风险有多大？我是Mac用户，风险是比Windows用户大还是小？

答：不论你用何种电脑，骗子都有可能拦截拟通过公共无线网络收发的任何数据，只不过这种几率不太大。因此，我的建议是绝不要使用你不能控制的网络从事金融交易或是高度敏感的通讯。人们在使用手机通话时也应遵守同样的原则，因为手机通话比固定电话通话更容易被拦截。当你使用公共无线网络时，一定要当心你的各种通讯内容。