The information age gives us both at the speed of light.

We've all heard stories that were hard to believe, but ended up true. Others were believeable, but ended up as fiction. How do you know for sure?

The smell test is one method I use to tell Fact from Fiction. For example, there was the Olympic Torch virus.

The half dozen or see emails I received from less-than-experienced family members warning me of this virus indicated that, still today, many don’t know how their computers work.

The Olympic Torch virus was supposed to “burn” your computer’s hard drive; as in catch on fire. Don’t worry. It won’t. And it didn’t.

Computers are machines, just like automobiles and appliances. All have distinct characteristics but still require a little understanding.

I suspect the refrigerator light goes off when the door is closed. I don’t know for sure, as finding out isn’t really worth the effort. Putting a wet puppy in the microwave won’t dry it out.

Computers in the home haven’t been around as long as refrigerators, washers and dryers, or even the microwave, so there’s bound to be some things many users don’t know.

Fact or Fiction? I deleted all the files on my PC and I’m ready to give it away to a family down the street. That’s safe, right? My files were deleted.

Fiction. Deleting files from a computer has many levels. Click ‘delete’ doesn’t really delete, and many PC applications are available to find what you thought was deleted.

Fact or Fiction? My PC doesn’t have spyware because I ran a spyware utility? That question works the same for viruses, too. Answer? Fiction. Anti-virus utilities may not catch everything, often ignore the latest malware.

Fact or Fiction? Macs are better than PCs? That’s fiction. Macs are much better than PCs—for some tasks, not necessarily for others, so it depends on what you need, what you’ve got, and how you use it.