I downloaded Internet Explorer 8, but, unlike the old version, it isn’t presenting my bank’s Web page properly. Should I uninstall it and go back to the old version?

Not necessarily. There’s a compatibility button in IE8 you can click that may help render the bank’s page properly. It appears in the top toolbar, just to the right of the address field, when the browser detects that you are on a page that requires it. The button looks like a torn piece of paper.

This button is needed because older editions of Internet Explorer used some nonstandard, proprietary techniques for rendering Web pages. Some Web sites were designed with these techniques in mind, and only worked properly in IE, as opposed to other browsers. Ironically, with the new IE8, Microsoft is moving away from these proprietary technologies. So the compatibility button makes the new version of IE work like the older ones when it encounters a page that expects this.

Do I need a regular wired home phone line to get high-speed Internet service?

No. You can buy high-speed, or broadband, service from a cable company, which supplies the service over the same wire that brings in your cable TV signal, instead of a phone line. You can also obtain broadband service from some satellite services, or from a wireless phone company.

I have a one-year-old 24″ Apple iMac. I would like to burn my movies to Blu-ray discs to play on my Blu-ray player. Do I need an external Blu-ray burner/drive?

Yes. The drive inside your iMac can burn only CDs or DVDs, not Blu-ray discs. But there are external Blu-ray drives available for Macs.

• You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online free of charge at the All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

Last week, when you wrote about the ChaCha cellphone search service, you didn’t say how they make money. Are they collecting phone numbers from customers so they can send spam text messages, or sell the numbers to others who will do so?

ChaCha allows you to ask any Web-searchable question, by speaking it or texting it over a mobile phone, and then it sends you the answer via text message. The company charges consumers nothing, but says it is hoping to make money by striking deals with cellphone carriers to incorporate the ChaCha service into their current 411 phone-number look-up services. Also, it hopes to eventually include ads in the text message answers it provides.

In addition to the message that includes the answer, ChaCha sends you a message saying it is working on your request and restating your question, so you can see if it understood you correctly. It also sends an introductory text message to first-time users and occasional tips on how to use the service. Scott Jones, ChaCha’s chief executive, asserts that “we do not spam” and “we never make phone numbers and/or email addresses available to others.” He said the company is updating its privacy policy to make that clearer.

We have DSL service. I use several Web-based applications, one of which is online backup, and my husband is concerned that they degrade his use of the Web, which includes creating Web sites. I contend that that is like saying turning on one light bulb is using too much electricity, that two people on one DSL line aren’t using up too much bandwidth. Who is right?

Every situation differs, depending on exactly which programs you are each using, how you have them set, whether you are using them simultaneously, and how fast your DSL connection is. However, in general, your husband is correct that it is possible for heavy Internet usage on one computer in a home to slow down Internet speeds on another.

This is especially true with something like online backup, because it relies on your DSL account’s upload speed, which is typically far slower than the download speed. If your online backup program is trying to push a bunch of files over a slow upload connection, while he is in another room trying to upload new versions of a Web site over the same narrow upload pipe, it could affect the speeds he gets. You might try coordinating or staggering those online activities that involve heavy uploading. Normal Web surfing or emailing shouldn’t require any such coordination.

I am thinking about purchasing a Dell (DELL) XPS One all-in-one desktop, but I have one question. Does the Dell’s built-in TV tuner require any extra attachments to watch TV right out of the box?

You can watch over-the-air stations and analog basic cable stations right out of the box, without added equipment. However, you may want to connect a small desktop antenna to improve reception, which is what I did when I tested this machine. To use the XPS One with digital or premium cable or satellite stations, you would have to connect it to a cable or satellite receiver, just as most people do with their TV sets. This requires the use of an adapter that comes with the machine.

• You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online for free at the new All Things Digital web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

I have a Dell Dimension that is six or seven years old. Recently, the following message appears every time we start the computer: “WARNING: Dell’s monitoring system has detected that Drive 0 on the primary EIDE controller is operating outside of normal specifications. It is advisable to immediately back-up your data and replace your hard disk drive.” When we hit F1, the computer boots normally and functions fine. All our data is backed up on an external drive. What is going on? Is it time to bite the bullet and get a new computer?

I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but you should take the warning very seriously. It’s good that your data is backed up, but if your hard disk fails, you won’t be able to use the computer. Six or seven years is a long time to keep a computer, and hard disks do go bad. Just because it continues to work doesn’t mean it isn’t on the verge of sudden failure. At the very least, have Dell or a local technician diagnose the hard disk to see if it is a serious problem or one that can be easily fixed. If the disk is failing and you are otherwise perfectly satisfied with the computer, you can get a new drive that is much larger for a reasonable sum. You should also seriously consider buying a new computer, simply because everything else on your machine is also out of date and, as time goes on, you may find that more and more software and Web sites won’t work well with it.

Does either Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion support multiple virtual machines installed on a Macintosh — for instance, one running Windows XP and one running Windows Vista?

Yes. Both of them allow you to create multiple virtual computers, running Windows XP or Vista, older versions of Windows, or Linux, as long as your Mac has sufficient hard-disk space.

My Toshiba Satellite runs Windows XP Home, and it takes more than four minutes when starting up before I can open any programs. Is my computer running too many programs at start-up? If so, how can I view them and shut down the unnecessary ones?

That certainly could be one cause of the problem. It’s a common situation. To see what programs are set to run when you start up your computer and to turn off unwanted ones, you can use a somewhat geeky built-in program from Microsoft or simpler ones available from outside software vendors. To run the built-in program, go to the Start Menu, click “Run,” and in the blank box that appears, type in “msconfig.” This utility will let you turn on and off invisible start-up programs. Go to the tab marked “Startup” and check off any you don’t want. But be conservative — don’t turn off anything you don’t recognize and know is unneeded. A better solution, easier to use and with more information, is an $8 utility from PC Magazine called Startup Cop Pro. You can get it at: www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2177188,00.asp. There are a number of similar programs that may work just as well, but unlike Startup Cop, I haven’t tested them and so can’t recommend them.

You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online for free at the new All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com