Web cache is a temporary folder that contains everything you surf on when you're on the Web. Yes, you (or anyone else) can go back and see where you have been. You can increase or decrease the folder's capacity in Internet Explorer. Larger cashe allows faster returns to previously viewed sites.
On line shopping safe? 02/13/03
Q:One Paisley resident is concerned about the security of shopping on-line.
A: When you shop online, make sure a padlock icon appears in your browser to indicate a secure connection. Double-click the padlock to find out more information about the certificate issued by that site. Also, only shop at reputable sites. Get reviews and recommendations at http://www.resellerratings.com, http://www.epinions.com/, http://www.mysimon.com/, and http://www.pricegrabber.com/.
One Paisleyite is wondering about meta tags -- what they are and how important they are. Meta tags are bits of HTML on web pages that are invisible on the page you see in your browser, but do appear in the HTML source of the page. You can right-click on a webpage and select "View Source" to see the HTML code for a page, and you can probably find some tags in that source.
Meta tags used to be seen as the ticket to high rankings in search engines. This is because the programs search engines use to trawl the web, programs called "spider bots", used to use keywords in meta tags to build their directories to websites. But people ended up abusing meta tags, filling their source code with all kinds of repetitive keywords. So now search engines are smarter, and rate websites by linking -- how many other sites link to a particular site.
Read How to use HTML meta tags: http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/meta.html
Five most important things to do with your PC 04/13/02
BACK UP YOU DATA FILES
BACK UP YOU DATA FILES
BACK UP YOU DATA FILES
BACK UP YOU DATA FILES
BACK UP YOU DATA FILES
Make sure your computer is set for the correct time zone. Here's how you can check:
1. Open the Date/Time control panel.
2. In Windows 98, look at the pull down menu and select the proper time zone.
3. In Windows XP, select the Time Zone tab, and then select your time zone.
One lady reinstalled the Windows, and now her computer can't display more than 16 colors. How does she fix this?
When you reinstall the OS, the settings get lost and you need to reset them. Chances are, the wrong monitor and display adapter are selected for your computer. To fix this:
1. Open the Display control panel.
2. Look to see if your monitor and adapter match the one listed. If not, continue.
3. Click on Advanced.
4. Click on the Monitor tab, and select your make and model of monitor.
5. Click on the Adapter tab, and select your make and model of monitor.
If this doesn't fix the problem, try updating the drivers to your display adapter. Visit the manufacturer's website for the latest driver.
System Tray Management 04/13/02
Chances are, you have too many items in your System Tray (the little lower right corner in your Taskbar). You shouldn't clutter it up, because it takes up system resources. To remove items, right-click each icon and look for options to remove the item (varies with each icon).
A lady is wondering how to clean her monitor and the inside of her computer. First thing to check is your PC fan, because there should be a filter where it sucks air into the case. I suggest putting cheesecloth over the filter to keep dust from coming in, which is one approach you can take. If there's no filter there at all, you should definitely invest in one. You can also clean your filter if it's already got lots of dust on it. You can use soap and water to do this.
For the inside of the computer, a can of compressed air is the best. Just blow the dust out of there with little pumps from the can. Don't do it for too long because you don't want condensation to build up. Throughout be careful of dislodging anything inside and be careful of static electricity -- unplug the computer before you start and don't put anything metal in there -- you don't want to fry your computer. There's also vacuum cleaners for computers, but it's safest to just stick with the can of compressed air. Two computers - One printer? 04/13/02
How can you share a printer between two different computers? The easiest way to do this would be over a regular network. But, if you don't have a network in your home, there's another way. Belkin sells an A/B switch that you connect both computers and a printer to. When you want to print from printer A you turn the switch to A and vice versa for computer B. These little switches are about $30 and Roger says they even include the parallel cables.
I found this switch that automatically senses which computer is trying print: http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=1585&pcount=&Product_Id=13113
One lady keeps getting Javascript error messages in Internet Explorer. How can she turn this message off?
Here's how to do it in Internet Explorer:
CPU usage 100 percent while printing? 04/13/02
One man wants to know if it's normal for his CPU usage to shoot to 100 percent while he's using his inkjet printer.
It is indeed normal. Most consumer inkjet printers do not have the capability to process printer data in the printer itself. Your CPU in your computer has to do all the processing. This rendering requires a lot of processor power, which is why your CPU usage shoots to 100 percent.
What's a display resolution? 04/13/02
It's the maximum number of pixels that can be displayed on a monitor. This number is always expressed as some number of horizontal pixels times some number of vertical pixels. Common display resolution settings include 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1162x864, and 1280x1024.
You may have heard the term "desktop real estate." It's a nice way of saying how much stuff can fit on a screen. As display resolution increases, desktop real estate increases. You may also notice that as your resolution and real estate increase, everything onscreen, such as fonts, icons, menus, and buttons, shrink in size.
If you'd like to change your resolution to get more desktop real estate, follow these directions:
After adjusting your monitor resolution you may need to tweak the monitor's settings to resize its horizontal and vertical positions.
Switch from Netscape to IE 04/13/02
One man is using Netscape and wants to switch to Internet Explorer. How can he transfer his setting and bookmarks from one browser to another?
It's easy. Launch Internet Explorer and click on the File menu. Select Import and Export, and follow the Wizard to transfer your files.
One lady installed the Real One player (http://www.real.com). It opens not just real media, but other file types as well. How can she stop Real One from opening all media types, and just certain ones?
Look for the Options menu in Real One. There should be a feature that allows you to choose what types of media you want Real One to open. You can select and deselect the formats you want.
Someone wants to know what the swap file does and how it affects his performance. His computer has over 700 MB of RAM.
A swap file is used by your computer to supplement the PC's memory. The operating system copies as much data as possible into main memory and leaves the rest on the swap file, a cache of data on your hard drive. When the computer runs out of memory, it uses a swap file.
Your computer likes to have a swap file, so turning it off isn't optimal. You should adjust the size of your swap file to 1.5 times the amount of RAM you have installed.
Hard drive with bad sectors 04/13/02
A Paisley resident has a hard drive with bad sectors, and the sectors seem to be increasing. How can he stop them?
At this point, don't worry about fixing the sectors. Back up your important data as soon as possible. Chances are, your hard drive is dying.
There are two types of bad sectors. Soft bad sectors involve formatting, and can be fixed by ScanDisk or SpinRite (http://grc.com/sroverview.htm).
Hard bad sectors are physical damages to your hard drive. There's no way to fix these types of bad sectors. If the number of bad sectors keeps increasing, chances are that your disk is going to be dead soon. Back it up and go buy a new one.
Adjust the button, pointer, and motion properties of your mouse 04/13/02
There is more to your little desktop friend than you might think. It has many options available for customizing most characteristics that define how it operates.
To adjust the button, pointer, and motion properties of your mouse, follow these steps.
How do you clean the screen on a laptop. Avoid all alcohol-based cleaning products. These solvents will damage the anti-glare screen on any LCD. Because of this I heavily recommend purchasing a pack of wet / dry towels from a company called Klear Screen. These little guys come in packs of two for $5.95 and are a great way to ensure your new laptop's screen isn't damaged from trying to clean it.
Visit Klear Screen here: http://www.klearscreen.com/
One person wants to know how to get rid of items in the New menu. The New menu appears when you right-click on the Desktop.
Look for the ShellNew folder on your hard drive. It's usually locater in your Windows directory. The items in the ShellNew folder are the same items that appear in the menu. to delete an item, just select it and delete.
It's a good idea to update your drivers to promote good system health. You can find drivers at the website of the manufacturer, or on WinDrivers.com: http://www.windriver.com
Good prices on computer gear? 03/07/02
Want to know where you can find good prices on computer gear?
A good site is Price Watch: http://www.pricewatch.com
Want customized sounds? 03/07/02
Have you ever wished you could customize your computer to greet you with sounds of your choosing? Whether you choose Windows-preformatted WAV files or ones you've created or downloaded, you have the option to easily switch sound properties for almost any event in Windows.
Follow these steps to customize sound settings for most events within Windows.
How do you delete cookies? 03/07/02
One Paisley resident, was sifting through his cookies, and found one from DoubleClick. It was a one-pixel by one-pixel image used to track his surfing on the web. He has tried to delete it, but it won't go away. How can he delete this cookie?
DoubleClick is an advertising company that is known for using spyware (methods to track your habits online). One of the ways DoubleClick tracks your traffic is by installing a cookie on your computer as a tiny image.
Deleting cookies
There are several ways you can delete web cookies from your computer:
1. In Internet Explorer 6, you can delete them by opening Internet Options, clicking on the General tab, and then press the Delete Cookies button.
2. Search your hard drive for "cookies" and delete them manually by dragging them to the Recycle Bin.
3. Go into DOS and delete them by using the command, "C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES\del *.txt"
Can you retract an email you sent? 03/02/02
You can't. Once an email leaves a mail server, you can't get it back. There are only two instances where you can retract an email:
Once an email has left the server (which tends to happen immediately), you can't control its delivery.
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. Created by Adobe, the technology archives printed material to share across any platform. Download Adobe's free version of Acrobat Reader to view PDF files.
You can even turn your own documents into PDFs without purchasing the full version of Acrobat. Just visit these sites: http://access.adobe.com/access_email.html https://createpdf.adobe.com/
Can you only use memory manufactured by your computer? 03/02/02
One person wants more RAM for his Dell computer. Dell says he can only use memory manufactured by Dell. This is absolutely not true.
Use the Memory Selector at Crucial (Click on the ad on the opening page of HINTS) to make sure you pick up the right kind of RAM for your system, and you can save some money. Just keep in mind that you won't see a performance increase above 384 MB RAM unless you have Windows 2000 or XP. Happy shopping and don’t believe the PC manufacturer hype!
Adjust Monitor Settings 03/02/02
Your eyes deserve to see a crisp, clear, and well-aligned picture on your monitor while you compute. All monitors feature a set of controls that allow you adjust universal monitor properties. The type of controls may differ among manufacturers, but all monitors feature a bare minimum set of controls. Look to your monitor's manual for help if you're in doubt on how to properly use the controls of your monitor.
Here's a list of common monitor controls:
RealPlayer or Windows Media Player? 03/02/02
One Paisley resident has Windows Media Player set to play his .avi files. However, anytime he uses RealPlayer, it resets all his .avi files to be automatically opened with RealPlayer instead. He wants this to stop. Here's what to do: open RealPlayer and go to View --> Preferences --> Upgrade. Click Auto-restore Settings and uncheck those formats you don't want RealPlayer to always assert control over. Then click OK and the second OK, and now whatever files you unchecked will just play on Media Player
Simple ways to make room for more data in an Excel spreadsheet. 03/02/02
Move and manipulate data in Excel like a master. Simply add a new cell, row, or column to an existing spreadsheet when you need to insert new information -- it's a lot easier than copying and pasting large blocks of data. Here are several ways to get the task done.
Insert menu
Choose a cell
The easy way
If you don't like the new addition, simply highlight it, right-click, and choose Delete.
America Online version 7.0 has a built-in browser similar to Internet Explorer. As in IE, some websites do not seem to update in AOL. Your browser could be looking at a cached copy instead. Here's how to empty your cache and wipe away your surfing history.
Having problems with a SLOW internet download and upload? 02/20/02
One Paisley resident asked me how he could get more modem speed. He is using a dial up connection through one of our local ISP's. He can get speeds of only 21.6K to 32K. Go to DSL Reports and try the broadband test. It will tell you how fast your connection is, and give you tips on what you can do:
http://www.dslreports.com/tools
I ran this test at 8 AM on Jan 1 and received a test result of "26kbps up and 26 kbps down." There is one major problem for residents of Paisley - our phone lines!. Because we live in a rural area, our modem may be going as fast as it can. A 56K modem and ISP rated at 56K are limited by the systems "Weakest Link." In this case, our phone lines. Of course you can get DSL, if you are willing to pay the extra cost.
Updated your drivers lately? 02/20/02
Your computer uses "drivers" to communicate with your modem, printer, scanner, etc. Every so often, the company that makes these items will post a new, more effecient driver on their web page. It usually corrects problems or simply increases performance. These drivers are free and simple to download. Just go to the manufacturers web page (HP, Lexmark, etc) and look for "downloads" or "drivers." Then find the one for your system. They will explain the download and install procedure. This should be done for your entire system every six months.
You can find out what manufacturer your hardware comes from by right-clicking on My Computer and selecting Properties. You can look in the Device Manager. If that doesn't give you enough information, then go to Belarc.com
A Pasiley resident wants to back-up his Windows drivers onto a CD. Instead of hunting for them all on his system, I recommend finding out the manufacturer of his various hardware components, going to their sites, and downloading them into one folder called "Drivers." When you've got them all, you can just copy that one folder onto your CD.
What does that "Error Messaage" mean? 02/20/02
Ever receive an "Error Message" and not have the slightest idea what it means or if it is important or can be ignored? Thak a look at this web page. It lists the major error messages and explains what they are and what they do. http://www.aumha.org/kberrmsg.htm Just copy and paste this URL.
Low system resources? 02/16/02
A lady was wondering if she can deal with low system resources in Windows by adding more RAM to her
computer. System resources is a chunk of memory that Windows sets aside to keep track of GUI (graphic user interface) elemets -- windows, cursors, etc. -- that programs make appear on your Windows desktop. As you open more programs that chunk of memory set aside for system resources gets eaten away. Closing programs should free up system resources, but sometimes a program will have a 'memory leak' that will keep it from freeing up system resources once it's closed. If you close all the programs on your desktop and your available system resources are lower than fifty percent, then you're dealing with a program with a
memory leak. Sadly, when this is the case, you have to restart your computer. There's no program out there that will free up system resources used up by a memory leak, and adding more RAM will not solve the problem either. Analog X's fine program MaxMem can help general performance by defragging memory, but it also cannot release system resources captured by a memory leak.
Change Font Size in Browswer. 02/16/02
If you're fighting eyestrain because of a website's small font size, you might want to make the font bigger and easy to read. In Internet Explorer, you can go to View --> Text Size and choose a larger size.
However, many modern websites use cascading style sheets which do not allow you to change the text size through the View menu. Don't fret -- you can still thwart the web designers who use that small font. Go to Tools --> Internet Options and in the General tag, select the Accessibility button. Then you can check the box that says "Ignore font sizes specified on webpages." and click OK twice. Now you can change the font size to your liking.
Ever get a "codec" error message? 02/14/02
Have you downloaded videos from the Internet, but sometimes didn't have the proper codec (Code/Decode program) to run the movie. How can you find out what codec you need?
Make sure you have the three most popular codecs available. They are:
There are two software packages you might want to use to find out
what codec you need:
Are you always downloading stuff and soon have a cluttered desktop? You need a downloads folder.
On your desktop, right-click and select New --> Folder.
Then when your new folder appears on the desktop, rename it "Downloads" or something more specific like "Email downloads." Then whenever you download something from the Web, Save it in your folder. Instant clutter-free desktop.
Send electroninc Valentine's Day cards 02/14/02
You don't actually send the image to someone, instead they get a link
via email that'll take them to your electronic card of love. Note that
some of these sites may be experiencing heavy loads right now, so keep
trying.
Printing web pages in I.E. 02/10/02
If you're printing web pages in Internet Explorer and the pages get
cut off on the side, you can try one of two thing to get the page to
fit:
Also, look for a link on the web page that says something such as,
"Print this page." This will sent you to a printer friendly version
of the web page.
Outlook Express preview 02/10/02
A lady wanted to know how to turn off the email
preview feature in Outlook Express. Here's how:
Want to create a FREE web site? 02/10/02
There are many places where you can have your web site hosted for free:
http://thefreesite.com/Free_Web_Space/
Q: Is there a way to make a CD-R back up of your system? 02/10/02
One lady wants to know how she can make a back up of
her system to her CD-R drive. She has Easy CD Creator from Roxio.
All you have to do is create a data CD in your software, and copy
your data. I don't recommend copying your Windows folder, because
if you have to restore your system, it's a good idea to do a clean
system install.
If you want to do a bit-for-bit copy of your hard drive, you need
Norton Ghost. Ghost will let you make a clone of your hard drive
and perform a disk restoration:
Q: Is there a way to password-protect Windows to prevent someone from making changes to your computer? 02/10/02
A: Letting friends or family members -- the ones who might not own a PC yet -- onto your computer is a burden you'll probably experience at some time. It's a burden because if they know what they're doing, they can change numerous settings on your machine without you ever knowing. Even worse are the devastating problems an inexperienced user can cause, such as deleting programs or moving and renaming files and folders.
Windows isn't a secure operating system, so the best way to prevent someone from entering your computer is to implement a BIOS password. Doing this will lock down your system before it even starts. Your computer will not initialize the files required to begin the boot sequence unless someone enters the proper BIOS password.
WARNING: Don't loose your BIOS password. Otherwise, your computer will require major work to become functional again.
To set your BIOS password follow these directions:
Another option to prevent someone from using your computer is to password-protect a screen saver. If your computer is inactive long enough, a screen saver will turn on and require a password before it turns off.
To set up a screen saver with a password, follow these directions:
If you're still paranoid about your system being altered, then a software download is in order.
Put an end to unwanted tweaks to your computer with a program called Secure Comp from TAF Technology. This great piece of freeware allows you to password-protect almost anything on your machine through its easy-to-use graphical interface. You can even filter websites with Secure Comp. It also gives you the ability to lock any Windows application, hide any of your drives, and disable the Ctrl-Alt-Delete and Ctrl-Esc commands.
Find out if your hard disk is full with this tool. 02/10/02 It compares files using a series of rectangles proportional to file size. With a glance, you'll be able to see what files are space hogs.
Once you determine which files you don't access and which picture files are taking up too much space, you'll be able to delete them or save them to disk.
Download SequoiaView now!
One person wants to know the differences between K56,
V.34, and V.90 for modems. 02/07/02
These are modem protocols. They are used by modems to communicate.
If you are buying a modem, look for one that is V.90 compliant. If you are buying a modem, look for one that is V.90 compliant. For more information about modem protocols, visit the International
Telecommunications Union website: http://www.itu.int/home/index.html
We live in a rural area, and gets slow connection rates. Chances are that this is happening because phone lines in rural areas tend to have bandwidth limitations; the line may be shared over a larger area, age, etc. You can't really increase the speed of your connection unless you get a new phone line, or you go to an alternative service, such as satellite.
One lady wants to know if Windows can run on a Mac. 02/07/02
It can, in emulation. You'll need VirtualPC to make it happen:
http://www.connectix.com/
One person is getting strange behavior from her keyboard. 02/07/02
When she pushes a key, it opens different applications and functions. For example, if you press the "R" key, the Run box opens.
Chances are, the Windows key is stuck on the keyboard. If you hold the Windows key and press another key on the keyboard, you usually open an application or start a function.
Try prying off the Windows key and cleaning off the keyboard. Be careful when you do this; it's not hard, but you'll have to use some gentle force to get the key off.
Tip: You can get your Windows serial number from the Registry. (CAUTION: DO NOT change anything in the registry!) 02/07/02
Here's how:
One man can't get Internet Explorer to launch. 02/07/02
He gets errors every time he wants to run it. How can he fix this?
This is a common occurrence with Internet Explorer. The best solution is to completely uninstall the software, and then reinstall IE.
Also, go into the Internet Options control panel and dump your cache files.
One person wants to know if it's possible for a CD to shatter in a CD-ROM. 02/07/02
It sure can. A CD-ROM drive spins the disc so fast that it can shatter a disc. In order for that to happen, however, the CD needs to be cracked. It won't happen if the CD isn't damaged.
A man wants to know how he can get rid of the spam that floods his Hotmail (http://www.hotmail.com) email account. 02/07/02
The easiest way to get rid of the spam is to start a new email account. Hotmail seems to be prone to spam, so you might want to consider another free email account, such as Yahoo! Mail: http://mail.yahoo.com When you get your new account, never use it to register items on the web; this is how you get on spam lists. You might consider using your old Hotmail account as a spam account. When you need to email an email address anywhere, enter the Hotmail account.
One lady is building a website and she's looking for a free program for making animated GIFs. 02/07/02
Try UnFreez. It's a free GIF animator that's been highly ranked on HotFiles: http://www.whitsoftdev.com/page.php?id=11
One person wants to know how to make karaoke CDs. 02/07/02
Most karaoke machines support a format called CD+G. You need software that can create CDs in this format. Take a look at these packages:
Tip: Keystrokes you can use while surfing the web: 02/07/02
When connecting to the Internet via dialup, should you use Windows' auto update feature? 02/07/02.
Auto update is a great feature where the OS automatically checks
Microsoft's website for system updates, downloads them and performs
the installation. It's really designed for people using broadband connections.
If you have a dialup connection, you shouldn't run the updater automatically. It can slow down your connection while you are surfing the web.
To turn off auto updater in XP:
If you have a dialup connection, just run the updater manually.
Need to buy a new hard drive? Do I have any suggestions for a reseller? 02/07/02
I don't really have a suggestion for a place to buy a hard drive. I do have two web sites you can go to to help you make a decision:
Tip: Organize your downloads. 02/07/02
Create a downloads folder in a place on your hard drive where you can easily locate it. When you download, navigate to that folder and select it as the place where you want to save the file. Now you know where your download went, and your browser will go to that folder every time you download a file.
Someone wants to transfer VHS tapes to a computer. What does he need? 02/07/02
You need a card that will let you transfer the video into your PC. A few cards I suggest:
You might consider getting a new, large capacity hard drive. Digitized video takes up a lot of storage space. You might even consider creating video CDs that you can watch in your DVD player.
One person has was a bunch of .asf files, and he wants to know how to edit them. 02/07/02
These files are used in Microsoft Netshow. To edit them, you need to have Microsoft Windows Me or XP, and Microsoft MovieMaker. MovieMaker will open the files and allow you to edit them.
As far as we know, MovieMaker is the only application that will allow you to open and edit .asf files.
Have a bunch of MPEG files? Is there any way to make them smaller? 02/07/02
The catch is that the files are already compressed; that's what MPEG does, it compresses video files to make them smaller. You can resample the files, but you can't recompress something that's already compressed.
This is a good excuse to buy a new hard drive or CD burner.
Getting static electricity in the area around your computer? How can he stop this? 02/07/02
Get some fabric softener, the type that's used in the laundry. Get a spray bottle, and pour a small amount of the softener in the bottle. Then fill the rest of the bottle with water. Take the solution and spray it on the carpet in the appropriate area. This should stop the static electricity.
One person has a PC that can't recognize the hard drive. What to do? 02/07/02
Make sure you don't have a floppy or CD in any of the drives; your computer may be trying to find an operating system on these devices. When you boot the PC, go into your BIOS (ONLY IF you know what you are doing and DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING!) and check to see that the hard drive shows up in the BIOS. If it doesn't you might try replacing the battery on the motherboard.
If your BIOS can see the hard drive, use a boot floppy and go into DOS. See if you can access the hard drive in DOS by typing C:\ dir. If you can see the hard drive, you might just need to reinstall the system. If you can't see the drive, your hard drive may be dead, and you'll have to bring the PC to a local repair shop.
One person has a CD-ROM drive full for dog hair. How can he clean it out so it will stop scratching his discs? 02/07/02
First thing you need to do is go to your local computer store or Radio Shack and get a can of compressed air. They're cheap -- about $3.
Then bring that can home and open up your computer. Remove the CD-ROM drive from your computer. Open the drive up so that the components and the drive are exposed. Carefully pick out the visible hairs from the drive. Then use the compressed air to clear out more hair. Use quick, short bursts of air. Don't just blow the air to the sides; clear it out by hand if you have to.
When you're done, you should have a clean drive that won't scratch up your discs.
Prevent websites from tracking your surfing habits. 01/06/02
Cookies are little pieces of software that websites store on your hard drive to track how you use their sites. Cookies also can be used by advertising sites to customize the ads they deliver to your page. Cookies have come a long way and they pose much less risk to your security than they once did. Still, there are many of us out there who don't trust Web spies. Here are five ways to get rid of them. 1. Manually delete cookies from your system. To check out your cookies, double-click My Computer and browse to C:\Windows\Cookies. The documents you'll see will be a bunch of gibberish with the name of a website hidden somewhere inside. You can delete all of these just as you would delete any other files.
Some cookies also are stored with your temp files. To get rid of those, double-click My Computer and browse to C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files.
Deleter beware: Cookies are like weeds. Manually deleting them will not keep them from coming back. Cookies also contain useful information, such as stored passwords. If you delete certain cookies, you'll have to re-enter your user name and password information when you return to websites.
2. Set your browser's security to warn you about cookies. If you use Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, you can designate exactly what types of cookies you will or will not accept, or you can choose not to accept any cookies at all.
Here's how to customize your browser:
Choose Tools.
4. Surf anonymously As long as you're downloading software that kills cookies, why not get a full-featured program that kills other invasive code that websites try to install on your system? The Proxomitron is a universal Web filter that blocks cookies, referring Java scripts, pop-up ads, and more.
5. Ignore them In my opinion, the most effective way to get rid of cookies is to simply toss them from your mind. Any Web filters, including cookie blockers, are going to have an effect on your surfing speed. These days most cookies simply track where you go on a website and how much time you spend there. They don't contain your Social Security number, phone number, or home address. Like password-protected sites, I consider cookies a necessary evil to be endured for the sake of surfing.
One lady wants to know if there's a differenc between CD-R media labeled for music/audio and CD-R media for computer data. 01/05/02
There isn't. They're all made of similar materials and work the same way. You can burn computer data on a CD-R for music and vice versa. Your CD player or CD-ROM will still see the disc. They're only labeled that way for the user who's not as knowledgeable. Sometimes music CD-Rs have cases or labels that are designed to be hip and cool, while data CD-Rs have more conservative packaging.
Someone wants to know how to clear individual web sites from his Internet history. 01/05/02
Internet Explorer and other web browsers often keep track of the sites you visit. This is for convenience; if there's a site you frequent, you can just click on it in your history. Or if you've been surfing around and you want to backtrack, you can go through the history.
There are two ways to clear your history in Internet Explorer. You can clear the complete history:
Or you can delete individual web sites:
Disable Autodisconnection in IE 6 01/04/02
If you're using a dialup connection and Internet Explorer 6, you might have a setting enabled that disconnects your dialup connection when you exit IE. This can be annoying if you want to use another application while still connected.
Here's how to disable autodisconnection:
One person has a problem with his CD-ROM drive. 01/04/02
When he puts in a CD-ROM, the green light blinks constantly, and the CD spins up but makes a strange noise. The CD-ROM drive then ejects the disc.
Chances are, the mechanism in the drive is broken. You have to replace your drive. This is a good opportunity to get a DVD drive, or a CD burner. If you simply want to replace the CD-ROM drive.
Fortunately, these are at an all-time low price. Also, they are easy to install yourself. I just added another drive and a SCSI card in my computer. It took less than an hour, including loading softwear.
Everyone would like to have Microsofts full Office program. 01/04/02
01/04/02 Problem is it costs hundreds of dollars. Also, it is a true professional program that contains features that most of us will never use. So what are the alternatives?
You can get a full "Office" type program that contains the word processer, spreadsheet, data base, and even a presentation program similar to Microsoft Publisher for $49.95. Log on to Think Free and check out their program. It does not have all the bells and whistles, but is is easier to use and you can pocket enough cash to buy a new flat screen monitor.>
Q: How do I recover programs that I've deleted out of the recycle bin? 01/02/02
A: If you've deleted programs and haven't emptied the recycle bin, it's a snap to get them back. The whole idea of the recycle bin is that it's just a temporary storage area on the way to the big bucket. All you have to do to get it back is double-click the recycle bin. You'll see all the deleted files still in there, and then you can just drag them out.
How does the recycle bin work and after I empty the trash can, can I recover a file? 01/02/02
To understand, you need to understand how Windows deletes a file. Windows doesn't actually delete the data the moment you hit Delete. It merely modifies the file's entry in the catalog (the file allocation table), and makes that space available for any other program or files that wants to use it.
If you delete a file AND empty the recycle bin, but decide you the file back shortly thereafter, it's often possible to do so. However, you need to use a file recovery utility like Unerase or Undelete. These are programs that recover the file by restoring the catalog entry.
If the data has been overwritten, however, and that space has been reused by another file or program, it's pretty much impossible to get the file back. So, if you act quickly and you don't install programs or add more files or anything, chances are pretty good that you'll be able to recover your file. If it's been some time since you've emptied the recycle bin, however, the chances are poor. These undelete programs will, at least, look for the file and give you some idea whether or not you have a chance of recovery.
Sometimes if only part of the data has been overwritten you can recover the rest of data. If it's a text file, that might be enough. If it's a picture or a word processing document, however, recovering only part of it probably won't do the job.
* Right-clicking on the trash can and selecting properties allows you to turn off the confirmation for deleting an item. It also allows you to adjust the capacity of the recycle bin and choose whether you want the recycle bin to work either by drive or globally for all your drives.
* If you hold the Shift key down while you're deleting a file it will automatically, permanently deletes the file and bypass the recycling bin. Be careful!
One person wants to know how to properly uninstall his parallel port scanner. 01/02/02
He has a new USB scanner he is going to install.
To uninstall the scanner (or any other hardware device), you need to go into the Device Manager. This is done by right clicking on My Computer and selecting Properties.
Look for the parallel port scanner and right click on it. You should get an option to uninstall the device.
This will remove the hardware. If you want to remove any bundled software that came with your scanner, you need to go into the Add/Remove Programs control Panel and uninstall the software.
One woman asked how to delete email in Outlook Express without having it go to the Deleted Items folder first. 01/02/02
To delete an email, hold the Shift key and press the Delete key. This will delete the email without going to the Deleted Items folder first.
To delete items in the Deleted Items folder during exit, go to Outlook Express' Options, and select the Maintenance tab. Check the box for the option to empty messages on exit. The holidays are busy enough without having to hunt down tech support numbers or rack your brain (or your geeky friend's brain) about troubleshooting steps. Relax. The Screen Savers are here to save the screens once again.
Basic troubleshooting steps. 01/02/02
These will fix a large percentage of your problems. If not, move on to the programs webpage for troubleshooting. They can help you track down plenty of problems.
Troubleshooting tips:
Wiggle the cables. I can't tell you enough how often a "broken" monitor or mouse cable has just come loose, or a network patch cable's got a kink in it and needs replacing.
Reboot. If you're having hardware problems, do a reboot -- "warm" first (CTRL+ALT+DEL or Start, Run, Restart), then "cold" (turn it off, count to five, turn it back on). Yes, do both. If the problem is OS or software related, hold down the SHIFT key when you choose Restart, and just the OS will reload. Very often, all your machine needs is a brain bath.
Identify the source. When was the last time your computer worked right? What's changed between now and then? Installed anything? Moved a driver? Downloads? Identify all changes you've made to your machine and see if they've been the cause of your sorrows. Think of the way a mechanic fixes your car. Where is the problem (like that persistent clunking noise) coming from? Is the problem electrical? Mechanical? Software? Hardware?
Ask around. One thing all computers have in common is that they break. Computers break in all sorts of interesting ways. A problem that may seem freakish and tailor-made just for you may be more universal than you think. Check message boards about your equipment. Check the FAQs from the manufacturer. You may find that the most recent batch of video cards it sent out caused hundreds of machines to smell like boiling artichokes. Of course, you can always call tech support. Before you do that, however, make sure you've made note of the following:
* What changed before the errors occurred?
* The exact error message you get
* The probable catalysts for the error message (what you think causes it)
* How you get the error to "go away"
* Your user license number. The troubleshooting steps you've taken so far (be honest)
Take a cleansing breath, and reinstall. First, reinstall the errant program. If that doesn't work, fully uninstall the program, then reinstall. Next, reinstall the OS right on top of itself. Often, that will correct corrupted or missing files.
Need some extra room on your desk top? 01/02/02
You can autohide your Taskbar to save desktop real estate.
Right-click your Taskbar, choose Properties, then choose Autohide.
Your Taskbar will reappear every time you move your mouse over it.
One Paisley resident wants to know the lifespan of a CD-RW disc. 01/02/02
A CD-R uses dye, and when the pits and tracks are burned into the CD-R, it can only be done once. A CD-RW uses material that can be melted to form the tracks and pits. Since the material is melted, data can be written many times.
Eventually, the material in a CD-RW will wear out, but it may take a few thousand rewrites for this to happen. Even if you Rewrite once a day, it could take a few years for the disc to die.
Is your PC slower than molasses? Do most files take forever to open up? 01/02/02
If you've answered yes to either of these questions, then your computer could have a case of the fragmented blues. I recommend a Windows application called Disk Defragmenter to increase performance, reliability, and speed.
The more you use your computer, the more scattered files become as they get rewritten to your hard drive. Disk Defragmenter will optimize your hard drive by efficiently reordering the data. Once started, the utility will run by itself for a few hours, so don't plan to compute during this process.
To run Disk Defragmenter, follow these directions:
1. Single-click the Start button, mouse-over Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then single-click Disk Defragmenter.
2. Select the drive you'd like to defragment and hit the Settings button.
3. On the Disk Defragmenter Settings menu checkmark "Rearrange program files so my programs start faster" and "Check drive for errors." Hit OK to go back to the first screen.
4. Hit OK to begin the process.
5. For a graphical representation of how it works, hit the Show Details button.
6. Come back in a few hours after the process is finished. If you use your computer often, run Disk Defragmenter every three months.
One lady has a noisy hard drive. Is that normal? 01/02/02
First, make sure that it's your hard drive making the noise and not a fan.
Next, you need to check to make sure the noise is abnormal. There are three different noises:
1. Spin up
A whining, whirling noise made when the hard drive is powered up or coming out of sleep mode.
2. Seek
A scratching-type of noise.
3. Bearing rattle
If you hear bearing rattle, your hard drive has failed.
The spin up and seek noise should not be too loud; within human tolerance. If your drive noise is too loud, take it back to the retailer.
Several folks have downloaded a zip file and were unable to open it. 01/02/02
A "zipped" file is a compressed file. It is compressed so that it can take up less space and be transmitted much faster. To open a "zip" file you need a unzipper utility.
Although there are many, my favorite is found at WinZip http://www.winzip.com download it today. It is free to try and inexpensive to keep.
I recently had a question about the what and how of cutting and pasting. 01/02/02
First, you highlight text with the cursor, then select Copy from the Edit menu (or use CTRL + C) or Cut (CTRL + X).
You can then select Paste (or use CTRL + V) as many copies of your selected text as you want.
My computer was a mess. In the last year, I've downloaded and removed more programs than any person has a right to do. Every time you do this your “registry” expands and changes, slowing down and sometimes confusing the OS. So when I threw my old HP off a cliff a few months ago, it was more like a mercy killing than a murder.
You don't have to take such drastic measures. A friend recommends a totally free program called RegCleaner. It helps you clean out old registry entries and delete old DLL files. If the idea of messing with the registry scares you, don't worry. Jouni Vuorio, author of this program, claims that you don't even need to know what the registry is to use this application. He's basically right, but it still pays to be very careful about what you delete. The program includes an automatic backup feature, just in case your delete finger loses control.
RegCleaner works with Windows 9x, 2000, Me, and NT4. The author warns that support for Windows 95 is limited, and you may have problems running the software on multi-processor systems. Download RegCleaner
AOL Tip: Turn Off AOL Ads 01/02/02
Nobody wants to get advertisements from an Internet service provider. How many credit cards do you really need anyway? Kill those nasty pop-up ads in America Online by following these steps:
1. Sign on to AOL.
2. Go to Settings. Choose Preferences and click Marketing.
3. Click the button next to Pop Up and press Continue.
4. Choose "No, I do not want to receive special AOL members-only pop-up offers."
5. Click OK.
We all want to know why computers crash. 01/02/02
Believe it or not, crashing is a natural part of an operating system. With all the things an OS needs to do to work – interface with your hardware, work with your software -- crashes are unavoidable. There are a few things you can to do minimize crashes:
1. Update you system regularly. Visit the manufacturer's website for updates and news.
2. Don't overstress your computer. If you're running nine difference applications at one time, you increase the chances of a crash occurring.
3. Scrutinize the shareware you use. Shareware doesn't go through the rigorous quality assurance that commercial software goes through. Shareware often adds things to your system that can cause it to crash.
4. Use anti-virus software.
5. Every six months, backup all of your data, reformat your hard drive, and reinstall everything. This will help get rid of unnecessary items
A lady wants to know an "easy" way to merge multiple Microsoft Word documents. 01/01/02
All you have to do is open the main document. Then you can click on the file icon of the other file you want to include, and drag it to the spot in the main document where you want the insertion to appear.
One man wants to know if adding obscure updates (such as the update for converting to Euro dollars) takes up system resources. 01/01/02
You don't have to perform every update that Microsoft recommends. You should perform every security update, driver updates, and other updates to the core system. But some updates, such as support for foreign currency, are not necessary.
That being said, if you add each and every update, you aren't adding strain on your resources. You'll lose hard drive space, but the updates are usually less than 200 KB. If you can spare the hard drive space, go ahead and apply the updates.
I was asked how you can use HTML in emails in America Online. 01/01/02
You can't. AOL won't allow you to use HTML for an email. You can use AOL's own tools, but only people who use AOL can see your emails properly. If you send an email to non-AOL users, the email will look messed up.
If you really want to send an email using HTML, you can use a free web-based email service, such as Yahoo Mail (http://mail.yahoo.com) or Hotmail: http://www.hotmail.com
One person wants to know how to delete email in Outlook Express without having it go to the Deleted Items folder first.
To delete an email, hold the Shift key and press the Delete key.
This will delete the email without going to the Deleted Items folder first.
Several Paisley folks have been hit with a virus or worm. It is always safest to NEVER open and attachment, even if you have a Virus Guard program installed, updated and running. 01/01/02
However, you can safely download and view some types of files. For example a picture in .jpeg or .gif format is normally safe, as is a word processing file in .doc or .wps. (i.e. Sally.jpeg or report.wps.) Problem is, how do you know the file extension?
You can view file extensions. To see file extensions on your Windows PC: 1. Launch Windows Explorer. 2. Click on the View menu and select Folder Options. 3. Click on the View tab. 4. Make sure the box for Hide file extensions for know file types is unchecked.