2005 PC Doctor Columns
December 20
December 12
December 7
November 29
November 16
November 2 October 25
October 17
October 10
September 27
September 20
September 14
August 29
August 22 August 16
August 15
August 1
July 25 July 20 July 11
June 27 June 24
June 15 June 6
May 31 May 23 May 16
May 9 May 2 April
24 April
18 April 11
April 4
March 14
March 7
February 28 February 22
February 14 February 6
January 31
January
19 January 8
January 3
December 27, 2006
Dear PC Doctor:
I must have changed a setting or something but when I look at a web site now, unless I hit the Refresh button, the page is an older version. I mean it will give me the newest one when I hit the button, but it seems like I didn’t have to do that before. Where can I see what the setting is? JC
Dear JC:
When you open up Internet Explorer, go up to the upper menu bar and click on ‘tools’. From the drop down menu, select ‘internet options’. On the General tab and around the middle of the page, look for Temporary Internet Files. The third button over is ‘settings’. Click on that. You will see that there are options to check for how to handle stored pages. They are: every visit to the page, every time you start Internet Explorer, automatically and never. I have ‘automatically’ checked, but you can choose whatever you want. I suspect you must have the ‘never’ box checked. Click the OK button and close out the boxes. This should take care of the problem.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I have a small business and have a website advertising it. I would like to know if there are any other web pages that have a link to my site. Just out of curiosity, nothing important. CBT
Dear CBT:
Just go to Google at www.google.com and type in the following: link:yourwebsite.com where you substitute the name of your website for yourwebsite.com. So for example using the library website, I would type link:athollibrary.org because our domain name is org instead of com. This will take you to a list of websites that have your web site listed on theirs. Pretty easy! PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I would like to remove a program that I installed but I don’t ever use and I think it’s taking up space unnecessarily. Can I just move the icon over to the recycle bin? Ann
Dear Ann:
Removing the icon does not remove the program. Usually when you try to delete the icon, a message will pop up and tell you this.
There are two ways to remove a program. Some programs have their own uninstall program and you can find it by going to the Start button, click All Programs and find the name of your program to be removed on the list. Click on it and if there is a removal tool it will say Uninstall. Just click on that and follow the instructions.
If your program doesn’t have this feature, then go to the Start button and choose Control Panel. Choose Add and Remove Programs. Find it on the list and then click the ‘remove’ button. Simply follow the instructions.
After this, if you find that your icon is still on the desktop for some strange reason, then you can just move it over into the recycle bin. PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
When I run Spybot to find and remove spyware, it keeps finding something called DSO Exploit and will not remove it for some reason. I’m concerned that something bad is going to happen, what is it? Mark
Dear Mark:
DSO Exploit is a bug in Internet Explorer. If you have all your Windows updates up to date (www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com) and the latest version of Internet Explorer, this bug has been fixed. Your computer will be fine even if Spybot still shows DSO Exploit to exist. You can just ignore the message that it found it each time.
If you want it to not show up in Spybot results, you will need to edit the Registry. This is NOT a beginner process and should not be done lightly. To be honest I don’t think it would be a good idea, but if you are still interested, please email me again and I will send you the directions offline.
Tip of the week: many people have been hooked by the new Suduko craze and been frustrated not to be able to solve some of the puzzles or by having to wait until the next day’s paper comes out to see the solution. You can go to Guy’s Sudoku solver at www.suduko.org.uk however and type in the numbers you have figured out. The Suduko Duck strategic puzzle solver will give you the answers you seek!
Dear PC Doctor:
What is a podcast? RB
Dear RB:
Simple question really! It’s broadcasting onto an iPod, hence the term podcast. A podcast is an MP3 file (audio) that is available on the Internet for download to your computer, MP3 player or iPod. It comes to you via an automatic feed or RSS. In other words, you subscribe to a particular podcast and as they are released, they come to you automatically. Think of it as radio when you want it rather than being tied to listening to a particular show at a prescribed time. The great majority of podcasts are talking rather than music.
You can subscribe to any number of shows or podcasts from talk shows to news programs. These subscribed websites will then download any daily podcasts to iTunes (which you can download at www.apple.com/itunes/) Ipodder (www.ippoder.org) or Odeo (www.odeo.com). You can then load them directly to your iPod or MP3 player to listen to them while jogging, walking or riding in the car.
You can even create your own podcasts, if you have the right equipment, and upload them for others to enjoy. Thus the potential downside, some of the podcasts out there are hard to hear or not great quality. But it’s like anything, poke around and take what you like and ignore the rest.
There are many, many websites to obtain podcasts. A few good ones are: www.podcast.net; www.podcasts.org and www.audio.weblogs.com. Check out National Public Radio at www.npr.org and if you look in the left hand column, you’ll see ‘NPR Podcasts’. You can get a complete program at this time, but it will give you an idea of how podcasting works. To find more websites, just Google the term ‘podcasts’ and you will be greeted with many sites to check out.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
My computer date and time keep changing. I don’t know what the problem is. I go to the task bar and change it to the right time but soon enough it’s changed. What is wrong? Kurt
Dear Kurt:
It sounds like you have a bad battery. You will need to open up the case and replace it. To do this, make sure you unplug your CPU. Ground yourself by touching something metal and then remove the screws holding the cover on. Slide the cover off and look for the motherboard (the main large board of circuits inside). On that board you will see a battery much like one you would find in your watch. It’s about the size of a dime or nickel and has a plus sign on the top. Head to the store to pick up a new one.
Simply remove the old battery and install the new one. Put the cover back on, plug in the computer and turn it on. Most computers will recognize the new battery but some will ask you to answer some basic questions in the BIOS. Do so, save and reboot. Then double click on the date and time in the lower right hand corner of your screen, change it to the right date and time and you should be all set. PC Doctor
Cool site this week – check out www.seatguru.com. If you like to travel (or even if you don’t), this site will allow you to see which is a good or bad seat on a plane. The right hand column lets you chose the airline you will be flying and from that, the model of the plane. Moving your cursor around the seats on the plane opens up a box that tells you whether the seat has extra leg room, noisy or under seat storage space among other interesting tidbits.
Dear PC Doctor:
My computer is running slower and I’ve tried many of your suggestions but my little niece noticed that I have a lot of things running in the bottom blue bar. I remember once you said that having too many things there can mess things up. What should I do? RK
Dear RK:
You can give it a try by seeing what you are loading when your computer starts up. The icons in your system tray (the blue bar you were talking about) indicate what programs are loading up when you start the computer. To find out, go to the Start button and click on Run. In the box that opens, type in MSCONFIG and click OK.
Another box will open up which is the system configuration utility. Choose the ‘startup’ tab and you find listed all the items you are loading at startup. You will need to decide whether you need these items to load up or whether you use them infrequently so that starting them as you enter the program is enough. Everything that loads up takes up valuable memory, thus slowing down some applications. Some of the stuff listed will be goobledy gook to an unfamiliar user, so I’ll try to make it easier. Next to the ‘startup item’ column is the ‘command’ column. Most items will start with C:\Program Files\ and then the program. (If you can’t see the full name, just move your mouse over the gray bar that the words ‘command’ and ‘location’ reside on. There is a little vertical line between them that if you hover your mouse over it will turn into a double headed arrow with a cross. Click your left mouse button, hold down and slide the mouse to the right. This will open up the window so that you can see the full command line.)
Programs that you are sure you don’t need to open every time, just uncheck the box. If you are not sure what they are, you can go to www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php on the Internet to see what they are for. However, if you just get rid of the few that you know what they are, you might free up your computer enough so that you don’t have to worry about the others. Remember to reboot your machine after making this change.
Later if something doesn’t work properly you can go back in and reverse the changes by re-checking the boxes.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I have a bunch of floppy disks that I used for my Macintosh computer which I have since gotten rid of. I purchased a new computer that is IBM compatible. Can I still use these disks?
Clara
Dear Clara:
Yes you can, you will just need to format them. If your My Computer icon is on the desktop, double click on it or else go to the Start button, Programs and then My Computer. Look for the A: drive, right click on it and choose ‘format’ off the drop down menu. Follow any on screen instructions. It will eventually ask if you want to format another disk, just continue inserting and formatting your disks until you are done.
One caveat though, if these disks are old and were used repeatedly, you might want to consider just chucking them into the trash and getting new ones. Like video tapes, continued use can deteriorate the quality of the disks.
PC Doctor
Another quick tip – while searching on the Internet (and if you use Windows XP), you can save some keystrokes by typing in only the name of the website you are looking for, for example athollibrary and then holding the Control (CTRL) key and hitting the Enter key. Like magic your computer will insert the www at the beginning and the .org at the end. Works for most websites, but not all. It’s fun to try it though!
Dear PC Doctor:
With the holidays coming, I was thinking of getting my teenage son the stuff he needs to begin (what he calls) geocaching. As you can imagine, I’m not familiar with that so I was hoping you could help out. It sounds like some kind of computer thing. Bev
Dear Bev:
Funny you should ask! The library is holding an introduction to geocaching on Monday, December 19 at 6:30 p.m. Tom Lozier from the Athol Fire Department will be talking about the equipment you will need. The unit is called a GPS. Geocaching enthusiasts Joanne Deacon and Spencer Marshall will talk about the hobby itself and explain how you can get involved. It is free and open to the public so come armed with your questions and I’m sure they will be able to help you out. PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I was wondering if I wanted to cut and paste part of an email into a paper I’m doing whether I can do that?
Don
Dear Don:
Yes, you can. Just highlight the section you want with your mouse, then either hit the control (CTRL) key together with the C key to copy it. Go to your word processing document, place the cursor where you want the text and hit the control (CTRL) key again but this time together with the V key. You could also go up to the Edit menu and select ‘copy’ first and then ‘paste’.
If you find that the text you want to copy is full of >>> (forward arrows) which indicates that it is from a forwarded message, just go up to Edit and click Replace. (This is instead of going through the whole message and hitting the delete key). In the box that opens, just click the ‘replace’ tab and type a forward arrow in the ‘find what’ box. Leave the ‘replace with’ box empty as you want to replace it with an empty space. Click the ‘replace all’ button and you’re all set!
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I’ve been following a local news and gossip website for a long time and recently the person changed the format to something called a blog. It says on the site that I can get my own blog to say what I think and a link will be created? I’m not really sure what a blog is and how to get one? It looks like the one mentioned www.eblogger.com costs money. Can you help? Anonymous
Dear Anon:
A blog is short for web log and is a website where people can post just about anything from photographs to their inner most thoughts. Some are amazingly personal and are diaries of people’s lives. Others are informational. A good free place to get a blog for yourself is owned by Google at www.blogger.com. Pretty much, the directions are laid out there for you – create an account, name your blog and choose a template.
It also describes what a blog is, what types of things you can post there and allows you to search other peoples’ blogs. You can choose to allow others to comment on your blog or not.
There are numerous ways to get a blog besides the two mentioned, just type in blogs in Google search and then decide where you would like to get a blog from. Good luck!
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
My computer has only two USB ports which I’ve already used to hook up my printer and my mouse. I want to get a scanner and maybe a backup drive and it seems like everything these days comes with a USB connection. Is there anything I can do? Rich
Dear Rich:
Yes, you can either purchase a USB hub with four slots that will take one of those two slots on your computer (but then you can plug the equipment into the hub) or you can get an expansion card.
Adding the hub is very quick and easy. Just head to the computer store, pick one up, plug it in and follow the onscreen setup instructions. Some hubs may require that you plug it also into an electrical outlet. These hubs are an advantage in that they won’t be trying to get power from the computer potentially slowing down your devices. The downside is that you can’t upgrade the speed using this method and sometimes some peripherals require more juice (if you’ve chosen a self powered model).
An expansion card is easy enough if you are comfortable opening up your computer. You need to ground yourself to avoid static electricity and open up your CPU or computer case. Find an empty slot and carefully rock the card into the slot until it clicks. Screw it in and power the computer back up. When you are sure it is working, power it back down and re-attach the case.
Good luck, this is a quick fix that should solve your problem! PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
My daughter who is addicted to Instant Messenger just informed me that she spilt her coke on the keyboard. I told her to turn it off immediately and leave it until I figure out what to do. Great, after I told her no food or drink near the machine. So she’s suffering withdrawal of sorts while waiting for your answer. What should I do?
Aggravated mom
Dear Mom:
Well, the easiest solution is to head to the store and buy a new keyboard. You can get one for as little as $10. The other answer is to unplug it from the computer, dump out any liquid still in there over the sink, and open it up. Lightly rinse off the circuit board and keys with a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and demineralized water, wipe it carefully and let it dry. Assemble it and plug it back in. If it works, you’re golden, otherwise you’ll have to resort to my first suggestion which is – buy a new one.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
Wish the library would have another digital camera class but in the meantime I have a problem. I have a digital camera which works just fine and worked good with my old computer. I got a new computer for my birthday but the connections between the two won’t fit. The camera cord has a different end that doesn’t fit anywhere in my new computer. Is there anything I can do? I hate to buy a new camera now too.
J.T.
Dear J.T.:
Unless the camera manufacturer can offer a new USB cord (because that is what you are probably be looking for), the easiest solution is just to purchase a memory card reader. They start as low as $35 and you can get one from a computer store or online. If you go to a store, you can bring the camera with you so the associate can make sure the one you buy will read your specific card. Some readers will comprehend more than one kind of card.
Then you will just take the memory card out of the camera and attach it to your new memory card reader (which you have already connected to the USB port of your computer). The reader will search for and recognize your card and then you can transfer your pictures to your computer. This should work just fine.
PC Doctor
Did you know? I found out this weekend that you don’t have to go to a Western Union office to send money anymore. You can just go to www.westernunion.com and you can transact all kinds of business there and avoid the drive to the nearest office which for us is in Amherst. It just goes to show the wide variety of services available on the Internet which can save you time and gas money.
Dear PC Doctor:
I put some documents on a CD and now when I try to open them up to make some changes; it just says to me that it is ‘read only’. I don’t understand why, I used to use floppy diskettes but then when I got a new computer that for some reason didn’t come with a floppy drive so I’m stuck with CDs. But this is very frustrating since I have to hand over my work to another department on CDs but I can’t make the changes I need to. Can you help?
Jonas
Dear Jonas:
A couple of things here. First if you really want to use floppy disks, you can purchase a USB external floppy drive from a computer store that will allow you to do this. They cost around $50-75.
However if you are required to use CDs then you need to be aware that you can’t change data on a CD. What you need to do is copy the document to your hard drive, make your changes and then burn or save it again onto your CD (provided there is room on it). If you have a rewritable CD, you can format it and write on it again but you still can’t open and save like you can with a hard drive or floppy. CDs are pretty inexpensive so just open your document and continue making your adjustments, burning it again onto the CD until it’s full and then get a new one. Sorry not to have better news, but it’s the limitations of CDs but certainly following this method you can work around it.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
Whenever I try to type something in Word, it will suddenly capitalize some words that I don’t want capitalized. Why is it doing that? Dave
Dear Dave:
You probably have the autocorrect feature turned on. This is a little feature that will correct many of your mistakes and but unfortunately, others that it perceives as mistakes but is perhaps something you really meant to do. To turn it off, just go up to Tools, click Autocorrect Options and uncheck the boxes that you do not wish to have ‘autocorrected’.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I just bought a new laptop (my Christmas gift to myself!) and had all the data transferred over from my old computer. One thing I can’t figure out is that I use Outlook Express for my email and before when I sent an email there was a BCC box that I used to send a copy to myself so I would have one. Now I only have To and CC. How can I get that box back? Annabelle
Dear Annabelle:
I see you are using your holiday gift early! I’m sure you will enjoy your new notebook and since I have switched computers on occasion, I know you will find other little problems or new features that take a little getting used to but the speed will more than make up for it!
On to your dilemma – one that is easily solved! Just act as if you are sending a new message by clicking the ‘create’ button and look at the tool bar on the box that opens up (not the main toolbar for Outlook Express). Click on View and select All Headers. Instantly you should see the Bcc box appear. You can close out of the create message screen and all should be right for your future emails.
In case someone is wondering what all the means, Bcc stands for blind carbon copy and Cc is carbon copy. The difference is that any addresses you put into the Cc box will display everyone’s email address that you sent the message to on all the recipients emails while Bcc will not. This is in case you don’t want all your intended email targets to see who else is receiving the message.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I have a laptop that is a ‘hand me down’ but since I’m just starting out, I think it will be fine for me. The problem is that I would like to use a regular keyboard and mouse (instead of the weird thing in the middle of the keyboard). The keyboard on the laptop is just too small for my manly hands. Also I wanted to hook up a printer and scanner and it doesn’t look like there are enough places to do that. Neil
Dear Neil:
You can simply purchase a keyboard and regular mouse from any computer store like Best Buy or Circuit City and plug them directly into the laptop. In fact if the screen is too small, you can plug a monitor into it as well.
Because you didn’t say what type of laptop you have, I will also mention that you can also buy either a port replicator or docking station that will allow you to increase the number of ports (or places to plug things in) available to you.
Port replicators do not add new features to your laptop rather they just allow you additional spots to plug in and also to manage your cords and cables better. Plugging and unplugging cables can cause wear and tear on your computer so leaving them plugged into the port replicator and just removing the single attachment between the two is easier on the system. Replicators typically cost between $50 and $150.
On the other hand docking stations, which also perform the same function of providing more slots, also allow you to add features like speakers, memory card readers and extra USB hubs. For this added privilege you can expect to pay between $150 to $500.
If you are unfamiliar with these types of devices or confused about which you need, take your laptop to the store with you so the salesperson can be sure which type will fit with your computer.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
My friend just made a CD of an NPR program interview that I wanted to listen to but when I tried to play it in my car it wouldn’t work. Later I tried it on my computer and it worked fine. Why wouldn’t that work?
DB
Dear DB:
When your friend burned the CD, they may have burned them as MP3 files instead of an audio CD. Just as there are various formats of movies (VHS, BETA, DVD, etc.), music and audio come in different types of files.
MP3 is usually not a style that a personal CD player or car stereo can recognize. Normally you would purchase a player with a specific capability to play MP3 files. To make sure that you can play your CD in your car, if that is where you do your heavy listening, have your friend burn the CD as an audio CD. Just have him or her check the program they are using to make the CD. If they don’t have the audio option, a nice free program is available at www.musicmatch.com. If it still doesn’t work, try using a better grade of CD – some of the cheaper ones just don’t want to work in certain players. Good luck! PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I bought an optical mouse when they first came out but now it’s acting kind of jerky. Do you have to replace these things often? Kim
Dear Kim:
Assuming that you haven’t dropped it on the floor and crushed it, it’s probably just dirty. Take a q-tip and gently run it over the optical eye (turn the mouse over and look for the red light). Also make sure that your work surface under the mouse is clean. Unless you are putting much heavier use than normal on your mouse, you shouldn’t have to replace it.
For those who are wondering what an optical mouse is, it’s the newer alternative to the wheel or track ball style of mouse. Rather than having to use a mouse pad that the wheel on the base of the mouse has to have contact with, the optical mouse (theoretically) can work on any surface and doesn’t need a mouse pad. It also has no moving parts that can wear out or allow dirt into. The lens can still get dirty however and a quick swipe over it should take care of the problem.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I was reading directions for some new software that I got and it told me to hover my mouse. I have no idea what that means, can you tell me? Chris
Dear Chris:
Hover means to place your mouse cursor near a particular menu item or icon and then slowly move it around that icon. When you do this, a text box should appear that will display what the function of that icon is. So for example, if you are on the Internet and have Explorer open, go up to the tool bar and slide the cursor gently or ‘hover’ over the button that looks like two green arrows going in a circle. A tiny text box should open up that says ‘Refresh’. If you click this button, the web page that you are looking at will refresh or reload. Sometimes you need to do this is your page seems to be locked up or frozen.
Each button on the tool bar will have a corresponding text box that explains the box’s function. Hovering over the button or icon just triggers this box to display. The important thing to remember is that you are not clicking on anything and to move it slowly. Hovering is nothing more complicated than that. PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
If I’m not using my computer for a few minutes, the screen saver comes on and then I have to move the mouse and type in my password to get it back up. Needless to say, at the end of the day I’ve typed in my password a million times. I end up moving my mouse all the time to stop the screen saver from coming on. Is there anything I can do?
Diane
Dear Diane:
It sounds like the settings on your computer are set for too short of a time period. Go to the Start button and click on the Control Panel. Find the icon for ‘power options’ and double click on it. A box should open up, just click on the tab for ‘power schemes’. On that tab there should be a section near the middle ‘settings for…. (it will list whether you have a laptop or regular computer)’. You will then have the options to set time limits for: turn off monitor, turn off hard disks and system standby. You will want to click the down arrow next to ‘system standby’ and increase the time. Then click OK and retreat out of the open windows.
Alternatively you can right click on your desktop and select Properties from the drop down menu. Under the screen saver tab, there is a setting there to control the time that it takes for your screensaver to come on. Since I’m not sure if your problem is the screen saver or the system standby, change one and if it doesn’t solve the problem, try the other.
PC Doctor
Fun site to see: To see some really cool satellite pictures of your house (yes, YOUR house) from the air, open up Internet Explorer and in the address bar, type in earth.google.com (do not type the www) and hit the enter key.
Around the middle of the webpage, click on ‘Get Google Earth (Free Version)’. On the page that opens up, click on the ‘Download GoogleEarth.exe’ button. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention, that unfortunately you have to have broadband or DSL service; dial up is much too slow. Click on Run and it will ask ‘do you want to run this software?', click Run again. Installshield will open up, click Next. Accept the license agreement and click Next. Chose the complete install and click Next. Click Install. A box will open up that asks if it can send information, uncheck the box that says ‘I allow this information to be sent’ and click Next. Finally uncheck the boxes in the next window and click Finish.
It will download now and when complete, look on your desktop and there should be an icon for Google Earth. Double click on it and play around. It is really amazing to see the landscapes and photos. Remember that these pictures were taken within the last three years so the one of your property may have been taken awhile ago. Have fun!
Dear PC Doctor:
I just purchased a new computer and because I’m on the road all the time, I also got an air/auto adapter to plug into the cigarette lighter. My associate does the driving so I can use my computer to work, so don’t worry that I’m using my computer and driving at the same time. Although I have to tell you that I’ve seen some pretty wild stuff while traveling from people reading the newspaper to shaving while driving! Anyways, I plug in the adapter and the light goes on, but then I plug in the computer and it starts beeping and shuts off. If I pull it out and try it, it just does the same thing. What is the problem? Al T
Dear Al:
First off, let me congratulate you in concentrating on driving and not being distracted – I, too, have seen some crazy things on the highway! You didn’t tell me which computer you have, but you will need to check some things to determine the problem.
Look at the power adapter that you use to plug your computer into the regular electrical socket at home or work (not the one into your cigarette lighter). There should be a wattage listed, for example, 120W or 150W. The adapter you purchased MUST have the same rating or higher as the one on your computer adapter. I suspect very strongly that you have an adapter that is underpowered for your computer. If this is the case, you will need to return it and purchase one that matches. I had a very difficult time finding one for my own computer which has 150w and ended up going online to find one. Good luck! PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I have a Palm pilot and I know it’s not technically a computer question, but I hope you can help me anyways. I have all my valuable names and addresses on it and I can’t believe I just lost everything. Someone told me to reset the thing and when I did, I just lost everything. I’ve started re-entering my names, but I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. What did I do wrong? Carol
Dear Carol:
The first thing you should figure out is how to synchronize your PDA or Palm pilot and your computer. You should have received software with your Palm that can be installed onto your computer and a cord that connects the two machines together. Then, using the software, you just ‘synch’ them regularly so that the information on both is the same. If you accidentally delete your Palm, you would just go into the computer software and select the option in setup for: “desktop overwrites handheld” and all your information would be returned to your PDA. Then if you’re making regular backups of your computer, you would have double protection.
I’m wondering if perhaps the person who told you to reset the Palm got you to do a hard reset instead of a soft reset (which is like rebooting your computer). To do a soft reset, you put a paper clip into the little hole on the back of the unit. A soft reset is used when your PDA freezes up for some reason. A hard reset sets the unit back to the original condition when you bought it, erasing all data on it. I don’t think I’ll describe that process, instead letting you refer to your user’s manual if that method is ever needed. Too much information and all!
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
For my email I use Outlook Express which I find very helpful. However for some reason the tool bar has disappeared. I can’t seem to find anywhere to get it back. I saw your suggestion last time about the window being pushed up into the other one but that doesn’t work for me. Is there something else I can try? Tom
Dear Tom:
Since you have tried my earlier suggestion and it didn’t work, I am assuming that somehow the option for the toolbar has been removed. To get it back, just open Outlook Express and go up to View and chose Layout. Under the top section labeled Basic, you will see a series of options with boxes in front. Just put a check mark in Toolbar, click Apply and then OK. This should put your toolbar back where it belongs.
Dear PC Doctor:
I am getting a message on my computer that says files are corrupted or that Windows can’t find them. I am very worried about this message what does it mean? PTH
Dear PTH:
There are a few things that could be happening. One is that your computer fans may be working overtime to keep the hard drive from overheating and it’s not working properly. This can be because you have inadvertently blocked the airflow so make sure that cords, etc. are away from the fan (just listen for the fan noise and use your hand to feel where the air is coming out); that it is not too close to the wall or heat source, or that the area where your computer is is not overly hot. Humidity is not good either so make sure that the computer is not near a humidifier. If you suspect any of these causes, make the necessary changes and let your computer dry out (if too humid) or settle down for a day and then start up again.
If the messages continue, your hard drive may have some bad sectors. Try running the CheckDisk (Windows XP) or ScanDisk for earlier Windows versions. To run Check Disk, go to the Start button and click on My Computer. Highlight the disk you want to check (in this case Local Disk C:, go up to File and chose Properties. On the Tools tab under Error Checking, click the button that says ‘check now’. A box will open up offering two check disk options. One is ‘automatically fix file system errors’ and the other is ‘scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors’. Put a check in both boxes and click the Start button. Everything on your computer needs to be shut down or the program will ask if you want to run this operation the next time you turn your computer on. You can say ‘yes’ and later when you turn your computer off for the day, it will be ready to run the process when you turn it back on.
To
run Scan Disk for Windows 98, again go to My Computer and right click on the C:
drive. From the list chose Properties and then the Tools tab. Find Check Now,
then Thorough, then Automatically Fix Errors and finally Start.
If these options do not help, you may need professional help as your hard drive may be failing.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I am interested in learning how to book flights and hotels online. As we have no travel agent in town anymore and I can’t get to out of town ones easily (plus with the price of gas) I am looking for some way to book a trip. My neighbor says that it is easy to book online so I want to give it a try. Gadabout
Dear Gadabout:
It is almost too long of a process to discuss all the ways you could book trips so I will talk about it in general but recommend that you get the September 2005 PC Today (www.pctoday.com) for a full review.
There are four popular sites for booking online travel - Expedia.com (www.expedia.com), Orbitz (www.orbitz.com), Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) and Hotels.com (www.hotels.com). Except for Hotels.com, all the others offer services to book flights, cruises, hotels, vacation packages and car rentals. I find I like to check each of them to see which is currently offering the best deal for my destination.
In order to begin searching, each site will require you to create a profile and you will log in with that profile each time you access the site. Be sure to write down your login name and password for future reservations (to make it easy, just chose the same user name and password for all websites). Each website allows you to type in the dates of your expected travel, how many travelers, the destinations and so forth. As you are searching, you are not committed to purchasing anything. The only site that allows you to save your searches for possible later booking is Expedia, however.
After you do all your searching and have chosen one, just fill in the purchasing (credit card) information and your receipt and itinerary will be emailed to you. Remember to save or print that information as you will need the reservation numbers and e-tickets for flights.
I find I do all my travel accommodations online now with great success. Try some smaller trips first to give yourself some confidence. For example, if you are attending a concert in Boston, why not book a hotel online. You can even search for nearby hotels to the concert address. Most searches will list the hotel web address if available so you can see the rooms and additional packages.
That being said, you can also book directly with the hotel or airline themselves if you feel more comfortable that way. Just Google the name (i.e. Holiday Inn or Northwest Airlines) to find their website. I think you’ll find it is fun and easy to book online. Have a great trip!
PC DoctorSeptember 27, 2005 Back to top
Dear PC Doctor:
All of a sudden I can’t open PDF files from the Internet on my computer. I’ve downloaded some new things but I don’t understand what happened. All I get is a tiny black square in the left hand corner with some stuff inside the box. What’s up! Joe
Dear Joe:
It could be a problem with your Adobe Acrobat settings. There are a number of different Adobe versions, so you might want to go to www.adobe.com and download the newest version free of charge. If you keep the one you have, the screens in the following directions might be a tad different, but should still be easy enough to figure out.
Open up your Adobe software and on the upper menu bar, click on Edit and select Preferences. This will open up a box and on the left hand side you will see a long list of items. Choose Internet and under Web Browser Options, check the following boxes: “display PDF in browser”, “all fast web view”, and “allow speculative download in background”. Click OK and close out of Adobe. Try accessing the PDF you want using Internet Explorer. Hopefully this should solve the problem.
Dear PC Doctor:
How do I know which version of windows my computer is running? I want to buy some software and the boxes say which version of operating system it will work with, but I have no clue? Brainless
Dear Brainless:
An easy way is to go the Start button, click Run and type winver into the box and click OK. This will tell you which version your computer has. PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
My modem got struck by lightning and my friend replaced it and I’m back in business. He suggested though that I should get a surge protector. What is that and where do I get one? Will it stop this from happening again? Peg
Dear Peg:
Without a doubt, yes. Surge protectors or suppressors help save your computer during electrical surges or spikes and lightning storms (although it never hurts to just unplug everything during a bad storm if you are around). In theory, the surge accepts the electrical problem and takes care of it before it can damage your computer.
That said, there is a wide variety of surge protectors to choose from in a wide variety of prices. Simply, the more expensive – the more features and warranties. Be very careful that you are purchasing a surge protector and not just a power strip. They can look alike but do not provide the same protection at all. They come in strips, rack mount, direct line and so on. Strips are usually adequate for the regular user. They range in price from $20.00 to $100.00.
You want to be sure that the surge offers a place to plug in your telephone cord. Plugging in your computer is great, but if the modem got knocked out, the power came in through your phone cord which is plugged directly into your computer! The new surge should come with a short phone cord. This gets plugged into your computer (replacing the phone cord that was there and which should now be plugged into the surge) and then into the surge.
Check the warranty. If the surge fails, does the warranty replace only the surge and not your computer? If this is important to you, be sure to check. Of course the price of the surge rises in price in comparison to the depth of the warranty.
Surge protectors don’t last forever and especially if you think you have taken some spikes, etc. you should plan to replace it regularly. Some protectors come with warning lights that let you know when you have taken a hit. Either way, change it once a year or when the warranty runs out.
If you use your computer often (especially if your work is on your computer), you might want to consider instead a UPS (which stands for uninterruptible power supply). This unit provides not only surge suppression but also acts as a battery which will keep your computer running if the power goes out. It gives you about 15 minutes to save your data and power down your computer safely.
For further consumer comparisons, go to Google and type “surge protectors” reviews. Remember when searching on the Internet, typing the search terms inside quotation marks gets you those terms together. So in this example you want surge and protectors together and the word review can be anywhere on the web page. Good luck.
PC Doctor
September 20, 2005 Back to top
Dear PC Doctor:
My computer is making a clicking sound and I’m not sure what it is. It sounds like a tap, tap, tap on metal. It just started and since it’s a new noise, I’m a little concerned. What would be your diagnosis? Russ
Dear Russ:
This can be a cause for alarm as this usually indicates that your hard drive is getting ready to fail. Make sure that the noise is not coming from one of your other drives such as the floppy or CD drive. You can determine this if the sound is only heard when you are accessing a file from the CD or floppy. If that is the case, then you’re actually lucky because replacing either unit is easy compared to the hard drive since there is no data to worry about losing.
Since I’m assuming that you are a beginner, my best advice to you would be to call a technician (several are advertised in the Athol Daily News and the phone book) or go to a computer store. If your hard drive is getting ready to fail, you may need professional help to back up your valuable data and install a new hard drive. PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I am a new computer user with lots of questions but my first one is about email. I have an email account with Hotmail and would like to use Outlook Express because my friend said that is a good way to save your emails in folders. She said she can show me how to set those up, but we can’t figure out how to get Express to put my email into there to begin with. Her daughter who lives in California did it for her. Can you help me do this? Pat
Dear Pat:
I think your friend has a great suggestion, particularly with Hotmail which doesn’t give you lots of storage space unless you purchase an upgrade. That means that if you continue to store your email on Hotmail’s server, eventually your inbox will become full and it will start rejecting your new, incoming mail. Best to use Outlook or Outlook Express and move it there.
Open Outlook Express and go up the menu bar and click on Tools. Select Accounts and click on the ‘mail’ tab. Over on the right click the ‘add’ button and choose ‘mail’. A box will open that will ask you to type in your display name. This is the name you want people to see when your email is displayed on the recipient’s computer. Fill in and click Next. You will then be asked to type in your email address. Click Next.
The next screen asks what kind of incoming mail server you have. Choose http and in the following box choose Hotmail as your mail server. Click Next. On the following screen type in your email address (there is an example to follow) and enter your password. Check the box that says ‘remember password’. Click OK.
Now when you sit down at your computer, simply open Outlook Express (via your start menu or by the icon on the desktop) and it should both send and receive your mail. If you have more than one email account, just follow the above procedure for each one. Outlook has the ability to manage a number of email accounts at once. When your friend makes your folders for you, you just click on the email messages and drag them over to the appropriate folder.
PC Doctor
September 14, 2005 Back to top
Dear PC Doctor:
The print on the Internet is too small for me to read. I even got new glasses and it’s just too little. Is there anything I can do short of using a magnifying glass? Ann
Dear Ann:
When you have Internet Explorer open, just go up to the upper menu bar and click on View. Off the drop down menu, chose Text Size. You will then have the choice to select from the following: largest, larger, medium, smaller, smallest. Just click on the one you want. Simple fix! PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
Someone gave me a document and when I try to open it to change something it says it is ‘read only’. That doesn’t do me much good, is there anything I can do about it? TomB
Dear TomB:
I’m not sure from your question whether this document was emailed to you as an attachment or on a CD or DVD. It may be that your CD or DVD is not a re-writable disk so when your friend saved it, that’s it. You can look at it but not change it. However, there is a workaround (isn’t there always!) that you can easily use.
Open the document on your computer and then save it to your hard drive by going up to the upper menu bar and choosing File and then Save As. Choose to save on your C drive in your My Documents folder (or wherever you save things) and then name the file whatever you want and click Save. Close out of the document.
Now you want to change the properties so that your document is no longer read only. Go to the menu bar again, click on File and Open. Don’t open it yet. Instead right click on the file name and choose Properties off the drop down menu. Click on the General tab and look down near the bottom under ‘attributes’ and uncheck the box for ‘read-only’. Click OK. This should allow you to open the document and make as many changes as your little heart desires.
PC Doctor
Handy tip for today. If you tend to have a lot of programs open at once and like to shift between them (for example if you are working on a paper and using the Internet at the same time to search for information), you will find using the ALT and TAB key combination addictive. Hold down the ALT key with your thumb and use your little or ring finger to tap the TAB key. As you tap the TAB key a little window opens in the middle of the screen and you will see the names of your open programs one after the other. When you see the program you want to use, just let up on the ALT key. This saves lots of time reaching for and positioning the mouse.
Until next time…. Happy computing!
Dear PC Doctor:
My computer says it is booting in safe mode. What does that mean? Anne
Dear Anne:
For some unknown reason your computer cannot start up normally. You may have added new hardware or software that isn’t compatible. The computer is taking a safer method of starting by using what is called Safe Mode, an alternative way to boot up. Reasons why you may be starting in Safe Mode could also include: hardware conflicts, the computer was shut down improperly, device drivers are bad or missing, viruses, or system files were changed. You can tell you are in Safe Mode because the words Safe Mode appear in the four corners of the screen and the size (resolution) of the screen will look differently.
Safe Mode is there to help you troubleshoot and as such, all the niceties of your system may not be available like your network printer, scanner or even your Internet connection. You should still be able to use the Control Panel and other troubleshooting parts of the system.
Once operating in Safe Mode, run Scan Disk and Defrag (or Checkdisk in early Windows editions) found by hitting the Start button, choosing All Programs, then System Tools and finally under Accessories. Hopefully this will solve your problem and then you can reboot the machine and it will reboot in to a normal state. Good luck.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
Greetings from a former resident
and ADN Reader in South Florida. We enjoy reading your column, it’s great to
have a place to e-mail for help. With reference to Bill's note about
attachments. I have asked the folks on my e-mail buddy list to put something in
the subject to let me know what the attachment they send me is. Pics of
Reunion, funny cartoon, note from Joan etc. It works for me. If there is
nothing in the subject I e-mail them to ask, call them to ask (do people ever
use phones anymore?) or delete the email.
On a lighter note....I sold cell
phones here for several years. I chose to have one and because it was such a
great way to go I eliminated my home phone and made my cell my primary line of
communication. I have my computer (broadband cable hook up-NO phone live
required) with which I also communicate to better then 80% of the people I stay
in touch with on a regular basis. I have been doing this for better then 8
years. Recently my youngest daughter moved home and had a phone installed. My
oldest grandson has lived here all his life and chose to use the new house land
line. He dialed his friend and then asked what is wrong with this? It’s
beeping. He had never heard a busy signal as my cell phone says: ‘the number
you’re trying to reach in not available, try your call later’! His response
was...this is so old fashioned, cell phones are much better! We got a good laugh
over that one! Keep up the Great Work.
Penny
Dear Penny:
Well, these kinds of email make my day. I love it when readers write in with other suggestions for questions they have seen in the paper. I also appreciated the humor and thought all you pre-cell phone folks would get a kick out of it like I did. PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I got an error message while I was on the Net that said 400: Bad Request. What does that mean? George
Dear George:
Simply put, it means that the website you were trying to reach either doesn’t exist or is not available for some reason. It could also mean that you typed the address wrong. Try it again at a later date or double check the address from the original location that you first found it. PC Doctor
Until next time…. Happy computing!