Security for Windows XP
Don’t you hate it when people mess with your computer without you knowing it? Here are two ways to prevent this, (and still be lazy): create a desktop icon to lock your computer, and password protect after the screen saver is activated. Both of these only work if you already have your computer password protected on login.
If you already have a password, skip to… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Don’t Use AOL’s Included Browser!
Have you ever been on a website using AOL and the browser crashes? (Or better yet, have you ever been on a site and not had it crash?)
What happens? That’s right.. The whole AOL program crashes. As for whatever you were doing, kiss it good-bye.
Another bad thing about the AOL browser is the way it limits the amount of space you have to… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Using The Internet |
Q:
I keep hearing about how informational sites will probably be charging for their content soon. Are the days of the “free” internet over?
A:
I’ve seen several questions like that lately (must be an article going around or something), so I’ll try to explain what’s going on and why.
First off, most information sites are supported by advertising revenue. They draw traffic due to their (hopefully) excellent… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Using The Internet |
Email Read Receipts
Alright, your first question probably is “What is a read receipt anyway?” Well, you can request a read receipt when you send an e-mail. When the receiver of your e-mail opens it you will be sent a message telling you it has been read (at their option). This message is the read receipt.
Your next question might be “How do I send a read receipt?”
Outlook Express
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Q:
What does “DPI” mean?
A:
Digital images are essentially made up of little “dots”. We use DPI (Dots Per Inch) as a measure of resolution. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the higher the resolution and the sharper the picture.
300 DPI is considered (by most of us) to be photo quality. Generally speaking, you won’t notice… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms |
Q:
Why don’t you run more tips for us Web-based email users (AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.)?
A:
It seems that for every web-based email service there are different features and procedures. This makes it very difficult to write “universal” tips. Since Outlook Express is what we use around here, we are able to offer tips based on what we know. We try to include Netscape Mail when possible.… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Have you ever gone to uninstall a program, only to get some kind of nasty error message? It was probably something to the effect that the uninstall part of the program was hopelessly messed up and good luck trying to remove it from your system.
Don’t think you’re ever going to have this problem? HA!
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help, Uncategorized |
Saving Embedding Music from Email
Yesterday you learned how to embed music files into email (BTW: I forgot to mention that it was an Outlook Express only tip. I could not find a way to do it in Netscape Mail or with web-based email). What if you want to save music embedded in an email you receive? Here’s what you do…
Open Outlook Express and highlight the message with the… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Embedding Music into Email
Did you ever open an email and it started playing music? Want to know how it’s done? Here it is in 9 easy steps…
NOTE: This will only work using Outlook Express . We received Gigabytes of email from annoyed readers of our daily newsletter because we failed to mention this when we ran the tip.
It is best to type your message, or insert graphics… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Q:
I was having a problem with a mouse last week and the inside of my computer needed cleaning. This seemed like a good idea to solve both problems—what do you think?
A:
First off, we love the picture 
However, we have to say that we do not recommend putting live animals (or dead ones for that matter) in your computer. They tend to generate static… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Uncategorized |
Big Buttons
Do you ever accidentally click the Maximize button on a program window when you meant to hit Close? Or Close when you wanted to Maximize? Or Maximize when you wanted to Minimize? Or… OK, I guess you get the idea.
If the buttons are bigger, it helps to eliminate this problem. Trust me, ever since I made my buttons bigger, I have lots less digital… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Uncategorized, Using The Internet |
Here’s a quick little trick for Internet Explorer’s scroll bar.
Most of us usually use our mouse scroll wheel or grab the scroll bar when we go to scroll down the length of a web page, right?
Another way is to right-click the scrollbar. A little menu will pop up that’s chock-full of scrolling options!
Give it… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Shortcuts & Keyboard Tricks, Using The Internet |
Floppy Copy
Floppy drives are slowly becoming extinct, so this tip is for us sentimental types who still love our floppies…
Ever need to copy the contents from one floppy disk to another? It’s easy! Here’s how:
1. Put the disk you would like to copy into your floppy drive (usually your “A:” Drive.)
2. Double-click the MyComputer Icon on your desktop.
3. Right click your A: Drive… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management |
Q:
What are Interrupts?
A:
Interrupts are what your 4 year old generates every time you try to have any kind of conversation with someone (just couldn’t resist).
It’s also a computer term (surprise). Normally called Interrupt Requests (IRQ), they are basically calls made from a hardware device to get the “attention” of the CPU (similar to the way a 4 year old gets an adult’s attention, just… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms |
Drag & Drop Opens
Here’s a quick little one for ya.
Did you know that most programs allow you to open files by dragging & dropping them into their window? Well, they do. Really.
For example, let’s say you have a picture file sitting on your desktop and your imaging software is already running. Just drag & drop the file into the program and it… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management, Shortcuts & Keyboard Tricks |
Yee-haw! Lasso Like a Computer Cowboy
Have you ever noticed that you can make little “boxes” on your desktop by holding down your left mouse button and dragging diagonally? Although it can be an entertaining distraction when you’re on a boring phone call, it actually has a purpose.
Here I am, lassoing icons:
You can use the technique on your desktop to make multiple selections by “lassoing” icons. Hit… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Desktop Enhancement, Shortcuts & Keyboard Tricks |
Q:
I was looking inside my computer and I noticed that I have several types of card slots. Some are short white ones, some are longer black ones.What’s the difference?
A:
The short white ones are PCI slots and the black ones are ISA slots. You may even encounter an AGP slot (usually looks like a displaced PCI slot, brown in color)
What’s the difference? Here’s a run… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Hardware & Peripherals, Uncategorized |
Q:
Yesterday you mentioned checking system properties. How do I do that?
A:
Well, you *could* click the Start button, Settings , Control Panel , then open the System icon.
Here’s the quicker way…
Hold down the ALT key and double click the My Computer icon on your desktop.
And you get this:
Now you can find out almost everything you need to know about your… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Q:
I just noticed a key on my keyboard that I’ve never really used before because I have no idea what it’s for. It’s in between the left Ctrl and Alt and has a “flying window” on it. Can you help?
A:
Ahh, the Windows key. I remember the first time I noticed her… She sat lifeless until someone explained to me the power she possessed. And… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Shortcuts & Keyboard Tricks |
Q:
I heard mention that Windows has its own unzip program. Where is it and how does it work?
A:
Actually, you do not need to open a “program”. If you have a zipped file, just double click it.
A menu will open from which you can save individual files to your computer. Just click & drag or copy the file you… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Spruce Up Your Email (Netscape Mail)
Yesterday Tom showed you how to add graphics, colors, cool fonts, and other formatting to Outlook Express email. Today I will show you how to do it if you are using Netscape.
To get started, just click on “Compose Message” then click inside the text box.
Setting Up Your Page
The first step is really easy: from the “format” menu, select “Page colors and… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Q:
When I start Windows, I get an error message saying that it can’t find a file. I click OK and everything seems alright. How do I get rid of that annoying message?
A:
This has to be one of our most frequently asked questions.
Probably what has happened is you’ve uninstalled something that normally loaded when you started Windows. The program is gone, but… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Are Your Web Images Too Big?
(Internet Explorer 6 or better)
You know the drill. You land on a web page with this gigantic picture. You really want to see the whole thing, but alas, it seems the only way is to use your scroll bars. Sure, you could buy a bigger monitor, better video card, then crank up your resolution, but there’s just gotta be a cheaper way… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Using The Internet |
Do you find the standard Windows mouse cursor is a bit too small? If so, you may want to select a larger cursor scheme from your Mouse Properties. Here’s how:
Hold the Windows key and press the R key (Win+R). This will bring up the Run line. In Run, type main.cpl
This will bring up Mouse Properties in XP, Vista… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Desktop Enhancement, Uncategorized |
Carlos from Columbus asks:
How do I save pictures from a web page?
To save a picture from a web page to your computer, just right-click the image and select “Save Image As…” from the little menu that pops
Comments | Filed under: Shortcuts & Keyboard Tricks, Using The Internet |
Q:
I have a program and I need to find out what version it is. Where can I find that information?
A:
Most programs hide their version number in their About box. Not all programs have an About box, but most do. Just click the Help menu and see if there is an ” About… ” item.
Comments | Filed under: Uncategorized |
Embedded Fonts: Keep Your Documents Looking Good!
We constantly hear about news reporters “embedded” in the military to cover the war, well, how about a font embedded in your Word doc?
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says, “He who creates a beautiful Word document is wise, but he who enables others to see that beautiful Word document is wiser still.”
Okay, it’s not really an ancient proverb. But… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: MS Office Help, MS Word |
