By default, the control panel is in Category View, so when you open it, you see 10 categories (Appearance, sound, etc.) to choose from.
That can make it hard to find what you want. If you notice on the right side there is a link marked Switch to Classic View.
Click there and you will be… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Desktop Enhancement, Windows Explorer |
Q:
I was trying to play an old game on Windows XP, but it won’t work. I hear sound, but the screen is blank. Why can’t I see the graphics?
A:
I ran into this the other day with an old program that my kids love. It turns out that we had to change the screen resolution to 256 colors.
What you could do is look for the… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Desktop Enhancement, System Tune-Up Help |
Folder Jumpin’
I don’t know about you, but I’m always jumping from one folder to another. First I was here, then I was there, then I thought I was here when I was really there, then I took a break and found some aspirin.
During said break, I realized that the folders I was hopping between were the same two or three folders all the time. Hmm…
So, I decided… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management, Windows Explorer |
What’s the difference between Save and Save As? Read this tip for some helpful information! Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms, File & Disk Management |
Q:
How do I take a screen shot like the ones in your newsletter?
A:
I get email everyday asking that very question. So, here ya go!
You just tap the PrtScn (print screen) button. The real function of this key is to make a “snapshot” of your screen. If you have some imaging software like Adobe Photoshop (or a good word… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Multimedia, Shortcuts & Keyboard Tricks |
Are your file extensions hiding from you? Do you see file names but secretly wish you could see the extension too?
Maybe you have no clue what file extensions are or why in the world you would want to look at them. Well, take a gander at the link below for help:
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/computer-terms/termfileextensions.htm
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management, Windows Explorer |
Q:
I sometimes get URLs (website links) in my e-mail that aren’t highlighted and I can’t click. How can I get to the site?
A:
I know our more experienced web users are maybe giggling to themselves at this point, but I tell ya, I get this question a lot. When you come across a link you can’t click, copy & paste it into your… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help, Uncategorized |
The Perfect Burn
CD burning is a popular past time for many people. Whether you are backing up your data, making compilations of pictures, or making a presentation for work, problems can sometimes come up in burning that are easily avoidable. Here are some tips, tricks, and tweaks to keep your burning experience painless.
System resources
While many cd burners have suitable buffer amounts that should allow you… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Multimedia |
Q:
I was burning a CD-R the other day and got a “buffer underrun” error. The CD was useless and I had to start over. What causes that?
A:
The short version: Your computer didn’t send information to the CD-R fast enough.
The long version: CD-R drives put information from your hard drive into a ” buffer ” (i.e. memory area) before they write (copy) it… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Multimedia |
Let’s go for a Drive
What are all these different drives? Probably the easiest way to explain it would be to define each of them:
1. Hard Drive - A hard drive is a fast, high capacity internal disk drive found in all modern PCs. Unless the computer is older than say, 12 years, it should have a hard drive in it. Any PC running Windows does.
The reason for… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms, Uncategorized |
The executable is basically the part of the program that “runs” when you click it (or its shortcut). In fact, the executable basically is the program, minus any support files. Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms |
If you’re planning on messing with your Windows Registry, it’s probably a good idea to back it up first!
Here’s how:
Click Start /Run and type in “regedit” (no quotes). (If you’re in Windows Vista or 7, just type it into the search box.)
Next, click the File menu, then ” Export“.
Select a location from the resulting box and give your backup… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Q:
I deleted a program but it still shows up on my Add/Remove Programs list. How can I get rid of it?
A:
I get this ghost story all the time. The program is gone, but its entry is still there. Who you gonna call?
When that happens, most people click the program, hit the Add / Remove button and end up with an error. And… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Prefetch Clutter
Do you find that it takes longer and longer for applications to open when you boot Windows XP? One common cause is the Win XP prefetch system.
“What’s Prefetch?” you ask. It’s a way for Windows to pre-load the data needed for running applications before you launch them. It’s supposed to make them launch quicker. What actually happens is that programs you hardly ever use take… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Ever need a printout of your system info? It could be handy to keep, in case you ever have questions on your system settings – especially if the system is down for one reason or another. Here’s how to do it.
In Vista or Windows 7, type or copy msinfo32 into Start search and click the msinfo32 link in the results
Comments | Filed under: Printing Help, Windows Explorer |
Q:
When my printer prints, I get black streaks across the words. What’s causing this?
A:
Sounds like your printer’s ink jet heads need cleaning. Now the procedure for this varies from printer to printer. Some printers (HP) have the ink jet nozzles built into the ink cartridge. Remove the cartridges and wipe their little bottoms with a soft, lint-free cloth. Make sure you clean both the color… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Printing Help |
Get Your Money’s Worth
We often mention various Windows tools only get emails from readers who say those tools are missing. Many times this happens because the feature is not installed (for instance Task Manager in XP—see 8/4/04 ). Especially if your system came with the OS already on it, you might not have all the tools and toys available.
What to do?
Go to Control Panel… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Q:
I installed a pop-up blocker, but now I can’t get my web-based email. Do I need to uninstall the program?
A:
This is one of those cases of something working “too good”. A popup blocker kills any javascript that tries to open, and will prevent new windows from opening, for instance, when you click on a link that comes up in a new window. Sometimes it can… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help, Using The Internet |
If you would like to see more web page and less web browser toolbars, here’s a little trick you’ll like. Hit the F11 key. It will put you into “full screen” mode. Hit F11 again to go back to normal mode. This works in both Internet Explorer and Firefox.
OK, many of you are sitting there thinking, yeah, I know all about that one. Well, here’s a… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Using The Internet |
Q:
My firewall keeps telling me that someone is trying to get into my computer, but all it shows are a bunch of numbers. Is there a way to find out who this is?
A:
This digital trick is actually pretty easy to pull off:
For Windows Xp users:
1. Hit the Start Button / Run . Type… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help, Uncategorized |
Scanning Resolution
So, you have a photo and want to scan it. Well, what resolution should you scan it at?
Depends.
If the photo is just for your computer, e-mail, or the web, then 72 DPI (Dots Per Inch) would be just fine. (72 DPI is kind of the “standard” resolution for computer images). If you scan it too high (say 600 DPI), you’ll end up having an image that’s… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Multimedia |
Q:
How do I add a picture to an email (not as an attachment)?
A:
First, you should make your picture a manageable size. More info on this can be found at our website…
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/41
Here’s how to insert pictures with Outlook Express (Thunderbird & Netscape Mail info is below)
1. First, Create a new message and make sure that you have Format set to… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Win XP Time Travel
Have you ever made a change to your computer that messed everything up? A great feature of Windows XP is System Restore. You can go back to a previous setup without losing your documents, jpegs, emails, or other files. It keeps track of changes in your system and automatically creates what are called “restore points”. These points allow you to travel back in time to when… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management, System Tune-Up Help |
Q:
What does it mean to Partition your hard drive?
A:
When you partition something in a computer, you divide it into isolated sections. For the most part, when you’re talking about partitions, you’re talking about hard drive partitions, so we’ll take a closer look at those.
First off, when you partition a drive, each partition will act as an… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Windows XP can automatically update itself. That means any time you go online it will look for any new Hotfixes that you might need. But, what if you don’t want more control over the updating? Maybe you want to see what the hotfix does before you install it. Guess what? You can.
Right-click “My Computer” and choose “Properties“. Click on the “Automatic Updates” tab. There you’ll find… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
iDaily Diary
We at Worldstart get calls from time-to-time about a specific type of software—journal software to be specific—something you can use to record your life. The calls or emails usually sound something like this, “Hey, do you guys have anything like that software Dougie Houser used to use on that TV show, you know for writing journals.” In the past I would just describe to them that they could… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Free Downloads |
Q:
Help! I just installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 and now I don’t see any pictures in your newsletters—only a red X. Is there a way to fix this?
A:
This security feature only affects Outlook Express users. All you need to do is click the bar under the subject line in the preview pane that says, “Some pictures have been blocked…Click here to download pictures.”
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help, System Tune-Up Help |
