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Dear Computer Lady,

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Dear Computer Lady,

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My name is: Ria

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Dear Computer Lady,

What are the pros/cons between a laptop computer and a desktop model?

I've always had desktops, but I am wondering if a laptop would be a
viable alternative.

Also, what is "Wi-Fi?" I see signs everywhere offering "free Wi-Fi
here."

Thank you, Jan

Dear Jan,

Here are some pros and cons for desktops and laptops:

A desktop computer is usually less expensive and it is easier to
replace or upgrade the parts. You can also attach lots of
peripherals to the desktop computer. The desktop is harder to move
around if you travel a lot, and you can't take your desktop outside
on a nice sunny day.

A laptop computer is smaller, lighter, and easier to move around
with. You can lock it up in a safe place when you are not using it,
and since most laptops now come with Wi-Fi, you would be able to
access the internet in airports and many restaurants across the
country.

You need to remember however, that laptops are more expensive to
start with, and much more costly to fix when they break. You are
also limited in what you can upgrade on the laptop.

Wi-Fi is a wireless technology that allows a Wi-Fi enabled device
(like a laptop) when it is within range of a wireless network, to
connect to the internet, and possibly other devices on the network.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

I have been receiving your letter for possibly a couple of years
now, something that you have to be congratulated on because I
have learned more from your letter than speaking to all the so
called computer buffs.

I have a problem that nobody seems able to resolve.

My computer has started to run very slowly and sometimes freezes
and often won't shut down unless I pull the plug; I have the
Norton Antivirus software installed and it assures me that
after running all the checks there isn't any virus involved; I
can print out text OK and I can print out anything from the
internet, but, when I try to print photographs from "My
Pictures" file, it keeps telling me that my virtual memory is
too low, or the paging file is too small for this operation to
complete, or there is not enough memory to print my pictures.
When I bring up the pie chart there is still about two thirds
of the memory free; I have also gone through the defrag
procedure to no avail. I hope you can HELP.

Regards, Eddie.

Hi Eddie,

You probably have too many things running in the background. It
is possible that some of those things are spyware programs that
you did not knowingly install.

To see all the items that are loading when your computer starts,
click on "Start" then "Run" and type MSCONFIG in the Run dialog
box. Click the "OK" button, or just hit the enter key to
display the "System Configuration Utility" window.

Click on the "Startup" tab, and you will see a long list of
items. Every item with a check mark in front of it is running.
To stop items from running the next time you start your
computer, just remove the check mark and click "OK" when you
are done. You will be prompted to restart your computer.

You can turn off any items you wish, but some you will want to
keep running, especially, things like your antivirus.

For the rest of the entries, you can try researching them in
this huge online database:

http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php

It might take a little time, but it will be worth it to know
exactly what is running on your computer.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

I have been encouraging my parents to check their emails
regularly using outlook express. They both have separate
logins on window XP but have the same email address.

The problem is if one of them checks their email using outlook
express in their in log, the emails go into their outlook
express and don't come up on the other. Is there anyway around
this little problem?

Thank you, Nick

Dear Nick,

Yes, there is a way to solve your problem.

When an e-mail is sent to your parents e-mail address, the
message waits on the ISPs server until they check for e-mail.
When Outlook Express checks the server, it downloads the e-mail
and then deletes it from the ISPs server.

What you need to do, is tell Outlook Express not to delete the e-
mail message from the server. To do this:

1. Open Outlook Express, click on "Tools" and then "Accounts" in
the menu bar.

2. Click on the "Mail" tab and then on your e-mail account. Then,
click the properties button.

3. In the Properties window, click the "Advanced" tab and look
near the bottom of the window. Click to place a check mark in
front of "Leave a copy of messages on server" and then check
the next box down to remove the messages from the server after
5 days.

4. Click "OK" twice and repeat these steps using the other
identity.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

My daughter created a new MySpace account but does not know how to
delete the old one. Can you help us?

Thanks L.

Dear L,

You can delete the old MySpace account quite easily, just follow
these directions.

Go to www.myspace.com and log into the old account that you want to
get rid of.

Once you are logged in, click on "Account Settings" which is right
next to your picture. It should be in the upper left section of
your screen.

When you are on the account settings page, scroll down until you
see the section that says "Account Cancellation" and click on the
blue words that say "Cancel Account".

This will take you to a page that asks you to confirm the account
cancellation. Just click on the button that says "Cancel My
Account" to finish the process.

Elizabeth

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My name is: Si
I am from: Pell City, AL
My message: How might I send an email to multiple recipients
without each knowing that it is being sent to multiple recipients?
(Bcc doesn't meet this requirement)

Hi Si,
If BCC doesn't meet your needs, you need an email service like
Aweber. You can check out a free trial at:
http://www.aweber.com/?213220
Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

I really enjoy your letters! I have a question that I hope you
can help me with. Do you know of a program that I can use to
alphabetize a list of words, like a dictionary is done. Will
appreciate any assist.

Thank you, J

Dear J,

You can alphabetize your list of words in any spreadsheet
program such as Microsoft Excel, or software602 PC Suite.

In Microsoft Excel, just enter your words in one column, when
you have entered all the words, click on "Data" in the menu bar,
then click on "Sort".

Select the column you are sorting, and then chose Ascending, or
descending and click "OK"

In Software602 Tab, follow the exact same directions. The only
thing you need to do different, is to highlight your list of
words before you click on "Data".

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

I am wondering if you can tell me how to transfer my address
book to a new computer. You may have answered this before -
I've been getting your email helps for a long time - and have
really appreciated all your help, but I don't know to find it
in the many, many letters I've saved in a file. Thank you for
your help. Beverly

Dear Beverly,

To transfer your address book from an old computer to a new
computer is as simple as exporting it from one computer and
importing it to the new one. This works in all versions of
Windows, here is how.

First, Export the address book from your old computer...

1. On your old computer, click on "Start", go to "Programs",
"Accessories" and then click on "Address Book".

2. In the Address Book window, click on "File" in the menu bar,
point to "Export" and click on "Address Book (WAB)..."

3. A window will appear for you to select the location you want
to save the file to. You can save it to a floppy disk, a usb
drive, or put it in "My Documents" where it can later be saved
to a CD. Once you have selected the location, type a name for
your file, and then click on the "Save" button.

4. A small window will inform you that you have successfully
exported your address book file.

Now, put the disk containing the exported file in your new
computer and get ready to import!

1. On your new computer, click on "Start", go to "All Programs",
"Accessories" and then click on "Address Book".

2. In the Address Book window, click on "File" in the menu bar,
point to "Import" and click on "Address Book (WAB)..."

3. A window will appear for you to select the location you want
to import from. Select the drive containing your disk. If you
are using a floppy it is A:, a CD is usually on D:. Once you
have selected the location, click on the name of your file, and
then click on the "Open" button.

4. A small window will inform you that you have successfully
imported your address book file.

5. If you get an error message, try to copy the address book
file to your hard drive before importing. Put it in "My
Documents" and import it from there. This usually fixes any
error messages.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

A friend introduced me to your site...I love it and I thank you.

How would I reduce a JPG photo that was taken by some else and
downloaded on a CD for me? I have reduced it but I can not
download the reduce one that I copied to my document folder.

Arax in Boca Raton, FL USA

Dear Arax,

How you reduce a jpg photo in size depends on the software
program you are using to work with your pictures. Since my
favorite photo program Irfanview, is free, I will give you
directions using that program.

If you don't have Irfanview installed on your computer, you can
read about it, and download it using the links at:

http://asktcl.com/free/freeirfanview.htm

When you have Irfanview installed on your computer, open your
picture in Irfanview. You can do this using the "File" and
"Open" commands in the menu bar.

When you have the picture open, click on "Image" in the menu bar,
and then click on "Resize/Resample". This will bring up a small
window with some options to chose from.

In the Resize/Resample image window, you will be able to chose
from several options. You can set a new size by typing in the
pixel size, make the new picture a percentage of the original,
or select some standard sizes.

I usually like to use the button on the upper right hand side of
the window that says "Half" You can click on that button once
or twice and get the picture as small as you would like. Once
done, click the "OK" button at the bottom of the window and you
will see your image in its new size.

If you like the size of your new image, you can save it. Don't
forget this step, because if you close the image without saving,
you will revert back to the original large size image. Just
click on "File" and "Save".

I always give the smaller image a new file name so that I don't
lose the original.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

I am a long-time reader of your wonderful newsletter. I have not
just fallen of the turnip truck by any means computer-wise and
your newsletter continues to give me absolutely great info.

Question: XP Pro, I have pinned many programs to my start menu but
there are too many items and they won't all display because there's
no room, so I need to get smaller icons just for the start menu.

Is it possible to decrease the size of the menu icons only?
I do not want to change the size of the desktop icons.

Marge

Dear Marge,

Yes, you can change the size of the menu icons without decreasing the
desktop icons.

Right click on a blank spot of your XP taskbar, and click on Properties to
bring up the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" window.

Click on the "Start Menu" tab at the top and then click on the active
"Customize" button in the lower section.

On the "General" tab, you will see a section that will allow you to select
"Large Icons" or "Small Icons" for your start menu.

Make your selection and click "OK" twice to save your changes.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

Having left using a computer in "86 and not being on the web until
recently I am thoroughly amazed.

Used to be I could utilize the "Print Screen" key and print the display
on the screen. I cannot do this with XP which I recently purchased.

Will you shed some light on the "Print Screen" command, how it functions
and what are its restrictions etc. I cannot get a "peep" or "burp" when
I try to use it.

Michael

Dear Michael,

You must have been away from computers for a while! Microsoft changed
the function of the print screen key with either Windows 95 or 98. I
don't remember which, and I don't have a 95 computer to check on.

In Windows 98, ME, and XP, when you press the print screen key, instead
of sending an image of your screen directly to the printer, the
operating system takes a picture of your screen and puts it on the
clipboard. Since this is a behind the scenes operation, you, the user
will not see this action and it will seem as if nothing has happened.

If you want to print, save, or use this picture, you must open an image
program, and click on "Edit" and "Paste". Once you have pasted the
image, you are free to print, edit, or save it.

There are even programs out there that work with the print screen key.

For a good selection of available programs, you can visit:

http://www.softforall.com/Multimedia/Screencapture/

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

Often when I open a program, it's window is too small to comfortably do my work in. I don't want it to cover the entire screen though. I try to resize the window using the cursor when it turns into a double sided arrow, but it is soo hard to do. Is there an easier way?

Answer: Sometimes, sizing and resizing your Windows application windows can be difficult, because those window borders are so thin, they're hard to grab. You can, however, make your window borders wider, here's how:

Right-click on any blank area of the desktop and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Appearance tab.
In the Item list box, pick Active Window Border.
In the adjacent Size box, which gives the border's width in pixels, click the up arrow and watch the example screen; when the size looks good to you (try 6 or 8 for starters), stop.
Click OK.
Now try to change the size of your window. You should notice that it is much easier because the wider border gives you more area in which to click and drag on the double arrow.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady, When I turn my computer on in the morning, I have a lot of programs that start automatically. Sometimes, though I want to install a program, and don't want all the other programs running. Is there a way to start my computer without all the programs automatically starting?

Answer: You can temporarily prevent the programs listed in your Start Up folder from launching when Windows opens by holding down the Shift key as soon as you see the wallpaper on your screen, until Windows has finished booting. Programs in your start up folder won't open until the next time you boot into windows. If you want to run one or two programs, but not all, just click on Start> Programs> Start Up> and then the program that you want to open.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

Why can't I turn off my computer using the power switch when I am done with it? It takes so long to wait for the screen that says "It is now safe to turn off your computer" Unsigned

Dear Unsigned,

While you are sitting there waiting for your computer to give you the OK to turn it off, your computer is busy putting things away where they belong (sort of an electronic housekeeping). When you just cut the power without a proper shutdown, Windows does not had time to put temporary files where they belong, and finish saving documents or changes you have made to your registry. While it can locate the files it needs in the resulting mess, over time, there will be such a mess that you will start getting error messages.

Users who reboot properly a minimum of once a day (allowing Windows to perform its housekeeping tasks on a regular basis) experience very few problems of any kind, while those of us who impatiently hit the power button when done with the computer will start to see semi-regular "freezes" and illegal page faults. Over a period of time, you will start to come up with registry errors, "dll not found" messages, and other errors that will eventually need to be fixed by re-installing Windows.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

I have a small business in my home, how do I make forms on my computer for my business.

Mary C.

Dear Mary,

Many programs can be used to create forms. If you have any office suites such as Microsoft Office, or Corel, you already have to necessary tools to create them. The one downside to that is the time required to learn these often complicated programs. If you are looking for a fast and easy way to manage your business on the computer, and print invoices, try one of the Quicken products. Quickbooks is geared toward small businesses, and Quicken home & business 98 is made to manage a small in-home business like you have.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

I am trying to delete certain "favorite" web sites that keep
reoccurring. I have deleted them under Internet Explorer going
under "favorites" and "organize favorites" folder. I have also
deleted them under Windows Explorer in the favorites folder. I
delete them and empty the recycle bin. However, whenever I turn
on the computer, click on start and click on "favorites" the
deleted web sites are still there!

Any suggestions on how to permanently delete these web sites.
When I visited the web sites, I assume something was installed
on my computer and now I can't get rid of them.

Thank you very much for any information.

Neil

Dear Neil,

It sounds like you have been the victim of something similar to
a home page hijacker. Not only did the website put itself into
your favorites, it also installed a program somewhere on your
computer that checks to make sure the shortcut is still there,
probably it runs every time your computer starts.

Hidden programs like this are hard to find and get rid of, but
there are several things you can do.

First, I would suggest you update your antivirus, and run a full
scan, this might find the culprit and get rid of it for you, it
will also clean out any viruses that might be on your system.

Next, download the trial version of my program, Smart Windows
Cleaner at:
http://asktcl.com/Files/SmartWindowsCleanerDemo.msi Install the
program, run the "Setup Wizard", and then click "Clean Now" to
clean out all your cookies, temporary files, temporary internet
files and recycle bin files. This will get rid of some
potential problems, and make scanning for spyware faster.

Once you have cleaned out your system, go to:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

And download Spybot, Search and destroy. This is a free program,
and if you get something asking you for money, please remove it
and make sure you are at the above site and download again.
Once you have installed Spybot S&D, check for updates, then run
a scan on your system for spyware.

These steps will get rid of most problems your system might be
having.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

How do you back up your address book in Outlook Express? Your newsletter has
great information in it.

Thank you. Joan

Dear Joan,

If you want to back up your address book in Outlook Express, you need to
export the address book to a file, and then save the file on a disk.

To export your address book:

1. In Outlook Express, click on "Tools" and then click on "Address Book".

2. In the "Address Book" window, click on "File", point to Export, and then
click Address Book or Business Card (vcard).

3. Click on the address book you want to export, click "Text File" and then
click Export.

4. To select the location you want to save your file to, click Browse,
locate the folder to save your file in, then in the File Name box, type
"address book backup", and then click Save.

5. Click Next, and click to select the check boxes for the fields that you
want to export, and then click Finish.

6. Click OK and then click Close.

Your address book will now be in a text file that you can copy to a disk, or
open and print.

Elizabeth

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Dear Computer Lady,

I have win XP home version and I can't seem to figure out how to get my
frequently used icons at the bottom of my task bar, especially the one that
minimizes all programs with one click.

Susan

Dear Susan,

I believe the icons you are looking for are on what is called the Quick
Launch toolbar. This toolbar contains icons for the internet, e-mail and
other programs along with a "Show Desktop" icon that minimizes all open
windows.

Here is how you can get the Quick Launch toolbar back.

1. Right click on a blank spot on the taskbar and if there is a check-mark
in front of "Lock the Taskbar" click on it once to remove it.

2. Right click on a blank spot on the taskbar again and point to "Toolbars"
and then click on "Quick Launch" This will put the Quick Launch toolbar on
your taskbar near the start button.

3. If you like the Quick Launch toolbar where it is, then you are done, but
I like to put mine at the top of my screen. To do that, position your cursor
over the 7 little dots to the left of the toolbar and holding down on the
left mouse button, drag the cursor to the top of the screen. Release the
mouse button.

4. Now, you can add icons to the Quick Launch Toolbar by dragging them from
the desktop or start menu.
This is just one of the tutorials available in my e-book on customizing the
XP Taskbar and Start Menu. Check it out at:
http://asktcl.com/ebooks/XPtskbr.htm

The Quick Launch Toolbar is also available in Windows 98 and ME.

Elizabeth

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Close That Window

Have you ever found yourself on the internet when suddenly a full screen advertisement pops up and you can't find the X to close it?

I hate it when a web site tries to trap me with a full screen page with no visible way to close the page.
With this tip, you won't be stuck again. Simply click once on the offending page, then hold down the "Alt" key on your keyboard and press the "F4" key. This will close the window that you just clicked on.
To help you remember, just write Alt+F4 on a sticky note and stick it on your monitor.

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Computer Freezing up on you? Try a PC Health Check today
Go to the Downloads Page for a free PC Health Check.
(or click - 'toolbar' for your free downloads of stuff)