May 10, 2009
Do you have eye sight problems and is it sometimes hard for you to see certain things when you're using your computer? Well, as a user with glasses, it has always been difficult for me to use Windows XP, because the default settings are all very small. I have tried to enlarge some of them, but they still looked small and caused my eyes major strain. If you have the same problems, keep reading! I may be able to give you some hints as to what you can do to give your eyes some comfort!
This method is a one time setting change only. In the future, whenever you start your Windows XP, its appearance will be "eye friendly" and you won't have to deal with the eye straining formats any longer.
Here's how you do it:
Changing to the Classic Start Menu
1. Right click over the Start button and choose Properties.
2. Under the Start Menu tab, select the Classic Start menu option.
3. Click OK.
Changing Appearance of Windows XP to Windows Classic
1. Find an empty space on your Desktop (not on the shortcuts) and right click and choose Properties.
2. In the Display Properties window, go to the Themes tab and choose Windows Classic from the theme list.
Next, go to the Appearance tab and click the Advanced button.
3. In the Advance Appearance window, click over the text of Active Window.
Active Title Bar: Size - change to 21
Color 1 and Color 2: Choose the colors that shade your eyes, not any that cause a glare.
Font type: Select Tahoma (it's easy to read). Size - select 12 (if it's still small for you, just enlarge it and vice versa). Color - choose black.
Then, click over the text of Normal.
Menu: Size - change to 21. Color 1 - choose gray.
Font type: Select Arial (it's easy to be read too). Size - select 12. Color - choose black.
Next, click over the text of Message Text.
Change the size of the menu to 21.
Font: Arial. Size - 12.
Finally, click over the text of Windows Text.
Color 1: Click Other. For background color, I prefer the light yellow to shade my eyes, but choose what is best for you.
Basic colors: Choose yellow to decrease the darkness. Do you see the left arrow on the right side? (See the following screenshot if you haven't found it yet). Go ahead and click up on the arrow. Keep going up until there is no glare left for you. If you prefer more darkness, click lower and lower.
Once you're done, return to the Themes tab, click the Save As button and then click the Save button.
Then please wait while Windows changes the settings you have chosen.
Now, the first problem is solved. Restart your computer and your eyes will experience a whole new computer! Make sure you keep tuning into this week's newsletter for more information about eye appearances and also some help with less mouse usage!
Do you have a need for an additional clock on your desktop? Maybe you have a son or daughter in the service overseas, or perhaps relatives living in Europe? It's always good to know what time it is where they are, so you're not calling them at 3 o'clock in the morning and disrupting their rest. So, let's learn how to pin another clock up today!
1.) Right-click on your clock in the taskbar and select Adjust Date/Time
2.) Click the Additional Clocks Tab
3.) Check Show This Clock to add a clock (you can add one or both, by the way)
4.)Select the time zone you want.
5.)Enter a display name for your new clock and click OK.
But, troubleshooting should really be called "trouble prevention," because there are a number of steps you should take now before disaster strikes, which will make the whole process a whole lot more painless. So, first of all, let's list some prevention methods.
- Prevention
Take a pen and a pad of paper and take a tour of your installation, making notes of the following:
1. Router: What lights on the front are on when the broadband is working? Which blink and which are steady?
2. Connections: Which cables go from where to where? (For example, computer, router, telephone or satellite connection, etc. (Draw a diagram or two if you need to).
3. Go into your router settings (see Appendix below) and write down all the settings under the various headings.
4. Open up your network connections on your computer (see Appendix below) and make a note of the modem/adapter settings and the TCP/IP settings. (You don’t need to know what they mean, just make a note of what they are).
5. Go into your browser and check the connection settings there (see Appendix below).
Having done all of that, you are now in a much better position to check out what is happening when you have problems without making disastrous changes to your setup, which could make matters worse and not better.
So, now disaster has struck. Everything is at a standstill. What do you do?
- Problem Solving – Hardware
Let’s start with eliminating potential problem causes one by one.
1. Is it just a power cut? Are other electrical appliances working?
2. Is it a faulty telephone connection if you have ADSL broadband? Pick up your telephone. Can you hear a signal? If not, trace all of the connections and see if anything has become loose or disconnected. If this is the case, once the telephone is working again, your broadband will too. (Although, you may have to reboot in some cases).
3. Are the same lights on or off on your router as before? If not, which ones are different? They could give you a clue as to the source of the problem.
4. Are the connections in to the computer secure? Take them out one by one and put them back in again. Does this solve the problem?
- Problem Solving – Software
Let’s move on to possible settings and software problems.
1. Are all of your broadband connections down? (For example, is it both your e-mail and the Internet?) If it’s only one, suspect the settings on the non-functioning one. It’s unlikely to be much else.
2. Go to your router and run through all the settings you have previously noted down and check and/or rectify any that have been changed.
3. Go to the modem/adapter settings and check these out (especially the channel selected and any passwords. You should have them written down from when you got the equipment).
4. Now, let’s move on to the TCP/IP settings. Have there been any changes. Can you rectify?
5. Next, check the Internet connection settings in your browser.
6. If still no solutions are forthcoming, go to the little Network Connection icon in your system tray (bottom right of screen) and right click. You should see an option to “Repair.” Select that and let Windows try to solve the problem for you.
If you have found settings that have changed and you have been able to change them back, make sure you save everything before exiting. Then reboot your computer before trying again.
If all this fails, it’s time to call your broadband services supplier.
You may find that you are greeted with a recording telling you that there is a breakdown of services in your area. At this point, you are permitted to throw the computer through the window or you may get through to your friendly helpful technician who will talk you through the various checks on their side (don’t be surprised if he goes through many of the steps you have already taken above, but doesn’t it sound impressive when you say, “Yes, I’ve already done that”?!)
- Appendix
Now, here are some more detailed explanations of how to do some of the things listed above.
- Router Settings
Your instruction book should give you detailed information about how to access the settings of your router. Usually you have to enter an address in your Web browser, enter a username and password (often admin and admin or admin and 1234 by default, but do change this as soon as possible).
You will then see something like this (varies according to manufacturer):
So, as we suggested, take down all the settings and keep them safe somewhere.
- Modem/Adapter Settings
You access your settings via Control Panel / Network settings.
If you right click on the icon, you will see a little box in which you can select Properties (see picture).
This will lead you to a page like this:
Take the top part first: “Connect using” and click on Configure.
Again, what you see will vary from one supplier to another, but basically you should work your way through all the tabs and note down the various settings.
Exit this and then move down to the bottom box and highlight the TCP/IP line (often the last row). Click Properties, which will then bring you to a box like this:
Make a note of the numbers on this page (or maybe the box “Obtain an IP address automatically” is checked. If so, make note of that too).
- Browser Settings
Fire up your browser, click on Tools and then Internet Options, which will lead you to this screen:
Select the Connection tab and then write down all the settings here too.
There you go! Hopefully now you are out of the broadband blues and back on the right track!
Happy broadbanding!
Microsoft likes it when people activate their software. If you just got a new computer, chances are that when you first booted it up, Windows asked you to activate. It goes pretty quick, and in no time you're off and running with your PC; carefree and without any activation reservations.
But what if you bought that Vista machine used? How are you to be sure that it has been activated completely? Thank goodness for good news, people! Let's learn how to check our Vista Activation Status!
Do this:
Click Start and in the Search Bar, type CMD. This opens the Command Prompt; a sight for sore eyes in some circles.
At the Command Prompt type: “slmgr.vbs -dli” without the quotes. Now wait for a bit, I know I had to; and because I originally wrote this tip for Vista Enterprise and Business, I wasn't expecting it to work. Then, out of nowhere, this window popped up: 
If it says “License Status: Licensed” you're covered! If not, you might want to contact the seller and see what's up!
As you've probably figured out, the Windows Vista default setting is set to show the Welcome Center screen every time you start up your computer. While the Welcome Center is mildly interesting the first time you see it, you'll more than likely get tired of it rather quickly. You can easily change the setting though by unchecking the Run option under the Startup button, located at the bottom of the Welcome Center screen.
1.) To do that, go to Start, Control Panel.
2.) Select Welcome Center.
That takes care of that!
Now, similarly, the Vista Sidebar is also shown by default. While some users will find the Sidebar and its widgets very useful, you may want to use that space on your desktop for something else. If that's the case, you can turn the Sidebar off. Here's how:
1.) Go to Start, Control Panel.
2.) Right click on the Windows Sidebar icon in the system tray.
3.) Choose Properties.
4.) Uncheck the "Start Sidebar When Windows Starts" checkbox.
5.) Click OK.
That's it I hope many of you can get some good use out of this one!
1. First, right-click the My Computer icon in the Start menu.
2. Next, select Properties to open up the System Properties window.
3. Now, select the Advanced tab.
4. Then, under the Advanced tab, click the Button that reads Error Reporting at the bottom of the application.
The Error Reporting window should now appear.
5. Next, select the item that reads Disable Error Reporting. Although you are choosing to eliminate all error reporting, you will still be notified when critical errors occur as long as you keep the box checked that says “But notify me when critical errors occur” under the item: Disable error reporting.
6. Finally, click OK to exit the window and then click OK again to exit the System Properties window. That’s it! You should not receive those annoying error messages again, but will still receive the critical ones. Have fun!
Have you ever noticed that throughout the day, you computer tends to get slower and slower? This type of problem is usually caused by what's called “memory leakage”. A memory leak is what happens when a program uses your memory for temporary storage, but doesn't clear it out when its done. When this happens, the memory can't be used by other programs that need it and all of a sudden your computer is just crawling!
Being able to keep an eye on your memory usage can help to find programs that are memory hogs. You can then simply close and re-open the program to free up the memory and get your computer back to normal.
"How do I keep track of my memory?" you ask? Well, that's what Meminfo will do for you. Here is what it looks like:
You see the little "65" on that picture above? That is my current memory usage percentage. 65% of my system memory is in use. Now, your number might vary, but what is important to watch is whether this number steadily climbs and doesnt go back down when closing programs. For instance, if you open Internet explorer you will see that this number will go up. If you use IE all day and that number gets higher and higher but never goes down, you might want to close IE and re-open. it will clear the memory it was using.
I hope this little programs works for you as well as it works for me. I really like it's simplicity. If you would like to download meminfo, you can get it here: http://download.cnet.com/MemInfo/3000-2248_4-67969.html
One quick note: When you first install this program, it will not show the percentage like mine does, but its easy to change. Right click on the icon by the clock and choose settings. Change the settings to look like this:
Now your Meminfo box will look just like mine. Feel free to change these settings for whatever works best for you.
May 9, 2009
If you have a digital camera, cellphone or other device that uses memory cards then you've probably used or heard of a memory card reader before. A memory card reader is a device in which you insert an applicable card to transfer pictures, music and what-have-you over to your computer and vice versa. Some of the newer computers come with memory card readers built-in, but the most common form factor is the standard little box connected via a usb cable.
So how does one go about using one of these handy-dandy devices? Let's explore, shall we?
First things first, we need to hook the card reader to our computer. Look at the front of your PC, do you see anything that looks like this? If not, it might be on the back. You'll have to stretch!
This USB port is where we'll be plugging in our card reader device. Do that now, if you're ready.
Once you plug the device in, your computer should make some noises, which, if you're running Windows XP or Windows Vista, is perfectly normal. The bleeps and bloops simply mean that it's installing drivers. If you still happen to be running Windows 98, stop now and upgrade already!
Next, you can go ahead and remove the memory card in question from your camera or other device and insert it into the appropriate sized port in your card reader. Different card readers have different slot sizes, but if it fits securely, chances are that it will work. The most common size is SD and Mini SD, so keep that in mind when looking to purchase a reader.
After inserting your card into the card reader you'll see a window pop up that looks similar to this:
Choose the option that says " Open Folder to View Files". This will give you access to all of the pictures, music or what-have-you that's stored on your card.
After that, it's pretty self explanatory. Just cut or copy the files you want and paste into a folder on your computer.
When you're done, simply unplug the card reader from your computer, pull the card out of the reader and slip it back into the device you were using!
If, however, you are like the other PC users I know out there and would like to learn how to recover from and hopefully prevent future windows stop errors or
the “Blue Screen of Death” , please read on.
The first thing to try is to restore your PC to an earlier and hopefully more stable condition.
1. Move the mouse pointer over the “Start” button in the lower left corner of the screen and left click.
2. Move the mouse pointer over “All Programs” a menu window will open.
3. In the new menu move the mouse pointer over the “Accessories” selection. ( Figure 1)
4. In the new menu window that opens move the mouse pointer over “Systems Tools” another menu window will open.
5. In the new menu window move the mouse pointer over the “System Restore” selection.
6. Left click on “System restore”. (Figure 2)
Select “Restore my computer to an earlier time”
Then Left click on Next. (Figure 3)
Left click on any bold date and then a time from the list on the right if there is more than one time listed. If your Blue Screen problem started after you installed a new program or added a new printer, scanner or other device, choose a restore date prior to that change.
Confirm that the “Selected restore point” is the one you want Then Left click on
“Next” to start the process. (Figure 5)
The system restore process can take several minutes.
Reboot when the restore process is complete.
Note: The restore process does not cause you to loose any personal files and is completely reversible.
