by David Hakala
What is Windows Safe Mode and what good is it? It looks awful with its too-small desktop and crude graphics. Much of the software you use isn’t available in Safe Mode. Sometimes you can’t even access the Internet in Safe Mode. Why bother with Safe Mode?
Safe Mode is useful for diagnosing system configuration problems and removing some types of malware or malfunctioning legitimate software that cannot be removed in Windows normal mode.
(more…)
by Tina Gasperson
Making multi-track recordings was once the province of those with access to a recording studio, but with the help of a free application called Audacity, anyone with a computer and a microphone can record and edit multi-track audio.
Audacity is an open source audio manipulation application that is easy to download and install. Follow the on-screen instructions, and then launch the application. To begin recording, plug a microphone into your computer or check to see if your computer has a built-in microphone and use that. Recording with a microphone is the default state in Audacity, so click the record button and begin speaking or singing. If everything is working as it should you’ll see the level indicators moving. When you’re done recording this first track, play it back to make sure it is the way you want it to be, then save it as a new project by clicking on File, then Save Project As. Give it a name and click Save.
(more…)
by David Hakala
Suppose you have a database of company information and contacts. You want to use an Excel macro to copy addresses and such into different Word documents. How can you make Excel open a specific Word document into which information will be pasted?
Word’s mail merge feature is one solution. But if you are working with multiple Word documents, the mail merge trick won’t work. You will need something more complicated called Office Automation, which allows creation of macros that work with multiple Office applications and not just one, such as Word.
(more…)
by Gabe Goldberg
One of the Internet’s many beauties is the diversity of choices available — for everything. There are multiple search engines, Web browsers, ISPs (Internet service providers), operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac). This means that no two people have precisely the same computing setup or online experience, which leads to hours of fun-filled arguments about whose choices are best.
In fact, competition works to everyone’s advantage: No matter what your choice is for a given function, the vendor or manufacturer knows that you have alternatives and must hustle to keep your loyalty. The “browser wars” — first when Microsoft pushed Internet Explorer (IE) development to catch innovator Netscape and more recently with Mozilla Firefox stealing market share back from IE (and, of course, with contributions from Opera, Google’s Chrome, and other contenders) — have generated beneficial innovation and evolution.
(more…)
by Tina Gasperson
It’s nearly impossible to walk into a music store today and find a cassette tape for sale. Everything is on CD now, and the ’80s mainstay of audiophiles is relegated to the swap shop and garage sales. But if you have a favorite cassette that you just don’t want to give up, never fear: You can make a digital copy and burn it to a CD for everyday use, then pack the cassette away for safekeeping.
(more…)
by David Hakala
Internet Explorer is full of features, but those features can slow down your Web surfing. If speed is more important to you than amenities, here are five IE tweaks that will make you happy.
(more…)
by Gabe Goldberg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like to brag about connection speeds offered and speak glowingly about the wonderful “experience” their services offer. But how honest are their claims and how does connection speed affect what we do online?
The two most important words in any ISPs advertisement or service contract are “up to.” As in, speeds promised are described as “up to X megabits per second.”
(Megabits means “millions of bits” and “megabits per second” is often abbreviated Mbps. A bit is the basic unit of information or data, a “binary digit,” a single unit that is either 0 or 1. Everything on the Internet and all information and software on your computer is composed of bits.)
(more…)
by Tina Gasperson
Your computer is running slowly, freezing, stalling, and generally making a nuisance out of itself. The worst part is, you just got done giving it a complete “tune up” and things were fine for a short period of time. What’s going on? There’s a good chance there is an application or a process running that is using up all the available computing power your system’s CPU can provide. The good news is that there is an easy way to find out what’s hogging all the power. It’s called the Windows Task Manager.
(more…)
by David Hakala
It’s convenient to have a list of recently opened documents available when working with one of Microsoft Office’s components such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. Just open the File menu (Office button in Office 2007), select the document you want, and it opens again. But what if there’s no such list?
The problem may be in the Office component that you are using, or it may be in Windows settings that affect all recent document lists. Try the Office component first.
(more…)
by Gabe Goldberg
Bill Gates must be a trusting soul, since Windows was designed to be an open and flexible computing environment, usually allowing any user full authority to do all sorts of complex and (potentially) dangerous things. In a perfect world — one in which nobody made mistakes and no malicious acts occurred — this would be useful and convenient.
But in reality, the PC’s openness means that a well-intentioned – and even knowledgeable — user can do damage, sometimes simply by visiting a Web site which has been corrupted to include malware (evil-intending software such as a virus, work, Trojan, etc.) which will download and install itself by stealth.
(more…)
by Tina Gasperson
Keyboards are naturals for collecting dust, debris, and all kinds of nasties. Studies show that the computer keyboard is one of the most germ-infested locations in any business office or even your home. If you use a computer as part of your job, your fingers are constantly on your keyboard depositing and picking up dirt and germs. Have you ever eaten lunch in front of your computer? If so, you’ve probably dropped a load of crumbs between the keys, and even spilled a few drops (or more) of your soda or coffee.
(more…)
Powered by WordPress