Tiplet expert tips & tech support

January 21, 2009

Deleting Your History on the Computer or Internet

Filed under: Internet,privacy & security,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by David Hakala

Say you don’t want your spouse or parents to know where you’ve been surfing because you’ve been shopping online for birthday presents. Or perhaps you work for the CIA and don’t even want your password-protected, biometrically accessed, triple-DES encrypted personal computer to know what you’ve been working on. You need to erase your tracks; delete the recorded history of your computer activity.

History is convenient. Windows, by default, keeps track of files you have opened. When you open the Start menu in Windows XP, you will find a list of them under My Recent Documents; just click on one to open it and start working again. Separately, Web browsers keep track of URLs you have visited so you can just type a few letters of one to pull it up and click to go there, instead of re-entering the whole thing. That’s great, but so can anyone who has access to your computer. If that thought makes you uncomfortable, here is how to minimize or eliminate your history.
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How Can I Access Windows Desktop Icons Without Minimizing All Open Apps?

Filed under: computer performance,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 9:00 am

by Gabe Goldberg

People’s computer desktops vary as much as their physical desktops do. Some have just a few icons while others are crowded landscapes resembling a video game maze.

My PC desktop has the usual software icons plus various files and Web pages I’ve stashed there temporarily. If I accumulated files there I want to save, I’d never find anything in the clutter, so I tidy it every now and then.
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January 20, 2009

How To Set Up a Wireless Connection

Filed under: Internet,wireless computing — Tags: , , , — admin @ 6:00 pm

by David Hakala

Ah, the joy of WiFi freedom! Just open your laptop anywhere and that little computer icon lights up, telling you you’re connected to the Internet. Well, not at first. You have to do a little work to connect to most wireless networks for the first time; after that, very little or no work.
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Why Use VoIP Services for Your Business Phone?

Filed under: communication — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by David Strom

If you have a cable modem or DSL line, you already have most of what you need to set up what is called a voice over IP (VoIP) line. This is a new kind of phone service that works over the Internet. All you need is to subscribe to one of the service providers — Vonage is probably the most well-known — for a small monthly fee of around $30.

The providers send you a small box that you connect first to your network, and then to an ordinary telephone. Some of the boxes support two lines, if that is important to you.
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How Do I Set Up an Online Store So I Can Sell My Stuff?

Filed under: Internet — Tags: , , , — admin @ 9:00 am

by Tina Gasperson

There is definitely money to be made on the Internet, even in slower economic times. Even if all you have to sell is your unwanted stuff, it’s easy to find a place to list those things where thousands of people can see and buy it. The most basic way to do that is to create a classified listing either at your local newspaper Web site, or on a national site like Craigslist. But if you want to kick it up a notch, you can set up shop in your own virtual store.
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January 19, 2009

Keep Track of Gadgets with Loc8tor

Filed under: mobile hardware — Tags: , , — admin @ 6:00 pm

by Gabe Goldberg

Q: How can I keep from losing gadgets like remote controls?

A: Eyeglasses case, TV remote control, car keys, cat. Where is it? Things we have — animate or inanimate — sometimes take on a life of their own and do not cooperate by appearing when they’re wanted.

We can’t tie strings to them all, and blaming one’s spouse for their disappearance is only briefly satisfying. So Loc8tor, a small gadget that finds what’s missing, is handy to have around.
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Access Denied Errors

Filed under: Windows — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:01 pm

by David Hakala

It’s your PC, right? So how dare it tell you when you click on a folder:

Folder is not accessible. Access is denied.

The feelings that message inspires are like the ones you get when you try your own home’s bathroom door and find it locked: surprise followed swiftly by resentment, irritation, and a certain sense of urgency.

Access to a folder may be denied because the folder was created on a NTFS file system using a previous installation of Windows, and you then installed Windows XP without reformatting the drive. The security ID of the user changes under this scenario, even though you may register the same username and password. The user’s security ID no longer matches that of the folder, and so access is denied.
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How to Use Yahoo Groups to Manage Your Email Lists

Filed under: e-mail — Tags: , — admin @ 9:00 am

by David Strom

I am going to show you how to use the free Yahoo Groups service for your email list needs. It takes about 30 minutes to set up and it is easy and free to use.

First, you need to set up an account with Yahoo, even if you don’t plan on using their email system for individual emails. Then you create a new group by going to Yahoogroups.com and clicking on the Start Your Group link on the top right corner. You then give your group a category, a subcategory, and pick a name.
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January 18, 2009

Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed

Filed under: Windows — Tags: , — admin @ 6:00 pm

by David Hakala

When you go to add or remove a program in Windows XP or Server 2003 you get the error message:

The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in safe mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.
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How to Work Faster with Keyboard Shortcuts

Filed under: Internet,Windows — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:12 pm

by Gabe Goldberg

The Windows mouse is a mixed blessing. It does things – such as highlighting and dragging text — that would be tough to do with a keyboard. And yet moving one’s hand between mouse and keyboard is a major distraction and time waster; even accomplished touch typists lose keyboard focus when mousing.

So it’s worth exploring how Windows’ flexibility, providing multiple ways to do things, lets keyboard shortcuts replace many common mouse functions. First, remember that many tasks are standardized across Windows applications, so learning them once helps early and often. And while they’ll become second nature as you practice them, don’t be overwhelmed by their number — notice a few that will be most helpful and consciously use them instead of mouse clicks. When they’re automatic for your hands, pick a few more. You’ll soon amaze colleagues and friends with your dexterity.
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What to Do If Your Computer Has a Virus or Trojan Horse

Filed under: privacy & security — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 9:00 am

by Tina Gasperson

The Internet can be a dangerous place for a desktop computer. Sometimes it seems as if there are viruses lurking around every virtual corner. The people who write the code that makes these evil programs run are always thinking of new ways to lure us into their cyber clutches. And unfortunately, sometimes we take the bait.

If you’ve been tricked by a nasty little bit of code and your computer looks like it’s down for the count, don’t despair. Most of the time you can fix it by following a few simple steps.
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