Tiplet expert tips & tech support

March 20, 2009

How to Tweak Your Windows XP Theme

Filed under: Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 5:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

Your Windows theme is a set of matched visual and audio components that make up the look and feel of your desktop. The default theme for Windows XP is called, not surprisingly, Windows XP. There are other themes from which to choose that are already included with your operating system, or you can pick and choose from different elements such as font size, colors, and audio signals, to create your own custom theme. Whether you need a theme that is easier to see, or you just want to have some fun, changing your theme to suit your preferences is easy.
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How to Use the “Windows” Key on Your Keyboard

Filed under: Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 1:00 pm

by David Hakala

The Windows Logo key on your keyboard is an enigma. What’s it do? How did it get there? Well, it’s been around since 1995, when Windows 95 was introduced. It’s used in combination with other keys to perform a host of common functions quickly, without having to point and click one’s way through a series of menus.
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How Can I Stream Movies from the Internet to My TV?

Filed under: computer hardware,photos and video — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Gabe Goldberg

If you like movies but don’t enjoy being glued to your PC while they stream from the Internet, or you prefer to watch them on your GIANT TV, get ready to spend a little money to have a lot of fun.

Roku, a small electronic gadget that’s been available for about a year, has learned new tricks. Its concept is as simple as can be: connect to a TV and a broadband Internet router, link to a Netflix (rental movie service) or Amazon Video on Demand (new movie rental/purchase service), and stream requested movies.
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March 19, 2009

Convert PDF to Word and Convert Word to PDF

Filed under: applications,Windows — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 5:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

PDF files are convenient. They’re readable by any type of computer system, as long as that computer has a PDF reader application such as Adobe’s Acrobat Reader installed. They provide consistency in the look and feel of a document that includes graphics and uncommon fonts, so that you can be sure that just about everyone who gets your PDF file sees what you intended them to see. But what if you get a PDF file that needs editing? Since PDF files are intended to be read-only, you’ll need to convert the file into an editable format, such as Microsoft Word, with a special application.
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Getting a “Restore” CD From a Vendor and Using Vista’s “Preserve My Data” Feature

Filed under: data storage and recovery,Vista — Tags: , , , — admin @ 1:00 pm

by David Hakala

Q: Reader John asks two questions: (1) I’m purchasing a new HP Pavilion Desktop with Vista OS. The supplier does not give the original Microsoft Program CD. Instead they include a Restore program on the hard drive. Am I entitled to the original CD? (2) Can the operating system be restored with the non-destructive installation method from the inbuilt “Restore Program”?

To answer the first question, unfortunately, no, you are not entitled to a full, retail copy of Microsoft Vista with the purchase of a new computer. That could be installed multiple times on different computers, depriving Microsoft of its hard-earned money.
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Twitter Clients for Mac OS X

Filed under: Internet,Macintosh,social networking — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Dee-Ann LeBlanc

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Twitter, even if you haven’t used it. While the folks at Twitter are proud of the simplicity of their approach, having every Tweet from every person you’re following just flow into one long stream can get overwhelming.

Fortunately there’s a Twitter API that allows third party developers to write tools that interact with it. In the OS X world, there are many different Twitter clients. This article discusses four of them: EventBox, TweetDeck, twhirl, and Twitterrific.
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March 18, 2009

How to Disable Browser Cache

Filed under: Internet,privacy & security,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 5:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

The first time you visit a Web page, your browser stores the file in your cache so that when you visit again, the page loads quicker. The stored files load from your hard drive instead of having to be downloaded from the Internet. This is a useful feature because it makes your Web surfing much faster. Sometimes, however, browser caching is undesirable – it may cause you to miss updates on a Web page that changes frequently. There are several ways around this. You can bypass, clear, or even disable your browser cache so that each time you visit a page all the files are freshly downloaded.
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Using Windows Remote Desktop Function

Filed under: computer performance,Internet,mobile computing,Windows — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 1:00 pm

by David Hakala

Imagine you are away from the office, or home, or home-office, about to make a presentation to an important client. In the waiting room, you discover you’ve left your PowerPoint presentation and, more importantly, the contract the client was going to sign on your desktop PC! It’s time to die … unless you have Remote Desktop running back home.
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Amazon’s MP3 Downloader and iTunes

Filed under: digital media,Internet,Macintosh — Tags: , , , — admin @ 8:00 am

by Nathaniel Poor

If you’re an iTunes junkie like I am, the thought of using some other online service to get music would never occur to you. It is sure to be in some strange format and probably won’t work with iTunes.

But no. Check out Amazon’s MP3 store. I was sucked in recently when I heard they had U2’s Boy for $5 for a limited time. Yes, $5. And even better, the songs are automatically added to iTunes.
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March 17, 2009

“Cannot Restore” Errors When Trying to Use System Restore

Filed under: computer performance,data storage and recovery,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 5:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

Q: I’ve been having trouble trying to restore my system to an earlier date. The restore program goes to the point where it says pick a date to restore to. There will be several dates highlighted to pick from, and when I pick one the program goes through its paces and then gives the message that it cannot restore to that date. No matter what date I pick it does the same thing. Is there a way to correct this? — Thomas

Unfortunately, the odds are you will likely not be able to correct this error, since Windows has probably deleted the files. One of the ways this can happen is if you have upgraded your Windows to a newer version. When the files are updated, Windows doesn’t keep old system restore checkpoints since they would not be compatible with a newer version of Windows. Neither can you “degrade” to an older version of Windows with system restore.
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Where Did “Spyware Threat Has Been Detected on Your PC” Come From?

Filed under: applications,privacy & security,Windows — Tags: , , — admin @ 1:00 pm

by David Hakala

As you surf the Web, you may be startled by a window that pops up with a message like one of these:

warning spyware threat has been detected on your pc

spyware threat has been detected on your pc

Sometimes the window jiggles nervously in a way calculated to make you anxious. Always, there is a button to click for a “free spyware scan.”
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