by David Hakala
When you go to update Windows on the Microsoft update Web site, you have the option to select which specific updates you want to download and install. One update you may see is “Microsoft .NET Framework.” As of this writing, it is a whopping 284 MB package. Should you download and install it?
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by David Hakala
I bought a Thinkpad T61 notebook recently, retiring a vintage 2001Toshiba Tecra 8100 laptop. (Go ahead and snigger, but we made lots of money together.) The new machine, like most others made in recent years, has a small touch-sensitive cursor-moving pad in the center of its front edge – right where I like to rest the balls of my thumbs when I am typing. As a result, the cursor sometimes jumped around unexpectedly and the characters I was typing ended up in the middle of previously written words.
I learned this nuisance is called a touchpad. It is useless, too small to give me good control of the cursor. I use a USB mouse with a self-retracting cord. The touchpad had to go.
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by David Hakala
When you install Windows or format a disk, you are asked to select a “file system.” The options are FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS. Which file system you choose depends on the size of the disk and what you intend to do with it.
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by David Hakala
Removing unused fonts from your computer can speed up system reboots and help keep Windows running smoothly. But you don’t want to remove the fonts that Windows and your application programs need. Here is how to remove fonts safely.
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by David Hakala
Laptop batteries require a bit more attention than flashlight batteries to extend their lives and maximize the power you get out of them. Most notebook computers come with battery and power consumption management software. Windows has a few tools built into it, too. Go to Start > Control Panel > Power Options.
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by David Hakala
You may want to remove unused fonts from your Windows or Mac computer as Tina Gasperson suggested in her Tiplet article, How to Make Windows XP Boot Faster. Or you may want to organize and manage an ever-growing collection of fonts. Either way, here are some tips and tools to manage fonts.
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by Tina Gasperson
What’s a command prompt? You may be asking yourself that, especially if you’re fairly new to computing. Those of us old enough to remember a time before Windows and mousepads know that entering commands using the keyboard can be an effective method when it comes to getting stuff done on the computer. Even though “point and click” is the name of the game now, your Windows XP system still has a command prompt and you can still use it.
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by David Hakala
Conscientious power management is a good idea whether your computer runs off line power or its battery. Avoiding unnecessary power consumption is good for your computer’s life span, the environment, and your wallet. Two ways in which Windows XP helps you conserve power are standby and hibernation modes.
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by Tina Gasperson
When you launch Microsoft Word and start a new document, the blank “page” you see is the so-called “Normal” document template. The template is a collection of default settings: margin widths, page size, default font, heading sizes, etc. The template is transparent. When you save your new document, it saves as a document, and doesn’t change any of the settings contained in your “Normal” document template.
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