Ask Mr. Modem! - July 2010     
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Touchy Typing

Q.  I find that when I'm using my laptop, the cursor jumps all over the place without any apparent provocation. I am not aware of touching anything when that happens. Is there a setting to prevent this from occurring?

A.  The problem you describe is usually caused by accidentally contacting the laptop's touchpad when typing. Most laptops have a small switch or other method of disabling the touchpad. If you can't locate a switch, there will be a setting you can change to disable it, which is what I do. I prefer using an external mouse, so I disable my laptop's touchpad right off the bat. Typically, it's a BIOS setting that is accessed during the startup process, but contact your computer manufacturer's Tech Support to determine how to disable it, as it varies by computer.

If you don't want to disable the touchpad, you'll just have to watch where your hands and wrists are positioned to keep them away from the touchpad. Some people place "insulation," like a little pad or a few yellow stickies on the touchpad to make it less sensitive, so some experimentation may be in order, as well. 


Q.  Is there a simple way to determine the number of files within a folder without having to make a manual count?

A.  You sure can. Right-click any folder, select Properties, and in the Contains: field it will show how many files are in the folder. In addition to the Contains: field, the Size: field, not surprisingly, displays the size of the folder which can be useful in determining if the contents of a given file or folder will fit on a CD, thumb drive, or other storage device.


Q.  I have a good friend who believes her teenage daughter is involved in some questionable online activities. Is there a way that she can keep an eye on what sites her daughter is visiting and what she's doing online?

A.  For absolute monitoring of every keystroke and every bit of activity that occurs, Spector for Windows (http://tinyurl.com/3rrv6b) works like a surveillance camera. It takes a snapshot of whatever appears on the computer screen, saving it all in a tamper-proof, hidden location on your computer's hard drive. Spector ($69) can automatically take a picture as frequently as once every second or at longer intervals, if you prefer.

Your daughter's -- oops, your good friend's daughter (wink-wink) won't even know Spector is installed, but even if the young perv did know, she could not prevent it from memorializing her every antisocial, disgusting, and/or criminal online activity.


Q.  I am using Microsoft Office 2007. When I click the Office button in the upper left-hand corner to access recent documents, none are ever listed. How do I get it to show documents I recently accessed? Thanks for being there, Mr. M. I love your weekly newsletter.

A.  Thank you. (For information about subscribing, please visit www.MrModem.com). It sounds like the value for Recent Documents is set to zero, but you can easily check and adjust that: Click the Office button, then click Word Options (in Word 2007) or Excel Options, or PowerPoint Options at the bottom of the Office Menu. Go to the Advanced tab and scroll down to the "Display" section.

Set the value for "Show this number of Recent Documents:" to 12 or 15, or something other than what currently appears, then click the OK button. That should do it.


Mr. Modem's DME (Don't Miss 'Em) Sites of the Month

altMD.com
A wonderful online destination that provides detailed information on more than 200 wellness specialties and 400 health conditions. The site includes thousands of expert articles, videos, blogs, travel destinations and other resources, plus access to 300,000+ health and wellness-care providers throughout the U.S.
www.altmd.com

Travel Chums
Would you prefer to travel with another person rather than going it alone? Register for free and search to find others with a desire to venture to the same destinations you do. Paid memberships are also available and provide a few additional benefits. You can narrow your search by a number of factors, including age, gender, and religion, and you can specify whether you're looking for friendship, perhaps a little romance, or somebody to simply share expenses.
www.travelchums.com

Twinkies Facts
The Twinkie, long recognized as the cornerstone of any well-balanced diet, was created in 1930 by James Dewar, a plant manager at the Continental Baking Company. From its humble beginning as "Twinkie Fingers," today more than 500 million Twinkies are produced every year. Despite urban legends that suggest the shelf life of a Twinkie is measured in decades, according to Hostess, the actual shelf life is 25 days per Twink. Before he departed for the Big Cupcake in the Sky at age 88, Mr. Dewar (this is true) said that the secret to his long life was to "eat Twinkies every day and smoke a pack of cigarettes." What, no bourbon?
http://tinyurl.com/2g6ub3k

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem's award-winning WEEKLY newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 1640 and receive TWO free months (eight weekly issues!) with your 12-month subscription. To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

Ask Mr. Modem! - June 2010     
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Regain Cursor Control

Q.  My mouse cursor used to automatically land in the correct spot when I had to click OK or CANCEL or make some other selection, but it doesn't do that anymore. How can I get that feature working again? It was very handy and saved a lot of mouse maneuvering.

A.  What you're describing is a mouse pointer setting, so go to the Control Panel > Mouse > Pointer Options tab and place a check mark beside "Automatically move pointer to the default button in a dialog box," followed by Apply > OK. (Windows 7 users, go to Start > Search and type in "Change mouse settings" then click the Pointer Options tab.)

It doesn't work in every instance because there isn't always a default button, but by configuring it in this manner, it will automatically move to the OK (or other) button in many situations. 


Q.  I want to single-space the title page of a Word document, then double-space and line number the rest of document. How can I accomplish that?

A.  Word uses single-spacing by default, so there is nothing you have to do other than type your title page as you normally would. To double-space other text, highlight the data, then click Format > Paragraph and under Spacing, click Double > OK. To add line numbering, click File > Page Setup > Layout tab > Line Numbers button. You'll see the line-numbering options there.


Q.  The time on my computer appears as 24-hour military time. How can I change this to the normal 12-hour display?

A.  You didn't mention what version of Windows you're using, but you should be able to go to the Control Panel and double click the Regional and Language Options icon. On the Regional Options tab, click the Customize button, then the Time tab, followed by the down arrow next to the Time Format box. Select h:mm.ss and click OK twice to save and exit. If you want "AM" or "PM" to appear with the time, use h:mm:ss:tt. (Windows 7 users, click Clock, Language and Region in the Control Panel, then Change the Date, Time or Number Format.)


Q.  I am trying to copy photos from a folder on my hard drive to something called an SD card to use in a digital picture frame. Every time I try, I get an error message that says, "Cannot copy file. The disk is write protected. Remove the write protection or use another disk." I've used two different SD cards with the same result. What am I doing wrong, Mr. M?

A.  An SD card is a Secure Digital card, which is a flash-memory device widely used in digital cameras, handheld computers, PDAs (personal digital assistants), cell phones, GPS receivers, among other devices. The problem you describe is a fairly common one, and the fix is about as low-tech as you can get: Place a small piece of tape (Scotch tape will do nicely) over the tiny switch on the SD card, then insert it again. It will work fine.


Mr. Modem's DME (Don't Miss 'Em) Sites of the Month

Cooking Light
Your online guide to eating smart, being fit and living well. No, seriously. Here you can search, browse, and review thousands of healthy recipes. The Healthy Life section includes tips on fitness, beauty, travel, nutrition, and maintaining a positive attitude in the absence of sugar. The Community section provides access to topical bulletin boards where you can post your tips and questions or read what other participants have to say.
www.cookinglight.com

How Old is Your Brain?
Don't be alarmed that this site appears in Japanese; consider it part of its charm. Click Start, then wait for the 3, 2, 1 countdown. The objective is to memorize the number positions as they appear on screen, then click the circles in the same positions, moving from the smallest number to the largest number. After ten sequences have been completed, it will reveal how old your brain is. (Pray for double-digits.)
http://tinyurl.com/yvq36y

Airline Seating
If flying today makes you long for the comfort that canned sardines enjoy, the SeatGuru can help. Here you'll find seating diagrams for most aircraft so you can select the best seat possible, along with reviews and rankings of the best and worst seats on most major airlines. Trivia Alert: According to the airline industry, most "air rage" incidents occur when a thoughtless lout slams his or her seat back to a quasi-reclining position. Keep that in mind the next time you're inclined to recline.
www.seatguru.com

U.S. Hospital Finder
Type in your address, city and state, or just your ZIP code, then click Search. The hospitals closest to you will be displayed on a map. Click a hospital for details such as address, phone number, URL, number of beds and services it provides. Information is included on more than 6,000 U.S. hospitals. No registration is required -- for the Web site, not the hospitals.
www.ushospitalfinder.com

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem's award-winning WEEKLY newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 4022 and receive TWO free months (eight weekly issues!) with your 12-month subscription. To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

Ask Mr. Modem! - May 2010     
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Are Updated Drivers Necessary?

Q.  I read an article that recommended checking for updated drivers using Driver Agent (www.driveragent.com). I discovered that only the scan was free, but it cost $29.95 to download the seven updated drivers it said my computer needed. I'm not having any problems with my PC, so do I need to spend this money for these drivers? Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

A.  My philosophy, as often expressed in my weekly newsletter (www.MrModem.com), can best be summed up by the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Even with my own computers, as long as everything is working perfectly, I feel no need to play "Mr. Tweaker" and try to fix something that isn't broken.

If a printer, for example, stopped working at some point, I would go to my printer manufacturer's Web site, locate the area where I can check for updated drivers, and download them for free. There is nothing inherently wrong with a site like Driver Agent in a pinch, but it's rarely necessary to pay for updated drivers, if needed. Bottom line: Save your money.


Q.  I recently installed Microsoft Office 2007, and now when I send a Word document attached to an email, no one is able to open it. What can I do about this?

A. Word 2007 introduced a new file format for documents. Previous versions of Word used the .DOC file format. Word 2007 uses the .DOCX format that older versions, and other word processing programs, cannot read. The good news, however, is that you can save your documents in the old format.

To do that, with your document open in Word 2007, click the Office button in the upper left-hand corner, point to Save As and select Word 97-2003 Document. In the "Save As" window enter a file name for your document, then click the Save button.

If you want Word 2007 to automatically save all your files in the old format, click the Office button and at the bottom of the drop-down menu, click the Word Options button, then click the Save tab. Locate "Save files in this format" and change it from "Word Document (*.DOCX)" to "Word 97-2003 Document(*.DOC)." Click OK to save your changes and exit.


Q.  I would like to know if I can save one or two paragraphs from a document to a thumb drive without saving the entire document?

A.  To save text to another drive -- and it doesn't matter if it's a thumb drive, a pinkie drive, a Sunday drive, or any other type of drive -- first save the excerpted text as a file on your computer's internal hard drive, then copy the file to the external drive. To do that, select (highlight) the text you would like to save, right-click and select COPY or press CTRL +C.

Go to your word processing program, or you can use WordPad (under Programs > Accessories > WordPad), and click once to place your cursor in the new document, right-click and select PASTE or press CTRL + V. The text you copied will pop onto the screen. Click File > Save As, and save this excerpted text as a file. You can save it anywhere you wish, including to your Desktop.

Once it's saved, copy it to your thumb or flash drive. To do that, right-click the file you just saved, select COPY, then go to your thumb drive by opening (My) Computer, right-click the thumb drive's icon and select PASTE. The file will be copied to your drive.


Mr. Modem's DME (Don't Miss 'Em) Sites of the Month

13 Things That Do Not Make Sense
Here you'll learn about some of the greatest mysteries of science, including the 1977 "Wow" Signal from Outer Space, the Placebo Effect, and Cold Fusion. (Note: The tiny default font used on this site is the 14th thing that doesn't make sense, so click View > Text Size if you need to increase the size of the display font for easier reading.)
http://tinyurl.com/ce4mj2

Test Your Geography Knowledge
If you were shown a picture of South America, would you be able to point to Uruguay? Or how about Eritrea on a map of the Middle East? Put your geography knowledge to the test with these humbling -- very humbling -- quizzes.
www.mccollam.com/fun/geoquiz

WalkScore
This site calculates the  "walkability" rating of neighborhoods. The score is based on the number of businesses, services and other destinations within walking distance of a given address. Ratings range from zero ("driving only") to 100 ("walkers' paradise"). WalkScore inspired me to conduct my own walkability study. The protocol I followed involved getting up off my chair and going for a walk around my neighborhood. Website, shmebsite. There are some things you just have to do for yourself. 
www.walkscore.com

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem's award-winning WEEKLY newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 0847 and receive a free month (four weekly issues!) with your six-month subscription. To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

Ask Mr. Modem! – April 2010     
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Temp Files: To Delete or Not to Delete?

Q.  Is it safe to delete everything in my Temporary files folder?  I notice that some of the files are several years old, while others are only a couple of days old. Can I delete everything and wipe the slate clean?

A.  C:\WINDOWS\TEMP is a folder set aside for files that a program creates while it is running. If you open a document in Microsoft Word, for example, the program creates a number of temporary files to keep track of editing changes so you can undo them later, if necessary.

It's safe to delete everything in your C:\WINDOWS\TEMP folder, except files that display the current date, because those might be in use or needed while a program is being used. Anything older than the current date is fair game. To delete your temporary files, using Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E), navigate to your C:\WINDOWS\TEMP folder and click View > Details. Click the "Modified" or "Date Modified" column headings to sort the files by date.

Select files that are dated before the current date by clicking the first file you want to delete, holding down the SHIFT key and clicking the last file. All files between your first and last selections will be highlighted. If you need to delete non-contiguous files, meaning files incapable of spreading disease -- no, wait, that would be non-contagious files. Sorry. If you want to delete files that aren’t next to each other, hold down the CTRL key, instead of the SHIFT key, and click only the files you want to delete. Once your selected files are highlighted, press the DELete key.


Q.  I bought an external drive that requires a USB 2.0 port. I’m not sure what my computer has? How can I tell?

A.  A quick visit to your Device Manager will let you know if you have USB 2.0 or USB 1.x, so right-click My Computer > Properties > Hardware tab > Device Manager button.


Scroll down and click the little plus (+) sign in front of “Universal Serial Bus Controllers.” Look for “Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller." The wording may vary, but the key word is "Enhanced." If it's "Enhanced," it's USB 2.0; If it's not, then it's USB 1.x. As a low-tech alternative, plug in your device and see what happens.
At best, it will work; at worst, it won't.

Q.  I bought a new printer so I need to uninstall my old one. Can you explain how to do that? I’m using Windows XP, if that matters.

A.  To remove your old printer, click Start > Printers and Faxes, then right-click your old printer icon and select Delete. You'll be asked to confirm the deletion.


Removing your old printer may not remove extra drivers and/or support software, so you may need to remove those items manually. To do that, go to your Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs, and look through the list for anything that relates to your old printer by name. If you find something, click to select it, then click Remove. If anything fails to budge, use the free Revo Uninstaller.
www.revouninstaller.com.

Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

Online Einstein
No, this isn’t my new Web site, but thanks for thinking of me. Those who  are interested in learning more about the man behind the Theory of Relativity and E = MC Hammer, will enjoy this informative site. Be sure to visit “The Gallery,” a virtual tour of Einstein's personal papers, notebooks, diaries, and other documents that reveal major influences in his life and work.
www.alberteinstein.info

Palabea
An online educational Web site and social community that provides the opportunity to learn and practice foreign languages. Palabea users can access video lessons, podcasts and multimedia educational material, plus information about language schools. Users can also engage in online conversations in a foreign language and either play teacher or assist others. The three “official” languages of Palabea are English, German and Spanish, but you can connect with individuals speaking everything from Afrikaans to Vietnamese, but sadly, not my native tongue, Tagalog.
www.palabea.net

Whichbook
If you have ever had a hankering to curl up with a good book that aligns with your mood, here’s an unusual and innovative way to locate just the right match. The process begins with a few questions to help narrow down what it is you're looking for in a main character or setting; are you looking for a story that is both unpredictable and a little sad, or perhaps a challenging book that's inspirational -- but not so inspirational that you'll be inspired to get off the couch? Recommendations are accompanied by each respective book's availability in libraries throughout the U.K. Non-U.K. readers need not despair, however. The recommendations are excellent, regardless of your location.
www.whichbook.net

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning WEEKLY newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 1640 and receive TWO free months with your 12-month subscription! To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

Ask Mr. Modem! - March 2010     
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Emailing to the Masses

Q.  Is there a program you can recommend that will help me with my non-spam mailings to approximately 160 addresses? My current email service provider limits me to sending to 25 recipients at a time, so I have seven different mailing lists that I have to use.

A.  Any mail service is going to have some limitations on the number of addresses you can send to at one time, though most will allow more than your current provider. Gmail (www.gmail.com), for example, is a free, Web-based mail service that lets you send to approximately 100 addresses in a single mailing.

Be sure to double check email addresses of recipients before clicking the Send button, though. Your account will be disabled if a large number of "undeliverable" mail bounces back as a result of incorrect, invalid, or nonexistent email addresses. You don't want to be branded as a a spammer. (What would the neighbors think?)

There are also mass-mailing software programs such as YL Software (http://tinyurl.com/yj4cool) and DynamicMailer (http://tinyurl.com/yl26jj5), or if you run a Google search for "mass-mailing software," you will find other options. Since you only have 160 names on your list, I would suggest trying Gmail. That will save you the expense of purchasing additional software and reduce the number of mailing lists you're using from seven to two.


Q.  I need to look in my Windows Registry to check something. The instructions I have tell me to go to the Start button, choose Run, and type in "regedit." I can't do that with Vista because there is no Run option. Can you help me, Mr. M?

A. In Vista, right-click the Start Button or orb > Properties > Customize. When the Customize Start Menu screen appears, scroll down and place a check mark beside the "Run command" checkbox, followed by OK > Apply > OK. That will add the Run command to the Start menu. In Windows 7, type the command (in your case, "regedit") into the Start > Search field and press ENTER instead of using the Run command line. You can also press the Windows Logo Key + R to display the Run dialog box.


Q.  When I open JPG attachments, they default to Microsoft's Photo Editor instead of Picasa. What do I need to do to change from Windows Photo Editor to Picasa?

A.  Right-click any JPG image file and choose the "Open With" option from the menu that appears. You will be presented with a list of installed programs that you can use to open JPG images. Select Picasa from the list and check the box next to "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file," followed by OK. If you don't see Picasa in the list, click the Browse button and navigate to your Programs folder. In the Picasa folder, click to select Picasa.exe or Picasa2.exe (the name may vary slightly), then restart your computer.

The next time you encounter a JPG file, Picasa will spring to life and display the picture. You can also use Google's Picasa to edit a photo, post it on a Web site, print it, or email it to someone else.


Mr. Modem's DME (Don't Miss 'Em) Sites of the Month

Clumsy Crooks
Who doesn't enjoy a story about a crook doing something incredibly stupid? For example, there's the would-be purse-snatcher who grabbed a bag from a lady walking her poodle and made off with a bag of poop. Or the doofus who offered two undercover cops crack cocaine if they would give him a ride. (They did.) Or how can it not warm the cockles of your heart to read about the bank robber who ran out of a bank and was run over by his getaway-car driver? You'll find many similar heartwarming stories at the Clumsy Crooks Web site.
www.clumsycrooks.com

Hand Lines
According to this site, hand lines are a reflection of the experiences of the central nervous system, and the lines and grids on your hands are a way for one's brain to express itself. I checked out my hand lines and apparently my brain is telling me, "Your hands are old and wrinkly." I thought that was a bit harsh. If you're into this kind of thing, break out the granola and the wind chimes and have fun.
http://tinyurl.com/yejvabr

WebCrosswords
Crossword puzzle enthusiasts won't want to miss this site. You can play in either "Regular" or "Master" mode (if you dare), and in the likely event you get stuck, stymied or flummoxed, click the "Solve" tab to  reveal a letter, a word, or the entire puzzle. These daily, theme-oriented crossword puzzles are fun and will keep the old neurons humming. A little timer in the upper right-hand corner is informative, humiliating and stress-inducing.
www.webcrosswords.com

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem's award-winning WEEKLY newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 4022 and receive TWO free months with your 12-month subscription! To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

Ask Mr. Modem! – January 2010     
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The Case of the Missing Gigabytes

Q.  I have a Dell, 160GB hard drive. While checking the size of the drive in My Computer, I discovered that my C: drive has three partitions: a 71MB, a 4.27GB, and a 144.67GB. Adding those three together, I get a little over 149GB, so there seems to be approximately 10GB missing. Where did it go?

A.  The apparent discrepancy is caused by differences in the units of measure associated with megabytes and gigabytes, one unit being rounded off, and the other not being rounded off. (Anybody getting a headache yet?  If not, keep reading.)

Disk capacity is measured using decimal kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), and gigabytes (GB). In decimal units, 1KB equals one thousand bytes, 1MB equals one million bytes, and 1GB equals one gazillion bytes -- okay, okay, just kidding. It equals one trillion bytes. But for file sizes, memory, and just about everything else computer related, for some strange, mysterious, and eternally confusing reason, we use binary kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes. In binary units, 1 KB equals 1,024 bytes, 1MB equals 1,048,576 bytes, and 1GB equals 1,073,741,824 bytes.

To convert your disk's 160GB decimal to binary units used by the rest of Windows, you have to divide by 1.073741824. Let me see if I can do it in my head. Nope. Not a prayer. Breaking out the official Mr. Modem simulated plastic slide rule (with faux Naugahyde sheath), the result is approximately 149GB -- which is close enough to what you calculated. So when all is said and done, there really are no missing gigabytes. Mystery solved.


Q.  I’ve been a subscriber of your excellent weekly newsletter for years, but I’ve never seen this question addressed: I suffer from RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), so I have to find keyboard shortcuts for most of what I do at the computer. When reading articles online, every Web site requires a mouse to click the “Next Page” link. How can I move to the next page by keystroke instead of mouse click?

A.  Using the Web pretty much assumes you are using a mouse, though that does pose a problem for many people in your situation. There is a way around it, however, by pressing the TAB key. Repeatedly pressing the TAB key will move from one link on the page to the next. When it reaches the link you want (such as “Next Page”), press ENTER to execute the action. SHIFT+TAB reverses direction through the links which may be faster if the link you're targeting is near the bottom of the page. Pressing the END key takes you to the bottom of a page; the HOME key takes you to the top.


Q.  I have one telephone line and dial-up access to the Internet. Is there a way for me to be notified of an incoming call while I’m online, so I can go offline and answer the phone?

A.  BuzzMe.com (www.buzzme.com) is a service that will display a window when an incoming call arrives, so you can then decide whether to accept the call or reject it. There are several BuzzMe services available that range in price from $14.99 per year to $47.90 per year. The BuzzMe Notify service provides notification of incoming calls. Complete information can be found on the BuzzMe.com Web site.


Q.  Sometimes I receive an email of an appointment in Outlook. Is there a way to forward this to myself on a certain day so that when I open my email, it will serve as a reminder?

A. After you compose or prepare to forward a message, instead of clicking Send, click the Options button (on the Send menu bar). Under Delivery Options select “Do not deliver before:” Date/Time options will appear from which you can select and schedule the date and time when the message should be sent. Close the Options menu, then send the message. The email will be saved in your Outbox and will be sent when the date and hour match the scheduled date and time selected.


Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

AllMyFaves
A colorful, NASCAR-like search engine that includes what AllMyFaves considers to be the best sites in each of 41 categories. The categories aren’t listed alphabetically, which would be helpful, but AllMyFaves gets an “A” for originality, regardless. Try it a few times and it will grow on you.
www.allmyfaves.com

Seafood Watch
A program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium (oh, the irony), created to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources and to provide reliable fish facts to help us make informed purchases. Use the Seafood Search to find your favorite seafood’s rating. Ratings range from “Good” to “Call the paramedics!” Each fish selected includes a consumer note, health alerts, and a summary. Hint: If you’re planning to have giant scallops tonight, you might want to think twice about that. Ixnay on the allopsscay. 
http://tinyurl.com/22r7zn

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning WEEKLY newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 1046 and receive a free month with your six-month subscription! To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

Ask Mr. Modem! – December 2009     
www.MrModem.com   


Windows 7 Tips

Q.  Now that Windows 7 has been released, what’s your impression of it and do you have any new-user tips?

A.  I’ve been using Windows 7 since its initial beta version and I remain impressed. I would characterize it as Vista, but without the quirks. (I’m being diplomatic.) Bottom line, Windows 7 is a good, solid operating system and at least at this stage, Microsoft appears to have redeemed itself from its V-word debacle.

If you are using Windows 7, or if it’s in your future, I added a new Windows 7 section to my weekly “Ask Mr. Modem!” newsletter (www.MrModem.com). Heading into its tenth year of publication, each week I deliver helpful, easy-to-understand tips for all versions of Windows, as well as prompt, personal responses to subscribers’ questions by email. 

As far as Windows 7 tips, here are four little “teaser tips” from my newsletter:

1. The Show Desktop feature that was used to minimize all open windows in XP and Vista has been replaced by Aero Peek. Peek is enabled by mousing over a “glass” rectangular area in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, to the right of the time display. When you mouse over this little panel, all open windows are hidden and replaced by window outlines. If you prefer the older style “Show Desktop” effect, click the little panel instead of mousing over it and all open windows will minimize. 

2. Gone, too, is the Quick Launch bar in Windows 7, but the new Taskbar effectively serves the same function. If your Win 7 Taskbar is taking up too much room because of its large icons, right-click the Start orb, click Properties > Taskbar > Use small icons > OK.

3. If you drag one window to the left side of the screen and another to the right, the windows will instantly resize, each filling half the screen, so you can easily use them side by side. Love it!

4. Windows 7 includes a number of new keyboard shortcuts. A few of my favorites include: The Windows (Logo) Key + G displays gadgets in front of other windows. The Windows Key + Up maximizes the current window, while the WinKey + Down minimizes the current window. The WinKey + Spacebar causes all windows to become transparent so you can see through to the Desktop, and the WinKey + (+ or -) will zoom in or out. 


Q.  I downloaded a font that I like, but I can't figure out how to install it in my word processor. I followed instructions, but the font doesn't appear in the list of available fonts. Can you help, Mr. M?

A.  In this instance, don’t install your new font into the word processor itself, install it in Windows where other programs can then access it. To do this, using Windows Explorer, for example, copy the font file into your C:\Windows\Fonts folder, or whatever folder is appropriate for your system if it's configured other than in this manner, which is typical.

Then go to Control Panel > Fonts > File > Install New Fonts. In the Add Fonts dialog box, navigate to the C:\Windows\Fonts folder, or whatever folder is appropriate on your system. Double-click to open the folder.

Under "List of Fonts," click to select your new font, then click OK. Restart your computer and the font will then be available for use in all Windows programs, including your word processor.


Q.  I understand there are methods and devices that can transfer 35mm slides to a hard drive or CD. What can you tell me about them and where can they be purchased?

A.  There are a number of methods for converting slides to digital images that are described in detail in the following articles: “Converting Your 35mm Slides to Digital Format,” at http://tinyurl.com/tze8j, and “How to Convert 35mm Slides to Digital,” at http://tinyurl.com/yjofg6j.

There are also devices that can perform the conversion (http://tinyurl.com/yl6oedl), or you can use any number of professional services, such as Larsen Digital Slide Scanning at www.slidescanning.com/slides.htm.


Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

Roadside Peek
Get comfy and enjoy an open-road journey back through time. Travel old routes (including the legendary Route 66) across America. See the old motels, bowling alleys, drive-in theatres (remember drive-ins?), neon signs, petrol pumps, tacky tiki villages, and other roadside treasures. The site’s default font is a bit small for my trifocals, so if you want to enlarge the font, click View > Text or Zoom in your browser or press CTRL and the + sign.
www.roadsidepeek.com

Shakespeare Insult Kit
Shakespeare was, of course, a brilliant writer, but he also had a cutting wit that could skewer an adversary faster than you can retort, “Says who, thou fobbing, earth-vexing dewberry?" Use this site to create your own Shakespearean insults. Choose an entry from each of three columns, string them together, precede the phrase with "thou," and you've got an insult worthy of a 17th century poet, thou calumnious, muddy-mettled mumblemews.
http://tinyurl.com/yez5m9v

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Ask Mr. Modem! – November 2009     
www.MrModem.com   


Silencing Windows

Q.  How can I stop the sound I hear when I shut down my computer? I hate that sound, it’s so annoying, it makes me want to throw my computer out the window!
I’m using Windows XP, if it makes any difference.

A.  Go to your Control Panel > Sounds (or Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds) tab. You'll see all the various sounds listed, including one for “Exit Windows,” so just click any that you don't want to hear and select "None" for the sound to be played. Click Apply > OK when you're finished. From this point forward, the only things you’ll hear will be the sounds of silence. (I feel a song coming on…)


Q.  You’ve mentioned using MSCONFIG to disable programs that launch at startup, but the MSCONFIG utility doesn’t seem to be present on my computer. How can I get it, or is that even possible?

A.  Normally, to use MSCONFIG, you would click Start > Run > type MSCONFIG, press ENTER, then click the Startup tab. If your system doesn’t have the MSCONFIG utility (Microsoft omitted it from Windows 2000 for no apparent reason), or it’s not functioning properly when you attempt to launch it, you’re not out of luck.

A free utility called the Startup Control Panel (www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml) solves that problem. Double-click it after it’s been downloaded and you’ll be able to see every program that’s launching automatically each time you start your computer. To enable an item, place a check mark next to it; to disable it, remove the check mark. 

For more information about using MSCONFIG -- which every PC user should be aware of -- you are cordially invited to read my cleverly titled “MSCONFIG” article at http://tinyurl.com/yea4tmg.


Q.  When I create Word documents, I sometimes have spelling errors, but I don’t always catch them when I go back through a document looking for the red squiggly line that appears under each error. There must be a way to jump right to the errors, isn’t there?

A.  Yes, there sure is. Look for a little “book” icon on the Status bar, at the bottom of your Word document window. If the icon has an X on it, Word has detected a misspelled word or grammatically challenged sentence. Double-click the book icon to quickly move to the offending text. Right-click the book icon to configure options for spelling and grammar. Hint: The Word Status bar is a little sliver of a bar at the bottom of a Word document, just above the Windows Start button and Taskbar.


Q.  I’m trying to print an Excel spreadsheet, but I cannot figure out how to avoid printing the letter and number designations along the top and left side of the sheet.  I have tried redefining the print area to no avail.  Do you have any suggestions?

A.  You can select any print area you wish by highlighting it, but there is a little trick to it beyond that. If you don't want anything but the data on a spreadsheet to appear -- no column or row headings or anything else -- select the area you want to print, then click File > Print Area > Set Print Area. That will place a dotted line around your designated area. Click File > Print > Selection > OK and only your selected text will print.


Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

Intelligence Tests
Six IQ tests are just a mouse-click away, patiently waiting to torment you. Test No. 1 consists of 33 fill-ins such as “26 L of the A.” You would naturally type in “letters of the alphabet.” Piece of cake, right? (cackle, cackle) Tests 2 through 5 consist of the same type tests, each one being progressively more difficult. Be prepared to be humbled -- very humbled.  
http://intelligence-test.net

Yugster
The concept here is simple: Yugster sells one product a day and when whatever quantity it has to sell is gone, that’s it. For example, as I was writing this, yesterday the item of the day was a Plasma and LCD Care-Cleaning kit. At Best Buy, the retail price was $36, but I could buy it on Yugster for $19. Lucky me. Today, the item du jour is an atomic digital clock with wireless weather forecaster for $25.95, which is 50 percent less than what other retailers are offering this fine item for.  
www.yugster.com

ZIPskinny
Get the skinny on any ZIP code. Simply enter your ZIP code to review U.S. Census data and comparisons with neighboring ZIPs. Information provided includes education, household income, occupations, age, sex, racial demographics, as well as some geographical information. It never hurts to know your neighborhood’s latitude and longitude. 
www.zipskinny.com

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 1146 and receive a free month with your six-month subscription! To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

 
Ask Mr. Modem! – October 2009
 www.MrModem.com

Create Scrolling Screensaver 

Q.  I would like to create a scrolling message on my screen to welcome my daughter home from college, but I can't seem to figure out how to do that. Can you help me with this, Mr. M?

A. Absolutely! Go to your Control Panel and click Display > Screen Saver tab. (Vista users, go to Control Panel > Appearances and Personalization > Screen Saver.) Using the drop-down menu under Screen Saver, click to select Marquee (select 3D Text in Vista), then click the Settings button. You will see where you can enter your welcome message, adjust its position, select your text style, color and related aesthetic tweaks.


Q.  I’m using Gmail, thanks to your recommendation, and I really like it. I often send email to the same list of people. How can I do that in Gmail, Mr. M?

A. You’ll need to place your list of recipients into a group. Once you create the group, type in the group name and let Gmail (www.gmail.com) do the rest.

To create a group from existing contacts, select Contacts from the left-side navigation bar. Place a check beside each of the contacts you want to add to the new group, then click the Groups drop-down menu and select “Add To New Group.” Type in a name for your new group and click OK.

To address a message to the group, create a new message, then type your email address in the To: field. Next, click Add Bcc: and type the name of your group in the Bcc: field.

The list will be automatically expanded so you will see the individual group members in the Bcc: field. You can then add or remove addresses, as you wish.


Q.  My Start menu’s list of programs in XP displays three columns, but the third column, the one farthest to the right, is so far to the right that it is unreadable. Can I move it more to the left?

A.  I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you can't move it to the left. Those columns are automatically adjusted as wide as needed to accommodate the length of the longest program’s name. One thing you can do, however, is right-click any long program names, select Rename, and make each name shorter. For example, if you rename Microsoft Internet Explorer to “IE” and Windows Media Player to “WMP,” and similarly, shorten the names of other longer-named programs, you will have much narrower columns.

As an alternative, right-click the Start button, click Properties > Customize > Advanced. Scroll down the list and select Scroll Programs, followed by OK. This will cause your programs to appear in a single, scrollable column instead of fanning out to the right. (Bonus Tip: If you want to place programs in alphabetical order, right-click an entry, then select Sort by Name.)


Q.  I know this is an unusual question, but do you know if there is anything online that can test for color blindness? Thanks, Mr. M.

A.  Before disseminating any information of this type, for purposes of full disclosure, I am not a doctor, nor do I portray one on television, though I do believe in the healing powers of chicken soup. With that caveat, there is a color blindness test located at the appropriately named ColorVisionTesting (http://colorvisiontesting.com) Web site. The site features standard color vision tests in which colored objects and numbers are “hidden” within several circular fields of dots. There is also a pediatric color-vision test for children, and a view of the world through a color-blind person’s eyes. The default font on this Web site is large and easy to read. How refreshing.


Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

Marketing IQ Test
The test consists of 20 questions that will evaluate your ability to recognize companies and products by their associated marketing efforts, such as an item’s logo, tagline, mascot, etc. The test has a cheesy game show feel to it, and a jaunty little tune plays in the background while you select your answers from the multiple choices presented.
http://tinyurl.com/n5h3bw

The Dorcus Collection
A collection of men's fashion photography from the ‘50s, ‘60s and polyestered ‘70s. Caution: Some of the language on this site is a bit on the coarse side, so sensitive readers or those easily offended, please be forewarned.
http://tinyurl.com/ktj8a5

The Good Earth
View stunning images of this little pellet we call Earth. Images are taken by satellites, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station. This multimedia tour allows you to experience the Earth as you have never seen it before. There is a choral-music sound track that accompanies the slideshow that I could do without, though the voices of the Apollo 8 astronauts from their first transmission in 1968 is interesting. A full, 244MB version is available for five dollars, though I found the Web-based freebie to be out of this world.  
http://tinyurl.com/n7th3c

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 1146 and receive a free month with your six-month subscription! To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

 
 Mr. Modem September 2009

 Cyberspace: What is it?
 
 Q. What does “cyberspace” mean? I see it all the time associated with the Internet.
 
 A. The term “cybernetics” was coined by Norbert Wiener in his 1948 book “Cybernetics or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine.” Catchy title. He used the term in reference to the control of complex systems in the animal world and in mechanical networks. Expanding on that 38 years later, author William Gibson, in his 1980 science-fiction thriller “Neuromancer” used the word “cyberspace” to define a Rod Serlingesque dimension of time and space that begins when data is transmitted, and ends when it is received. For example, when you send email, the data leaves your computer then subsequently arrives at a destination mail server. During that brief time in transit, the data exists in an electronic time warp known as cyberspace.
 
 
 Q. I use Outlook Express for my email. How can I transfer all my messages and mail folders from my old computer to a new computer?
 
 A. The Outlook Express Backup Genie (http://tinyurl.com/6lz9a) is a helpful utility that saves messages, settings, address books, mail accounts, blocked senders lists and signature files to a compressed backup file, which can be easily restored to the same computer or to another computer. You can try the Backup Genie for 15 days and it’s $39.95 to purchase.
 
 Though the program’s name suggests that its primary focus is Outlook Express, it will also backup and restore data from Outlook, Eudora, IncrediMail, Opera, Netscape Messenger, Netscape Mail, PocoMail and several other applications.
 
 If you only have a few messages that you need to move from one computer to another, instead of copying a message from one computer to another, simply forward the email to yourself, then go online with the second computer and retrieve your email. As ridiculously low-tech as it sounds, I’ve been using this technique for years and it works like a charm.
 
 
 Q. I know what an email filter is, but can you explain the difference between a negative email filter and a positive email filter?
 
 A. A negative filter is created to block email based on the sender’s name or address, words used in the Subject line or body of the message. In other words, there’s a negative connotation associated with the email: You don’t want to see it, so you create a filter to block it or route it directly into the trash. Conversely, a positive email filter is created for email addresses of people from whom you do want to receive messages, such as friends, colleagues, family members and, of course, Mr. Modem. Positive filters bring messages to your attention. A filter's action may change the color of the message header, play a jaunty little tune, or transfer the message to a designated mail folder.
 
 
 Q. A Web site that I need to visit displays a message that says that I have to disable all pop-up blockers first. It says something about a Windows update that enabled a pop-up blocker. Does this make any sense to you, Mr. M?
 
 A. Yes, it sure does, and it’s easily resolved. When one of the large Windows Service Pack updates was installed, it enabled Internet Explorer’s pop-up blocker by default. To disable it, click Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Turn Off Pop-up Blocker. That’s all there is to it.
 
 
 
 Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month
 
 Birthday Statistics
 Type in your birth date and this calculator will tell you how many hours and seconds you have been alive, beginning with the date of conception. Okay, perhaps a little too much information, but it also presents the top songs of the year of your birth, your equivalent age in dog years (Mercy!), and the amount of heat generated by all the candles on your birthday cake. If this won’t ruin your birthday, nothing will.
 http://tinyurl.com/2f8zg
 
 Blinkx Video
 Here you’ll find more than 35 million hours (approximately 4,000 years, give or take) of video, in case you have some free time. Search for TV news clips and other video snippets from more than 500 media partners. Lots of humorous content, as well. New video continually arrives, fed by robotic ‘spiders’ that comb the Web looking for video content.
 www.blinkx.com
 
 Newser
 An online news aggregator that scans Internet news sources and delivers news in concise summaries, together with photos, video, audio and links to original stories. Newser editors select the day's top stories from more than 100 sources, along with items from lesser known sites that are frequently overlooked. News is presented in a nine-square grid pattern for fast and easy reference. If you wish, you can increase the grid to 21 tiny squares that are so difficult to read, it will give you a headache. You can also decide if you want hard or soft news. Registration is free.
 www.newser.com
 
For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 1146 and receive a free month with your six-month subscription (28 issues!) To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com.

Ask Mr. Modem! – August 2009     
www.MrModem.com   


Vini, Vidi, Tweeti
(“I came, I saw, I Tweeted,” from the original Latin)

I would like to share a few thoughts with you this month about an activity that clearly marks the end of civilization as we know it: Twittering. The New York Times heralded Twitter as "one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet." My doctor tells me to be leery of fast-growing anythings, so perhaps that’s part of my concern. That being said, let’s start with the basics:

Twitter is a free service predicated on the question, “What are you doing?” By composing short, 140-character messages, you can share with the world that you are standing in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles, eating a tuna sandwich, or watching your dog chase its tail. If compulsively posting such digital drivel is not enough of an incentive to get out of bed in the morning—which is, of course, another event you’ll want to share with others—you can also follow the mundane activities of other peoples’ uneventful lives—including neuron-numbing celebritwits. At no time in the history of interpersonal communication has the phrase “Get a life” been more appropriate.

To get started with Twitter, go to twitter.com and click—well, “Get Started.” Provide the information requested and in seconds you will be twittified. Congratulations! You passed Twitter’s rigorous admissions screening. During the sign-up process, you will be asked to provide your email address and password, which are used to import your contacts. If you’re less than enthusiastic about that prospect—as well you should be—obtain a free Gmail (www.gmail.com) or other disposable address and use that instead. 

Next, create your personal profile in which you can reveal as much or as little about yourself, as you wish. Hint: Less is more. The final dreadful step is to build your network by importing email lists, contacts from Instant Messaging services, or you can locate unsuspecting friends and family members with the search engine at search.twitter.com. Search by entering your interests, quirks, fetishes and peccadilloes, which will produce a list of individuals who share similar disturbing characteristics that you can then elect to follow. 

“Following” someone is akin to adding a person to a contacts list or as a Facebook friend, except the twirp (Twitter relationship) is a one-way street. Nobody sees your updates unless he or she chooses to follow you. I quickly discovered that lemming-like individuals will start following you shortly after you start following them. Creepy? Absolutely. 

Once you begin stalking—excuse me, following others, their updates (called “tweets”) will appear on the Web or in a Twitter feed to one or more designated devices. In the likely event someone gets on your nerves by posting too many senseless tweets (an oxymoron if ever there was one), you can remove or block the serial tweeter. There are many ways to post your own tweets, including logging into twitter.com and entering your life-altering updates into the field provided. Third-party applications are available to streamline this process and eliminate the need to visit the site on a recurring basis.

To thoroughly research this sociological phenomenon, I immersed myself in the twit culture (and I use the term loosely) for a period of two months. As a professional journalist for more than 25 years, I cannot adequately articulate the pride I felt as I typed (“twyped,” in terminally cutesy TwitterSpeak), “Lilly coughed up a fur ball.” I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking, “Pulitzer for Mr. Modem, at last!”

On the plus side, I found Twittering to be harmless—if you don’t count the liquefaction of my frontal lobe into cerebral gruel. (A condition, some might argue, that predates my foray into the Twittosphere.)

As Twitter itself enthusiastically chirps, “With Twitter, you can stay hyper-connected to your friends and always know what they’re doing,” which begs the question, “Who cares?” During my Twitterfest, I learned that GomeZorb had the flu and stayed home from work—apparently to Twitter (a phenomenon known as social notworking), NeoPunk misplaced his iPod, and DrizYChick made oatmeal. Could it be any more exciting?

Why anybody would feel compelled to share the excruciatingly tedious minutia of their life is bewildering; why anybody would want to read it is even more puzzling. I am willing to concede, however, that perhaps I’m failing to grasp the bigger picture, so this is your opportunity to set me straight: Are you a-twitter over Twitter? If so, what positive impact has it had on your life, and if you have any heartwarming, inspirational, or socially redeeming tales of the tweet, email me at MrModem.Feedback@gmail.com. Deteriorating minds want to know. 

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 1146 and receive a free month with your six-month subscription (28 issues!) To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com.

Ask Mr. Modem! – July 2009     
www.MrModem.com   


AOL:  Is There Life Beyond Time Warner?

Q. Is it true that AOL is going out of business or is going to just disappear?

A.  Not exactly, but it is important for all AOL users to be aware of what’s happening. Last month, Time Warner announced that it will jettison its AOL subsidiary by the end of this year.

Attempting to put a positive spin on the unceremonious dumping of AOL, Jeffrey Bewkes, Time Warner CEO, said (with a straight face), "We believe AOL will have a better opportunity to achieve its full potential as an independent Internet company."
Sure it will. 

AOL today is a mere shadow of its former self.  In 2002, users peaked at nearly 27 million. Currently, AOL has approximately six million subscribers, and this announcement is expected to result in a spike in migration as AOL users flee to greener digital pastures.

If you are currently using AOL, you effectively have two choices: You can stay with AOL and see what happens (last one out, please turn off the lights), or you can join the tens of millions of former AOL users who have moved to other Internet access providers. I’ll be providing additional information and updates about this ongoing development in my weekly newsletter (www.MrModem.com).


Q.  I received two .PUB files, which I assume are Microsoft Publisher files. I don't have Publisher, and I don’t want to buy it, so is there some way I can convert the files into Adobe .PDF format, which I can then open?

A. Yes, .PUB files are Microsoft Publisher files and the good news is that you can easily convert them to the .PDF format by using PDF Online (http://tinyurl.com/pj22k8). When you go to the site, select the .PUB file that you want to convert, enter your email address, and click Convert to PDF. The converted file will be emailed to you within minutes. 


Q.  When I’m using the Google search engine with Internet Explorer on my PC at work, after I type in the first few letters of my search term, a drop-down list appears. If I entered the same information before, I can select it from the list. My computer at home, however, does not provide this drop-down list. How can I get a similar list to appear on that computer?

A.  The feature you are referring to is called AutoComplete. To view the settings for AutoComplete, in Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options > Content tab, then the Settings button in the AutoComplete section. Click the check boxes for some or all of the options you want to use. In your case, be sure to select Forms, but you may also want to select Web Addresses, Username and Passwords on Forms, and Prompt to Save Passwords, as well. Click OK twice to save your changes and exit. 


Q.  I have Windows XP, Outlook Express and Office 2007. I speak English, but I can only get French in the spell-check. How can I get an English spell-checker?

A.  When you install Office 2007, spell checking in Outlook Express works very well -- as long as you want to spell-check in French. That's because Office 2007 initially replaced old files that spell-checked in English, Spanish and German. According to Microsoft, the new version of these files contained within Office 2007 are incompatible with OE-6. (Isn’t that just peachy?) The easiest way to resolve the problem is to install a third-party Spell Checker for OE (http://tinyurl.com/k2xcv). This problem was resolved in a subsequent Office 2007 update.


Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

Congressional Votes
Hosted by washingtonpost.com, here you can browse an extensive database of every vote cast in the U.S. Congress since 1991. You can search by aggregate votes on a given issue or by individual member of Congress to determine if your representative is truly representing you, or if he or she is asleep at the switch. The site is updated several times each day.
http://tinyurl.com/px7zh9

Flight Status
This was created for Palm-type, hand-held computers, but I use it as a no-frills, cut-to-the-chase, bare-bones, stop-with-the-hyphens, flight-information center to enhance my going-nowhere-in-a-hurry lifestyle. Here you can quickly obtain flight status, departures and arrivals, flight alerts, airline and airport information, security wait times, and current airport delays. If you prefer the full-frills version, visit www.flightstats.com.
http://tinyurl.com/y6g7gm

Universal Leonardo
No, not DiCaprio, the other Leonardo. This unusual site is a celebration of the genius of Leonardo da Vinci’s work. Through a series of linked exhibitions and scientific investigations, new dimensions of the “El Da-Vee” (as he was known in the ‘hood) legacy are revealed. From the home page, click Browse, then meander through Paintings, Manuscripts, Inventions, and Drawings. One can easily spend hours on this site, so get comfortable, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a few snacks standing by.
www.universalleonardo.org

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 4022 and receive TWO free months with your 12-month subscription! To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

Ask Mr. Modem! – June 2009     
www.MrModem.com   


Eavesdropping on Internet Activity

Q.  I have reason to believe that some inappropriate things are occurring with a member of my family on the Internet. Is there any way I can monitor what is happening online when I’m not around? Thank you so much for being there, Mr. Modem. I don’t know where else I’d turn.

A.  There is a software program called Spector that will do exactly what you want. When you install it, Spector runs invisibly, so no one is aware of its presence. Even if it is discovered -- which is highly unlikely -- it cannot be easily removed or disabled.

Spector (http://tinyurl.com/3rrv6b) works like a surveillance camera, taking a snapshot of whatever appears on the computer screen and saving it in a hidden location on your computer's hard drive. A few seconds later, Spector takes another picture. In fact, Spector can automatically take a picture of the screen as frequently as once every second.

Spector ($69) will record all chat conversations, instant messages, emails typed and opened, all Web sites visited, all programs launched, all keystrokes entered, anything and everything that occurs on the computer and on the Internet. You can return to the computer a few hours, a few days or even weeks later, enter your password, and review exactly what transpired on that system in the interim.


Q.  Would I be wise to switch all my email to Yahoo! from my present ISP?

A.  I see many, many people doing that these days, switching either to Yahoo! Mail (http://mail.yahoo.com) or Gmail (www.gmail.com). There is a definite trend in that direction, primarily because Web-based mail is so reliable, plus it eliminates the need for an email program such as Outlook Express, Eudora, Thunderbird, etc. There is also the added convenience of being able to access mail from any computer with Internet access. In addition, when it’s time to purchase a new computer, because your mail resides on Yahoo’s or Gmail’s servers, there is no need to transfer mail folders, settings, or configure a new email program on the new system. Using your browser, you simply log into your mail account and you're off and running.

You can also create a free, “disposable” address at Yahoo! Mail or Gmail and use it for online shopping or for Web site or product registration purposes, in order to prevent spam and other annoying follow-up messages from cluttering up the inbox of your primary email account. 

While it ultimately is a matter of personal preference, Web-based mail does make a lot of sense and has many advantages. I prefer Gmail over Yahoo! Mail, but you can’t go wrong with either one.


Q.  My new computer shows time in the 1:30 PM format. I prefer the military version of time, that being 13:30. How can I change that? I’m using Windows XP.

A. To display military time, go to your Control Panel  > Regional and Language Options > Customize button > Time tab and choose HH:mm:ss from the drop-down menu.  Click Apply  > OK to save and exit.


Q.  My Outlook Express suddenly has what I would describe as a lower panel of sorts that I did not have before. How can I get rid of that?  I can drag it up or down, but it is confusing, and I know it wasn’t there before. Thanks, Mr. M.

A. What you’re describing as the “lower panel” is the Outlook Express Preview Pane, that enables you to view messages without actually opening them. If you click to select a message in your Inbox (the upper panel), the body of the message appears in the lower panel. To disable it, click View > Layout and remove the check mark to the left of “Show Preview Pane,” followed by Apply > OK.



Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

How-To Videos
Arguably one of the best collections of “How-to” videos on the Web. All videos are free and cover topics ranging from “How to Play a Ukulele,” to “How to Make a Blueberry Smoothie,” to “How to Give Your Cat a Bath” (Good luck!)
http://learnhowto.tv

Infowisps
A collection of interesting yet incredibly useless trivia. For example, did you know that U.S. President William H. Taft had a speech impediment? In particular, throughout his life he said “snausage” instead of “sausage,” and since he was a rather portly gentleman, he was nicknamed “Baloney Bill.” How’s that for trivia?
www.infowisps.blogspot.com

Safety Alerts by Email
Product recalls of toys that can injure, various and sundry safety- and health-related issues, including reports of Listeria, Salmonella and E. Coli-contaminated foods -- which, coincidentally, sound like the ingredients for a Mr. Modem family picnic. Free, comprehensive, up-to-date safety alerts delivered to you by email. This site is so informative, you'll never leave the house again. It's simply too dangerous out there.
http://tinyurl.com/2ytvdz


For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 4022 and receive TWO free months with your 12-month subscription (60 issues!) To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

Ask Mr. Modem! – May 2009     
www.MrModem.com   


The Perils of Remote Access

Q.  The person who recently repaired my computer set it up so he will be able to remotely fix problems in the future by taking control of my PC. My question is this: Am I exposing my personal financial information to him, even if it’s on a memory stick in the USB port of my computer?

A.  When you provide remote access to your computer, you are giving carte blanche access to your system. Any data on your hard drive is accessible, as is data on a floppy disk, zip disk, connected external drive, or memory stick in the USB slot. It's truly no different than if your repair person sat down at the keyboard and used your computer.

As long as you have full faith and confidence in your computer-repair person, you should be fine. But if you don't want him to have access to certain data, you'll need to remove it from your computer. For example, if you have the data on a memory stick, simply remove it from the USB port.

Having said that, most computer repair folks are honorable people who do not make a habit of rummaging through data -- but they certainly could if they were so inclined. As a matter of protocol, remote access should never be implemented without your permission, as owner of the computer.


Q.  Your weekly newsletters have helped this old mind become more computer literate, so thank you for that. My question is this: I had a dial-up connection at one time, but I am now using DSL service. My problem is that the dial-up box continues to appear, sometimes knocking me off a Web site I’m visiting. Can you help me? I’m using Internet Explorer.

A. Your computer is still trying to connect to the Internet by dialing. You can resolve that by opening Internet Explorer and clicking Tools > Internet Options > Connections tab. Click to select the setting that says "Never dial a connection," then click OK to save your changes. That will prevent the pesky prompt from popping up in the future.


Q.  How can I stop addresses from being automatically added to my Outlook Express address book? Thanks for your help, Mr. M. 

A. There is a setting in Outlook Express that automatically adds people to your address book when you reply to a message. To disable this feature, open Outlook Express and click Tools > Options > Send tab. Click to remove the check mark beside "Automatically put people I reply to in my Address Book," then click OK.


Q.  I know this is way out of your field, but I’m working on a sewing project and I need to know how to make a continuous bias strip for covering cords. Is there somewhere online I can look?

A.  I don’t even know what a continuous bias strip is, but thanks to Google (www.google.com), even a stitch-challenged person like me can find the right answers. Using Google, I searched for “How to create continuous bias strip.” Of the search results that appeared, http://tinyurl.com/2edtaz and http://tinyurl.com/cvko4m look particularly promising. You might also want to run similar searches on YouTube (www.youtube.com) and WonderHowTo (www.wonderhowto.com) for video tutorials. 

Google is a remarkable search tool that is under utilized by most users. If you familiarize yourself with its advanced search features and techniques, you’ll be able to find just about anything and very quickly. The GoogleGuide (http://tinyurl.com/apzkr) is a search enthusiast’s dream-come-true, combining Google’s many features in one suitable-for-laminating cheat sheet.


Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

The Diaries of John Quincy Adams
It sounds like a snoozer, but it’s really not. Here you can learn about the fascinating life of America's sixth President. The site contains a complete digital collection of Adams' personal diaries, which he began in 1779, when he was 12. Diaries can be searched by volume, date, or selected pages of his 51 volumes, comprising 14,000 pages -- which begs the question: When did he have time to do anything else?
www.masshist.org/jqadiaries

Hairstyle Gallery
Say goodbye to those dog-eared hairdo magazines at your local salon; it’s time to hairness the power of the Internet to select a new hairstyle. Browse the Hairstyle Gallery, which contains thousands of photos of well-coiffed individuals. Search by color, texture, style, celebrity, length, face shape, or in my case, “Where did it go?” (I don’t care what anybody says, I’m not losing my hair; I’m getting prematurely pink.)
http://hairstyles.hairboutique.com

World-O-Meter
Statistics about population growth, the environment, and other large-scale topics can be difficult to grasp. The World-O-Meter tracks statistics, some frightening and some amusing, such as the Earth’s current population, the rate of forest loss, the number of bicycles produced annually, the amount of money Americans spend on perfume, and many others.
www.worldometers.info

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 1640 and receive TWO free months with your 12-month subscription (60 issues!) To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com. 

Ask Mr. Modem! – April 2009     
www.MrModem.com   


Remove Spellcheck Errors

Q.  I have a problem with the dictionary in Microsoft Word. My grandson managed to add a number of misspelled words to the spell-check. Can you tell me how I can remove the misspelled words? Thank you for your wonderful newsletter. I learn something new in every issue.

A. In Word, click Tools > Options > Spelling & Grammar tab > and the Dictionaries… button to the right of CUSTOM.DIC under “Custom Dictionary:” There is usually only one dictionary listed under “Custom Dictionary.”

Next, click the Edit button on the “Custom Dictionaries” screen. A warning will appear advising that when you edit a dictionary, the automatic spell-check function is disabled.

A new window will open that displays a list of all the words that have been added to your spell-check dictionary. You can either click one word at a time, followed by the Delete button, or you can select several words by holding down the CTRL key on your keyboard as you click to select additional words, then click the Delete button.

When you have removed all erant entries, save your changes by clicking click OK in each of the three windows that you opened.

Editing the custom dictionary in Word 2007 is a bit different. (Why Microsoft decided to rearrange everything in Word 2007 is beyond me.) Open Word 2007, then click the MS Office button located in the upper left-hand corner of the window. This will open a two-column menu.

In the lower right-hand corner of this menu are two buttons. Click the Word Options button, followed by Proofing in the left-hand column, which will display your proofing options on the right side of the window.

Click the Custom Dictionaries button. Unless you have created your own dictionaries, there will be one listed, so click that dictionary, then Edit Word. Highlight the misspelled words and delete them. To save your changes, click OK in each of the windows that you opened.

Note: After removing the misspelled words, to enable automatic spell checking again click Tools > Options > Spelling & Grammar and place a check mark next to “Check spelling as you type,” followed by OK. 


Q.  I took a nice picture of my garden that I would now like to use for my background. How can I do that?

A. There are two easy methods for establishing a photo as your Desktop background or wallpaper: Go to the folder where your photo is located and right-click the photo. From the menu that appears, select “Set as Desktop background.”

Another method is to use an image-viewer program such as the free Irfanview (www.irfanview.com). When viewing a photo in Irfanview, click Options > Set as wallpaper, then click either “Centered,” “Tiled” or “Stretched,” to display the picture.


Q.  I use the TAB key to advance to the next field when I’m filling out online forms, but occasionally I get ahead of myself and need to go back. Is there a way to tab backwards without having to use the mouse?

A. Using the TAB key is the easiest way to move from one section to the next in a form. With your fingers already on the keyboard, it is faster to reach up with your left pinkie and press the TAB key than it is to take your hands off the keyboard, grab the mouse and move to the next field. To reverse direction, hold down the SHIFT key and tap the TAB key and you’ll move back through each previous field.


Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

20 Most Amazing Coincidences
There is an old saying that there is no such thing as a coincidence, but whether you believe in fate or not, it is hard to argue with the fact that sometimes extraordinary circumstances conspire with uncanny synchronicity. This site presents a highlight reel of happenstance that will challenge even the most skeptical of visitors.
http://tinyurl.com/2b8f2g

Family Caregiving 101
If you're caring for a loved one who is ill or disabled, this site was created with you in mind. It's a great place to find assistance, answers, new ideas and helpful advice for caregivers and individuals receiving care.
www.familycaregiving101.org

Vintage Toy Encyclopedia
Stores today are filled with high-tech gadgets that provide children with mind-numbing entertainment that does little to foster creativity or imagination. By comparison, the simpler toys of yesteryear seem quaint and outdated. “Where do I insert the batteries for Mr. Potatohead, Daddy, or is it wireless?” The toys in this virtual encyclopedia are divided into three main sections, "Action Figures," "Dolls," and "Toys and Collectibles," then listed alphabetically within each category for easy browsing.
www.toyNfo.com

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus great computing tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s award-winning newsletter. Subscribe using Promo Code 1046 and receive one free month with your six-month subscription (28 issues!) To view a sample issue or subscribe, visit www.MrModem.com.