Dennis Faas

Recall -- In Yesterday's Visitor Feedback, Infopackets Reader Marie B. asked how to enable the administrator user account in Windows XP. " I am the only user of my computer which has Windows XP installed. How do I sign into my computer as the ... 'administrator', rather than as my individual name? I understand that administration access is required to make certain changes to Windows. I don't need to adjust anything at this time, but would like to know how to do this in the future (just in case). " In my response to Marie, I suggested that the administrator user account name was disabled ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Tina D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am greatly anticipating the release of your Windows XP Service Pack 2 installation guide. According to my Automatic Updates, Service Pack 2 has already been downloaded onto my machine but not yet ... installed. I am iffy about installing SP2 largely because I have heard that it may not be compatible with some programs. Have you released the guide yet? Did I miss the announcement? I've checked your newsletter archive page but don't see anything pertaining to the release. " My response: As of this moment, the guide is 85% complete. I ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Marie B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am the only user of my computer which has Windows XP installed. How do I sign into my computer as the 'administrator', rather than as my individual name? I understand that administration access is ... required to make certain changes to Windows. I don't need to adjust anything at this time, but would like to know how to do this in the future (just in case). " My response: As far as I understand, the "administrator" account name is disabled under Windows XP for security reasons. For example: imagine how easy it would be for ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jean T. asks, " How can I change the print color when printing a web page? Some web sites use color and I would like to print in black because black ink is cheaper to maintain. " My response: Defining the print color or print mode ... is usually done at the time of printing the page. Each "print option" window is different for every user because it is the print driver which defines the options available to you at the time of printing a page. And, it is the printer manufacturer that defines how the print driver operates. The next time you go to print a page, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jim L. writes: " Although only two and a half years old, my hard drive is starting to make very strange noises, especially at startup, which sometimes dissipate after having run for a while, but not always. I'm extremely concerned ... that if I don't transfer everything to a new hard drive soon that I will loose it all. I remember that you had recommended a program that would allow easy transfer of data from one hard drive to the other. Will this program transfer my OS (Windows 2000 & Office 2000) and personal data as well? My hard drive is portioned into C and D ... (view more)

Recall -- Last week I posted an article in which Infopackets Reader Ron H. asked for alternative solutions to using a PC mouse. Ron wrote: " I recently had a stroke which has left me paralyzed on the right side of my body. As a result, I am now ... unable to use the computer mouse with any degree of accuracy. I was wondering if you or any of your Readers could recommend a product that I can use to help me navigate my computer in place of the mouse. I am currently typing this email to you with the aid of Dragon NaturallySpeaking , which inputs words on the screen using my voice. Any ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Don R. writes: " Dear Dennis, Continuing on with your recent discussion on video transfer to computer (and to CD): I've heard that there are ways to set up my PC to record TV shows on an automated schedule (similar to " Tivo "). I ... have a newer system with Windows XP and two DVD burners. Is this difficult to do? " My response: No, it's not difficult to do; at the minimum requirement, you would need a video capture card (or a video card with an input port), software to schedule when to record your shows, a sound card, and enough hard drive space to store ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bill G. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just finished reading the latest issue of the Gazette, and have two questions to ask you concerning transferring video files to CD recordable. Similar to reader Samuel C., I own a video recorder ... and have transferred a number of VHS videos to the computer. The problem is, however, that a number of the files are too large to copy onto a single CD recordable disc. I read somewhere that I can compress my video files into another format, and therefore, make them fit onto a single CD. Can you explain how this works? And secondly, I have ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Samuel C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have many VHS tapes created from the use of my old JVC personal camcorder (analog). I would like to transfer the VHS video onto my computer and then to CD. I've tried researching this issue on ... the web, but am so confused because the lingo is too technical for me to understand. I have a 2 year old computer (Dell) with all the bells and whistles, currently running windows XP Home Edition. Can you help? " My response: In terms of hardware and software requirements, you will need: a camcorder or VCR to play the VHS video a video card ... (view more)