Dennis Faas

Infopackets Reader Ed M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a Broadcom 440x10/100 Integrated [Ethernet] Controller built onto my computer's main board. On the task bar (near my clock), I can see a computer icon with a red X on top of it. If I hover my ... mouse over top, it says 'LAN or High Speed Internet' is disconnected. Could you please instruct me on how to connect it? " My response: Actually, this sounds like a similar scenario I recently faced when visiting my friend Frank in Toronto, except he has an extra Network card in his machine that is currently not in use (rather than an extra ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jenine S. writes: " Dear Dennis, First and foremost, thank you for providing such a commendable publication. I have learned so much from your newsletter since I've been a subscriber. I just finished reading your article on GuruNet ... and have found it to be an invaluable resource (it's *so* much easier than using Google, and I love Google)! I have a question, however. My sister in St. Louis has AOL 9.0 and has had troubles in the past using some Internet applications. Can you tell me if GuruNet is compatible with AOL? " Side note: For those of you who missed last ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Melissa P. writes: " Dear Dennis, Is there an easy way to fix and repair damaged sectors on a hard drive? Windows keeps reporting to me that my hard drive may have damaged sectors. " My response: A damaged sector *may* be an ... earlier warning sign that your hard drive is about to fail. If you have 1 damaged sector, it may not be all that bad. If you have many damaged sectors, that's a different story. Here's the skinny -- Inside your hard drive are typically 2 ~ 4 discs (called "platters") stacked on top of one another, and read / write heads between each ... (view more)

Normally I don't send out newsletters on Fridays, but seeing that my computer practically bit the dust a week ago, I'm a bit behind with a lot of things. RE: Windows XP Service Pack 2 Questions I mentioned yesterday that I would be compiling a ... failsafe guide to teach newbies how to upgrade their computers using Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you haven't heard the buzz already, Service Pack 2 is a major upgrade to Windows XP that fixes *many* security vulnerabilities, and makes using the Internet much safer place. Some of the features in SP2 include a built in PopUp Blocker (in Internet ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Elisa W. asks, " I noticed that you've posted a link to the GoogleCash eBook. Could you tell me if GoogleCash is for real? It sounds too good to be true. Thanks for your newsletter. I really enjoy it. " My response: I've received ... quite a few questions from Readers concerning the GoogleCash eBook over the last few days. To answer your first question, let me start out by saying that I would never consciously permit a link to a product or web site that I thought was dubious, seedy, a scam, or unrelated to the material covered in our newsletter. If you've been reading ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jospeh D. writes: " Dear Dennis, Your newsletters are the greatest! I've installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 *twice* on my machine, and both times, it told me that I didn't have a virus program installed. I've tried Grisoft ... AntiVirus and also tried AVAST32. Still, Windows XP is not recognizing them. Every time I start my computer there is a reminder for me to install a virus program. Am I protected or not? " My response: This one had me stumped, too. If your antivirus program is sitting in the tray (next to the clock), then chances are that it's working. It's a ... (view more)

Imagine this: you're sitting in front of your computer, writing an email -- and all the sudden, you forget how to spell a word -- or worse yet, you need to find another way to express yourself in a thought-provoking or entertaining manner. It ... happens to me all the time. Like most folks, I use Outlook Express to read and compile my emails because it's free and comes bundled with Windows. Unfortunately, the MS Spell Checker isn't part of Windows or Outlook Express by default (you'll need to install MS Office or similar ) -- and to top it all off, Outlook Express doesn't offer a thesaurus. What ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader "Rayla Wolff44" writes: " Dear Dennis, Our computer monitor stopped working, and so we ended up borrowing our daughters old monitor and plugged it into our machine. The old monitor worked fine on her computer, however, when it's ... plugged into our machine, the icons appear to 'quiver' some times. What do you think is causing this problem? " My response: I have a number of suggestions off the top of my head. If the 'quivering icons' was a problem with your old monitor, then it is possible that the problem lies with your video card. If not, then try moving ... (view more)

It looks like I spoke too soon, shortly after announcing that my hardware nightmare was over. After racking my brains all last week, I have finally reached a conclusion. It appears that my computer's power supply was generating incorrect voltages, ... causing the system to hiccup and crash spontaneously. Unfortunately, my $400 video card was also devastated due to wavering surges and also needed to be replaced. Hopefully this will be the end of my hardware troubles, as the system appears to be working 100%. On to other news of importance. RE: Hotmail and Yahoo mail users A few weeks back, I ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'WT Dusty2u' writes: " Dear Dennis, Kudos to you for providing a most useful resource, and especially for welcoming the expertise and suggestions of your readers. I really enjoy the freeware mentions in your newsletter and keep ... expecting to see you or your Readers mention the handy programs that are available at freshdevices.com. All are free for personal use and they are constantly updated. I am particularly fond of Fresh Diagnose and Fresh UI. You may want to check them out if you haven't already, and at least, pass on the word to your subscribers. " My response ... (view more)