Dennis Faas

Wed
11
Jun
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Modify Program Files Path?, Part 3

Ikara from Australia writes: " Thanks, Dennis! I have been reading your [recent] descriptions and explanations [about disk imaging, partitioning, and installing to another drive letter] with interest. I can understand [the reason for wanting to ... install an application to another drive letter, especially in the case of disk imaging] ... but some installation procedures ... [won't let] me to decide [where to install my files]. The last [program I tried installing] ... was MusicMatch Media Player, [and] it gave me absolutely no choice at all [as to where the files were to be installed], ... (view more)

Wed
11
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Modify Program Files Path?, Part 2

Recall: Almost all applications (downloaded off the Internet / run from CD) need to be installed onto Windows using a program installer (commonly known as Setup.exe). In most cases, the program setup will attempt to install a program to the base ... folder C:\program files\. Yesterday, I asked Readers if it was possible to change the Windows default program installation folder to something other than C:\program files\. Rodger D. and many other users recommended using TweakUI to perform such a task: " Microsoft's TweakUI program [http link below] is able to change the default program ... (view more)

Tue
10
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Modify Program Files Path?

Over the weekend, Robert L. asked me a question about Disk Imaging. Recall: If Windows stops working properly (due to error messages, programs suddenly stop working properly, or general lockups / system freezes / crashes), disk imaging can restore ... Windows to a previously healthy state: often within minutes. Previous to disk imaging, the only "fail safe" way to fix Windows was to reinstall it from the beginning. Disk imaging can also transfer an existing copy of Windows to another hard drive (commonly used to upgrade from a smaller hard drive to a larger drive). Robert asks: " During the last ... (view more)

Tue
10
Jun
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Explorer Windows won't open maximized when launched?, Part 2

Last week, I asked Infopackets Readers if there was a way to make Explorer Windows always maximize when launched. Recall: " While flipping through emails and web pages in a fiendish learning frenzy, I offset an Explorer window to one side in order ... to get to another. When I finished what I was working on, I closed all Windows and shut the computer down. Since then, all Explorer windows I launch are opening in an offset position. Why does this happen and how can it be fixed? " Explorer Windows won't open maximized when launched? Since then, I received over 50 suggestions from ... (view more)

Thu
05
Jun
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Wrong File Type Association?, Part 2

After sorting through and reviewing nearly 300 emails in preparation for yesterday's article on "[How to] receive phone calls while using a dial-up Internet connection*", I decided today that it was time to clean out my Inbox and get a bit more ... organized. Side note: if you missed out on yesterday's article, you can read it online: Receive Phone calls when using Dialup Internet? As it turns out, I came across a bunch of old emails dating back to January of this year. The emails were from Infopackets Readers, who answered an old newsletter question pertaining to Windows File ... (view more)

Thu
05
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Explorer Windows Wont Open Maximized When Launched?

Recently, my Explorer windows stopped positioning themselves properly on the screen. While flipping through emails and web pages in a fiendish learning frenzy, I offset an Explorer window to one side in order to get to another. When I finished what ... I was working on, I closed all Windows and shut the computer down. Since then, all Explorer windows I launch are opening in an offset position. Desperate times seek desperate measures. In an attempt to fix the problem, I've tried closing all Explorer Windows, launching a new one, repositioning it in both minimized / maximized settings, and then ... (view more)

Wed
04
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Receive phone calls while using dial-up Internet connection?, Part 2

A little while back, a reader named Larry K. asked me if it was possible to answer phone calls while still maintaining a dial-up Internet connection. Receive phone calls while using dial-up Internet connection? Recall: " I use dial-up Internet, ... which is the *only* service available in my remote location. I am on call at my work, and my son will be home from University soon. Is there software / hardware / or some type of service available which can alert me of an incoming phone call when I'm online? I really don't want to purchase another phone line. " When I initially published this ... (view more)

Wed
04
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Receive phone calls while using dial-up Internet connection?, Part 3

... Continued . The following companies offer Internet Call Waiting Phone Alert Services. These services allow Dial-up / Cable / Broadband users to receive and manage phone calls while still connected to the Internet. Below is a cost and Feature ... comparison breakdown. BuzzMe / RingCentral 1 million subscribers world-wide Online Answering Machine with Caller ID Accept Call, Ignore, Reply (text-to-speech messaging), or Send to Voicemail Voicemail with Online/Offline option Toll-Free Access to Messages Accept Call, Call Forwarding, Callback Cell Phone & Pager Notifications Get messages by ... (view more)

Tue
03
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Sound card distortion while Scrolling Mouse?, Part 2

Last week, Infopackets Gazette Reader Bill T. asked me how to correct a sound problem he was having with respect to his computer speakers and mouse . Recall: " I like to listen to music on the computer while reading my email, but while scrolling ... through email or web pages, I get this noise that sounds like dragging a needle across an old 79 rpm record. Please advise if you have any ideas? " My response: I suggested a number of remedies for Bill, including: disable Digital Playback in Windows Media Player ensure the sound card has no conflicts in Device Manager move the sound card to the last ... (view more)

Tue
03
Jun
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WinGuides TweakManager Review

Last week's article about tweaking spurred a few comments from our Readers. Wait a sec -- what is tweaking? In techy-terms, the word "tweak" means to optimize. With respect to PCs, tweaking may refer to one of three things: a hardware tweak (the PC ... itself), a software tweak (an application, or the operating system), or both. On the weekend, Bob T. from Wisconsin sent me an email: " Hi Dennis! Great article [last week] on tweaking. I really enjoyed reading it. I'm sure you've probably about this already, but your readers may also want to know about a program called WinGuides ... (view more)

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