Dennis Faas

Infopackets Reader 'Phil' writes: " Dear Dennis, I am using Windows 7 Home Edition and have been using CCleaner (crap cleaner) for a long time without any problem. However, I've been having difficulty with the last four updates to the program. Each ... update will download as usual, but the green installation progress bar stops after having moved about a quarter of an inch. It doesn't move any further, even if I leave the system on all day. Any ideas what might be causing it or how to resolve the issue? Your help would be most appreciated. " My response: Oftentimes if a program doesn't update ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Tom S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have been a subscriber for well over 4 years now, and lately something has been bugging me a lot ... The newsletter greeting for each newsletter states that you have two freeware programs in each ... newsletter, but there are almost no programs offered or mentioned anymore. What's going on? PS: Thank you for your time, and all your efforts! " My response: You're not the only one to ask this question. We don't have freeware picks any longer in the newsletter for two main reasons. The first is that since 2006, Brandon Dimmel ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Vlad M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm using a laptop that I've had for several years, during which time I've accumulated a sizable number of fonts in the c:\windows\fonts directory. Some of the fonts I chose to install, some came ... pre-bundled with programs, and some came from previous versions of Windows when I upgraded (I am now using Windows 7 Ultimate). Question: how can I determine which fonts are necessary for Windows to run properly, and which I can uninstall to reduce load time and clutter? Thanks! " My response: There isn't a clear-cut way to do this in Windows, and ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Paul H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently upgraded my Internet connection speed through my Internet Service Provider, and I now have 60MB broadband service. As I expected, I have really fast downloads and web pages load lightening ... fast. However, some websites are considerably slower than I would expect, even slower than before the upgrade. Any ideas why that might be? " My Response: There are many reasons why some pages don't load as fast as others, even if you upgraded your broadband. The most important point to understand is that even though you have a fast ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Dean S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've read that most WiFi routers use weak passwords (example: admin / admin), or none by default. I understand that for security reasons, the router administrator user and password should be set to ... prevent outsiders / hackers from logging into the router and changing the WiFi settings. On my own router I am connected to it via cable, and can connect by WiFi if I login with the password set for WPA2 security. What I have not been able to understand is how does the hacker connect to the router, and how can they adjust my WiFi settings ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Philip S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I use Windows XP and I often write my data to CD-RW (CD rewritable) discs. The problem is that some computers won't read the discs that I've created, whereas others will. I'm pretty sure the ... problem has to do with the format I'm using when I create the disc, but I'm not sure how to tweak the settings so that the discs are compatible on all computers. I am currently using Windows XP and Explorer to write the discs, using UDF format. Any ideas? " My response: You're correct -- the problem is with the UDF disc format and / or the way that you ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Steve W. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your articles on how to reset the admin password in Windows XP , and Windows 7 and 8 . I have a friend who is locked out of his Windows Vista machine and was wondering if the instructions ... for resetting the admin password are similar? If not can you tell me how to reset a user account password for Windows Vista? " My Response: Resetting an admin or user password for Windows Vista uses similar methods previously discussed. Note that if you can login as the "Administrator" user, you can also use this account to reset any user password ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bill F. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your article on how to reset the admin password for Windows 7 and 8 . I have an old Windows XP machine and can't login because I lost my password. Do you have similar steps on how to reset ... the admin password for Windows XP? " My response: The steps to reset the administrator password for Windows XP is different than what what was previously described in the article for Windows 7 and 8. Note that if you can login as the "Administrator" user, you can also use this account to reset any user password on the system. So, the steps below ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'wb7wvo' writes: " Dear Dennis, How do I find a program I just downloaded? I tried the Windows Search feature, but it doesn't seem to be able to find it. I recently downloaded a ham radio program to my desktop, but it never showed ... up. I downloaded it again, but the same thing happened. I can't seem to find my downloads ever since I upgraded to the latest release of Firefox. I feel like I goofed up somehow, but for the life of me I can't find the program I just downloaded. Any suggestions? " My response: If the file downloaded successfully, it should be in your Download ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'controlbob' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have an HP laptop running Windows Vista and I plan to upgrade to Windows 7 using an OEM install disc. Do you know if the OEM Windows 7 will be approved for the free Windows 10 upgrade when it ... becomes available? Are the hardware requirements for the Windows 10 similar to Windows 7? Can I upgrade / migrate to Windows 10, or do I need to do a clean install? " My Response: The short answer is that yes, you can get the free upgrade to Windows 10 if you currently have Windows 7 or 8.1 installed -- providing you claim the ... (view more)