Windows Tips

Infopackets Reader John R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a question regarding how to make a custom built external 2.5 inch USB hard drive (similar to the Western Digital My Passport drive). First, can you tell me: do external USB hard drives operate ... similar to 3.5 inch hard drives found in PCs? Also, are 2.5 inch hard drives just as reliable as the 3.5 inch desktop PC hard drives? Lastly, do you have any recommendations for external 2.5 inch hard drive enclosures? " My Response: For what it's worth, the Western Digital MyPasport hard drive is a solid unit (I own the 2TB model ), but it tends ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Dan F. writes: " Dear Dennis, When I run Windows Update, it tells me there are .NET Framework 3.5 updates available. Should I install these Windows Updates, even though my computer has .NET framework 4.5? Also, should I remove old ... .NET framework (versions 1, 2, etc) from the Windows Control Panel? Or will it cause problems? " My response: I recommend installing Windows Updates as soon as they are available (for the reasons I outlined in the comments section of yesterday's article), as the latest Windows Updates usually address bug fixes or security-related ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Lagrangestacy' writes: " Dear Dennis, How can I recover a video from today that was deleted from my phone? " My response: You didn't mention which phone you have, so I will provide general information on file recovery for mobile ... phones using a PC. First and foremost: mobile phones use either micro SD memory card to store data, or internal phone memory, or both. Depending on where the deleted video is stored, you can try to use your Windows PC to recover the files. You can either: a) Take out your micro SD card in your mobile phone and attach it to the ... (view more)

A visitor chatted with me on the web site other day, and he had a question about the Windows Page file. He wrote: " I have a question in regard to optimizing Windows and its 'page file'. I have Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) with a 1 terabyte (TB) ... hard drive, and 8 gigabytes of RAM. My system uses a newer generation Intel processor (Core i5 or Core i7). My question is: do I really need a page file when I have 8GB of memory? In your opinion, which is better: having Windows manage my page file, or should I define a custom page file, or use no page file? " My Response: The short answer is that ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Sprenger' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have four hard drives in my PC and four different operating systems. My main hard drive has Windows XP, then my second drive has Vista Ultimate, the third has Windows 7 Ultimate, and the fourth ... has Windows 8.1. I want to get rid of the Windows XP drive, but if I disconnect it, none of my other hard drives will boot. What should I do? I prefer to have Windows 7 as the default operating system. I want to avoid formatting all my hard drives just to get them working again. Any suggestions? " My Response: It sounds like your Windows XP drive ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Paul Y. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Windows 8.1 and I can no longer use Internet Explorer or Chrome web browser -- only Firefox works! Every time I go to use Internet Explorer or Chrome, a blank page appears (as if it's trying ... to connect to something), and then eventually I get an error message stating that it can't connect to the Proxy Server. I have no idea why the Proxy Server setting was enabled, or how to disable it. I tried to disable it in Internet Explorer via Internet Options (LAN Settings), but the selections are pre-set / ghosted out, and I'm unable to change ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Nurse Lynda' writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks so much for fixing my computer [over the Internet] - it's amazing to see you work ... you sure know your stuff! ... [I have a question]: I have recommended your 'Remote Desktop Support' ... services to my friends on Facebook, but they don't understand how [you can fix my computer over the Internet]? Specifically, they are asking what is the meaning of 'Remote' Desktop Support? I've tried to explain, but they just don't understand it. Do you have a page explaining this? " My response: ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Fred S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I was very much intrigued by your article on Windows 10 Technical Preview . I understand this is a beta operating system and it most likely contains a lot of bugs. At the same time, I'm also very ... excited to try it. In your previous article, you mentioned I could run Windows 10 as a virtual machine . I don't have much knowledge or experience with virtual machines, and was wondering if you could elaborate a bit more on the subject? " My Response: Certainly. You can think of a virtual machine as a computer within a computer. For ... (view more)

There's been much talk about Windows 10 beta, otherwise known as the "Technical Preview." The good news is that Windows 10 Technical Preview is now available for download to the general public, and it's absolutely free. But before you rush off to ... download Microsoft's latest offering, please take a few moments to consider some important details. Things to Consider before Downloading Windows 10 Technical Preview First, the Windows 10 Technical Preview is still in early development. That means the software is inherently buggy and prone to crashing, and can result in data ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'rbruner' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have an older, but still viable Systemax XP computer that was upgraded to Windows 7 . The problem is that the unit powers down within a few minutes of powering on. I have already replaced the ... motherboard and power supply , kept the CPU (an AMD 4400+, circa Q4 2008). When I boot into safe mode, the unit is operational, but but if I boot up Windows 7 normally or insert a Ubuntu Linux Live CD, my PC will crash. Should I try another CPU? " My response: Based on what you're telling me, the issue might be hardware-related, ... (view more)