Windows Tips

" Hello Dennis! I am a long time subscriber and I enjoy your email newsletter very much, especially your questions and answers regarding Microsoft Windows. Question: I downloaded a file from a reputable web site, but my antivirus program says the ... file is virus infected. On the site that I downloaded the file, there are people who say the file is infected, while other say it's completely safe to use. How do I know whether or not it's safe to open this file? " My response: Depending on your choice of antivirus / antispyware and their respective protection settings, it's possible you've ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ken C. writes: " Dear Dennis, After a virus recently infected my PC, I was forced (once again) to format my hard drive and do a clean installation of Windows. I'm getting better and better at this. My PC is now protected by ... McAfee, supplied by AT&T U-Verse Wireless High-Speed. Aside from an erratic mouse, my PC is operating satisfactory. My question is this: is it possible for a virus to infect memory modules (RAM) of my PC? I ask because a couple of years ago something went amiss, and one of the Dell techies (over the phone) advised me to unplug and then re- ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bob G. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks so much for your excellent, timely newsletter and for informing your readers about Microsoft's decision to extend its Windows 7 Free Trial download . Question: I can't decide if I should ... download the 64-bit version of Windows 7 or the 32-bit version. Is a reformat necessary if I decide to change from 32-bit to 64-bit later? I have not been able to find a definitive answer for this. " My response: Yes, you would need to reinstall Windows 7 if upgrading from Windows 7 32-bit to 64-bit. Windows 7 64-bit uses 64-bit software drivers to ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Kapilarora' writes: " Dear Dennis, I own two laptops. One laptop is not booting (I.E.: I can't load Windows on it) and therefore, I can't access my files. The second laptop works fine, and I want to transfer all my data from the ... first laptop to the second laptop. How can I do this? " My Response: There are a number of ways to do this. In short, my suggestion is to get the non-bootable laptop temporarily working (bootable), copy over all your files over to an external harddrive, then copy them back onto the other laptop. This will surely be the fastest method as you won't ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bill P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I finally made the plunge to Win7, thanks to your series of articles on upgrading from XP to Windows 7 . I noticed that Outlook Express is no longer part of Windows 7. Question: is there another ... email program similar to Outlook Express, and one that can import all my old Outlook Express emails for use on Windows 7? I've archived many Outlook Express emails over the years that I would still like to keep. " My response: I faced the exact same issue when I upgraded to Windows 7. In short: Microsoft chose not to bundle an email program with ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Pat M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7 Home Premium. Where can I find find drivers for my printer? My original CD ROM disc for printer doesn't work with Windows 7. " My Response: Unfortunately, ... this is a common problem when upgrading to a newer Windows Operating System. Some hardware device drivers are not compatible with Windows 7, and the hardware vendors do not release updated drivers, which renders the hardware unusable. Making your Old Printer work with Windows 7 There are a few things you can do to work around the issue. First and ... (view more)

Infopackets reader 'DL' writes: " For nearly a decade I've been able to use a pan-and-scan virtual desktop in Windows 98 and XP. For clarification, a pan-and-scan virtual desktop is a desktop that actually extends beyond your monitor's maximum ... screen resolution to give you about twice as much real estate. For example, when you move your cursor to the edge of the screen using a pan-and-scan virtual desktop, the screen moves to reveal more desktop. This enables you to open, say a document full page and not have to use those darned time-consuming scroll bars. It's an incredible productivity ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bernie H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a hard wired DSL Internet connection at my office. If I want to add more connections in order to share my Internet with more computers, can I daisy chain another modem to the current one? Or ... do I have to replace the current one with one that has more sockets (ports) available? " My Response: You don't need to replace your current router -- you can easily chain two or more routers together. All you need to do is connect the two routers together using any LAN port on each of the routers using standard RJ45 (Ethernet / network cable). Do ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sally B. writes: " Dear Dennis, We purchased an HP OfficeJet 8500 Pro printer to replace an older HP OfficeJet 7200. The 7200 was connected via USB cable to the server computer [and thus, all print requests were sent via the ... server]. We have been unable to get the Officejet 8500 printer to work on the network. Any tips? " My response: This is one of those questions that could be a "1 in a million" reasons as to why it's not working, but I'll give you a quick checklist of things you can try so you can at least guess where the problem lies: 1. Unplug the old printer and ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Fran' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have 2 Dell Inspiron laptops. One has a DVD drive and the other does not. I want to move a program that came on a DVD to the laptop that can't read DVDs. Can this be done, and if so, what is the ... easiest way? I have thought of copying the DVD to a stick and installing it that way. Would it work? " My Response: DVDs can be single or dual layer -- the difference being the single layer can store 4.7GB and the double layer twice that (at 9.4GB). That said, the majority of DVDs I've come across for the PC are single layer. To answer your question, ... (view more)