windows

Have you ever stopped to read the headlines that make news on the Internet? Fact: Almost one in every three Internet users in the United States has been hit by either a computer virus or a hacker in the past two years.(1) Fact: In just 24 hours, the ... 'MSBlast' Internet worm exploded onto some 120,000 Windows computers around the world.(2) Overall, MSBlast has infected an estimated 8 million PCs,(3) while damage from the worm is about $525 million USD.(4) Fact: Internet security and privacy issues frequently dominate news headlines as hackers repeatedly infiltrate computers connected to the ... (view more)

Recall -- A few weeks back, Infopackets Reader Brad B. asked if it was possible to transfer his digital camera photo software from his work computer to his home PC: " Dear Dennis, Many years ago, I bought a digital camera that came with the software ... program called 'Camedia'. Unfortunately my computer crashed last year and (worse yet) I can't find the CD to reinstall it on my PC! Before I lost the disc, I managed to install Camedia on the computer at work, and thankfully, it's still working fine. I have tried copying the Camedia files from the work computer to my home computer, but it won ... (view more)

Most programs I review only do one or two specialized things, and they're usually pretty good at what they do. However, today I came across a multi-purpose optimization utility program that impressed the pants off me. The utility I'm referring to is ... called WinOptimizer Platinum Suite, and it contains an incredible package of cleanup tools designed to keep Windows lean, mean, and running smoothly. WinOptimizer Platinum Suite: a New Successor Ashampoo WinOptimizer Platinum Suite is the new successor to the already hugely popular Ashampoo WinOptimizer Suite. With an all-new interface and many ... (view more)

Speaking of Windows optimization, Infopackets Reader 'Harkatcan' asked me a very interesting question the other day that dealt with the Windows Swap File. " Dear Dennis, How can I get my swap file to empty when I start my computer? When my system ... boots up, a dialogue window appears and reports that I have 572meg in my swap file. Could this be why my computer is running so slow? I use win98se. A techie friend of mine suggested that I write a simple batch file [program] so that my swap file is deleted every time I reboot the computer. That way, it will be replaced with a new swap file that ... (view more)

Have you ever had a program that just won't uninstall? Nowadays almost all programs provide a facility for uninstalling themselves -- usually through the Add / Remove Programs section in the Windows Control Panel or by using an uninstaller that came ... with the program. The trouble is, most uninstalls do the absolute minimum required to remove an application completely from your system. Subsequently, files which should have been removed end up scattered throughout the system, along with hundreds of inactive entries in the System Registry. Side note: The Windows Registry is a database where all ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ronald O. writes: " My computer has crashed a few times and I have lost everything from the hard drive. What can I do to retrieve all my files on the hard drive? Please help! " My response: If the drive still works and detects ... under Windows but your files are missing, you can attempt to repair your master boot record (if it's damaged) by booting into DOS (from a DOS disk) and use the command "FDISK.EXE /MBR". Side note: The Master Boot Record [MBR] is located at the beginning of the hard drive. This part of the hard drive is referred to as the boot ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Brad B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I would like to create a text document which contains a list of my files in a directory. I asked a techie friend of mine how to do it, and he told me to open up an MS DOS Window and use the command: ... 'dir *.* > list.txt' I did that but my file names aren't showing up in full. Can you help?" Side note: MS DOS is the predecessor to Windows. The MS DOS prompt provides an optional way to access or modify files through a command line interface. An MS DOS command prompt can be opened by clicking Start -> Programs -> MSDOS, or if ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Gail from Houston writes: " Dennis, I *love* your newsletter! Thanks so much for doing it! I am having trouble with my printer. The more programs that are open, the slower my printer runs. I've pressed CTRL + ALT + DEL and brought ... up the Task Manager and closed as many applications as I could [in order to free up system resources in hopes of speeding things up]. My questions are: How come there's so much stuff open in Task Manager? How do I [prevent tasks that I don't want] from opening? How can I tell which programs are going to shut down my computer (because I always ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader LaVerne B. writes: " Approximately two months ago my computer suddenly stopped recognizing my D Drive. What should I do to correct this problem?? I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the hardware; however, I still have the ... predicament! " My response: This sounds like it might be a hardware problem. What I am about to suggest may not be the most 'correct' answer, but will surely set you in the right direction. Having said that, here are some probable reasons as to why your drive is no longer working: The drive is not configured / plugged in properly. The BIOS ... (view more)

Recall -- A few weeks back, Infopackets Reader Ian B. asked if there was a way to make his Windows 98 computer shut down and power off: " I have a win 98 computer that used to shut off the power after a Start -> Shutdown command was clicked, but ... now it just stops at that the 'It is now safe to shut down your computer' screen. Can you advise if this is a hardware or software fault, please?" I responded to this question by writing 2 articles. In part 1, I commented on a number of reasons why Windows 98 might not shut down (I.E.: BIOS, device drivers, Power Management, and APM) and ... (view more)