|
|
|
Bob Rankin - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
BOB RANKIN... is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, owner of Flowers Fast! and creator of the LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin's website for more helpful articles and free tech support.
[View Bob Rankin's Extended Author Bio]
[Display Categories] Sort By [Title] [Newest] [Oldest]
- Is Firefox For Everyone?
[Computers-and-Technology:Software] Oh my... I can see the rotten tomatoes flying my way already. But I have a confession to make. I've tried Firefox on numerous occasions but I'm sticking with Internet Explorer, at least for now...
- Myspace Layouts
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online] "I have a Myspace profile, but it looks like everyone else's. Can I jazz it up with my own custom Myspace layout, colors and background image?"
- Add Music to Myspace
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online] Have you ever visited a friend's Myspace profile and they had some cool music playing when the profile is displayed? Here's how you can add music to your Myspace profile...
- Hard Drive Makes a Clicking Sound
[Computers-and-Technology:Hardware] "My hard drive is making a clicking sound. It started recently and seems to be getting more frequent. Sometimes I hear a repeated click-whir sound and then the computer locks up. Does this mean my hard drive is going bad?"
- Send a Free Fax
[Communications:Fax] "I don't have a fax machine, but I've heard that there are places on the Web that will let me send a free fax. I visited one site but they wanted my credit card to open a free trial account. Is there a truly FREE internet fax service?"
- Reformat Hard Drive Under XP?
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] "I have Windows XP and the system has gotten very slow and flaky. I would like to learn how to reformat the drive. Can you teach me in simple English how to completely format the drive and then re-install the operating system?" Yes, but... you might want to think about some alternatives first.
- Backup Outlook Express
[Computers-and-Technology:Software] "How can I backup my Outlook Express emails and address book? I tried the Export function but that doesn't work. I can't even drag and drop from the Inbox folder to a diskette or CDROM. Help!"
- Name and Address Search
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online] "I'm trying to reconnect with some old friends, but I'm having trouble finding their address and telephone numbers. Can you tell me where to look for good 'people finder' tools that offer searches for telephone, email and address listings?"
- Convert iTunes to MP3 Format
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Music] "I've purchased a bunch of music from iTunes and have enjoyed listening to them on my computer. But my portable music player is not an Apple iPod, so I can't take my songs with me. Is there any way I can get around this unfair restriction and convert my Itunes tracks to good old MP3?" YES, read on!
- House Values
[Real-Estate] Ever wonder what your house is worth? Getting a property valuation from a realtor or appraiser can be a hassle, and might cost several hundred dollars. Now in just a few clicks, you can learn the estimated value of your house and the other homes in your neighborhood. For free!
- Home Networking
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] "We just purchased a second computer and now we'd like to share the printer and Internet connection between them. How do I set up a simple home network?"
- Best and Worst Video Games
[Gaming:Computer-Games] "My ten-year-old son is excited about video games, both online and offline. Like any good citizen of the planet, I want him to have fun and learn to kill aliens, but I worry about some of the graphic violence and objectionable themes in today's video games. Can you recommend some GOOD games, and tell me which ones we might want to avoid?"
- Free Virus Scan
[Computers-and-Technology:Software] "My computer has been acting strangely... at times it's very slow and I'm getting lots of popups. I'm afraid I have a virus, and the anti-virus software that came with my computer has expired. Can you recommend a good (and preferably free) virus scanner?"
- Clearing Browser History
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] "How do I clear the list of sites visited in my web browser? There are some nosy people in my office and I don't want them to be able to see what web sites I have visited."
- Remote Access to Your Computer
[Computers-and-Technology:Mobile-Computing] "I carry a laptop when I travel, but I always seem to forget some important files at home on my desktop PC. Is there some way I can access the files on my home computer through the Internet?"
- Lifetime of a CD-ROM disk
[Computers-and-Technology:Hardware] So you need to archive some files on CDROM or DVD disks, and you've heard a lot about the differences in quality of CDs. Here are some tips on finding a high quality disk, and handling recommendations that will help them last for many years, and how to repair a damaged disk...
- Get an Uninterruptible Power Supply
[Computers-and-Technology:Hardware] "During stormy weather the power often flickers in my home, causing my computer to reboot. And of course I lose whatever I was working on at the time. I've heard that an uninterruptible power supply will protect my computer from power glitches. But I know nothing about them, what do you recommend?"
- Do Computers Get Tired?
[Computers-and-Technology:Hardware] "Sometimes my computer acts weird when it's been running for several days. I've heard about something called 'electron buildup' but I'm not sure I should take it seriously. Can electronic devices really suffer from fatigue if they're on too long?"
- Blue Screen of Death
[Computers-and-Technology:Software] "I wonder if you know what it means when a dark blue screen comes up saying Windows has encountered an error. It shows "Bad Pool Caller" and a lot of things about reinstall. The tech info is "Stop" with lots of 000, etc. This has happened to me twice about 2 weeks apart. What is going on?"
- How Does a Virus Spread?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] "I love your site and your Tourbus Newsletter! I would like to know how a virus propagates over a network? If you get a virus on one computer - do other users on the network have to do anything to get infected? Is there a good way to protect against this?"
Great question! There are several ways for a virus to spread from one computer to another. Let's look at those, and ways to prevent the propagation of pestiferous programs...
- Spam From Tourbus?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Spam-Blocker] "Not sure how to say this -- but just for fun I clicked on a credit card application, and then cancelled IMMEDIATELY! Well, two months later my count as of this day: 2948 spams for credit cards, loans, easy credit, etc. About 370 spams a week, or about 53 A DAY! While I know money support is nice, and I don't subscribe to the paid edition of TourBus BUT if I did, would I get more moral staunchness on your part re: allowing spammers to use your site? SHAME ON YOU, BROTHER! -- PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH!!!!!"
I've Been Spammed! (And I'm Blaming You)...
- Where Can I Download Linux?
[Computers-and-Technology:Software] I hear people saying that Microsoft is evil, and I should switch to Linux. What is Linux, who should use it, and where can I download Linux for free?
Linux is a complete version of the Unix operating system (software that controls the basic functions of the personal computer) and it runs on ordinary personal computers. The added fact that it's freely available and...
- History of Linux
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] "I know that Linux is an alternative to the Microsoft Windows operating system, but when and where did it originate, and why is it free?"
A Really Brief History of Unix...
- Red X Appears Instead of Image?
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] "When I send emails with embedded images to folks that are using "Outlook" and when they send images to me frequently the image does not appear, but a litle red X shows up. Can you tell me please how to correct this?" And yes, another case of software saving us from ourselves...
There are a bunch of reasons why you might see the dreaded "Red X" instead of ...
- Can't Delete Email in Outlook Express
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] "I received an email recently, with no attachment, and when I tried to open it, my computer froze. Even a ctrl-alt-del wouldn't help. Every time I try to open, or just click on and delete this message my computer freezes. I didn't think it was possible for an email to cause this kind of problem, if there was no attachment. I'm using Outlook Express, and running Windows XP Professional Version, Service Pack 2. I just want to delete this message from my inbox -- I have no idea what is in it and I don't care at this point!"
Stranger things have been known to happen to folks using Outlook Express, but I'm sure that's little comfort to you now. Here are some things you can try to remove the offending item from your inbox...
- Email Sent Multiple Times
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Email-Marketing] "Bob, When I send a large attachment, it keeps on resending to the recipients several times. Can you explain to me why this happens? If I notice it is sending more then once sometimes I can delete the email from outbox and trash also and it will stop. I look forward to your newsletters and love them."
This sometimes happens when the "handshake" that's supposed to signal the successful completion of the exchange fails to occur. And the problem is usually...
- Internet Connection Fails
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] "I am using XP home with a cable modem connection, and quite often using while online, I get the error of can't find the server. I just lose my internet connection, and it says my TCP/IP needs resetting. How do I do that and what causes the internet dropout?"
There are several possible reasons why your Internet connection might suddenly stop working...
- Removing Winfixer Popups
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] "I've been getting those very annoying Winfixer popups. My popup blocker is set to High. I have Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy and even Microsoft AntiSpyware. But no matter what I try they keep coming back. I’ve searched for help on removing Winfixer, but all the info I found is too technical for me. Can you help?"
- Do I Need a Registry Cleaner?
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] "My computer seems to get slower and slower. A friend told me to clean my registry. Will that really help, and how can I do that?"
Cleaning the Registry...
- Do I Need a Firewall?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] "I've heard conflicting reports on whether or not I should be using a firewall. Some people say they are only needed for dialup users. Others say you MUST have a firewall if you have a highspeed DSL or cable connection. Can you give me some advice on this?"
- Does IP Address Reveal My Physical Location?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Security] Can someone track a user (name, home address, etc.) simply by having their email or IP address? The reason I ask is my kids play some games online, and these sites sometimes have a chat area, where the players can talk to each other while playing. Can my kids be tracked down in...
- Backing Up Your Files
[Computers-and-Technology:Data-Recovery] Sooner or later, something terrible will happen to your hard drive. That's not a very happy thought, but the good news is you can survive a hard drive failure with only minimal inconvenience -- if you back up your files.
- Make Windows XP Run Faster!
[Computers-and-Technology:Personal-Tech] A friend told me: "My computer startup seems to be taking a long time. And when the hard disk finally stops churning, everything just seems slower than when it was new. Can you suggest any maintenance tips to reduce the startup time and make Windows run faster?"
Is there something like engine cleaner you can pour into your personal computer to restore that "like new" performance? Actually, yes!
- Spammer Stole My Email Address?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Spam-Blocker] Do you get bounced, or rejected emails sent by someone else, with YOUR email address in the From line? Does it mean your computer was hacked, or a spammer has stolen your email address? Relax... this is the work of a spammer, but it does NOT indicate any security breach on your computer.
- Buying a New Computer
[Computers-and-Technology:Hardware] Someone recently asked me "I teach senior citizens in a community based free computer lab. They often ask what to look for when buying a computer, what software they need for email, basic Internet usage, word processing, etc. Many are on a limited budget. What would you suggest they need as a minimum?" Here are my recommendations for buying a new computer...
|
|
|
