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Saturday, April 9, 2005
Show #133
Still on vacation in France - but the show must go on with all new calls (recorded earlier).
toc | toc
Today’s news items
11a-Noon
Steve in Virginia – use undo
Can Eddie (caller from previous show)use the Undo function of the reg file?
Yes, and Windows has a built-in System Restore.
Ray in Redlands – external DVD
Can he burn a DVD from his PC to his external DVD burner?
Yes, if you have a firewire connection on your external drive and software like Nero. If the software can detect the drive you can use it.
Keith from Sherman Oaks – new motherboard
He can’t boot Windows 2000, he is getting an error message regarding drive access
Windows 2000 is notorious for these driver related problem. Your version of Windows might not have the driver available for this motherboard. Since you can’t boot, you may have to purchase and install a new hard drive and during installation of Windows 2000 on this drive, use F6 to install other drivers and use the disk that came with your motherboard.
Steve in Valley Village – DSL Conflict
Steve has two DSL lines and when he accesses the web wirelessly using his Airport Extreme, his roommate can’t connect to the Internet while using a hard-wire connection with the other DSL line
Check the settings for your Airport Extreme; you could have inadvertently entered the information from the second DSL line. If that is the case, then you are both trying to use the same account. The other problem that could cause a conflict like this is cross talk over the phone lines. You could try SBC tech support.
Linda in Ventura – can’t post pictures
Linda uses Shutterfly to display her digital photos and AOL is disconnecting her when she tries to add more pictures
Try using the software supplied by Shutterfly because it’s much easier to use. Something about the site is causing a conflict with the AOL’s browser so you could also try another browser like Firefox.
Donald in Palm Springs – needs PDA advice
Donald wants a PDA to organize his contact information and he needs Wi-Fi capabilities to trade stocks online
The first decision you need to make is which operating system you want to work with Palm or Pocket PC. Check Palm Gear and other software sites that feature tools for stock trading. You will probably find that a IPAQ or Dell’s Axim are the best choice. The X50 from Dell provides a lot of bang for your buck.
Morris from Burbank problems after installing XP Pro
Morris installed XP Pro on top of XP Home and the users accounts are not displaying all the programs
This happens with older programs that were written before the introduction of Windows XP; newer programs prompt you to install the application globally. You can go into to those user accounts and install the software you needed, the local files will be installed in the correct place automatically. It will be time consuming, but it is the only way around the problem at this point.
Noon-1p
James in Gardena – install third hard drive
He wants to add a third hard drive to his mother board, can he?
You have two hard drives per IDE channel, so you could use up to four hard drives on most motherboards, but that would not leave you any room for a CD or DVD drives. You might also have a RAID connection on your motherboard that you can use to connect more hard drive. In absence of that, you can also add a RAID controller card to an available PCI slot. James also wants a single source to update all the drivers on his computer and the paid service by VersionTracker will perform this task for you and it works on all platforms. James used BeLarc to profile the software and hardware on his computer.
Jeff in Pacific Palisades – AOL IM problems
Jeff is trying to help his daughter with an IM/ AOL problem; she got a virus after clicking on a .jpeg file that arrived via an “away message”
This is a virus carried by a pif fileYou should visit Jay Loden’s site for his AIM fix tool that should remove this annoyance. If you have problems accessing the Internet after removal of a virus or spyware, WinSock XP Fix can help restore Internet connectivity.
David in Trabuco Canyon – Digital video camera advice
David wants advice on digital HD video cameras
Camcorderinfo.com is a great place to place to find information on this subject; if you are in the market for an HD video camera, Sony HDR-FX1 is the only one Leo recommends. You’ll also need a Mac, Final Cut Pro, and a large pile of cash to pay for the camcorder.
Sue on the 118 – from the 486 generation
Sue wants to dump the old 486 and get into digital photography and editing, what should she be shopping for?
The Mac might be the best choice for you. You will not have a problem migrating to the Mac from your old platform and Apple has a great package of software. Check out the iMac or the Mac Mini, you could keep your old monitor and keyboard with the latter.
MikeMac adds: If you want an Adobe-like photo editor without the steep costs, try Gimp a free software program available for Macs, Windows, and opens source users.
Chris in Pennsylvania – advice for imaging games
Chris wants to stop using their gaming CDs and have the images on his hard drive
The only tool for this is Alcohol 120% and they have a free trial period so you can see if it will work with your CDs.
Porch coughs and point to http://www.daemon-tools.cc
1–2p
Karen from Fullerton – PowerBook now or later?
Karen’s son needs a PowerBook but they have been waiting for Apple to upgrade the processor to a G5, should they keep waiting?
You should probably buy now as Apple just upgraded the PowerBook line and it could be a long wait for a processor upgrade. There may not be a G5 PowerBook that particular processor uses a lot of power and that appetite for energy generates more heat, both of those issues are problems for laptops. A mobile G4 dual core-processor may have be on the horizon for Apple, but that is just an educated guess (no Apple inside sources here). Leo just purchased a PowerBook.
Aunti Mac from Mission Viejo writes -%
MacFixit.com has been reporting for a week now that numerous G4 PowerBook owners are complaining of “sudden death syndrome” of one of the RAM Memory Slots (usually the No.2 slot) on the last two or three versions of G4 PowerBooks (1.33, 1.50 and 1.67GHz G4′s) Check it out here at MacFixIt
Also, a pretty reputable online magazine for those interested in multiplatforms (Mac, Windows and Linux) is reporting that Apple is about to release a “wide screen” 14.1″ and 15.4″ iBook with G4 power equivalent to a PowerBook 15inch iBook Scoop
Tony in Orange – just the fax, remotely
Tony wants to retrieve his fax messages remotely
Use eFax, a web based fax service and that functions as a virtual fax machine. You can use it to send and receive fax messages.
Rodney in Riverside - spyware infestations
Rodney has a PC that is loaded with spyware and after he disinfects his system it immediately is re-infested
Try using the safe mode to remove the spyware and if this fails to remove them permanently, you will need to try Hijackthis which logs the processes that are running. Then you can use a web site like Spywareinfo.com to get help with your problem. If all of this fails, you will need to re-install XP and if you take this step install to Service Pack 2 (SP2); installing the update on a PC with spyware issues often causes problems with SP2, so make sure your machine is clean before updating. See the tips section for directions on safely installing XP.
Sharon in Garden Grove – scandisk, then gray screen
Scandisk is launching when Sharon boots up her Windows 98 system, what can she do?
Hit F8 when you are booting up to startup in the safe mode. That will allow the computer to get through a complete scandisk process and that could repair the problem. If the problem continues after a complete scandisk process has been completed, you might need to take the PC to a shop for repairs, you could have a hard drive that is failing.
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