Archive for June, 2009

Virus and Spyware
How to check if I have a virus or spyware?
There is a free online scanner available to check if you have any virus or spyware on your PC:
Trend Micro HouseCall

What can I do to keep my PC safe online?
Keep Windows updated regularly by visiting the Microsoft web site. Use a firewall and anti-virus and spyware removal programs, and use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.

Browsing the Web
How can I check if a web site is safe to visit?
Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2 feature built-in tools to warn you about malicious sites. Read Start Using Internet Explorer 7 and Browse The Web With Firefox for more information.

Why has my browser homepage changed?
If when you start your browser it loads a different web site instead of your normal homepage, it is possible a malicious program has hijacked your browser and set a different homepage.

To change it back, click on the Tools menu then Internet Options. On the General tab, under the section Home page you should see an Address box. Type in the address of the site you want (or click Use Current for the site you are currently viewing) and click OK.

If you find your homepage keeps changing on its own, you will need to use an anti-spyware program.

My browser window opens too small
Your web browser remembers the size it was last used at, so if you or a web site have changed the size it will appear like this the next time you start your browser.

To set the correct size, start your browser and hold your mouse over the corner of the window until you see the resize arrows, then click and drag to change the size, then close the browser. When you next start your browser the window should open at the same size.

Some Web sites do not display correctly
If particular web sites are not displaying correctly – with errors, missing buttons or images, links that do not work, incorrect layouts – this may be due to your browser security settings, which can block parts of a web site it decides are potentially unsafe (though there may be nothing wrong with them, it is just being cautious).

To change security settings in Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu then Internet Options, but be careful as changing to a low security setting might let unsafe content through to the PC.

There may just be a problem with the web site itself, in which case try again later.

Web page text is too small
You can increase the size of text on a web page by clicking on the View menu (Page in Internet Explorer 7) at the top of the browser window, then select Text Size and choose a larger size. This should work with most text on web pages though not all.

My browser address bar has disappeared
Click on View from the menu at the top (or Tools in Internet Explorer 7) then Toolbars. Click to tick the Address Bar option and it should reappear.

How can I get rid of pop-up adverts?
To stop adverts opening in new windows you need a pop-up blocker. Both Internet Explorer 6 and Firefox have built-in pop-up blockers. In IE go to Tools > Pop-up blocker to turn it on or change your settings.

How can I tell if a web site is secure before buying?
To know whether a site is secure before you give your credit card details, look at the address bar and make sure the web address begins with https://

There should also be a padlock symbol on the address bar (or at the bottom of the page in older versions of Internet Explorer) to indicate the site is secure.

How do I print only certain text or images from a web page
Rather than printing out a whole web page, you can select the particular text you want and copy it to a Word document, and then print it out.

Start Microsoft Word and minimise it by clicking on the minimise button at the top-right of the window. Now open your web browser window and click and drag your mouse pointer across the text you want to highlight it. Right-click and Copy. Return to Word by maximising it from the taskbar, right-click and Paste. You can repeat this process as many times as you like to get all the text you want into one Word document.

You can copy and paste most images in the same way by right-clicking on the image and clicking Copy. Alternatively you can choose Save As to save a picture to somewhere on your PC, for example the Desktop or My Documents. Then in Word, click Insert then Picture From File. Click to select the picture you have saved then click Insert.

You can then Print your document. By using Word you also have the ability to rearrange, edit and resize text and images before printing.

Your Ad HereWeb page won’t print properly
Sometimes when you try to print a web page it prints incorrectly, for example the right edge of the page may be missing. Look for a Printer-friendly page option, or try printing in Landscape mode in File > Page Setup.

You can also try reducing the size of the default right-hand margin in Page Setup. Alternatively copy and paste the areas of the page you want into Word and then print from there.

In Internet Explorer 7 there are improved printing features. Text can be automatically shrunk for printing so all web page content fits on the printed page.

Web page not found 404 error
This common error message indicates that the address or link you have used is incorrect, or it points to a page that no longer exists or has been moved.

Why does online music or video keep cutting out?
Music and audio on the Web often loads some of the content and starts playing while the rest of the file is still being downloaded. This means you don’t have to wait too long to hear/see anything, but sometimes you may catch up with it and it has to stop until it has downloaded the rest of the data.

If you find this annoying, you could press pause and then wait for the loading bar to reach full before playing the file. Also if you are using Windows Media Player you can go to Tools > Options > Performance and increase the buffer size.

E-mail
How can I stop getting spam?
You cannot completely remove the possibility of receiving spam but there are steps you can take to help reduce the number of unwanted e-mails you receive.

I can’t open my e-mail attachments
Outlook Express can block some attachments if it thinks they might be viruses and they will appear greyed out. If you are sure you want to allow these attachments, go to Tools > Options > Security and un-tick the box ‘Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus’. Click OK.

If you can access a particular attachment but can’t open the file on your PC, you may not have the necessary program installed to run that type of file. You need to ask the person who sent you the attachment what program they used to create it, or ask them to save it in a more common filetype if they can.

Alternatively use a search engine to try to find the necessary program depending on the filetype extension, for example an attachment filename that ends in .ppt will require Powerpoint.

My photographs are too big to send as e-mail attachments
Read this guide to reducing the file size of images to send as e-mail attachments:
E-mail Attachments

Windows
My PC has stopped responding! What do I do?
If a program or window on your PC seems to have frozen up and you cannot close it by clicking the X (Close) button in the top-right corner, hold down the CTRL and ALT keys together and tap DELETE once.

In Windows Task Manager click on Applications which shows all the programs that are currently running. You can usually tell which program has frozen or crashed as its Status will appear as Not responding. Click to highlight that program on the list then click on End Task. The PC will now attempt to close it. If it is successful you can then close Task Manager and the PC should be able to carry on as normal.

If Task Manager does not appear, try holding down CTRL, ALT and DELETE and keeping all three keys held. This will restart your PC, which will often fix the problem. If these keys don’t work, you will have to press and hold the power switch or turn the plug off. Turn the PC back on. Your PC should be alright but always try to avoid switching off without shutting down properly first.

I’m running out of disk space. How do I clear out unnecessary files?
Read Clean Out And Clean Up Files to learn about removing unnecessary files and tidying up your PC.

I have deleted a file by mistake! What can I do?
First check the Recycle Bin on your Desktop to see if it is in there. Deleted documents go there first, so if you find it there and want to put it back where it was, right-click it and select Restore.

Once items are deleted from the Recycle Bin you will need special software to retrieve them, such as Recover My Files.

I can’t find a particular file or folder but I know it’s on my PC somewhere!
Click on the Start menu and Search all files and folders. Type in the name of the missing file or folder and Windows will try to find it.

I can’t see any system files or folders! Where are they?
Important system files and folders are usually hidden to prevent accidental deletion. They still exist but will not be visible.

To see them, open any folder and click on Tools then Folder Options. Click on the View tab and under the Advanced Settings list tick Show hidden files and folders. Also un-tick Hide protected operating system files. Now click OK.

Programs
How do I get rid of a program I don’t need anymore?
To remove a program you need to uninstall it from your PC:

Click on the Start menu then Control Panel. Click on Add/Remove programs, select the program from the list and click Remove.

Alternatively, go to your Start menu and in your programs list, find the entry for the particular program and click on the link to Uninstall the program.

File won’t open
Sometimes when you double-click a file, nothing happens or the program that is usually used to open that type of file can’t run it. Instead, right-click the file and use Open With.. to choose a different program to try to open it with. See also Common Filetypes

Quick web address

Type the name of a web site such as ‘myspace’ into your browser’s address bar and press CTRL+Enter to automatically add http://www and .com and be taken to the site.

Save a web page picture

To copy a picture from a web site on to your computer, right-click the image and select Save Image As or Save Picture As.

Move between web links

Use Tab and Shift+Tab to move between links on a web page and press Enter to follow the selected link.

Change the clock

Double click on the clock on the Taskbar to change the time and date shown.

Save web video clips

To download video clips embedded on a web page, in Firefox right-click the page and select View Page Info then click the Media tab. Select the video file and click Save As.

Check hard disk space

Double click on the My Computer icon on your Desktop and right-click on your hard disk (usually drive C). Click Properties to see the amount of disk space left on your computer.

Create a web shortcut

Right-click on a web page in your browser and select Create Shortcut to place a shortcut link on your desktop.

Change how you view file lists

You can change how your files are shown in a folder by clicking on View then choosing between Thumbnails, Tiles, Icons, List or Details.

Create Taskbar shortcuts

Drag a file, folder or shortcut on to the Taskbar for quick access to programs, files or web sites.

Change Desktop background

Right click on your Desktop and select Properties. Click on the Desktop tab, pick a new Background and click Apply to change your wallpaper.

Take a screen snapshot

Press Print Screen to take a snapshot of the whole screen or ALT and Print Screen for just the current window, then paste it into an image editor such as Paint to save it as a picture file.

Make web pages easier to read

To make text on web pages easier to read, click on View (or Page in Internet Explorer 7) then Text Size and choose a larger size.

Use BCC

To send an e-mail to several people at once without showing all their addresses at the top of the e-mail, use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) box in your e-mail client.

Burning CDs/DVDs

When writing a CD or DVD leave your PC alone, as using other programs at the same time could interfere with the burning process.

Alter music speed

In Windows Media Player, click the View menu then Enhancements and Play Speed Settings. Move the slider to speed up or slow down a song.

Picture slideshow

Open a folder of pictures and from the Explorer menu on the left click Picture Tasks and then View as a slideshow.

Change volume

Change your speaker volume by clicking on the Start menu and Control Panel, then click Sounds and Audio Devices to change your sound settings.

Open compressed files

In Windows XP, open compressed Zip files by double-clicking them. Click and drag the files inside out to another folder or the Desktop to extract them.

What Are Drivers?

In order to make your hardware (such as graphics and sound cards, scanners, printers) work properly, Windows relies on special programs called Drivers.

These tell Windows how to use your hardware, and these drivers will either be installed on your PC along with Windows, pre-installed by the company you bought the PC from, or on the disks or CDs that came with your hardware. They can often also be downloaded from the website of the company who made the particular device, and this is also where you will be able to find any newer versions of the drivers.

Making sure you have the latest drivers for your hardware is the first step you should take if you encounter problems such as unstable Internet connection, graphics problems, crackling/popping sound, slow performance or crashes when running programs.

Identifying Current Drivers

First you need to identify the Driver version you currently have on your computer. Click on Start, go to Control Panel and then double-click System. Click on the Hardware tab and look for the button called Device Manager. You should now see a list of the hardware on your PC, divided into categories of hardware types.

By the side of each category you should see a small symbol. If the symbol looks like  it means the section can be ‘expanded’ (i.e. opened up to show items within this section) by left-clicking once on the symbol. When the symbol looks like  you should be able to see a list of items under this section.

Look for the piece of hardware you want to update. Here are some examples of the categories you might be able to find your hardware devices under:

• Modem (e.g. SpeedTouch USB) – under Network adapters
• Graphics card (e.g. Nvidia Geforce) – under Display adapters
• Sound card (e.g. SoundBlaster) – under Sound, video and game controllers

Once you have located the piece of hardware you want to update, right-click the item and select Properties, then click on the Driver tab on the new window and you should now see some details about the driver currently being used for this hardware. Make a note of the Driver Date and the Driver Version, then close this window. close the Device Manager window when you have made notes of all the devices you want to update.

Downloading New Drivers

To find the latest version of the driver for your hardware, you need to visit the manufacturer’s web site. If you bought the device separately from your PC, finding the address of the manufacturer’s web site may be as simple as looking in the manual or documentation that came with your hardware.

You can also try using a search engine and typing in the name of the company, or better still the name of your device. So for example, if you want to find the driver for your NVIDIA GeForce graphics card, type nvidia geforce driver into a search engine and try to find the correct web site – in this case www.nvidia.com

Once you have found the Driver download page, you will need to find and Download the latest driver for your particular piece of hardware. You can then make a comparison between the drivers listed and the Driver Date and Driver Version you made a note of earlier, to see whether you need to update.

The process will vary from site to site, but before you download the driver file you may be asked to select things like your operating system (e.g. Windows XP), your language (e.g. English) and the name of your particular device.

Using NVIDIA’s site as an example, you are presented with three tables from which you must select the type of download (e.g. Graphics driver), the make of device (e.g. GeForce) and the operating system you are running (e.g. Windows XP). When you have made your selections, clicking on the Go button will take you to a page where you can download the latest driver by clicking on one of the download site links.

When downloading a driver you may be asked to agree to some terms and conditions first, click Accept and then a File Download window will open, click Save to put the driver installation file somewhere on your computer.

Each program you install creates its own folder on your Hard Drive where it keeps most of its files. This helps your PC to find the right files to use when running a program.

Keeping files organized in folders can also help you when you are working with your PC. You can use folders to sort your files into separate categories, and place shortcuts to your favourite programs on the Desktop for easy access.

Knowing how to create, move, copy and delete folders and shortcuts can help you arrange your files much more efficiently, and allow you to easily find the files you are looking for.