System Control

Broadband Problems and Questions

By terry Leave a Comment

Recently, I received two interesting questions from U.K. subscribers. I wrote about and answered the other one, which was about external hard drives, in this week’s email newsletter.

In this question, subscriber Robin wrote about problems she is having with her broadband connection…

Hi Terry

I have a stand alone desktop computer with a Tiscali.co.uk 8mb broadband connection and Windows XP Home edition.

Whenever I make or receive a telephone call, it cuts off my broadband connection. Any ideas on what could be causing this? I am using a Speedtouch 330 modem to connect.

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Filed Under: Broadband, DSL, Internet Access, System Control, Troubleshooting, Usability

Optimize 2.0 Review – Five Months Later Review

By terry Leave a Comment

Optimize 2.0 Review Number 2

Back in February, 2008, I bought a license for Optimize 2.0 and was very impressed with its cleanup and speedup changes it made on my computer.

Now, five months later, is it still a worthwhile tool?

As I ran the program on Friday night, it had been several weeks since I had used it to check the optimization and for cleanup.

Continue reading Optimize 2.0 Review – Five Months Later Review or get more information

Filed Under: Free Trials, Optimize, Other, PC Repairs, Registry Repair, Software, Speed-up, Stability, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Troubleshooting, Vista, Windows XP

Unable to Delete Email in Outlook Express

By terry Leave a Comment

Sherrill Kerbaugh wrote about a major problemm she and her husband were having on both of their computers:

Hi, Terry… We have a major problem…. My husband has been unable to delete daily e-mails for a few weeks now….we can’t figure out what in the world is wrong!?!?!?! Now, all of a sudden I can’t delete e-mails on my computer (same local area network and e-mail…Outlook Express)! HELP!!!!!!!!! Also, John can’t download or use Adobe Reader on his computer, but I can!?!?!?
We are going crazy here!

What are your thoughts? We just found your website this morning….hope you are our “computer angel”! : )
Thank you!

Continue reading Unable to Delete Email in Outlook Express

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Filed Under: Email, Outlook Express, PC Repairs, Software, Stability, Storage, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability, Windows Repair

A Look Inside PCPitstop Optimize 2.0

By terry Leave a Comment

Like many of the other downloadable programs that are designed to scan and fix computer problems, Optimize 2.0 from PC Pitstop is a program that can be run on schedule to routinely check for and fix problems, or can be run on request to fix and find problems.

Of course, the most significant value will be in the optimizations and repairs it makes on its very first running — optimizing your Internet access settings, checking startup programs, cleaning and repairing the Windows registry, and cleanup of junk files.

While some types of programs like antispyware and antivirus let you have fully-functional trial versions, programs that make repairs to your computer can’t afford to give free trials. Whether you are considering Spinrite 6 from Gibson Research (a hard drive recovery utility) or a Windows registry cleaner program, if there was a free fully-functional trial — no one would ever buy a copy — they’d just download a trial if they had a problem!

The solution for many of these products is to provide a scanner program that will scan your computer, tell you that it found a bunch of things to change, but will only make the repairs if you buy a license.

Does that sound unreasonable? If so, compare it to buying software in a retail box — most retailers will not accept returns of opened software, so you have no way to see it work. I wish I’d been able to see some of the games I’ve bought before spending my money.

Optimize 2.0 goes the extra mile — in the unregistered scanner mode, Optimize 2.0 shows you the changes it would make! It does not just show you the categories of changes that it would make, if you buy a license. This way, if you know what you’re doing and want to take the time, you can make the changes manually.

In the first screen shot below, we see the display after Optimize has done its first scan of my notebook computer (my main computer). The blue “Next” button at the bottom right is the next step…

Continue reading A Look Inside PCPitstop Optimize 2.0

Download the Optimize 2.0 Scanner

Filed Under: Networking, Optimize, PC Repairs, Software, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Troubleshooting, Vista, Windows Repair, Windows XP

Problems with Program Installs and Updates

By terry Leave a Comment

Occasionally when I’m installing a new program, or updating an existing program, I run into a special issue. Yes, that’s probably the right term for it — when my security software does exactly what it’s supposed to do — and blocks the software installation or upgrade/update.

Such was the case this week with the surprise update from Microsoft called .NET Service Pack 1.

I tried to install it on my desktop computer and on my wife’s computer. In both cases, the installatiton failed and didn’t bother to tell me why it failed, just that it had. In both cases, I had started the update and left the room, so I didn’t get to see any warning messages that may have occurred.

Anyway, my favorite anti-spyware/anti-adware program CounterSpy v2 prevented the .NET service pack from changing all the files that it wanted to change. I had CounterSpy set for some aggresive control by setting its Active Protection function to Cautious (the choices are Paranoid, Cautious, Trusting and Custom) and putting checkmarks on all the options.

Continue reading Problems with Program Installs and Updates

Filed Under: Anti-Adware, Anti-Spyware, Security, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips

HOWTO: Stopping Blue Screen of Death Reboots

By terry Leave a Comment

Reader Russ Tinley wrote about a strange problem he was having:

Terry, My computer is connected to a Verizon DSL Modem, and everytime I connect the modem to my PC I get a blue screen and the system reboots. I called Verizon and they replaced my Modem but it still does it. So I called adn they said that my computer must be the problem, so just to test it I plugged my Notebook directly to the DSL modem and same blue screen. I called Verizon and they are giving me the run around saying it is my hard ware. Can you give me any tips on what I should look for or how to work with Verizon to get this corrected. Thank you, Russ

Russ had a strange problem. But, let’s look at the pieces:

the original modem caused the bluescreen/reboot on your desktop.
Verizon replaced the modem
The desktop still does it with the new modem.
The notebook also does it when connected to the modem.

So, you’ve got two computers doing it with two modems.

Continue reading HOWTO: Stopping Blue Screen of Death Reboots

Filed Under: HowTo, Stability, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Troubleshooting, Windows Repair, Windows XP

HOWTO: Change File-type Program Associations

By terry Leave a Comment

I’ve done it. I’m sure you have, too.

We’ve all installed a program that arbitrarily grabbed certain file extensions (such as .doc, .jpg, .mp3) and changed Windows’ settings. Now, the new program is the default for opening that file type.

Sometimes, it’s our fault — many programs that can handle multiple file types will give us an option during the program’s installation. We’ll get the chance to select (or deselect) which program types will default to the new program. If we pick wrong, or decide later that this wasn’t really what we wanted to do, it seems like we’re stuck with the new program.

Fortunately, Windows has a couple easy ways for us to change the default program that is opened when you double-click on a file or an attachment.

For this example, let’s assume that we installed the graphics program Irfanview, which gives us the option to make it the default for a lot of different types of images. Without thinking, and forgetting that we really like Windows XP’s Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, we set IrfanView to be the default for JPG images.

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Filed Under: HowTo, Other, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Uncategorized, Vista, Windows Repair, Windows XP

Controlling Microsoft Word’s Auto-formatting and Auto-Correction Functions

By terry Leave a Comment

Microsoft built a lot of automatic capabilities into Microsoft Word. By default, it checks your spelling as you type and marks misspellings as it finds them. You can even set Word to auto-correct your spelling for specific typing errors you normally have.

Word also will automatically create bulleted lists. All you have to do is hit the Enter key, type 1), type the words for that entry, and hit the enter key again. Word automatically goes into Bulleted mode, creating a Numbered List automatically.

This particular feature is kind of nice, but sometimes frustrates me. Why? Well, as an example, I write my newsletters as HTML code so that I have control of formatting as I write. When I start a numbered list in Word, I type the original “1)” and the words. Then, I press Enter and almost invariably type the “2)” — and promptly have to erase them because MS Word put them in automatically.

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Filed Under: HowTo, Office, Office Suites, Software, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability

New Articles at Terry’s Computer Tips

By terry Leave a Comment

I write my weekly online and email newsletters. Then, occasionally I get around to converting some of the newsletter articles into web pages.

Google and the other search engines like web pages more than they like online newsletters — the newsletters get indexed fairly quickly, but then get dropped as "old" pretty quickly, too.

Here are the latest editions. I’ll add them to the listing on the front page in a few days…

* Creating a Blog For Family and Friends

Blogs are one of the easiest ways to create a web site. You can do it for free, too…

* Internet Explorer + Outlook Express Problem

Links in Outlook Express don’t work after upgrading to IE7 for some people. The fix is easy…

* Computer Shuts Down By Itself

I’m sure you’ve never had this problem <grin> — if you haven’t, you will…

* Turning Off System Restore

Sometimes we need to turn off System Restore — and not because we want to save disk space…

* I’ve Reconsidered the Linksys WRT54G Wireless Router

After Linksys changed the internals on the WRT54G as of version 5, it was a totally different router. After some more changes, it’s better now…

Filed Under: Anti-Adware, Anti-Spyware, Anti-virus, Hardware, Internet Explorer, Networking, Outlook Express, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Web Browsers

Number 1 Step in Computer Troubleshooting

By terry Leave a Comment

You’ve seen the problem. The program you use every day, or maybe one you use occasionally, isn’t doing what it should.

Perhaps the program can’t load one of its data files, so it doesn’t actually start. Perhaps it won’t do the task you told it to do – even if it worked yesterday. Perhaps the program crashes when you run it.

There is one often-forgotten cure for Windows.

In today’s world of Windows, fast computers, fast Internet connections using cable modems, DSL modems or even Ethernet connection to the ISP, many of us leave our computers turned on all the time.

We take the prudent and necessary steps of running a two-way firewall (like Sunbelt Personal Firewall), we run an anti-virus program that auto-updates, we run an anti-spyware/anti-adware program (like CounterSpy v2), and maybe even run an anti-spam program.

But, we forget to reboot our computers occasionally. We joke about calling technical support at a software company and being told to reboot.

Continue reading Number 1 Step in Computer Troubleshooting

Filed Under: Anti-Adware, Anti-Spyware, HowTo, Other, Stability, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Troubleshooting, Vista, Windows XP