Articles in Category: ask-leo.com
These are articles that have been migrated from the old “ask-leo.com” site but have NOT yet been cleaned up or otherwise updated. They’re here primarily as a reference. We’ll be updating the more important and popular ones over time.
My printer stopped printing, what do I do?
When a wireless printer is giving you problems, a good first step is to
uninstall and reinstall the software, but sometimes, you simply need to clear the printer
queue.
How do I use a solid state drive in my PC?
It is possible to set a new, faster, SSD drive as the main drive in your
computer. Many of the steps are the same as reformatting, so you’ll start by
backing up…
How do I read epub and mobi formatted ebooks?
Kindle Reader and Calibre are two programs that can be used to read an ebook
on a home computer. Setting up and using either of them is pretty easy if you
know where to look.
My firewall is slowing down my system, do I really need it?
A number of steps have increased the internet speeds of an older computer;
we look at a few more tweaks to get it in top shape.
My machine doesn't even beep or begin to boot – what do I do?
An old XP computer won’t boot up; it looks like a hardware problem. We’ll
look at a few components on the motherboard.
Can I trace email related to social media sites back to the sending computer?
Divorce over social media sites? A technical solution doesn’t seem to be in
the making here, as tracing emails isn’t all that easy…
Can I connect my own router in place of my ISP provided equipment?
You can’t plug a phone line into a router! That won’t work because it’s not
designed to work. I take a look at a network that may need to be set up in tandem.
Should I configure my page file differently if I have lots of RAM?
The page file is meant for use when the system runs out of RAM;
reconfiguring it can be counter-productive if you have plenty of RAM
available.
How do I stop this disgusting email from being sent to me?
Spam happens, and sometimes it really looks bad. The best way to protect
yourself is to learn how to use your spam and junk filters effectively.
I'm getting a message that my system is not clean, how do I get rid of it?
A sudden pop-up saying that your computer is infected feels like malware. To
be safe, treat your machine as if it is already infected.
Are third party utilities better than what's already in Windows?
When choosing third-party software to replace functionality in Windows,
you’ll need to compare tool to tool; some of them are better, some are worse,
and some altogether unnecessary.
Who do I talk to to get Windows Mail re-released?
Windows Mail and Outlook Express are gone, and it’s unlikely that Microsoft
will revive them out of the archives. I have some suggestions for moving
forward.
How do I reconstruct the original source code from a .exe file?
Reverse engineering software is so time consuming as to be impractical. The
source code may have to be written again from scratch.
Why am I getting notices for a service I didn't sign up for?
Sometimes, it’s spam, and sometimes, it’s not, but there is no need to be
scared when you receive subscription notices that you didn’t sign up for.
Follow the general steps for staying safe online and you’ll be fine.
Will malware always invalidate my Windows install, and what do I do if it does?
A computer that has suffered from a virus needs a thorough cleaning to be
sure all symptoms of the virus are gone. It would have been nice to have an
image backup…
How can I save my BIOS settings before replacing the CMOS battery?
Very often, the system will reset itself properly when you replace the
battery, but there is an easy way to grab those screens to make sure you don’t
lose important settings.
How does Facebook figure out who my friends should be?
Facebook has very sophisticated methods of matching you up with people you
might know. It may seem scary, but they aren’t stealing anything from your
computer.
How do I clean up this slow machine and its misbehaving browser?
I had a machine that was having troubles accessing common sites like Hotmail and Facebook. A virus was suspected. I’ll walk you through the steps I took to clean the machine.
How do I uninstall this unwanted browser I got installing something else?
The first defense in unwanted downloads is to prevent them from installing
in the first place. If they do download, you may need to take some extra steps
to get your system cleaned up.
Are viruses attached to my email after I send it?
It’s not really true that viruses attach to emails after they leave your
computer. One confusing issue is that some email is read on the local computer,
and some is accessed online; those two methods have different problems.
Who is accessing Facebook from my machine in the middle of the night?
Logs are showing a mysterious use of Facebook pages in the middle of the
night. I’ll give a few troubleshooting tips to track down the culprit!
Why has opting out of ads in Hotmail not turned them off?
Ad choices in Hotmail only lets Hotmail know that you don’t want to be
tracked for targeted advertising. Can you get rid of those ads? Well…
Does https hide email addresses in Hotmail?
Https encrypts your data without knowing what it is: that includes email,
banking information, or any type of data.
Why don't blocked emails stay blocked?
Blocking is an ineffective way to prevent unwanted emails. It’s better to learn spam filtering.
How can I make an external drive keep its same drive letter?
Drive letters can be manually assigned. In a multiple-machine environment, it
will need to be done on each machine.
Can I move a program from one computer to another?
Most programs need to go through an installation process to run properly on
your machine. That’s why it’s important to keep any kind of installation
media.
Why does my AOL software crash when I download a file?
AOL software can be tricky. I have two recommendations.
How Should I Stay Connected While Traveling?
Fortunately for the wired traveler, mobile connectivity options have improved dramatically. We’ll look at some of the many ways to stay connected while travelling.
Can my company monitor my personal activities?
The only thing that your employer can monitor is what happens on the
computer that the employer provides, so keep your work and personal lives
separate.
How do I extend the backup partition on my hard disk?
The problem with expanding the size of partitions is that they can only be
expanded from the back – but that’s not your biggest problem – backing up to a partition isn’t safe!
Did techs accessing my machine remotely fix Hotmail?
Whenever somebody tells me that they gave control of their computer to
an online tech support company, I get nervous… although there are reputable
companies out there.
Can I delete all these Visual C++ Redistributables?
A C++ redistributable is a run time that is used by other programs. Deleting
them could easily break a program.
Why does my camera battery die so quickly?
Batteries that do not hold a charge make a camera unusable. Several options
may help solve the problem.
Why can't I add anything to online shopping carts?
Shopping carts need to have a way to know who you are as you work your way
through the screens. This is usually done with cookies, so that is the first
place to look.
Can I delete these Earthlink Setup files?
Earthlink is an internet service provider, so you shouldn’t have files unless
you are an Earthlink customer. I’ll give you a safe way to remove those
files.
Can I extend the life of an old computer by running Ubuntu?
Ubuntu or other Linux distributions with lower resource requirements are often excellent ways to extend the life of a computer that’s not up to running current versions of Windows.
Is there an easy way to temporarily turn off online activity during startup?
When you start your computer, many programs may automatically begin checking for updates and more online. If you’re travelling, this can be inconvenient. Unfortunately, I don’t have an easy solution.
Are you sure email accounts don't get infected with viruses?
Email accounts don’t get infected with viruses… but they can be the
delivery mechanism for viruses that then infect machines. Learn the
difference.
How much does a computer programmer earn?
Of course you can guess my answer to this one: It depends…
How do I get my Bluetooth driver to stop slowing my system startup?
Is it a driver problem? Or hardware? Or what? I go through a few
troubleshooting steps to see.
Why is my download speed not what it should be?
Your download speed might not be the culprit that is slowing down your
internet connection. We’ll take a look at several possibilities.
So … what about Microsoft Surface?
Microsoft Surface is Microsoft’s entry into the tablet arena dominated by Apple’s iPad. I have decidedly mixed feelings about the device to the extent that we know what it is today.
How do I fix things on my computer left over from a virus?
If your computer is not completely restored… then you haven’t removed the
virus! I suggest a thorough course of action.
How do I get music to auto-play when email is opened?
Really? Do you want to? I strongly offer an alternative to auto-play in an email.
Is there a Windows 7 alternative to the program GoBack?
Setting your computer back in time can be done with image backups, or
perhaps, readers may have an idea for a substitute for GoBack?
If I reinstall Windows will I lose Microsoft Office?
A full reinstall wipes everything from the disk and starts the operating
system over from scratch. As always, planning ahead will save you a lot of
grief!
Why can't I access Documents and Settings in my Windows 7 backup image?
Documents and Settings folder has moved in Windows 7. Knowing where to look
and how to setup Macrium Reflect will help you find your data.
Will laptops ever have traditional keyboards again?
Keyboards are expensive pieces of hardware, and one of the areas that laptop manufacturers often cut costs. As a result, keyboard quality is one of the differentiators among laptop makes and models.
Can I read PDFs using my Kindle Reader application on my tablet or phone?
The Kindle application is actually quite a reasonable PDF reader and can be used on tablets and phones relatively easily.
Why does IE's stop button not always work?
Hitting the “Stop” button often does not stop everything. I look at why that
happens, and some alternatives.
