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.
Where is 'C:\DOCUME~1'? I can't find it on my hard disk.
Error messages frequently include filenames of the form ‘DOCUME~1’ which seem nowhere to be found. They’re actually there, just by another name.
How do I clear my search history in IE 7?
Sometimes you just want to clear what you’ve searched for from the browser’s history. These steps clear that information in Internet Explorer 7.
How do I clear my search history in Firefox?
Sometimes you just want to clear the things you’ve searched for from automatically appearing in the browser. These steps clear that information in Firefox.
How do I login automatically with Windows XP Pro?
Automatic login most commonly happens when there’s no password – but Remote Desktop requires that you have a password. TweakUI provides the solution.
Yes, it's getting worse.
spam, that is.
How do I delete a file in use?
Windows will prevent you from deleting a file that’s in use by a running program. If you can’t find or shut down the program a different approach is needed.
RoboForm Password Manager and more
With lots of accounts on the web, good security says their passwords should all be unique. Your computer can remember them for you with RoboForm.
Is Javascript dangerous?
Javascript is become more and more common on web pages, but some security experts prefer to leave it disabled. I look at why, and one great alternative for FireFox users.
Will BitTorrent harm my computer?
BitTorrent, the peer-to-peer file sharing technology, is often suspect in computer problems. It’s not BitTorrent at fault, but the files being shared.
IE 7, Firefox 2
My take on whether to upgrade, which to use, and why.
Why is the byte activity different on my wired and wireless connections?
The number of bytes transferred should be roughly the same regardless of your connection, right? We’ll look at a couple of reasons that might not be true.
How should I protect myself from other computers sharing my internet connection?
A shared connection to the internet is common, and provides an important level of security. But what if the machines you share with can’t be trusted?
Why does my computer shut down after an hour or two of playing music from my external drive?
A common cause for computers shutting down unexpectedly is overheating. An external drive probably doesn’t add heat – but the software drivers might.
Did ya miss me?
The Ask Leo! podcast returns.
Can I use my old hard drives with a new motherboard?
When replacing a motherboard you can almost certainly use your hard disks, the question is how much additional work and configuration you might need.
How do I remove addresses from an email message for printing or forwarding?
Removing the addresses from an email you’re forwarding or printing should be easy – and for forwarding it is. For printing, a few tricks are needed.
My computer blue screens when I download pictures from my camera- what do I do?
Digital cameras often include software to download pictures. Good or bad, the big secret is that you may not need software to download pictures at all.
How do I get the File Save or File Open dialogs to show details by default?
File Save and File Open dialogs in many applications are similar to Windows Explorer. Changing the default look of File dialogs is more difficult.
How do I send email to another machine on my local network without hitting the internet?
Sending email from one machine to another on the same network seems like it should be simple and direct. Sadly, it’s neither.
Why can't I put my email on CD?
Burning email folders to CD is a reasonable way to archive email and free up space – until you want to read it. Then additional steps are needed.
Why didn't my backup program restore everything?
Backups are an important necessity. Making sure your backups are configured properly and backing up what you expect is equally important.
Why won't my display turn on?
Your display might not turn on if the computer’s not working or the display’s not working. However there are other possible causes we’ll look at also.
Why do I need an ISP?
When you connect to your ISP you are connecting directly to the internet. You can bypass your ISP, if you like, but only to choose another ISP to do the same.
A duplicate name exists on the network – what does that mean? How do I fix it?
A duplicate name existing on the network happens when two resources – usually computers – have been given the same name. We’ll look at how to check, and where to fix it.
How do I keep my web access safe from sniffing?
Your web access can be easily sniffed when you’re in a public WiFi hotspot. Logins on web sites that don’t use https are vulnerable to sniffing. We’ll look at one technique to avoid this.
How do I turn off the Windows firewall warning?
If the Windows firewall is not enabled, Windows will warn you. You can tell Windows that you know what you’re doing and don’t need the Windows firewall.
Why did my home network stop working?
Home networks or other small LAN can stop working for various reasons, but there’s a simple reason home networks stop working that’s often overlooked.
How do I choose plain text in Hotmail?
Plain text email is smaller, often easier to read, and more consistently displayed than rich text. Here’s how to switch between the two in Hotmail.
Is anonymous web surfing possible? If so, can't the 'bad guys' use it too?
Anonymous web surfing is quite possible, with the aid of an anonymization service. There are several implications to anonymous web surfing, though. One is that anyone can use it.
Why is using Paypal to purchase at a conference or open market such a bad idea?
Paypal is a fast and convenient way to pay someone from your computer. Using Paypal elsewhere, on someone else’s computer, can be very, very dangerous.
Why does my video flicker?
Video flicker can happen for various reasons when viewing on-line videos. I’ll look at some issues viewing video on-line, including video flicker.
PPS files still don't work even after I created an association – what do I do?
PPS files seem to cause many people problems. We’ll look at how to go about configuring your system to view PPS files.
Why can't I open this file?
There are lots of reasons you might not be able to open a file. In this article we look at programs that refuse to open files marked “read-only”, and what to do.
Choosing an ISP: How do I choose a good ISP?
Choosing an ISP can be difficult. ISPs definitely vary in level of service and quality. If the internet is important to you, so is choosing the right ISP.
MWSBAR.dll – What is it, and why is it generating an error?
mwsbar.dll is a toolbar for Internet Explorer commonly part of “My Web Search”. Getting rid of mwsbar.dll, or references to it, isn’t terribly difficult.
Where's the Sent Items folder in Outlook Express?
The Sent Items folder isn’t always visible in Outlook Express. We’ll look at the options to make the Sent Items folder visible, and make sure that Sent Items are getting placed there.
Web site spam: what can I do about it?
Spam is no longer just something in email. Web site spam, or “comment spam” is on the rise. If you’ve seen website spam on your site, we’ll look at some of the things you can do.
Does Linux have a role in the home?
Linux is something more people are looking at to avoid issues they might have with Windows. Linux in the home is definitely getting closer.
How did you get my IP address?
Your IP address is the fundamental way of identifying your computer on the internet. Your IP address is available to any service you connect to.
What's this backwards P all over my email?
A backwards P is probably a paragraph mark. If you’re seeing a backwards P it’s easy to turn off, but also tells me you should change something else too.
Zone Alarm firewall: do I need it if I'm behind a NAT router?
Zone Alarm is a popular firewall you install on your machine. If you also have a NAT router you may – or may not – need a firewall such as Zone Alarm.
Links in HotMail emails: why aren't they active?
Links in HotMail emails are often disabled to protect you. I’ll look at how to enable Links in Hotmail, and how to work around it even when not enabled.
Wireless Encryption: do I need it?
Wireless Encryption is somewhat mysterious. Wireless encryption is something you likely need to keep your network, and your data, secure.
Where's the podcast?
The Ask Leo! podcast is taking a break.
Secure Delete: what is it, and do I need it?
Secure Delete is a way to make sure that when you delete a file it cannot be recovered. Understanding Secure Delete is important to protect sensitive data properly.
Why is my mail to HotMail (or AOL, Yahoo, etc.) subscribers not being delivered?
Mail not being delivered is an unfortunately common problem. There’s no magic answer, but I’ll look at some of the reasons your mail not be delivered.
Toolbars in Internet Explorer: how do I get rid of them?
Toolbars in Internet Explorer can be handy, but each means less room for web pages. We look at steps to get rid of most toolbars in Internet Explorer.
IE's click sound: how do I turn that off?
IE (Internet Explorer) is frequently configured to make a “clicking” sound when you move from page to page. Here’s how to turn IE’s click sound off, or change it.
Messages deleted on HotMail: can I get them back somehow?
Once messages are permanently deleted on HotMail they’re gone. If you’ve lost important messages that were deleted on HotMail, or any webmail service, you need to rethink your approach to email.
Will my backup hard drive stored in my safe survive the heat of a fire?
Backup hard drives are inexpensive and a great way to save important information. Is storing your backup hard drive in your safe adding any protection?
