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.
Should I get the download or boxed version of a product?
Downloading Windows 8, or buying a box, should be the same product. The
difference is having it physically in your hand.
Does Windows 8 support Windows XP mode?
XP Mode in Windows 8 is guaranteed… if not from Microsoft, then
from other vendors. Virtual machine software is available that will allow
you to run Windows XP within a window in Windows 8.
My machine has slowed down even more after a reinstall. Why?
Slow computer after an install? This feels like either malware or the
beginnings of a flaky drive.
Can I upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 8?
Many computers are still running Windows XP. With Windows 8 now available, it may be an option. I’ll look at what it takes, what you get, and most importantly, what you don’t.
How can I connect an external keyboard to my smartphone?
USB keyboards on a smartphone likely won’t work. Just because you’ve got a USB socket doesn’t mean it will support every kind of device. Same is actually true for Bluetooth.
How easy is it to add an SSD?
It is trivial to install an SSD as another drive, but typically, people want
the faster drive for their operating system. That involves swapping around your
operating system from one drive to the other.
Why am I getting two copies of emails I send to some lists?
What may be happening is that the email gets sent and then the mailing list
turns around and sends it back to you – so it shows up in your inbox again.
Can I defrag or reformat my thumbdrives?
Don’t defrag your SSDs or your USB thumb drives. Reformat them appropriately
if you need to.
What file format do I want for my pictures; RAW, JPG, both or something else?
For the most part, if you’re mostly interested in snapshots and easy-to-share, easy-to-send pictures, JPEG’s fine. You’ll never notice the
difference.
What’s a PCL5 printer and why is Windows trying to download it?
It’s very likely that this PCL5 driver is actually required to print from the HP printer you have installed.
My laptop won’t turn on and only beeps when I start it. Is it dead? Or is this a simple fix?
Ultimately, when you’re getting beep codes, it is indicative of a hardware
problem. It’s not necessarily terminal!
Is there a way to change the font color of a document I’ve downloaded?
See if your printer supports something called a “draft mode” and if you can
use that when you print.
Is anyone doing anything about what could be an ever increasing amount of spam?
As the volume of spam increases, I believe that the email industry will ramp
up their technologies to help continue to make email manageable for folks like
you and me.
I keep getting warnings that something is trying to change my browser. How do I stop that?
I’d start with Malwarebytes. But then, I’d be very careful moving forward to
pay attention to what’s being downloaded and what is being installed on your
machine.
I have an old machine. Can I install Ubuntu Linux on my Windows XP OS?
What’s most important is whether Ubuntu Linux will meet your needs; whether
it will have software that does the things you need it to do.
Should I be concerned about the tracking cookies I’m being told about?
I personally would be annoyed at a tool for bugging me about tracking
cookies – when I don’t consider them an issue!
How do I avoid getting bogus FBI warnings on my computer?
Be skeptical! This is not how the FBI operates. They don’t throw up big
warning screens on your computer if they suspect you of something.
How do I get YouTube videos to play using RealPlayer?
The real problem you’re trying to solve here is that you want to download
some of the videos. That may be against YouTube’s terms of service.
How can I share files without allowing people to modify or delete them?
I can come up with three different approaches to solving this problem. The first is to use your website.
Is Microsoft shutting down Messenger?
Microsoft is making some changes to its instant messaging program. As a result, what we know and love today as Messenger will eventually go away and be replaced with Skype.
Are streaming audio or video calls kept somewhere?
The basic technology is to get the audio/video from my machine to yours so
you can hear me. Nobody’s in the middle storing it; we’re just not that
interesting.
People who send to my Hotmail address are getting a bounce from some other email address. Why?
The bounce message isn’t coming from Hotmail; the bounce message is coming
from somewhere else entirely. That implies that there are some faulty
settings involved.
I plugged in an old drive via USB and Windows Explorer doesn’t see it. How should I access its contents?
The drive is showing; what’s unfortunate is it doesn’t have a drive letter. So, you can assign it one.
My computer hangs when I stream video. Where do I begin to look?
Nine times out of ten, this sort of difficulty in playing videos indicates a problem
with the video driver.
When is a dynamic IP address assigned?
It happens at some part of the boot process. It’s independent of when you
login. It’s just that sometimes it takes a little longer than others.
Why am I seeing these odd defragmenting results and why is it taking so long?
What you’re really going for with defragging is speed. It doesn’t have to be
perfect to get the lion’s share of speed improvement from defragging a disk.
How do I get multiple tracks on a CD full of audio?
If you want to have separate tracks for audio playback, you have to break it
up into several separate mp3 files.
How do I get rid of this old Hotmail message that keeps coming up?
I’m going to suggest that you clear your browser cache, but my guess is that
this is as simple as removing that message from your Drafts folder.
Why has my computer started freezing, but not in Safe Mode?
Everything indicates this is a hardware related issue. I think you’re looking at having a technician take a peak at the hardware.
How do I find out what all these programs are in Process Explorer?
I often recommend Process Explorer because it’s a really good way of
identifying programs that are misbehaving.
Shockwave keeps crashing. What can I do to fix it?
Shockwave isn’t really used as much as Flash. You might be able to just get rid of it.
Can I use my router’s DMZ to attach my IP-based phone to the internet?
On a NAT router any unrequested outside connection is blocked. Using the DMZ is a good workaround.
How Do I Get Rid of ‘Like’, ‘Send’, ‘Share,’ and so on, that Slow Down so Nany Web Pages?
It’s the website that you’re visiting that’s putting those social icons there,
and there’s really no way for you to turn them off.
Why does my backup use all available RAM and fail?
This is really behaving like a confusion between the terms “RAM” and “disk
space.” It’s rare for lack of RAM to cause backup failures.
I can’t send HTML email or attachments; they get stuck in my outbox. What do I need to do?
I’m not leaning towards Microsoft Outlook being the problem here. I think
it’s something related to your ISP or email service and the size of the emails
you are attempting to send.
How does my phone know my YouTube subscriptions if I’ve never logged into it there?
There’s nothing clandestine or hidden behind the scenes. It’s simply the
case that your YouTube account and your Google account are the same thing.
How do I print a list of emails from my email program?
At this point, I don’t have an answer for you other than it can’t really
be done – at least not easily.
Where can I purchase a replacement DVD laser?
I’m not sure that replacing the laser is going to solve the problem, or that
you’ll end up with a working DVD drive after installing and aligning it.
Can I Swap My Third Mouse Button for the Left Button?
The problem is that if the drivers for your mouse don’t support that kind of
button swapping, it may not be possible.
My laptop’s sound card doesn’t work in Windows XP, but did in Windows Vista. How do I fix it?
It’s possible that the drivers required for that Vista-era sound card
haven’t been written for Windows XP.
Will a bad sector cause my backup image to become invalid?
Sectors can go bad on hard drives, but that should have no impact on your
ability to restore a successfully created backup image to another hard
drive.
Why is all my email not getting downloaded in Outlook?
The first thing that comes to mind is that one of the devices you’re accessing your email account with is set to downloaded the mail, thereby removing it from the server.
How can I tell if my external drive is SATA or IDE?
Today, in 2012, most external drives are created using SATA interfaces. But
ultimately, there isn’t a good way to know which you have, other than opening up the
box.
Why do some smartphone photos come out upside down?
When we use a phone to take a picture, often there is no obvious right side
up, especially if you’re holding it sideways in landscape mode.
I’m told my firewall isn’t working, but it is turned on. Do I have a problem?
I agree with you that this is somewhat unsettling. One of the things malware does is corrupt the firewall on your system in order to allow other malware to get on board.
Is there technology that would allow a file to be opened only once?
I’m not aware of any technology that will do what you’re asking; and in all
honesty, I wouldn’t trust any technology that did.
What happens when an email account holder passes away?
In general, if an account holder suddenly stops logging into that account,
the account will go through a series of steps and eventually be closed
down.
Can I install the VC++ 2008 runtime even though I have the 2005 version installed?
Runtime versions are a bit of a mess, absolutely! Fortunately, you should be
able to have both of them installed at the same time.
My router disconnects every few days. What do I do?
Every few days is a bit much! Wi-Fi routers do need to get rebooted every so
often. But I’m talking more like a number of weeks or months… not days.
Malware prevents me from booting, even in Safe Mode. What do I do?
We’ll try a bootable malware CD. But in situations like this, where malware
has gotten itself so entrenched into the system, sometimes, reinstalling is the
most pragmatic answer.
