Articles in Category: Administration
Items related to Leo, Ask Leo! and overall website and related operations and administrivia.
Can I clone everything on my hard drive except the operating system?
Cloning a hard drive, by definition, copies everything on it. There is a
better option for upgrading which includes a clean installation of the new operating system.
How can I get my volume back louder, like it used to be?
Windows 7 has some extra volume controls that are sort of “hidden.”
Adjusting those may help.
Should I uninstall my old driver before installing an upgrade version?
Rebooting may be necessary, but deleting the old driver typically is not.
Can I convert my XP computer to Windows 7?
Many XP machines have enough power to safely run Windows 7, but there is no
realistic ‘upgrade’ or ‘conversion’ path.
Should I Install Internet Explorer 8? Internet Explorer 9?
Internet Explorer 8 and 9 have been out for awhile now. Should you install them? Yes, even if you don’t use them.
How can I recover my data after I reinstalled Windows?
Reinstalling Windows erases and overwrites the data on your machine.
Recovering it is difficult, if not impossible.
Can you copy a program file to another computer and run it?
Installing programs through their native installation steps often makes
changes to your PC that allow them to run. There is, however, one type of file
that may work.
How do I tell if programs are using too much memory?
Window’s memory management is very complex. There are easier ways to help a
sluggish computer than diagnosing memory usage.
Why are there only six asterisks in the password field when my password has more characters?
The number of asterisks that are hiding a password, an email address, or
secret question might not represent the size of the answer.
Should I change the security information on all my emails after my Hotmail was hacked?
Having control over recovery details is what allows you access back into a
hacked account: the goal is to prevent the hacker from controlling that
recovery info.
How do I play a 32 bit game on my 64 bit computer?
There are several software options available for running an older game on a newer
computer, but you may have to take a step further.
Is it safe to leave programs opened on my computer when I go onto the internet?
Basic internet safety is about protecting your computer from viruses and
malware. Once that is in place, it’s safe to browse the internet.
How do I get my saved Outlook emails onto my new computer with Windows Live Mail?
When transferring emails from Outlook to use on another computer, it’s
important to create files that can be read by the new computer.
Can I reinstall my XP with SP2 even though updates have ended?
Support from Microsoft for SP2 has ended. SP3 has critical security patches
that need to be installed on your computer.
Can the IT department send emails that look like they are from me?
The IT department has physical access to your email account. That means they can do any number of things with it.
Can I safely remove update files and folders that are taking up disk space?
Updates are important for the security of your computer, but removing those files may open you up to malware.
Why are there so many user accounts on my machine?
User accounts can be created on Windows for many reasons – only one of them actually being users. I’ll look at other reasons user accounts might exist.
How do I remove my personal information from a machine before giving it away?
Recent news reports show that much personal information is simply and unknowingly given away when old computers are discarded. I’ll look at what to do.
Will not having a paging file slow down my system?
The paging file is used by Windows to manage situations where more memory is needed that is present. Not having one shouldn’t impact speed.
How can I stop my anti-virus software from filling up my hard drive with updates?
Anti-virus updates (from well written anti-malware tools) should not be accumulating virus definitions on your hard drive.
Can I set a specific Microsoft Office version to open my emails?
Microsoft is configured to run only one version on a computer at a time. It
would likely become confused if you tried to configure two versions.
Can an IP address on an email tell you which country it is coming from?
IP addresses can change for many reasons; you can’t absolutely rely on them to give location.
How can I list all the email addresses that I am the alternate email address for?
It may not be possible to globally check which email is being used as an
alternate email address, other than by manually keeping track.
How do I fix my dial-up modem after being in a lightning storm?
This feels like a hardware problem. I suggest some troubleshooting
steps and repair options.
Why does it take so long to download Apple software to my PC?
Updates for iTunes or Safari are often large files and that could be causing
the long download times.
How do PCs and Macs differ? And which is best?
Both of these operating systems are great and I don’t want to argue which is
better, but I’m willing to discuss how computers operate and some of the
differences.
What or who is using up all the bandwidth on my remote camera?
Cameras use a lot of bandwidth if they are streaming to an online service.
That may be the first place to look.
Why should I pay for free software?
Free software costs someone something. If there’s a mechanism to donate, it could help ensure that your favorite free tool will be around for a while.
Why do I have “Apple Software Update” on my PC? And can I get rid of it?
Getting rid of Apple files and folders on your computer may be tricky; and
you might find you need that update.
How can I slow down a video so I can understand conversations?
There are settings in VLC player that allow you to slow down the audio speed
in a video.
Why has my Ymail account suddenly stopped working in Firefox?
Cached data in Firefox and other browsers can cause this sort of problem.
Clearing it may be the answer.
Why does this tab keep opening in my Firefox browser?
Tabs are mysteriously appearing in a Firefox browser. This could be a
miss-set homepage, or perhaps pop-ups.
Can keyloggers get my login information when I use drag and drop from Keypass?
Malware and keyloggers on your machine can do anything, which includes cut
and paste, drag and drop, screen keypads and more. Prevention is the only cure.
To be safe, you need to protect yourself from all kinds of malware.
Webinar #12 – Q&A
Webinar #12 – Q&A – will be Sunday, May 13th, 2012 at 1PM U.S. PDT / 9PM UTC.
Can I Tell If the Person Who Shares My Gmail Account Has Ever Checked the Search History?
If an account is being shared, then Google has no way of knowing who is
at the keyboard. I explore how search history works and what might be
found there.
How do I search multiple sites of my own choice?
It is not necessarily simple to do this, but personal searches can be set up with
Google’s CSE (Custom Search Engine) function.
Why am I getting so many generic comments on my website?
Constant posting into comment boxes and forums on websites is a full-time
spam problem for website owners. I look at why and how this is happening across
the web.
What should I do about the error ‘Not Responding’ when I am compacting my PST file?
Depending on the size of your PST and other factors, a compacting operation
can take a long time. I recommend when to do the operation.
Where are TCP/IP settings in Windows 7?
TCP/IP settings can be used to configure an assigned static IP address, override DNS settings, and more. I’ll show you exactly where they are.
Why am I getting “Windows delayed write failed” error on my computer?
This is a typical error for a hard drive failure… and another example of just how critical it is to have a full backup of your system.
Will your books be available for Nook and Nook readers?
As in all supply and demand issues, small publishers have to make choices of
where to publish books. I hear you, but I need to focus my energies.
Can I set up my own static IP address for my internet connection?
Your IP address is set by your internet provider so that they can identify
your computer and send you information from the internet. Changing it to set up a static IP address may not have the result that you expect.
Why does my browser show I’m still downloading a webpage even though I’ve read to the bottom?
Web pages are designed to display content elements first to give you a quick
visual representation of the page. Other things might take awhile or get stuck.
There is a quick key you can tap to stop this behavior.
How do I get rid of these new banner ads and tabs that pop up on websites?
Pop-up blockers are designed to catch new pages from popping up off a website,
but sometimes, they might not be able to grab ad features that are a part of the website
itself.
Should I uninstall my old Office Pro before installing a new version?
Microsoft Office is very good about installing itself over older versions
and, in fact, there is a very good reason to let it be in charge of the upgrade
operation.
How do I use my backup if my hard drive fails?
It’s wise to be prepared to use your backups to fully reinstall your machine
in the event of a hard drive failure.
What happens if I am connected to my neighbor’s wireless and my USB modem at the same time?
Don’t let your computer randomly make the choice of which connection to use.
I’ll show you how to manually determine which connection is active on your laptop.
How do I remove my D: restore partition?
Many computers come with a pre-configured restore partition, often drive D:. If you backup properly, it’s not needed; I’ll look at recovering the space.
Why does “Acquiring network address” show continuously in my icon tray?
Sometimes, the icon tray is not completely reliable. This could be indicating
nothing more than a driver bug.
Where is “Run” in Windows 7?
The Run command is used frequently by experienced computer users and can
easily be added and removed from the Start menu in Windows 7.
