How-to: Fix your Flash in a flash
May 6, 2007 Posted by Liz in : How-to , add a commentUsing eBay - Rules for Avoiding Idiots
May 3, 2007 Posted by Jeff in : How-to, Humor, Opinion , add a comment
I’ve been posting things on eBay since 1998, and I can definitely say, it can be an idiot magnet. One rule I have: the cheaper the item is, the more of a pain the buyer is likely to be. I will try to express some of the pitfalls I’ve experienced and hopefully you can be the wiser for it. Please read on…
Frozen drive over ice, a weird recovery story
April 30, 2007 Posted by Jeff in : How-to, Humor , 2 commentsI got a frantic call one day from one of my customers. He is an orthopedic surgeon, and he also lectures on the subject. His main computer at his home had a weird problem. It would run for about 10 minutes, and then freeze. At first, I thought it was some strange virus or mail zombie, but upon closer inspection, I noticed that the drive would begin making strange noises after about 10 minutes. He had some lectures on there that he needed in a day or so. I had an idea.
How-to: Not get viruses and not slow your PC to a crawl
April 25, 2007 Posted by Liz in : How-to, Humor, Tips , 1 comment so far
Editor’s note: In a popular article “How-to: Get viruses and slow your PC to a crawl,†Jeff explained exactly what to do in order to catch viruses and otherwise debilitate your machine. We recognize that there are some of you out there who just won’t listen. Maybe your desire for those little animated icons is too great or you’ve got to have the latest Nickelback song but you just can’t bring yourself to pay for it (we don’t blame you for the latter).
Here, Liz suggests a few ways to have your cake and eat it too. For the record, we don’t recommend putting your computer at risk. As Jeff’s article shows, one wrong click could land your computer in some pretty dire straits.
Setting up Microsoft Word your way
April 22, 2007 Posted by Jeff in : DIY, How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a comment
When you open Microsoft Word, do you find yourself repeating the same ritual? Changing margin sizes, changing to Print view, adding tab settings, setting a default font, etc.? Isn’t it annoying? Well, you can set it so don’t have to do this every time - just change your normal.dot file. What the heck is that? It’s the default document that Word uses when you start it up. You can customize it any way you want. Here’s what you do:
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Can’t print in Microsoft Works?
April 20, 2007 Posted by Liz in : How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a commentMicrosoft is aware of a problem printing spreadsheets and databases in Microsoft Works 8 on a computer running Windows Vista. Until the problem is fixed, here is a workaround:
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How-to: Get viruses and slow your PC to a crawl
April 18, 2007 Posted by Jeff in : How-to, Humor, Tips , 11 comments
Many articles tell you how to prevent viruses by adding this software or that piece of gear, etc., but still, people get viruses and other silly junk that renders your machine almost useless.
Well, I’m not taking that approach. I’m going to tell you exactly HOW TO get viruses and otherwise debilitate your machine. These are sure fire ways and practices to ensure your machine is functionally worthless. And when you recognize any of these practices in your situation, hopefully you will take steps to stop doing that.
Liz’s Random Tech Tips #1
April 17, 2007 Posted by Liz in : Hacks, How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a commentEditor’s note: Liz is a tech support person and all-around electro-guru. She’s got all kinds of random fix-it tips running around in her brain, some of which occasionally make it to paper (or pixels in this case). Below is the first installment of Liz’s Random Tech Tips.
Windows Vista and the 1950 Pro
Installing 7.3 drivers for the Radeon 1950 Pro can sometimes cause a BSOD (”blue screen of death” for the uninitiated), or corrupt the original drivers. To fix this, install the “drivers only” version of 7.3 to get it to stop, and don’t install the CCCC (Catalyst Control Center Crap).
Network Problems (Windows XP)
The god of networking fixes is here: WinSockXPFix.
Run the tool. It modifies some registry keys, resets some settings, and generally makes sure it all works fine.
Unless your settings are different, make sure the connection settings are set to automatically configure settings under Tools > Internet Options > Connections > Lan Settings. Check “Automatically Detect Settings,” and make sure there is no proxy server set.
Removing the diabolical Smitfraud Trojan (Smitfraud-c)
April 12, 2007 Posted by Jeff in : How-to , 1 comment so far
I used a combination of a few things to remove the Smitfraud Trojan. (This is for Windows XP & 2000.) Here’s what tools you will need:
1- smitfraud removal tool. I found it on the net at http://siri.urz.free.fr/Fix/SmitfraudFix.zip.
2- Boot disk called BartPE (you have to make this), or any type of alternate boot disk that lets you have access to your files.
3- Spybot Search and Destroy.
Now, here is what you need to do: (more…)
Holiday update files 2007-2009 for Outlook and Palm
April 10, 2007 Posted by Jeff in : How-to, Tips , 4 commentsPlease don’t laugh at me, but I still use Outlook 2000. Why? well, it works, and my motto is, don’t fix what works. I don’t believe in updating for updating’s sake. What I DID notice is that I didn’t have the usual holy week holidays listed in my Outlook calendar. Upon closer inspection, my preset holidays stopped on December 31, 2006. I decided at that point to create a new holiday file. After investigating it further, I was not happy with any I was finding on the web, so I would have to create one to satisfy me and the needs of the people I support.
My efforts led me to creating a file from various sources, with 61 holidays including most US holidays, most Christian holidays and most Jewish holidays. I even included a few major Muslim holidays for some of my Muslim friends. I also discovered that there are 3 different file formats, all very close but with some subtle differences. Here’s how to create your own holiday file. (more…)
