You too can pass if you choose to do so. Check out the second half of my April 22 post on clues as to how to do this. What I wrote there was XP-oriented so the details will be different, but the high-level approach is the same: just tell Microsoft you don't want it now.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Microsoft starts Vista SP1 auto delivery
Be forewarned. The promised rollout is apparently beginning. Microsoft has apparently worked out the kinks, but I am not impressed, nor am I sold on the value in SP1. I am going to pass.
You too can pass if you choose to do so. Check out the second half of my April 22 post on clues as to how to do this. What I wrote there was XP-oriented so the details will be different, but the high-level approach is the same: just tell Microsoft you don't want it now.
You too can pass if you choose to do so. Check out the second half of my April 22 post on clues as to how to do this. What I wrote there was XP-oriented so the details will be different, but the high-level approach is the same: just tell Microsoft you don't want it now.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The 10 Best Compact Cameras
PC World lists their choices for the 10 best compact cameras in this article posted online today. Most people I know have lots of digital photos on their PCs, and some of us may be looking for a better camera. This article is probably best for the novice digital photographer, but also has some cameras that might be a good choice for the user with an older camera (like me) wanting to move up a notch.
The 10 Best Compact Cameras
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 7
IE 7 as it is known is an integral part of Windows Vista. But if you are a Windows XP user and have Automatuic Updates enabled, as you should, you probably also have IE 7 installed on your system.
It was probably downloaded and installed in the last several months. I have seen several customers of mine experiencing problems since this happened, and backing out IE 7 and returning to IE 6 seems to have eliminated the problems.
This is an opinion of mine: IE 7 caused so many problems in Windows XP after it was downloaded through Automatic Updates, that Microsoft responded by making it easy to remove. Nice of them.
If you do have IE 7 and have experienced some strange problems since you got it, it may be time for you to get rid of it. I have personally uninstalled it on about 10 to 15 customer machines. You can tell you have it if the small blue 'e' icon, for Internet Explorer, has a gold band around it.
To uninstall it, use the Add or Remove Programs icon on the Control Panel (START/CONTROL PANEL). Look for Windows Internet Explorer 7 way down near the botton of the list and click on it once (highlight or select it) and then select Remove over on the right. You will be asked only one scary question when a window pops up and lists programs and you are informed that if these programs depend on IE 7 they may not work if you remove IE 7. Just click YES indicating you want to continue.
The rest of the uninstall is easy and fast, and when you are done you will have IE 6. Note that there is no longer a gold band around the 'e' icon.
IE 6 is nimbler than IE 7. It has less overhead and will appear to be faster. It is.
There is a bad news side to this story. Microsoft will try to install IE 7 again through Automatic Updates. So you have to take one more step.
Go to Windows Update (START/ALL PROGRAMS and look up on top of the list for Microsoft Update or Windows Update and click on it). If you have kept things up to date on your machine, you will then see an EXPRESS button and a CUSTOM button. Click on Custom and wait, and wait, and wait while Microsoft churns and churns and eventually brings up a list of the latest updates.
IE 7 will be included in the list of High Priority Updates. List the high priority updates (there may be none other than IE 7), click on the box with the checkmark in it (thus removing the checkmark)to the left of IE 7, and then as it expands, you will see a box you can check that indicates "Don't Show this update again". Click on that box thus inserting a checkmark in it. Then close IE 6.
That's it. You will not be bothered again about IE 7. The next thing to worry about is IE 8, coming down the pike pretty soon. Let's hope they don't make it an Automatic Update!
If you do have IE 7 and have been experiencing problems since it was installed, and would rather not go through the above procedure, give me a call. I can take care of this for you in about one hour.
It was probably downloaded and installed in the last several months. I have seen several customers of mine experiencing problems since this happened, and backing out IE 7 and returning to IE 6 seems to have eliminated the problems.
This is an opinion of mine: IE 7 caused so many problems in Windows XP after it was downloaded through Automatic Updates, that Microsoft responded by making it easy to remove. Nice of them.
If you do have IE 7 and have experienced some strange problems since you got it, it may be time for you to get rid of it. I have personally uninstalled it on about 10 to 15 customer machines. You can tell you have it if the small blue 'e' icon, for Internet Explorer, has a gold band around it.
To uninstall it, use the Add or Remove Programs icon on the Control Panel (START/CONTROL PANEL). Look for Windows Internet Explorer 7 way down near the botton of the list and click on it once (highlight or select it) and then select Remove over on the right. You will be asked only one scary question when a window pops up and lists programs and you are informed that if these programs depend on IE 7 they may not work if you remove IE 7. Just click YES indicating you want to continue.
The rest of the uninstall is easy and fast, and when you are done you will have IE 6. Note that there is no longer a gold band around the 'e' icon.
IE 6 is nimbler than IE 7. It has less overhead and will appear to be faster. It is.
There is a bad news side to this story. Microsoft will try to install IE 7 again through Automatic Updates. So you have to take one more step.
Go to Windows Update (START/ALL PROGRAMS and look up on top of the list for Microsoft Update or Windows Update and click on it). If you have kept things up to date on your machine, you will then see an EXPRESS button and a CUSTOM button. Click on Custom and wait, and wait, and wait while Microsoft churns and churns and eventually brings up a list of the latest updates.
IE 7 will be included in the list of High Priority Updates. List the high priority updates (there may be none other than IE 7), click on the box with the checkmark in it (thus removing the checkmark)to the left of IE 7, and then as it expands, you will see a box you can check that indicates "Don't Show this update again". Click on that box thus inserting a checkmark in it. Then close IE 6.
That's it. You will not be bothered again about IE 7. The next thing to worry about is IE 8, coming down the pike pretty soon. Let's hope they don't make it an Automatic Update!
If you do have IE 7 and have been experiencing problems since it was installed, and would rather not go through the above procedure, give me a call. I can take care of this for you in about one hour.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Removing hard drive data — the YouTube way
Computerworld presents a humorous look at the popular question of what to do with the hard drive from your old computer. Click on the links provided under each photo and then view Computerworld's own technique at the bottom of the article.
Removing hard drive data -- the YouTube way
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