Learn to Use your Computer

GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: The system's fan is whining loudly.

Solution: A loud fan can be the result of a number of minor problems. The common cause is dirt. A dirty fan, clogged with dust, is highly inefficient and works harder to handle its cooling duties. As the fan struggles to cool the system, it produces the whirring sound. A quick cleaning should do the trick. If the fan is new and you're still hearing a loud whirring, your problem may be "ambient heat." You need to operate your PC in a cool environment. Many PCs get louder as they get hotter, with the fans spinning faster to keep the system cool. Be certain your PC is clean and cool and you'll run trouble-free.

Symptom: Your PC spontaneously reboots.

Solution: A long-standing mystery solved! If rebooting occurs in a PC that you've just built, try re-seating your CPU's heat sink. Make sure you're using the proper thermal gel and spread it evenly between the heat sink and the processor. If inadequate amounts of gel have been applied or low-quality gel has been used, the system will reboot as the CPU heats up---and builds in the uneven "pockets" created by the uneven gel. Also: check to see if you've removed the protective sticker on the bottom of the heat sink (don't laugh---it happens!). And by all means, make sure your motherboard supports the CPU you're installing. If these steps check out and you're still experiencing spontaneous reboots, your problem may be one of the following: Overclocking: We do not recommend overclocking. Memory Timing: The fix? Go into your BIOS and set your memory on "Auto" or at a more conservative setting and see if the reboot problem goes away. Oudated BIOS: Make sure you have the latest BIOS for your board. You can determine if your CPU is supported by browsing the BIOS updates of the motherboard's manufacturer. If you're running a Pentium 4 Extreme Edition and notice that it's only supported with the latest BIOS updates, you may have located the problem! Inadequate Power: If you've made significant component upgrades---with the exception of the power supply---your power supply may be overstressed or failing due to heat or age. Finally, if you've migrated your OS and other files from machine to machine to machine, it may be time for a clean install.

Symptom: Your Optical Drive (CD or DVD) Runs Slower and Slower....

Solution: Again, the villain may be dirt, since optical drives rarely "slow down" on their own. Optical drives either work---or they don't, so a mechanical problem is ruled out. What most likely has happened is that your dive has accumulated a layer of dirt or dust. Here's the fix: You'll need a can of "spray air" (available everywhere). Eject the disc tray and spray into the drive with short bursts---and be sure to spray at an angle so the dust will be expelled out of the drive. Do not spray continuously or turn the spray can upside down (doing so could introduce moisture into the drive. Repeat this process a few times, then try test the drive.

Symptom: I have four pieces of RAM installed and I'm pretty sure that at least one is bad. What's the best way to test RAM for errors?

Solution: Since you have four pieces of RAM, you can install just one DIMM in your motherboard at a time and run the machine until it crashes. This isn't a completely reliable way to test RAM, though. As an alternative, download Memtest86 (www.memtest86.com) and create a bootable CD. Memtest86 does a fair job. It runs several test patterns through the RAM. If a piece of RAM passes these tests, swap it with another DIMM and continue your tests. Even better than Memtest86 is Ultra-X's RAM Stress Test Pro 2, which is a self-booting diagnostic plug-in card. This card uses a comprehensive set of test patterns to assess your memory, and we've found that it finds bad pieces of RAM that other testers miss. Keep in mind that it may not actually be a stick of RAM that's bad. The problem may in fact be a bad DIMM slot. If all four pieces of RAM pass the test, you may have to rerun them in each individual slot on your motherboard. Finally, your motherboard's BIOS usually sets RAM timing by reading the SPD setting on the module. If the SPDs are set too aggressively (we've seen this), it may cause problems. You should consider going into the BIOS and manually tweaking settings such as your CAS latency to a more conservative setting.

Symptom: Sometimes when I play games for a long time, my computer just randomly crashes to the desktop.

Solution: Random crashes in games can be the result of a few different problems. Typically, it's a heat issue, a driver issue, or a problem with the game. The first thing you should do is check for a patch for any of your games that are crashing. It seems like common sense, but frequently we receive complaints from people trying to run games that have been patched three or four times. Once you've updated your games, you need to update your videocard and chipset drivers. Get you videocard driver from the company that manufactured your card's chipset, either ATI or nVidia. You should also check for newer drivers for your motherboard's chipset whenever you update your videocard drivers. Outdated motherboard chipset drivers are one of the main causes of general system instability. If you've updated all your hardware, but are still having problems, you may have a heat issue. Open your case and look at your AGP card. Is there another card right below it? If there is, you should consider moving that card to another slot. A card directly below a high-end videocard can disrupt airflow enough to cause overheating issues with today's top-of-the-line videocards. If freeing the neighboring slot doesn't alleviate your problem, try adding a fan that fits into one of your PCI slots and exhausts hot air from the bottom of your PC.

Symptom: My new Athlon XP system is telling me that my brand-new Athlon XP 3200+ is only any Athlon 2200+!

Solution: It sounds like your motherboard's bus speed is set incorrectly. You see, you probably bought and Athlon XP 3200+ that runs on a 400MHz bus (which is actually a double-pumped 200Mhz bus). For the motherboard to recognize the CPU as a 3200+, the CPU has to run at 2.2GHz, or 2,200MHz. The CPU reaches that speed only if the motherboard is set to an 11 multiplier and with a 200MHz bus. So, 11x200=2200. If your motherboard's frontside bus is set to run at 166MHz, the CPU would boot at 1833MHz. It's no coincidence that this is the same speed at an Athlon XP 2200+. To correct this, reboot your machine and go into the BIOS by hitting DEL or F2 during boot. Look for the section that lets you change the bus speed. Hopefully we're right and it's set for 166MHz. Increase it to 400MHz, save the settings, reboot and you should have a 3200+.

Symptom: My optical drive has suddenly slowed to a crawl reading discs, and it refuses to read some discs.

Solution: Optical drives usually don't expire gradually; most simply stop working without so much as a death rattle. It's much more likely you drive's lens has accumulated a layer of dust.
Get yourself a can of compressed air at the local geek emporium, and eject the disc tray. Spray into the drive with quick, short bursts at an angle (so the dust is more likely to be expelled from the drive). Do not spray continuously or with the can upside down, because that could introduce moisture into the drive. Give the dust a minute to settle, and spray the innards again.

Symptom: I just bought a new PC, and now my PocketPC refuses to connect via the USB port.

Solution: This is a common issue. You'll have to buy a new PocketPC. Just kidding. This problem occurs if you plug your PocketPC in before installing ActiveSync. Check the Device Manager by right-clicking My Computer, selecting Properties, clicking the Hardware tab, and then selecting Device Manager. If you see an Unknown Device entry, delete it by right-clicking it and selecting Uninstall. Restart you PC, install your PocketPCs drivers from the manufacturer's disc, and plug it in again.

PC AUDIO AND MP3S

Symptom: I'm only getting sound out of one speaker.

Solution: This usually happens when the mini-jack coming out of your speakers us not fully plugged into the soundcard input slot. Reversed polarity of a speaker can cause some of the weirdness as well, so make sure the positive terminal on the actual speaker is connected to the positive terminal on the subwoofer (or wherever the speakers connect to the amplifier), and vice versa for the negative terminals. One final possibility: Pet owners should routinely check speaker cables for teeth marks and replace the cables when Mr. Bigglesworth eats through the outer layer.

Symptom: The remote control for my PC speakers suddenly stopped working the other day. I installed new batteries but it still won't work. Is it dead?

Solution: Probably not. It sounds more like a sleeping remote. To wake it up, simply remove the batteries and press every button on the remote in a sequential order. Then just replace the batteries and your remote should work again.

Symptom: Sometimes I'll rip a worn CD, only to find later that some tracks have skips in them.

Solution: This is a common problem, and can be easily fixed. Go to www.exactaudiocopy.de (don't worry-the site is in English). We've brayed about Exact Audio Copy before, and here's why: When Exact Audio Copy rips audio it double-checks that data for accuracy, and if it detects any discrepancies between the original and the rip, it will extract the data again and again until it has determined that the result precisely matches what's on the disc. If the error correction is unable to compensate for a flaw in the disc and the data is irretrievable, Exact Audio Copy will let you know, sparing you from unpleasant surprises later. Oh, and did we mention Exact Audio Copy is free? Life is good.

Symptom: My Creative Labs Jukebox Zen Xtra keeps crashing. Is it broken?

Solution: If a single bit in an MP3 file is out of place or errant for any reason, it can make many MP3 players lock up or crash. You'll know this is the case if your player crashes on the same track every time. If so, you'll have to remove or re-encode the track. If an errant track is not the problem-you'll know this is the case because it won't crash on the same song/s-you may be able to rehabilitate your player be reformatting the drive. You'll find instructions at the Creative Labs web site. Go to Support, click Portable Audio, and select "Troubleshooting the Nomad Jukebox 3 as a Standalone Unit" (also known as Solution ID #7392). Reformatting will delete the contents of your player, of course, so make sure you have all your music backed up before you go for it.

Symptom: I can burn audio CDs and listen to them on my PC, but my portable CD player and car stereo can't recognize them.

Solution: Commercial CDs are literally stamped from extruded masters, creating pits and lands that CD players have been designed to read. Burned CD, however, create darkened areas that mimic the pits and lands of commercial CDs. As you've noticed, not all players-especially older ones-can deal with these kinds of discs. But all is not lost. Your best bet is to burn at a slower speed, 4x or below. This creates slightly more prominent differences between the burned and non-burned areas. If you have a Plextor burner, though, you have an even better option. The bundled Plex Tools includes VariRec, which allows you to subtly alter the burning strength of your optical drives laser. By experimenting with various discs and burning strengths, you will almost certainly find the right combination for your CD player. VariRec is supported by both Nero and Easy CD Creator. We've used it to make audio CDs playable on otherwise uncooperative boom boxes.

PC BUILDING TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: I just built a new machine and am experiencing totally random crashes. What are the possible culprits?

Solution: Random crashes are always hard to diagnose, so let's cover all the bases. The first area to check is your drivers. Make sure you have the latest drivers for all your hardware, especially the motherboard chipset drivers. You should also make sure you've downloaded all Windows Updates. Next, consider your power supply. If you're running a midsize 300-watt PSU, and upgraded to a late model Pentium 4 CPU or Athlon FX, or are just running several hard drives and PCI add-in cards, you should upgrade your power supply to a 400 watt or thereabouts model. Inadequate power to your components can cause the entire system to lock up at worst, or just cause certain components to malfunction or stop working. The final consideration is cooling. Ideally, you should have a decent size fan in the lower front of your case sucking in cool air from the ouside, and a large exhaust fan above your AGP card pull air out of the case.

Symptom: I'm building a new PC and have the motherboard mounted inside the case. When I push the AGP card all the way down in the slot, the end of the metal tab on the slot cover hits the bottom of the case, preventing me from inserting the AGP edge connector all the way.

Solution: Even though every ATX motherboard and ATX case should be exactly the same dimensions, there are still small variances that can create problems when transplanting your hardware into a new environment. It's fairly common for the videocard to not quite fit, and when this happens the solution is to simply bend the end of the metal slot cover away from the board ever so slightly. This will afford it the extra millimeter or so of clearance the card needs to fit all the way down into the slot. But be careful!

WIRELESS (WiFi) NETWORKING TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: My wireless laptop will not connect to my wireless router. It can't even see it!

Solution: Usually Wi-Fi connection problems are the result of configuration errors, incompatible firmware, or interference with another router. It's easy to fix firmware issues-all you need to do is download the latest firmware for your wireless router manufacturer's web site. If you've installed the firmware update and still can't connect, your next step is to temporarily disable WEP or WPA. If you can connect to the router when security is disabled, check all your WEP settings. You need to use exactly the same key on your router and any machines that connect to it wirelessly. Also make sure the Authentication Type on each of the PCs matches the setting on the router. Troubleshooting interference issues is more complex. First, you should move your router off of the default channel. Most routers shipped today are set at channel 6 be default, and the sheer traffic can create a lot of interference. You should also uncheck the field that says, "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks"-there is no advantage to the feature and it can cause your computer to behave erratically if you're in the proximity of the other networks. If you're still having problems connecting, there may be a hardware problem on your laptop. Check Device Manager and make sure there isn't an exclamation point beside your Wi-Fi card. You should also try connection to another router that you know works properly. Finally, try connecting to your network using the same settings, but a different brand of Wi-Fi card.
If all else fails, contact your router manufacturer's tech support line. You may actually have a faulty router.

Symptom: My broadband connection feels like it's downloading really slow.

Solution: Sadly, there isn't much you can do to improve your broadband connection's performance without spending more money to upgrade your existing service. Sure, there are a whole lot of products out there that claim to "improve your broadband speed" but we don't know of anything that actually works.
If your performance is significantly slower than the advertised claims of your provider, you should complain to your ISP. For services advertised as full-speed, we expect a minimum of 50kB/s download speeds and prefer to see our speeds top out over 100kBs. If you are paying for a high-speed broadband connection, but are seeing less than 50kB/s downloads, you should switch ISPs!

Symptom: I can't see the other computers on my home network from my laptop. What can I do to make it work right?

Solution: First, you need to make sure that each computer you want to connect to belongs to the same workgroup. Open the Start Menu and right-click My Computer. Go to Properties, then Computer Name. If your workgroup name doesn't match, you can change it by clicking the Change button. Some versions of Windows only show the computers that actually have shared folders or printers, so make sure you have at least one folder shared on every computer you're trying to connect to. The next step is to disable your firewall. By default, most firewalls block the ports used by Windows networking, keeping even legitimate users-like you-from connecting to your machine. If all your machines use the same workgroup and your firewalls are disabled, and you're using a wireless router, your problem could be the router. If your wired machines can all see each other, but a wired machine can't see a wireless machine, it's almost certainly the router's fault. Barring a firmware update that fixes the problem, there's no easy way top connect your machines if this is the case. Check with your router manufacturer for a newer version of the firmware. If that doesn't work, you may need to get newer hardware. Here's one last tip: You can try to connect to your computer's specific IP address instead of its name. To find the IP address, go to the Network Connections control panel, right-click your network card, and select Status. The IP address is on the Support tab. Once you have the IP, you can go back to your other computer and put //IP.address.here/ into Explorer. If you have shared folders on the PC you're trying to connect to, they should pop up immediately.

HARD DRIVE TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: I just got a new Serial ATA hard drive, but when I try to load the image of my current drive onto it, the drive-imaging software doesn't recognize my new hard drive.

Solution: This is a problem that has vexed us as well, and it comes down to the fact that most drive-imaging software programs don't recognize Serial ATA controllers and therefore won't let you image the drives connected to it. We've tested practically every imaging program on the market in the Lab, and the only one that successfully moved an image to a SATA drive and made it bootable was Symantec's (formerly Powerquest) Drive Image 2002.

Symptom: I just plugged in a brand-new hard drive but it's not showing up in Windows XP.

Solution: All brand-new hard drives are sold unformatted and thus don't show up in Windows until they've gone through the formatting process. To get up and running, connect the drive, boot your PC, and at the Windows desktop right-click the My Computer icon and select Manage. Click Disk Management in the left-hand tree, and every drive connected to your system will show up. Simply right-click your new drive and select New Partition. Then follow the steps to get your drive up and running.

Symptom: My system crashed, and when I rebooted, my RAID array was no longer working properly.

Solution: RAID arrays can stop functioning for several reasons, but it's usually a case of a cable coming loose or something in the BIOS being reset. Serial ATA cables easily come out of their drives, so check them first. If everything is connected properly, you should also check to make sure that the ports your array is plugged into are set to "RAID" rather then "IDE." Because these ports often double as either standard IDE ports or RAID ports, they must be set in the BIOS to one or the other. Be sure to check here first if your array suddenly disappears.

WINDOWS XP TROUBLESHOOTING

Symptom: My computer is acting odd. Loads of windows open all the time, and I'm getting a bunch of popup windows that don't look like Internet Explorer windows.

Solution: Your problem is most likely caused be incoming Messenger service messages. In a networked corporate environment, Messenger is used to send time sensitive messages about server outages, and software updates, but there's really no reason to leave Messenger running at home. To disable it, go to Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and then Services. Scroll down to Messenger, right-click it, and select Properties. Change the Setup Type to Disabled and then press OK.
Note that this Messenger service is different from Windows Messenger. You can disable this service and still receive instant messages!

Symptom: A couple of days ago, my computer began behaving very oddly. The disk runs a lot, even when I'm not using the computer, and my browser home page is reset to a site I've never been to before.

Solution: This sounds like a classic case of spyware infection. There are two apps we recommend for combating spyware: Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware. You can download Spybot from www.safer-networking.org and get Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de. Both applications scan your hard drive for potential spyware and will hep you reomove it if detected. We recommend using both apps, because sometimes one application will detect a new spyware program that the other won't. If one of the applications detects spyware on your PC, it will either automatically remove it, or give you instructions that allow you to remove it.

Symptom: My e-mail frequently stops working-it often stalls when receiving and sending. And no matter how many times I change the e-mail settings, it reverts to "localhost."

Solution: There's an outside change the problem could be a virus, but the most likely culprit is your antivirus program or your spam filtering program. These apps work by situating themselves between your mail program and your e-mail server, then taking a look at every piece of mail you receive. But if one of these programs crashes or needs input from you, it will hold up the e-mail download and your mail program will think the connection has died. If this happens, just restart your antivirus program and spam filtering program and try downloading messages again.

Symptom: I keep losing menu options in Microsoft Word.

Solution: Our bet is that you really like to use em-dashes. The default keyboard shortcut for an em-dash is Ctrl+Alt+the numpad Dash, but people often mistakenly press Ctrl+Alt+ the Dash on the primary keyboard, which is the default keyboard shortcut for "Remove item from the menu." After you call up that shortcut, your cursor will change to bold minus sign and the next menu or shortcut you click will disappear from Word. The solution? Don't use so many em-dashes! Alternately, you can remap the em-dash shortcut to something a little more convenient. Go to Tools, Customize, Commands, and then click the Keyboard button. Then, under Categories, scroll down to Common Symbols and click Em-dash in the right pane. Change the hotkey to whatever you'd like. We like Ctrl+M. To get back the menu items that you've lost, go to Tools, Customize, Commands, and drag the elusive commands back into place.

Symptom: I keep accidentally e-mailing my friend at her old address because the program created a shortcut for me.

Solution: This is an easy fix. When you're typing the name into your To: field, scroll up and down until you get to the one you want to delete. When it's highlighted press the Delete key and it will be gone forever!

Symptom: I get a ton of spam every day.

Solution: There are a couple of really good, free anti-spam utilities available today-SpamPal (www.spampal.org) and Popfile (popfile.sourceforge.net). They use slightly different approaches, but each can reduce your spam intake by up to 99 percent. SpamPal analyzes every e-mail you receive and compares the path it took across the Internet with the servers and IP addresses of known spammers. It's very effective right out of the box, but if you frequently receive e-mail from countries where spam is known to originate, such as China, Russia, and Taiwan, or from webmail services like Yahoo, which are frequently abused by spammers, you may see a lot of false positives.
On the other hand, Popfile uses a technique called Bayesian filtering to determine which letters are spam based on the content of your e-mails. Every time you mark a message as spam, the contents of the message are added to the database. This is highly effective once the filters are fully trained, but it can take several weeks of flagging each incoming message as spam before you start seeing greater than 90 percent accuracy.

Computers are shipped to the customer with factory settings and drivers, meant to standardize the performance and appearance of a particular brand or model. Here, we’ve assembled 10 fast n’ easy tweaks for any PC that break the “factory mold” and improve performance. Try a few of these tips and you may see significant increase!

1. Clean Out Your System Tray
   If you have a new PC, this is something to watch. If your PC is a few months (or even weeks) old, here’s a helpful tip: Eliminate every unnecessary application. These apps drain your processor’s cycles and memory. That means a gradual slowdown, until you’re crawling.

2. Update Your Drivers
   It’s easy and fast, yet most PC users never bother. Keeping on top of video card and chipset drivers by visiting the manufacturer’s site frequently can deliver amazing performance benefits. We recommend a once-a-month checkup of drivers. You’ll be happy you did.

3. Enable DMA For Your System
   First a definition of DMA: Short for direct memory access, a technique for transferring data from main memory to a device without passing it through the CPU. Computers that have DMA channels can transfer data to and from devices much more quickly than computers without a DMA channel can. This is useful for making quick backups and for real-time applications. So, here’s our recommendation: Go to the Device Manager of your PC and take a look at the Properties of your Primary IDE Channel. On the “Advanced Settings” tab, make sure that DMA, if available, is checked for both devices. Do the same thing with the “Secondary IDE Channel.”

4. Visit windowsupdate.com Regularly
   This is a big one. Also very fast and simple. The “patches” that are made available on a weekly basis not only provide protection for your PC, they are also designed to improve performance. We recommend at least twice per month.

5. Convert Your Drives To NTFS
   If you want to get the most from your drives, you may want to convert them to NTFS. Here’s how: Open a command line and type:

   Convert x: /fs:ntfs

   …Except you will replace the “x” with your drive’s letter-name.
   NOTE: Back up your important files before attempting this conversion.

6. Use Quick Launch
   Common problem. Simple fix. Instead of cluttering your Desktop with shortcuts, just right-click the Taskbar, go to Toolbars, and make sure Quick Launch is checked. Then drag your favorite shortcuts to the Quick Launch bar for easy access, anytime.

7. Speed Up Your User Interface
   Today’s PCs often come to you with many graphical bells and whistles, and while they’re cute, they rob your system of fundamental power. Faster is better. Here’s our recommendation: Go to the Display control panel, click the Appearance tab and hit the Effects button. Uncheck the first two options, as well as “Show shadows under menus.” Use minimal graphics and go faster.

8. Create One-Click Access To Device Manager
   To open Device Manager in Windows XP without the hassle of going to System Properties, just create a shortcut to “devmgmt.msc”

9. Did You Know Windows XP Has An On-Screen Keyboard?
   Another XP secret revealed. You may need it if you can’t get to your keyboard. Here’s how: Open My Computer and browse to C:/Windows/System32 then double-click osk.exe. The keyboard operates with simple point-and-click commands.

10. Defrag. Defrag. Defrag.
    A “must” for busy PC users, made simple. Here’s how: Regular defragmentation can improve your machine’s hard drive performance by massive amounts. To begin defragging, right-click your hard drive in My Computer, select Properties, go to the Tools tab, then click defrag. Do this religiously every month or so and you’ll enjoy smooth sailing.

If you want to create something in Word that will just dazzle someone, try your hand at customized greeting cards. To set up Word to create a greeting card from a single sheet of standard letter-size paper, follow these steps: 1. Choose File --> Page Setup. 2. Click the Margins tab. 3. Select the Landscape option in the Orientation area. 4. Choose the 2 Pages per Sheet option from the Multiple Pages drop-down list. This option tells Word to vertically split each page down the middle, creating (aha! — you guessed it) a greeting card. 5. Click OK. Now your document is properly formatted. All that remains is for you to fill in the greeting card with text and maybe a few graphics. But there's a special way you need to do it! The greeting card must be four pages long: two pages on the inside and two pages on the outside. (Only one sheet of paper is used, two "pages" per sheet.) Here's how the various pages shape up: Page 1 is the inside left-hand page. Usually, this page is left blank. So, in your document, you can press Ctrl+Enter to create a hard page break and leave that page blank. Page 2 is the inside right-hand page. This page is where you put your sappy message — maybe a graphic. Page 3 is the outside "back" cover. This page can be blank, or you can put at the bottom some tiny text boasting of your word-processing prowess or that the card would have cost $3.95 ($5.95 Canadian) had you bought it at a fancy greeting card store. Page 4 ends up being the cover for the greeting card. Put a graphic and/or flowery text here. Got it? Don't worry, it all works out. Fill in your greeting card accordingly. To print the greeting card, you need to be tricky. Follow these steps: 1. Choose File --> Print. 2. Type 1-2 in the Pages box. You want to print only pages 1 and 2 the first time. 3. Click OK. Take the page out of the printer and put it back into the printer tray. Ensure that the page is in the printer tray upside down so that the next page prints on the backside. (This may take a few tries, so be patient.) Now, print the backside: 1. Choose File --> Print. 2. Type 3-4 in the Pages box. You want to print only pages 3 and 4 this time. 3. Click OK. If everything goes well, you should be able to fold the paper down the middle and — voilà! — you have a greeting card. If you're into elaborate greeting card formatting, consider using section breaks to divide the greeting card and not just the hard page breaks you get by pressing Ctrl+Enter. Watch out for fancy, thick paper. It tends to jam most laser printers. (If your laser printer has a single-sheet feed and a pass-through slot out the back, printing on thick paper may work.) Greeting-card stock is difficult as all heck to get through an inkjet printer, too!

Every printer eats envelopes in a different manner. Some printers have fancy envelope feeders, while others have envelope slots or pop-out manual feeding trays. The following steps show you how to configure Word to properly print an envelope on your printer.
Locate the envelope feeder/slot on your printer.
Notice exactly how the envelope is inserted: There is probably an icon printed or molded on the printer that tells you to insert the envelope in the middle, to the left, to the right, long-ways or whatever. Also, check to see if it's fed face-up or face-down.
Choose Tools, Envelopes and Labels.
The Envelopes and Labels dialog box appears. Make sure the Envelopes tab in the dialog box is up front.
Click the Feed button.
This displays the Envelope Options dialog box, Printing Options tab.
Select whether your envelope goes in face up or face down.
Click the appropriate Face Up or Face Down button.
Select your envelope's orientation.
One of the six displayed Feed methods should do it. If necessary, click the Clockwise Rotation check box to flip the envelope 180 degrees.
Click OK.
This closes the Envelope Options dialog box.
Now you're ready to create or print an envelope, or you can click Cancel to return to your document. Word knows about your printer and can properly print an envelope the next time you demand one.

When you need to skip a single occurrence of a recurring task in Outlook 2003, you don't have to change the recurrence pattern of the task forever. All you need to do is skip the occurrence you want to skip and leave the rest alone.

To skip a recurring task, follow these steps:

1. Click the Tasks button in the Navigation Pane (or press Ctrl+4).

Your list of tasks appears.

2. Click the words "Simple List" in the Current View section of the Navigation Pane.

It doesn't matter which view you use, as long as you can see the name of the task you want to skip. Try the Simple List because it's . . . well, simple.

3. Double-click the name of the task you want to change.

The Task form appears.

4. Choose Actions, Skip Occurrence.

The due date changes to the date of the next scheduled occurrence.

5. Click Save and Close.

Your task remains in the list with the new scheduled occurrence date showing.

When you want to talk with distant friends, you usually call them on the phone and start speaking. A phone conversation is fast, reliable, and efficient. So why do so many people use Windows Messenger, a program that lets people type little messages back and forth to each other? Messenger fans cite several reasons:

• It's free. Built in to Windows XP, Windows Messenger lets you communicate with other Windows Messengers users worldwide, with no long distance charges.

• It's polite. As Windows Messenger sits in your taskbar, it lists your friends' names and whether they're currently available for conversations. That eliminates playing phone tag and keeps you from bothering people who are busy.

• It's convenient. Speaking on the phone requires all your attention. Windows Messenger lets you keep working in the background, simultaneously holding multiple conversations while shuffling papers.

• It's useful. In addition to exchanging text messages, users can send files and photos. Windows Messenger can take advantage of attached cameras and microphones to hold videoconferences with your friends.

Windows Messenger is far from problem-free, however. Its far-reaching features make it somewhat complicated to figure out for the first time. And although several companies (Yahoo! and AOL, for instance) offer instant messaging software, they're not always compatible: Windows Messenger can't send messages to AOL's Instant Messenger, for instance.

Also, because people can swap files as easily as banter, instant messaging software provides yet another roadway for traveling viruses. Many corporations ban them at work, fearing that employees are either revealing trade secrets or talking about last night's Sopranos episode. Finally, instant message conversations aren't as secure as e-mail.

• Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger are two different programs that do pretty much the same thing. Both Messenger programs can talk to each other. However, it's best to install one or the other, but not both. Uninstall MSN Messenger before using Windows Messenger, for instance.

• Microsoft constantly releases new versions of Windows Messenger. To find out which version you're using, choose About from the program's Help menu. Compare that version number with the latest one available from Microsoft by using Windows Update, and download the newer one if necessary.

Getting started with a .NET Passport

To start flinging messages to people around the world, sign up for what Microsoft dubs a .NET Passport. The easiest way is to sign up for a free Hotmail account. Fill out the short questionnaire, and Microsoft assigns you a Hotmail e-mail address. Log in to Windows Messenger using that address, and you're set.

It's completely ethical to lie when filling out Microsoft's .NET Passport questionnaire. Your personal information is none of Microsoft's business. Let Microsoft fill its databases from credit card companies, like everybody else does.

Signing on to Messenger and adding friends

After you have a Hotmail account, you're ready to log on. Windows Messenger almost always sits quietly in your taskbar, next to your clock. (It also tends to pop into action whenever you open Outlook Express.) Can't find it? Then click the Start button, choose All Programs, and click the Windows Messenger icon, shown in the margin, to bring it to life.

When you sign on for the first time, however, there's not much to do. Just as you need a friend's e-mail address in order to send that person an e-mail, you need a friend's Windows Messenger address before you can send him or her an instant message. Ask your friends for their Messenger addresses and then add them as contacts by following these steps:

1. Click Add a Contact from Windows Messenger.

Or you can choose Add a Contact from the Tools menu.

2. Choose to add the contact by e-mail address or sign-in name and then click Next.

Searching by a known e-mail address or sign-in name always works better than searching by name and geographic location. You can also search for strangers to chat with.

3. Type your friend's e-mail address and click Next.

Make sure you're typing in your friend's Windows Messenger e-mail address, which is often different than his or her e-mail address.

If you entered the person's correct e-mail address, Microsoft locates your friend and adds his or her name to your Contact list so you can start sending that person messages.

4. Click Next to add more contacts or click Finish if you're through.

Windows Messenger updates itself to display your newly added contacts.

Don't want to be disturbed? Then tell Windows Messenger to display your status as unavailable by clicking your name and choosing any of the following options from the drop-down list: Online, Busy, Be Right Back, Away, On the Phone, Out to Lunch, or Appear Offline.

• You can make Windows Messenger automatically list your status as Busy when you begin working. Choose Options from the Tools menu and click the Preferences tab. Then make sure a check mark appears in the Block Alerts and Set Status to "Busy" When Running Full-Screen Programs box.

• Whenever one of your contacts signs in to Windows Messenger, a small window known as an alert appears in the bottom-right corner of your screen to let you know they've just fired up Windows Messenger.

Sending and receiving an instant message

If a friend's online, you can contact that person in a variety of ways. Right-click on any contact's name to see your options.

Choose Send an Instant Message, for instance, to make a window appear on your friend's screen and display your message. If your computer has a microphone and video camera, you can hold a voice or video conversation. Windows Messenger lets you swap files, too.

Sending instant messages is probably the most foolproof way to communicate, when you follow these steps:

1. Right-click on your friend's name in Windows Messenger and choose Send an Instant Message.

2. Type your message and click the Send button.

Your words instantly appear on your friend's Windows Messenger.

When your friend responds, those words appear in your Windows Messenger window.

• To add little smiley faces and other symbols (known as emoticons), click the little smiley face. A menu drops down, listing all the available symbols. Click the one you want, and it appears in your message.

As Microsoft says, never give out your password or credit card number in an instant message conversation. Instant messages aren't nearly as secure as e-mail.

• After you've started a conversation, it's easy to send or receive a file. Click Send a File or Photo and choose the file or photo from the window that appears. Your friend sees a message asking whether he or she wants the file. If your friend clicks Yes, the file wends its way to his or her computer. If your friend declines to download the file, Windows Messenger tells you that.

• When somebody sends you a file or photo, you'll find it in the My Received Files folder inside your My Documents folder.

Are you having a problem running older games in Windows XP?

My son got a star wars game for Christmas that was made to run in Windows 98. Every time he ran the game, it would start to load and then totally disappear. I think this has something to do with Windows XP automatically closing DOS windows when it thinks they are finished.

The game had a shortcut on the desktop, so I right clicked on the shortcut and clicked "Properties".

On the Properties window, I clicked the "Compatibility" tab and near the top there was a section called "compatibility Mode".

I clicked in the box to run the program in compatibility mode and then was able to pick the version of Windows that the game was made for.

I clicked "OK" and the game has run great ever since.

You change the oil in your car every 5,000 miles or so. You clean your house every week or two. Your PC needs regular maintenance as well -- especially if you're using Windows and you spend a lot of time on the Internet.

Virus checkers need to be updated. Spyware or adware may have sneaked onto your PC and the clutter could be slowing everything down.

I have a checklist I follow at the end of every month for keeping my computer properly tuned. The steps may differ slightly, depending on your operating system. Clicking the "Start" button, going to the "Help" section and searching for a feature will show you how to adapt this list to your machine.

Here's my drill:

CLEAR THE DESKTOP. I look at my desktop icons to see if I can consolidate some of them in folders. To create a folder, put your cursor in a blank portion of the screen, click on the right mouse button, select "New" and "Folder." Click on the folder to rename it. Then you can drag desktop icons onto it. I had a friend who, until I taught him this trick, had a screen so cluttered with icons he could barely see his wallpaper.

CLEAR THE PROGRAMS. Next, I get rid of unused programs. But beware: Dragging their desktop icons into the Recycle Bin won't work. Instead, click on the "Start" button, select "Programs," find the program you want to remove, and look for an "Uninstall" option. If there isn't one, click on "Start," select "Settings," then "Control Panel," double-click on the "Add/Remove Programs" icon, look for the program on the list, and then click "Add/Remove." If that doesn't work, I insert the original disk that contained the program. The opening screen often has an "Uninstall" option.

UPDATE AND RUN THE VIRUS CHECKER. This should be done at least once a month. I've been using McAfee for years and, once you're connected to the Internet, updating is as simple as opening the main program and clicking the "Update" button. Once that's done -- the computer can appear to stall for many minutes, so be patient -- reboot the computer and run the virus checker.

By the way, if you keep your computer on all the time -- which I do not -- most virus checkers can be programed to run at specified times. I recommend 3 a.m. daily.

CLEAR THE CLUTTER. Running the "Disk Cleanup" program, found by clicking on "Start," "Programs, "Accessories," and "System Tools," will get rid of temporary files, empty your recycle bin and eliminate other junk.

UPDATE SPYWARE/ADWARE REMOVERS. Spyware and adware -- also known as scumware -- are programs that can sneak onto your computer via the Internet, slow your PC down, give you unwanted ads, and snoop on your Internet browsing habits. I use "Ad-aware" from http://www.lavasoftusa.com. Use the "Check for Updates Now" feature and let the updates install. But wait before you actually run the main program.

By the way, many readers have told me they run both "Ad-aware" and "Spybot: Search and Destroy" from http://www.safer-networking.org, another free program, to be sure all the spies are out of their system.

GO INTO SAFE MODE. I close all my programs and restart the computer in "Safe Mode." In my case, after the rebooting process has begun, I have to hit the "F8" key when I hear the beep. The process varies from computer to computer. In safe mode, the graphics look horrible, but it doesn't load programs that will interfere with what I do next.

RUN THE SPYWARE/ADWARE REMOVERS. They work more effectively in the "Safe Mode." For me, Ad-aware takes about 5 minutes to run.

The remaining steps don't need to be done regularly, but it's a good idea to do them once in a while.

Again, make sure you are in "Safe Mode," and turn off your screen saver by going to "Start," "Settings," "Control Panel," "Display," clicking on the "Screen Saver" tab, and using the pulldown menu to select "None." Then click OK and close all windows.

RUN SCANDISK (unless you have Windows XP "ScanDisk" can be found by going back to the "System Tools" folder. It checks your hard drive for problems. Make sure the "Automatically Fix Errors" box is checked and do a "Thorough" scan. Don't plan on using your computer for quite a while. It typically takes many hours.

RUN DISK DEFRAGMENTER. This is also found in the "System Tools" folder. It consolidates the files on your hard drive, making things run smoother. I start this when I'm ready to go to bed. It takes all night.

When I'm finished, I reboot the computer and it brings me back to normal.

Windows XP includes a tool that has the express task of helping you clean your hard drive. Bearing the moniker Disk Cleanup tool, you might think that it can be helpful in taming your data. In reality, the Disk Cleanup tool just barely scratches the surface in helping clean up your data. Don't take that as a negative statement of the program — it's not. The tool is a great place to reclaim some easily reclaimable hard-drive space. The most common areas checked by the program follow: Temporary Windows files: As Windows goes about its regular business, it periodically creates temporary files. If all goes well, those files are deleted when no longer needed. If (for some strange reason) they aren't, the Disk Cleanup tool identifies them as targets for deletion. Temporary Internet files: While browsing the Internet, lots of temporary files are automatically downloaded to your system. Getting rid of these can free up disk space, but it can also make accessing your favorite Web sites just a bit slower until the temporary files are again downloaded. (Go ahead and delete them, because the temporary files include many from sites you may never visit again.) Temporary program files: Many programs create temporary files and place them (appropriately enough) in a system folder for temporary files. Disk Cleanup tool targets temporary files in this folder for deletion, but only if they haven't been modified in the past week. Downloaded program files: This doesn't mean the latest shareware you downloaded. It refers to controls and applets that are downloaded as part of the Web pages you visit. Recycle Bin: Delete a file? Bam! It ends up in the Recycle Bin faster than you can blink. If you're the type who forgets to empty the Recycle Bin, the Disk Cleanup tool is pleased to point out your character flaw. Setup log files: While installing various Windows pieces and parts, the system keeps track of what it does through log files. After a time, these files can be safely deleted. Running the tool When you tell Disk Cleanup to delete files, those files are deleted for good. They aren't moved to the Recycle Bin, as typically happens when you delete other files. Make sure you really want to delete the files that Disk Cleanup is proposing to delete. To run Disk Cleanup, follow these steps: 1. Choose Start --> All Programs --> Accessories --> System Tools --> Disk Cleanup. • If you have multiple hard drives on your system, you're asked to choose which hard drive to analyze. The Select Drive dialog box appears. Go to Step 2. • If you have only one hard drive, Disk Cleanup begins running. Eventually, a dialog box appears that asks you to select the drive you want to clean up. Go to Step 3. 2. Choose a hard drive and click OK. The Disk Cleanup tool starts looking through the contents of the hard drive you selected, calculating how much space it can reclaim. After a time — the exact amount of time depends on how much data is on your hard drive — you see a dialog box from which you can pick what you want to clean. 3. Scroll through the Files to Delete list, highlighting items to find out more about them (cursory explanations appear in the Description area) and selecting the check box of each item you want to delete. Pay attention to the disk space at the right side of the dialog box (under the Files to Delete list) — it tells you how much of your disk drive is each item occupies. 4. When you're satisfied with your choices, click OK. 5. Disk Cleanup asks if you want to proceed; you must click Yes to continue. When you do, the deletions commence. Depending on what you asked Disk Cleanup to do, the actual cleanup can take a few minutes to complete. If you want to use Disk Cleanup a lot and you don't want to traverse so many menu choices, just choose Start --> Run and run the cleanmgr program. Early warning system If your insatiable desire for data outstrips your capacity to store that data, you could run out of hard-drive space. When you start running low on disk space, Windows XP gets nervous and warns you about the situation: When you have only about 200MB of free disk space, a message lets you know. This message appears once during each Windows session. When you have only about 80MB of free disk space, a similar message is displayed, appearing once every four hours — up to two times per Windows session. When you have only about 50MB of free disk space, a message appears every five minutes. When you have only about 10MB of free disk space, Windows automatically calls up your local computer store and orders a new hard drive. The drive is installed by elves while you're asleep. The last item would be pretty cool, but Windows hasn't quite gotten there — yet. If you see a low disk space message, start getting rid of some files! If you click the message, the Disk Cleanup tool runs automatically.

After you've purchased a new computer and transferred everything of value from the old computer to the new, what do you do with the old computer? You're left with several options.

• Many people simply pass their old computers down to the kids, much like the oldest child's clothing moves down to the next oldest child. Kids don't need powerhouse computers for typing term papers.
• Others donate them to charities, although many charities are picky about what they'll accept. Make sure the computer's still working and has a monitor.
• Throw it in the trash. An increasing number of cities and states are outlawing this, however, because of the hazardous waste that enters the landfills. California, Texas, and other states ban some computer equipment from landfills.
• Recycle it. Dell, for instance, will recycle your old computer when you buy a new Dell computer. Even if you're not buying Dell, visit the recycling page at Dell's Web site for lots of general recycling information. Ask your IBM dealer about its recycling plan as well.

It's wise to keep an old computer around for several weeks as you use your new computer. You might remember an important file or setting on the old computer that hasn't yet been transferred over.

Here are four common PC problems you may be able to fix by yourself:

1.	You turn on the computer and nothing happens. No lights, no beeps, no fan noise. What is the first thing you do? Be sure the darn thing is plugged in! Even if you're absolutely certain that it is connected, double check. Assuming that it is plugged in, you probably have a bad power supply. This is a metal box located in the top and back of the computer. It is usually held in by four screws and the power cable connects to it. A fan blows air out the back. A wiring harness exits the power supply inside the computer. Numerous power connectors are attached to the ends of the wires. These plug into drives, fans and possibly other gizmos. The harness also will have connectors to the motherboard. It doesn't matter which wire connects where, as long as the connector fits. When you open the computer, this mess of wiring can be very intimidating. Study it, and you'll find it less mysterious. Note the connections in writing, if necessary. Disconnect the wires and remove the power supply. Take it to the computer store and get a replacement with the same wattage. Figure on spending $50-$70.
2.	The computer comes on, but nothing appears on your monitor. In other words, Windows never shows up. You may have a monitor problem. Try using another known-good monitor on the computer and see if anything shows up on the screen. If the second monitor works, the first one is bad. Monitors are not worth repairing. Just buy a new one. Never open the back of a monitor to fix it. The capacitors inside monitors store electricity. You could be injured or even killed. If the screen is dark, it could be a video card problem. First, find the video card. This is a circuit board that fits into a slot in the motherboard. The cable from the monitor connects to the VGA (video graphics adapter) port, which sticks out through the back of the computer. If the VGA port is part of the motherboard, the video is built-in. You can't fix that. Otherwise, it will be part of the video card. Assuming you have a separate card, be sure it is firmly seated. The front end of the card can rise out of the slot inadvertently when the back end is screwed down to the computer frame. If you have a computer that is working perfectly, turn it off and remove the video card. Put the card that works in the problem computer. If the system works, you need a new card. If you don't have an extra card to test your system, buy a cheap one ($30-$50). If it doesn't solve the problem, take it back. You can spend hundreds of dollars on a video card. But if you're running business applications and surfing the Web, buy on price. The expensive stuff is for serious gamers.
3.	If you regularly get the "Blue Screen of Death," you may have a random access memory (RAM) problem. Note the message on the blue screen, especially the numbers. Check it in Microsoft's Help and Support Knowledge Base. Also, put the text of the error message in a search engine and check the Internet. Assuming you can diagnose it, a memory problem is easy to fix. If you can't find the diagnosis information you need online, you can try swapping out memory sticks from another computer. But that memory must be the same type. If all else fails, take the old memory to a computer store. The people there may be willing to test it. Sticks of memory go in slots near the microprocessor. They're about four inches long. Remove the old memory and match it at the store. Memory prices are all over the map, depending on type and speed. Be sure you get the same type. When you press the new memory into the slot, you will probably have to use some force. The clips on each end will snap into place when the memory is seated properly.
4.	If you boot up, and the computer cannot find the C: drive, you might have a bad hard drive. If you have another computer, swap hard drives to diagnose the problem. If your computer boots with the other drive, yours is probably bad. Sometimes, a reboot will work. Your drive might have enough life to spin up occasionally. If this works, transfer your data to another drive, pronto. According to techie lore, you can seal a nonworking drive in a bag and put it in a freezer overnight. That could shrink things enough to free them up. I've used this trick a few times and it's worth a try. A regular backup regimen will save you in case of hard-drive failure, assuming you aren't backing up to the same hard drive. If the drive is dead and you don't have a backup, a computer shop may be able to save your data. Hard drives are cheap. You can get a replacement for less than $100. Get one boxed for retail, which will include instructions and any hardware needed. Your hard drive is in the front of your machine. It will be about the size of a paperback book and is probably held in by four screws, two on each side. Power and ribbon cables connect to the back. Put the new drive in and install it as the master. Reconfigure the old drive as the slave. The instructions that come with the new drive should explain that. Boot the computer and install Windows on the new drive. If you're lucky, the computer will see the old drive (it will be D:). You can then transfer your data to the new drive. Replacing a hard drive is more difficult than the other operations. However, if you pay to have the work done, it may not be cost effective. You might be better off buying a new machine. So if you are adventuresome, and you have the time, changing the hard drive may be worthwhile.

Know your limitations

Some things may be beyond your ability. For instance, upgrading a microprocessor can be dicey. Even if a faster microprocessor will fit in your motherboard, you probably need to upgrade the BIOS (Basic Input Output System). This is done through a process called "flashing," in which information is downloaded to change the BIOS. If flashing isn't done correctly, the computer can be rendered useless. Leave that to the experts.

There are times when fixing a computer just isn't worthwhile. New machines can be had for less than $500. That might be all you need for business purposes. So, if you're facing a $300 repair, maybe it's time to look around. That repair probably won't be the last