General Computer Questions...

[blinc]

Ok, since I've almost always got a general question to ask, that doesn't fit in any particular area, what about a general, free for all area? One that we can just post day to day operating questions under?

Ok, here's one that I was just trying to figure out. I've seen it somewhere, I think. Isn't there some way to open another window while you're in a certain area? Like if you were here on the forum, but wanted to be looking at something else at the same time. How do you have more then one window open? Or get another window open may be a better way to ask the question.

[kezzer]

My hotmail and yahoomail always open up anther window, so whenever I need one I just open up one of those. I know there's another easier way to do it but I'm not sure how.

[RoadRunner]

CTRL-n opens a new window in MS Internet Explorer.

[kezzer]

AH- HA!! I knew there was a way! Thanks Roadrunner!

[jamesglewisf]

Also--in MS IE if you hold down on the shift key when you click a link, it will open the link in a new window.

[roldfiel]

Okay-This is definitely general. My husband and I are planning on buying a new computer when I get home. He found the Gateway Performance 1400. He has been told that it is the best by some and others have said a computer that size is unecessary. What do you think? What is your favorite brand? We liked Gateway because of the ability to trade it in within 2 years. I am not quite sure how to begin the selection process.

[RoadRunner]

I always recommend Dell. Gateway has a good reputation though. My guess is that you probably don't get that good of a trade-in from Gateway. It is kind of like leasing - a big ripoff. Leasing maximizes the interest rate and minimizes the trade-in value. I'm sure they minimize it here also.

[TTP]

From what I've seen, Dell had the best warranty.

[RoadRunner]

In MS IE, you used to be able to right-click on a frame and open it in it's own window. It doesn't seem like you can do that anymore. Does anybody know what I'm doing wrong? Or am I just remembering wrong?

[jamesglewisf]

I found out at another board:

This isn't part of the standard Internet Explorer distibutions. It is part of a package called "Web Accessories"

You can find the download here: http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/IE/WebAccess/ie5tools.asp

Other useful addons can be found at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/WebAccess/default.asp

[blinc]

Oooh, control N, that was exactly what I was thinking of, once I saw your post I knew it was familiar. Thank you Roadrunner!!

Roldfiel, Bill and I did a lot of research before we bought ours. We went with a HP Pavillion because there were great references as to the tech support they offer. Plus, it seems that HP's are one of the easiest systems to upgrade. I don't know about Dell, we didn't research that one. oops. I've heard about a couple problems with Gateway as well. One was that there tech support wasn't that good and another was that they were hard to upgrade? We only talked to two people with Gateways though. Talked to about 8 with HP's, a few with Compaq and a couple others I can't think of right off the bat.

I really like our HP. It's easy to operate, even for us computer dummies. The only BAD thing is that it doesn't have real good instructions. However, it did come with 90 day free tech support for ANY questions you had on operating your computer. The only problem with that, was that by the time we figured out the questions that we needed answered (not having a computer before), the free tech support offer was expired. Oh well. That's what's so great about this area of the forum. FREE TECH SUPPORT! {toothy}

[blinc]

This is a question about the Outlook Express email program. I have to go in and manually click on "Html" and the style/size of font I want everytime I want to send a nice looking email. Does anyone know how to make those preferences stick? To make them stay that way so I can have a consistent style of email?

[RoadRunner]

Menu Tools/Options
Send Tab
Mail Sending Format = HTML

[blinc]

Roadrunner, you're a genius! I love it! Found if I clicked on the "compose" tab I could reset the font style. Thank you!! I thought there must be a way to make it permanent and sure enough there it was, just like you said.

By any chance... after tinkering around in there awhile, (I can't find it), but do you know if there is a way to make your background color a set color? I really like the silver background, but didn't see how to make that a permanent option. I know, give an inch and I'll pester you to death! {toothy}

[blinc]

I've really messed things up now... while typing, I accidentaly hit one of the F keys. I'm thinking it was the F9 key. Now my top tool bar is all messed up. It has not only what was there to begin with... Back, forward, stop, home, search, history, mail, etc... but also has a few things that were on the bottom toolbar up there as well.

Plus, my bottom toolbar keeps going invisible unless I put my mouse down there. *bangs head wall*

Can anyone help me out with this. The darn things are confusing enough without stuff disappearing and rearrranging itself! heeeeeeeeeeeelp! please!

[blinc]

Sound the all clear. I had to go in, reset the Scanreg to yesterday's settings, then reboot the computer.

If you do know what happend, or have an idea, would someone mind posting it here. It sure would be easier then having to reset the settings and reboot if there is an easier way.
*grumble*
Dang thing just took 10 years off my cyber-life!;)

[TTP]

Hmmm, I've been sitting here trying to mess up this computer by pressing all those buttons...F1 got me a help?
W/ your bottom 'toolbar' dissapearing on ya, if you right-click on it and go to properties, then take the check-mark out of "Auto Hide," it shouldn't dissapear on ya.
I'm not sure what you mean by gaving more stuff on your top toolbar. You could also try right-clicking on that and testing what shouldn't and shouldn't have a check by it...
I can't figure out what exactly you did to that thing! That poor, poor computer... 8-P J/K I honestly don't know though. {toothy}

[blinc]

*grin* Yup, the poor thing doesn't know which way to go half the time. I'm not sure which one I pushed either. I'm wondering if this cast bumped another key at the same time so it was a combination of keys?

The bottom tool bar has things like MSN messenger, yahoo messenger, etc. on it. When it got weird the other day, parts of the bottom tool bar popped up on top... like the MSN, Yahoo, the printer icon and something else. It was all messed up.. plus everything up there was in black and white instead of the blue blackground. Yuh huh, it was so and no I'm not smoking anything weird. {toothy}

I'll have to try that right clicking next time. Was so fribitzled it didn't even occur to me.

[blinc]

{wavey} Heelllooooo, it's me again! *grin*

Ok, here's a question that probably has a simple solution but I've not been able to find the answer for a couple of weeks now.

When we used to insert a game cd into our system (drive N) it would automatically load the game and the first "page" of the game would appear on the screen. Then we would just click on whether to start a new game or to load a saved game. Now, we have to go into the Start, find the game, and click on it to get it to load.

Does anyone know how we can get the settings back to automatically load a game cd when it's put into the player?

[dreuby]

Hi

Start > Settings > control Panel > system > Device managager Tab
Right click on the CDRom and click properties
Settings > autoinsert

I'm sure there's a quicker way - can anyone remember it?

[blinc]

Start > Settings > control Panel > system > Device managager Tab
Right click on the CDRom and click properties
Settings > autoinsert

Hey, Dreuby, thank you for offering to help! That's really nice! :)

I can get to the point of Settings and it has a middle area with these options:

Disconnect
Sync Data Transfer
Auto Insert Notification
Removeable
Int 13 Unit
DMA

The little boxes beside Disconnect, Auto Insert and DMA are checked.

I don't know what else to do... it still isn't automatically loading the CD when we put it in, but it's not a big deal. Just curious as to why it quit doing it.

[Alec]

What this does is tell the computer to look for a particular file on the CD. I think it is called Autostart or something like that. If it doesn't find the file on the CD, it won't work. Does it work with some CDs and not others?

[blinc]

I can't find anything that says "autostart".... but to answer your question, no it isn't working on any cd's we put in. We have to go into programs and run it from there. It used to be we'd stick a game cd in and bam, it automatically loaded... it just doesn't do it anymore and I have the feeling it has something to do with us messing around when we made a music cd. That somehow we've switched the settings around so it doesn't automatically load anymore, but can't find it anywhere! Aargh! {toothy}

[TTP]

Hmmm, what was suggested should have worked.
Do you have two cdrom drives? I know you have the rw drive, but what about a regular drive?
Even if...it should have helped. I would try uninstalling the drivers for it and then letting windows reinstall them.
If all else fails you could try editing your registry and deleting some system keys...if all else fails...
Uninstalling the drivers is not hard and sounds worse then it is. Although I highly recommend calling your tech support and having them walk you through it, for anyone reading. I'll tell you how, but don't get upset at me if it goofs up! {toothy} It's unlikely, but stranger things have happened I guess...
To begin with, make sure you have a copy of the version of windows on your computer, as in the CD. After you have that:
Hold down on the Windows key (flag) and then press your pause/break key (located above page up on most standard keyboards)
A window will appear, click on device manager.
Hit the plus sign infront of cdroms.
Highlight a cdrom drive, there may be more than one...do the top first, then click on remove, click yes (or ok)
Repeat until all the cdrom drives are gone, and cdroms should actually drop off the list.
(If it asks you to restart before all the drives are gone, click no, then once they are all gone close all your open windows and go to start-->shutdown-->restart, and press enter.)
Your computer will now restart and when it loads windows you will see a screen flash that says, "Windows has found new hardware...Windows is looking for the best software...la di da..." In a perfect world, if will find it by itself and reload it, but there may be a chance that it can't find the driver in your windows directory and it will ask you to insert the driver...it is on the cd, just put it in and browse to it...clicking ok should zip it back through.
It should load windows back up and then you can check to see if it is loading them again, if not...in the next lesson you will need to bring a chisel, hammer, glass cutter, anvil, and your choice of burning fuel. {toothy}
Good luck!

[blinc]

{eek} {eek} EEEEEEEKKK! {toothy}

Uh huh. surrre. You think you're talking to a geek doncha? {toothy} Hee hee hee! Couldn't help that!

Ya huh. I'll be doin' that straight away matey. {toothy}
Can't quit laughing cuz, if you had a way to see me through this monitor you would have seen me with my mouth hanging open while reading that. *giggle*

Seriously now, *snork* {toothy} quit that laughing! Dagnabit!

*deep breath*

We do have two cd drives. One for the cd rewrite (drive M) and then the one where we put regular game and music cd's (drive N). I'm thinking maybe because there's two drives the autostart feature thing isn't located where it would be normally on a single drive computer? Dag, wish I could drag ya over here and point at it, and say "see, it's that thing!" {toothy}

I'll definitely have to dig around and find the cd's for the programs. If I did try that... would that automatically erase anything, because the computer would think I was restoring the whole kit'n'kaboodle?

[TTP]

If you just go in and delete the driver and restart you shouldn't loose any information.
It sounds worse then it is trust me. I (we) do it all the time to get things working correctly.
I was wondering about the two drive thing just to make sure you were looking at the correct drive, but I'm sure that is the case.
I'll do some more looking. I'll also ask a couple people...if I can get ahold of them.

[Noseypoo]

OK, a question ...

How can I get MS IE to remember the window-size? It doesn't seem to do that lately, but it used to remember the size fine!! {mad}

[theyeti]

Happens to me too! I don't know why it does that.

[jamesglewisf]

Close all browswer windows but one. Size that one to how you want it. Now close it. When you re-open the browser, it should be that size.

[Noseypoo]

Close all browswer windows but one. Size that one to how you want it. Now close it. When you re-open the browser, it should be that size.
It worked!!! Thanks much! {yes}

[Noseypoo]

Ok, another question ...

My tool bar menu is messed up ... there's an empty space! Plus when I click Google, the websearch bar pops up and vice versa. But that's not all, once a toolbar is selected, it won't remember the place I put. I tried opening and closing the windows to remember, but it just won't ...

Help?

[jamesglewisf]

Sometimes you need to go to Internet Options and clear history, cache, etc.

Close all of your browser windows.

Uninstall google and then reinstall it.

[jamesglewisf]

ooops. I answered the wrong post.

I would unistall all of your browser toolbars. You probably do it in the Control Panel. Then I would run Ad Aware to get rid of the ones that don't come off easily: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/. Then reinstall only the ones you use.

[Noseypoo]

I tried all that, but I'll try again ... can't hurt ;)

Thank you :)