computer

Mon
02
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Restore Default Windows Fonts?

Infopackets Reader Vlad M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm using a laptop that I've had for several years, during which time I've accumulated a sizable number of fonts in the c:\windows\fonts directory. Some of the fonts I chose to install, some came ... pre-bundled with programs, and some came from previous versions of Windows when I upgraded (I am now using Windows 7 Ultimate). Question: how can I determine which fonts are necessary for Windows to run properly, and which I can uninstall to reduce load time and clutter? Thanks! " My response: There isn't a clear-cut way to do this in Windows, and ... (view more)

Fri
27
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Web Pages Load Slow, but I have Fast Internet. Why?

Infopackets Reader Paul H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently upgraded my Internet connection speed through my Internet Service Provider, and I now have 60MB broadband service. As I expected, I have really fast downloads and web pages load lightening ... fast. However, some websites are considerably slower than I would expect, even slower than before the upgrade. Any ideas why that might be? " My Response: There are many reasons why some pages don't load as fast as others, even if you upgraded your broadband. The most important point to understand is that even though you have a fast ... (view more)

Mon
23
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

How can a Hacker Access my Router and Network?

Infopackets Reader Dean S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've read that most WiFi routers use weak passwords (example: admin / admin), or none by default. I understand that for security reasons, the router administrator user and password should be set to ... prevent outsiders / hackers from logging into the router and changing the WiFi settings. On my own router I am connected to it via cable, and can connect by WiFi if I login with the password set for WPA2 security. What I have not been able to understand is how does the hacker connect to the router, and how can they adjust my WiFi settings ... (view more)

Fri
20
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

UDF vs ISO: Why won't my CD-RW work in Another PC?

Infopackets Reader Philip S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I use Windows XP and I often write my data to CD-RW (CD rewritable) discs. The problem is that some computers won't read the discs that I've created, whereas others will. I'm pretty sure the ... problem has to do with the format I'm using when I create the disc, but I'm not sure how to tweak the settings so that the discs are compatible on all computers. I am currently using Windows XP and Explorer to write the discs, using UDF format. Any ideas? " My response: You're correct -- the problem is with the UDF disc format and / or the way that you ... (view more)

Mon
16
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Reset Admin Password (Windows Vista)?

Infopackets Reader Steve W. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your articles on how to reset the admin password in Windows XP , and Windows 7 and 8 . I have a friend who is locked out of his Windows Vista machine and was wondering if the instructions ... for resetting the admin password are similar? If not can you tell me how to reset a user account password for Windows Vista? " My Response: Resetting an admin or user password for Windows Vista uses similar methods previously discussed. Note that if you can login as the "Administrator" user, you can also use this account to reset any user password ... (view more)

Fri
13
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Reset Admin Password (Windows XP)?

Infopackets Reader Bill F. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your article on how to reset the admin password for Windows 7 and 8 . I have an old Windows XP machine and can't login because I lost my password. Do you have similar steps on how to reset ... the admin password for Windows XP? " My response: The steps to reset the administrator password for Windows XP is different than what what was previously described in the article for Windows 7 and 8. Note that if you can login as the "Administrator" user, you can also use this account to reset any user password on the system. So, the steps below ... (view more)

Thu
12
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Find Download?

Infopackets Reader 'wb7wvo' writes: " Dear Dennis, How do I find a program I just downloaded? I tried the Windows Search feature, but it doesn't seem to be able to find it. I recently downloaded a ham radio program to my desktop, but it never showed ... up. I downloaded it again, but the same thing happened. I can't seem to find my downloads ever since I upgraded to the latest release of Firefox. I feel like I goofed up somehow, but for the life of me I can't find the program I just downloaded. Any suggestions? " My response: If the file downloaded successfully, it should be in your Download ... (view more)

Fri
06
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Computer Freezes After Sleep?

Infopackets Reader 'Gloria' writes: " Dear Dennis, My laptop is set to go to sleep after a period of inactivity, but always freezes after it wakes up. When I press the power button to resume from sleep, the screen turns on but the laptop freezes and ... I can't input anything while I wait for it to wake up. This goes on for some time. At this point I usually power it off completely, then restart it with a cold boot because I hate waiting. How can I fix my laptop's sleep so it wakes up faster and so it doesn't always hang? " My Response: I don't recommend powering off your laptop to circumvent the ... (view more)

Tue
03
Feb
John Lister's picture

$35 Bare-Bones PC Will Run Windows 10

A credit-card sized PC costing just $35 will be able to run a dedicated version of Windows 10. It's by no means a practical choice for most users, but is a sign that Microsoft is continuing to make its flagship operating system sleeker and more ... efficient. The computer in question is the Raspberry Pi 2. It's the latest in a series of devices originally designed to make computers cheap enough that schools can buy them in bulk in order to teach children coding and programming skills. In terms of hardware specifications, there's nothing glamorous about the Raspberry Pi. It doesn't ... (view more)

Mon
02
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Can CryptoLocker Infect Shared Drives, Files, PCs?

Infopackets Reader Michael C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a USB drive attached to my router. This drive is shared by several computers through the router on my home private network. My question is: if one of my computers became infected by a file ... locking virus such as CryptoLocker , would the network drive or the connected computers become infected or encrypted? If so, is there a way to prevent this? " My Response: It is possible for a virus to self replicate and infect other computers on the network, but that depends on the type of virus. At the time of writing, CryptoLocker is not a self ... (view more)

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