computer

Thu
18
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Change CMOS Battery?

Infopackets Reader 'CusterCr' writes: " I have been away from home for quite some time. A friend of mine went to use my computer recently, and now she has to hit F10 on the keyboard to save the time and date every time the computer turns on. Any ... ideas what might be wrong? " My response: It is most likely that your CMOS battery has faded away and now your BIOS settings have been lost. The BIOS settings will keep resetting every time power is lost or the computer is unplugged because there is no way to save the information (which is done with the aid of a CMOS battery). Put in Simple ... (view more)

Thu
11
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Help needed from Gazette Readers

Three days a week I entertain Readers with articles I write based on real life computing problems. This time, I'm the one with a dilemma on my hands. Since April of this year, readership of this newsletter has blossomed from 50,000 to (now) 237,000 ... readers -- with 1,000 new members subscribing each day. Not long ago, things were very different. Up until this past August, the newsletter was sent out in full length / HTML (graphical) format -- but all of that came to a halt when it was no longer efficient or financially feasible. I have since reduced the size of the email newsletter by making ... (view more)

Tue
09
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Windows 98 Wont Power Off After Shutdown?, Part 2

Recall -- Last week, Infopackets Reader Ian B. asked if there was a way to make his Windows 98 computer shut down and power off: " ... I have a win 98 computer that used to shut off the power after a Start -> Shutdown command was clicked, but now ... it just stops at that the 'It is now safe to shut down your computer' screen. Can you advise if this is a hardware or software fault, please? " In my response , I addressed a number of issues which may cause Windows 98 not to shut down properly, including: BIOS settings, Advanced Power Management (APM), device drivers, and programs which ... (view more)

Thu
04
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Windows 98 Won't Power Off after Shutdown?

Infopackets Gazette Reader Ian B. writes: " Hi Dennis! I am a keen reader of your Infopackets, but I haven't been able to find an answer to the problem I am having. You see, I have a win 98 computer that used to shut off the power after a Start ... -> Shutdown command was clicked, but now it just stops at that the 'It is now safe to shut down your computer' screen. Can you advise if this is a hardware or software fault, please? " My response: There is a good chance that this issue is related to a previously written article, entitled, " Computer won't go into Standby mode? " (November 25, ... (view more)

Tue
02
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Web PopUps, Messenger PopUps, and Spyware PopUps

Infopackets Reader Gaye B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm a newbie on the computer, and I have a big problem with popup advertisements. When I first got my PC, I let a friend use it to surf the web (unsupervised). Since that day, my computer has been ... infested with despicable ads appearing on the screen. What can I do to stop this from happening? " My response: The first thing you should do is tell your friend to mind where he surfs because it has caused you and your PC a lot of trouble! The next thing you should do is download some software that can remove / block popup advertisements ... (view more)

Wed
26
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Move Me Review

If you think you might be getting a new computer during the upcoming holiday season, make sure you bookmark this review! The one dreadful thing about upgrading to a new computer is the process of having to transfer all your applications, data, and ... files from the old computer to the new one. Fortunately, there is a program called "Move Me" which can make upgrading to a new computer completely hassle-free. What is Move Me? Move Me is an application to simplify the process of configuring the settings from your old computer on a new computer. Move Me transfers all Windows preferences to ... (view more)

Wed
19
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

PC won't go into hibernation mode with Digital Camera?

Infopackets Gazette Reader Linda S. writes: " Dear Dennis, My Compaq Presario 7000 computer will not hibernate: I always get a message that says, 'Your computer cannot hibernate or standby because the Intel (R) PC Camera CS110 cannot enter a low ... power state.' I went to Compaq Communities [online message board], and received a reply which stated that I needed to download and install the BIOS and driver update for the camera to resolve the problem. Since my camera has worked flawlessly for the past 2 years, I assume that I don't need to download another driver? Please Help! " Side note: " ... (view more)

Tue
11
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Access Remote Computer Connected to Router

Betty R. writes: " I have certainly enjoyed the newsletter as it contains very important information that I cannot find anywhere else. Thanks for that, and I have downloaded your eBook to lean how to install a hard drive. ... http://www.infopackets.com/how+to+install+a+hard+drive.htm My problem is that I am trying to set up my computer to act as as game server. To do this, I need to give other users my IP (Internet Protocol) address. Normally this would be an easy task, but my computer is sharing an Internet connection via a router. I have several computer friends in other states with whom I ... (view more)

Tue
04
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

The Dangers of File-Sharing Software

Is your computer safe from the dangers of file-sharing? I know mine isn't. Just this past Monday, I received a message stating that the file I received (through Kazaa) was infected with malicious code that could harm my computer. I was lucky that my ... anti-virus program caught the malevolent program from infecting my machine, otherwise I would have launched the file completely blind that my actions may have corrupted my entire hard drive. Indeed, a scary thought. At this point, I paused for a moment and thought to myself, "Could there be other nasty software lurking on my computer that may ... (view more)

Thu
30
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

Reset DVD region / country code / zone lock?

Infopackets Reader Louise S. writes: " I recently bought a DVD disc through eBay from a gentleman in Britain. When I tried to play it on the DVD player attached to my TV, a screen popped up saying I was in the wrong region. I then tried it in the ... CD-DVD player (Samsung) in my computer and it said the same thing. My computer, however, did allow me to change over to region 2, which is Europe, but will only allow me to switch back and forth between Regions 1 and 2 a total of 4 times, and then it becomes permanent. I don't want that to happen as only the one DVD is a region 2. Is there ... (view more)

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - computer