Windows Tips

Thu
29
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

How to add a hard drive to a computer using FDISK

Do you have any idea how to add a hard drive to your system? What about using an old hard drive as a backup unit? I get asked these sorts of questions a lot. It's definitely not a one-line answer -- this type of stuff is highly involved. First, you ... have to open up your computer and decide where to put the new hard drive. Next, you have to play with jumper settings (master/slave), hook it up to the main board, turn on the system, add the hard drive to the BIOS, restart, boot into DOS... following that, run FDISK and set up a Primary or Extended (Logical) drive unit, then format the drive and ... (view more)

Tue
27
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Scandisk stuck in a loop!

Gazette Reader Jim J. writes: " Dear Dennis, I ran defrag on my hard drive using Windows XP PRO. Having completed that, I clicked on Scandisk to check the drive for errors. It was at this point that a window popped up and told me to shut down and ... reboot to run Scandisk. Now I can't get back into my system! Every time my system boots, it goes through the Scandisk. 3 hours later, it finishes Scandisk, then reboots the system... and restarts the process over again. When I try and cancel Scandisk, the computer freezes! Any suggestions? " My Response: I tried to find the solution to this problem ... (view more)

Thu
22
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Calculate Amd XPand Speed Ratings in Mhz?

I recently received a question from a fellow Infopackets Reader, R. Barnes. He writes: " Great newsletter as always. I was wondering if you could explain the new AMD processor speed ratings. I've seen them in mail order catalog and TV, but haven't ... heard an explanation of their '2200+' statements. I would assume that it is indeed the speed of their processor but how are they in relationship with say a 1.2 GHz Athlon processor, or even a Pentium 4 1.3GHz? " That's a good question. The speed rating that AMD is using for its new line of XP processors represents their new " ... (view more)

Thu
22
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Using Hotmail with Outlook 97?

Infopackets Reader Barb J. asks, " My Outlook 97 isn't compatible with my ISP. I'd like to use my Outlook to send/receive messages using Hotmail. Please help! " My answer: I'm not sure if Outlook 97 supports Hotmail -- but I can tell you that if you ... update your Internet Explorer, your Outlook Express will also update... and I know Outlook Express supports Hotmail. And hey, it's all free! You can download my video on Outlook Express and also grab my free report on how to set up a Hotmail account here. (view more)

Tue
06
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

How can I make sound in my emails?

Infopackets Reader 'PJ.' asks, " Where can I find information for making background sounds in emails? " My response: Any email containing sound is a HTML email which uses the Embed command. HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is the standard format ... used on the Internet when viewing a web page. You can make a HTML document using an HTML editor; here are some good resources: http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/8795/howto.webtv.html http://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutors/embed.html And for a free HTML editor, try Arachnophilia: http://www.arachnoid.com/arachnophilia (view more)

Tue
30
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Can I download to my CD burner?

Infopackets Reader Ken H. asks, " Can I download films directly to my burner from the Internet? " My response: You can't download files to your CD burner on the fly unless you have DirectCD installed. Even so, I don't recommend downloading and ... directly burning to CD, mostly because you need a complete file to burn to CD. Since files don't always download 100%, the process of "downloading and burning on the fly" would have problems from the get-go and may end up in a waste of media. Usually files have to be downloaded to your hard disk, then burned to CD. Once the files ... (view more)

Sun
14
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Upgrading an Old Pentium 1 Computer?, Part 2

You must be wondering: why is the Infopackets Gazette being sent out on a Sunday? In short, I've decided to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. First of all, I'm going on a small vacation. So, I won't be here to send out the newsletter on ... Tuesday -- so that's why I've decided to send it out Sunday instead of Tuesday. Secondly, I received a lot of feedback regarding my Visitor Feedback suggestion to Judy W. in the last newsletter . Many of you wrote in and asked me if I was crazy for suggesting that she purchase a special adapter for her old and ailing Pentium-1 system instead of ... (view more)

Tue
09
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Can I Upgrade My Old Pentium 1 Computer?

Infopackets Reader Judy W. asks, " Is there a way to upgrade my old Pentium-1 computer with a motherboard or a new processor chip? I really like this computer, but I need something faster so that I can use my digital camera. " My Response: It may be ... possible to get an adapter for your motherboard to make it run (at most) 500 MHz. Your CPU is most likely a Socket-7 type motherboard, so I'm pretty sure you can use this adapter: http://www.powerleap.com/Products/k6iii.htm I'd advise you get at least 128 meg of RAM with your upgrade -- but most likely you're using 72 pin SIMM RAM or ... (view more)

Tue
02
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Installing more than one Operating System?

Infopackets Reader Dennis B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I was interested in installing a free version of the Linux operating system (OS) on my rebuilt computer with a 2.5 GB hard drive that I just love and seem to being Ok with. I'm running windows 98 ... and would very much like to keep that. Would it be possible to have both OS's and switch back and forth? I remain an admiring reader and fan. " My Response: Yes, it is possible to have 2 operating systems installed on a single system. The new OS * should * be able to detect that you already have Windows installed and provide you with a ... (view more)

Tue
25
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

Adaptec Easy CD Creator Upgrade Trick

Many CD recorders (burners) come prepackaged with CD recording software: Nero Burning ROM and Adaptec (Roxio) Easy CD Creator are two of the most popular titles. At first, learning how to use CD burning software can be difficult and cumbersome, ... especially if you've never burned a CD before. Most of us are able to cope with how to operate the new software after time goes on -- most notably after burning a few duds through trial and error. When it comes time to upgrade to a new CD burner, many users are disappointed when it is discovered that the new CD burner will not work with the old CD ... (view more)

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