computer

Mon
27
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Selectively Disable USB Ports (Save Power)

Infopackets Reader Bob C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just read your CryptoPrevent Review in regard to the CryptoLocker virus. Good job! You are so right with your comment 'If you do become infected [with CryptoLocker], the only 100% fail safe way to ... undo the damage is to restore your files from a backup -- but only if you backed up your files in the first place.' I have a question regarding my USB hard drive which I use for backups. Can you recommend a program that will allow me to disable and enable USB ports that my USB hard drive is plugged into, but still allow my USB keyboard, mouse and ... (view more)

Wed
22
Apr
John Lister's picture

Windows 10 Could Be Out In July

A key PC hardware firm has let slip that Windows 10 will be ready at the end of July. That may not be the date the public will get its hands on the new system, but suggests that Microsoft has taken additional steps towards the final launch date. The ... timeline revelation came in an investor conference call from AMD, one of the leading makers of computer processors. Chief executive officer and president Lisa Su made reference to the company's forecasts - particularly, when it will need to supply processors to computer makers with respect to Windows 10 launch date. "What we also are ... (view more)

Mon
20
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

CryptoPrevent Review: Does it Prevent CryptoLocker?

Infopackets Reader Tina M. writes: " Dear Dennis, Regarding CryptoLocker , can you tell me if the software program CryptoPrevent can actually remove CryptoLocker and other ransomware infections? In other words, does CryptoPrevent actually work? Or ... is there a better way to prevent and remove CryptoLocker if I get infected? " My response: Similar to antivirus, CryptoPrevent is software that helps to prevent CryptoLocker and similar ransomware infections. It does not remove the infection if you become infected. If you do become infected, the only 100% fail safe way to undo the damage ... (view more)

Fri
17
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: MSConfig Stopped Responding, Access Denied, Not Found

Infopackets Reader Craig D. writes: " Dear Dennis, In the past I've used the msconfig utility many times to clear items from the Windows Startup. However, recently I tried to run msconfig and Windows reports that msconfig has stopped responding and ... my PC freezes. This is very frustrating! Any ideas why my msconfig stopped working? " My response: This is a very common problem, though you didn't say which Windows operating system you're using. As such, I'll provide solutions for Window XP and onward because most likely other users are having the same problem. Here are ... (view more)

Mon
13
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

How Much Space do I need for My Backups?

Infopackets Reader Eric H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just read your article on ' Why You Should Install KB3000850? ', in which you mentioned doing daily operating system backups. I have a question about disk images. I have used Norton Ghost (disk ... image backups) on my old Windows XP system many years ago and I stored my backups on a 250GB external drive. Now I have a 250GB Samsung Solid State Hard Drive (SSD) and a 2TB hard drive for my other data. My question is, how much space do I need for my backups? As I understand it, incremental backups will only copy over any changes that it finds are ... (view more)

Fri
03
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Best Mobile, Pocket-sized Computer and No Data Plan?

Infopackets Reader Steve T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just read yesterday's survey article entitled ' Are Smartphones a Vital Tool in 2015? ' and was intrigued with its findings. Personally, I don't own a smartphone because I cannot afford to pay for ... the data plans. I would like to know, is there a cheap mobile device that I can use that is similar in size to a smart phone, but doesn't use a mobile data plan? " My response: Yes. You can use a small sized tablet (around 8 inches or so) but it's not very mobile in the sense that won't fit very nicely in your pocket. As such, I think best choice ... (view more)

Fri
27
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

Does Windows 10 require the CPU to support PAE?

Infopackets Reader Michael E. writes: " Dear Dennis, Do you know if Windows 10 (including Windows 10 Technical Preview) requires Physical Address Extension (PAE) support for the processor? " My response: That's an interesting question. The short ... answer is that yes, Windows 10 requires that your processor supports PAE. The good news is that the PAE feature has been available in most processors since 2003, so if your computer is 12 years old or newer, it's a safe bet that you don't have anything to worry about. Windows 8 and Windows 10 PAE Support In general, Windows 10 ... (view more)

Mon
23
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

Spam Email: Can I block an entire Domain?

Infopackets Reader Michael E. writes: " Dear Dennis, I read your newsletter all the time; thanks for publishing. Question: is there a way to block an entire web domain from sending email to me? I use Microsoft Outlook. The reason I ask this is ... because I constantly receive spam email from numerous web domains which seem to exist for the purpose of sending spam emails only, and therefore deserve to be totally blocked. I would like to be able to fill in a domain name in Outlook, and then never see emails again from those web domains in my inbox. " My response: Unfortunately, blocking an entire ... (view more)

Fri
20
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: Windows 8 Critical Service Failed (Blue Screen)

Infopackets Reader Anne F. writes: " Dear Dennis, After a Windows Update, my laptop rebooted and then displayed a blue screen of death (BSOD) with the error message CRITICAL SERVICE FAILED. After that, the computer reboots and goes into a continuous ... loop -- I am not able to get into Windows at all. I used various repair discs and managed to gotten rid of the CRITICAL SERVICE FAILED message, but now my computer boots into a black screen with the message No Operating System Found. When I use one of the downloaded repair disks, I see my C drive and Windows 8 is still on there, so I don' ... (view more)

Fri
13
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

Windows 8.1 'Change PC Settings' link won't work?

Infopackets Reader Barry P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm running Windows 8.1. When I go to the Settings menu and then click on the 'Change PC Settings' link, nothing happens. It shows for a quick glimpse, but then disappears almost immediately after. ... I simply can't get into the PC Settings to make changes to my computer. Any ideas how to fix this problem? " My response: This is a very common problem that plagues Windows 8.1 users, especially those that upgraded from Windows 8 previously. Based on various posts I've read online, the same issue can result in a blank screen when the PC Settings ... (view more)

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