computer

Infopackets Reader Lee W. write s: " Dear Dennis, First of all, thanks for your newsletter; it is very helpful, so much so that I thought I would never have to ask a question! But alas, I have dilemma that I can't seem to get past. I'm running ... Windows XP on a custom-built PC. I've had the PC for almost a year now, but within the last five months, whenever I boot up, the machine spontaneously reboots on its own several times before all my programs actually load. Windows XP doesn't actually load until this happens several times, and this happens almost every time. I've kept the PC on all ... (view more)

Continuing on with our in-depth discussions on backup solutions , this article will review Acronis True Image version 8.0. This will be the final article in our 7-part series, stretching back almost 1 month to date: Choosing a Backup Solution: An In ... Depth Look 6 Key Elements for any Backup Strategy Backup Made Easy: A Six Point Guide to Buying Backup Software Genie Backup Manager Review System Restore and similar Registry Reverting utilities -- pointless? The results are in: which Disk Imaging Backup software is best? Acronis True Image Review (version 8): In Depth RE: Disk Imaging software ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bill S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just finished reading your article on how important it is to maintain a clean System Registry in order to achieve optimal PC performance. I have a question for you: I have two computers (one with ... Windows XP and the other with Windows 98); the Windows XP computer has a feature called "system restore" which automatically reverts my System Registry to a previously working state [in case I get attacked with Spyware, for example] ... however, my Windows 98 PC doesn't have the system restore feature. My question is: how can I backup ... (view more)

Great news! PCTools, the authors of the incredibly popular flagship utility 'Registry Mechanic', have just recently released version 4.0. If you've been keeping up with our newsletter, you've undoubtedly heard me mention this extremely beneficial ... utility a number of times in the past. Reminder: What is Registry Mechanic? Registry Mechanic is by far the most widely regarded Windows Registry Cleaner on the Internet -- not only because it's received countless rave reviews from credible online sources, but also because it is one of the few Registry cleaners on the market that actually delivers ... (view more)

Happy Birthday to me! Today, I turn 30. Special thanks to those folks who noted my Birthday pre-announcement in the "today in History" section in Yesterday's newsletter. And now getting on with today's question, Infopackets Reader Roberta W. writes: ... " Dear Dennis, I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to report a hacker that has been trying to hack in to my computer. I have 3 firewalls and plenty of antivirus software installed on my computer. I keep getting messages that dav.bay0.hotmail.com is 'sniffing' my communication ports, and is attempting to send me ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader John L. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently used Windows Movie Maker to create a video compilation. When I was finished editing the project, I clicked the 'send to CD' button, which then launched a Movie Maker Wizard. The wizard ... took me step by step and explained how to convert my project into a Windows Media Audio/Video file and ultimately burn it to CD. I chose to burn the file to CD-R so that I could play it in my DVD player; however, near the end of the burn, Windows Media Maker reported that the project "did not save successfully". After I clicked OK, I ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jim L. writes: " Dear Dennis, You have helped me in the past numerous times and for that I'm thankful. I read all issues and sometimes save those articles that I have a current or potential future need for. In a recent news ... article, I noticed an ad for 'DVDSqueeze', which copies and compresses VHS/DVD video to a CD. Even though they advertise in your newsletter, I haven't seen a review from you on their software. I have quite a few old VHS tapes of miscellaneous TV programs of yesteryear. They are not valuable enough to copy to DVD, but it would be nice if I could put ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Lynn H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I read your article on CD Mastering Software. I do not know that much about computers, so I am a bit confused as to what I need. Here is my problem: I have 2 Hewlett-Packard (HP) computers. The CD-RW ... drive died on one of them, and was replaced with a DVD Burner, which came bundled with Nero Burning ROM CD Recording Software. The other still uses DirectCD to record CDs. The problem is that discs I create using DirectCD cannot be read in the DVD Burner drive on the other computer. Is there a program out there that will allow both DirectCD ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader James M. writes: " I have a Compaq Presario 7360 and would like to replace my on-board (integrated) sound card with a third-party, PCI sound board (such as a SoundBlaster). How do I go about disabling the on-board sound so that ... the computer will recognize and use the new sound card? " My response: Typically, this is done by disabling the on-board sound card within the CMOS (also referred to as the BIOS). The CMOS is instantiated by pressing the DEL or F2 key (or some other combination) as soon as you turn your computer. Once you are inside the CMOS menu, you may ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Paul H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a Kodak DX3600 camera equipped with a 'docking' unit. I upgraded the camera software (from version 1.2 to latest revision), but can no longer transfer pictures from my camera to the computer ... (I am using Windows 2000, by the way). To resolve this dilemma, I sought a local computer 'expert' to contemplate my problem, but he could not produce a solution. I have done everything that Kodak has suggested over at their web site with no luck. I am one of several people in my area who has the same problem with their Kodak software. Are you ... (view more)