Bits & Bytes

How to Set the Size of the Internet Explorer Window on Opening

When you open Internet Explorer, do you always have to resize the window because it's too large or too small? You can change the window size at opening by doing the following:

1.      Close any open Internet Explorer windows.

2.      Open Internet Explorer, right click on a link in the page you opened, and select Open in New Window from the context menu.

3.      Resize the new window to the size you want all Internet Explorer windows to be when you open them by clicking a link.

4.      Hold down the Shift key and click the Close icon (X) at the top right of the window to close the new window.

5.      Resize the first window you opened to the size you want Internet Explorer to be when you launch the browser. Close it by holding down Shift and clicking the Close icon.

Now your Internet Explorer windows should open in the sizes you've set, depending on how you open the browser (from a link or by clicking the Internet Explorer icon to launch the browser).

Use the On-screen Keyboard

What if you've just created a document and your keyboard stops working before you can type a name to save the file?

That's just one scenario in which you might want to use the on-screen keyboard. There is a keyboard on the screen that you can "type" on by clicking the keys with your mouse.

Access it by going to the Start menu and select On-Screen Keyboard as shown below:

An illustration of the keyboard is below:

Random Tips

• The Apple Macintosh was first announced at the Super Bowl in 1984.
• The IBM PC was introduced in August of 1981.
• The first general purpose electronic digital computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) was first introduced in 1946.
• If you want to see what toolbars are available in your applications, right click anywhere on an existing toolbar and a menu of all choices will appear.
• The best way to send a document to a friend so that they can edit it and return it is in Rich Text Format (RTF).  Select Save as in any word processing package like Word, Microsoft Works, WordPro, or Word Perfect and select RTF as shown below:
  

In this section are questions asked by our subscribers.

Question:

Hi, I would like to know how I can fix the icons that appear on the task bar, to become larger.  They are so TINY that I can barely see them, things like the volume control, etc.  Thanks.  Rosie

Answer:

Right click in a blank space on your desktop.  Left click on Properties.  Left click on Appearance.  Click the Advanced button.  Click on the drop down arrow in the 'Item' field and choose 'Inactive Title Bar' and change the Size to a higher number.  Click Ok and then click Apply.  I would start by changing it one number higher at a time - you will see the size increase immediately. The icons my look distorted, but will look normal when you restart your computer.

Question:

Hi, I have been using Spybot Search and Destroy.  It says in order to change my settings, I must start it in advanced mode.  I can't find any info on how to do that.  The reason I want to change the settings is that I keep getting popups asking if I want to download things or block them while I am surfing.  Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.  Rosie

Answer:

You need to click on the Start button, put the mouse cursor over Programs (may be All Programs in some operating systems) and then slide the cursor to the Spybot folder. You will see three selections, Spybot S&D - Advanced mode is the first one.

Question:

My computer is making a funny noise lately, is their anything I can do about this.  Thanks, Donna

Answer:

Most noises that come from a computer come from the Fan or the Hard Drive.  You will need to take the cover off of your computer to pinpoint the noise.  If it’s coming from the fan you will need to have it replaced or it could be something is touching it.  You can purchase a can of air from a local office supplies store and blow air into it to clean the dust and anything else that may be in there to see if that helps. 

If it is not coming from the fan then it is probably coming from your hard drive which means it could be going bad.  I would back up any important information you have on your computer, including your Internet Favorites in case it goes soon.  Hard drives are now very cheap; an experienced computer person could make a copy of your hard drive using a Symantec software package called Ghost.

If your computer is still under warranty I would call the warranty company.

Question #1:  How can I restore a missing file when I get the following system message upon starting my computer:  "NTLDR file is missing - Strike any key to restart”.  This is the NT Loader file which my system can't find. My operating system is Windows XP Family.

Answer:  First thing to do is to make sure you do not have a floppy disk in the drive.  This can cause this error.  The next thing to do is to put the Windows XP CD in the drive and do a shut down of your computer.  Select the Turn Off option. 

After your computer shuts down, power it back on.  Your screen for a few seconds will say – Press any key to boot the computer with the CD.

After starting up you will see a menu.  Select the repair windows option.  After a couple of screens and answering the defaults that you want to repair Windows XP you will see a black window with just text on it.  This is called the DOS Recovery Console window.

Type in the following:

c:\copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\ (Where D is the CD Rom Drive) PRESS ENTER

at the next line type in:

c:\copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\  (Where D is the CD Rom Drive) PRESS ENTER

After you type in the second line and press the Enter key, the copy is done.

Remove the CD.  Press the power button for three seconds and your computer will turn off.  Turn it back on and everything should be fine.

Question #2:  I cannot get Internet Explorer to block pop ups.  What should I do?

Answer:  The first part of this answer is for Windows XP users.  Open Internet Explorer and click on the tools menu.  Click on the Windows Update menu option and follow the guidelines on the screen on the Microsoft Site.  Make sure you are connected to the Internet at the time you do this.  You want to download all of the updates, including Service Pack 2 (SP2). 

You then want to go to the Tools menu in Internet Explorer and click on the Internet Options button as shown below:

Clicking on Internet Options will open the following window:

You want to make sure that the Block pop-ups is checked under the Privacy Tab.  Next you want to click on the Advanced tab.  The window is below:

Scroll to the bottom of the window using the down arrow.  Make sure that the Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed checkbox is checked.  The next step is to click on the General tab.  The following window will open:

In the center of the window you want to click the Delete Cookies button and then the Delete Files button.  If you have never done this step before do not be surprised that it takes a few minutes for each.  The mouse will turn to an hour glass while this is going on.

Click on the OK button and the window will close.

The next step is to connect to the website www.download.com.  When you arrive at the site you want to search for and download three things:

1. Google Toolbar
2. Spybot Search and Destroy
3. Adaware

Type in those words above, one at a time, in the search box and download them following the instructions on the screen.  After you are complete you will have to install them by double-clicking on each icon.

The last step is to go to www.microsoft.com site.  There is a link there for Windows Defender.  If the link is not there, use the search box type in defender. You will be downloading and installing this file as well.

After they are all installed you have to run the applications to remove all instances of spyware and adaware files on your computer.  Double-clicking on Google toolbar will automatically install that application.

I have complete written instructions on how to use these programs, along with another 800 pages of tips, for $19.95.  Go to www.yourpcguide.com/computers101.htm.  If you would like video and written material to go with the video, go to www.yourpcguide.com.  The written book is 254 pages, and it comes with over 5 hours of video, straight from a class that I teach at local schools and organizations.

Question #3:  If you have a saved file and by accident saved something over it, is there a way to retrieve the first file. I was told everything you do is still on your computers hard drive memory. If this is true, how can I get this file back?

Answer:  Based on the wording of your question, I am making the assumption that you created a file with a certain name like “original.doc”.  Now if you opened the document and added to it and saved it with the same name, it will overwrite the first document with no way to recover it.  The file just copies over exactly where the first file was.  Now, if it was a Microsoft word Document and you selected to have a backup and you turned on the save periodically option, then you may be able to recover it.  Just go to the Search window under the Start menu and type in part of the name of the document.  All documents with that name on your hard drive will be found.

Question #4:  What is the most cost-effective way (hardware or software) to maintain regular backups of my working files.

Answer:  The product I recommend is WinBackup from Uniblue and here’s why. 

• You can make a backup of everything on your computer.  If something happens to the hard drive, you can restore everything in minutes.
• After doing a full backup you can do an incremental backup of only those files that changed since the last time a backup was taken.
• You can schedule a backup any time convenient for you.  You do not even have to be present for the program to start.
• The interface is easy to use and is geared towards novice users.

Click here to get more information on this product.

Question #5:  How do you arrange the Favorites in Internet Explorer into alphabetical order?

Answer:  At first I thought this would be a complicated question to answer, but then I realized that is was not hard.  What you need to do is double click on the My Computer icon and you will see the following window:

Double click on the Local Disk (C:) icon and you will see the following window:

You want to open the Documents and Settings folder by double clicking on it.  The following window will open:

In the Documents and Settings folder you will see at least three icons:

• Administrator
• All Users
• The name of the person that answered the Microsoft questions when they installed the operating system.
• You will also see all of the other users you specified when the operating system wads installed.

I am going to double click on my “John” folder and the following window will open:

You will see a star icon with the word Favorites.  Double click on that icon and  you will see the following window:

As you can see the icons shown above are not alphabetized and you may have a small number of favorites, or a lot of them.  Click on the View menu and you will see the following options:

Clicking on the Arrange Icons by menu option presents another menu called the sub-menu.  Sub-menus are designated by the right arrow next to the menu option.  Your choices are Name, which will sort alphabetical, by type, which will list folders first, and a couple of others.  I went and selected Name and the window changed from above to the following:

Everything is now alphabetical.  When you go into your Internet Explorer Browser and click on Favorites they will appear as they are here, alphabetized, in the above window.

Question #6:  How do I correct low virtual memory?  I am using Windows XP Professional.

Answer:  First we have to define for our readers what virtual memory is.  Computers use a type of memory called Random Access Memory (RAM).  Ay applications, the operating system, and all hardware components use a little piece of RAM memory.  The more RAM you have the faster your computer will be, until you bombard it with spyware and other junk files. 

In the example here we are going to say that your computer has 256Mb of RAM.  Loading windows XP will take up 128Mb of that leaving half of the memory.  Now, I am going to open a Microsoft Word Document.  Microsoft Word takes about 74Mb of memory leaving 74Mb left.  My document is 20 pages long and the size of the document is 114Mb.  Your computer right now has negative memory in RAM.  You only had 74Mb, your document was 114Mb, so you have a minus 40Mb of memory.

The operating system uses a swap file on the hard drive where it transfers applications, data operating system from RAM to the hard drive.  This can happen a lot if you have very little RAM, or very little because of the amount of RAM on your computer.

You can increase the swap file, which is commonly called virtual memory by right clicking on the My Computer icon and selecting Properties from the menu that opens.  You will see the following window open:

Click on the Advanced Tab and you will see a section called Performance.  Click on Settings and the window changes to the following:

NOTE:  The first thing you want to do to increase the speed of your computer is click on the Radio button called Adjust for best performance.  This will dramatically increase the speed of your computer. 

Click on the Advanced Tab and the window will change to the following:

Recommendation #2:

Question #7:  Instructions on how to move all of C drive to another computer to reboot and bring some of it back.

Answer:  This is a very complicated question and it really is not possible.  The only way you can backup the entire computer and install it on another computer is if the computer was identical to the original computer.  The operating system only loads items pertinent to the machine it is installing on.  Applications are also installed and write information exclusive to the PC it is installing on.  The applications will not work on another computer, unless it was identical.

The better solution is to back up the data only and install the applications and operating system.  You can then selectively restore the data in any location you want.  The program I recommend is Windows Backup 2.0, and you can get more information by clicking here.

Question #8:  Why my laptop is always very hot after one or 2 hours or working?

Answer:  Some laptops run hotter than others.  If you had a Pentium 4 the laptops will be hotter than any other laptop, because the heat from the chip can fry an egg.  In desktops you may not notice it, but open the cover one day and you will see the heat it generates.  A desktop just has more openings and more fans to make it run cooler.

You should see where the fans are on the laptop and make sure you are not blocking it.  You should also use a surface rather than your lap.  Dark color clothes absorb heat and you will notice that the laptop is hotter on darker surfaces.  There are cooling items that you can place the laptop on, but now you are suffering from the portability that a laptop has.

I would buy a Pentium M / Centrino laptop.  These laptops are smaller in size and generate a lot less heat.  They also have better battery life and a 1.8GHz Centrino is equivalent to a 3.1GHz Pentium 4.

Recommendation #3:

Question #9:  I just got cable internet and it came with a modem. Can I go to Wal-Mart and get a wireless router and a wireless card for my other PC and home network?

Answer:  I am not sure if Wal-Mart carries wireless devices, but yes, you can buy a wireless card and a wireless router and connect them to the Internet.  The router I recommend is D-Link, as well as the wireless card for the computer, and you can find more information by clicking here. 

The D-Link devices come with step-by-step instructions complete with pictures to guide you on the way to a successful installation.  Keep in mind that wireless has a 300 feet limit and it cannot be located near any metal components such as heat ducts.

Question #10:  What is the best popup software?

Answer:  This is an easy, but hard question to answer.  It depends on the operating system.  If you are not using windows XP, I would recommend the Google toolbar.  Go to www.google.com and download it.  Without paying for a pop up blocker this is the one to use.

If you are using Windows XP, I would recommend installing service pack 2.  Get the Google toolbar and downloading all of the Microsoft updates. If you are also on DSL or Cable modem, you should buy a firewall that also has pop up blockers installed with it.  I recommend Norton Internet Security.  You can get more information by clicking here.

Question #11:  Is there any way to have a Registry cleaned up back to its original way if the computer is 4 years old?

Answer:  The registry is similar to a monitoring program.  Every time you do a software, operating system or hardware update the registry keeps track of these changes.  If you had an original copy of the registry from four years ago and copied that over the existing registry some things will not work, and some of the new hardware may need to be installed again.

The best thing to do is to use a registry cleaner.  There are many on the market, but most of them are geared to the experienced user.  Some of them also do more harm than good.  Registry Booster - FREE Registry Scan.

Recommendation #1:

Question #1:  Every time I print an article off the Internet, I get disconnected from the Internet. Neither my computer company nor my ISP can figure out why.

Answer:  Without knowing the type of printer you have, whether you are using phone lines, or high speed internet, or what type of document you are trying to print it is a guess at this point.  The possibilities are:

• First guess would be that you have a lot of spyware and ads popping up on your screen.  These applications demand attention and take away from other computer processes.  The best thing to do is to eliminate the spyware and pop-up ads.  The last edition of this newsletter goes into eliminating these applications.  Click here to gain access to it:  www.yourpcguide.com/ezine38.pdf.
• Not having the right application installed on your computer. For example, if you are trying to print a PDF file and you do not have Adobe Reader installed, your computer might have a conflict, depending on the age of the computer and what operating system.
• Not having enough RAM memory in your computer, or enough hard drive space.
• Having a lot of programs starting up when you turn on your computer.
• Not having the right printer driver installed.  A driver is what allows the computer to talk to another device like a printer.
• Not cleaning up your hard drive, deleting temp files, history, and Internet temp files.

The problem can be one of the above, or a combination of a couple of more of them.  Without knowing the specifics of your problem, it is hard to answer.

Question #2:  Where can I find a troubleshooting guide for laptops?

Answer:  The first thing to do is to determine whether the problem is hardware or software related.  Manufacturers of notebook PCs can usually support the hardware without any problem.  Operating system and software can be answered more effectively at the vendor’s site for what you are using.  So, if you are having a problem with Microsoft Word, going to the Microsoft site would be better than contacting the manufacturer of the laptop.

Windows XP has a troubleshooting guide built into the operating system.  While you are at your desktop, press the F1 key and click on the troubleshooting button.  This will start a question and answer session to help determine what the problem is.

Most of the major manufacturers have their web sites designed for product sales, drivers, and product support.  Going to the product support section usually has manuals you can download on how to use the product, trouble-shooting guides and reference manuals.  I went to IBM, Dell, and Sony, and HP sites, and they all had these manuals available.  They also had a web page where you could type in a question or problem and they have a knowledgebase that helps to answer the question.

Question #3:  How do I deal with email overload?  I spend way too much time dealing with my email.

Answer:  Without buying third party products and if you use Microsoft Outlook, or Outlook Express, you can do the following:

• Download the junk mail filter from the Microsoft site.  Click on the Help menu in any Office product and it will automatically take you to the download page when you click on “Check for Updates” from the Help menu.
• You can create folders and setup rules that will automatically send the email to the proper folder.

I have a four part series on e-mail management using Outlook and Outlook Express.  Send an email to outlook@yourpcguide.com and I will send the series out to you. 

Other things you can do include:

• Not signing up for every thing while you are on line.
• Using a free email account that you can check when you want to.  I recommend going to Google site and signing up for a G-mail account.
• If you have a website, most of them offer free email forwarding.  So, for example, if I signed up for the newsletter at www.specialofferslive.com, I may call the email specialofferslive@yourpcguide.com.  That way I can track if my email address is being sold or given away.  If it is, I discontinue the list; send an email to the owner, or webmaster, and using rules I send any emails to the address that I used to immediately go into the trash.

If you want to use a third party product to help prevent spam, there are many out there.  I personally use Norton Internet Security and after a couple of months spam went to a minimum.

Setting up rules, and controlling spam is one of the chapters in my e-book “Computers 101:  The Questions You Were Afraid to Ask,” and you can purchase a copy for $19.95 at www.yourpcguide.com/computers101.htm.  This e-book is over 900 pages of tips, how-to’s and training guides to help make you a better computer user.

Question #4:  What causes my computer to freeze up occasionally?

Answer:  The most common reasons for computers to freeze and to stop it from freezing are the following:

• Eliminate spyware.
• Eliminate viruses.
• Eliminate pop up ads.
• Run the disk cleanup program.
• Delete history in Internet Explorer.
• Delete Temporary Internet Files.
• Delete temp files located on the hard drive.
• Selecting the right security and privacy settings in Internet Explorer.
• Delete any programs you do not use anymore.
• Download all Windows updates, especially Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.
• Scan the computer’s hard drive to test the integrity of the hard drive.
• Defragment the hard drive.
• Delete startup programs that you do not need to start when you turn on the computer.
• Clean the registry which is the traffic cop program for your computer.
• Eliminate programs and icons off of your desktop.
• Run the tests that come with the operating system to see if they pick up anything wrong.

The hard drive may be low on space, or your computer may be low on memory.  The step-by-step way to do all of the things mentioned above is covered in a 254 page book, and 5 hour video that I sell.  These and other techniques mentioned in the book will make your computer run like the day you bought it.  Go to www.yourpcguide.com for more information.

Question #5:  Why does my computer "time out". I'm on dial-up, and I don’t even have a download or something going at the same time?

Answer:  Most web sites have a time-out feature built into it.  Some are only a few seconds, some are 15 minutes, and some web sites do not have any controls.  You may not be seeing the whole web page and the site is waiting for a response from you is one of the common problems.  I would use another computer or web browser to see if the web page you are viewing is different.

The problem can be for a variety of reasons including:

• Having spyware on the computer.
• Having pop-up ads.
• A virus taking control of your computer.
• Too many applications starting when you start your computer.
• Not keeping your modem driver up-to-date.
• Having too many icons on the desktop.
• Running other applications while using the Internet.

There are more, but the list above contains the most common problems.  Spyware and pop-up ads are answered in the first question, and most likely will fix the problem. 

Recommendation #2:

Question #6:  Why did my Maxthon browser suddenly close while surfing in my PC and the Opera browser I use in my notebook will become unstable and close?

Answer:  I am not familiar with the Maxthon browser, but most likely it is caused by spyware and pop-up ads, or virus.  See question #1.

Question #7:  I have an IBM ThinkPad notebook, in which I recently installed a 64mb chip, to upgrade it. Now when I run the IBM self-diagnostic program it acknowledges 61mb, but when I run any other program such as system mechanic, or memory king, they only find 40mb. Even Windows 98 only show 40mb and will not allow upgrade to Windows ME. I get an error message not enough memory.

Answer:  I am not sure why you have such a variation of the memory size.  I have a feeling you are confusing the two types of memory.  RAM memory, the chips, versus hard drive memory – the amount of space on the hard drive.

Some video cards also use some of the computers RAM memory for displaying graphics. 

A hard drive also uses the term memory.  To see how much memory is left on your hard drive, double click on the My Computer icon and you will see the following window open:

If you move your mouse icon over the Local Disk (C:) icon you will see a window appear like the one above which will give you the amount of free space on your computer’s primary hard drive.

If you installed a 64Mb chip, the number would be greater than 64Mb.  It would be a combination of the old memory, and the memory you installed.  So, if you had 64Mb originally, and then added 64Mb, then the total memory would be 128Mb.

I would think that the memory these third party products are picking up is the amount of free space on the notebook’s hard drive space.  40Mb is not enough to install Windows ME.  You need at least 85Mb of free space.

To see the real amount of memory on your computer, right click on the My Computer icon and select Properties as shown below:

Selecting Properties will open the following window:

The amount of RAM memory in my IBM ThinkPad is 1.50Gb as shown above.

I would not upgrade a PC from Windows 98 to ME.  Windows ME was short lived and because of problems was discontinued almost immediately upon release.  Also, as of June 2006 Windows 98 and ME will not longer be supported.

Question #8:  I am new to all this and I need to learn it fast. Where do I start?

Answer:  I have sold a lot of my e-book, as well as my 254 page printed book that has over 5 hours of video included with it.  The e-book can be purchased for $19.95 by going to www.yourpcguide.com/computers101.htm. The printed book that has over 300 pictures in it and over 5 hours of video can be purchased for $34.95 by going to www.yourpcguide.com.

Question #9:  I have a newer computer and when I added my printer, HP OfficeJet v40, the printer will error out and not print any web pages (it did before I switched computers which is now running Windows XP SP1). The HP web site says I have the correct driver for the printer. What is your best guess on this?

Answer:  I would click on the Start menu, click on the menu option Printers and Faxes and delete the icon.  You will be asked a question to delete all associated files.  Answer Yes.

Now, this printer is a USB printer.  You need to re-install the printer drivers without connecting the printer to the computer.  After installation re-start the computer.  After it is done re-loading everything plug in the USB cable.  Windows XP will then find it and it will work.

I would also see what printer is the default printer.  In Internet Explorer if you clicked on the printer icon then the default printer would be used.  To see what your default printer is, go to the Start menu and select Printer and Faxes.  When the window opens the default printer will have a checkmark on the icon.

I would also upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).  This fixed a lot of problems with external devices.  Just open Internet Explorer and from the Tools menu select windows Updates.  It will take you directly to the Microsoft XP download site.  This site will automatically see what updates were installed and install all components that were not installed.

Question #10:  Hi, I've come across a variety of browser toolbars in my internet travels - Alexa, Google, Start Page Exchange Bars, and Yahoo tries to install every time I accept an Adobe update, etc. Can I trust these or are they to be avoided at all costs. I host my own web sites on my home network system (running Widows 2003 Server with XP pro clients and I don't need the headache of re-installs or registry patches for malicious spyware/malware code. Also if I installed every one there wouldn't be any browsing space left!! In a nutshell what do I need and what don't I need?

Answer:  Most of the add on toolbars contain spyware in it.  Alexa and Google specifically ask you whether you want the spyware version, or the clean version.  You have to delete the spyware, malware, and pop-up ads.  Go to the previous newsletter, which will give you a good start – www.yourpcguide.com/ezine38.pdf.  When you update Adobe there is usually a screen that says it will install the Yahoo toolbar and there is a checkmark there.  Uncheck the box and Yahoo should not install.

Some subscribers have asked me about using the Internet to make phone calls.  Many businesses and home computer use a technology called Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP).  There are other companies that allow one computer using a service to talk to another computer with the same service.  The one I recommend can be accessed here - Pickup calls on your computer, wherever you go around the world, with a SkypeIn number. - www.skype.com.

Question #11:  Should we leave our computers on or turn them off?  Which is better for the long life of a computer 

Answer:  There is a continuing debate over this topic and the answer is – It depends.

Any computer four years old and younger, along with Windows XP takes advantage of Standby and Hibernation modes.  After a while the computer basically turns itself off to a minimum state that will turn off any moving or harmful components.  With these machines it is best to leave them on.  Older machines turn off.  You may want to manually turn off the monitor as some of them do not have energy saver technology built into them.  Some do what the computer does, but still some out there will never turn off the screen by itself.

The three components that usually fail in a computer are:

• The hard drive
• The power supply
• The fan

If you have a computer for a year or more you should take the cover off and vacuum it out.  Dust causes static electricity which is the number one cause for component failure.

Question #12:  How come my new 512mb ram will not work in my system. I have 3 slots in my computer. I have the following chips – 32Mb, 64Mb, and 128.  I pulled the smallest one out, & moved the rest of the chips down in the open slots.  Why does it not recognize the extra memory?

Answer:  The description of your computer leads me to believe that it is an older system.  Until recently memory had to be installed in pairs.  So you would have to have two like chips together.  For example (2) 128Mb chips, and they have to be together and install them in the first two empty slots.

Recommendation #4: