NYC Upper West Side Computer Help, Info and Advice - Data Recovery - Tech Reviews and more

PDF Maker Stalls / PDF Maker Broke Suddenly

2010-04-30T21:20:00.001-04:00

Microsoft Office Add-in, PDF Maker, suddenly stopped functioning. Reinstalling Adobe did not fix the problem, but I solved it with this quick work-around:
When the "save as" dialog box pops up, select "Quick and Simple PDF," instead of the default "Fully Functional PDF."

That made it work. After doing that once, the PDF Maker add-in started to work again - even with the "Fully Functional PDF" option.

Firefox Tip: Use Firefox instead of Windows Explorer to browse folders on your computer

2010-01-27T13:45:00.005-05:00

Drag a folder from your PC to Firefox - either to a new tab or an open tab: It's quicker than Explorer and easier on the eyes.

Firefox displays the folders, files - and all the details automatically. It's faster than Explorer, and saves you sometimes as much as several clicks.

You can browse up the hierarchy to a higher level folder; you can also use the back and forward buttons on the browser; you can drill down by clicking on subfolders. Try it: you'll like it! It's quick and easy. (Works in Mac's Firefox, too.)

Screen orientation suddenly changed!

2009-12-10T19:30:00.005-05:00

If your screen's orientation suddenly shows everything upside down or sideways - ie., the screen orientation changed - and you did not do it on purpose:

Ctl + Alt plus arrow keys can be used to change your screen's orientation in Windows XP.

Beware IDE / SATA Adapters!

2009-08-08T15:16:00.005-04:00

Installed MacDrive 8 on my PC running XP. Then I attached a parallel (IDE) drive (a mirror image of an old MacBook drive) to my PC. MacDrive worked great. I saw all my files.

Then I got distracted doing other things.

An hour or so later, external drive suddenly started making clicking noises. Sure enough - external drive was fried. At first, I started to suspect MacDrive 8 -- but then realized it was the hardware. I was using an IDE/SATA adapter (Ultra, Sabrent, and others make these flexible, light-weight all-in-one adapters.)

They never seem to last very long, but have always been handy to have around. Never again! Am now sure it fried my drive -- and now have heard first-hand stories from other techies who have had the same hair-raising, nasty surprise. You attach a perfectly good drive to one of these -- and if you're unlucky -- it fries the drive. (I have used these hundreds of times without killing a drive -- but this is not a good enough average. This should NEVER happen.)

I will never again trust these adapters. Having a different enclosure for each type of drive may seem like an inelegant solution, but it's better than risking losing data. It's too bad: these handy devices support 2.5" and 5.25" IDE and Serial ATA drives. You need 4 different enclosures to replace just one easy-to-carry adapter.

I was lucky. The fried hard drive was just an additional backup, so I didn't need the data. Not everyone is that lucky. Just wanted to put out the word that these 4-in-1 portable adapters can be very dangerous. Use at your own risk. (Note: I also suspect the quality control used to be better some years ago. I just checked: the Ultra and Sabrent adapters I had were made in China.)

Microsoft Word 2007

2009-07-03T21:00:00.002-04:00

Like many other users, I quickly learned to love this upgrade of Microsoft Word -- as well as the other Microsoft Office 2007 products. However, I find one feature of Word 2007 a bit irritating: Unlike Word 2003, each document does not by default show up with its own "open", "close" and "minimize" buttons. Excel works the same way it used to - but if you have only one document open in Word, the only way to close it appears to be, at first blush, to close Word.

However, I have found the cure to this irritation: Simply use the shortcut CTL + W. It will close the document, but still leave Word open. Makes me very happy....

Under Windows XP: How to Create a Shortcut to Firefox's Cookies and other Profile Settings Files

2009-05-20T10:35:00.013-04:00

An alternative method to using "Map Drive" - found under Tools in the Menu Bar in Windows Explorer:

1. In Windows XP, first navigate to the following folder using Explorer:

(Make sure Hidden Files and Folders are enabled.)
Documents and Settings/YOUR USER/ApplicationData\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\SOMEcomplexALPHASnums.default

2. (Now make sure your address bar is viewable.
If it is not:
Menu Bar -->View --> Toolbars --> Address Bar)

3. Copy the address to your clipboard

4. Open DOS window (Start --> Run. Then type "cmd" without the quotes. Hit OK)

5. At the C: prompt, type:

subst z: "

(- use any alpha not assigned to a drive instead of z

(Z:) will be the new virtual drive)

6. Then, without adding a space, right-click your mouse, and paste the address from your clipboard.
(NOTE: CTL+V shortcut does not work under DOS, but right-click does.)
Type the closing quote at the end of the string.
Your command should look something like:
subst z: "C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR USER NAME\ApplicationData\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ SOME-COMPLEX-ALPHAS-NUMS.default”

7. Hit the Enter Key.
If you did this correctly, you should get no error message.

8. Close the DOS Window.

9. Open "My Computer".
Your mapped drive should appear now as (Z:) - with a long name derived from its address.

10. You can now give it a more memorable name - like "Firefox Cookies" or "Firefox Profile".

... More Tips and Tricks in Windows ...

How to Change Your IP Address

2009-05-11T13:06:00.007-04:00

This will not work for all ISPs. However, it does work for many. It will not work if you have a static IP address assigned by your ISP.

Assuming you are using a router:
Before doing any of these steps, please do the following:
Go to whatismyip and copy down your IP address and save the document.

Before making each change below, save the original settings somewhere -- just in case.

You may also be successful skipping steps 1 and 2 - that is, not bothering to change your gateway address first. If you wish to try that, begin from step 3 (Clone MAC Address.)

Now you are ready to begin:
1. Login to your router and change your gateway's address.
Example: change 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.2
2. Release and renew your IP address. You may need to restart your modem, router and computer -- but, not necessarily. You may just need to login to your router again.
3. Change your MAC address by enabling MAC address cloning and typing in a new MAC address.
On a Linksys WRT54G:
Setup -> MAC Address Clone -> Enable

You only need to change one or two of the last digits of the MAC Address. Click on "Clone your PC's MAC." Save your settings.
4. After you receive the message the settings were changed successfully, you will lose internet connection. Power cycle your modem, router and computer.
5. You should again be connected to the internet now. Go to whatismyip and copy down your IP address: It should be different from the original IP Address you had before you started this exercise.

If you completed step 5 successfully, congratulations!

2009-04-29T13:04:00.002-04:00

Encountered a blue screen of death (BSOD) on Vista SP1 computer the other day. It wasn't a virus; wasn't a corrupted OS; wasn't a hardware problem. The specific error was on mrtRate.sys.

It was a conflict with Quicken 2002 and Vista -- which had been working fine for about six months. Solution: Start in Safe Mode. Go into Hardware Devices -> Show Hidden Devices -> Non-Plug and Play Devices -> mrtRate. Go to Driver Tab -> Stop driver. Set Startup Type to "Disabled".

System should then start up without a hitch.
Note: mrtRate does not seem to be used for anything else (with maybe one exception) - and latest versions of Quicken do not use it -- so, at least in theory, if you upgrade Quicken, you should be fine.

Upgrading RAM - Paging File Settings

2009-03-17T15:43:00.003-04:00

Here's a quick video to show how to change the Virtual Paging File size after upgrading RAM.
The video is for Windows XP.

Right click on My Computer-->Properties-->Advanced-->first group of settings-->Settings-->Advanced (again): Virtual Memory

One of the days I hope to get around to posting same for Vista.
Rule of thumb:
Minimum cache size should be about 150% of actual RAM. For maximum, you can pretty much double the minimum.

Don't let the bad guys in! How to protect your computer...

2009-03-16T23:18:00.005-04:00

As usual, haven't been posting when and what I think should go here...

However, due to a new uptick in problems and questions about basic computer protection against viruses, spyware and general bad guys, here are the bare minimums:

You should always have a firewall. (If you don't want to install a third party firewall, at least use Windows' built-in firewall. Do NOT disable it if you have nothing else.) ALWAYS use current, automatically updated antivirus software. ALWAYS use anti-spyware protection. Do not let your PC "go commando." If you do, it will, almost certainly, catch a disease. And it could be quite lethal.

Great, free software to prevent such a nightmare:
AVG's Free Edition (for non-commercial use) You can download it at CNET
Javacoolsoftware's Spywareblaster
safer-networking.org's Spybot Search and Destroy (but don't install the Teatimer option)
I really love SuperAntiSpyware.

If you do not trust these links, go to AVG's website, javacoolsoftware's site , safer-networking.org and superantispyware's site.

These all offer free versions, but some are shareware, meaning these wonderful software writers could use and certainly deserve a donation. But it's not obligatory -- and protecting your computer is.

One last note: If you opt for free versions, ALWAYS do regular manual updates and computer scans on a regular basis. For most users, it is not necessary to do this daily -- but at least once every two to three weeks is a must.

Good luck! - and always use protection!

Outlook Reminders Pane is empty:

2009-02-26T23:55:00.002-05:00

Have solution... Will post by this weekend...

Audio Problems Solved

2009-02-26T23:18:00.003-05:00

Having suffered three hard drive crashes since July 2008 -- and two within the last month, the speed with which I get up and running again has begun to dazzle me :--)

Nevertheless, there always seem to be new glitches. Last time it was that my sound kept disappearing. Nope, it wasn't a missing driver. Wasn't even a corrupted or not-up-to-date driver. Intel (motherboard manufacturer) couldn't figure it out. Somehow, mysteriously, Windows Audio service kept getting disabled. So -- before you get beyond exasperation -- and when you are sure that your audio hardware is all there and not defective or broken, and you've downloaded, installed, and updated until you're blue in the face -- don't forget to check that your Windows Audio service is enabled and started. And make sure it’s set to Manual or Automatic on startup.

If you need instructions on how to do this: more later...***

Another audio issue: After installing a new video board -- yes, you read this right -- VIDEO board -- I lost the audio. Why? Some ATI boards (though it stands to reason that NVidia, and all boards with HDMI support probably can suffer the same fate) -- some ATI boards route the audio through the HDMI port, and so you lose onboard audio (i.e., audio from the motherboard). Vendor instructions tell you to disable your onboard audio. But, if you don't have an HDMI connection for your monitor, then obviously this cannot help you restore your sound. But, if you go into the BIOS and disable the new video board's audio, your problem should be solved. At least, mine was.

___

*** Instructions for enabling Windows Audio (or other services) in Windows XP
Go to My Computer (usually on Desktop or Start --> right side of start panel --> My Computer.
Right click on My Computer--> Manage (left click on Manage) --> Services and Applications (on right panel) (double click Services and Applications --> double-click Services
(make sure Services are sorted in Name order by clicking on "NAME" column. (Click once for ascending order; click again if it came up in descending order) Scroll down until you get to "Windows Audio" and double-click. Change startup type to "Automatic", and click on "Start" service if the option is enabled. You should now have sound!

My greatest fear after the election

2008-11-04T01:25:00.003-05:00

This post has nothing to do with technology. Just something I needed to get off my chest. In late 2001, I (with absolutely no background in economics) predicted an economic catastrophe was brewing. I foresaw this not because of 9/11, but because there were some suspicious-looking new mortgage products and it was a little too easy to get them. But only my husband can attest to my prediction. I’ve had other occasional insights. I’ve often said I’m a living Cassandra: I’m usually right – but no one pays any attention to what I say. But this time, on the eve of the most important election of my not-so-short life, I wanted my prediction documented.

My greatest fear:

In some very important ways, it matters not who wins this election. I am not saying the two candidates are the same – or even nearly the same. What I mean is that no matter who wins, the challenges will be enormous the day after – the first 100 days after – the first 1000 days after – and well into the next election in 2012.

The ghosts I fear – whether or not Senator Obama wins – are those of the LBJ years and of the Nixon years. Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative, both faced a nation deeply divided and deeply disturbed. First – divided by class. Remember the War on Poverty –when nearly a quarter of our population lived below the poverty level, in squalor that rivaled that of undeveloped nations - but here, in the wealthiest country the world has ever known: here, in a democracy, where we profess to govern for the good of and to the benefit of our people? And remember later, in LBJ’s administration and well into the Nixon era and beyond, the schism between those who wanted to keep fighting an unwinnable war and those who couldn’t bear to witness another night of body bags and napalmed victims?

Well, we have about the same proportion of population now who live without healthcare as who lived then in abject poverty – and with uncounted thousands – possibly even millions who are only a pink slip from joining their ranks.

Remember the long hot summers in the 60’s– of burning cities, race riots, angry mobs and fear on all sides? Remember how we once seemed on the brink of anarchy? All that began right after the Civil Rights Act had finally passed -- a time that some saw briefly with expectant optimism. What happens when a nation’s or a people’s hopes and dreams and greatest aspirations, after waiting years, or decades for fulfillment, are not met but seem to sink ever further away and out of sight? If history is any example: riots, assassinations and anarchy.

We are a nation on the brink of an epochal change – a nation waiting to exhale with jubilation and relief – expecting an election to miraculously and quickly change everything. But how is this really possible? Though we may rationally not really believe the change will be fast – how long will our nation actually wait? Will we be patient for a year? For two years? Until the next Presidential election? Can any single person – man or woman, black or white – (with the possible exception of the Messiah himself) – how can a normal, flawed human being fix the massive global unprecedented economic meltdown, two extremely difficult wars in hostile lands, an energy crisis (which alone, if not dealt with in a revolutionary way, will wreck not only our nation but the whole planet), a healthcare crisis, an exploding retirement population, national class divisions that have not been so vast in at least six decades – possibly closer to a century, and a world that may well be at the precipice of the most massive economic depression in history?

Americans are not known for their patience. Americans are not known for taking the long view or for having a sense of history. My fear is history is about to repeat itself. I pray not only that the long hot summers do not reappear – and do not spread across the globe, but also that our leaders can be kept safe from the crazies who live among us, and that Americans, when we start to lose patience – which we inevitably will -- will not abandon hope for change, and instead will rededicate ourselves and redouble our hard work and efforts to achieve it. I hope and pray. And I can’t wait for the polls to open in a few hours.

2007-06-30T01:35:00.000-04:00

Just adding a P.S. to my blog posted on June 28 - the day before iPhone's very public debut...

Watched the well-respected Walt Mossberg on Charlie Rose on Friday evening - who must have read my blog :-)

It's a thing of beauty, he confirmed -- but if you live in New York City, or anywhere else that has bad reception or cell problems with AT&T (formerly Cingular) -- you might want to wait before pinning your business calls to an iPhone.

Other flaws revealed: Keyboard (smooth glass interface - no keys to depress) - took the estimable Mr. Mossberg about five days to conquer -- though after that he was pleased enough. No GPS. No instant messaging (You can text message.)

And though it has a wondrous wifi capability, when there is no wifi network around (as, for example, in a bus or a cab), you must depend on AT&T's Edge technology.

Edge, evidently, does not mean "leading edge" -- more like the edge you're likely to leap off when it takes a web page 50 seconds -- or even TWO (count 'em 1...2) MINUTES to load.

Well, you don't have to shell out $600 for the iPhone - you can get the cheap model for a mere pittance: $500.

I still think I'll wait (and I don't mean in line, overnight, on the sidewalk outside the Apple store.)

(Didn't find the Charlie Rose interview from a few hours ago posted on the net -- though it's probably there... but almost as good, I've got the scintillating Mr. Mossberg alone with his iPhone.)

iPhone

2007-06-29T01:53:00.001-04:00

Can't wait to see the iPhone - but I'm not rushing out to buy one. Living in NYC, I need a phone with reliable, everywhere service. As much as I love to hate Verizon -- and the emphasis is on "hate" -- the last thing I want is to return to cell service that leaves me yelling "Can you hear me? Can you hear me now??..."
- or staring at a screen indicating "dropped call" or "no service."

Now why would I pay $600 to return to that?

The iPhone costs about $600 -- and features ONLY AT&T service -- and a 2-year contract, no less. Now, I don't have this information first-hand; I got the word from David Pogue at The New York Times.

I'm sure it's a thing of beauty -- but 'til it gets its functional act together, I think I'll wait.

Online Discoveries of the Day

2007-06-26T13:01:00.000-04:00

If you don't have a Mac, but wondered how your online pages look on one:
download Safari (Beta version)

I have a Mac -- but this is still pretty neat to have on my PC. Should make my life as a web developer/designer a bit easier.

My second discovery this morning was Eons, the Facebook for Boomers. Personally, I'm a bit shy about these online exchanges, but know it's important to explore and get comfortable with. To anyone of a certain age who has or ever may have a professional online presence: we ignore these at our peril. Not that I would ever use such a forum to shamelessly self-promote....
But perhaps you might like to :-) Just do it carefully, and don't get caught - or you'll get TOS'd out (i.e., to the uninitiated: banned for violating Terms Of Service).

Of course a more appropriate place for this is LinkedIn fo those looking for a job or contract.

Best of luck!

Earthlink browser "hijack"

2007-06-24T13:47:00.000-04:00

In yet a new twist on how to invade our privacy, Earthlink has begun to masquerade as a "search assistant" on computers. Suddenly, when mistyping a URL, you may be surprised to discover Earthlink "suggesting" where you might go to find it.

I would like to "suggest" to Earthlink where it might go.

If you are loath to edit your registry to get rid of this unwanted visitor, download and install the newest Adaware 2007. Get the latest updates and run a scan.

Delete the miscreants. Then restart your computer.

It should be free of search "assistants" after that -- and when you mistype a URL, you should now be relieved to see your old friend and mine: "The page cannot be displayed." Funny -- I never before noticed how very pretty that page is.

This Web page could not be saved

2007-06-21T00:33:00.000-04:00

Help and advice for anyone experiencing this error using IE 6.0. "This Web page could not be saved"
_____________________________________

Microsoft has published info about this error which does not always apply.

"CAUSE: This problem can occur when you attempt to save a Web page created using Excel 2000 or Excel 2003...."
_____________________________________

If this does not apply to you, here are three possible other causes (and resolutions) to your problem:

1. You may have a script on the page which IE does not like. Try removing it.
2. Your title may be too long. Shorten the page title to 5-7 words.
3. Your hosting company may have moved your CSS to a different server. Make sure this is not the case. If it is, ask them to please move all your site's files to a single server.

Apple TV

2007-06-14T13:50:00.000-04:00

For anyone who's thinking of buying an Apple TV: DON'T!

At least not yet. It has a l-o-n-g way to go. The folks who brought you iPods and those sleek, beautifully engineered Macs really blew it this time.

Not only did it take over 4 hours to set it up on a brand new Sony Bravia 42" with HDMI (over a wireless network with a strong signal)-- which Apple said would "guaranteed" work like a charm -- but 2 levels up at Apple Support they didn't know why it didn't work or what was wrong. I finally got it to work on my own (after 4 hours on the phone with Apple)-- and Apple's explanation was "it" (ie, this particular Apple TV set) "had to learn".

I just kept resetting and resetting, and replugging and powering on and off, and eventually it worked.

I used a Bravia, since I had feared a first time setup on an old Sony Wega was bound to fail. Apple had warned me it would not work. Apple was wrong again. It worked. And it was easy.

But my biggest objection: too expensive and too much trouble for so little payback. I just don't see the attraction. The obvious thing this piece of equipment should do is download and play movies like a TiVO -- and Apple didn't want a fight with the motion picture industry and/or the cable industry - so passed on this for now, at least. The only movies you can get on it are those from iTunes (or those you create on your computer).

It's $300 for a 40GB drive. And everytime you sync it, it wipes the drive clean. So, if you want it to add your newest photos or movies/slideshows you've created - it won't simply add new content, but will wipe the slate clean and rewrite. So if you use an external drive, the drive ALWAYS has to be attached -- and you have to WAIT.

Personally, I have better things to do with my time and money. If you want help or more info on Apple TV, streaming and sync options - or other computer help, services, or training, please email us or see more information SamRoitman.com