PCT200604-076
Dear Computer Therapist: Do I really need all the visual "eye candy" that Windows
XP forces me to have? For instance, must I wait for menus and tooltips to slide into
view?
- Impatient
Dear Impatient: Try this. On the Desktop ► right-click My Computer ► Properties ►
Advanced tab ► Settings button under the Performance Section ► Visual Effects
►choose which effects you want and which you don't. If you turn off everything your
Windows XP will resemble the look and feel of Windows 98. We recommend de-
selecting every setting except the last one - "Use Visual Styles On Windows And
Buttons".
--------------------------------------------------
MS WinXP Support 20060531
Dear Computer Therapist: I turned on my computer (a Compaq running Windows
XP Home with Service Pack 2 installed). At the screen that displays the Windows
logo, the blue progress bar suddenly stops and the computer restarts itself. It
doesn't get past this point. It just keeps restarting. It does not give me an error or
anything. What's going on?
- Abrupt Ending
Dear Abrupt: Press the power button ► immediately begin pressing the F8 function
key continuously every 2 seconds until a screen appears that contains startup
options ► select the option to 'Disable Automatic Reboot Upon Error' ►. restart the
computer again. This time instead of restarting, you should receive the error
message that is causing your problem. Contact us with the error so that we can get
your system running again.
--------------------------------------------------
my research
Dear Computer Therapist: Thank you for helping me upgrade from my Windows 98
system to the latest Windows XP. I love the speed improvement. However I still like
the old-fashioned Start Menu. I guess I'll have to get used to it.
- Old Fashioned
Dear Old: Actually, you can return to the past Start Menu look and feel while enjoying
the benefits of Windows XP. Right-click the Start button ► Properties ►the 'Taskbar
And Start Menu Properties' dialog box displays ►select the 'Start Menu' tab ►
choose 'Classic Start Menu' ►Apply ► OK.
--------------------------------------------------
marvswindowstips
Dear Computer Therapist: There seems to be a long delay from the time I click the
Start button to when the Start Menu actually appears. Is there a way to shorten this
delay?
- Wasting My Time
**Warning**
Dear Wasting: This involves editing the Windows Registry. Click the Start button ►
Run ► in the Open field type: 'regedit' ► HKEY_CURRENT_USER ►Control Panel
► Desktop ► in the right pane locate and right-click the value 'MenuShowDelay' ►
click Modify ► in the Value data field change the value to approximately half of the
present value.
--------------------------------------------------
marvswindowstips
Dear Computer Therapist: When I install a new program, it gets added to the end of
the 'All Programs' list and not inserted alphabetically. In fact, most of the programs
are not in order. Is there a way to force new programs to be added in alphabetical
order?
- Disorganized
Dear Disorganized: You can't force new programs to be added in alphabetical order.
However you can sort the programs on the 'All Programs' list. Click Start ► 'All
Programs' ► right-click any program on the 'All Programs' list ► click 'Sort By Name'.
--------------------------------------------------
Windows XP Help
Dear Computer Therapist: I want to extend the life of my monitor when I'm not using
my computer, but I sometimes forget to press the monitor's power button. Is there a
way to automatically perform this action?
- Turned Off
Dear Turned Off: Click Start ► Control Panel ► Power Options ► choose a value for
'Turn Off Monitor'.
--------------------------------------------------
Windows XP Help
Dear Computer Therapist: I almost always start working with a specific Word
document when I first start the computer. Can I have that program automatically start
when Windows starts?
- Instant Gratification
Dear Gratification: To start a program each time you start Windows right-click the
Start button ► Properties ► Start Menu tab ► Classic Start menu ► Customize
(This changes the style of the Start menu) ► Advanced ► in the Start Menu folder,
find the shortcut to the program you want to start each time Windows starts ► drag it
to the Startup folder located in the Programs folder.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I’d like to spruce up my Windows XP Start menu. How
can I make it more stylish?
- In Vogue
Dear Vogue: You can control the size of the icons that display on the Start menu
when you click the ‘Start’ button. To do this, right-click the ‘Start’ button ► Properties
► near the top of the screen choose the ‘Start Menu’ tab ► click the option for ‘Start
menu’ ► ‘Customize’ button. On this screen you decide whether you want large or
small icons to display in the Start menu. You get to choose how many programs
appear on the Start menu. You can even clear the list of programs currently
displayed on the Start menu. To provide quick links to Internet Explorer or your e-
mail program on the Start menu just check the options at the bottom of the screen.
At the top, click the ‘Advanced’ tab for more options. On this screen, you can enable
the Start menu to highlight newly installed programs added to your computer. To
have the Start menu show you the most recent documents you were working on,
check the option at the bottom of the screen. Experiment with all the different options
to create a Start menu that Gucci would envy.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: How do I take advantage of some of the special effects
and visual eye candy that’s available in Windows XP?
- Seeking Excitement
Dear Excitement: So you like living on the edge, huh? On the Desktop, right-click the
‘My Computer’ icon ► choose ‘Properties’ from the menu ► ‘Advanced’ tab ► within
the ‘Performance’ section ► click the ‘Settings’ button ► choose the ‘Visual Effects’
tab. You can choose to let Windows XP decide what is best for you (depriving you of
your independence). Selecting ‘Adjust for best appearance’ takes full advantage of
special effects and animated windows. Choosing ‘Adjust for best performance’
gives your computer a speed boost but without some of the visual effects. The
‘Custom’ option puts you in total control over 16 computer personality settings that
you can turn on or off. Experiment by selecting and deselecting different
combinations to get the look and feel you want. Remember to press the ‘Apply’
button followed by the ‘OK’ button when you’re done.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I have a collection of photos stored in ‘My Pictures’ folder.
Is there a way to arrange them in groups so that they are arranged by date?
- Organized
Dear Organized: In Windows XP, open the folder where your photos are stored. It’s
usually the ‘My Pictures’ folder ► right-click an empty space within the folder display
► hover your mouse over ‘Arrange Icons By’ ► from the menu select ‘Modified’ ►
click ‘Show in Groups’ to place a checkmark next to it. You can also group files by
their Name, Size, or the Type of file.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I’m the only user of my computer so I don’t need to enter
a password every time I start up. How can I start Windows XP without having to enter
a username and password?
- All by Myself
Dear Myself: Start ► Run (or hold down the ‘Windows’ key on the keyboard ►
press the ‘R’ key) ► type: ‘control userpasswords2’ ► OK ► click your username
► de-select ‘Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.’
► OK ► if prompted, enter the authorizing password ► reboot the computer. At
the next startup you should instantly be logged in without specifying a username or
password.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I am using a computer with Windows XP Home Edition
installed. I use Internet Explorer version 6 as my browser. Suddenly, some Web
pages don’t display anymore. I receive an error that the Web page can’t be found.
One thing I can tell you is that I recently installed Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.
Could this have anything to do with my problem?
- Uncertain
Dear Uncertain: You say you’ve installed SP2? Try this: Start ► Run ► type: ‘cmd’ ►
at the ‘C:\’ prompt type: ‘netsh winsock reset’ ► restart Windows ► try accessing
those Web pages again.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I’ve just completed the installation of Symantec’s Norton
AntiVirus 2006 on my Dell computer (running Windows XP Home Edition). However,
I discovered that all my scheduled tasks were deleted. Is there a way I can bring
them back without having to create new entries? Some of those tasks took me a
long time to figure out.
- Missing Out
Dear Missing: Symantec technical support is the place to go for help with Symantec’
s Norton AntiVirus software. Go to Web site: http://Symantec.atgnow.com/consumer
► in the search box type: ‘NetDetect’ ► choose the 2nd entry: "Symantec NetDetect
(Automatic LiveUpdate) and other tasks in Scheduled Tasks do not run after you
install Norton AntiVirus" ► follow the instructions. If you need further help, please
contact us.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: In the past, whenever I placed a CD in the drive, a dialog
box would display asking me to select what action to take. I inadvertently checked
the setting in this box which read "Never show this dialog again". How can I get this
feature back?
- Rushed to Judgement
Dear Rushed: On the Desktop ► double-click the My Computer icon ► right click
your CD/DVD drive ► Properties ► AutoPlay tab ► select: ‘Prompt me each time to
choose an action’. The next time you insert a disc into the drive you should see the
‘Select an action to perform’ dialog box.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I would enjoy the opportunity to engage in a friendly
competition of Backgammon with people around the world. Could you advise me on
how this can be done using my computer?
- Wanna Play
Dear Wanna: With a computer running Windows XP, several games can be played
over the Internet— Checkers, Reversi, Hearts, and more. To begin, click the ‘Start’
button ► All Programs ► Games. Look for your desired game beginning with the
word ‘Internet’. If you don’t see any, you must add them to your computer. Click Start
► Control Panel ► Add or Remove Programs ► on the left-hand side, click
‘Add/Remove Windows Components’ ► highlight ‘Accessories and Utilities’ ►
click the ‘Details’ button ► highlight ‘Games’ ► click ‘Details’ ► put a checkmark
next to ‘Internet Games’ ► OK ► in the ‘Accessories and Utilities’ dialog box click
OK ► in the ‘Windows Components Wizard’ dialog box click ‘Next’ ► after the
games are installed click the ‘Finish’ button. Return to the ‘Start’ button ► All
Programs ► Games ► Choose the Internet game you want to play ► on the next
screen click the ‘Play’ button ► follow the instructions. Good luck. Hope you win.
Dear Computer Therapist: Do I really need all the visual "eye candy" that Windows
XP forces me to have? For instance, must I wait for menus and tooltips to slide into
view?
- Impatient
Dear Impatient: Try this. On the Desktop ► right-click My Computer ► Properties ►
Advanced tab ► Settings button under the Performance Section ► Visual Effects
►choose which effects you want and which you don't. If you turn off everything your
Windows XP will resemble the look and feel of Windows 98. We recommend de-
selecting every setting except the last one - "Use Visual Styles On Windows And
Buttons".
--------------------------------------------------
MS WinXP Support 20060531
Dear Computer Therapist: I turned on my computer (a Compaq running Windows
XP Home with Service Pack 2 installed). At the screen that displays the Windows
logo, the blue progress bar suddenly stops and the computer restarts itself. It
doesn't get past this point. It just keeps restarting. It does not give me an error or
anything. What's going on?
- Abrupt Ending
Dear Abrupt: Press the power button ► immediately begin pressing the F8 function
key continuously every 2 seconds until a screen appears that contains startup
options ► select the option to 'Disable Automatic Reboot Upon Error' ►. restart the
computer again. This time instead of restarting, you should receive the error
message that is causing your problem. Contact us with the error so that we can get
your system running again.
--------------------------------------------------
my research
Dear Computer Therapist: Thank you for helping me upgrade from my Windows 98
system to the latest Windows XP. I love the speed improvement. However I still like
the old-fashioned Start Menu. I guess I'll have to get used to it.
- Old Fashioned
Dear Old: Actually, you can return to the past Start Menu look and feel while enjoying
the benefits of Windows XP. Right-click the Start button ► Properties ►the 'Taskbar
And Start Menu Properties' dialog box displays ►select the 'Start Menu' tab ►
choose 'Classic Start Menu' ►Apply ► OK.
--------------------------------------------------
marvswindowstips
Dear Computer Therapist: There seems to be a long delay from the time I click the
Start button to when the Start Menu actually appears. Is there a way to shorten this
delay?
- Wasting My Time
**Warning**
Dear Wasting: This involves editing the Windows Registry. Click the Start button ►
Run ► in the Open field type: 'regedit' ► HKEY_CURRENT_USER ►Control Panel
► Desktop ► in the right pane locate and right-click the value 'MenuShowDelay' ►
click Modify ► in the Value data field change the value to approximately half of the
present value.
--------------------------------------------------
marvswindowstips
Dear Computer Therapist: When I install a new program, it gets added to the end of
the 'All Programs' list and not inserted alphabetically. In fact, most of the programs
are not in order. Is there a way to force new programs to be added in alphabetical
order?
- Disorganized
Dear Disorganized: You can't force new programs to be added in alphabetical order.
However you can sort the programs on the 'All Programs' list. Click Start ► 'All
Programs' ► right-click any program on the 'All Programs' list ► click 'Sort By Name'.
--------------------------------------------------
Windows XP Help
Dear Computer Therapist: I want to extend the life of my monitor when I'm not using
my computer, but I sometimes forget to press the monitor's power button. Is there a
way to automatically perform this action?
- Turned Off
Dear Turned Off: Click Start ► Control Panel ► Power Options ► choose a value for
'Turn Off Monitor'.
--------------------------------------------------
Windows XP Help
Dear Computer Therapist: I almost always start working with a specific Word
document when I first start the computer. Can I have that program automatically start
when Windows starts?
- Instant Gratification
Dear Gratification: To start a program each time you start Windows right-click the
Start button ► Properties ► Start Menu tab ► Classic Start menu ► Customize
(This changes the style of the Start menu) ► Advanced ► in the Start Menu folder,
find the shortcut to the program you want to start each time Windows starts ► drag it
to the Startup folder located in the Programs folder.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I’d like to spruce up my Windows XP Start menu. How
can I make it more stylish?
- In Vogue
Dear Vogue: You can control the size of the icons that display on the Start menu
when you click the ‘Start’ button. To do this, right-click the ‘Start’ button ► Properties
► near the top of the screen choose the ‘Start Menu’ tab ► click the option for ‘Start
menu’ ► ‘Customize’ button. On this screen you decide whether you want large or
small icons to display in the Start menu. You get to choose how many programs
appear on the Start menu. You can even clear the list of programs currently
displayed on the Start menu. To provide quick links to Internet Explorer or your e-
mail program on the Start menu just check the options at the bottom of the screen.
At the top, click the ‘Advanced’ tab for more options. On this screen, you can enable
the Start menu to highlight newly installed programs added to your computer. To
have the Start menu show you the most recent documents you were working on,
check the option at the bottom of the screen. Experiment with all the different options
to create a Start menu that Gucci would envy.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: How do I take advantage of some of the special effects
and visual eye candy that’s available in Windows XP?
- Seeking Excitement
Dear Excitement: So you like living on the edge, huh? On the Desktop, right-click the
‘My Computer’ icon ► choose ‘Properties’ from the menu ► ‘Advanced’ tab ► within
the ‘Performance’ section ► click the ‘Settings’ button ► choose the ‘Visual Effects’
tab. You can choose to let Windows XP decide what is best for you (depriving you of
your independence). Selecting ‘Adjust for best appearance’ takes full advantage of
special effects and animated windows. Choosing ‘Adjust for best performance’
gives your computer a speed boost but without some of the visual effects. The
‘Custom’ option puts you in total control over 16 computer personality settings that
you can turn on or off. Experiment by selecting and deselecting different
combinations to get the look and feel you want. Remember to press the ‘Apply’
button followed by the ‘OK’ button when you’re done.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I have a collection of photos stored in ‘My Pictures’ folder.
Is there a way to arrange them in groups so that they are arranged by date?
- Organized
Dear Organized: In Windows XP, open the folder where your photos are stored. It’s
usually the ‘My Pictures’ folder ► right-click an empty space within the folder display
► hover your mouse over ‘Arrange Icons By’ ► from the menu select ‘Modified’ ►
click ‘Show in Groups’ to place a checkmark next to it. You can also group files by
their Name, Size, or the Type of file.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I’m the only user of my computer so I don’t need to enter
a password every time I start up. How can I start Windows XP without having to enter
a username and password?
- All by Myself
Dear Myself: Start ► Run (or hold down the ‘Windows’ key on the keyboard ►
press the ‘R’ key) ► type: ‘control userpasswords2’ ► OK ► click your username
► de-select ‘Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.’
► OK ► if prompted, enter the authorizing password ► reboot the computer. At
the next startup you should instantly be logged in without specifying a username or
password.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I am using a computer with Windows XP Home Edition
installed. I use Internet Explorer version 6 as my browser. Suddenly, some Web
pages don’t display anymore. I receive an error that the Web page can’t be found.
One thing I can tell you is that I recently installed Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.
Could this have anything to do with my problem?
- Uncertain
Dear Uncertain: You say you’ve installed SP2? Try this: Start ► Run ► type: ‘cmd’ ►
at the ‘C:\’ prompt type: ‘netsh winsock reset’ ► restart Windows ► try accessing
those Web pages again.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I’ve just completed the installation of Symantec’s Norton
AntiVirus 2006 on my Dell computer (running Windows XP Home Edition). However,
I discovered that all my scheduled tasks were deleted. Is there a way I can bring
them back without having to create new entries? Some of those tasks took me a
long time to figure out.
- Missing Out
Dear Missing: Symantec technical support is the place to go for help with Symantec’
s Norton AntiVirus software. Go to Web site: http://Symantec.atgnow.com/consumer
► in the search box type: ‘NetDetect’ ► choose the 2nd entry: "Symantec NetDetect
(Automatic LiveUpdate) and other tasks in Scheduled Tasks do not run after you
install Norton AntiVirus" ► follow the instructions. If you need further help, please
contact us.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: In the past, whenever I placed a CD in the drive, a dialog
box would display asking me to select what action to take. I inadvertently checked
the setting in this box which read "Never show this dialog again". How can I get this
feature back?
- Rushed to Judgement
Dear Rushed: On the Desktop ► double-click the My Computer icon ► right click
your CD/DVD drive ► Properties ► AutoPlay tab ► select: ‘Prompt me each time to
choose an action’. The next time you insert a disc into the drive you should see the
‘Select an action to perform’ dialog box.
--------------------------------------------------
Dear Computer Therapist: I would enjoy the opportunity to engage in a friendly
competition of Backgammon with people around the world. Could you advise me on
how this can be done using my computer?
- Wanna Play
Dear Wanna: With a computer running Windows XP, several games can be played
over the Internet— Checkers, Reversi, Hearts, and more. To begin, click the ‘Start’
button ► All Programs ► Games. Look for your desired game beginning with the
word ‘Internet’. If you don’t see any, you must add them to your computer. Click Start
► Control Panel ► Add or Remove Programs ► on the left-hand side, click
‘Add/Remove Windows Components’ ► highlight ‘Accessories and Utilities’ ►
click the ‘Details’ button ► highlight ‘Games’ ► click ‘Details’ ► put a checkmark
next to ‘Internet Games’ ► OK ► in the ‘Accessories and Utilities’ dialog box click
OK ► in the ‘Windows Components Wizard’ dialog box click ‘Next’ ► after the
games are installed click the ‘Finish’ button. Return to the ‘Start’ button ► All
Programs ► Games ► Choose the Internet game you want to play ► on the next
screen click the ‘Play’ button ► follow the instructions. Good luck. Hope you win.
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| Computer Therapy of PA Windows XP Advice Helping computers cope with people |