Tip O'Tex Computer Club
September 2003 Newsletter
This month, I'm going to use a Q & A format. I've received quite a few questions lately, asking how to do certain things, and I'm going to put both the Q's and my A's here.
Q. I have Windows XP and I have to keep putting my password in when I turn on the computer, or I can't get into Windows. Its not the Dial-Up that's asking for my password, its Windows.
A. Chances are that when you first went into your Windows for the first time, you were asked for a password. If you don't put one there, it won't ask you again (most of the time, that is - there are exceptions to that) but apparently you put one in. Now you want to change that. Here's how:
| 1. | Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click User Accounts. |
| 2. | Click on the User you wish to change. |
| 3. | Click on Change Password and in the space provided, type your current password. |
| 4. | Hit the TAB key twice - that will put nothing in the password space and in the "confirm password" space. Hit OK or Apply. Reboot the computer to make sure it works. |
Q. I have the Nero program for burning CD's but can't seem to get it working. Is there any way I can get some directions for it?
A. Go to: http://www.nero.com/us/631941271087701.html That will take you to the QuickStart, and there you can scroll down and click on either "View It" or "Download It." You can do either. If you "View It" it will take quite a while to load, but when it gets done, it will open up in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Then you can click File, Save As. You'll be warned that you can't save any changes, but that's okay, so just click OK. Choose where you're going to save it (My Documents would work - just remember where it is) and then click Save. If you prefer to save it, it will come to you zipped, and you just need to unzip it to My Documents.
Now you can open that file anytime you need help with burning CD's. You can print out specific pages, but I wouldn't print out the whole thing - its 44 pages long. To print just a few pages, you can go to the page you want to print, click on File, click on Print, click next to Current Page - then click OK.
Q. Is there any way I can tell the size of an e-mail I've received?
A. If you're using Outlook Express you can show a column that shows the size of all of your e-mail - and that's not a bad idea in case you plan on forwarding something. Trying to forward an e-mail that is 300+ kb can take a LONG time, just like it took you a long time to receive it. You might want to make sure that your correspondent is aware of a large incoming letter.
To create that column, while in Outlook Express, click on View> Columns and put a checkmark next to Size. You can move that column either up (to the left) or down (to the right) and while there, I'd remove the checkmarks next to Flag and Priority - unless you have a specific reason for keeping them. Most people don't use either, and once in a while a flag will "appear" and you may wonder what it means. By removing the column, you don't have to worry. (The reason the flags suddenly appear is because you click next to an e-mail, in the Flag column.)
Q. Every once in a while, I see an old ID or password appear when I should be seeing my own. It could be someone else's or it could be where I have typed the wrong information. Either way, it appears and I want to get rid of it. I've tried "rightclick and delete" but that doesn't do anything.
A. The next time you see the ID that you don't want, highlight it (probably just click once, but you may
just have to move your mouse over it) and then hit the Delete key on the keyboard. That will get rid of
it. I sometimes put in the first letter of my password or ID and when I see the one I want, just hit Enter,
instead of clicking on it. That puts the just first letter in as one of my selections - aggravating. So I Delete
it. You may run into that after you've had company using your computer - their name may appear. Same solution.