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| washingtonpost.com - Help File -- The Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro Answers Personal Computing Questions (washingtonpost.com) |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 16 Nov 2008)
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| QI have a new LCD monitor hooked up to my PC, but it doesn't look as nice as I thought. The text seems a little unfocused, and images look a little wide. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 09 Nov 2008)
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| Q Will I be able to record programs off the air with my VCR after the digital transition? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 02 Nov 2008)
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| QYour advice about backups came too late for me. My hard drive died, and I would like to get back some of the files on it, but I don't know anything about data-recovery services. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 26 Oct 2008)
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Q What kind of difference will DDR3 memory make in a laptop, compared with DDR2?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 19 Oct 2008)
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| Q Why are you so down on Windows Vista's 64-bit edition? I run it, and I haven't encountered any problems. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 12 Oct 2008)
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| Q How can I keep track of the security fixes for all the software that Windows Update doesn't cover, like my Internet plug-ins and media players? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 05 Oct 2008)
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| Q We have upgraded to a digital TV, but we get only the local stations' analog signals, not their digital broadcasts. In the ads, they make it sound so simple. Am I the only one having this problem ? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 28 Sep 2008)
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Q How can I stop the touchpad on my laptop from treating random taps as mouse clicks?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 21 Sep 2008)
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| Q Because this has been in the news lately: How can I keep my Web mail password secure from hackers trying to guess it? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 14 Sep 2008)
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| Q We recently upgraded to a digital TV, which leaves us with an old analog set nobody wants to buy. And we're told we can't throw it out -- what do we do? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 07 Sep 2008)
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| Q I saw the item about Gmail security. If I don't turn on this encryption in my desktop e-mail program, can I expose my password at wireless hot spots? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 31 Aug 2008)
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Q The software for my camera, a Canon PowerShot SD750, seems incompatible with Windows Vista. When I plug the camera into the computer, nothing happens.
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 24 Aug 2008)
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| Q You've mentioned setting Web browsers to refuse the cookies set by advertising networks. How do I do that, exactly? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 17 Aug 2008)
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| Q My digital TV can get four WETA channels but not the one with the schedule I'm used to seeing on Channel 26. Where did that go? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 10 Aug 2008)
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| Q For months now, someone in the 202 area code has been trying to send my BlackBerry a fax. I've tried calling and faxing the mystery faxer, without effect. Can I get my wireless carrier to block the call? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 03 Aug 2008)
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Q How do I change the letter assigned to a drive in Windows?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 27 Jul 2008)
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| Q I would like to know if and when I should upgrade my browser? I think I have Internet Explorer 6. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 20 Jul 2008)
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| Q When I shut down my computer, I get a notice that "ccSvcHst.exe" is not responding. What does this mean, and how do I correct it? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 13 Jul 2008)
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| Q We bought an iPod nano and discovered it needs Mac OS X 10.4.8, and we only have 10.3.9. Now we're looking at upgrading OS X ($129), which itself will require more memory -- so this $149 iPod will cost $200 more. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 06 Jul 2008)
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Q I've got an old mix CD, and I don't know the names of all the songs on it. Is there any way to look them up online?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 29 Jun 2008)
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| Q Why aren't there any rewriteable double-layer DVDs? I can find dual-layer discs only in write-once formats that I can't reuse. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 22 Jun 2008)
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| Q Are there any laptops made for use outdoors? My screen keeps washing out in sunlight. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 15 Jun 2008)
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| Q Is there any escape from all the useless prompts (send a numeric page, leave a callback number, blah blah blah) I have to sit through before leaving a voice-mail message on somebody's cellphone? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 08 Jun 2008)
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Q Is there any way to get rid of all the irrelevant stuff in the Services menus of the programs on my Mac?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 01 Jun 2008)
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| Q My anti-virus option, AVG Free 7.5, has been pestering me to upgrade to the 8.0 release -- which doesn't seem to be free anymore. Am I missing something? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 25 May 2008)
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| Q The four-gigabyte SDHC memory card I bought works fine in my Canon camera but doesn't work at all in my computer's built-in memory card reader. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 18 May 2008)
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| Q Do any computers besides Mac laptops have backlit or otherwise illuminated keyboards? |
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Author: Post |
Category: Help |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 04 May 2008)
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Q When I tried subscribing to a site's RSS feed, my browser asked me to choose "RSS 1.0," "RSS 2.0" and "Atom" versions. What makes them different?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 27 Apr 2008)
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| Q Should I do anything extra to back up the songs I bought from MSN Music? Microsoft's e-mail last week said my purchases would still work. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 20 Apr 2008)
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| Q My G5 iMac is slow as a dog these days. I have a gigabyte of memory on it, and about 2 GB of space left on its 250 GB hard drive. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Help |
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| Help File |
(Sun, 13 Apr 2008)
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| Q My wireless network's signal keeps dropping out. If it's not my cordless phone that's jamming the signal, could it be my neighbor's? |
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Author: Post |
Category: Help |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 06 Apr 2008)
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Q When I use a Windows XP laptop at home, I don't see the same order of wireless networks that a Vista machine shows at the same location.
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 30 Mar 2008)
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| Q I'm in the market for an iPod, but I don't want to buy one just before Apple comes out with a better model. When's the next version due? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 23 Mar 2008)
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| Q After disabling some start-up programs and using a registry cleaner on my Gateway, the screen saver stops working, and the machine re-detects the graphics card after a restart. Gateway said only a system restore would work, but I find that hard to believe. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 16 Mar 2008)
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| Q My Dell has a 2.5 gigabytes of memory, but when I try to put the machine into hibernation, I often get a message that there are "Insufficient system resources to complete the API." |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 09 Mar 2008)
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Q The David Bowie box set I bought in 1989 includes a "CD-Video" disc, but I've never been able to play the music videos on it. What kind of electronic device would I need to play this thing? Would I find it anywhere outside of a museum?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 02 Mar 2008)
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| Q If I try to install my old copy of Office XP in Windows Vista, will I run into any prohibitions or technical problems? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 24 Feb 2008)
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| Q Whatever other people might say about Windows Vista, I love its parental controls. But my son has found a proxy-server site that lets him bypass any site blocks I've placed. I can block this one site, but there must be others like it. Is there an answer to this dilemma? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 17 Feb 2008)
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| Q My new Palm Centro won't pair up with the Bluetooth in my Toyota. The phone sees the car, but the car doesn't return the favor. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 10 Feb 2008)
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Q When I view a PDF in Firefox on my Mac, the file doesn't display inside the Web browser the way it will in Safari. It opens in the Preview program instead, and I have to remember to delete the downloaded PDF later.
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 03 Feb 2008)
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| Q I use Windows' "Send To" right-click menu as a quick way to copy a file to a flash drive or attach it to an e-mail. How do I get rid of all its irrelevant options? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 27 Jan 2008)
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| Q Somebody just e-mailed me a ".docx" file. Is this a Microsoft Word file? Why can't my copy of Word open it? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 20 Jan 2008)
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| Q: I know that analog TV is going off the air next February and that I can keep using my old analog set with a digital converter box, but I can't find any at a reasonable price. So what good is a $40 coupon from the government for the purchase of a converter? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 13 Jan 2008)
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Q My McAfee firewall wants to know if it should block or unblock something named "BackWeb-8876480." What is this?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 06 Jan 2008)
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| Q Since Firefox updated itself, Password Bank keeps asking me to "confirm following elevation request to remove orphan Password Bank support." |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 30 Dec 2007)
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| Q I just got a new computer, and now I need to dispose of the old one. What do I do? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 23 Dec 2007)
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| Q I need to move my old files to a new PC. How can I be sure that I get everything I need? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| FAST FORWARD'S HELP FILE Rob Pegoraro |
(Sun, 16 Dec 2007)
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Q Google Maps' directions never send me on I-66 inside the Beltway, even when that's obviously the fastest route. Why doesn't that site like this highway?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: FAST |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 09 Dec 2007)
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| Q How can I stop Windows from reminding me that deleting a desktop shortcut doesn't get rid of the program itself ? I figured that out a long time ago. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 02 Dec 2007)
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| Q All of my phone numbers are on the Do Not Call list, but my cellphone keeps getting junk text messages -- which I have to pay for! Is there any way to prevent this? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 25 Nov 2007)
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| Q: I have a refurbished MacBook and have yet to back up any of my files. Can you recommend an external hard drive that is idiot-proof? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 18 Nov 2007)
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Q I've got an HDTV with a CableCard slot. Can I use that with Fios TV, or do I need to rent Verizon's tuner?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 11 Nov 2007)
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| Q I was typing away when my monitor went black for a second, then returned to life with everything rotated 90 degrees to the right! What do I do to get this thing back to normal? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 04 Nov 2007)
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| Q How can I get my Web favorites out of MSN Explorer? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 28 Oct 2007)
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| Q We use a few e-mail accounts at home. How can I check all of them in one e-mail program but keep each account's messages separate? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 21 Oct 2007)
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Q How can two people share a computer and get their own music when they sync an iPod to the same copy of iTunes?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| FAST FORWARD'S HELP FILE |
(Sun, 14 Oct 2007)
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| Q I lost the USB receiver for my cordless mouse, leaving me with a mouse-shaped paperweight. Is it possible to replace just that receiver? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: FAST |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 07 Oct 2007)
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| Q Are all USB flash drives created equal? Is $17 a reasonable price for a two-gigabyte drive, or should I pay more for a name-brand model? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 30 Sep 2007)
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| Q Uninstalling Norton AntiVirus somehow broke my HP scanner software. When I tried to reinstall it, I got an error saying Macromedia Projector needed to close. The "More Information" link in that window noted a problem with "hpibrwsr.exe." |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 23 Sep 2007)
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Q Most of the online mapping sites can't find my home address. Is there a company I can contact to fix this?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 16 Sep 2007)
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| Q What is the "variable bit rate encoding" option in my music software good for? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 09 Sep 2007)
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| Q Some of my buddies' e-mails show up with an unopenable attachment called "winmail.dat." Am I at fault, or are my friends? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| HELP FILE |
(Sun, 02 Sep 2007)
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| Q Can I use both Windows Media Player and iTunes with the same music collection? I have an iPod, but I can't use iTunes in my PC's Media Center interface. |
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Author: Post |
Category: HELP |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 19 Aug 2007)
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Q The AutoPlay dialog that Windows pops up when I put in a music CD or a USB drive is full of entries for programs I don't use or don't even have installed. How can I clean up that mess?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 12 Aug 2007)
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| Q I set my Web browser to remember my bank user name and password, but it won't type them in for me. Is something wrong with my browser? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 05 Aug 2007)
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| Q Windows says the program I just downloaded doesn't have a valid "digital signature." Should I forgo installing it? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 29 Jul 2007)
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| Q I'm taking my laptop on vacation. How can I keep the data on it safe in case the computer gets lost or stolen? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 22 Jul 2007)
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Q My new computer runs Windows Vista, but a lot of my older programs don't work right or don't run at all in Vista. Can I put Windows XP on this machine also?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 15 Jul 2007)
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| Q Is it safe to buy one of those "802.11n" wireless routers now? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 08 Jul 2007)
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| Q: My PC now flashes a start-up message from a company called "Phoenix"; hitting the F1 key gets me past this, but my other problem is that the computer keeps thinking that it's 11:01 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2002 . |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 01 Jul 2007)
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| Q I dropped my cellphone into a sink full of water (fortunately, no soap), and now it won't turn on. Is it lost? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 24 Jun 2007)
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Q How can I keep track of updates for the programs that I've added to my computer?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 17 Jun 2007)
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| Q A couple of times in the past month, my e-mail address has been hijacked and used to send out spam. One day, I opened my mail to see more than 100 returned messages, all of which were using my e-mail to send spam! How can I prevent this? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 10 Jun 2007)
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| Q Some of the spam I get doesn't seem to advertise anything at all -- it's just meaningless strings of letters. What's the point of that? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 03 Jun 2007)
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| Q How can I sync Google Calendar to my smartphone? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 27 May 2007)
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Q I usually travel with a laptop, which has a Cingular Wireless data card in addition to its WiFi receiver. Which will be more secure on the road, the card or a hotel's WiFi network?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 20 May 2007)
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| Q My browser sometimes freezes up when I try to view a PDF file on a Web site. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 13 May 2007)
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| Q After running Dell's "PC TuneUp" tool, the news sites I visit look like a mess in Firefox -- but appear normal in Internet Explorer. How can I fix this? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 06 May 2007)
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| Q When I picked up a DVD player the other day, the clerk at the store offered an extended warranty for free -- he took $10 off the price of the player, then added $10 for the service plan. Why would a store want to do that? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 29 Apr 2007)
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Q After I installed a Logitech keyboard and mouse, Logitech's MediaLife program became my default for music CDs. How can I restore Windows Media Player to the default program?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 22 Apr 2007)
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| Q After my computer starts up, I get an error message about an "Illegal System DLL Relocation." It says: "The relocation occurred because the DLL C:\Windows\System 32\HHCTRL.OCX occupied an address range reserved for Windows system DLLs." Huh? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 15 Apr 2007)
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| Q I've been having problems getting my e-mail in Outlook, but when I called my Internet provider for help, I was told it doesn't support that program. Now what do I do? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 08 Apr 2007)
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| Q I've read that I should copy my CDs to the computer in a lossless format instead of MP3. Wouldn't that get me the best possible audio quality? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 01 Apr 2007)
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Q How can I stop Microsoft Word from changing my text?
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 25 Mar 2007)
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| Q How do I hide the icons on my iBook's desktop? I'm new to the Apple world, and this task is beyond me. |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 18 Mar 2007)
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| Q How can I set up my e-mail program to forward all of my new messages to my Google Gmail account? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 11 Mar 2007)
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| Q I keep getting an Internet Explorer error message asking if I want to keep running scripts on a Web page. Is there a way to turn this off? |
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Author: Rob Pegoraro |
Category: Fast |
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| Fast Forward's Help File |
(Sun, 04 Mar 2007)
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Q Last year, I had to buy a new TV when the old one died. It's an analog-only model. When analog broadcasts go off the air in 2009, will my cable service change, too? Will I need to get a cable box?
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