When a Windows Update Makes Things Worse
A recent Windows Update has destabilized my system. Is there a way to undo these patches?
Bob Catanzano, North Andover, Massachusetts
Microsoft provides ways to undo disastrous updates, but they don't work with every patch. Let's hope that one of the solutions below will work for you.
Start with Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet ('Add or Remove Programs' in Windows XP). Select Start, Settings, Control Panel (Start, Control Panel in Windows XP). Double-click Add or Remove Programs. Updates will be listed on the Install/Uninstall tab (Windows 98 and Me) or under 'Change or Remove Programs' (Windows 2000 and XP). And yes, uninstalling major upgrades such as Internet Explorer 6 and Windows Media Player 9 with this applet will reinstall earlier versions of the programs.
Next, try Windows Update itself. Select Start, Windows Update or Start, All Programs, Windows Update. Click View installation history in the left panel to see a list of the updates you've downloaded and installed. Many of the entries include a 'Read more' link. Click that and scroll to the bottom of the resulting browser window for uninstall instructions. Unfortunately, they may just tell you to use Windows' Add/Remove Programs (see FIGURE 1) or that 'Uninstall is not available.'
If your PC's problems started after you updated a hardware driver in Windows XP, right-click My Computer, Properties, Hardware, Device Manager. In Device Manager, expand the appropriate device category. Right-click the device that has the bad update and select Properties. In the next dialog box, click the Driver tab, and then the Roll Back Driver button. Follow the prompts from there.
Finally, try restoring your system's Registry to an earlier incarnation. Rolling back your Registry could make things worse, so back up the Registry beforehand; go to "How Do I Restore My Windows Registry?" for instructions.
Get the Look You Like
I prefer Windows Explorer's Details view. But in some folders, such as Control Panel, I want to see files represented as icons. How do I set the display view for a particular folder?
Joseph Allison, Owasso, Oklahoma
Begin by giving a folder the look you want the majority of your folders to have, and then select Tools, Folder Options, View, Like Current Folder (Apply to All Folders in Windows XP). Click Yes when prompted.
Scroll down to the option 'Remember each folder's view settings', make sure it's checked, and click OK. Now your folders will open with the view you've chosen. If you alter the view of a folder later, you'll see the changed view when you reopen it.
Change Your Mail Program
When I select File, Send To, Mail Recipient in Word or Excel, the document opens in Outlook Express. How do I make it link to Outlook?
Todd Praneis, Rockton, Illinois
Your default e-mail client is determined by a Windows setting that also affects the program that opens when you click a 'mailto' link in a Web browser, among other e-mail-related options. To change this setting, open Internet Explorer, select Tools, Internet Options, Programs, choose your preferred program from the 'E-mail' pull-down menu, and click OK.
The menu options may seem Microsoft-centric: Your computer likely arrived with options for Hotmail, Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and MSN Explorer. America Online, Eudora, Lotus Notes, Netscape Mail, and other installed third-party e-mail programs may or may not appear on this menu too.
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Format Word Paragraphs
If you use the Tab key to indent your paragraphs in Microsoft Word or press Enter twice to put a blank line between paragraphs, there's a better way, especially if you'll be editing and reformatting the document. Before you start writing, select Format, Paragraph and click the Indents and Spacing tab. To indent the first line automatically, select First line in the Special field. To add a blank line between paragraphs, enter 12 pt in the After field. Click OK. If you make these changes to your normal.dot file, they will affect all new documents.