50 Fixes for the Biggest PC Annoyances
Windows gone wacky? Hardware gone haywire? Software gone screwy? Take a deep breath--help is here.Contributing Editor Steve Bass runs the Pasadena IBM Users Group and is the author of PC Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer (O'Reilly, 2003), from which many of these tips were adapted. Contact him at homeoffice@pcworld.com.
Did I ever strike a chord: Reader response to last October's article on the biggest PC annoyances was overwhelming. But that story barely scratched the surface of what bugs me about hardware and software. Countless other nettlesome irritations and exasperating glitches await fixing. So I'm back--the king of kvetch--with 50 more cures for aggravating PC foibles, from software that won't stop nagging to CD drives that won't stay shut. I'll introduce you to five de-annoyifiers, utilities that take the sting out of computing, and I'll tackle the programs that clutter your system tray, desktop, and Start menu. My fixes will put your PC back on the straight and narrow.
Broken Windows
We love it, we hate it. Okay, so we just hate it, but Windows has been on our desktops for so long that it's growing a crust. Don't just learn to live with the OS's shortcomings. Fight back!
Give S-l-o-w Menus a Goose
The Annoyance:I was primed for a fast PC experience, but there I sat, tapping my fingers as menus slowly came into view.
The Fix: In Windows 98, Me, and 2000, right-click the desktop and choose Properties, Effects. Uncheck Animate windows, menus and lists (Windows 98) or Use transition effects for menus and tooltips (Me and 2000). In XP, right-click the desktop, choose Properties, Appearance, Effects, and uncheck Use the following transition effect for menus and tooltips (see FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1: Bring lightning-fast menus back to Windows by unchecking Display Properties' transition-effects option.
). Now my fingers can tap on the keyboard.
Show All Recent Docs
The Annoyance: The Start menu's Documents folder (My Recent Documents in Windows XP) lets me reopen files I've been working on in a trice, but Windows lists only 15 documents there, and older links disappear from the list too soon.
The Fix: To get access to more recently used files, place a shortcut to Documents (or My Recent Documents) on your desktop. Navigate in Windows Explorer to the Recent folder (its location varies depending on the version of Windows; mine is at C:\Documents and Settings\username\Recent). Right-click and drag the folder's icon to the desktop. Release the right button and choose Create Shortcut(s) Here (XP loses the parentheses). When you open the folder with this shortcut, you'll see links to all the files you've worked on since the last time you purged the list.
I regularly delete dead links and files that I'm unlikely to access again. I also click either the Name or the Date Modified column heading on the right side to sort the shortcuts. To make the folder even easier to use, right-click the Name field and uncheck Type and Size; both of these are unnecessary categories in this folder since all its entries are 1KB shortcuts. And for a cool applet to limit the types of files that this folder lists, download Lincoln Spector's cleanup batch file.
Explorer's Vanishing Task Pane
The Annoyance: The task pane on the left side of Windows XP's folder windows is filled with terrific links and wizards. I used to click the Close button (the "X") in the upper-right corner of the Search or Folders pane to reveal the task pane; but when I did this in the My Network Places folder, the task pane was a no-show.
The Fix: My bad on this one. Seems I had accidentally changed my Folders view back to that of Windows 98 (or "classic"). It's an easy mistake to make, but it's also easy to correct: Select Tools, Folder Options, and choose Show common tasks in folders on the General tab. Click OK, and the left pane of the folder window will once again display those luscious (and valuable) links to common folder tasks and other desirable spots on your PC.
The Fast Track to File Paths
The Annoyance: Copying a folder's path and name to paste into an e-mail message or a file-save dialog box is unduly difficult.
The Fix: A fast alternative is to open Windows Explorer, navigate to and select the folder in question, click the Address bar to highlight it, and press <Ctrl>-C. Voila! The path is in your Clipboard. You say that your Address bar isn't showing? Select View, Toolbars, Address Bar.
Missing Quick Launch Toolbars
The Annoyance: During a lengthy session with Windows Explorer, I somehow deleted the Quick Launch toolbar and at first couldn't figure out how to get it back.
The Fix: I still haven't determined why Quick Launch pulls the occasional disappearing act, but retrieving it is a snap: Right-click a free space of the taskbar (you may have to drag it up to make room) and choose Toolbars, Quick Launch.
Bonus tip: To stop yellow file info pop-ups, open Windows Explorer, select Tools, Folder Options, View, and uncheck Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items.
Reload Start-Up Programs Without Restarting
The Annoyance: I accidentally closed a program in the system tray, and suddenly I couldn't find the program on my Start menu. Doubly annoying: The program would load when I booted, so rebooting seemed to be the only way to get it running again.
The Fix: Click Start,Programs (All Programs in Windows XP),Startup. Chances are good that a shortcut to your program is listed on that menu. Just click it, and the program starts going again. What? The program's not there? Don't fret: Select Start,Programs [All Programs in XP],Accessories,System Tools,System Information. In the left pane of the System Information dialog box, double-click Software Environment and select Startup Programs. The right pane will list all the programs that run at start-up. (Scary, isn't it?) You should find the program you're looking for in this list. Select it and press <Ctrl>-C to copy the entire line.
It would be nice if System Information let you copy just the command you need, but no: You must take the whole line or nothing. And if you use Windows 2000, you can't press <Ctrl>-C to copy the line, so instead right-click it, select Save As Text File, type restart (or the name of your choice) in the 'File name' field, and click Save. Open the text file you just created, press <Ctrl>-A to select the text, and press <Ctrl>-C to copy it.
Now click Start,Run and press <Ctrl>-V to paste the line into the Run dialog box's Open field. Delete all the text before and after the command itself, and press Enter. The program should reload, and its system tray icon should reappear.
Utility RX: The De-Annoyifiers: Five Free Tools to the Rescue
To fix some annoyances, you need block-busting utilities--and I have a set of free de-annoyifiers you're gonna love. Visit "Fix Your Worst PC Annoyances" for the downloads.
Zip between IE windows: When you're in hyperbrowse mode, with three different apps and five or more sessions of Internet Explorer open, clicking <Alt>-<Tab> moves you through all of 'em. Brett Bartholomew's free IEScroll is like having <Alt>-<Tab> just for IE. Install IEScroll and then press the <Scroll Lock> key to jump to the next open Internet Explorer window.
Edit read-only image files: When you copy a bunch of photos to a CD, the file attribute changes to Read-Only--a big annoyance when you copy the files back to your hard drive for editing. David Crowell's free CROA tool lets you right-click the folder and choose Clear Read-Only Attributes.
IE proxy stand-in: When you take your notebook on the road, having to fiddle with Internet Explorer's proxy settings before connecting to a client's LAN or to a hotel's Internet connection is annoying. The solution is ProxyPal, a free IE add-on that lets you toggle your browser's proxy on and off. For the proxy change to take effect, you have to close and reopen Internet Explorer.
Hard copy of your MP3 playlists: Suppose that you want to e-mail a list of your MP3s to a friend as a text message. Instead of copying and pasting each file name separately into a text editor, use PrintFolder, a free utility whose sole purpose is to save or print a list of files from any folder.
Play that Flash: If you've ever enjoyed playing a Macromedia Flash movie on a Web site, you know how difficult playing it again or sharing it with friends can be. Grab a copy of the free Flash Movie Extract Pilot program; it automatically finds the Flash files in your Internet cache, plays them, and saves them in the folder of your choice. And see "Dry Video Streams" for a great tip on saving your streaming video files for replay.
E-Nervating E-Mail
Admit it: You spend more time with e-mail than you do on the phone. That's not to say it's all time well spent, however. These tips will take some of the misery out of your messaging.
E-Mail With a Cast of Thousands
The Annoyance: I hate e-mail messages that waste bandwidth (and screen space) with a To: field longer than the text.
The Fix: If you send an e-mail message to more than one or two people, hide the recipient list by using the Blind Copy (Bcc) field. Address the message to yourself, or leave the To: field blank. (Note that some spam filters block e-mail with a blank To: field.) To display the Bcc field, select View, All Headers in Outlook Express, View, Bcc Field in Outlook, and To:, Bcc in Netscape. In Eudora, Bcc is on by default.
A Shorter Path to Your Out-Box
The Annoyance: I often send e-mail to the same buddy. But the e-mail programs I use don't have shortcut keys to simplify sending a message to the same recipient.
The Fix: Right-click your desktop and select New, Shortcut. Then type mailto:yourbuddy@hisISP.com in the Command line (Windows 98 and Me) or location field (Windows 2000 and XP, see FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2: Create an e-mail shortcut to open a new message with the recipient's address filled in automatically.
). Enter your pal's e-mail address after "mailto:". Click Next, give the shortcut a name, and place it in your Quick Launch toolbar. When you click it, your e-mail program will open a new message with your friend's address in the To: field.
IE E-Mail Headache
The Annoyance: Internet Explorer 6 added 'Your files are attached and ready to send with this message' to the body of every message I sent when I clicked File, Send, Link by E-mail. Just as annoying, IE made the subject 'Emailing:', followed by a portion of the link text, instead of letting me decide the subject.
The Fix: A Registry file will add an 'Email Page' option when you right-click in IE. The message is the name and URL of the Web site, and the subject is the name of the site. Go to Kelly Theriot's Registry Edits for Windows XP site, and scroll to line 60, Email Page--IE, to download the file.
E-Mail Memory Loss
The Annoyance: I keep a copy of all the important e-mail messages I send, but my memory isn't any better than my bookkeeping, so every now and then I would forget to retain a needed copy.
The Fix: I set my e-mail program to store a copy of all my outgoing mail. In Outlook Express, choose Tools, Options, Send and check Save copy of sent messages in the 'Sent Items' folder. In Outlook, click Tools, Options, Preferences, E-mail Options and check Save copies of messages in Sent Items folder. In Eudora, select Tools, Options, Composing Mail and check Keep copies.
'FYI' Means 'Don't Reply'
The Annoyance: Some people feel obligated to reply to my e-mail, even when I just sent an interesting link or some other nugget with "FYI" in the subject. I needed a polite way to say "Don't RSVP."
The Fix: End your e-mail with "This is just FYI, so don't feel obligated to reply." It invites people not to respond with something lame like "Thanks" or "I agree."
Leave Your Calling Card, Please
The Annoyance: I often have to reply to an e-mail the old-fashioned way, by phone. Looking up the person's telephone number in my contact manager or e-mail address book it is not a big deal, but I'm inherently lazy.
The Fix: Luckily, there's an easier way, with a little cooperation from the sender. Lead by example: Have your e-mail program stick a signature line at the bottom of your outgoing e-mail. Signatures are valuable because they let the recipient know right away who's sending the message. A courteous signature is short and to the point--no more than four or five lines--and minimally contains your e-mail address, phone number, and physical location (if not your complete mailing address). And as witty as your favorite poetry/movie/inspirational quotation is, leave it out: A signature longer than the message itself makes your readers think you don't have anything original to say.
Up and Downgrade
Photograph by John Hryniuk
Bob Sweet, Burlington, Ontario
The Fix: Feeling a bit gun-shy, I removed the "upgrades" from my system and reinstalled the older versions. Getting back the features I liked made going backward seem like a step up. I sent an e-mail message to Netscape, which replied, "Thank you, we will use your suggestions to improve future products." Wait a minute, your old product was better than the new one!
Hardware Headaches
Next on Fox: "When Hardware Attacks"--True stories of PCs and peripherals that turn on their owners, with horrific results.
Plodding Cell Phone Data Entry
The Annoyance: Despite all the technology packed into my cell phone, I still had to enter phone numbers one at a time.
The Fix: DataPilot's $60 Cell Phone Data Transfer Suite connects my phone to my PC via either a serial or a USB cable (both are included). I used the software to transfer contact data from Outlook to an ancient Nokia 5160 digital phone. The program supports Pocket PCs and Palms, too, and it works with Outlook Express and Act. If you don't use one of these contact managers, you can stick with DataPilot's own phone book manager. Go to www.datapilot.com for more details.
Fumbled USB-Flash Connections
The Annoyance: I bought one of those cute little removable flash media devices. It stores only 16MB, but it was dirt cheap, and it offers me a handy alternative to using a floppy disk. Still, I hated crawling under my desk to stick it into a USB port on the back of my PC.
The Fix: Many larger-capacity flash drives come with their own USB cable, but some cheapo models don't. I bought a 6-foot male-to-female extension cable for $5 from www.greatcables.com, and now I'm back to working on my desk, not under it.
A Cable Calamity
The Annoyance: My monitor would occasionally flicker on and off. I would reboot the system, and it would work fine again, only to start flickering after a few hours.
The Fix: Then I checked the cables. Don't think loose cables ever cause problems? I once spent half a day diagnosing my faulty dial-up connection only to discover the telephone line was plugged into the wrong socket on the modem. The same problem can arise with your modem, your scanner, your printer, or any other device that's connected to your PC with a cable. Most cables have two connection-tightening screws, make sure both of them are twisted tightly in place.
Reject Your CD's Auto Eject
The Annoyance: Windows XP mindlessly insisted on popping open the CD-RW drive every time I finished writing data to a CD--whether I wanted to eject the disc or not.
The Fix: I scotched this habit and saved my drive from extra wear and tear in just a few clicks. Open My Computer, right-click your CD-RW drive, click Properties, Recording, and uncheck Automatically eject the CD after writing.
One Too Many Battery Chargers
The Annoyance: When I travel, I hate schlepping my cell phone charger. Half the time the charger would slip my mind, and I'd end up with a dead battery.
The Fix: Since I take my notebook, too, I double up. American Power Conversion's Cellular Phone USB Charger lets me charge my phone right from my notebook's USB port. The device costs from $8 to $14, depending on the cell phone you use. Go to APC.com to find the right model for your phone.
Peremptory Power Blackouts
The Annoyance: Whether it's due to a rolling blackout or a lightning storm, a sudden power outage is no joke.
The Fix: I got an uninterruptible power supply--a big battery to keep a PC running long enough to let you shut it down properly. A small UPS ($40 or so) keeps your system going for about 5 minutes; that's long enough to close your open files and apps before turning your system off normally. American Power Conversion's $100 Back-UPS ES 725 keeps my PC juiced for 10 minutes when the lights go out. Go to American Power Conversion's Web site to figure out which size UPS your PC needs.
Maladjusted Monitors
The Annoyance: The colors on my new LCD monitor weren't quite right, and the display didn't look as sharp as I thought it should. I used the device's built-in adjustments, but I still found myself doing a lot of squinting and eye-rubbing.
The Fix:Monitor manufacturers offer little help in fine-tuning a display's settings. I've used DisplayMate, a free utility from DisplayMate Technologies, since 1991. It's great for adjusting sharpness, color, contrast, and dozens of other settings on CRT and LCD monitors. Go to PC World's Downloads for a copy of this program.
Of Notebook Bondage
Photograph by Rick Rizner
The Fix: Belkin's $120 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 DockStation makes packing and unpacking my laptop a breeze. The gadget has one parallel, one serial, and two USB 2.0 ports, as well as VGA and ethernet connectors. I attach my monitor, keyboard, printer, and other peripherals to the DockStation, and I run two cables from the DockStation to my notebook. When I'm leaving town, I simply disconnect the two cables from the notebook, and I'm out the door.
Annoying Audio/Video
Don't you just love it when your sound and video files play without a hitch on your PC? That must happen once out of every 10 or 15 times you click the Play button.
Audio-File Conversion Overkill
The Annoyance: Roxio's Easy CD Creator is a great program, but it's overkill for converting a single audio file.
The Fix: It's crazy to spend more time loading a program than you spend using it to convert a file. Illustrate's free DBpowerAMP Music Converter does.wav-to-MP3 conversions (and vice versa) in a blink. Right-click a music file in Windows Explorer, select Convert To, and click either Mp3 or Wave. The Music Converter lets you change the output folder or rename the converted file. Visit www.dbpoweramp.com to download your copy.
Sticky Car-Stereo MP3 Adapters
The Annoyance: Whenever I tried to plug my Creative MP3 player into my car stereo's tape slot via a cassette adapter, the gizmo would jam in the tape chute. This became so frustrating that I stopped taking the player with me on trips.
The Fix: Aerielle's $35 AudioBug transmits data from my MP3 player to my FM radio. The gadget works with any device that has a standard 3.5mm audio-out connector (as most home stereo systems do). I choose one of four FM frequencies: 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, or 88.7 MHz. Visit www.aerielle.com for more information.
Volume That's on the Level
The Annoyance: I've ripped lots of MP3s onto my hard drive from my CD music collection. The problem was, Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" sounded so loud that it blasts me out of my chair, while the next song, Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," was way too soft.
The Fix: The trick is to adjust (or normalize) the sound level as you rip the MP3 to disk, a feature found in many audio programs. Once you've taken the audio track from your CD, however, the sound problem is in the player. Microsoft's Windows Media Player normalizes the volume of MP3s as you play them. Click View, Enhancements, Crossfading and Auto Volume Leveling. For a permanent fix, use MP3Gain, a free and very cool utility that analyzes and normalizes the sound levels of each of your MP3 files.
Recalcitrant Videos
The Annoyance: My struggles with Windows Media Player had me steamed.
The Fix: Formats for digital video abound, and each one requires a different playback codec (the program that compresses and decompresses the videos). Open Windows Media Player, click Tools, Options, Player, and check Download codecs automatically. Then try to play the video.
Still no luck? You may be missing the one codec you need. Make sure you have Windows Media Player 9. Go to Window's Media 9 Center to download the version for your system.
Bonus tip: If you try to play a video only to be rudely informed that you lack the proper codec, download Gspot, a free utility that analyzes the video and determines exactly which codec it requires. Once you have that information, head to Codec Central and browse the terrific collection of codecs.
Dry Video Streams
The Annoyance: I was going nuts trying to save streaming video to play offline. Windows Media Player seemed to lack that option, as did every other media player I tried.
The Fix: Most videos automatically save on your hard drive while playing in your media player. Once you've learned how to find, rename, and relocate the files for replaying, you can run them any time you like. While the video is playing, the file name usually appears in the player's title bar. Or find the file by searching your hard drive for all files that have a video extension. Select Start, Find, Files or Folders (in Windows 98), Start, Search, For Files or Folders (in Me and 2000), or Start, Search (in XP). Then in the 'Named' field (in Windows 98), the 'Search for files or folders named' field (in Me and 2000), or the 'All or part of the file name' field (in XP), enter the following video file name extensions (with no final period, of course): *.avi,*.mpg,*.mpeg,*.asf,*.mov,*.rm,*.wmv.
The trick is to find the video files right after you've played them (they disappear when you empty your temporary Internet folders), so search by date, looking exclusively for current files. In Windows 98, set your date criteria on the Date tab; in Me and 2000, click the Search Options link to set date criteria. In XP, click the When was it modified chevron and choose Specify dates; the default will be today's date. When you find the file (it's likely to have a temporary name in your Internet cache folder), rename it and move it to a new location. Once you've moved the file, you can open it by double-clicking it. See "The De-Annoyifiers" for information on saving Flash movies.
Videos Minus the Browser
The Annoyance: Some video files I played in Window Media Player opened a site in my browser that I didn't want to visit.
The Fix: The source of this aggressive browser behavior is a dreaded HTML script embedded in numerous Windows Media files. Brett Bartholomew's free WMPopKill utility turns WMP's scripting on and off like a switch. The program automatically downloads any patches it requires for some versions of WMP. Browse to bartdot.com to download your copy.
SuperCookies Threaten Privacy
The Annoyance: I was upset when I found out Windows Media Player uses unique ID numbers to exchange information about me with Web sites.
The Fix: To turn off the SuperCookie tracking in WMP 7 and later, choose Tools, Options, Privacy. Unselect Allow Internet sites to uniquely identify your Player or Send unique Player ID to content providers, depending on your version, and click OK (see FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3: Keep Windows Media Player from broadcasting your personal information by unchecking this privacy setting.
). To learn more about SuperCookies, go to Richard M. Smith's privacy site. And visit the SuperCookie demo page to watch a SuperCookie in action.
Media Player Turn-Offs
The Annoyance: Every time my Windows Media Player tried to access the Internet, my firewall (Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm) alerted me with an annoying dialog box. Even though I gave my permission, it asked me again the next time I used the player. Is it dumb or something?
The Fix: Dumb? No. Smart? Yes. ZoneAlarm was simply doing the job I asked it to do--watching for anything coming into my PC from the Internet as well as all things outbound. You can let Windows Media Player head for the Internet and never bother you again by checking Remember this answer the next time I use this program on ZoneAlarm's Alert before you click Yes (see FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4: Let WMP go on the Internet on a case-by-case basis.
). But I recommend against doing so. Windows Media Player is a particularly meddlesome program, eager to help you download album covers when you play MP3s, or to use a unique ID number to report about you to Microsoft's Web site (see "Supercookies Threaten Privacy," for more on this). For your privacy's sake, decide case-by-case whether to let the program access the Internet. If WMP wants to retrieve a video you requested, fine. But if the warning pops up when you're playing a file stored on your system, have ZoneAlarm block it.
Write Files to CD a Few at a Time
The Annoyance: When I first used Windows XP instead of a third-party program to burn my CDs, I would open Windows Explorer and select a bunch of files in the right pane. Then I would drop them onto my CD-RW drive icon in the left pane, click the little pop-up that says You have files waiting to be written to the CD, and choose Write these files to CD on the CD Writing Tasks pane. But if I didn't wish to burn the CD immediately--say, because I wanted to add more files later and then burn them all at once--I was out of luck.
The Fix: As you drag the first few audio files to the CD icon, ignore that pop-up message (it will go away) and drag in more at your convenience. When you're ready to burn your CD, simply open My Computer, Windows Explorer, or any folder window; right-click your CD-RW drive icon; and choose Write these files to CD. (Alternatively, you can write your files via the CD Writing Tasks pane: Right-click the CD drive icon, select Open, and click Write these files to CD.) If you change your mind before burning the files to disc, open the CD Writing Tasks pane and choose Delete temporary files.
Where's the CD-Drive Speed Rating?
The Annoyance: I was curious about how fast my CD-ROM drive was, but I couldn't tell anything from looking on the front of the drive, which told me nothing. I even opened the PC's case and looked inside--still nothing.
The Fix: I found the program I needed in Nero's nifty (and free) Info Tool utility. Info Tool told me everything I wanted to know about my drive, and then some. This freebie reports your optical drive's exact write speeds, the formats it supports, the drivers it's using, and its firmware version.
Road Tunes Without the Jewel Cases
The Annoyance: A friend of mine has a terrific collection of MP3s on his home PC, and he wanted a way to play them at work. He had burned a few CDs to take to the office, but what he really longed for was a way to listen to his complete collection at work without to schlep all those discs.
The Fix: No need for him do to anything but load up Chime Software's free AjooBlast Server, a cool little (about 80KB) program that lets you listen to the music files stored on any PC from any other PC in the world. AjooBlast is totally secure, limiting access to the folders you specify. You can't download your music files, however: They're solely for listening. The one downside is that if you're behind a router, you'll need to fiddle with its settings to open port 8080.
Volume Icon Goes AWOL
The Annoyance: I don't know how it happened, but the icon in my system tray that I use to adjust the sound vanished. As Joni Mitchell says, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone."
The Fix: You don't have to hire a sleuth to solve this mysterious disappearance. Open Control Panel. In Windows XP, choose Sounds and Audio Devices (if you're in Category View, open Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices first). On the Volume tab, check Place volume icon in the taskbar. In Windows 2000 and Me, double-click Sounds and Multimedia; and on the Sounds tab, check Show volume control on the taskbar. In Windows 98, double-click Multimedia; and on the Audio tab, check Show volume control on the taskbar. Whatever your version of Windows, click OK, and the speaker icon will reappear in the system tray.
Bonus tip: Sometimes even when 'Place volume icon in the taskbar' is checked, the volume icon still won't show in your system tray. In this case, uncheck the box, click Apply, recheck the box, and click OK.
Little Sounds Don't Need a Big Player
The Annoyance: I maintain a big collection of sound files that I use in my e-mail program, with different sounds announcing incoming mail from different people. But when choosing a sound file for this purpose, I wanted to avoid opening the 800-pound gorilla that is Windows Media Player just to hear the tiny files.
The Fix: WavPlay is a simple, free tool that lets you keep the big media players on the shelf. Instead of dealing with WMP, you can just launch WavPlay and navigate to the folder with the sound files you want to hear. WavPlay lets you set up to five shortcuts to specific folders (see FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5: Why open a big audio player to hear a small sound file? WavPlay is the simpler audio solution.
).
Overactive Wi-Fi
Photograph by Jason Grow
Amy Keung, Cabridge, Massachusetts
The Fix: To restrict your Wi-Fi card to finding your primary connection, right-click My Computer and select Properties, Device Manager. From the list that appears, open Network adapters and right-click your wireless LAN card. Select Properties, Resources and uncheck the Use automatic settings box. Select Basic configuration 0000 in the 'Settings based on' line, and click OK. From now on, the card will look only for your primary network.
Internet Irritations
Ah, the amazing Internet: streaming video (and endless pop-ups), always-on connections (and always-busy ISP tech-support lines), and free browsers (proving once again that you get what you pay for).
DSL Modem Blues
The Annoyance: I spent countless hours trying to figure out why my DSL connection couldn't access the Internet. I tested my connection with utility programs, reconfigured my pop-up and ad blocker, fiddled with Windows' TCP/IP settings, and finally gave up and called tech support--all to no avail.
The Fix: When you lose your Internet link, start your troubleshooting with a simple 2-minute reboot of your DSL modem (it works for cable modems, too). The mystery is why there isn't a diagnostic tool to tell you when to reset your Internet access device. But eliminating that annoyance will have to wait until next year.
Lost-Password Predicament
The Annoyance: Internet Explorer automatically inserted my password into the right field when I revisited a Web site. I wanted to write down the password, but I couldn't remember it.
The Fix: Lostpassword.com's free Asterisk Key utility shows the password hidden behind practically any row of asterisks. But please use it wisely.
Disappearing Status Bar Mystery
The Annoyance: Internet Explorer 6 would periodically lose the status bar at the bottom of its window. (When I hover my mouse over a link, the status bar shows me where the link leads to.) I had to click View, Status Bar to bring it back.
The Fix: To correct this bug, open a single window in IE 5 or higher and click View, Status Bar (if it's not already selected). Right-click a blank spot on IE's toolbar and make sure that Lock the Toolbar is checked. Hold down <Ctrl> and click the "X" in the upper-right corner of the window to close it. Open Windows Explorer and make sure View, Status Bar is selected. Right-click a blank spot on Windows Explorer's toolbar and make sure Lock the Toolbars is checked. Select Tools, Folder Options, View, Apply to all folders. Click Yes to confirm and OK to close the dialog box. Hold down <Ctrl> and click the "X" in the upper-right corner to close the window.
Nix the New Spam Threat
The Annoyance: I began getting pop-up ads even when I wasn't surfing the Net.
The Fix: Messenger Service ads (also called directads) are pop-up messages that blindly shower a range of IP addresses. If you have Windows 98 or Me, don't worry about them. But if you run Windows 2000 or XP without a software firewall, or if you're not attached to a router with a hardware firewall, you may see these ads pop up. The way to stop them until your next reboot is via Windows' Services console. Select Start, Run, type services.msc, and press <Enter>. In the right pane, right-click Messenger and choose Stop. For a permanent solution, download Gibson Research's Shoot the Messenger--a program that is actually designed to eliminate spam from Windows Messenger but that just so happens to block these ads as well.
AOL's Hard-Drive Flogging
The Annoyance: I got tired of hearing my hard disk thrashing whenever I used AOL.
The Fix: The hard-drive whine occurred whenever AOL accessed my hard drive, causing unnecessary disk-buffer flushing. I don't know why the program feels the need to do this, and Steve Case won't return my calls (they're all routed to India, for some reason). But the good news is that you can download a free patch that forces AOL to use its own cache more efficiently. This stops the program from trouncing your hard drive and boosts the app's performance.
IE's Max-Window Memory Lapse
The Annoyance: For some reason, Internet Explorer doesn't always remember to launch as a maximized window.
The Fix: Download IE New Window Maximizer, a free utility that automatically maximizes every new IE window. The program also lets you hide or close all Internet Explorer windows with the keystroke combination of your choice.
Changing Network Setups
The Annoyance: I had to change my notebook's network configuration every time I connected to a hotel LAN or to a client's network. I had to carry a piece of paper with my network settings on it; and when I made the changes, Windows forced me to reboot.
The Fix: The cure for Multiple Network Disorder is J.W. Hance's NetSwitcher, a $14 shareware program that lets you save several different network configurations. Whenever you reach a new network location, add and save the new network settings. Once you get home, restore your previous network settings with a couple of clicks. And whereas Windows insists on rebooting no matter what, NetSwitcher asks for a restart only if you modify a parameter that can't take effect without a reboot. Visit NetSwitcher to download a 30-day trial version of NetSwitcher.
Bonus tip: If you're having trouble connecting to a network, take advantage of the surprisingly thorough network diagnostic tool buried deep within Windows XP's Help and Support Center. Click Start, Help and Support, choose Networking and the Web, click Fixing networking or Web problems on the left, and then select Diagnose network configuration and run automated networking tests on the right. Choose Scan your system. If you want the whole shooting match, click Set scanning options and check all the boxes before selecting Scan your system.
Clogged Broadband Pipes
The Annoyance: All of a sudden, the DSL access in my home office went from turbo to turtle. I tried every trick I could think of to speed it up--even rebooting my DSL modem and router--without success.
The Fix: My Internet service provider had set up my router to use specific DNS (Domain Name Service) addresses that my ISP supplied. Later, the ISP changed all its DNS addresses but neglected to consider that its customers might want the new numbers. The old numbers worked, sure, but the new DNS addresses worked a lot better. If you encounter a broadband slowdown that you can't figure out, call your ISP's tech support and ask if the company has changed its DNS addresses (see FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6: Check with your ISP to make sure your IP and DNS addresses are as current as possible.
). If it has, ask for help in updating the ones on your router.
Cluttered Browser Views
The Annoyance: The 20-inch LCD monitor I use in my home office provides me with plenty of viewing area--enough to show me lots of things on my screen. But in comparison, my tiny HP notebook's screen seems the size of a paperback book. The lost screen space is particularly bothersome when I browse the Web.
The Fix: To make the most of your screen real estate in Internet Explorer or Netscape, press <F11>. Lots of things immediately vanish, including the status bar on the bottom of your screen, and most of your browser's toolbars. But in exchange you get a beautiful full-screen window (okay, nearly a full screen) for viewing a Web site. Finished browsing? Toggle the screen back by tapping on the <F11> key again.
The Bulky AC Adapter Returns
Photograph by Rick Rizner
The Fix: These days I save wear and tear on my knees with a couple of cleverly designed extension cords that I bought from Cables Unlimited. The $8 Power Strip Liberator is a 1-foot extension cord, while the $9 Power Strip Liberator II adds a Y-connector that lets me plug two bricks into a single outlet. The two cords have already paid for themselves simply by sparing the knees of my pants--and on top of that, there's all the money I save on chiropractor bills.
Word Worries
I'm amazed at how often software designed to boost your productivity ends up boosting nothing but your blood pressure. These tips will help you get the upper hand on the one application you probably use most often.
'X' Marks the AutoCorrect
The Annoyance: I like the way Word's AutoCorrect lets me enter a word or a complete phrase with a single keystroke (click Tools, AutoCorrect Options to open the AutoCorrect dialog box). But months after creating an AutoCorrect entry (such as 'del' for DeltaTree)--and long after I stopped needing that AutoCorrect entry--it would still appear whenever I typed the first three letters of deliver, delectable, or deletion.
The Fix: Type an x in front of your AutoCorrect abbreviations. That will prevent AutoCorrect from expanding real words that look like abbreviations. For instance, 'xal' becomes Altadena, and 'xma' becomes Massachusetts (see FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7: "X" marks the spot, to help you avoid inadvertently entering boilerplate text in Word.
), but I can type altitude and mastermind without AutoCorrect butting in.
One-Click Spelling Checks
The Annoyance: I was merrily typing away in Word when I noticed a spelling error. I couldn't stand seeing the error (and the squiggly red lines under the word), so I moved my cursor to the word and pressed <F7> to bring up Word's spelling checker. The checker ID's the typo, I correct it--and then Word asked for the hundredth time whether I wanted to check the entire document. Never have, never will.
The Fix: Don't bother trying to correct errors with Word's spelling and grammar checkers--unless, of course, you want them to check the entire document. A better approach is to right-click the word to see a list of possible correct spellings. You can even add the word to your Word dictionary or your AutoCorrect dictionary. (Note that this feature works only if Word is set to check spelling as you type.) By the way, if those squiggly lines bother you, or if you'd prefer not to have your spelling checked automatically, click Tools, Options, Spelling & Grammar and uncheck Check spelling as you type (see FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8: To get rid of the red squiggles under words that Word thinks are misspelled, uncheck the box next to 'Check spelling as you type'.
).
Paste Without the Blanks
The Annoyance: When I used to paste text from an e-mail into a Word document, Word would insert a big blank space on the left side of the text I just added. Formatting suggestions like that I don't need.
The Fix: Hold down <Alt> and click the top-left corner of the blank space next to the inserted text. Keeping the mouse button down (you can release the <Alt> key), drag your mouse down and to the right to select the blank area (you'll see it as a black box or rectangle). When you've got the white space marked off, let go of the mouse button press <Delete>, and say adios to the empty document real estate.
Your System Tray Runneth Over
Uninvited icons from AOL, Netscape, Real, Yahoo and other vendors take up screen space and gobble up resources when dumped in your system tray. Follow these steps to keep programs from scattering their icons on your desktop, Start menu, and system tray, and to remove them after they appear.
Watch the installation: Stay alert when installing software. Always go for the custom installation instead of giving the installer free rein, so you can choose where the program plants its icons. Note that the program will still be on the All Programs submenu of your Start menu regardless of your decision.
Protect your system tray: WinPatrol is a freebie that alerts you whenever a program attempts to add itself to your PC's Startup group or Registry. The utility guards every place where bad guys might want to stick a Trojan horse or automatic-dialing program, among other nasties. When WinPatrol detects a forced entry, you can allow the program into your Startup group if it's legit. If you say no, WinPatrol blocks subsequent attempts by that program to invade your Startup group.
Make a clean sweep: Hover your mouse over the icon to see which app it loads. Click Start, Programs (All Programs in Windows XP), Startup--to check your Startup group for programs that don't need to start automatically when Windows loads. Use the free Startup Control Panel to remove programs that start at boot-up.
Load up with extra ammunition: Greatis Software's Startup Application Database provides an extensive list of program-name abbreviations that helps you identify and explain many Startup programs.