May, 2007 Archive
Web usability is something that many site owners don’t pay enough attention to, even though it can be the key factor that will make your users come back over and over again.
Maki over at DoshDosh has spent a considerable amount of time compiling a list of 50 web usability tips, which he’s even taken the time to categorize. The post also has a list of additional references so that readers can really through themselves into the topic.
Some of the tips I found most interesting were: Read More»
Posted in Computer | No Comments »
I must make a correction to a tip I ran last week about the Favorites feature in the new Internet Explorer 7. When I wrote that tip, I thought I was getting my information from a reliable source, but after receiving several e-mails from readers about this, I realized it was all wrong. To clear things up, IE 7 has completely removed the offline Favorites option from the Web browser. Read More»
Posted in Internet, Software, Windows Vista | 4 Comments »
Are you one of the many computer users who went from using Windows XP to Windows Vista? It seems to be “the thing to do” these days, but let’s be honest here. Are you having trouble finding some of the things you absolutely loved using in XP? How about the system restore feature, for example? I know that’s one of my favorites, but it’s so difficult to find in Vista. Well, today I’m going to give you the lowdown on how you can easily find it and start using it once again! Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista | No Comments »
A lot of faithful Firefox users have been presented with a lot of errors while using Firefox with the new operating system of Windows Vista. These intermittent errors can be very annoying, especially when you are right in the middle of editing a very important document with your favorite Web application, etc. So, today we are going to deal with two of the most frequent Firefox errors in Vista.
One goes like this: The program must close to allow a previous installation attempt to continue. Please restart.
This error comes up when you start Firefox and no matter how many times you restart it, there is no change. You just keep getting this error and arent able to use the browser. Read More»
Posted in Firefox, Windows Vista | 2 Comments »
How often do you use CDs and DVDs? Maybe you use them to burn music CDs or perhaps you use DVDs to copy your favorite movies. I’m sure some of you use them to back up all the data on your computer too, right? No matter what you use them for, have you ever thought about how long they’ll actually last? I mean, they can’t last forever, can they? Well, keep reading to find out!
Over the years, there has been a lot of discussion on just how long CDs and DVDs actually last. It’s gone from 100 years to 40 years and so on, all from the time they were first invented to when they became more popular to consumers, etc. This also varied once new uses for them came about (burning and back ups, for example). So, in this day and age, with all the new technology that keeps coming out, what do you think the final say is on the longevity of these discs? Read More»
Posted in Computer, Software | No Comments »
in case you didnt know Firefox has a small memory leakage problems that can cause your pc to freeze up. basically what happens is when you minimize Firefox it stops consuming memory, however when you maximize it again the memory usage will increase, sometimes even doubling. fortunately, there is a small fix that you can implement.
heres what you do: Read More»
Posted in Firefox | 21 Comments »
Suppose you get video, and can get into the BIOS, but Windows won’t start. If it doesn’t even attempt to start — for example, if a hard disk error crops up before you see the Windows splash screen — then you’re probably looking at a hard disk problem. But if the Windows startup process begins and then aborts, a faulty or conflicting device driver is probably the cause. This can occur because of a FAT error, or after upgrading to a new Windows version, after installing a new driver for an existing device, or after installing an entirely new device. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments »
If you are able to identify the driver or application that’s causing a startup problem, the obvious solution is to remove it or turn it off. Unfortunately, it is not always obvious how to do that. Programs that load at startup can be called from Win.ini, from the Startup program group, or directly from the Registry itself; drivers that load are called from the device’s properties in the Registry, and it’s not easy or safe for a beginning technician to edit the Registry directly.
For example, suppose a user had a scanner with a driver that loaded at startup, but then he removed the scanner and its software. However, for some reason the Registry never got the message and still tries to load the scanner driver at startup. You could look in the Startup folder on the Start menu, and if a utility for the scanner appears there, remove it. You could also look in Add/Remove Programs to see whether the driver can be uninstalled that way. But failing those two, the only thing left to do is edit the Registry to get rid of it. Read More»
Posted in Software | No Comments »
When installing a new device, and it doesn’t work, don’t automatically assume that the device is defective. The problem is more likely to be a driver issue, especially if you are running a different Windows version than the driver was specifically written for.
Visit the device manufacturer’s Web site and download any updated drivers or patches and install them. Only after you have installed the most recent driver and software versions should you seriously suspect a physical problem with the hardware. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware | No Comments »
One of the most frustrating problems to troubleshoot is a random one, one that doesn’t seem to have one specific cause. The key to troubleshooting such problems is to remember that the symptom is not always directly indicative of the cause. The program or utility that it locks up on is not necessarily the issue.
Suppose Windows starts normally, but then starts crashing, freezing or giving serious error messages shortly afterward. Many times running Scandisk (or Check Disk in Windows 2000/XP) will solve the problem. That’s because such problems are often caused by errors in the FAT or NTFS file system, and this utility will fix them. In Windows 9x/Me, choose Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scandisk. In Windows 2000/XP open My Computer, right-click the drive and choose Properties, and click the Check Now button on the Tools tab. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware | No Comments »