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Everything you always wanted to know about Standby, Sleep and Hibernate

March 27th, 2010, 8:29 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Can you please explain the difference between Standby, Sleep and Hibernate and which mode do you recommend? Also, which modes are safer with regard to data loss and which mode conserves the most power?

PC CLUB: This is an interesting and often confusing subject for several reasons. There are differences in performance depending on whether you’re running XP, Vista or Windows 7 plus, the choices are different for desktops than they are for laptops.

Let’s begin with a few definitions. Windows XP uses the term Standby but Vista and Windows 7 use the newer term Sleep. In Addition, Vista introduced another mode called Hybrid Sleep which has been carried forward to Windows 7. The description of these modes is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

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How to move your fonts to a Windows 7 PC

February 6th, 2010, 1:31 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Here’s one that should have strong general application. I do editorial work using XP, and have built up a useful stable of fonts. I just got a new computer using Windows 7, and want to move the fonts over to it, but can’t make anything work. Is there a way to do this?

Fonts!PC CLUB: Before we get to the punch line, let’s start with some font facts:

  • Windows 7 ships with 235 fonts, versus 191 in Vista and 133 in Windows XP. PrePressure.com offers a handy  list of typefaces that ship with Windows 7 (link: bit.ly/windows7fonts).
  • The more fonts that you install, the more computer memory (or RAM) is used. Your system must load all fonts at boot-up and this may extend your boot time. This is not as critical with newer PCs since they have faster processors and more RAM but it’s something to keep an eye on. Read the rest of this entry »

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How to transfer files between Windows Vista and XP PCs

October 6th, 2009, 5:08 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976.

Ed Schwartz, Stump the PC Club contributorHi readers! I’m Ed, the guy answering your questions. I look forward to all of your input and want to remind you of two things: There is no such thing as a dumb question and, I love questions on popular topics, especially digital cameras, Windows, Spyware, the Internet, e-mail, etc. You get the idea. The more popular the topic, the higher the probability of getting an answer. Keep those questions coming. Just e-mail thegadgetress@ocregister.com

QUESTION: I am running a desktop with Windows XP and Microsoft Word and a laptop with Windows Vista Basic using DSL and a router for wireless connection. How can I transfer some of the files from my desktop PC to the laptop? Are the two Windows versions able to communicate?

PC CLUB: You can transfer files between your XP PC and Vista PC in several ways. One way is make use of your home network. Your PC’s become part of a home network once they are both connected to a router either directly or using wireless. To do this, however, several preparatory steps must be taken as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

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Is it safe to download screen savers?

September 15th, 2009, 6:00 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I recently traded out my older PC with a newer one from my daughter who went off to college.  I have tried numerous times to add a screen saver, but to no avail.  Do you know of any sure fire screen savers that I could easily download without having to worry too much about cookies or malware? Any help is certainly appreciated.

Changing screen savers in Windows.PC CLUB: Let’s tackle your screen saver question first. Downloading screen savers is one of the most frequent ways users infect their PCs. It is very easy for an unscrupulous person to embed malware in a screen saver.

I know that the screen savers that are included with Windows can be boring but at least they’re safe. To add one of the built in screen savers using Windows XP, right-click the Desktop and select Properties. Next, select the Screen Saver tab at the top. By clicking the drop-down box in the middle of the window labeled “Screen saver” you can select from the list of available screen savers.

You can also adjust the wait time and other settings using this window. Just as a reminder to those who still believe that you need a screen saver to protect your screen, it’s a myth that is just not true with today’s technology. For Vista, right-click the Desktop and select Personalize. Click Screen Saver, 3rd from the top. Read the rest of this entry »

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How to get back on the Internet after reinstalling Windows

September 1st, 2009, 6:00 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I recently ran the WipeDrive program (www.whitecanyon.com) by the White Canyon Software company on my Gateway laptop to remove a virus. I re-installed the operating system disc that came with the computer and now can’t access the Internet, either with a high speed cable or wireless connection.  My operating system is XP.  Can you help?

PC CLUB: It’s frequently possible to get into so much trouble that it’s necessary to wipe (completely erase) a hard drive and start over. This trouble can occur for various reasons including a virus or malware infestation, a corruption of the operating system or an accidental deletion of critical Windows files. This happens more frequently than most of us want to believe.

First of all, when the operating system is re-installed using the disk that came with the system, the hard drive is re-formatted and it is not necessary to use a program such as WipeDrive — this is overkill. Also, when you re-install the operating system using the manufacturer’s supplied disk, this should also replace all of the drivers including those for your wired and wireless Internet connections. Read the rest of this entry »

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SleeSpot: Stuck on Microsoft? Its Fix It site has fast help

August 28th, 2009, 4:00 pm by

SLEEspot: Gadgetress intern Sandra Lee spots a tech deal daily.This month, Gadgetress’ summer intern Sandra Lee has been posting a tech bargain, tip or fun fact every day at 4 p.m. Short, sweet and simple: It’s the SleeSpot! But today’s her last day. Sandra hints that SleeSpot may continue if she can handle her high-school workload as an incoming junior. Stay tuned…

Having a difficult PC problem? Microsoft’s Fix It may have a solution to solve your technical problems in the click of a button. From “Uninstalling Microsoft Internet Explorer 8” to “Fix Windows Update error 0x8000FFFF,” the help page has hundreds of answers. Best part: It’s free! Visit support.microsoft.com/fixit for instant help (Fix It also has a Facebook and Twitter page). No more waiting for those long phone calls that never seemed to help much anyway! ~ Sandra Lee

Got a tip for the SLEEspot? Tell me about it at slee@ocregister.com or Tweet me @sleespot.

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PC messed up? How to avoid future frustration

August 18th, 2009, 5:30 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I had restored my computer to its original state after I had virus problems. Once restored, I removed programs I knew I did not use that came as trial versions with the original computer.  Now, when I boot up my computer, I get the message, “Insert disk for QuickBooks simple.” I had removed this program at the beginning, and there is no disk for it.

I have looked in the startup menu and there is nothing for this program. How do I delete the computer wanting to run this?  Are there other auto startup folders I can get to in order to delete this program request?

PC CLUB: First of all, I run into quite a few people nowadays that need to restore or “refresh” their PCs for one reason or another. Mostly because their PCs have become infected with malware which includes viruses, spyware, trojans, etc. Sometimes it needs to be restored because it’s running too slowly and the user does not have the time or patience to deal with it. In fact, one radio talk show host who is a PC guru recommends doing this annually. I do this myself periodically and it is always a chore — but worth it when I’m done. Some of the information that follows has been partially covered in previous articles but this is a popular and important topic. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Computers • Stump the PC Club • • • • | 2 Comments »

How to move your e-mail to a new computer

August 11th, 2009, 5:33 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Is there an easy way to transfer all Eudora files from one PC to another? Both PC’s are running Windows XP.

Sign up to get Gadgetress via e-mailPC CLUB: There are several important skills involved in managing your e-mail and one of the most important ones is relocating your e-mail files to a new PC. 

Several e-mail programs have instructions on their Web site for doing this, including Eudora, a longtime free e-mail program. But sometimes finding the instructions requires a little searching. I’ll tackle two of the more popular programs for you: Eudora and Outlook Express. Read the rest of this entry »

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