Category Archives: Windows
Clear DNS Cache
Windows XP/Vista store the DNS information of Web sites you’ve visited, to reach those sites faster each time you access them. The cache sometimes gets corrupted or stores a lot of unusable data, and that leads to slower Internet response times. To clear the cache, go to the command prompt and type ipconfig /flushdns. The command purges the DNS cache and restores your Internet access speed.
Make Outlook Automatically Spell-Check Your E-mail
I’m kind of a spelling snob. I take pains to make sure I spell everything correctly, so it bugs me a little bit when I receive mail that contains spelling mistakes.
Well, okay, I cheat a little: I use Outlook 2007′s spell-checker to give my outbound mail the once-over before sending. You can do likewise, without having to remember to click the Spelling button every time, by tweaking Outlook’s checker. Here’s how:
1. Click Tools, Options.
2. Click the Spelling tab.
3. Tick the box marked Always check spelling before sending.
4. Click OK.
That’s it! Now, when you click Send, Outlook’s spell-checker will immediately appear, giving you a chance to fix those “Hey, Rick, you are so stoopid” kinds of mistakes.
Of course, by default, Outlook uses squiggly red lines to indicate misspellings as you type, but I know many folks who prefer to just bang away at the keys and then fix the mistakes at the end. Me, I don’t make speling mistakes, so I don’t really need either feature.
Windows Genuine Could be a Real Advantage
No reader question, this time. Just a rant.
We all hate Windows Genuine Advantage. Not only is it a hassle that might accuse you of stealing something you legitimately bought, but its very name adds insult to annoyance. It’s obviously an advantage to no one but Microsoft.
But with a simple change in policy, the folks in Redmond could use it to eliminate a far more serious problem: The difficulty in obtaining an actual copy of Windows to go with your legally-purchased license.
If Windows came with your computer, you probably have no way to restore it beyond a complete reformat. If you lost the restore discs that came with your PC, or altered your partition table and thereby rendered your restore partition unbootable, you can’t even do that. And you almost certainly don’t have the options and utilities that come with a genuine Windows CD or DVD.
And why not? Because Microsoft acts as if giving away Windows discs is the same as giving away licenses to run Windows. And yet the company must know that’s not true. Otherwise, Microsoft wouldn’t make you go through the activation process, or keep hitting you with Windows Genuine Annoyances. It’s the product key–that long number you have to enter when you install Windows–that defines and proves your purchase of the operating system.
So why can’t Microsoft simply give the disc away. Make it downloadable as an .iso file. Charge $5 to mail a physical disc to those who don’t like long downloads. Make it known that anyone can give the disc to anyone else.
I’m not suggesting that Microsoft give away Windows. You’d still need a unique product key to activate it, and you would get that project key either by paying Microsoft or buying a PC with Windows pre-installed (all such computers already come with a product key sticker). Or you’d already have the product key, but still need a product to install.
This could work just fine with XP, Vista, and (when it ships) Windows 7. Microsoft doesn’t even have to keep selling XP to freely give away the discs; I know plenty of people who “own” XP but need a way to install it.
A great many commercial programs, perhaps a majority of them, are now sold this way. You download the program, install it, try a limited version, then pay for a key that will unlock the full version. They used to call this shareware or demoware. Now its just the way software is sold.
Microsoft: Are you listening?
Hidden iTunes: The Five Best Keyboard Shortcuts
Regular Hassle-Free PC (HFPC) readers know that I love keyboard shortcuts. Not, not love: lurve. (Quick trivia quiz: Name the movie in which that word was coined.) So today let’s talk about the five best ways to zip around iTunes without ever taking your hands off the ol’ QWERTY.
- Ctrl-N: Create a new playlist
- Ctrl-Up Arrow/Ctrl-Down Arrow: Raises and lowers the volume, respectively.
- Ctrl-Left Arrow/Ctrl-Right Arrow: Skip back a song and skip ahead a song, respectively.
- Ctrl-Shift-H: Takes you directly to the iTunes Store home page.
- Space Bar: Play/pause the current song. (In other words, hit Space once to pause the song, again to resume, and so on.)
Find Duplicate Songs
There are plenty of good programs for finding duplicate files–based on file name, size, and checksums–but finding duplicate songs can be trickier. After all, if you have the same recording in .mp3 and .m4a formats, you’ve got duplicate songs that are not duplicate files.
So you need to search by metadata–the extra information that defines the contents of a file. Specifically, you need a program that can matches songs with the same title and by the same artist (because Smash Mouth’s “I’m a Believer” is not a duplicate of the Monkees’ original.)
You’ll also have to remember that no list of duplicate songs generated by software will be perfect. A program may not realize that Beatles and The Beatles are the same group. Nor can it always differentiate between the original studio recording and the live concert version. (I’ve known Dead Heads with probably ten versions of “Brokedown Palace.”)
But the right program can give you reasonably accurate lists to work through. Here are three I can recommend:
iTunes: Well, no, I wouldn’t recommend you download and install iTunes just for this purpose, but if you’re already using it, you’ve got a pretty good search tool. Just select File • Show Duplicates. If you have the same song as an .mp3 and a .m4a, iTunes will list both, but it won’t find any .wma versions.
A Quick Fix for Slow Internet Access
This morning a neighbor asked me if my Internet access was really, really slow the last couple days. (We subscribe to the same ISP.) I said no, it’s been just fine. Then I offered him the same suggestion I offer most folks who complain about connectivity problems: power-cycle your modem and router.
In other words, disconnect the power cords from both, wait about 10 seconds, and then plug them back in. In a minute or two, your network will be up and running again, and your Internet access might be its good old speedy self. I say “might be” because there are loads of other possible culprits for pokey Internet connections.
For example, you might have a spyware problem. Windows’ Internet settings might be FUBAR (or at least less than optimal). If you’re connecting via a wireless router, there could be range issues.
In most cases, however, it’s probably just a router and/or modem in need of rebooting. For the record, my neighbor told me the power-cycling trick worked like a charm. Hmm, maybe I should send him a bill? Nah, I’ll just give him a link to Hassle-Free PC. Feel free to do likewise for friends and relatives who need answers to common PC problems!
My PC Keeps Freezing Up
The obvious quick fix is to not leave your computer on for two or three days at a time. In fact, I’d give you this advice even if you weren’t having this problem. Windows tends to get unstable over time, and a reboot refreshes it. Besides, leaving the computer on all the time wastes electricity.
You should either shut it down or hibernate it at the end of every workday. Hibernating the computer won’t refresh Windows the way a full boot does, but it’s faster and lets you start the day exactly where you left off. From the hardware’s point of view (and I suspect you’ve got a hardware problem), there’s no difference between shutting down and hibernating a PC.