Delete | Castellini on Computers - Computer help for beginners

Posts Tagged: delete

General Computer Tips — 2 Comments
1
Nov 09

Deleting Programs and Files

photo credit: geoftheref

This tip conjures up some points from older tips, but needs to be reiterated. Follow these rules-of-thumb to keep your system clean and more importantly running smoothly.

Use these rules when deleting individual files:

Never delete files that you did not create.
If you can’t trace the origin of the file, leave it alone.
If the file sports one of the generic looking ‘windows’ icons (see picture), do not delete it (again unless you created it).
Do not delete files that exist in the Windows directory, unless you created it.
Instead of willy nilly deleting files, use the CCleaner tool

Use these rules when deleting programs or applications:

Always start with Continue reading →

Email Tips — No Comments
18
Oct 09

Email Filters – Outlook Express

This tip gives you the tools you need to help organize your email with Outlook Express or Windows Mail. Using Filters is like having an assistant go through your email for you and sort it before you see it. Click here for a previous tip on how to use filters to keep spam out of your inbox. Continue reading →

How to Use the “Extra” Keys on Your Keyboard

photo credit: Don Solo

There are roughly 50 keys on your keyboard that you use on a regular basis, but there are at least 104 total keys on your keyboard.

So, what are those other keys for?

Here is a list of the keys you may not be using that can make your computing life a lot easier – in no particular order.

F1 – The F1 key is located above your number and letter keypad. In almost any program anywhere in Windows, pressing F1 will bring up your help screen. From the help screen you can look up topics and learn more about the program you are using.

PRINT SCREEN (PRT SCR, PRNT SCR, etc.) – Located to the right of the F keys, the Print Screen button is handy for capturing Continue reading →

Riding Shotgun with Rick / Windows Tips — 4 Comments
20
Aug 09

Cleaning and removing Antivirus 2009, PAV and others from your computer,

Photo by Jim Grandy

Preventing your computer from becoming infected is infinitely easier and less stressful than cleaning up after an infection.

Search my site for tons of information on setting up your computer for security and techniques to avoid scams. However, if you are already bit by one of the most recent nasty forms of software, Antivirus 2008, Antivirus 2009, Personal Antivirus, Internet Security 2009 among others (software I call extortionware that installs itself on your computer and then poses as Continue reading →

Hardware Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 4 Comments
12
Mar 09

Stop a document from printing – Video Tip

We all run into a problem sooner or later where something we printed didn’t print correctly or we want to stop it from printing. In today’s tip, I explain how to stop the printer from printing and then clean the print job from your computer.

Turn off your printer using its power switch
Immediately watch for a message by your clock that has anything to do with your printer
Click the little bubble message (if you see it)
If you don’t see the options in steps 2 & 3, then:
1. Click Start –> Control Panel
2. Double-click Printers
3. Double-click your printer
When the printer queue dialog box appears, click one time on the document you want to delete
Click Document from the menus, then Cancel (If you have multiple documents, click Printer –> Cancel all documents from the menus)
Once the documents disappear (should be just a few moments), you can close all open windows and turn your printer on again.

I have a few more little tips and you can see this technique in action by watching the video below (2 1/2 minutes):

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
25
Aug 08

Google News Alerts

Google Alerts form Would you like to get targeted news/web searches delivered to your email? Google Alerts can do that for you. Google Alerts allow you to get automated, customized news and web searches delivered to your email daily, weekly, or as breaking news alerts based on the criteria you provide. The service can be used without a Google account, but if you start using the service more, and you will, having an account will allow you to manage and tweak your alerts easier. If you already use Google for a customized home page, email, Picasa account, Blogger account, or any of the other Google services, you can use that same account information to use and manage Google Alerts.

In order to really grasp how beneficial Google Alerts can be, you need to try it out for yourself. There are no limits to how many alerts you can create. Here’s how:

Click here to visit the Google Alerts page
Type a search term or terms in the first box. Remember to spell your terms correctly and describe your search completely so your alerts are more accurate
In the Type box, click and choose whether you want to get alert items from news stories only, blogs, videos, web in general (non-news), discussion groups, or comprehensive (which covers it all).
Choose how often you want the emails in the third box. Your choices are daily, weekly, or as the news happens.
Lastly, fill in your email and click the Create Alert button

Within a few hours, you will start to receive your email alerts. The email will be from Google Alerts with the subject Google Alert – Your Search Terms. The email will contain a list of the matches it found with the link to the story and where it is from and the first two lines of the story itself. You can delete or edit an alert at any time by going back to the Google Alerts web page and clicking the Manage your alerts link.

Application Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 7 Comments
1
Jul 08

Solution to strange folders synchronizing error in Outlook 2007

I ran into a problem with Microsoft Outlook 2007 that I never seen. When Outlook was running, a small icon in the system tray was working like crazy on synchronizing folders. Synchronizing folders in Outlook 2007 is usually reserved for large office environments where users share calendars, contacts, etc. This particular computer user was on a standalone system.

The little icon itself wasn’t the problem, but the fact that it was trying to synchronize folders to nowhere ate up large chunks of computer power slowing down the system to almost unusable. After some web searching and poking around some of the tech web forums (nothing was found on Microsoft’s support site), I found that many other people were having the same problem, but no real solution was found.

Finally, as I was getting ready to leave the client’s office, with the promise of doing more research, I did one last bit of poking around in Outlook. Turns out that every time I closed Outlook, a message greeted me that an email wasn’t able to send and would I like to close Outlook anyway, I answered yes for the previous hour I was in the office. This time, I asked the computer’s owner how long that message had been stuck in the outbox and if he needed it. He replied that the message got stuck around the same time he called me for the appointment. I clicked the outbox folder, deleted the stuck email, closed Outlook, and restarted it and lo-and-behold, no more synchronizing folders!

To summarize, IF you have a problem with a slow computer AND you are using Outlook 2007 AND you have the mysterious synchronizing folders icon in the system tray, look for a stuck email in your Outbox.

Email Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
23
Jun 08

Web mail…remember web mail

Believe it or not, there are still folks out there using dial-up Internet. As email attachments grow in size with full-size pictures and videos, even email can be difficult for dial-up users.

Instead of battling slow connections and waiting for dozens (or hundreds) of emails to download, remember that all email services have a web based component. Go to your email providers web site, and look for a Login orWeb Mail option. You will need your user name and password, but once there you can see a list of your messages and delete them before trying to download them into your email program. The other bonus you reap by learning this technique is the ability to check your email from any computer, any where in the world.

I remain constantly bewildered at how many computer users overlook this great feature of your email. If you do know this technique, pass it on to friends and family who don’t!

General Computer Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
14
Apr 08

Curbside Recycling

When I help people setup a new computer, camera or printer, the standard question asked by the new gadget owner is; “What shall I do with the old one?” I think that the value of tech curbside recycling is highly undervalued.

Curbside recycling involves hauling your old hardware out to the curb and just leaving it there. In most moderately busy neighborhoods (HOA’s rules aside), a piece of technology on the street will be snapped by a collector or hobbyist in less than 48 hours and often much quicker. The item gets reused or put to work in someway, you didn’t have to fret about where to take it and haul it long distances, and the device more than likely won’t end up in a land fill…a win-win-win situation.

Other suggestions I give for recycling old computer/tech gadgets include:

Donate to a church or organization (most schools no longer accept old computer donations)
Drop the item off at a Goodwill or Salvation Army store if they will take it
Find a neighborhood garage or yard sale and leave the item with them if they don’t mind
Many cities have a toxic waste and technology waste collection day or ongoing site to take these types of items
Put an ad in the local paper to give-away your item. Most newspapers don’t charge for this type of ad
Use online services like Freecycle or eBay to get rid of your old tech.
For old cell phones, check with your cell phone provider, many offer free recycling and donation for your old cell phone

When it comes to donating a computer or laptop. Make sure you first erase or physically remove the hard drive. You don’t want to expose yourself to identity thieves by giving away a computer with potentially telling information on the hard drive. If you leave the hard drive in the machine, and your system came with recovery CD’s, use them to restore the computer to its original state and delete all of your data at the same time. If you want to leave the hard drive in and don’t have recovery CD’s, use Boot and Nuke or Active KillDisk to securely and completely destroy your data.

The bottom line on getting rid of your old tech, is that it can probably be used by someone, somewhere. Don’t just chunk it into the garbage, use one of these easy and quick ways to extend its life.