Always a love-hate relationship

Lately, I have been working with many Windows 98 and Me computers (and a few Windows 95). For basic functions, limited Internet browsing, solitaire, email, and word processing, these computers work fine especially with a high speed Internet connection. However, it is imperative that Windows 98 and Me users NOT install any software that was developed after 2003. Your hardware and software configuration may appear to meet the...

Do you really have that much time on your hands?

I hate to beat a dead horse, but I need to know. One of the most common responses I get from people who don't have a high speed Internet connection is, "I have plenty of time to wait and am in no hurry." While I admire the Zen like focus and calm nerves of these folks, I have to ask the obvious. "Really?" Today, I worked with a customer who lives literally in the middle of the mountains…the...

RAID: Something geeks often do because they can

HelpMeRick.com is not a geek website so I'm not even going to get into what RAID is other than it is something geeks do to their computers. However, I will say that I have had a number of clients over the years who have had a friend, relative or computer salesman talk them into going with a RAID setup and it has turned out to be a giant problem. Often RAID is installed as a "backup" system. Essentially this...

Rethinking “old” computers

With Vista now being the only main stream choice for a new computer, I have stared to develop a new strategy to look at "old" computers. Computer users who have late model Windows 98 machines (bought in 1999-2000), they might be able to get a few more years out of their systems and get a more updated operating system by switching to a Linux based system. I plan on doing some testing over the next few months of...

Is it not ok anymore to be content with what we ha...

I have had Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 sitting on my desk for more than three weeks now. I spent nearly $300 buying the stupid products so that I can install them on my machine, but I haven't. It's not because I haven't had time…I just have no burning desire to go through with the change yet. My Windows XP machine is running awesome, I like the configuration of my system and just don't want...

Today I found a print screen utility that I had fo...

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away computer users used to be able to push a single button on their keyboards and get a printout of whatever was displayed on the screen. When Windows took over computers, this function was lost. Pushing the Print Screen key on keyboards did nothing…seemingly. It actually does something, but I wrote a tip about what it does many years ago (click here to read it...

Copy Shortcut for a program to other Windows’...

Caller, Marvin, needed to have a program he installed in his user account be available to his wife and daughter. Here's the solution: 1. Make sure that when installing a program if the program gives you the option to install to just you or all users, choose All Users. 2.  IF, that doesn't bring up the icon to the other users, RIGHT click and choose Copy on the program's icon, then Click My Computer, double-click...

Turn off file sharing when connecting to wireless ...

Disable unprotected File Sharing on Windows XP Home If you use Windows XP Home Edition, then you should avoid sharing files over the campus network and make sure that file sharing is disabled on your computer. NOTE: File sharing is enabled by default when Windows XP Home is installed onto your computer. Since Windows XP Home does not support password-protected file sharing, any person or virus...

Remove or uninstall U3 Software from a flash drive

Many USB flash drives come pre-installed with software called U3. U3 is a small operating system that allows U3 enabled flash drives to run applications (like web browsers, email programs, password managers, and more) straight from the USB flash drive. The advantage is that you can use these applications on any computer with a USB port.  However, if you don't have a need to have these "portable" applications...

Microsoft Uninstaller Cleanup Utility

When you have a program that won't unstall, read through this page , install the program it links to and follow the directions. This program removes all of the install information from the Windows registry. From this point you should reinstall the program and then unstall it the normal way. ...

Vista upgrade workaround for clean install

Here is a link to a site demonstrating how to do a clean install of Windows Vista without having to install Windows XP first. It isn't the easiest process, but if you are confident enough and can follow the instructions, it should be a do-it-yourself project.  

My Vista install: Updated often

I am installing Windows Vista on my laptop. Since the laptop is brand new and the hard drive is not partitioned, I am installing the OEM version of the program. So far, it has been a nightmare. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. It is a full version of windows but it is sold at a better price because Windows limits their support since it is only for computer manufacturers. I haven't even made it to the part...

Don’t confuse Updates with Scans

Many of our Castellini on Computers listeners are well versed (we hope) in the dangers of an unprotected computer. We preach constantly about the importance of keeping updated anti-virus software, anti-spyware and even firewalls on your computer. However, those not savvy to the show yet, find themselves kneed deep in computer problems often times because of one small mistake; thinking that a weekly virus scan is equivalent to...

Windows Vista: Is it worse than we thought?

I have not made any secret of the fact that I am afraid of Windows Vista. Tomorrow Vista hits shelves and I an dreading the rush of calls from people who don't read our website and newsletter. Here is a short list of what I know about Windows Vista so far. Please use the link at the bottom to email this article to anyone you know who may be considering the move to Vista who doesn't read our website and...

Is your computer ready for Windows Vista? Do you c...

We are less than a week away from the consumer launch of Windows Vista…the next generation of Microsoft's operating system that runs on 95% of the world's computer. Do you need the upgrade? The short answer is "NO". Will you have a choice if you buy a new computer? No, unless you choose to buy an Apple computer. Is the new Windows Vista that much better than Windows XP? No. In fact there are very...