Ubuntu – Day 8

Week two with Ubuntu starts today, and still no shakes, dry heaves, or headaches after leaving Windows last weekend. I’m enjoying the Ubuntu and even have the spam a little more under control with Thunderbird email. Normally, I don’t play games on my computer, but I do like puzzle games that challenge my mind and help me wind down after a long day troubleshooting Windows’ problems. Ubuntu comes with a...

Ubuntu – Day 4

I’m going to do a short written update to my Ubuntu trek, but record my first official “Shotgun Podcast” here shortly. After only three days, I gave up on Evolution email as my email program. I like the program a lot, but unfortunately, I get way too much spam not to have a better anti-spam solution. So, I downloaded and installed Thunderbird today which while not perfect and far from my Cloudmark Desktop...

How to buy a computer book

When teaching my basic computer classes, I often get the question, "What is a good computer book?" This is also followed or preceded by the complaint that the individual's computer did not come with a manual. As strange as it may seem, there is a very good reason why the average computer doesn't come will a full instruction book. The reason is that there is too much to know about a computer to fit in a...

Accessing Thunderbird via Firefox (or other email ...

We had an email today from a listener who was looking for a way to access his Thunderbird (email program) from Mozilla Firefox. This is a feature that was found in previous versions of Firefox but is strangely absent from Firefox 2.0. We found a nice little extension that resolves this problem . This extension brings back the email button that was an option for your Firefox toolbar. Clicking this button invokes whatever...

Create Email Filters in Thunderbird

This site has step-by-step instructions for creating email filters. Also, check the help menu in Thunderbird for more information.

BCC in Mozilla Thunderbird

One caller today was looking for an easier way to BCC from Mozilla Thunderbird. This extension is very popular . We haven't tried it, but it seems to be the solution.

Fix a slow loading Thunderbird (email) program

This happens when an e-mail file that gets built each time you open e-mail gets corrupted. It is: {inbox.msf}. Here's how to fix it: Close Thunderbird. Click Start –> Search (or Find –> Files and Folders in Windows 98/Me). Type: inbox.msf in the search box. Make sure you have the box checked to search hidden and system files. When it finds it, click one time on in and then delete it. Start...

Take out the garbage in one step!

I thought that this piece of information was pretty common knowledge, but apparently it isn't so I'm discussing it today. When you delete an email, it gets moved to the Deleted Items folder and accumulates there. When you delete any type of file or document on your computer, it goes to the Recycle Bil and accumulates there unti you empty it. For email in almost any email program (except AOL), you can RIGHT click on...

RSS: What it can do for you

Last week we briefly explained Really Simple Syndication. And a little about how it works. This week week we will take look at what the average user can do with RSS. You may have noticed a little icon on our site. You may also have noticed the little orange icon at the bottom or top of your web browser on certain sites. If you see either or both of these icons on a site or in your browser while visiting a site, you will...

Searching through the email

Many of you are familiar with how to search the Internet, but did you know you could search through your email similarly? Look for the "Search" function in Thunderbird and the "Find" function in Outlook or Outlook Express in the  Edit menu. Using these tools, you can quickly search through hundreds of messages to find a specific sender, content of the message, etc. Simply fill in the boxes...

Moving from AOL isn’t always easy, but it...

I am currently helping two clients make the move off of AOL after many long years of being AOL customers. While each client is having a few problems making the adjustment, each has stated that they small issues are worth it to get away from AOL. There are a few things that you need to get ready for when making the switch from AOL.  1. There is no easy way to backup your address book and move it over. You can print it out...