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Computer Tips

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:

  1. Close Thunderbird.
  2. Click Start –> Search (or Find –> Files and Folders in Windows 98/Me).
  3. Type: inbox.msf in the search box.
  4. Make sure you have the box checked to search hidden and system files.
  5. When it finds it, click one time on in and then delete it.
  6. Start Thunderbird again and a new, uncorrupted inbox.msf file will be created.

This may take a little while the first time. To test all is well, close Thunderbird and re-open it and it should open quickly

Firewalls Redux

Firewalls became a hot topic in the latter part of this week at HMR (a web site visitor abbreviated our name that way and it works pretty well). I decided to bring up this tip and updated it for 2006.

As recently as 2003, I recommended against dial-up users using firewalls. My reasoning for this advice included the substantially decreased time most dial-up users spend online in one stretch, ISP's provide firewall services into and out of their modem banks, and most 'hacking' at the time centered around denial of service attacks and other activities that was meant for computers with 'fat pipe' connections (DSL, cable, etc).

Today, however, I believe that a firewall is becoming an essential piece of our security arsenal. Firewalls (either hardware based or software based) prevent unauthorized access to and from your computer. The most recent threat of unauthorized use is spyware and adware. Spyware and adware can bring a system to its knees if not properly and completely stopped. A firewall can help reduce the toll of spyware and adware.

At the very least, every computer user using Windows XP should perform the following few steps to enable the XP firewall. If you have updated to XP Service Pack 2, the firewall will be enabled by default. Here's how to enable the Windows fiewall:

  1. Click My Computer from the Start menu (or your desktop)

  2. Click My Network Places from the task pane on the left

  3. Click View Network Connections again from the task pane on the left

  4. When the windows opens, RIGHT click on your Internet connection

  5. Click Properties

  6. Click the Advanced tab

  7. Check the box that says "Protect my computer and network by limiting…"

  8. Click OK

If you want a more industrial strength firewall that you can tweak and configure, try one of these free or commercial firewalls:

ZoneAlarm (free version)

ZoneAlarm Pro

Tiny Firewall

For broadband users who use a router to share access with other computers, the router acts as a firewall as well. Adam made some accurate points this week about the usability of firewalls. Too many computer users, hope to 'set it and leave it', but most firewalls require careful initial setup and a good knowledge of how to interact with the messages that it will generate. Read through your manual or go to the manufacturer's web site to learn how to best utilize your router and software firewall's capabilities.

Count your processes

"My computer is running slow." This complaint tops the list as the number one computer owner complaint over the past few years. Once an infliction for older computers only, slow computer syndrome (SCS) can affect even the newest and most powerful of computers. With Windows XP, there is one quick barometer that you can use to test the health of your computer; the Processes list. Too many processes running automatically at startup can indicate either a poorly configured machine or sign of a serious computer problem related to viruses, spyware or both.

In the Windows world, a process is a program (or part of a program) that is currently running. Microsoft Windows itself starts at least fifteen to twenty processes when we turn our computers on for the day. Over the years, I have developed a mental chart that allows me to quickly assess a computer health just by looking at the processes running upon a fresh boot (start) of a computer:

  • 25-34 Processes – Excellent
  • 34-39 Processes – Good
  • 40-44 Processes – OK
  • 45-49 Processes – Fair
  • More than 49 Processes – Poor

The numbers are purely anecdotal based on my experience with thousands of computers. However, they also offer a good way to quickly get a handle on where to start with a computer.

To view which processes are running on your computer (Windows XP or 2000 only), push Ctrl+Alt+Delete on your keyboard OR RIGHT Click on a blank part of your taskbar then click Task Manager. After the Task Manager appears, Click the Processes tab. In the lower left corner of the Processes tab window, the total number of processes will be shown.

Windows Processes

Use my chart to gauge the health of your machine right at startup before you open any programs. If your system has more than 45 processes running at startup, you should search our site for two different terms: Spyware and MSCONFIG . You can use the tips listed under these topics to reduce the number of processes that start automatically with your system. In some cases, you may need to employ the help of an experienced computer professional to help safely reduce the number of processes (thus increasing the health and speed) of your computer.

For those that like to tinker with their computer and want to know what some of the cryptic names you will find in the Process list are, use the following sites to sleuth out the Processes listed in your Task Manager:

Should You Leave Your Computer On or Shut it off?

Ah, the age old question about our computers. Since computers came into the home, users have asked; 'should I turn it off or leave it on?' I'm going to try and not muddy the waters any more than they already are in this short article. I will share some facts and some opinions in this article that will help you make the decision for yourself.

First, let me say that there is no definitive answer on this subject and if you ask twenty computer people whether to leave your computer on over night, you will probably get 50% on one side of the fence and 50% on the other side.

That being said, let me present the facts about computer energy consumption:

Another reason to use Picasa

I mentioned in yesterday's Shotgun that I took nearly 900 photos on my recent vacation. You have read and heard us hype the free Picasa digital photography software from Google many times. The features and execution of the features are nothing short of wonderful. I use Picasa to upload and organize my photos after a trip. Then I usually upload the photos I want to print to my favorite online photo developer (Shutterfly ) and get a bound book made of my favorite 100 or so photos for less than the cost of developing three rolls of film.

Discover MORE on Google

Most web users are familiar with Google as a search engine – that is a website that helps you search the web for other pages related to a given search topic.
What most people don't know is that Google has many more hidden powers. Many of these powers are as spectacular as the traditional search engine itself.To discover everything that Google has to offer you must look below the search box.

Google Options

Web – Click here for a standard web search for website related to the search topic

Images – Click here to search the web for pictures related to a search topic

Groups – Click here to search discussion groups about a given topic

News – Click here to search almost all major news sites about a given topic

Froogle – Click here to search many major stores (online and off) for price and product information on a given item

Maps – Search the US and the world for addresses, directions, businesses, etc

Desktop – Search your own computer for files using Google search techniques (requires a download and install)

MORE – This is where the real magic takes place!

Go there now and discover the wonders of Google.

Removing one of the built-in search engines in Firefox

We love the Mozilla Firefox web browser because of its safety, speed, and customizability. One of my favorite customizations is the ability to add sites to the built in search engine that let me quickly search web sites I visit most often…weather, recipes, downloads, movies, etc. Occasionally, it is nice to be able to remove one that I'm not using any further or maybe isn't working at all. Here's how to do that:

  1. Close Mozilla Firefox
  2. Navigate to your Firefox Profiles directory (usually C:\Documents and Settings\<YOUR USERNAME>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\)
  3. There should be a folder that ends in ".default"; inside it you should open the searchplugins folder (if there are multiple ".default" folders, you may have to look in more than one. These represent different user profiles you have created in Firefox)
  4. In the 'searchplugins' folder, you'll see two files for each Firefox Search Engine you've added. (an image and a .src file). Be sure to get rid of both of them for each of the Search Engines you want to remove

 

Traveling with wireless Internet

If you travel with a laptop computer and like to use wireless Internet at hotesl, coffee shops and libraries, it helps to know a simple troubleshooting technique or two for finicky wireless connections.

  1. Make sure your wireless access is enabled. Many laptops have a button or switch that shuts the wireless network off. 
  2. Restart your computer. Many times, restarting the computer will allow the connection to happen.
  3. If still no connection, talk to someone in the building about your problem and ask them to restart their wireless router. If they aren't sure how, you can let them know that simply unplugging the power from the back of the router and then plugging it back in will do it. Takes about 20 seconds.

These three techniques will get you out of a jam more often than not and make you a happy wireless Internet traveler.

Solving email problems

When you are having trouble receiving or sending email, here are a few tips to help keep the mail flowing.

  • Never assume the problem is on your end. If you were sending email perfectly a few hours earlier or even yesterday, DO NOT CHANGE ANY SETTINGS on your computer. Instead, shut the computer off and try again. If nothing still, shut off the computer and wait until the next day. When you have tried these two steps and still have a problem, then call your email provider to ask what may be happening.
  • If you are receiving email, but are unable to send, check to make sure that your email didn't get stuck in the Outbox. Sometimes we mistype an address and that will stall the email.
  • If you use dial-up and get disconnected from the Internet every time you check email with Outlook Express, click Tools –> Options from the menus. Click the Connection tab and uncheck the box that says "hang up after sending and receiving.
  • Attached pictures are too big when viewing/printing. Use this tip .
  • You receive a Red X where a picture should be. Read our Red X tip here .
  • Again for dial-up users especially, if you get the same email over and over, and no new ones come through, it usually means a 'stuck' email. This occurs when an email is too large to come through quickly and you disconnect before it finishes downloading the email. In this situation, learn to use your email service's web mail function so you can view your email on the web based interface. Then delete any email that is more than 1000 kilobytes (1 megabyte). Or you can read the message via the web based interface.

Control is Key

I can usually get a 'wow' from many computer users when I show them how to use the Ctrl (Control) key on the keyboard. In combination with other keys it can do fantastic tricks like copy (Ctrl+C), print (Ctrl+P), or save files (Ctrl+S) to name a few. Combine the Ctrl key with a mouse click and you truly get magic. Hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on documents, email, pictures or other multiple to select multiple at a time.

No longer do you have to be relegated to deleting files one at a time or emailing pictures one at time. Use Ctrl+Click to select or highlight multiple options at the same time.