FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Microsoft's KNOWLEDGE BASE SEARCH - A good place to start if you are having computer difficulties.

• How to Move Outlook Personal information from one location to another

  Describes how to save/move your Outlook information, including, emails, address book, and email accounts. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291636/en-us

• How to configure file sharing in Windows XP

  Describes the file sharing features in Windows XP and how to configure permissions for access to your files and folders. ... With Microsoft Windows XP, you can share files and ... support.microsoft.com/kb/304040

• You receive a "The product key used to install Windows is invalid" error message

  (326904) - Instructs you to perform a clean installation if you receive a message that states that your product key is invalid when you install Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326904/en-us

• FIX: The shutdown procedure takes a long time to complete

  (822738) - Describes why shutdown may take lots of time to complete in Windows XP. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822738/en-us

• "It is Now Safe to Turn Off Your Computer" error message when you try to shut down your computer

  (810903) - Explains why your computer might crash and generate a “It is now safe to turn off your computer” message when you shut down, and provides a resolution. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/810903/en-us

ARCHIVED FAQ'S FROM THE OLD WEBSITE

My internet connection is down.

First thing to try is to unplug the cable modem's power connection, leave it unplugged for at least 15 seconds. Then plug it back in. You will see the modem go through a series of blinking lights, this is the diagnostic stage of the cable modems startup sequence. Under normal operation, the Power light should stay lit, the Cable light should stay lit, the PC light should stay lit, and the DATA light should be blinking.

If the PC light is not on, this indicates that the RJ-45 (Ethernet connection) between the cable modem and your computer is not connected. Check for a loose connection. I like to remove the cable and push it back in, I am never satisfied with an RJ-45 connection until I hear that nice "click" when I plug it back in, make sure to do that to both ends; on the cable modem and on the computer.

This will fix most simple internet connection problems. Return to Main Page

Want to test your internet connection? Click Here

I want to connect more than 1 computer to my Cable Modem, what should I do?

There are several ways to do this, but the easiest way is to purchase a Router. You'll want to know a few things before going to a store and buying one:

THE RIGHT-CLICK

Ever wonder what it does? When I first played with my first PC, I found that this "right-click wonder " became my best friend.
-Want to adjust your computer settings?...right-click the desktop, and click on properties.
-Want to change the appearance of your Start menu?...right-click the start-menu and click properties.
-Want to copy/cut/or paste a program/icon/or text?...right-click on the object and choose copy/cut/paste.
-Want to check your hardware information?...right-click on "My Computer" and click on properties.
-Want to check your network settings?...right-click on "My Network Places" or "Network Neighborhood" and click properties.

As you can see, the right-click is a very useful tool. My rule of thumb is, "when in doubt, 'right-click'!"

Try this:

Right click the desktop>click new>click folder. Right click the folder>click on "rename">name that folder "Trash this".
Now...right-click a desktop icon you don't want anymore, but this time don't let go of the right-click. Hold it down, drag the item
onto the "Trash this" folder, then let go of the right-click.
You've given yourself 4 options: Copy Here, Move here, Create shortcut, or cancel.
If you choose:
Copy here > This will make an exact copy of the file into the "Trash This" folder.
Move here > This will make an exact copy of the file into the "Trash This" folder but delete the one on the desktop.
But to us, it looks like you moved it.
Create Shortcut > This will make an icon in the "Trash This" folder that points to the original item when it's launched (double-clicked).
Cancel > obviously, this will cancel the action you were about to take.

So, whaddya think?

OK, remember, when in doubt...right-click, the right-click can always be cancelled, so don't be afraid of it.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER.

One analogy I like to use to explain what a computer is, I learned from my best friend Larry S.

He told me that a computer is just like an office desk. First, you need to be able to see it... a lamp?, that's the monitor.

How much work can I do at the same time?, well that depends on how big my desk is,...hmmm...that's RAM, or memory.
The more you have, the bigger your desk, the more programs you can open at the same time.

How much paper-work or data, can I store in my desk, that would depend on the size of the drawers in my desk...hmmm... that's
my harddrive!

How fast can I do my work?, the newer the design, the more streamlined the desk, that's my processor, the newer the faster!

I need a phone...that's the modem. The list goes on and on, but you get the idea.

So remember these things when you're out shopping for a new computer.
One thing I want to clear up before I end this. A lot of people mix up the word MEMORY. Memory refers to RAM, do not get it
mixed up with STORAGE, which is the Harddrive.

So if you're thinking, do I have enough space to save more files on my computer, you should say to yourself,
do I have enough STORAGE? DO NOT SAY, do I have enough memory? BUT, if you can't open a 3rd or 4th program,
that's when you ask yourself, Do I have enough Memory? So, MEMORY=RAM, STORAGE=Harddrive, RAM=MEMORY, and
Harddrive = STORAGE.

EXPLORING SOFTWARE FEATURES

I remember a time when I first was hired as a technical support specialist for a local software company here in San Diego. It was a new
experience for me and opened my eyes to many aspects of software planning, programming, trouble-shooting, and future features.

The most important thing we had to keep in mind was to make the "Interface" as easy to use as possible. I know this wasn't just our
goal, but the goals of ALL software developers. The point being is this, when you are faced with using software you are not familiar
with, remember, the software developers kept YOU in mind. Always remember to try this, the next time you are unsure of how to achieve
your desired result:

- Go to the Help menu, your answer will be there 90% of the time.
- Look through all the menus and sub-menus, you might recognize the feature you need just by the way it's named.
- Check the internet. You can use ask.com, or google.com, they are both very helpful.
- Don't forget my favorite!!!! The Right Click, yes, sometimes the tool or feature you need is hidden only a Right-click away!

I used to be scared of certain features, like, import/export, especially "Script Builder!" I never went to school for writing scripts
for a database program, but I went to the help menu, looked it up, and realized, they designed the script-builder so that I really
could build a script. Now I have a database, I designed myself, with buttons for navigation, printing, searches, and even links between
other databases. Remember, I never went to school for this, I just found the instructions in the help menu.

Don't be afraid, give it a try! Just remember to save your work before you do, that way if you do something you didn't want to do,
you will be able to close the document, click on Don't Save, and re-open your document. See, there's always a way!

I'M HAVING TROUBLE HIGHLIGHTING TEXT ON MY WORD-PROCESSOR (it moves too fast!)

Have you ever used a word processor and tried to highlight a couple of lines of text, then all of a sudden, as if your computer
had a mind of it's own, it jumps to page 5 of your document and highlighted everything from page 2 through page 5?

Here's an easier way to do this, but first, lets understand how highlighting text works. When you first select text, you are left-clicking
your mouse to indicate the starting point. The end-point of your selection is indicated by you releasing the mouse button. During the
Click-and -dragging of the mouse, you are at the mercy of the computer as it scrolls through your document, usually very rapidly.

There is another way to indicate the start and end point of the selection you want to highlight. Simply click and release the left mouse
button at the beginning of the desired text, scroll through your document with the slider on the right until you see the end point of your
desired text. Once you know the end point of the desired text, hold down the Shift Key, and click-release the left mouse button again.

You should have a trouble-free selection of text without the undesired SUPER-SCROLLING the computer usually does.

The Shift and CTRL keys are, by most software standards, the "ADD/SUBTRACT" to your selection key. You can try this on your desktop.
Click on one icon, hold the shift key down and click on other icons, they will be added to your selection,. In addition to that, if you have
objects/text selected, you can de-select it by holding the shift/CTRL key and clicking it.

Differences between the Shift and CTRL keys:
The SHIFT key will select the first object, next object you click, and everything inbetween.
The CTRL key will only select the objects selected.

WHAT IS DEFRAG (DEFRAGMENTING), WHY DO I NEED TO DO THIS?

Oh boy, this is a big one. OK, here we go. First thing you need to remember is to defragment your harddrive once in a while, I do this
at least once a month. As files are deleted and written to the harddrive, the pieces get placed in different locations of the harddrive.
So, as I delete a bunch of small files, this creates small gaps of free space all over the harddrive. Then when I finally write a big file
to the harddrive, that big file will be distributed throught the harddrive and fill these little spaces of free-space. That means that if I
need to access this big file again, the harddrive will need to jump to various places just to read the file. This is very inefficient, and
a possible reason for a slow down. YOUR FILE IS NOW IN FRAGMENTS.

We want to DEFRAGMENT the files by re-arranging the files on the harddrive and making each individual file WHOLE again. That
is the job of the Defrag tool, and will help in speeding up access to your files again.

Things to remember:
-Right click the drive you want to defrag,>Click on Properties>Click on the Tools Tab>Click on Defragmentation.
-Make sure you have disabled anything that might access the harddrive or interrupt the defrag; screensavers, sleep mode, hibernate,
virus-protect, if any of these programs are running in the background, it might cause your defrag to start over and over.
-You need at least 15% of your harddrive free for a fully efficient defrag.

If you have any other questions about defrag, contact me via my Message Center link.

WHAT BRAND-NAME SHOULD I BUY?

This always comes up. Someone buying a CD-Rom, Burner, Video Card, or whatever, people always feel the need to consult with a
computer technician for these answers. Sometimes, you might buy more than you need when you ask a Geek. Believe it or not,
we don't always know the answer. What we know is based on experience, and the funny thing is, for me, if I buy something that
works great from one manufacturer, I will almost always stick with that manufacturer.

Here's something for you to try before purchasing anything:

The #1 resource for information is the internet. Try a Search Engine, type the name of the component you want to purchase and add
the word "reviews". Example: in the search field, I might type ["Yamaha f-1" reviews] (minus the [ ]). Read the reviews carefully,
you will find potential problems, advantages, or even both. The reviews will come from other people out there, like you, who have
purchased that exact item, and will be either warning you not to buy it, or praising the product, either way, they will list the reasons.
From there, you can decide for yourself.

Then there are great websites that review products, not only computer products but other home theatre components, etc...

So remember, if you can't find that GEEK available, the Internet is a great resource for you.