Controlling the Panel

Q: When I try to get to my Control Panel, it opens showing a flashlight looking for it and then shuts off. I have a new Dell computer. No ...

Low Carb Lifestyle

Q: My wife and I are both retired and know a little about our pretty new computer, which is from Dell. However, I have noticed that when I r...

Browsing Web Browsers

In the past I have taken great pride in informing you, my readers, about new and cutting edge technology. Sometimes it is also necessary to ...

The Gift

November can be draining on my wallet. I have several relatives who have birthdays this month, so the gifts can accumulate quickly. I don’t ...

Can You Hear Me Now?

I have written articles in the past about innovations that were on the verge of enhancing the way that we live. Some have caught on like por...

The Power In the Lines

Thirty years ago very few people outside of the Arpanet project would have thought the world would be communicating via computers around the...

Do Not Pass The Word

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The same is true for computer security. You can have the latest firewall, router, or encrypti...

The V Revolution

Without a doubt, the biggest technology story of the week has been the release of the new iPod that plays videos. A device like the new iPod...

Figuring Out Msconfig

Q: I have some software that cannot be uninstalled by the usual method. When I try to follow the on-line help guide, I have a problem at the...

The Window Error

Q: Hi Quincey,We've been getting the following error message: RUNDLL Error loading 2ndsrch.dll A device attached to the system is not fu...

Backup Explained

Q: In your August 11 article you advised the person to use the backup system. I suppose this is elementary but what backup system are you re...

Millennium Defrag

Q: For the past two weeks my hard drive has failed to be able to be defragged. It will only go 4% and starts all over. This goes on as lon...

Class is in Session

Q: Are there any beginner classes to become more familiar with the equipment? I took some several years ago but having a homecare health si...

School Days

It is that time of year again. The monsoons begin to wane, students prepare for transitioning from vacation to another year of school, and p...

Info Lock Up

Q: My wife was trying to start our computer but it will not start. There is a message that says that a file is missing. The computer is an u...

The Other UPS

Q: I enjoy your writing and articles. I would like to know more about the UPS appliance that you mentioned in your article about preparing f...

Back To School

The school buses are being gassed up and the dorm rooms are being vacuumed. It must be back to school time. One of the questions that studen...

Taking it to the Shop

During the course of a computer’s life it will at some point be in the need of repair. Computers are like cars in the sense that the more th...

Monsoon Checklist

In many places summer is confined to heat, humidity, and sunshine. For most of the summer this is true for us also, but we have the extra el...

New and Improved

Every now and then, in between answering your much appreciated questions, I like to keep you abreast of some of the new technological produc...

Locked Tight

Q: I recently bought a new hard drive for my laptop. I have an IBM ThinkPad. Before I put the new hard drive in my laptop the laptop worked ...

The Challenge

Q: Dear Mr. Hobbs,I have presented other computer techs with this problem and have yet to haveit solved. I am hoping you will be able to he...

Picture Perfect

Q: I have a question that I hope you can help me with. I have Windows XP Home Edition on my computer. I have been able to move a picture fro...

Cleaning Up

The periodic cleaning of your computer can extend the life and proficiency of your system. We have concentrated on ways to clean up the data...

STOPPING MR. FREEZE

Q: I am suffering constant freeze ups. I have been toldby some that it is my windows ME, and that it is famous for it. I have plenty ofram (...

Out running the error

Q: Last year my system had this same problem, which locks my down when accessing the Internet. Doesn’t matter where I go, this same error po...

Let’s Try this Again

Q: I am having a problem with my daughter's computer. I am running XP pro on a 1.8 GHz. The problem is it is constantly turning off all ...

Help I Can’t See

Q: We are dumbstruck! My son put his computer together last year. He downloads and plays a lot of games on it. Well, a month ago, I came hom...

Over the Hill?

Q: I just downloaded the Windows Wizard and learned some interesting info regarding my operating system. Because I have Windows ME, I can up...

Dead or Alive

Q: I have an E-machine. When I was downloading some pictures from my digital camera and made copies of my digital pictures on another fold...

Beware of Worm

Q: I suffered a computer crash last week and had to restore my hard drive, losing ALL of the information. Attempts to restore the data didn...

Two Perfect Words

Q: I use WordPerfect. It is about one year old and worked fine until a few days ago, now when I click on Word Perfect the blank page that ap...

The New Slower Version

Q: I have a friend with a computer CPU speed of about 450mHz. He has XP loaded. His computer seems to be so bogged down. I have cleaned it u...

Here to There

Q: I want to network my two computers at home but one is in a guesthouse. Any thoughts? Cost? Etc David G. A: If you are planning on network...

Dropping the Floppy

What do a Walkman, the runner up on Survivor, and a floppy disk have in common? They all had a good run before they were put out to greener ...

Four email etiquette essentials

Email has become a staple of our technology and on the go culture. It has quickly become a fixture our society similar to what cell phones a...