Link to the Show / Show NotesI Do Windows for Week Ending April 2, 2006
Each show we help listeners improve their computer knowledge and participate more fully in the digital age. We introduce ways that computer can help listeners at work and at home.
IDW040206
Show Notes:
- Tech News
- Answers to your emails
Rich would like to be able to remotely access his computer and files at work without actually having to be at work. His boss always needs help and it would be much easier if he could do everything from home.
Take a look at GoToMyPC – it’s pricey with a monthly subscription. RealVNC – free. And Microsoft’s remote access desktop, which requires that the host computer be running Windows XP Pro.
GotoMyPC
RealVNC
LogMeIn
Paul has two user accounts with Windows XP Home. He uses Outlook 2000. Can he share his inbox between two users?
Sure. Just move the Outlook.pst file to Shared Folders then open it from Outlook in each user account. Don’t both try to use it at the same time though. For that you’ll need Exchange Server.
Or you could maintain separate mail databases but leave the mail on the server for awhile so both users could get a chance to download it.
Steve is running a home network with a mix of 2 Windows XP Pro PCs and 2 Mac OS X machines. Mail/calendar clients are Outlook 2003 and Entourage 2004, and he doesn't currently run his own mail server. How can he get everyone and everything synchronized so that everyone in the family can logon from any machine and manage email and check calendars?
Email is easy. To keep copies of mail on both systems, change the settings on your email clients to “leave mail on server” That way you can pick it up twice. Make sure to delete the mail off the server after a reasonable period – say a week. Otherwise you’ll run out of space.
Synchronizing calendars between Mac and PC is more complicated. I have used an intermediary device (Palm) but could always use a cell phone to synchronize the data between computers. You should be able to perform a sync with the phone using iSync on the Mac, then use the software that came with the phone to synchronize with Outlook on the PC.
A solution called Xchange Network claims to sync data between Outlook, Exchange, and Linux platforms. Free to try for 30 days - $60 per user thereafter.
Jeff has accidentally hit the “always open the type” selection box when downloading ZIP from the IE6. Now when he downloads a ZIP file, the file opens in WinZIP instead of asking him where he'd like to save the file. How do I change it back to go to the default property?
That’s easy enough. Windows maintains a database of file extensions and the associated application. When you double-click a file, it looks up the name of the associated application in the database and opens the file in that application. To change the file association in Windows XP:
1. Select a file of the type you want to change
2. Right click it and select Open With…from the pop-up menu
3. Select Other application…
4. Pick the application you want to use to open that type of file
5. Check the “Always open this type of file with this application” box
6. Click OK
That’s all it takes to change the file association permanently!
Chris reported his mouse keeps randomly jumping to the bottom left hand corner of the screen. He has tried uninstalling and reinstalling the driver. He is running Windows XP Pro and wants to avoid reformatting and reinstalling if he can. Any suggestions?
Sometimes mice move because they’re dirty. Have you tried a different mouse on that system?
Each time Jerry restarts his computer, a popup for login shows up, asking for username and password. He has no password and has tried to set the computer so it won’t ask for this each time, but to no avail.
In order to avoid the login screen in Windows XP, you have to use the secret userpasswords2 control panel. Click Start, Run, enter “control userpasswords2 then Uncheck the box that says “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” When you click OK you’ll be prompted for the username and password of the user you want to automatically login as each time.
- David Ippolito
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