Category Archives: Windows questions

Questions and answers specific to Windows machines and applications

Q. What are the most useful keyboard shortcuts?

Posted on April 3, 2012 by quill

Most computer programs have keyboard shortcuts – these are key combinations that substitute for commonly used commands – this avoids having to grab the mouse and taking the cursor up to the menus at the top of the screen.  Learning … Continue reading →

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Q. What is Smart HDD and why does it say I have errors?

Posted on March 31, 2012 by quill

Do not proceed with anything!  Quit or Force Quit your browser, or it it isn’t possible to quit, shut your machine off.  Smart HDD is a scam – it is malware that mimics a legitimate repair or testing program – … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I make my notebook battery last longer?

Posted on March 10, 2012 by quill

First of all, how old is your battery?  Batteries last from one to three years on average, and it would be expected that the capacity is down by 40 – 50% after three years.  So if you have an old … Continue reading →

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Q. What is the best Anti-Virus program?

Posted on February 13, 2012 by quill

It is important for every Windows machine to have anti-virus software installed, continually updated, and continually scanning. There are a lot of good anti-virus programs and protection suites on the market. Some are good on ease of use, some are … Continue reading →

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Q. iTunes is not working in Windows?

Posted on February 8, 2012 by quill

If your iTunes software is refusing to open, even after you have reinstalled, you need to completely uninstall iTunes and then re-download it and reinstall.  Just installing the new version over the old isn’t going to work because it doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Q. My computer says it has cookies, is that bad?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by quill

Cookies are not malware. They are small text files that are written to your hard drive by your Web browser.  There will be a separate batch of cookies for each different web browser program you run (Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, … Continue reading →

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Q. Windows XP doesn’t start. What can I do?

Posted on January 20, 2012 by quill

If your machine powers on but Windows does not load properly, the first step is to try restarting in Safe mode – Start the machine, and hit F8 while it is starting, you should get to a text screen which … Continue reading →

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Q. Someone called me from my internet provider and told me my machine needed to be fixed?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by quill

Hang up the phone immediately.  This is a scam. (Never believe a phone caller. If your service provider really needed to contact you, you could hang up and call them back on their support phone number, which you can easily … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I block a particular domain or keep my children away from undesirable websites?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by quill

The first step is always to create and Administrative login account on the computer, which the children do not have the password for.  Change the login account(s) the children use to Standard or limited privileges to prevent them from installing … Continue reading →

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Q. Is there free software for recording and mixing music?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by quill

Audacity is a great program for Windows and Mac – here are some links for it and for additional resources www.computer-answers.ca/2011/music-recording/q-i-downloaded-audacity-to-edit-mp3s-now-how-do-i-use-it/ Sony Acid Express (Win only)  www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/freestuff MULab Free (Mac and Win shareware) www.mutools.com/mulab-product.html Rosegarden (Linux) www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/Rosegarden/ And of course, … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I get the data off my hard drive so I can reformat or replace it?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by quill

The easiest way is to buy an external hard drive. Yes, it will cost some money but you really need to have a backup drive for your data. Don’t ever trust your data to one media device only.  Every hard … Continue reading →

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Q. My hard drive is running out of space – why?

Posted on January 13, 2012 by quill

The space used on your hard drive is data that you have put on it, plus the operating system, plus any programs you have installed and the data files they generate. Have you Emptied your Trash?  When you throw files … Continue reading →

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Q. Can I upgrade the video card in my machine?

Posted on January 13, 2012 by quill

You can upgrade the video card in a desktop Windows machine as long as 1) The motherboard has an available PCIe x16 slot, 2) There is physical space in the case for a full length, double width card (most modern … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I restore a Windows computer to the factory settings?

Posted on January 5, 2012 by quill

Completely re-installing a computer Did your computer come with Restore or Recovery DVD or CD disks?  You would use those to reformat the drive and restore / re-install your machine. These will put your machine back to the state you … Continue reading →

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Q. Can I build a $1500 – $2000 gaming computer?

Posted on July 27, 2011 by quill

See the previous article on building a sub-$1000 gaming computer Once we get to a $1500 – $2000 budget for a gaming machine, we can look at a better-appointed case and some serious graphics power. We’ll start with the over-clockable … Continue reading →

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