Tag Archives: Software

Q. My program disappeared from my Mac’s Dock.

Posted on May 28, 2011 by quill

You probably inadvertently dragged the icon off the Dock. Don’t worry, you didn’t delete the program, only the alias to the program that was in the dock.;  Let’s take iCal as an example. In the Finder, open the Applications folder … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Mac questions, Software | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. What’s in my PC?

Posted on May 28, 2011 by quill

How can you tell what components are in your PC without taking it apart? There are some system reporting tool programs that give a good snapshot of the components of the computer, and the software installed as well.  This is … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. Where can I get free software?

Posted on May 28, 2011 by quill

Commercial software is not legal to download for free, but there is a large amount of freeware, open source and shareware software available. I don’t recommend downloading from random websites or bittorrents, because downloads are a playground for virus writers … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Free stuff, Mac questions, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. I deleted one of the Apple applications from OSX

Posted on May 28, 2011 by quill

How do you reinstall one of the bundled Macintosh applications? Let’s take iPhoto as an example. First of all put in your installer DVD and look on it for a package called Optional Installs. Double click on that and you … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Mac questions, Software | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. Windows on my new PC says it isn’t genuine

Posted on May 28, 2011 by quill

Windows and other Microsoft programs like Office will run for a while without being activated / registered, but then they will stop and insist that you activate them. You should have an activation key on a label on the back, … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. How can I secure my Mac?

Posted on May 27, 2011 by quill

What? Secure my Mac?  Why? Mac owners sometimes exist in a bubble of avoidance – believing that since Mac OS X is more resistant to viruses, they don’t have to worry about a thing to do with security. Bubbles inevitably … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Mac questions, Security | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Q. I can’t read new Word docx files in my older Word

Posted on May 27, 2011 by quill

With Office 2007 (Win) 2008 (Mac) and later, Microsoft has moved to new file formats for documents – .docx instead of .doc for Word, .xlsx for .xls in Excel, .pptx for .ppt in PowerPoint.  Older versions of Office applications cannot … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Mac questions, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. My Mac just has a question mark on the screen

Posted on May 22, 2011 by quill

The ? means that the machine cannot find a drive with a valid operating system. This means either that your hard drive has failed, or the operating system on it is damaged. What to do: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1411?viewlocale=en_US Safe Mode: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564 (Starting … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Mac questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Favorite: Windows utilities from Piriform

Posted on May 18, 2011 by quill

Some utilities you use once in a blue moon. Some utilities you end up using every day until they become indispensable.  One company that makes shareware that is part of my everyday toolkit is Piriform. CCleaner cleans out cache files, … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Favorites, Free stuff, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. What is running on my PC?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

How do I tell what programs are running on my machine that aren’t listed on the Task Bar? Hit Control – Alt – Delete — this brings up the Task Manager. Windows XP http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/taskman.htm Windows 7 http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/reap-the-benefits-of-windows-7s-task-manager/2576 You can now … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Performance, Security, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. How do I use Photoshop?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

Here is a collection of learning resources for Adobe Photoshop, the premier image editing program. I like the Missing Manual series of books the “Missing Manual” series http://missingmanuals.com/ Peachpit Press has good instuctional books, and video podcasts here http://www.peachpit.com/podcasts/index.aspx Adobe … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, How-To, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. I have Illustrator – how do I use it?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

Adobe Illustrator is an immensely powerful vector graphics drawing program. It can be intimidating for first time users. I recommend any book in the “Missing Manual” series http://missingmanuals.com/, and the Peachpit Press “Non-Designer’s Book of” series by Robin Williams   … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, How-To, Mac questions, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. Doesn’t a new computer come with Office?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

Microsoft Office software is included on a computer’s drive only if it was purchased in a bundle with the machine.  Far more often, what is pre-installed on a hard drive is the Microsoft Office Test Drive version, a trial version … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Mac questions, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Favorite: TrueCrypt open source encryption

Posted on May 13, 2011 by quill

Here’s something that makes me shudder – when I hear someone complain that they lost their USB memory ‘keychain’ drive, and then to hear them say “yeah, now I’m out $30 to buy a new one”.  It’s not the money, … Continue reading →

Posted in Favorites, Free stuff, Hard Drive News, News, Security | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. Why is there a time delay when I am recording sound?

Posted on May 12, 2011 by quill

The time lag between playing and the sound coming back out is called Latency — it is the time required for you interface to digitize the sound, buffer it, the computer to read the buffer, process it, write the results … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Music recording, instruments, hard & software | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment