If you do web development work, an excellent extension for Firefox is called Firebug (www.getfirebug.com). This extension provides a variety of powerful development tools to assist in web development, such as allowing the editing and monitoring of CSS, HTML and Javascript in real-time on web pages. Once you have installed the Firebug extension you can trigger Firebug to open using either the F12 key, or the ‘View’ menu > ‘Firebug’. (more…)

A 20mm black vertical strip runs down the right-hand side of my monitor. When I move the mouse to either side of the screen, the display ’scrolls’ horizontally, allowing the previously hidden portion of the screen to be displayed. However, if the black strip was not present this scroll would not be necessary! The problem briefly corrected itself, but the display was blurred. How can I fix this problem for good? The computer is running Windows XP. (more…)

The Start button and taskbar at the bottom of the screen have disappeared. I attempted to fix the taskbar settings through the ‘Taskbar and Start Menu’ control panel, but nothing happened when I double-clicked to open this control panel applet. Microsoft Knowledge Base suggested Windows may need to be repaired, and a repair installation was the best option. Following the repair installation the problem still continued, so I came to the conclusion my user account (profile) was corrupted. I created a new account, but when I copied across the user data the taskbar was lost again! Is there a way I can copy my old account data into my new account, without losing the taskbar? The computer is running Windows XP Home Edition. (more…)

Last year I purchased a new computer, and PC-cillin was bundled with the computer. Following the installation of this program, I immediately realised some of my email was not being sent or received. Trend Micro suggested I should disable the ‘URL Filter’, ‘Privacy Data Protection’, and the ‘Anti-spam’ features of PC-cillin. Following their instructions, the email returned to normal. However, now whenever Windows starts, a message from Norton Security Centre (which I believe is part of Windows, as I certainly did not install this program) reports that the system is potentially vulnerable. The PC-cillin window confirms this advice, with the ‘Internet Security Status’ saying ‘Settings potentially unsafe’. Should I be worried about this? The Norton Security Centre assures that the Windows Firewall is operating normally, so I am unsure why the message on startup keeps appearing. PC-cillin is now up for renewal (as the one-year subscription will soon expire). However, if Trend Micro’s only solution to the email problem is disabling the PC-cillin firewall, is it worth renewing this product or switching to a new product (such as Ad-aware, Spybot, and ZoneAlarm which you suggest to other readers)? (more…)

Recently I purchased a new digital camera, but the camera seems unable to communicate with the computer. When using the Scanner and Camera wizard a message appears saying ‘Unable to communicate with the Imaging Device. Please make sure it is connected and turned on’. The computer also says it cannot find the software for the camera, even though the software is definitely installed. The computer is running Windows Me. (more…)