Windows Defender (Beta 2) was recently released by Microsoft and is the final name by which the Microsoft antispyware software will be known (i.e. superceding the current Windows Antispyware software). If you are currently using Windows Antispyware Beta, you should be prompted to upgrade to Windows Defender (Beta 2). You can also download Windows Defender (Beta 2) by visiting the Microsoft Download site at: www.microsoft.com/downloads. (more…)

Whenever I send an email using Outlook 2003, a message appears saying the email could not be sent, and the message remains unsent in the Outbox. This issue occurs irrespective of the message size, or any attachments. Most annoying is the problem is only intermittent - sometimes when I send a message, Outlook says the message was not sent (and remains in the Outbox) but I find the message has actually been sent and received by the intended recipient! A possible related issue is I cannot simply delete these unsent messages from the Outbox - I have to drag the messages into Deleted Items folder. These problems are causing major grief, as I have no idea whether the emails I have been sending are actually being sent. The computer is running Windows XP Professional SP2 with PC Cillin (Trend) AV 2006 (which is configured not to scan outgoing mail). (more…)

Recently I bought a new computer, but cannot install any of my games. The first time I installed The Sims the game successfully installed. However, after uninstalling the game and attempting to reinstall The Sims (or any other games or programs, such as World Book Encyclopedia and Tomb Raider 3) the following message appears: ‘C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32AUTOEXEC.NT. This system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications’. I found an article related to this error on the Microsoft website, but did not understand how to implement the procedures suggested. (more…)

I received an Excel spreadsheet containing performance data from a financial company. When printing spreadsheet, it would not fit onto one page (even in landscape layout) but instead only about half the width of the spreadsheet printed on one page. How can I reduce the spreadsheet size to fit on one A4 page? A second question relates to text size. I receive many text-heavy documents, which are sent in quite large print and use a lot of ink when printing. Is there a way to reduce the text size, to reduce ink consumption on printing? (more…)

Sometimes you may need to enter a complicated or long command into a Windows Command Prompt (i.e. DOS prompt). Re-typing the command can be a cumbersome process, with high potential for error through mistyping the command. However, it is possible to paste text into a Command Prompt. First, copy the text from the source using the usual method to copy text (e.g. CTRL-C). Then in the Command Shell, click on the window icon (in the top left-hand corner of the window) and select ‘Edit’ > ‘Paste’. This will paste the text into the Command Prompt window, at the position of the prompt. You can also copy text from the Command Prompt window. You will first need to select the text to copy. Click the window icon and select ‘Edit’ > ‘Mark’. Now, drag and highlight the text you wish to copy. Once the text has been highlighted, go to the window icon then ‘Edit’ > ‘Copy’. You can now paste the text to the destination. (more…)