Since installing Internet Explorer 7 I have been unable to access any websites. The Internet Explorer home page loads alright, but whenever I try to access any other websites the following message appears: ‘The requested lookup key was not found in any active activation context’. The computer is running Windows XP Home Edition. (more…)

A ‘Disk Error’ occurred on my Dell Inspiron 1150 laptop and the laptop no longer boots. Instead, the computer restarts at the Windows XP splash screen. Running the Dell Diagnostics utility indicates there is an error in the IDE hard drive, but the utility does not fix the problem. I have tried reinstalling Windows, but the setup will not properly recognise the hard drive (presumably due to the error). Is it possible to use the laptop without an internal hard drive, but instead connect an external hard drive and install Windows XP onto the external drive? (more…)

For friends using my beach house I would like them to be able to check their email, but not access anything else on the computer (in particular, the files stored in the My Documents folder for our user name). I have setup a guest account, but cannot get dial-up networking to work. I also tried pasting the dial-up connection icon onto the Guest desktop, but this did not work. Next, I tried to setup a new connection through the Guest account but Windows would not allow this operation. How can I configure the dial-up connection for the Guest account? The computer is running Windows XP. (more…)

Since installing ADSL the internet speed has been very fast. However, after upgrading to McAfee Antivirus 2007 the receive/download speed for emails containing pictures and graphics has been extremely slow. Obviously this has something to do with the scanning of incoming email messages, as when I send email messages containing pictures the messages are transmitted at the usual fast speed. Several of my friends who have McAfee Antivirus also experience the same problem. The computer is running Windows XP and Outlook Express for email. How can I speed up the downloading of emails? (more…)

When building a PowerPoint presentation, I have discovered one of the most challenging aspects is finding an appropriate template for the presentation. PowerPoint comes with a selection of default in-built templates, and in addition the Microsoft Office website also has a wealth of useful add-ons for PowerPoint and other Office applications, including templates, add-ons, help, and tutorials. Most are available for free, providing you have a genuine copy of Microsoft Office. Office Online can be found at: office.microsoft.com . (more…)