I am concerned about backing up the data on my Windows XP computer. My extensive photo collection is 8 GB and growing fast, not to mention lots of music and plenty of other documents I would be devastated to lose (such as a family history database). Initially I purchased an extra internal 80 GB hard drive, but that only expanded my storage problem. Recently I bought a 500 GB WD Elements external drive, but I am unsure of which software I should use to backup the data? (more…)

Recently I installed a new wireless network with a Linksys Wireless-G Broadband router connected to a Speedstream 4200 modem. I managed to connect the Speedstream modem to the router, allowing the router to gain internet access, but have been unable to connect the router to my home computer. I suspect that the reason I cannot connect the router is because my computer does not have an Ethernet port, as the computer is relatively old. Do you have any suggestions for connecting the router to the computer, or whether I should purchase a different router? (more…)

Recently I have been experimenting with some of the more advanced settings in Mac OS, specifically editing plist files (which hold the settings and preferences for programs on the Mac, together with system settings). However, on the newer versions of Mac OS many of the plist files are in binary format, and thus they cannot be directly edited using a text editor. However, there is a way to convert these binary plist files into text, allowing them to be directly edited. To do this, open a new Terminal window and use the following command:
plutil -convert xml1 This will convert the existing plist file from binary into text. Additionally, there should not be any need to convert the plist file back to binary after you have finished editing, as Mac OS should be able to read the text base plist files without problem. (more…)

When attempting to burn music to a CD using Windows Media Player a message appears saying “Invalid Alignment” and the process halts. Changing the CD writer has not resolved the problem, so I can only assume this is related to a software problem. Can you help? (more…)

Having purchased The Sunbury 30th Anniversary Rock Concert DVD I attempted to play the DVD on the computer. However, a message appeared in Windows Media Player notifying that codecs need to be downloaded to play the DVD. How do I find these codecs? I have tried updating Windows Media Player from version 10 to version 11 but this has not helped. Also, another message appears saying the DVD is locked and encrypted, and this must be played in a DVD player first. Can you explain this message? (more…)