Recently my Windows 7 computer has lost the ability to download PDF files from the internet. Previously when I clicked on a link to a PDF file either a new browser window appeared to display the file or the “Save as” dialog was displayed to save the PDF file to the computer. Now whenever I click on such links the “Save as” dialog very briefly flashes on screen but no opportunity exists to save the file. Reinstalling Firefox has not resolved the problem. I also have another computer running Windows Vista with exactly the same configuration and does not have this problem. Additionally, the problem does not happen when using Internet Explorer. (more…)

Almost all incoming emails contain an attachment repeating the contents of the actual message. The attachments are entitled, for example, “ATT00302.htm (2.41KB)” or “ATT00394.htm (825 bytes)”. You discussed a similar issue in a previous column and I followed your advice regarding plain text versus HTML formatted email. After disabling HTML I have addressed an email to myself and the unwanted attachments in my outgoing mail have disappeared, however they still appear in the incoming mail. I have tried the standard procedure of going to the Start menu > Run then typing “sfc/scannow” however a message appears that Windows cannot find the file, so I am unable to verify whether there are any corrupt files on the computer that could be causing this behaviour. (more…)

My computer was flood damaged except for the hard drive. I bought an external SATA docking station so that I could connect the hard drive via USB to my new computer. I managed to find most of my data (pictures, documents, etc) but I cannot find my emails from Outlook Express 6. These emails contained quite a bit of important information, so it would be good to regain access to these. Can you help? (more…)

I can backup data (such as documents) easily enough by dragging and dropping the data onto an external hard drive or other media. However, I am unsure about the best way to backup email from a Windows XP computer running Outlook Express and a Windows 7 computer running Windows Live Mail. In particular, I would appreciate assistance with the following questions:

- How do I backup emails from Outlook Express and Windows Live Mail?
- How do I restore emails back into Outlook Express and Windows Live Mail?
- How do I transfer (migrate) backed up emails from Outlook Express into Windows Live Mail?
- How do I transfer contacts from Outlook Express into Windows Live Mail and vice-versa?

I have been waiting for someone else to ask these questions and I am surprised no one has, so I would appreciate your advice on these matters. (more…)

Can you please tell me more about the Barracuda problem and what I can do about it? (more…)