Windows Watcher

We have made great advances in technology ... by Tom S. Bair Jr.

I had to travel to California in July to attend my grandmother's funeral. Ten years ago, I would have been using the telephone to make the arrangements. I would have carried a notepad to jot down details of transportation, lodging, directions and plans during the trip.

Not so anymore. I used a laptop computer to manage all that and more. After the funeral, my grandmother's seven surviving children congregated in the same room for the first time in over twenty-five years. I enlisted the aid of one of my cousins to gather them together so we could get a group photograph of this rare event.

I was the only one using a digital camera to take photographs. Word got around quickly, and I was soon jotting down relatives' e-mail addresses in my PDA as they requested copies of group photos. Even those with conventional cameras were making requests. Some seemed a bit doubtful when I claimed that I would send the photos that very evening.

Yet that is what I did. As soon as I reunited myself with my laptop, I downloaded the pictures from my camera. I then developed a mailing list of all the e-mail addresses, composed a single generic message with the photos file-attached, and hit the send button. Total time involved was 25 minutes.

I visited relatives the next day before departing for home. The topic of conversation centered on how technology seemed to give us instant access to whatever we desired. My providing several dozen people with photos was used as an example. They were impressed. I was not. Seems the closer we are to that technology, the more we take it for granted. Yet as I write these very words while making the return trip home, I have to admit that we Americans have made great advances in technology. But take that technology away from us for even a short period of time, and we quickly become hostile. How many of you have felt extreme annoyance when not being able to instantly access your ISP? When you lost electricity at home for 2 hours or more? When your PC crashed and you had to take it to the shop to be repaired? Is this an ugly trend developing in our society, or is it just the price we must pay for convenience?

Windows 3.x File Manager

[W95/W98/SE] A reader wrote to let me know how much he missed File Manager from the old Windows 3.x Operating System. He felt that Windows 95 Explorer just wasn't as robust as the older File Manager. Then he asked me if there was any way to run FM in Windows 95?

Not only can you run File Manager from Windows 95, but from Windows 98 and Second Edition as well. Most amazingly, File Manager resides right on your hard drive, waiting to be run. Just do the following:

1. Click on the 'Start' button.
2. Click on 'Run'.
3. In the dialog box, type winfile and press the 'Enter' key.

Another trick you might consider is linking a desktop shortcut directly to the application.

Cancel Print Job

[W95/W98/SE] I've heard some horror stories from various readers concerning their attempts to abort a large document printout. One reader wanted to print out his webcam manual in Adobe's PDF format, yet when he hit the print button he discovered the manual was 200 plus pages. Not wanting to print such a large document and not knowing what to do, he tried to resolve the problem with the solution of turning the PC and printer off.

This action caused his hard drive to become corrupted, and he spent many hours trying to get his Windows operating system working again. I'd like to give you the easy solution to canceling a print job, and hopefully readers will be able to avoid any future disasters.

1. Click on the 'Start' button.
2. Highlight 'Settings', 'Printers', and double-click on 'Printers'.
3. Depending on your type of printer being used, either a Queue or Pending Jobs list will appear. Right-click on the job to be cancelled.
4. In the pop-up command box, left-click on 'Cancel Printing'.

If the document was waiting to be printed, it will be canceled and removed from the queue immediately. If it was in the process of being printed, it will terminate within one or two pages of its current location in the document.

Turn Off NUMLOCK

[W95/W98/SE] A reader asked, "How do I turn off Numlock when the computer first starts up"? There are two ways to accomplish this task. But first allow me to explain what Numlock is.

Numlock affects the key pad on your keyboard. When turned on, your number keys on the key pad will generate the appropriate number (0,1-9) when pressed. When turned off, those same keys act as 'arrow' keys. This function is quite popular among those playing fast-paced arcade games. Most PC keyboards also have a light to signal when Numlock is on or off.

The first method involves entering your BIOS during boot up, and locating the Numlock setting. At this point you would modify the setting so that Numlock is turned off when the PC first boots. I don't recommend that readers modify their BIOS settings unless they are very experienced at tweaking their computer's settings. Instead, use Method Two below:

1. Open Notepad by clicking on Start|Programs|Accessories|Notepad
2. Click on 'File' in the command bar at the top of the window.
3. Click on 'Open'.
4. In the dialog box next to "File name:", type C:\config.sys
5. Click on the 'Open' button.
6. In Notepad, type NUMLOCK=off. Insure it is on a line by itself. (If you discover a line already in your config.sys which reads "Numlock=on", then just change the word 'on' to 'off').
7. Click on 'File' in the command bar.
8. Click on 'Save'.
9. Click on 'File' and 'Exit'.
10. Reboot your PC for the new effect to take place.

Keyboard-Eject A CD

Does your computer reside in a hard-to-access location on or near your desk? Do you often have to fumble around to locate and press the eject button on your CD-ROM? Then use your keyboard to eject the compact disc.

1. Open Explorer (Start|Programs|Windows Explorer).
2. Right-click on the CD-ROM icon.
3. Left-click on 'Eject' in the pop-up command menu.

Keep Modem Speaker Quiet

[W95/W98/SE] Does your modem make a lot of racket as it connects to your ISP? There is a setting that will silence your modem. Follow the procedure below to rid yourself of a noisy modem.

1. Click on the 'Start' button.
2. Highlight 'Settings' and click on 'Control Panel'.
3. Click on the 'Modems' icon.
4. Click on 'Properties' button.
5. Under the "General" tab, you will see a sliding bar under "Speaker volume". Slide the control to the left toward "Off".
6. Click on the 'OK' button.
7. Click on the 'Close' button.

Test the modem by dialing your ISP. If no sound emits from the modem during the dial-up process, you were successful. If you still get noise while connecting to the ISP, then:

1. Navigate to Start|Settings|Control Panel (Steps 1 and 2 above).
2. Click on the 'Internet Options' icon.
3. Click on the 'Connections' tab.
4. Highlight your ISP in the "Dial-up Settings" window by clicking on it.
5. Click on the 'Settings' button.
6. Click on the 'Properties' button.
7. Click on your modem in the drop-down list under "Connect using:".
8. Click on the 'Configure..." button.
9. Slide the volume control knob toward "Off".
10. Click on the 'OK' button to close the four open windows.
11. Close Control Panel and test your modem.