Help Line: Reinstalling old system not difficult
By JAY LEE
Q: I recently lost my hard drive. If I install a new one, will I be able to install Windows XP using the restore CD that came with my computer or will I have to purchase a new retail version?
A: You should have no problem using your restore CD to reinstall the operating system and other programs that came with your PC when you bought it.
On rare occasions, especially with the older computers, I have encountered situations where you are required to replace the hard drive with a part from the manufacturer of the computer.
The last time I encountered this was when working on a Presario. The restore software would only restore a 10 gigabyte hard drive, and we had replaced the failed 10 GB with a 20 GB hard drive. We worked around the problem by creating a 10 GB partition and did not have to acquire a replacement part from Compaq.
It is totally worth a shot. Hard drives are cheap when bought at your local retailer. If you can avoid buying parts from the computer manufacturer, you will be saving yourself some money.
Q: Since I upgraded my XP system to Service Pack 2, my Hotmail account is not remembering my user name and password. How can I re-enable this?
A: Service Pack 2 makes some assumptions about security on your computer. When you upgraded to SP2, this feature was likely disabled or simply needs to be reset.
To do this, click on "tools" then "Internet options." Under the content tab you will see a section called "personal information." Here, you want to click "autocomplete."
In the settings dialogue box, select the "user names and passwords on forms" check box and select the "prompt me to save passwords" check box and then click OK and then OK again to close.
If these options are already enabled, then disable them, choose the option to clear forms and clear passwords, and then re-enable them.
Q: I play World of Warcraft with many of my friends. I am having trouble connecting on Teamspeak/Ventrilo. When I hook up, I hear them just fine, but every time I talk, they complain they hear an echo. How do I eliminate the echo so I can communicate with my friends in the game?
A: This is likely the same problem I experience on my radio show with certain callers who forget to turn down their radio when they are on the air. The sound from the speakers is picked up by the phone and broadcast back over the radio, causing an echo.
The same thing happens with the game you are playing. The speakers are feeding back into the microphone and creating an echo. The simplest solution would be to get a headset microphone and disconnect any external speakers or turn them all the way down.
Shortcuts: Last week I answered a question about creating a Show Desktop shortcut on Windows XP computers. Several readers wrote to let me know about one of the features of XP or Windows 2000 with a Windows keyboard.
A key on the lower left side of the keyboard has a Windows logo on it. If you press it and hit the D key at the same time, this will show the desktop just like clicking the icon. For more shortcuts, go to support.microsoft.com and search for Knowledge Base article q126449.
HoustonChronicle.com - Help Line: Reinstalling old system not difficult
Q: I recently lost my hard drive. If I install a new one, will I be able to install Windows XP using the restore CD that came with my computer or will I have to purchase a new retail version?
A: You should have no problem using your restore CD to reinstall the operating system and other programs that came with your PC when you bought it.
On rare occasions, especially with the older computers, I have encountered situations where you are required to replace the hard drive with a part from the manufacturer of the computer.
The last time I encountered this was when working on a Presario. The restore software would only restore a 10 gigabyte hard drive, and we had replaced the failed 10 GB with a 20 GB hard drive. We worked around the problem by creating a 10 GB partition and did not have to acquire a replacement part from Compaq.
It is totally worth a shot. Hard drives are cheap when bought at your local retailer. If you can avoid buying parts from the computer manufacturer, you will be saving yourself some money.
Q: Since I upgraded my XP system to Service Pack 2, my Hotmail account is not remembering my user name and password. How can I re-enable this?
A: Service Pack 2 makes some assumptions about security on your computer. When you upgraded to SP2, this feature was likely disabled or simply needs to be reset.
To do this, click on "tools" then "Internet options." Under the content tab you will see a section called "personal information." Here, you want to click "autocomplete."
In the settings dialogue box, select the "user names and passwords on forms" check box and select the "prompt me to save passwords" check box and then click OK and then OK again to close.
If these options are already enabled, then disable them, choose the option to clear forms and clear passwords, and then re-enable them.
Q: I play World of Warcraft with many of my friends. I am having trouble connecting on Teamspeak/Ventrilo. When I hook up, I hear them just fine, but every time I talk, they complain they hear an echo. How do I eliminate the echo so I can communicate with my friends in the game?
A: This is likely the same problem I experience on my radio show with certain callers who forget to turn down their radio when they are on the air. The sound from the speakers is picked up by the phone and broadcast back over the radio, causing an echo.
The same thing happens with the game you are playing. The speakers are feeding back into the microphone and creating an echo. The simplest solution would be to get a headset microphone and disconnect any external speakers or turn them all the way down.
Shortcuts: Last week I answered a question about creating a Show Desktop shortcut on Windows XP computers. Several readers wrote to let me know about one of the features of XP or Windows 2000 with a Windows keyboard.
A key on the lower left side of the keyboard has a Windows logo on it. If you press it and hit the D key at the same time, this will show the desktop just like clicking the icon. For more shortcuts, go to support.microsoft.com and search for Knowledge Base article q126449.
HoustonChronicle.com - Help Line: Reinstalling old system not difficult
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