Terry’s Computer Tips newsletters May 13th
Terry’s Computer Tips newsletters May 13th
This week’s email and on-line newsletters are now available:
This week’s online articles include:
* Electric Problems – Low Voltage
* Updates Last Week discusses updates from Microsoft and other software publishers whom I track
* Speeding Up Windows XP – Reducing the Number of Active Applications and Services
* Speeding Up Windows XP – Fine-Tuning Visual Effects
* Speeding Up Windows XP – More Memory
* My Computer Security Software Recommendations
* Speeding Up Windows XP – Removing and Preventing Adware
If you subscribe to the email newsletter now, you will get instructions on how to request automatic free copies of the two most recent issues.
Two comments:
1. Re update (I.E.7)- Been reading about all kinds of problems with This update. The first one is that I.E.7 won’t work anymore! First, turn off “Phishing Alert”. If that doesn’t work, uninstall KB931768 (add-remove programs), until MS fixes the update.
2. Were you aware of the way Vista “uninstalls” any free ware at each MS update?
Thanks, Raymond! I hadn’t heard the news on the IE7 not working. Fortunately (1) I don’t often use IE7 — I use Firefox — and (2)IE7 is still working for me.
Regarding Vista uninstalling freeware, I just read about that. I interpreted the article as a “it’s coming” type of problem — and it will be one more thing that pushes consumers from Windows to Mac or Linux computers.
Rather than a freeware problem, the article I read referred to it as an issue with anyone who didn’t choose to have their program certified by Microsoft as “Vista-compatible.” Since that is a pay-for-service moneymaker for Microsoft, I can see that few freeware or shareware writers will be willing to fork over a payment to MS– they can’t afford to do that for a free or small shareware app.
My default browser was changed from Firefox to IE 7 also.
Speeding Up Windows XP – Reducing the Number of Active Applications and Services
What would have been very helpful in the article is a list of potential services that could be disabled. I personally have disabled a number of services that provide no added value to my present setup. Newbies would be hard pressed to choose which services are absolutely necessary and those that could be discontinued.
I found an website, BlackViper (http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm), to be very helpful at explaining what job each service performs. He has pages for WIN2000 and VISTA too.
Thanks for the comments, Tom — and thanks for the news about blackviper.com.
I’ve long been a fan of blackviper.com, but his site has been offline until some time recently. I wasn’t aware that it was back up. Great news!
Strange things happening; I don’t have a clue as to whether this is related to the Windows update of last week, but SINCE then, my active window in Outlook Express has been minimizing to the Active Task Bar Area all on it’s own. This will usually happen twice while reading a full-page email. It will usually repeat on the next, and then return everything to “normal”, ceasing this strange activity!
I don’t recall it occuring on web-sites while surfing.