Comments on: Terry’s Computer Tips newsletters June 29th

By: Dan

Dan — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:42:13 +0000

Regarding Terry’s 6/29 Unlocker experiment: the techies among us will understand this testing of a powerful tool by intentionally misusing it but, for the “point & shoot” user, a little more info. Unlocker is intended to unlock (by closing file handles) files or folders which have been left locked after their managing applications are closed; stealing an active program’s file handles can lead to unpredictable results and is NOT recommended. The biggest offender requiring Unlocker’s use is Explorer. After copying/moving/deleting files, many file handles, especially those for the containing folders, may be left open even after all the Explorer windows involved have been closed, at which time these handles can be safely closed.
Terry also activated the optional Unlocker Assistant, which automatically opens the Unlocker window whenever its use MIGHT be appropriate. If you prefer not to activate this feature, you open the Unlocker window by right-clicking on the target object when it is needed.
It’s a great tool which has saved me many reboots but, to protect your data, always close the owning application properly if possible before using Unlocker on its files or folders.

By: 1101doc

1101doc — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:15:22 +0000

When it is necessary to use the power button to do a “hard” shutdown, best practice is to use the F8 boot menu and select “Last known good configuration” for the next boot. This will almost always result in a good Windows environment without unwanted “goofyness.”

By: Carol Bratt

Carol Bratt — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:13:56 +0000

There are a couple of rules of thumb to remember regarding zoom settings. If you are opening an existing document that you previously viewed in Page Layout view, Word will use the zoom setting that you were using when last viewing the document. The reason for this is because zoom settings are saved with the document.

If you are opening an existing document that you have never viewed in Page Layout view before, Word uses the Zoom setting you were last using, the reason being that there was no last zoom setting for the document and so the last system setting was used.

You should note, however, that you should check the Zoom setting in your Normal.dot template file. This can also have an effect on newly created files. Open Normal.dot, set the Zoom setting for Page Layout view and then save the file again.

I think that should resolve your problem.

By: Carol Bratt

Carol Bratt — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:12:44 +0000

I think that should resolved your problem.

By: Bob Bowen

Bob Bowen — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:17:37 +0000

Terry, I bought CounterSpy V2 on your recommendation and find it excellent. Thanks. Some footprint though – 74 MB! I also agree that powering-off your PC when things go skew is one of the best medications you can use. I also installed the free “Unlocker” on your recommendation and it works every time. Thanks for the grand tips! Kind regards, Bob.