Free Computer Help

Need help for computer problems? Computer Hope has
- links to online resources such as a searchable knowledge base and searchable forums
- good user-to-user help forums (I saw none of the abusive flame wars, RTFMs, etc. as in so many forums)
- user-to-user chat help
- free support via e-mail
- help with Windows, Linux, Mac and hardware
- lots of clearly-written, well-illustrated articles
Here's a rough (OK, very rough) screen shot of one of the site's pages:


This site is a keeper. Bookmark it.

Since We're Talking About Screensavers

Create a screensaver from your pictures

Would you like to use your own photographs as a screen saver? Windows XP lets you put your images into a screensaver slideshow.

There's a catch: your images have to be stored on your computer (in a digital format). Assuming that you have digital images....

Create a slideshow screensaver:
• Right-click an empty spot on your desktop
• Left-click on Properties'
• Select the 'screen saver' tab
• In the screen saver dropdown, select 'my pictures slideshow.'
• Left-click the settings button.
• This enables you to select your preferences such as slideshow speed, image size, and other preferences
• This is also where you select the images that you will use in the screensaver; left-click on the "Browse" button
• When finished, left-click OK twice.

Violá! You have created your personalized screen saver.

Safely Open HTML E-Mail

Many people like to use HTML e-mail because it looks good. If you send plain text e-mail, then your missives won't be accompanied by bouncing smiley faces and cutesy-wootsie bunnies hopping.

The downside is that HTML e-mail can easily hide worms, viruses, trojans, spam bots, etc. When you open an HTML e-mail that includes a nasty, you may trigger that nasty and infect your computer. People who open HTML e-mail are what we techies call "Revenue Sources".

Despite anyone's best efforts at security, someday we're all going to get hit by some mutant hacker's creation. Most of those hits will arrive via HTML e-mail.

If you use Microsoft Outlook as your e-mail client software, you need PocketKnife Peek, a small free Outlook add-in that allows you to preview your HTML email as text. I do not use Outlook for e-mail unless I have PocketKnife Peek installed.

While we are on the topic of HTML e-mail, nasties, and Outlook:
Always remember that when you use Outlook's Preview Pane option, that you automatically open whichever e-mail is highlighted in whichever folder is open. Never, ever use Outlook's Preview Pain (intentionally spelled that way), unless you enjoy being some techie's cash cow.

The information in this tip applies to Microsoft Outlook 2000, 2002, XP, and 2003. It does not apply to Outlook Express, which is furnished free with MS Windows.

Are Screen Savers Really Necessary?

Years ago, monitors could be damaged by having an unchanging image on the screen. Monitors with ghostly writing on them - the result of leaving text on the screen too long - were common. That's why screen savers were invented. The constantly moving images protected the screen.

Monitor manufacturers solved this problem years ago. You no longer need a screen saver. Some people like their looks, but leaving a static image on your monitor won't hurt it. To control the screen saver,
- Right click an empty area of the desktop
- Left Click "Properties"
- Left Click the "Screen Saver" tab
- Left Click the down arrow. Left click to select a screen saver from the many provided.
If you don't want to use a screensaver, select (None)

Buy me a ginger ale & I'll tell you the story of the $5000 screen saver.

Pass the Pigs (And The Fonts)

Pass the Pigs is yet another dumb computer game. However, it's on a great web site for finding & downloading fonts for your computer.

Where Are The Free Fonts?
They're everywhere! FontFace.com now has more than 1000 free fonts and the archive grows literally everyday. Check out the Font of the Day for the latest free font.

Google For Fun And Profit

OK, forget the profit part. Google can be fun. Here's an example: Guess The Google

Here's how it works:
1. The game displays a grid of pictures gathered from Google’s Image Search. They’re all results from the same search term. The goal of the game is to guess the search term.

Some are easy to guess, but beware of forgetting you’re playing a game. It’s easy to lose track of time.

You need to have Flash Player 7 installed on yout computer. If the game can't find Flash Player 7, Guess-the-Google will help you download it. - Flash Player 7 is free.