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Archive through September 19, 2010

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: September 2010 ~ December 2010: All Things Technical: The Help Desk: : Computer Problems? Ask Here: Archive through September 19, 2010 users admin

Author Message
Draheid
Board Administrator

09-09-2001

Saturday, August 28, 2010 - 10:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Draheid a private message Print Post    
Sia: Apparently Microsoft decided to replace Outlook Express with Windows Mail (as of Vista, I believe).

One excellent feature of Gmail is the ability to access using a mail client such as OE or Windows Mail. You should review the instructions on Gmail on how to setup your preferred mail program to use this feature.

Click Here to select the e-mail program to use and how to set it up for use with Gmail.

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Saturday, August 28, 2010 - 5:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
Thanks for answering, Draheid. I'm glad to know that I could use Outlook Express if I wanted to do so. Unfortunately, all of this stuff just confuses me. I haven't even figured out how to keep from having two mailboxes on my phone. I am overwhelmed with all the passwords and stuff I am supposed to keep track of that I just am about to give up. A couple of weeks ago I got internet--finally, after several years without it--access at the cottage to use on this Win7 desktop. The router which I ordered from AT & T did NOT come with the green date cable that the instruction sheet said it should have. It did NOT have an installation disc or any clear, easy-to-follow instructions. With my husband's help I was able to get the computer to connect to the 'net, but couldn't get the wi-fi to work at all. My 13-year-old solved that mystery tonight, but I'm really frustrated to not be able to do things myself. Why is this stuff so complicated and confusing? I feel like the computer industry makes it difficult for average people to handle their own installations and computers, just hoping we'll screw things up and have to take our machines in for service--or, god forbid, need a house call!

Tired and giving up for the night. No e-mail, barely found the word processor. Guess I can call that one a victory for today. I need to pay some bills. Later, folks. Thanks again, Draheid.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Saturday, August 28, 2010 - 8:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Sia, I know how you feel. Same here. I feel defeated before I even get started with techie stuff. And I know that's the wrong attitude. I don't have the patience for it and I get easily frustrated. As I'm getting older I thought I was supposed to have more patience. Seems to be the opposite. I think in my younger years, I'd really be into all this tech stuff (at least more so than I am now). If it works -- great. I enjoy it and learning stuff. But if something goes wrong . . . . Ugh! I was able and so I did -- switch to Macs (and other iThings). Best thing I ever did. You get the computer or whatever and support to go with it.

I think it was here someone once said:

Buy a Mac and then Apple asks, "How can we help you?"

Buy a PC and you're told, "Good luck."

I'm done with that.

A while ago I had a BF who was a certified auto mechanic and a techie. He was so good for many many reasons. But he smoked. Died too young of lung cancer last Dec. 26.

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Sunday, August 29, 2010 - 1:05 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
(((Color))) So sorry you lost your friend to lung cancer; I worry about my DH, who has smoked for forty years. He won't stop, so I expect the worst ahead.

My head is still spinning over the e-mail issues. I don't know how to figure out the answer. Why in the world wouldn't HP just pre-load at least the OPTIONS for the various types of e-mail that you CAN use on a Windows 7 p.c.? It makes no sense to mail out a brand-new computer that doesn't have the capability of sending e-mail? What do people do who don't know how to configure a computer? Is this my fault for buying the computer pre-fab, not customized, and over the internet? I got shafted with the Dell that I custom-ordered last time I bought a computer. I think it's just ME: everything I touch turns to absolute CRAP. My entire life is crap.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Monday, August 30, 2010 - 8:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Sia, you can always get an online Yahoo or Gmail e-mail account. Couldn't be easier. Just sign up and start using. Then later, if you want to tackle complicated stuff, you can set up Outlook Express to retrieve those accounts.

Whoami
Member

08-03-2001

Monday, August 30, 2010 - 10:39 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Whoami a private message Print Post    
I'm no techie, so my solution to Windows 7 and e-mail may be the long way around.

Before my new Toshiba came (complete with Windows 7), I'd already done some research and read that Windows 7 was not compatable with Outlook, and that it had done away with Windows Mail (that I used in Vista). Now we're supposed to donwload a free program called Windows Live Essentials as a "bonus pack" (or something like that) for Windows 7.

All I wanted was an e-mail program that supported a POP3 setting, so I could download my Comcast mail onto it. So this works. You can get just the e-mail program I'm pretty sure.

Googling, I found this: Windows Live Mail. I'm pretty sure that's the one I got.

Not sure if this will help you or not.

Biscottiii
Member

05-29-2004

Wednesday, September 01, 2010 - 10:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Biscottiii a private message Print Post    
Don't know if anyone else has experienced this problem but just want to document re: 'plugins' & Firefox.

The past several weeks I've had problems watching msnbc Countdown and Rachel Maddow. Chomping, stopping, occasionally good loading but normally not. Getting the 'plugin has crashed' reports at times. Thinking there might be more 'traffic' at the times I watched, so it was just busy. Even reloaded Adobe free download at 'cnet.com' a couple of times. BUT you have to close all Firefox windows at the point it wants to load, remember.

I accepted an Adobe upgrade to 10.1 version recently when it asked. Tonight I got aggravated one time too many.

Went to Google Chrome (my seldom used backup browser) and tried to upload latest Adobe. It said I had the latest version. OK, using Chrome I pulled in Countdown and Rachel and they ran like a dream.

However, then I went to Firefox to see if that also registered the latest version of Adobe.

At Firefox Start Page, I went to Firefox Support icon at the bottom and searched for "Adobe". Found:

Using the Adobe Reader plugin with Firefox
Note: The Firefox Software Update feature does not update installed plugins. See the Adobe Security bulletins and advisories page for information about security and stability issues affecting Adobe products.

This article provides resources for setting up Adobe Reader and the browser plugin on your computer.


It gave links for How To, so now I'm running just fine in both Firefox as well as Chrome.

Just want to post this here in case anyone else experiences the troubles.

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 8:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
Juju, I have a gmail account for the droid; there was no getting around that. Am I dreaming, or does it duplicate the stuff that gets pulled in from my primary account? I write my e-mails from the "email" account rather than "gmail" when composing using the droid.

I have had a yahoo account 2000, although I don't use it much. Don't need another account; I'm trying to simplify. The stupid router I got from AT & T came with an UNWANTED att.net account.

I may have solved the problem with having no good options for the Windows 7 computer: I'm not using it. It's been turned off since I wrote that last post. Stupid thing. Stupid me.

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 8:59 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
Guess I'm not explaining the problem adequately, Juju: I want access to my letters (both those sent and received) even if the computer is off-line. You can't have that if you use a web-based mail system like Yahoo, right? Sometimes I just need to print a letter from a while back. I don't want to fool around with logging into my mail account, etc. What am I missing here?

Mack
Member

07-22-2002

Tuesday, September 07, 2010 - 8:40 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mack a private message Print Post    
Web based email systems like Yahoo do not, by themselves, save email to your computer. You'd have to use something like Outlook to do that.

Whoami
Member

08-02-2001

Tuesday, September 07, 2010 - 11:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Whoami a private message Print Post    
Sia, the Windows Live Mail (that I'm using with Windows 7) is on my computer, and I can download it to the computer as well. It works just like Outlook did when I could use it on my old XP machine.

Whoami
Member

08-02-2001

Friday, September 10, 2010 - 6:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Whoami a private message Print Post    
Well, my desktop has apparantly died.

AFAIK, it had no symptoms that would have indicated hard drive or video card failure (based on what I've read by Googling). The only thing I might have noticed is the display did seem a bit dark to me of late, but I attributed that to being used to the brighter display on the laptop spoiling me. When I turned it off the night before, all was well.

When I went to turn it on the other day, I got a black screen/white writing, full of text talking about a problem. It suggested if it was the first time I'd seen the message, to check newly installed hardware/software. What it didn't have is the typical line allowing you choice to reboot in safe mode or start windows normally.

I'll admit I didn't pay total attention to all the text, since there was so much of it. I think I recall something about "physical memory dump" or something like that at the end of all the text.

Since it didn't give me any option to click on anything to get past that screen, and nothing else happened after that point, I powered it off manually, and attempted to re-boot.

Second attempt, I did get the screen that said something about not able to start Windows normally cause of the last time I powered down. I expected that since I had to power down manually. This time I did get the option to "start Windows normally" so that's what I did.

I got the Dell logo, then it went off (presumably to start Windows), but then absolutely nothing but black screen for enough time to know nothing else was going to happen.

Once again I powered it off manually. Next re-boot attempt, I barely got a flicker of a Dell logo, then nothing. Absolutely nothing. Subsequent attempts to boot up get nothing at all. No response from the computer at all.

It is getting power. The light on the tower is on, as is the light on the keyboard. That's the only way I know its even on at all.

Any ideas?

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Friday, September 17, 2010 - 3:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
HAD a problem. Go, Apple! Something about my e-mail did go phlooey today?! Spent app. two hours on the phone with AppleCare this afternoon. Whatever it was??? It is fixed. All is well again.

I love Apple, et al.

Nyheat
Member

08-09-2006

Saturday, September 18, 2010 - 7:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nyheat a private message Print Post    
I have a question: Why does my newish laptop have a D drive? I'm used to just having a C drive. Normally I wouldn't care, but my C drive is almost full. The D drive seems to have a lot more space, like 350 GB.

Is this a new thing on computers? Was there always a D drive and I didn't notice? And if I go over my C drive storage, will the D drive storage kick in automatically?

Nerdley computer types pls respond. Thanks!

And Sia, you can hook up Yahoo Mail to Windows Live Mail (formerly Outlook mail). You pay a once a year, POP server fee to Yahoo!, like $25 or something. You manually enter the info in the Windows Live Options and it will download your mail from that account. That's what I do. I don't really care for Yahoo mail on the web. It downloads slow and organizes funny.

Ironically I was going to phase out my Hotmail account, but its web organization is so much better that I've phased it back in.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Saturday, September 18, 2010 - 10:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Sounds to me like your harddrive is partitioned or you have two harddrives. Anyway it won't automatically switch to D once C is full.

Unless C is huge, most people would keep C for installed programs and use D to store their data.

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 9:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
Please help me. I cllicked on a link to read about actor Shelley Malil's trial and my AVG virus protection popped up immediately, warning that my computer has at least a dozen viruses--and everything was found go be clear this morning. What do I do?

Nyheat
Member

08-09-2006

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 9:09 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nyheat a private message Print Post    
Just ignore it. I never get viruses and ignore most of that stuff. It could even be fake malware trying to fool you. Most of those warnings these days cleverly mimic an actual antivirus program.

And thanks Jimmer--I moved my iTunes and music to the D drive and will start using it a lot more often.

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 9:12 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
I'm truly concerned, as the warning popped up that my security program is compromised as sell. Identified as a critical threat is "banker.MGB" . Please advise.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-30-2000

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 9:17 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Banker.MGB was a virus designed to steal info from people with accounts from a specific bank in Chile. For you, it's a hoax. :-)

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 9:20 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
But if my AVG antivirus says it's in my laptop, how do I remove it? There's a whole list of virusrs that came from one click.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 9:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Are you sure it's your anti-virus that is warning you and not some fake page off the internet?

You're welcome Nyheat. :-)

Jmm
Moderator

08-15-2002

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 4:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jmm a private message Print Post    
Sia, Just run your installed AVG antivirus and see what it says.

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 4:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
I installed the windows malicious software removal tool, which indicates--after a five-hour complete scan, says there are no problems. I've been posting here using my phone.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-30-2000

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 4:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Sia, I would recommend using Malware. You could download it at this link:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-30-2000

Sunday, September 19, 2010 - 4:59 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Here is an explanation of what you saw and why:

http://www.myapheus.com/dont-get-tricked-by-badware/

Basically you went to a website that had a virus attached to it, and had you clicked on "start protection" you would have loaded a whole lot more.

Please listen, your computer is NOT infected with all that bad stuff. It just MIMICS your virus protection and tries to fool you.

But you do need to remove the malware, and the program I noted above will do that for you.