Savemybutt.com
Help For The Computer Novice In All Of Us...

Well, this will be a short trip.

I did a dumb thing, I grabbed the wrong power cord for my laptop when I left the house, so I am running my laptop on battery for about an hour or until the battery runs dry.  Sorry.

If you  are upgrading your Windows XP computer to Service Pack 3, you NEED to read this at Microsoft, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950717 .  It is a step by step article about installing it and the issues that can happen.

If your computer has an AMD processor in it, I would wait to upgrade to Service Pack 3 because of an issue that Microsoft and AMD are trying to work out.  I would wait three of four weeks to see if the issue is repaired.

Woo Hoo!  I was able to borrow a laptop WITH a charger!  So, now I can keep this thing up.

We were talking about the Wacom Cintiq computer tablet that a caller wanted to know about. He wanted to use it on XP and/or Vista.  Wacom products support all modern versions of Windows and Apple computers.

Want to convert Quicktime MOV files to quicktime?  Take a look at Nic's site at Optuflux and look for the May 6th article.

Want to see Larry's "Notes For Installing, Configuring, and Running AVG 8.0"?  Take a look here...

Rob from Canada, who is blind, is having trouble with listening to Flash audio players.  To make it easier to navigate a website with a screen reader you can go to http://www.w3accessibility.com , enter or copy and paste the URL you want to turn into pure text into the submit text box, press submit and walla!  You have the page in pure text.

 The new AVG, version 8, free edition is not available on the downloads page, It now has a spyware filter built in, so you don't need any other active spyware program.  Like antivirus', you don't want more than one active spyware program running.

NOTICE: AVG Version 7 will no longer update after May 31st.  So, download and install the new version soon. 

Also, I have experienced some issues with the update feature on Windows 2000.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 is now a part of Windows XP Automatic Update.  Go ahead and let it happen.  Depending on the configuration of your system, you might need to disable your firewall (Zone Alarm, Kerio, Norton), your antivirus, and maybe any other software that might be running in the background.  You should also take a look at "Steps to take before you install Windows XP Service Pack 3 ".  This step by step from Microsoft can help you make sure the update goes well.

We were talking about Steve's connection problems at home.  After two other listeners emailed with the same problem, Larry, one of my forum moderators, suggested that the DNS (Domain Name Server) at ATT was not working. I still believe this is the case.  I use a DNS service called OpenDNS. Because their ONLY business is DNS, they do a better job than ATT or Comcast or whoever your ISP is.  It is a free membership that offers lots of other services, like site filtering.

I have used it before and find that it is a good free program. It is a pro-active program that runs in the system tray and attempts to block spyware from getting on your computer in the first place.

You can find it at: http://www.superantispyware.com

Jeff also has a great site for blind listeners to exchange computer tech chatter. The link is http://groups.google.com/group/computer-chatter?hl=en

Patrick, a member of the Illinois National Guard, is being shipped off to Afghanistan soon wanted to know what precautions to take with his new laptop to protect it while he is deployed.

We suggested that if the environment is comfortable for him, it will be comfortable for his laptop.

We also suggested that he take a look at Military Significant Other Support site, http://groups.google.com/group/computer-chatter?hl=en. And, look at Skype, http://www.skype.com, to talk to and see his wife and new daughter while he's gone. It's free to use from anywhere in the world.

I will be working on this problem and attempt to repair it as quickly as possible.

A new Add/Remove program was recommended called Revo Uninstaller. You can find it at the C/Net download site at the following link: http://www.revouninstaller.com.

Ahhh... I got the forums working. Sort of. The link now opens a new window with the forum in it. To get back to the Savemybutt site you will have to close the forum window or minimize it.

Looking for more RAM for your computer? Take a look at http://www.crucial.com. You can enter the make and model of your computer. They will tell you what kind of memory and how much of it you can install in your computer. And, then you can buy it from them at really good prices.

Want to test the speed of your internet connection? Check out http://www.speedtest.net.

This Windows Vista Service Pack 1 can be downloaded at this link: http://support.microsoft.com/ph/11732