Fix PC Errors

I, like millions of people around the world are running on Vista but miss the old days of XP. So a friend of mine showed me a little trick the other day that can make your version look more like XP than Vista (just looks, nothing else). Just follow these points and you will have your own version of XP-Vista.

• Right click on the start button
• Select Properties
• In the Start Menu area click Classic Start Menu
• Click Apply and OK

That has fixed up your start menu, now for your desktop;

• Right click on your desktop
• Click Personalize
• Click on Themes
• In the drop down in the themes area select Windows Classic
• Click apply (this may take a few moments to do)
• Click OK and your desktop will now have an old school feel to it

Now you can even change the look of your folders, just;

• Go to start, then open the documents folder
• Select organize
• Click the Folder and Search button
• In the Tasks area select Use Windows Classic Folders
• Click Apply and you are done

You will now have a computer that looks a lot like XP but is running with all the Vista stuff. If you want to make your computer more XP, just re-install XP.

Here is a quick look at what your desktop will now look like;

(I had to block out all my top secret stuff!)

This question comes from Andrew, he wants to know how to edit your BIOS.

The primary function of the BIOS is to identify and initiate component hardware (such as hard drives, floppies, and CDs). This is to prepare the machine so other software programs stored on various media can load, execute, and assume control of the PC. This process is known as booting, or booting up, which is short for bootstrapping.

From time to time you may need to you may need to change settings within your BIOS, but I have had emails from people saying they are too concerned about editing anything within the BIOS. You don’t need to be too worried about changing basic settings within your BIOS, and it is a very simple thing to do. Just follow these points and you will be able to edit your BIOS;

• Click the Del, F2, or F12 key as your computer is booting up (the key is different with different computers)
• You will now be in your BIOS
• Use your arrow keys to navigate through the BIOS
• Select the item you want to edit
• Click Save and Exit
• You are done

If you need to speed up your working time on Outlook and you haven’t yet used shortcuts, then use these shortcuts. By learning these and getting used to using them you will browse and use Outlook much faster (the trouble still is learning to use them!).

Here is a list of some Outlook keyboard shortcuts;

• Jump to Mail: CTRL + 1 (Press “Control” button and “1″ button simultaneously)
• Jump to Calendar: CTRL + 2
• Jump to Contacts: CTRL + 3
• Jump to Tasks: CTRL + 4
• Jump to Notes: CTRL + 5
• Create a new email message: CTRL + Shift + M
• Create a new appointment item: CTRL + Shift + A or CTRL + Shift + Q
• Reply to sender: CTRL + R
• Reply to all: Ctrl + Shift + R
• Forward message: CTRL + F
• Send Message: CTRL + Enter or Alt + S
• Launch Advanced Find: F3
• Spell checker: F7
• Jump cursor to Find Contact textbox: F11
• Open address book: CTRL + Shift + B

I find that you should pick 2 or 3 shortcuts that you think you will need the most and perfect them.

Here is a video with a guided tour around the MacBook Air;

Google has just announced they will introduce a new version of it’s web portal just for people with an iPhone. I personally do not use an iPhone but do have some friends who own one, and I know they have complained about the speed of browsing with their iPhone.

The company introduced improvements to the suite of Web applications it offers for the device — Search, Gmail, Calendar and Reader. Google began offering the suite only last month. As indicated by its latest iPhone efforts, Google still has ambitions to support mobile platforms beyond those it’s leading.

If you’re an iPhone user, go to Google.com to check out the enhancements. Several of the applications work better now with the touch-screen interface on the iPhone and they start faster. There are also some time-saving features that tie the various Google applications together.

“We plan to expand this experience to international versions of the iPhone and to other platforms that offer similar usability and browser capabilities,” Google said in a prepared statement. “One of our goals is to support platforms that are fulfilling the promise of the mobile Web — like the iPhone — and to ultimately deliver unique and compelling mobile experiences that improve people’s daily lives.”

I’m sure anyone out their and my friends will be happy (or possible optimistic) over this announcement.

With the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3, how will this affect migration to Vista.  I personally will stay away for as long as possible, because XP is a pretty good operating system.

Anyway, some of the changes you will see in Service Pack 3 will affect: Internet Explorer, Media Player and Live Messenger.

You can now download the Windows XP Service Pack 3 release candidate

If you have tried out SP3, send through your feedback.

I had an email overnight by someone trying to work out how to use the gadget function on Windows Vista. Well I can say I have a laptop that runs vista and have played around with the gadgets a bit.

To get a new gadget to work just do this;

• Right click in the gadget area (right hand side of desktop)
• Select add gadgets
• From here you can select what gadget you want or you can even select from a huge range online (warning - they are not official Microsoft gadget)
• Double click on the gadget you want and it will appear

Now that you have the gadget you want on your desktop you can also edit it by;

•  Right click on the gadget
• Select options

In the options section you can do all sorts of things with your gadgets from changing the colors to changing time zones. I now have a fancy new white clock in my sidebar which is named Mr Gates (bad move?).

So just play around with your gadgets and you can get all sorts of cool and useful applications right there on the desktop.

Video of Bill Gates last day at Microsoft - CES 2008

One of the new features on the PC Error Free website this year is the new process library we are currently filling up. We aim to have a few hundred new process’s in there by the end of January and continue from there.

If you have any process’s you want us to find out about or if you have details of one yourself please swing us an email and we shall add it in.

The process library can be found at this link - Process Library

After years of targeting business users with its conservative, black ThinkPad laptops, the personal-computer company is going after everyday consumers with a flashy new notebook line called IdeaPad.

The product line, which includes red aluminum-alloy cases, beefed-up gaming features and halo lighting, is part of a major strategic shift for Lenovo, as it tries to compete head-on with the likes of Hewlett-Packard Co. and Apple Inc. in selling PCs directly to consumers in the U.S and other developed countries.

The IdeaPad will debut in three versions: the Y510, a 17-inch desktop replacement; the Y710, a 15.4-inch mainstream notebook; and the U110, an 11-inch ultraportable. The Y510 will be the gamers’ laptop, with discrete ATI graphics, CPU overclocking and an optional Blu-ray optical drive.

The Y510 will be the mainstream notebook for those seeking a balance between performance and affordability, and the U110 will be a 2.3-pound notebook configurable with solid state drives. All will be based on Intel’s processors and come pre-loaded with VeriFace, a face recognition technology that uses the embedded webcam for a secure login.

The sound system includes four speakers on the top of the machine — front, top, and each side — and a subwoofer underneath. The systems also include Lenovo’s Multimedia Control Center software, which the company claims makes it easy to play movies, listen to music, and view photos. The notebooks also have touch-sensitive controls for choosing multimedia files and for setting volume and the built-in equalizer.