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Hello, DaLe. A friend suggested that you could help me clean IncrediMail out of my computer. I went to a website that gives instructions, but it had me going into my registry and the thought of that intimidated me, since I have no experience editing my registry. Fred Fred, Can do, no problem. However, before you delete IncrediMail, you'll probably want to save your IncrediMail Address Book and any email messages you might ever want to read again; they'll be unavailable once you remove IncrediMail (henceforward called IM for brevity). To save the IM Address Book:
DaLe |
Hi, Dale. Would I be able to copy the Excel software from a friend's hard drive and install it on my computer? I have all the manuals for Excel, but no software CD. I had the Microsoft Office package and I gave it to a local computer club when I gave them my old computer. At this moment, I can not buy the latest version of Excel; besides, I'm not sure if I can install it on this old computer. What do you think? Maria Dear Maria, Nope, Excel is one of those programs that can't just be copied, it has to be installed. Meaning, there are library files that have to get copied into the Windows\System and Application Data folders, and Registry entries are made to tell Windows which libraries to use when. Not to mention, copying software is illegal. Once you give your copy away, you no longer own it. If you only want to read and print Excel files, you don't need the full program. You can download and install Microsoft's free ExcelViewer program. This is the '97 version of the software, which I MUCH prefer to the current version, which is too large and doesn't work as well... but it won't work with Excel files created in Microsoft's newer .XLSX file format. If you need to create and edit spreadsheet files, including Excel files other folks send to you, you could install Open Office 2.4. It works like Microsoft Office, and it can import and export Microsoft Office compatible files. Save the file to your desktop, then double-click it when the download is complete. If you're running Windows XP or better on your old computer, you can download OpenOffice 3.2 from the OpenOffice.org website. OO3.2 will open and edit .XLSX files; unless things have changed since I last checked, OO2.4 won't.
DaLe
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Dale, You once told me you could help me hook up to record from a tape player to my PC; I have the software and the plug-in cables to do this. It has to go to the receiver to use the volume control. Wayne (attached a picture of the rear panel of his stereo) Wayne, No problem. You'll need a cable that has RCA plugs on one end and a stereo 1/8" headphone plug on the other. If you want to play back from the PC to the receiver, make that two identical cables as described. If you want the volume control on the receiver to control the recording level on the computer (I don't recommend this - see below), you'll likely need a 1/4"-to-1/8" adapter so you can drive the computer Line Level Input from the headphone jack of the receiver; all the controls on the rear are 'fixed volume' — you can't turn them down with the receiver's volume control.
Now, changing the listening volume in the room won't change the record input level; repeat, that's a good thing — it's how it's done in recording and broadcast studios. If you're only dubbing from tape to PC, you don't even need the receiver. Just run a cable from the tape deck's outputs jacks to the PC's Line In jack. Add a cable from the PC Line Out to the tape deck In jacks if you want to dump audio files from the computer to a 'mix' tape you can play in your car. However you hook it all up, set your levels using the record meter in your recording program, not by what the receiver or PC speaker output sounds like. Set the Line In fader on the PC so that the peaks of the receiver audio don't quite make it 'into the red'; almost, but not quite. That will yield the best audio in your recording: maximum signal, minimum noise, without distortion. And remember to save your audio files as mp3 files to save disk space. WAV files are ten to twenty times the size of the equivalent .mp3 files. I can't hear highs, so I save my files as 56k mp3's; if you can hear high frequencies (anything above about 8 kHz), save your files as 128k or 192k mp3's - they'll be larger than 56k files, but still 'way smaller than WAV files would be. If your recording package won't save mp3 files, try Lame Drag 'n Drop; it's included in the K-Lite Media Codec Packs described in last months column. Once Drag 'n Drop is running (Start » All Programs » K-Lite Codec Pack » Tools » LameDropXPd), you just drag and drop WAV files you've created in your recorder package into the funny-looking white window, and it spits out an mp3 file of the same name. Or, you could try Total Recorder 8.1 SE, from HighCriteria.com. Total Recorder is shareware; they want $18 to allow you to record files longer than about 60 seconds; however, if you already have WAV files recorded that are longer than 60 seconds, TR will let you load them, and you can export them as mp3 files. Good luck with your recording adventure!
DaLe
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I ran a little long this month, so I think I'll forego the software tip. (Don't want to wear out my welcome.) Next month, I'll 'wax eloquent' on EasyCleaner 2.0, a freeware PC cleanup utility from Finland.
"Computer Quandaries" was a column I wrote for Bits & Bytes, the online newsletter of the Tampa Bay Computer Society, from March 2006 thru April 2010. When I became the BnB editor, I split it into two separate columns: "Computer Quandaries" was the Q & A or Help Desk portion of the original column, while "Hints Tips & Rants" was the collection of random thoughts that had previously been tacked on as an afterthought. When I gave up the editor job, I took both columns with me, to post on my website and/or blog.
See you next month. Please email your questions to DaLe@ComputerRepairShop.biz |
I send these guys a few dollars every month... sure wish you would join me.
And 100% of your labor charges go to this rescue, too.