Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 254 of 258

Q&A: My Task Manager is disabled. How can I get it back?

Posted on April 14, 2013

Question from Eric: My computer slowed to a crawl and I found out that it was eaten up with Spyware and viruses. I spent the better part of a day cleaning it all up but now I can’t load the Task Manager. It’s grayed out on the menus and I can’t click it. How can I get it back?

Rick‘s answer: Hi Eric. The miscreants who create spyware and viruses use all kinds of tricks to prevent us from discovering and disabling their insidious creations, and a couple of their favorite tricks are disabling the System Restore and Task Manager utilities. [Read more…]

Q&A: Why is Internet Explorer 10 slow to load the first page?

Posted on April 13, 2013

Question from Randy F:. Rick, I took your suggestion and upgraded to I.E. 10 and it was a great move. It’s a lot faster than I.E. 9!

But there is one problem: When I.E. is loaded the first time it takes forever to load the first web page. But after that, every other page loads in a jiffy. This started when I installed I.E. 10. Do you know how I can fix this? Thanks!

Rick‘s answer: Randy, this is a common problem with Internet Explorer that goes way back to the earliest versions. For some reason some I.E. installations have trouble initially detecting the PC’s Lan settings. Here’s how to fix the problem of I.E. hanging on the first page load: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I really drop my cable and watch TV online?

Posted on April 12, 2013

Question from Carla J.: I keep hearing how lots of people are dropping their cable TV and watching all their TV shows online for free. I only really watch 3 shows on a regular basis – Duck Dynasty and HGTV’s Curb Appeal and House Hunters.

It seems like I’m paying way too much just to watch 3 shows! I’d love to be able to tell Charter to stop my service and start watching my shows online, but this just sounds too good to be true. Is it?

Rick’s answer: No Carla, it isn’t. Millions of people around the world now watch their favorite TV shows over the Internet. And yes, many of those shows are absolutely free (not counting the cost of your Internet connection) and many others are available for a modest fee.

But before you call Charter and ditch your cable service, there are some things you need to consider: [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I retrieve my Windows Vista Product Key?

Posted on April 7, 2013

Question from Michael C.: I have a 4 year old HP Desktop PC running Windows Vista and it has gotten slower and slower in recent months. It’s so slow now that I think I really need to start fresh and re-install Vista.

I have the Windows installation discs, but since I can’t find the case they came in I don’t have a clue what the Product Key is. I know I can find the Windows Product Key somewhere in the Registry, but I can’t seem to find it. Where do I look? Thanks in advance for your help.

Rick‘s answer: Michael, beginning with Windows Vista Microsoft started encrypting the Windows Product key in the Registry which means you won’t be able to find it that way. But don’t worry, there is a very easy way to get it. Simply download and run a free utility called Enchanted Keyfinder. Follow these steps: [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I create a Desktop shortcut to Windows Update?

Posted on April 5, 2013

Question from Karen P.: I read an article a while back on Computer Security and it recommended checking in with Windows Update every day to see if any new updates are available.

I’ve started doing that but it’s a pain clicking through the menus every time. Can I create a Desktop shortcut that’ll take me directly to the Windows Update utility?

Rick’s answer: Karen, I agree that keeping our PCs updated at all times is extremely important, but I don’t really see the need to check for new updates every day because Microsoft is pretty good at pushing critical updates to users in a timely fashion.

That being said, I think having a shortcut to Windows Update on the Desktop is a great idea. Here’s how to create one in Windows 7: [Read more…]