Replies

Yes, but if you open a file, make changes then save it on one device, will those changes be there in the same file on your other devices? I’ve found an altered file is saved to the cloud service (OneDrive etc) as a new additional document.

I have not experienced such an issue on Box, OneDrive, DropBox, or the couple of other cloud services that I regularly use.
I would double check the file name or the file type of the edited file after it is saved (.doc vs. .docx, for example).

OneNote is one of the applications I use regularly, and it syncs to all of my devices (Windows and Android) automatically.
DropBox is fine, but OneDrive is also great. Save the file to OneDrive on the Android phone, and OneDrive will sync it to the laptop, desktop, and the tablet (depending on your settings on each device).
I have been doing this for a long time. I don’t recall having any issues, and never thought this was an issue.
There are several file managers for Android, and ES File Explorer is one of them. I like it as well, and I use it regularly.

@vrisinger,
I’m wondering if this drive had been previously used as a boot system drive (regardless of what operating system).
I encountered an exact situation recently. That’s why I’m asking.
If so, then I can suggest a potential solution.

Most, if not all, file recovery programs work well, that includes on SD cards, in my many years of experience, and a dozen or more recovery programs used.
Failure to recover a file is usually not the fault of the recovery program. It’s because the file has been written over it or over parts of it after it had been deleted, but the file name has not disappeared from the system.

Best chances for recovery is to be done before any changes are made to the affected disk (such as creating or editing files, or downloading files to it, or even booting the system, etc.), and for the drive to be removed (if possible), and connected externally to a USB port.
No program can recover data that doesn’t exist, regardless of its cost. For example, if a deleted file has been written over in part or in total, and just booting from that disk will certainly write over some of these deleted files. The system doesn’t know you plan on doing a file recovery

It’s extremely important, for novices at least, to recover deleted files to a different disk to avoid the chance of writing over the data you are trying to recover.

Using imaging programs, such as Acronis, Reflect, etc., to make a full image of the OS drive, and then weekly incremental backups to that image (Reflect does a great job in this regard), is an excellent method of backing up.
Using the clouds (OneDrive, DropBox, etc.) is also a great way of instant backup to documents & pictures, etc..

I have needed to use images that I had created using Reflect this past week on laptops of 2 clients after their system drives crashed due to virus attacks.
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I like the wireless access point solution better because she mentioned that she has more than one desktop.
Had she used this option, her other desktop(s) could be connected (Ethernet), and no dongles needed.
Too late now (unless Sheila can return the dongle and get a wireless access point device instead), but this may benefit future users needing help.

My apology to anyone I may have offended, which was never my intention. I’ll now go and sit grounded in the class-room for 3 days!

Yes, I agree that advanced users / businesses may turn off WU, or set it to just “download and let me decide”.

I think I have failed to explain that the recommended settings should be to download the updates and let the user decide, which is what I have always done.

In my case, and for this particular patch, Windows downloaded it automatically, and I gave it the OK to patch after I looked at the KB and understood what it is for.

Thanks to all who have replied, and I’ll check out the blog sometime.

It’s surprising that there is so much confusion here about a security update which is determined and installed automatically by your Windows Update, if Windows Update is turned on, and it should be turned on for individuals.
For corporations, their IT departments decide what updates to send out!

Regardless of which version of Internet Explorer you have, Windows Updates will install the correct security version for you, if your system needs it.

If your Windows Updates are not turned on for some reason that I can’t understand (aside from being a pirated copy of Windows), then go here and follow the simple steps:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/updates.aspx

Sadly, Microsoft has always managed to punish and disappoint their most loyal customers. They have also managed to kill any good product that they made.

MS Office 95, 97, 2000, 2003 made people comfortable and familiar with the product. No retraining was necessary from one version to the other.
Next came Office 2007 with its ribbon. Users from all walks of life had to be retrained all over again. Most of them hated the ribbons. Many people decided to switch to open-source packages and dump Microsoft Office altogether.

Windows XP was a fine product. People liked it. That didn’t make MS happy. They came up with the Vista disaster.
Windows 7 came out to fix Vista’s nightmare. People started to like it. That didn’t make MS happy, so they came up with the Windows 8 blunder!

Even software that is critical to people’s life and their finances, i.e. MS-Money, got dumped with no more support. Shame on you, Microsoft! How can anyone trust you anymore!!!

This is aside from dumping people who were using the Windows phone, suddenly stopping support after version 6.x, and coming up with Windows phone 7, which wasn’t compatible with these phones. MS wanted to force you to buy their new phone. No way, not for me. I cannot trust or rely on MS at all.

Amazingly MS seems to not understand why Android phones are so dominant. Simply put, not many can trust Microsoft when they have proven again and again their disloyalty and disregard to their customers.

Although I have Windows 7 64 Ultimate on one of my drives, and I occasionally boot to Windows 7 (mostly for updates), I use Windows XP 99% of the time.
I love XP and its interface.

If you use a good firewall, a good virus scanner, update your java and Adobe plug-ins frequently, FireFox with the “No Scripts” add-on, and some common sense (stay away from porn and shady sites), then XP should be fine for quite sometime to come (as long as firewalls and virus scanners continue to be updated).

It would be a dangerous gamble to download and install patches from the black market. I would not touch these patches with a ten foot pole!

@Vorn
When you log off or shutdown, Windows will save your settings, including sound.
So set the volume to the level you want just when you are going to shutdown, but read the rest.

If you want sound to be completely off, the easiest way (on XP) is this simple 2-clicks step:

– LEFT click the speaker icon in the tray.
– Check the Mute box

Next time you boot Windows XP, sound should be totally muted (if all is working well on your machine).

Don’t forget to Un-mute when you want to hear sound.

I have used Hiren’s CD (and DVD) for years. It can be a lifesaver!

It’s an XP / Linux based boot CD. You can unzip and then burn the ISO file to a CD, or to a thumb-drive (you need some other tools if you want the thumb-drive to be a multi-boot drive, like adding a version of Linux, such as Ubuntu.

You may or may not be able to boot from your thumb-drive, though. It depends on your BIOS and USB controller combination.

Hiren’s can boot to a mini Windows XP desktop, and then you can use its Menu, or its version of Windows Explorer, to explore the tons of tools on the CD, and that can be overwhelming to many people.

The DVD version is even far more overwhelming, an overkill in most situations, and the download is over 2GB (as opposed to the CD version, which is about one fourth the size of the DVD version).

Many, if not all, of the tools on the CD (or DVD) are the portable type, no installation required. Therefore, you can use a utility to open the ISO file, extract the tool(s) you want, and run it without booting from Hiren’s.
These tools and utilities are generally available freely at various web locations, but collecting them individually would be a formidable task.

Here is a direct link to the latest Hiren’s CD (zip file): http://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/Hirens.BootCD.15.2.zip

Or here, if the above link is rejected by the forum’s SW: http://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/Hirens.BootCD.15.2.zip

As always, use common sense, make sure you scan anything and everything you download for viruses, malware, hijackers, etc.[/B]
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PamS … Greetings. I have just downloaded and installed Notpad++ … Never used it before.
It’s probably an overkill for just editing text or HTML. There are other simpler editors, and probably better than Windows Notepad.

Anyway, to answer your other question, which seems to have been overlooked, go to the top menu and click:
Settings … then select > Style Configurator

In the center of the window that pops up, you will see the Enable global foreground color, and Enable global background color.
Check the box you want, and click the color to select whatever color you like (in the area above, called the Color Style box).