Q & A Committee: Charlie Le Ber,Tom Rosebush and Janice Zerafa
Moderated by: George Chandler

  1. A member asked if there would be a portable version of CCleaner on the memory stick?
    • Yes

  2. Is it better to get an upgrade to Windows 7 or to buy the full version?
    • The upgrade is easier but the full version will give you a cleaner installation.

  3. A Member asked if was a good idea to buy a new computer from Future Shop if it is on sale. They would have Windows 7 installed on them.
    • Janice had looked at some there also, and they are excellent computers. They will install Windows 7 for free at the store. Ask before purchasing.

  4. After leaving a 1½ year old laptop on standby the battery is dead and won't take a charge. Is the battery defective?
    • Rechargeable batteries should be run down completely and recharged at least three times, in a row, to maintain the memory. New batteries cost approximately $200. However, you don’t need batteries if you always use A.C. There is a procedure to run the battery out and recharge several times to keep your lithium battery fully charged. Check your laptop manual.

  5. A Member has 3 year old mouse and hasn't had to change the batteries.
    • Charlie reminded members there are a wide variety of mice for sale. Some have auto shut off and some have a charging base you put them in when finished.

  6. When going on holidays do you switch off your computer and leave the power bar on or off too?
    • For safety’s sake, switch off the computer and the power bar and pull the plug from the wall socket. Also remove your telephone connection.

  7. How do we go to install a round clock on our XP desktop?
    • Tom Googled XP side bar gadgets at thoosje.com
      If your XP PC runs slow or has a problem after installing, uninstall the program.

  8. When looking at pictures downloaded from a camera the screen freezes. Member has tried Control/Alt/Delete to reboot.When that doesn’t work he pulled the plug. Is that O.K.?
    • He has XP and 1¼ - 1½ GB ram. Every time you add a program it takes resources and maybe he doesn’t have enough now. To find out what RAM you have, go to START, right click on My Computer, then click on Properties. Information listed there will tell you have much RAM you have. You need at least 1 GB to work well in XP and 2GB for VISTA.
      Maybe too many programs are running & you can turn some off . There is a program on the memory stick “What’s running”. Go the Start and uncheck programs that do not need to run all the time. Charlie suggested trying by process of elimination. Keep track of what you change so you can change it back if necessary.
      You could also try to click Start, Run and type in “msconfig” to show you what is running, unclick things you don’t think you need. Keep track of what you change so you can change back if things don’t work properly. Janice had a problem when two similar software programs were running at the same time.

  9. How do you deal with an email with a huge picture attached?
    • The first suggestion was that the sender send it in a smaller size. If that doesn’t happen you could save it to your desktop by right clicking on the photo, saving it, and use a program like FastStone or Picassa to make it a smaller size.

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