John left a question in the comments, and I wanted to make sure other reader of my training kit got the information:

I bought your MS Press 70-642 Configuring Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure and would like to know how to set up the lab using Virtual PC 2007…

I have two Dell Latitude laptops running XP Pro SP3 with enough hard drive space that I should be able to install both Virtual PC 2007 and Windows Server 2008 on…they will be connected to each other via a 4-port Netgear switch…

Where can I get a free copy of Windows Server 2008 to use for the lab?…and do you have any suggestions on ensuring that the lab software don’t mess up these two laptops (I use both of them for business purposes)?

And later in an e-mail followed up with:

Actually, I was able to download WS2008 (and VPC 2007 SP1) from a MS download website yesterday (WS2008 was 1.9 GB and it downloaded as an iso file)…

I just have a few (dumb) questions about setting up the lab (please confirm the correctness and the sequence of the following steps):

1. I’m assuming that I need 3 actual computers physically connected to each other by a switch…true?

2. Next, install default? VPC 2007 on each computer.

3. Next, install default WS2008 on each computer (I am assuming I will install WS2008 while inside the VPC environment , or should WS2008 be installed outside of the VPC environment as you suggest?…if outside of the VPC environment, do I have to wipe the hard drive clean before installing WS2008, or can I keep the existing XP Pro SP3 OS and all of my apps and data files intact and install WS2008 in a separate partition?).

4. Next, do I rename the computers from inside or outside the VPC environment (however, I cannot change the real existing computer names on these computers because they are domain machines in my company’s environment…if I change their names, I will not be able to connect to my work network!).

Are there any other steps that I am missing?

Really appreciate any clarification you can provide!

My replies after the jump.

Hiya, John. Here’s a link to download a trial of WS08R2:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/trial-software.aspx

I know you found regular Windows Server 2008, but R2 is newer and better, and will be fine for the labs and such. Of course, it’s 64-bit only, so you’ll need to use Sun VirtualBox (which, if you watched this video, you know that I prefer anyway).

So, to answer your questions… You need either one of these setups:

• One physical computer with 3 GB or more of RAM. Install virtualization software (Sun VirtualBox, Virtual PC, Virtual Server 2005 R2, VMWare, whatever). You will then create two virtual machines, and install Windows Server 2008 (or R2) on both virtual machines. They’ll be automatically connected to the same virtual network.

- OR -

• Two physical computers with 1GB or more of RAM each. Install Windows Server 2008 (or R2) on both computers. Connect them to a network. You can plug them both into a switch, connect them to a wireless network, or even just run a crossover Ethernet cable between them and manually assign them IP addresses on the same network.

BTW, if you don’t mind blowing away XP, you’ll get way better performance out of those older laptops by installing WS08R2 on the computer directly. WAY better performance, because they probably don’t support hardware virtualization… You can install WS08 on a second partition, if you still want to be able to boot to XP.

It sounds like you can’t blow away your XP computers, though. If they don’t have 3GB of RAM, but they have 1.5GB-2GB of RAM, install Virtual PC or VirtualBox on both computers, and then install one WS08 virtual machine on each computer–the virtual machines will require 1GB each, at least.

When you rename the computers (which you don’t really need to do, the names in the book are arbitrary), do it within Windows Server 2008–in other words, within the virtual machine. If you use a single computer with virtualization software, you’ll do everything within the virtual machines. Other than installing the virtualization software, you won’t have to make any changes to the “host” computer.

After the jump, more CD and DVD burning tools, including Movie Maker and ways to burn ISOs.

Microsoft offers a variety of free applications at Windows Live including Movie Maker. Movie Maker is a simple tool for creating movies and slideshows. You can combine video clips, photos, and audio files; Movie Maker includes a variety of transition effects, the ability to overlay text, and to adjust the lighting and contrast of videos. You can also burn completed movies to disc from within the program. You can click on the DVD icon on the ribbon or select Burn a DVD from the Save movie menu, as shown below.

Those are basic tasks though, what if you want to do more sophisticated things when burning discs like creating a bootable DVD or editing an ISO image that you downloaded? Winzip is able to open ISO image, you can use it to copy files from within an ISO image but it does not include features for creating or modifying them. UltraISO is designed to do exactly that. UltraISO is designed for creating, editing, and converting both bootable and non-bootable ISO images. One feature that I find particularly useful is the ability to burn and an ISO image to a USB drive, its very convenient to have a bootable USB drive with antimalware and troubleshooting tools. For example, you might want to burn the ISO image I describe in Creating a Custom DVD or CD for Eliminating Viruses and Spyware to a thumb drive that you carry around in case one of your less computer proficient relatives asks for help when you’re visiting. In Explorer, Right-click the ISO image and select Open with UltraISO. In the Local: pane in the lower right select the thumb drive, then open the Bootable menu and select Write Disk Image, as shown below. The Write Disk Image dialog box will appear, click Write to write the ISO image to the USB drive.

Tony, I don’t have 10,000 photographs but sometimes it seems like it. I would appreciate your opinion for the best program for organizing my files on the computer. I can’t seem to find something that will permit captioning, date recording and tagging. I often wonder how the NGS organizes their collection which must numer in the millions. Thanks

My answer after the jump…

Hiya. First, I don’t have 10,000 photographs either–Lightroom shows I have 29,089. Of course, I delete most of the pictures I take, so I’ve probably taken 100k+.

On to the question–how to organize pictures. I use Adobe Lightroom, which is fantastic. It actually makes you a better photographer by helping to find your best pictures and quickly do basic editing on your pictures. It’s also perfect for stock photographers like myself, because it supports tagging, titles, and captions, which different stock agencies use to help buyers find pictures. Here’s the rub: Lightroom costs $300. Here’s a video introduction of Lightroom:

If you’re not blown away by the $300 price tag, download the free Lightroom trial and see if it’s worth it.

If you’d like something free, but not quiet as powerful, check out Google Picasa. It’ll let you set captions, tags, etc. Date Recording is generally done by your camera, assuming you have the clock set correctly. Here’s a video demonstration of Picasa:

I also discuss managing pictures (including naming and tagging and such) using the tools built-in to Windows 7 in my video tutorial.

Let me know what you decide!

I created a Windows 7 video training course for InfiniteSkills.com to help people get started with Windows 7. Here’s the course outline–click the links to view the beginning (and most basic) subjects for free. Buy the course online and you’ll get access to the subjects covering the more advanced material.

Introduction

• What You Will Learn
• What’s New In Windows 7

Upgrading to Windows 7

• Is My Computer Ready
• Using the Easy Transfer Wizard in XP
• Installing Windows 7 Over XP Part 1
• Installing Windows 7 Over XP Part 2
• Upgrading Vista to Windows 7 Part 1
• Upgrading Vista to Windows 7 Part 2

The Windows 7 Taskbar and User Interface

• Taskbar
• Start Menu
• Notification Area
• Desktop
• Gadgets
• Working With Windows
• Using Aero

Windows Explorer

• Navigating Folders
• Creating Folders
• Changing Views
• Opening Files
• Creating Files
• Selecting Files, Deleting Files, and Using the Recycle Bin
• Moving and Copying Files
• Adding Shortcuts
• Searching
• Using Libraries

Using Media

• Windows Media Player Part 1
• Windows Media Player Part 2
• Windows Media Center Part 1
• Windows Media Center Part 2
• Copying Pictures From Your Camera
• Browsing Photos With Windows Explorer

Built-in Applications

• Wordpad
• Paint
• Calculator
• Sticky Note
• Games

System Settings

• Volume
• Uninstalling Programs
• Accessibility Options
• Startup Programs
• Logging On Automatically
• ReadyBoost

Networking

• Connecting to a Wired Network
• Connecting to a Wireless Network
• Sharing Files With HomeGroups

Security

• Windows Update
• Windows Defender
• Managing Users
• Family Safety
• Sharing Folders on a Computer
• Encrypting Files Part 1
• Encrypting Files Part 2
• Encrypting Files Part 3
• Encrypting Files Part 4
• Encrypting Files Part 5
• Encrypting Files Part 6

Printing

• Printing
• Sharing and Network Printers

Backing Up and Restoring Your Important Files

• Scheduling Backups
• Restoring Files Part 1
• Restoring Files Part 2
• Burning CDs and DVDs
• Online Backups

Browsing the Web

• What’s New in Internet Explorer 8
• Searching
• Using Favorites
• Using the History
• Using RSS
• Using InPrivate Browsing and Filtering
• Managing Add-ons
• Internet Explorer Tips and Tricks

Troubleshooting

• Low Disk Space
• Fixing a Computer That Won’t Start
• Recovering From Malware
• Troubleshooting Performance Problems
• Task Manager
• Hardware That Doesn’t Work
• Recording Problems
• Other Troubleshooting Tools Part 1
• Other Troubleshooting Tools Part 2

Systems Administration

• Configuring a New Hard Disk
• Customizing the Appearance of Windows
• Configuring Your Mouse
• Power Settings
• Setting Time, Date, and Time Zone
• Configuring the Language
• Customizing the Explorer Interface
• Customizing the User Interface
• Enabling and Using Remote Desktop

Summary

• About the Author
• Goodbye

Today my friend Jeff hit me up with an interesting question. His quad-core HP DL585 is supposed to operate at 3.4 GHz, but Performance Monitor was showing it running at 82% of the maximum frequency–2.8 GHz.

My first thought was that the difference was the metric AMD uses to make it easier to compare their processors to Intels higher-frequency chips–and I was really wrong. When I investigated the Performance Monitor counters Jeff was looking at, I discovered a counter I hadn’t used before: Processor Performance\% of Maximum Frequency, as shown above.

This counter shows the current frequency of the processor. Modern processors can slow themselves down a bit to save power when they’re not doing anything high-priority. A few years back, it was just mobile processors that did this. Today, it’s pervasive–mobile computers, desktops, and servers scale back frequency when they’re not busy.

As shown here, you can configure the minimum and maximum processor states from the Power Options dialog box (Control Panel\Hardware And Sound\Power Options\Change Plan Settings):

You might also be able to configure settings from your computer’s BIOS/CMOS.

Can I add extra pixels in a picture saved im my computer by Photoshop or something else for enlarge or resize it??

Lauro

Brasil

Answer:

Yes, but there’s hardly ever any reason to. When you print the picture, your printer or the printing service you use will automatically scale the picture as necessary. Nonetheless, I have run into printing services that insisted on having the picture at 300dpi (or 250 dpi or 200 dpi).

I use Photoshop Elements, but I think the steps are the same in Photoshop:

1. Open your picture.
2. Click Image, click Resize, and then click Image Size.
3. Select the Resample Image check box (if it’s not already selected). You can select Bicubic from the list. Also make sure that the Constrain Proportions check box is selected.
4. Change the Width and Height in the Pixel Dimensions group to the desired resolution. If you need to achieve a specific DPI, change the Width, Height, and Resolution settings in the Document Size group.
   
5. Click OK.

Photoshop will think for a second and then show your bigger picture. Of course, this doesn’t make your picture any sharper or add any detail–it just makes it bigger and a little blurrier. Photoshop can’t add information where their wasn’t any previously.

Tony,

I was reading your 70-536 MCTS training book, when I saw that that you were a photographer. I find that to be strange, considering the fact that I too am a programmer who is also a photographer. At first, I found what must be your old website (http://www.northrup.org/). Upon seeing that site, I said that this guy must be joking when he says that he is a photographer. However, fortunately there is a link to what must be your new website (http://www.northrupphotography.com). The pictures on that site are incredible. Not to mention the fact that the layout is very appealing to the eye. However, as a writer of many windows books, what are you doing with a PHP website? That’s like going over to the dark side. After I finish the 70-536, it is my plan to update my site in a manner like yours, however I will utilize Microsoft Silverlight. Well, thanks for the inspiration. Take care.

My (wordy) answer after the jump.

This is an interesting study between presentation and function. Both northrup.org and northrupphotography.com are current, and all the pictures you see at northrupphotography.com are also shown at northrup.org. Northrup.org has about 15,000 additional pictures–I only show my “prettiest” work at NorthrupPhotography.com. If you’re looking for a picture of a baby ostrich (and plenty of people are, surprisingly), Google will send you to northrup.org.

NorthrupPhotography.com gets like 20 visitors a day, while northrup.org gets thousands and thousands. NorthrupPhotography.com costs me a couple of hundred dollars per year to run, while northrup.org makes a very healthy profit from selling pictures and advertising.

I also sell my pictures as stock at all the big stock photo agencies. Everyone other than stock photographers would consider them quite boring, however, because they’re meant for business use.

Re: Silverlight vs. Flash–I’ve dabbled in both, but the Flash I use on both northrup.org and NorthrupPhotography.com was written by other developers. In fact, NorthrupPhotography.com (including the PHP and Apache hosting) is a site I bought from BluDomain.com. I know my strengths and weaknesses, and creating pretty user interfaces is a weakness. So, I bought Flash components for both websites and just plug my pictures in (though everything but the slideshow interface on northrup.org uses a .NET Framework back-end that I wrote and Microsoft server software).

About 95% of my visitors have Flash installed (the rest are probably on an iPhone). I don’t even know how many visitors have Silverlight installed, because my analytics don’t track it. This site does, though, and it seems to be about half:

http://www.riastats.com/

I simply can’t use Silverlight right now because it would leave half of my users without an important component of the user interface. The SilverLight people have already made amazing progress getting it installed on half the browsers out there, and in a couple of years I’ll be able to migrate from Flash to Silverlight.

In summary, I use the .NET Framework for all my own programming, and all my client and server computers run Windows 7/Windows Server 2003/Windows Server 2008. I’m not trying to re-invent the wheel, though, and I’m happy to use pre-programmed Linux/PHP/MySQL/Flash components–as long as someone else is managing them :).

Tony

1. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Manage.

2. Expand Storage, and then click Disk Management.

3. Click the Action menu, and then click Attach VHD.

4. Click the Browse button, select your VHD file, and then click OK twice.

5. Open Explorer and access the VHD like a newly created hard disk. It’ll show up as a blue disk in the Disk Management snap-in. For example, mine appeared as the H: drive.

How dare you.

Here’s an easy way to stop Windows 7 from nagging you: stop the Windows Update service. It’ll automatically restart the next time you start your computer. Just follow these steps:

1. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Manage.

2. In the Details pane, expand Services and Applications, and then click Services.

3. Scroll down to Windows Update. Right-click Windows Update, and then click Stop.

No more nagging!

You can also stop the Windows Update service from a script or command prompt, provided you have administrative privileges. Just run this command:

net stop wuauserv

How to create a bootable disc? You could do it with Linux, but then you’d have to learn another OS, I prefer to stick with Windows. Besides, there are a lot of useful tools already available for Windows. You may have heard of the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE or simply PE) that has been available to computer vendors for years. Microsoft made it available to everyone a few years ago, and I’ve found it to be extremely useful. There are several ways to create a customized Windows PE disc, the simplest approach is to use the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) that some colleagues of mine in the Solutions Accelerators Team (SAT) at Microsoft created. You’ll need several gigs of storage space to download and use everything described below, make sure you have enough room before you start!

1. Download and install MDT 2010, you can use the default values for the installation.
2. Download Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows 7 and burn the disc image to a DVD. Run StartCD.exe from the DVD to install the AIK on your computer. Once again, you can use the default values for the installation. This is a big file, if you have an MSDN subscription I suggest that you download it from there because the MSDN downloader can resume interrupted downloads from where they left off.
3. Download malware scanning tools and other utilities designed for offline use. There are a lot of free antimalware tools available, but for this troubleshooting disc you need those that will work in offline mode, I’ve been able to use Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool, Alwil Software’s avast! Virus Cleaner, and McAfee AVERT Stinger with ease.
4. To create a Deployment Share in MDT
   1. Open Deployment Workbench from the Start Menu.
   2. In the console tree expand Deployment Workbench and right-click Deployment Shares.
   3. Select New Deployment Shares and specify a location for the deployment share such as C:\Deploymentshare.
   4. Accept the default values for the rest of the options and complete the wizard.
5. You’re ready to create the troubleshooting disc, to do so
   1. In the console tree expand Deployment Workbench and right-click Deployment Shares.
   2. Right-click the deployment share you created in the details pane and select Properties.
   3. Select the Windows PE x86 Settings tab and click Generate a Generic Windows PE WIM File.
   4. Enter an Image Description such as Offline Troubleshooting.
   5. Select Generate a generic bootable ISO image.
   6. Enter an ISO file name such as Troubleshooting_Disc.iso.
   7. Next to Extra Directory to Add enter the path to the folder where you saved the malware and troubleshooting tools in task 3.
   8. Set the scratch space size to: 128.
   9. Click on OK.
   10. Right click on the Deployment Share and choose Update Deployment Share.
   11. Click on Next two times, and then click Finish.
   12. Burn the iso image file to a CD-ROM or DVD, it will be located in a directory called Boot folder in the deployment share folder, e.g. c:\Deploymentshare\Boot folder\Troubleshooting_Disc.iso.

Your troubleshooting disc is ready to go, when you boot the stricken system the system drive is X:, and you’ll find your troubleshooting tools in the root of that drive.

This brief article has only brushed the surface of what’s available in MDT, if you have to manage more than a few PCs or if you have to install Windows frequently then you should look at what else it has to offer. MDT greatly simplifies the tasks involved in creating and maintaining installation images and deploying those images to different computers.

Kurt Dillard

kurtdillard.com

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1. Change the way Control Panel applets are displayed by clicking the Category button just to the right the View by: label and select either Small icons or Large icons. This is how I prefer to see Control Panel, but it can be tough to find what you want amongst the 50 or more icons.
2. Another way is to launch Windows Defender directly, click Start; in the search box, type Defender; click Windows Defender to open the program; and then click Scan.

There are some others I usually just access with the search box like Credential Manager, Configuration Manager, Autoplay, and Desktop Gadgets.

Kurt Dillard

kurtdillard.com

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Greetings, Tony

It is nice to be communicating with you. The question for which I’m in need of you help is probably a tough one: I’ve asked it in different places and never got an answer for it. So brace yourself:

I use Windows Media Player to watch movies, especially DVDs, and occasionally, Video CDs. I have no problem playing DVDs, be it a Hollywood one or personal one. Sound and picture is always great. However, Windows Media Player loves to call my beloved movies “Unknown DVD”. (I have included two screenshots.) But why? What’s wrong? How can I make Windows Media Player recognize my movies with their proper names? Is it something related to disc format or Windows Media Player itself?

Curiosity is killing me. Any help would be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Regards,

John

Hi, John. For songs, Windows Media Player can lookup songs in Internet directories using the actual content of the song. So, even if the song isn’t labeled, Windwos Media Player can figure out what it is.

Unfortunately, it’s not as smart with DVDs. To find the name of the DVD, Windows Media Player simply looks at the DVD volume label. If whoever burned the DVD doesn’t specify a volume label, Windows Media Player will display “Unknown DVD”.

If you’re burning a DVD, follow these steps to view or specify a label:

1. Insert the DVD.

2. Click Start, and then click Computer.

3. Right-click the DVD and then click Properties.

The Properties dialog box displays the name of the DVD at the top of the General tab.

4. Type a new name (if it’s a writeable DVD) and then click OK.

So, most DVDs you’re playing are read-only, including all commercial DVDs, which means you can’t change the label. Your only option would be to copy the DVD and specify the label when burning the new media.

I read your article about 10 tips for improving your wireless connection and I have a question for you.

I have an apple mac book pro computer and my husband has an ibm thinkpad. We moved into a new house in July and ever since we moved into our new house my wireless connection has not been working well at all – it is extremely slow but my husbands computer works great and has a very strong wireless connection. The strange thing is it worked fine at our last home with the same set up except that instead of using our apple airport we are now using a linksys router that is connected to our dsl modem. If I take my computer outside of the house and get on another wireless network the internet works fine. The other thing we have tested is actually hardwiring my computer into the router directly and it still didn’t work quickly at all so I am wondering if there is a problem with my computer (being an apple) with a linkys router?

Any ideas? I have been working on this issue off and on for a while now. We have even had our tech guy come out and take a look and he can’t seem to figure it out.

Thanks for you any ideas you may have.

First, let’s find a way to test the performance so we can see how bad it really is, and whether our changes fix the problem.

If you share files between computers on your network, find a big file (like a video) and copy it to another computer. Time how long it takes. Then, repeat that test after each change to determine if the problem is solved.

If you only use your computer to access the Internet, visit this Web performance test, and make note of the upload and download speeds. You could test this from both your Mac and the Thinkpad, and see how much performance differs.

Now, let’s start making some changes. Test performance after each step, and stop when things seem good:

1. Visit your router’s configuration page and install any firmware updates available.

2. Make sure your Mac has all updates installed, especially those related to network performance.

3. Visit your router’s wireless network configuration page. Set it to 802.11G, and disable any performance-boosting capabilities. Restart your Mac (or disconnect from the wireless network and reconnect).

4. Run network diagnostics on your Mac (which you can do from Safari).

5. On your Mac, delete the new network location, and then re-create it. Read this for more information about network locations (remember, I’m not a Mac guy).

6. Sell that Linksys and go back to your Airport router! I know, it’s tough to give up, but searching the Internet I found dozens of people complaining about Mac-Linksys connection problems and most of the never found a solution. Most wireless networks are highly compatible thanks to networking standards, but it’s still possible for a client and a wireless access point to suffer from performance problems because of the software implementations.

Let me know how it turns out!

TIME MACHINE 5200 .

Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.

Locate and then click the following entry in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\NoDriveTypeAutorun

Right-click NoDriveTypeAutoRun, and then click Modify.

In the Value data box, type 0xFF to disable all types of drives. Or, to selectively disable specific drives, use a different value as described in the “How to selectively disable specific Autorun features” section.

Click OK, and then exit Registry Editor.

Restart the computer.

I have a gateway computer and i use apassword each and every time i turn it on so that nobody can get on it. But for some strange reason my password has either been changed or someone has been messing with my computer behind my back. It is a good computer and ive never had any trouble with it. Now the only thing that shows up on the screen is GATEWAY and ENTER PASSWORD no matter how many times i enter my password after ther 3rd time it say system disabled and i have to start all over again. What can i do? I miss my computer. That’s my pet.

Quick lecture about security–every security measure has some cost, though it might not be obvious. With passwords, or any type of authentication, part of the cost is that legitimate users will be deprived access.

First, let’s make sure you’re entering the password correctly. Make sure you’re typing the right password (I forgot my gym locker combination after more than 3 years the other day, so it does happen). Then, swap the keyboard out, or attach an external keyboard if it’s a laptop, and try again. If your keyboard isn’t working, it might prevent you from correctly entering the password.

If that doesn’t work, based on your description, it sounds your BIOS password has become corrupted.

If it’s a laptop, try unplugging it, removing all the batteries, and holding down the power key for five minutes. If it’s a desktop, unplug it, open the case, and remove the watch battery from the motherboard. Let it sit overnight without power.

This might reset the password… but probably not.Nowadays, most computers store the BIOS password in solid state storage that doesn’t lose its data without power. It’s more secure, certainly, but this is the downside of security.

On the motherboard (you might try searching the Internet for a manual), look for a CMOS reset jumper. This depends entirely on the specific computer you have, so I can’t provide more explicit directions.

Next, try Gateway’s support. Get the serial number from the back, and enter it here. Try and find the default password. You might also be able to get it from the computer’s manual, if you have it around.

Still no luck? Try some typical default passwords: admin, administrator, owner, gateway, cmos, password, 1234, 1234567890.

Hope that helped!

hello, i recently purchased windows 7 for my father because of all the problems he has had with vista, everything is fine with the package only windows media player now doesnt recognise that we have a cd/dvd burner drive built in to our laptop. it simply says connect a burner and restart, please could you offer some advice or help please

I fielded a question like this recently for a desktop computer. Her problem could have been either hardware- or driver-related, but in your case, since you just upgraded, I’m certain it’s driver related.

Windows 7 includes drivers for most computer hardware. However, I’ve upgraded many computers from Vista to 7, and most of them are missing at least one driver. However, your computer manufacturer has probably created drivers for you.

So, go to your computer manufacturer’s website (hp.com for HP, dell.com for Dell, etc) and find the Support or Downloads section. Look up your specific model of computer, and download and install any Windows 7 drivers. Try to access the CD/DVD after you restart your computer.

If you’re still having problems, open Device Manager:

Click Start, type devmgmt.msc, and press Enter.

Do any devices show with a yellow exclamation icon? That means those drivers have a problem. Without more information I can’t point you to the specific drivers. Instead, try Googling your computer model and the device, such as “Dell T3400 DVD driver”.

Let me know how it turns out. Good luck!

802.11b is the most common type of wireless network, but 802.11g is about five times faster. 802.11g is backward-compatible with 802.11b, so you can still use any 802.11b equipment that you have. If you’re using 802.11b and you’re unhappy with the performance, consider replacing your router and network adapters with 802.11g-compatible equipment. If you’re buying new equipment, definitely choose 802.11g.

Hi, Jerry. Your wireless network–802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n, is your local area network (LAN). That works only inside your house–and the speeds of your wireless network only apply between computers in your house.

AT&T Elite is your DSL Internet connection. The speed of AT&T Elite determines how fast Web sites perform for you.

So, your connection is a bit like this:

Your computer -> wireless network -> AT&T Elite -> Internet

This might be a bit confusing because AT&T might be providing both the Internet connection and your wireless network. Regardless, their peformance is separate, and your Internet performance will be limited to the AT&T Elite speeds–6 Mbps (6000 Kbps) downloading information from Web sites, and 768 Kbps when uploading to the Web.

So, what questions should you be asking–just ask them to setup a wireless network for you. They will be happy to do this (I know, because I’ve had AT&T DSL before) but they’ll charge you. If you don’t mind some light network configuration (just following instructions), you could buy your own 802.11g or 802.11n wireless router from Amazon, TigerDirect, or an electronics store. I like Linksys, but just about any router will do the trick.

Hope that answers your question!

I’m running Vista 32-bit and would like to know which programs are the only ones absolutely required for startup. Thanks.

Turning off unnecessary startup programs is a great way to speed up your computer. If you do it wrong, though, some things might not work right.

The short answer is that no startup programs is required. Sure, Windows requires lots of things to start properly, but everything that’s absolutely mandatory starts as a service. Unless you’re familiar with which services you need, you shouldn’t disable any of them.

You might, however, want some of them to start. Generally, those little startup apps don’t slow your computer down a noticeable amount, and they occasionally make your computer work a bit better. Looking at my own computer, I have left the following programs to start automatically:

• Microsoft IntelliPoint and Microsoft IntelliType Pro. These give my keyboard and mouse extra functionality. If I did disable them, my keyboard and mouse would still work, though.
• RAID Event Monitor. This watches my computer’s hard disk for problems.
• NWiz. This is NVidia’s graphics card software. My computer would run fine without it, but I haven’t bothered to disable it because I’ve never seen it cause a problem.
• Google Update. This keeps my Google software (like Chrome) up-to-date. Wouldn’t it be nice if one piece of software could get all my updates?
• Adobe CS4 Service Manager. This just makes sure Photoshop keeps working.
• Virtual CloneDrive. This lets me mount ISO files like a physical CD or DVD.
• GrooveMonitor Utility. Helps me with Microsoft Groove (something I need for my work).
• Java(TM) Platform SE 6 U15. This running in the background just lets some website start up a bit faster.
• SMax4PNP Application. A tool used by my soundcard.
• Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader and Acrobat Manager. This isn’t required, but when I open a PDF, this lets it open a bit faster.
• Microsoft Office OneNote. I use OneNote, and having this startup automatically allows me to start it quicker.
• Ultramon. A tool for managing multiple monitors.

And I’ve disabled some apps:

• Dropbox. A tool for storing files on the Internet.
• AOL Service Libraries. Good ole AOL instant messenger, which I no longer use.
• InstallShield Update Services. This downloads updates to the update software itself. It’s incredibly annoying.
• QuickTime. This would allow QuickTime videos to play a bit faster, but I rarely watch QuickTime videos, so who cares?
• Steam. A service for downloading games online. I used it once, and I don’t need it always running in the background.

DPI (dots-per-inch) depends on two factors: the resolution of the picture (“dots”) and the size of the image as you will print it (“per inch”). My website shows the resolution for every picture at the top of the page, as part of the pictures description.
For example, this picture has a resolution of 3072 x 2048:

If you wanted to print it at 3×5, it would be 614.4DPI (3072/5=614.4). Vertically, it would be 682.6DPI (2048/3), but you’d need to crop it vertically to get the 3×5 proportions, so the DPI will be the same once it’s cropped.

If you’re missing the Aero glass effects and 3D-flip in Windows Vista or Windows 7, here’s how you can fix it.

First, are you using the Home Premium, Enterprise, Professional, or Ultimate editions? Good, because the Home Basic and Starter editions don’t support Aero. If you’re not sure, click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties. The edition of Windows 7 is under Windows edition near the top of the window.

Next, make sure you’re using an Aero theme:

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.

2. Click Appearance and Personalization.

3. Click Personalization.

4. Click one of the Aero themes.

Problem solved? If not, make sure that your graphics card is powerful enough for Aero by checking the WEI. It needs to be 3.0 or higher. If it’s lower, you’ll need to upgrade your graphics card to take advantage of Aero. If you’re using a laptop computer, you’ll need to upgrade your whole computer. Don’t sweat it, though–Aero isn’t anything you can’t live without.

Once you’ve verified that your graphics card meets the hardware requirements, you should also verify that the video driver is WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model). Basically, that means the driver was developed specifically for Windows Vista or Windows 7. Visit your video card manufacturer’s website (or your computer manufacturer’s website) and download the latest Windows Vista or Windows 7 driver. Not sure what type of video card you have? Click Start, type devmgmt.msc, and expand the Display Adapters node. It’ll be listed within.

So, you’ve enabled an Aero theme and your graphics card is up to the task. Next, make sure the Themes service is started:

1. Click Start. Right-click Computer and then click Manage.

2. Select the Services and Applications\Services node.

3. In the details pane, click the Themes service. If it doesn’t say Started, that’s the problem. Right-click it and then click Properties. Set the Startup type to Automatic, and then click the Start button. Click OK.

Aero should start right away. If not, follow the steps at the beginning of this article to make sure you have an Aero theme enabled.

Still not working? Let’s rely on some automated troubleshooting!

If you’re using Windows Vista, run this automated Aero troubleshooter.

If you’re using Windows 7, do this:

1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.

2. In the upper-right corner, click the Search box. Then, type Aero.

3. Click Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects (as shown at the top of this article).

4. Follow the prompts that appear–hopefully it fixes your problem!

Still not working? Leave a comment below describing the problem and I’ll try and help you out.