Steve Bass's Home Office
September 15th, 2004
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PC World columnist Steve Bass writes weekly commentary on the
technology products he loves, the strategies for getting the most out
of them, and the gotchas that can cause computing misery.
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September 15th, 2004
* This week: Zap PC Annoyances, Part 1
Bass Goof Alert: Okay, stop writing. I goofed. I mentioned the Office
Depot recycling promotion in a newsletter you received a few days
after the offer ended. While I was editing, I inadvertently shuffled
the blurb into the wrong newsletter. That's what I get for starting it
an hour before deadline. If you still have something to recycle, send
it to my editor; he'll be happy to take it. [Editor's Note: He's
lying.]
For the third year in a row, I've written a PC World feature article
about the things that drive me nutso: PC annoyances. It's a cool
situation. I find things to kvetch about, a naturally occurring
experience in my cynical life, and get paid to write about them. I
know, it has the feel of a scam; but the editors keep asking me to
write it and I can't turn them down.
The annoyances are in the latest PC World, which looks great in the
print edition. The October issue's on newsstands now, and it's
available on our Web site at:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/755114/0/
This week, the next, and the week after, I'll concentrate on ridding
you of annoyances and irritations. Not only will I point you to the
other articles in this Special Edition, but I'll also pass along the
annoyances I had to cut because I ran out of space in the magazine.
Stop Annoying Me!
Right out of the chute, I want you to hear about a big annoyance I
have with many Web sites, including PC World's: multiple-page
articles. If I see an article that looks interesting, I often want to
print it. But some articles go on for two or three pages, forcing me
to find and click the "next page" link to continue reading and to
print each page separately.
Having to go through that rigmarole for each page I want to print is a
royal pain. Then, on top of that, I have to watch as the big, glitzy
ads on each page suck my printer's cartridge dry.
Not all sites provide "printer friendly" links on their pages. But
when they do, I use it--and it's, as California's governor says,
fahn-tastic! Besides allowing easier printing, most printer-friendly
pages have fewer ads. (On PC World's site, the words "Printer Friendly
Version" appear near the bottom of each article page.)
Printer Tip: If you're like me and recycle paper by printing on the
blank side of used sheets, don't use three-hole punched paper. Store
bought, pre-punched paper often has a waxy residue left over from when
manufacturers drill the holes; the paper you punch is fine. And never
use paper that's been through a color laser printer. My Brother laser
printer was nearly ruined when the color ink melted while printing.
Just trust me on this, okay?
Dig This: The guy's (almost) a marketing genius. He's had coverage all
over the Internet. Too bad he didn't put the area code on his truck,
eh? [Small image]
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/755115/0/
How to Fix the Worst Irritations
That's exactly what I offered in the article I wrote: "Enough
Already!," a ten-page spread with 26 aggravations, each with a fix.
You can read it page by page, here:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/755116/0/
Or, to avoid being irritated, you can scroll the entire article here:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/755117/0/
I hope you read the article. But if you don't have time for the whole
enchilada, here are some favorites to jump to. I assume you're reading
the "Printer Friendly" version (you are, right?), so just use your
browser's search feature and find "Skip the Registration" for a nifty
way to circumvent lengthy registration forms on Web sites. Look for
"No-Fuss Backups" for a hardware device that lets you wirelessly back
up your entire network. Then zip over to "Good Riddance to Real" to
find free replacements for both the Real and QuickTime players.
Another story in the annoyances issue comes from my buddy Scott
Spanbauer. He writes the Internet Tips column and also wrote "Keep It
Simple," in which he offers 50 tips to help prevent and zap annoyances
before they have a chance to get to you. Two that caught my eye
include "Slim Down Your Startup" and "Standby to Speedup," both smart
ways to reduce startup and shutdown hassles. Another good spot is
"System Tray Surgery," a chart with an explanation of the junk you can
dump from your system tray, and how to do it. Here's the one-long-page
version:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/755118/0/
Two Annoyances (and Fixes)
These two didn't make it into the magazine article--not enough
space--and they're irritants I'm guessing some of you have
experienced.
The Annoyance: I update and run my antivirus program diligently, and
it recently removed two annoying viruses from my Windows XP system.
That's great, but subsequent AV program scans found one of the
viruses--and couldn't remove it.
The Fix: For this conundrum (no, that's not a virus), I point my
finger at XP's System Restore feature, which simply points back at my
AV program. The virus was stored in my System Restore folder. The AV
program spotted the virus but couldn't get to it--and if you restore
your system with a virus-laden restore point, you'll reinfect
yourself.
To squash the bug, start by updating your AV program with the latest
virus filters and scanning your system to make sure it's squeaky
clean. (Don't worry about the virus in the System Restore folder.)
Next, remove all of your restore points: Right-click My Computer,
select Properties, System Restore, choose Turn Off System Restore, and
click Apply. Ignore the dire warnings. Once the System Restore folders
are history, repeat the process; but this time turn the Restore
functions back on and make a fresh restore point.
The Annoyance: My PC's speaker volume keeps jumping up and down
depending on what's playing. When the volume level is just right for
music, Windows' system alerts blast me out of my chair. I seem to
spend way too much time adjusting the machine's volume. It makes me
want to go back to cranking up the old Victrola.
The Fix: You could just move your chair farther back from the PC when
the sound gets too loud. A better bet, though, is to keep the Volume
Control settings at one consistent level. Double-click the Speaker
icon in your system tray to view your volume settings, and change the
volume by raising or lowering the level on specific devices.
If you're ready to take your volume control to the next level,
however, try ToggleVolume, a neat-o $15 utility that lets you adjust
your PC's volume via your mouse wheel and Ctrl key. I used the program
to designate a function key that instantly silences my system, and to
use the number keypad for changing sound levels. For a trial version,
go to PC World:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/755119/0/
Dig This: Move your cursor around, rest it on the poor guy's nose, and
annoy the dickens out of him. [With thanks to Wes Brockway.][Flash
site]
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/755120/0/
[Editor's note: Bass, you're a sick boy.]
The Biggest Annoyance
Probably me, because I'm going to noodge you into sending the next
link you see to your UPS driver, maybe the postal carrier, or someone
who's also annoyed with PCs. That way they'll be able to sign up for
their own newsletter and you'll get credit.
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/183/0/
Steve Bass writes the Home Office column in PC World's print edition
and is the author of "PC Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying
Things About Your Personal Computer," available from O'Reilly:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/516251/0/
You can reach him at this address, but promise not to annoy him:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
* See Steve Bass's previous Home Office Features at:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/221132/21421678/237822/0/
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