Windows Tips

Infopackets Reader Eric H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently purchased a new PC with Windows 8.1. My old PC has Windows XP on it, and I would like to copy over all my programs from Windows XP to Windows 8.1. How can I do that? After I'm done moving ... over all my programs, I want to wipe the old Windows XP PC clean and give it away. " My response: Unfortunately, migrating from Windows XP to Windows 8.1 is not as easy as 'copying' over files from one PC to another. In this case, I suggest you do one of the following: 1. Reinstall all (or some of) your programs manually on the new Windows 8.1 ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Tim G. writes: " Dear Dennis, Sometimes when I try and play a YouTube video, the sound doesn't work. If I try and 'Play Test Sound' on my sound device via Control Panel -> Sound, Windows says 'Windows failed to play test tone'. ... The only way I know how to fix the sound is to reboot the computer, but that means I need to reload my browser and tabs every time. Do you know how I can fix my sound without rebooting? " My Response: This problem happens to me too every once in a while, and I have a sneaking suspicion it might be related to Adobe ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Frank' writes: " Dear Dennis, I was wondering if I can hire you to fix a laptop with a ransom virus infection. The reason I'm asking is because as soon as the system boots up, the virus is there [with a message stating the ... computer has been locked down]. There is no desktop, meaning I can't open anything. What can I do? " My response: Unfortunately, if you cannot boot into the Windows desktop, then I cannot dial into the laptop to fix it via remote desktop support . The virus you have may be repairable depending on what you're infected with, and whether or not the virus is ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Craig F.' writes: " Dear Dennis, [Further to your discussion on how to download and reinstall legitimate Microsoft Windows on USB or DVD for free ], I just wanted to be sure you were aware of [a freeware utility program that can ... take an .ISO file and create a bootable USB disk in place of CD or DVD ROM drives. The name of the program is called Rufus ] ... It is by far the simplest, most foolproof method I've found for installing Windows, Office, or whatever on computers that [require an .ISO to install something, but] lack a working optical CD / DVD drive. I have no ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Bob T.' writes: " Dear Dennis, I am trying to reinstall Windows on my computer but I can't seem to find my Windows DVD anywhere. In fact, I'm not even sure if my computer came with an install disc. Should I download Windows from ... a torrent website? Can I use a DVD or USB drive to reinstall Windows? What do you suggest? " My Response: You can download a copy of MS Windows 7, 8, or 10 for free from Microsoft and install it from DVD or USB, though the steps for installing from USB are a little more involved for Windows 7. At the time of writing this ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Mike' writes: " Dear Dennis, [Regarding your post about the TorrentLocker Ransomware virus , I would like to hire you to help me set up a backup on my system to help keep me protected against such threats. As for my question, I ... have a Windows 7 Lenovo desktop with a 1 TB internal hard drive] ... I want to clone my internal hard drive to an external hard drive , maybe once a week. I then want to reverse clone the hard drives [in case I get hit with a virus like TorrentLocker] ... It seems intuitive that [when I clone the hard drive for backup, that] both hard drives should ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Mary' writes: " Dear Dennis, In regard to your previous article ' How can I find the Cursor Position on my Screen? ' -- my cursor often wanders around the screen when I'm typing text on my laptop. Sometimes, I end up typing in a ... new word in the middle of another word somewhere else on the screen. Oftentimes I can't find where my cursor went; once I do find it, I need to make corrections, then point it back to where it needs to be, then resume typing. It's incredibly vexing! Do you have any suggestions on how to avoid this from happening? " My response: This is a very ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'lewfrazier' writes: " Dear Dennis, Sometimes I when I'm viewing a page on my web browser (or MS Word, for that matter), I can't find the cursor on the screen. Is there a freeware program I can download that will help me locate ... the cursor on my screen? " My Response: That's a great question -- thanks for asking. You can locate your cursor by tapping the CTRL key on your keyboard, but you first need to enable this feature in Windows (no download is required). The 'cursor location' feature works with Windows XP, 7, and 8; here are the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'pthamilton' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a Dell XPS M1330 laptop computer. I get frequently recurring messages that my D drive (recovery drive) is full. Can I delete files on my recovery drive? Also, if I upgrade to Windows 7 or ... Windows 8, will it stop the 'disk is full' error messages? Thank You. " My Response: In general, it is not recommended that you delete any files from the recovery drive, as it contains disk image files used to restore your system to default configuration when you first purchased the computer. If you downloaded or copied files onto the D drive, you ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Helen M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I need your advice once again. I am 80 years old and have gone back to work as a volunteer; one of my jobs is to make up posters. I only have Microsoft Word, which is not [exactly] ideal for making ... posters, and I don't want to invest in an expensive software such as Adobe Photoshop. The price to learn it at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City is $275! Can you recommend [an Adobe Photoshop freeware alternative] that is inexpensive and easy to use? I am computer literate. I thank you for all you do. " My Response: Off the ... (view more)