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Tip of the Week: Take Control of Vista's 3D features
One of the many cool things about Windows Vista is the enhanced 3D effects that are woven into just about everything that it does. One of the side-effects of all of this coolness can be confusion, visual strain and it can also slow performance. If you are one of the many that are complaining the Vista operates too slowly, turning off some of these effects could help.
Fortunately, you can control every aspect of these visual features by doing the following:
- Right-click on Computer and select Properties to open the System Properties page
- Click on Advanced system settings then on the Advanced tab
- Click on Settings in the Performance section which will open the Performance Options page
- Click on the Visual Effects tab to see all of the items that can be turned on or off
If you don't want to mess with individual settings, try choosing the "Adjust for best performance" radio button then click on OK.
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Headwhack of the Week: Why can't I open winmail.dat files?
For those of you that don't use Microsoft's full calendaring, note taking, task scheduling, e-mail program known as Outlook, you have probably noticed from time to time that you have an attachment in some e-mail messages that is labeled "winmail.dat". If you try to open it, you either can't or it comes up as a bunch of garbage...so what the heck is it for?
Outlook (not Outlook Express) uses this attachment to allow other Outlook users to see the message exactly the same way as the author does, so it is of little use to non-Outlook users. In other words, ignore these file attachments whenever you see them!
If you are an Outlook user and you get complaints from recipients that get the attachment, simply start sending those folks your messages in the "Plain text" format. To do this, the next time you start a new message or reply to an existing message, click on the Format menu, then on the "Plain text" option.
If you want to make this a permanent setting (so that all messages go out in plain text), click on the Tools menu, then on Opotions and select the Mail Format tab. In the Message format section at the top, change the pull down menu to Plain text. Warning: Plain text means that you can't use fancy formatting or specific fonts, colors or anything to make the message anything other than "plain text".
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Geek Speak of the Week: Meatspace
A term that refers to real life or the physical world...the opposite of cyberspace.
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Security: Laptop searches in airports draw fire at Senate hearing
Advocacy groups and some legal experts told Congress on Wednesday that it was unreasonable for federal officials to search the laptops of United States citizens when they re-enter the country from traveling abroad. Companies whose employees travel overseas have also criticized the inspections, saying the search of electronic devices could hurt their businesses.
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News: Two quick fixes for Firefox 3
Just looking at the download count from Mozilla for the first 24 hours of Firefox 3, it looks like the browser upgrade is one of the fastest-adopted new program versions ever. Eight million downloads in the first 24 hours can't be wrong, right? Of course, no new program--even one as heavily beta-tested as FF3--is problem-free, and so here are two fast course corrections for those struggling with incompatible plug-ins and Flash foul-ups.
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News: Google for Scholars
Hey all you eggheads! You now have your own special way to find those technical whitepapers, scholarly literature and academic articles that make you all warm and fuzzy inside! Google is Beta testing it's latest niche search engine: Google Scholar!
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Data Doctors Video on Cnn.com: The real skinny on Windows XP End-of-Life
As we discussed on last week's radio show, Windows XP is in the beginning stages of its "farewell tour" starting on June 30th, 2008. Data Doctors along with many other system builders and white-box computer resellers will be able to provide Windows XP systems until January 31st 2009.
Watch the video and help our rankings on CNN.com! You can watch us live every Saturday morning at 9:30AM Pacific, 12:30PM Eastern or watch the archived versions of our segments whenever you want at CNN.com/video.
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Opinion: The Golden Age of Unknown Software
John C. Dvorak asks: "Why has the computing scene been so dull for so long? Given the number of picky artists and aesthetically aware folks who are deep into computing, I just don't understand why we have to settle for such bland apps and interfaces."
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Weekly Advice Column: What exactly does Linkedin do for my business?
We all get them: invitations to join someone's network on Linkedin.com. But what exactly is in it for you and your business?
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This Week's Show: A Farewell to Bill Gates (well sort of)
June 27th was the last day in the office as a regular employee of Microsoft for the world's richest geek, Bill Gates.
He'll still be involved in Microsoft related issues, but he will be focusing most of his time battling diseases like polio, AIDS and malar1a and helping improve the world in other ways through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
How has Bill Gate's life's work changed your life? How relevant will Microsoft be in the future?
Listen in as we review the life and times of Bill Gates, the successes and failures of Microsoft as a company and your thoughts on a very unique historical figure.
Join us Saturdays from 12:00PM–2:00PM (Pacific) on News 92.3 KTAR or listen LIVE via the Internet at KTAR.com as we discuss your computer questions at: 602.277.5827 or ask your questions during (or before) the broadcast using the ask a question page.
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Check out all the links from "Windows XP: The End is Nigh!"
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