Computer, Software and Cellphone Questions and Advice

[Inked_Daddy]

Try opening both photos in CS3. Crop the 1st to the size you want and you should then simply be able to drag and drop it onto photo #2 and create a layer.

Here is a tutorial on layers..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4EooYoYYTQ

[imadeathhag]

Thank you Ink!

[Inked_Daddy]

No problem I hope that gets you going.

[Rhonda]

I have 2 ideas that I think are fun. Eventually they could garner a following. They would both involve people posting pictures. How does one start one up that is free - but someday could make money from advertisers?

Thanks for the input.

[Jack'sGirl]

I am in the pocess of making my very first website. I went to Webs.com. They have templates you can choose from, and they make it fairly easy to use. They kind of guide you as you go along. If you know some basic computer skills, you shouldn't have any problems. You can get a basic site for free.

[Nessa]

I've used Tripod for aeons. It's worked great for me!

[Dan33185]

.

[neilmpenny]

Register a domain name and pay someone to host, godaddy is quite popular. I use Dreamweaver.

[cindyt]

I use Yahoo Sitebuilder, over 4 years now. Dreamweaver is probably better, but YSB software is free and the website fee isn't bad. I pay a bit over $39 bucks every three months for unlimited disk space and unlimited data transfer. Can't beat that for the price and the almost unlimited design options of the software.

[KCBee]

GoDaddy is popular, but DirectNic.com has a much better service department. JMO.

[cachluv]

I'm sure this will inevitably get merged, which is fine But I couldn't see where else it would fit.

For public, social networking accounts--not even a specific one--let's just make one up and call it MyFace. Okay, so on MyFace, can you figure out someone's IP address from their public profile? And I don't mean staff or MODS, of course they see all. But like if Jane Doe pulls up Jane Schmoe's MyFace profile page, and even if they are not friends, can Ms. Doe find Ms. Schmoe's IP address?

Or if, on a blog site, John Smith posts a comment and John Jones decides that he wants Smith's IP address. Can Jones access Smith's IP address simply because Smith created a profile or because he posted something?

[cachluv]

Thanks for the merge...derrrrrr

[cachluv]

-bump-

[cindyt]

I don't know, but I don't think so unless someone has their own software which allows them to see IPs. I have two fan pages on FB and I have never seen my members' IP addresses.

[sablegsd]

MYFACE

Hey, any chance for better smilies here?

[duchessmary]

[Inked_Daddy]

I'm sure this will inevitably get merged, which is fine But I couldn't see where else it would fit.

For public, social networking accounts--not even a specific one--let's just make one up and call it MyFace. Okay, so on MyFace, can you figure out someone's IP address from their public profile? And I don't mean staff or MODS, of course they see all. But like if Jane Doe pulls up Jane Schmoe's MyFace profile page, and even if they are not friends, can Ms. Doe find Ms. Schmoe's IP address?

Or if, on a blog site, John Smith posts a comment and John Jones decides that he wants Smith's IP address. Can Jones access Smith's IP address simply because Smith created a profile or because he posted something?

I am assuming the MyFace server sits out on the internet some place...not being hosted by you or lets say social networker A.

When you connect to the MyFace server it can see your IP address when you post... but Social Networker A cannot because he is talking to MyFace's IP address, not yours.

This is the most straightforward answer I can give without getting all supergeeky.

[cindyt]

Makes sense to me, ID.

[neilmpenny]

I am assuming the MyFace server sits out on the internet some place...not being hosted by you or lets say social networker A.

When you connect to the MyFace server it can see your IP address when you post... but Social Networker A cannot because he is talking to MyFace's IP address, not yours.

This is the most straightforward answer I can give without getting all supergeeky.

Go supergeeky! I am getting all rubbery here.

You should have "Who's your Daddy?" In your sig mate.

[cachluv]

Thanks Daddy. It makes sense. I didn't think so, but I thought someone here would know and you did

XO!!!!

[Inked_Daddy]

Thanks Daddy. It makes sense. I didn't think so, but I thought someone here would know and you did

XO!!!!

My pleasure.

Really the only way I could think of sombody tracking you by your ip is if you had a static IP for your home then registered a domain name to resolve to that IP...then somebody could identify you that way, but most domain services allow you to hide that info for a fee.

[SassyMonkey719]

Last year they had a thing at school where we could bring in our computers and some computer nerds would take a look at them and fix them. Mine was super slow and they helped me update my RAM and now it runs a million times better.

Well, my mom's laptop is really slow, and for christmas I want to fix her RAM, but I'm not sure what i need to get. I know she has a Compaq Presario F700, but the website has models from F700 to F769 with various pairs of letters following those numbers. Is the RAM thingies different between all of them?

Also, when I maxed out my RAM it cost me like $100. I looked up the Compaq Presario F700 CTO, its telling me that to max it out is only $40. Could that make sense??

[neilmpenny]

Find a computer repair place and get them to do it.

[Barbossa]

Last year they had a thing at school where we could bring in our computers and some computer nerds would take a look at them and fix them. Mine was super slow and they helped me update my RAM and now it runs a million times better.

Well, my mom's laptop is really slow, and for christmas I want to fix her RAM, but I'm not sure what i need to get. I know she has a Compaq Presario F700, but the website has models from F700 to F769 with various pairs of letters following those numbers. Is the RAM thingies different between all of them?

Also, when I maxed out my RAM it cost me like $100. I looked up the Compaq Presario F700 CTO, its telling me that to max it out is only $40. Could that make sense??

Here's a good company for computer memory:

http://www.crucial.com/

You can search by computer model and they'll show you choices of compatible memory.

Another reason laptops run slow is that their cooling fans are not working properly. Check the fans and see if they rotate freely. Windows etc. will crank the CPU clock speed down if the CPU and/or Graphics chip is overheating, causing the computer to run painfully slow. Replacing the fans, unfortunately, isn't real straightforward so you might want to take it to a shop to do it.

[PurrPurr]

Here's my less than expert opinion. Computers are good for 3-5 years. I think they are programmed to begin a slow death after three years. Then get a new one. I am on number 4 and needing a new one soon.

I know the feeling. The one I got today is my FIFTH one in eleven years (not counting the netbook, which I had to work with typing on itty bitty keys and squinting on a 7" LED screen. FUN (not). Now I'm back on a new desktop with a 19" screen. Ah, heaven.

The last PC that went to computer heaven died after three years. I was advised that it would cost LESS to buy a new one than fix the one that died.

[SassyMonkey719]

Find a computer repair place and get them to do it.

I don't think i would have been able to get my moms computer out of the house without her knowing, that was part of the problem. lol She has somehow been able to figure out what i got her the last several Christmases in a row, and my goal this year is for her to be truly surprised.

Here's a good company for computer memory:

http://www.crucial.com/

You can search by computer model and they'll show you choices of compatible memory.

Another reason laptops run slow is that their cooling fans are not working properly. Check the fans and see if they rotate freely. Windows etc. will crank the CPU clock speed down if the CPU and/or Graphics chip is overheating, causing the computer to run painfully slow. Replacing the fans, unfortunately, isn't real straightforward so you might want to take it to a shop to do it.

I actually did go through crucial lol. That is where I got the ram for my computer. When it comes to computers, I pretty much know how to use them and that's all. Where are the fans, and how do I check them?


I was just concerned because I didn't have the exact model number, and because of the major price difference. I did find somebody to help me though and ordered the parts.

[Nessa]

O Jesus and baby Jesus, I mistakenly erased the file folder for BF's band on my comp. Sent it to the recycle bin, emptied the recycle bin, and then found it was gone, along with a bunch of other stuff. Does anyone know of a (free) program to fix this or is it gone for good?

[Nick]

You could try a search on the word "undelete" and see if any of the programs that come up sound like a good fit for whichever operating system you use. I don't have any specific recommendations and I'm not sure any will do the trick, but it's worth a shot. The last time I successfully undeleted a file might have been back in Windows 98 days!

If the files are crucial and irreplaceable, you could pay a professional data recovery service.

Whatever you do, please invest in a backup plan to lessen the impact of any future mishaps (if you haven't already).

[PurrPurr]

I agree about backup programs. I always backed up important things - pictures, codes for websites, and especially my manuscripts! One never knows when something either is deleted by mistake, gets hacked, or the computer crashes, and all is lost.

[Nessa]

I tried and tried and couldn't get them back. Backup. Backup is a must from now on. *slaps forehead*

[Barbossa]

Here's a list of some data recovery freeware. If your files haven't been written over they should be recoverable. I think Norton Utilities also has a file recovery feature. Don't give up yet!

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/col...ads/files.html

[Paulination]

My wifes laptop just started doing something strange. About once a day her computer will not come out of sleep mode. The power light on the on/off button will continuously blink but when she pushes it, or any other button nothing happens. She has to resort to taking out and then putting back in the battery at which point she can re-boot the computer.

She has an HP 9700 (I think). Any ideas?

[Miho]

My wifes laptop just started doing something strange. About once a day her computer will not come out of sleep mode. The power light on the on/off button will continuously blink but when she pushes it, or any other button nothing happens. She has to resort to taking out and then putting back in the battery at which point she can re-boot the computer.

She has an HP 9700 (I think). Any ideas?

Which OS is she running? I had problems putting my HP laptop into sleep or stanby after a while because it started doing the same thing. Just a heads up my hard drive melted not too long ago and I don't know if that was a sign of trouble.

[Paulination]

She has Vista. We had the hard drive replaced about a year ago so I hope it isn't that. Maybe we should back it up pronto.

[SomeChick]

She has Vista. We had the hard drive replaced about a year ago so I hope it isn't that. Maybe we should back it up pronto.

Has she tried shutting off Vista's hibernation feature? It reacts notoriously badly with HP's - especially laptops because it uses roughly 2 gigs of physical memory as swap memory. Google the model she has + vista hibernation to find your model-specific fix, if one's available.

[Paulination]

Thanks for the tip!!

[endsleigh03]

More of a gripe than a problem.

My daughter got that stupid system tool spyware on her computer.

I believe it is the same one that she got a couple years ago and I was able to clean that mess up. They want money, of course.

The newer version of this thing blocks ALL attempts to fix. I was pretty much screaming.

A friend came and we used my system to access what we needed and got it off.

A 2-finger poke in the eyes for all the crapheads who are out there doing this to other people. And there are zillions

[okidoll]

an, that is happening to me now only it's some sort of crappy add thing. I can get it off by running my virus scan in safe mode with networking, but I can't seem to find it to remove it permanently. Anytime I try to update windows or update my scanners online directly they won't load.

Perhaps you could try it in safe mode with networking? STUPID. I hate these douchebags.

[Barbossa]

She has Vista.

Vista, Ugh. What a crap OS. I bought a quad core Vista machine and it was dog slow. I bought the Windows 7 (which I heard is excellent) upgrade, but I haven't installed it yet. I'll post comments when I do.

[PurrPurr]

I have XP Professional on my desktop, and usually run Firefox as my browser. As for anti-spyware, I have Spybot Search & Destroy. I also installed Windows Clean-up to remove temp files, etc.

My antivirus protection are AVG 2011, and Immunet Protect for backup. Both are free

For firewall, I heard ZoneAlarm is quite good (also free).

[Barbossa]

More of a gripe than a problem.

My daughter got that stupid system tool spyware on her computer.

I believe it is the same one that she got a couple years ago and I was able to clean that mess up. They want money, of course.

The newer version of this thing blocks ALL attempts to fix. I was pretty much screaming.

A friend came and we used my system to access what we needed and got it off.

A 2-finger poke in the eyes for all the crapheads who are out there doing this to other people. And there are zillions

My FIL saw one of those "My Faster PC" ads on TV and tried it out. Freakin' thing crashed his PC, he had to reinstall Windows. I was surprised he got suckered into it, he's fairly tech savvy.

[Miho]

She has Vista. We had the hard drive replaced about a year ago so I hope it isn't that. Maybe we should back it up pronto.

Back it up and I agree with Some Chick. The sleep feature sucks ass with a lot of OS systems. I rarely use it. Get rid of Vista if you can *L*

[Bidmor]

My pc runs XP Home SP 2, 2G ram (it's a Dell Dimension 2400 series so the ram is maxed out). The default browser is Firefox with what I consider the best free AV available...NoScript add-on (plug-in) for FF which by default blocks all scripts on any page...a menu lists all scripts on any given page and offers one the opportunity to permit them one-by-one. Scripts are the prime source of Trojans while browsing. NoScript is a bit high maintenance but worth it both in effectiveness and cost...free. I also have AdBlock add-on.

My AV program is Avira AntiVir Premium. It's about the best I've found. Recently I renewed my subscription...I opted for 2 year license for about $40 total. Firewall is Comodo free version. By experience I've found Comodo free firewall to be more effective, much easier to use, and uses less system resources than Zonealarm free.

My laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium) runs the same as above except for the firewall...Comodo didn't have a free firewall for 64-bit so I'm using PC Tools Firewall Plus which also free.

But the first and best line of defense is NoScript. FYI, I've never been infected by any malware which caused either of my computers harm.

[endsleigh03]

When I try to respond to CraigsList ads or just now at Websleuths, I get this Default Mail Client Not Installed.

Can someone tell me what that is? Driving me nuts. I've used three different addresses, none work.

Thanks

[gleemonex]

Are you on a PC or Mac? Either way, there should be a mail program that you have to set up on your computer; on a Mac it's Mail, on a PC I'm guessing Outlook or whatever mail program comes on a PC. A client sits on/in your desktop/start menu and when you first open it, you're prompted to select which email you want to set up (Time Warner, Comcast, Google, Yahoo, etc.) pretty much anything that has POP3 settings. Once set up, the client retrieves from your specified email instead of you opening up your Internet browser and going to the website.

When you click on an email in Craigslist to respond, the computer searches for your client and creates a blank email to the ad's email. If you haven't set up your client, then you will get the error of the client not being found/installed/etc. If you don't have a client on your computer, you're going to have to copy and paste the email address into your web-based email's new message window. Hope that helps/makes sense.

[endsleigh03]

Are you on a PC or Mac? Either way, there should be a mail program that you have to set up on your computer; on a Mac it's Mail, on a PC I'm guessing Outlook or whatever mail program comes on a PC. A client sits on/in your desktop/start menu and when you first open it, you're prompted to select which email you want to set up (Time Warner, Comcast, Google, Yahoo, etc.) pretty much anything that has POP3 settings. Once set up, the client retrieves from your specified email instead of you opening up your Internet browser and going to the website.

When you click on an email in Craigslist to respond, the computer searches for your client and creates a blank email to the ad's email. If you haven't set up your client, then you will get the error of the client not being found/installed/etc. If you don't have a client on your computer, you're going to have to copy and paste the email address into your web-based email's new message window. Hope that helps/makes sense.

Thanks bunches Gleemonex

[The Killing Floor]

O Jesus and baby Jesus, I mistakenly erased the file folder for BF's band on my comp. Sent it to the recycle bin, emptied the recycle bin, and then found it was gone, along with a bunch of other stuff. Does anyone know of a (free) program to fix this or is it gone for good?

Hi Nessa!

Did you manage to recover these files?

Just to confirm how this kind of thing works in general....once you empty the recycle bin, those files are pretty much removed from the operating system but still stored in clusters on the hard drive, until they are over-written with new data.

Depending on how much and what the computer is used for, there is a good chance that these files can still be recovered.

If you still haven't resolved this issue, try downloading 'Recuva' by a company called Piriform (it's completely free) and that will get those files back for you...assuming they haven't been completely over-written.

Good luck with this. I would certainly also advise spending the equivalent of £40.00 (about $70.00?) on a good 1TB external hard drive to regularly back up your internal hard drive.

There are also a lot of programs that can do that completely free.

Another thing....lots of people spend good money on anti-virus and firewall software etc but COMODO do an excellent Internet Security Suite completely free of charge which is better than paid software like AVG, McAfee etc.

COMODO also do a free back up program and a System Cleaner too which will help clear out any junk and unused files that are slowing down your pc.

If anyone needs any pc help, I am happy to assist and advise where possible. Just add me to Skype or Live Messenger!

[Tiffany]

I don't know all that much about the internet.... but I do know that it is not supposed to take effin forever to load 1 page. I live in a small town that apparently the ONLY cable network available is Verizon / Comcast is in the area.

So does it really matter where I live? Is there a universal cable / internet network, company that applies to everyone everywhere?? Please help! I can't move to another area that has a better service... What can I do?

Is it my router?? I don't know what kind of router I have but I have another router we have yet to use. I'll get that information later if needed.

[cindyt]

I don't know everything either, but I do know that some thingys are faster than others. Dial up is sloooooooow. DSL is faster and certain satellite hook ups are fassssssst. I have the fastest satellite for residential areas via Hughes Satellite that is provided by my cable center, Charter Communications. Still, sometimes I do have a problem loading a page and it is usually because I have too many cookies, but either booting off the internet or restarted my computer brings it back up to fast.

[Tiffany]

well speaking of having too many programs running.... I meant to add that I have a Windows 7 - which is specifically made for people to have Windows music player, youtube, facebook, school.... all up at one time! So its not that I have "too many programs running" - aboslutely not.



p.s. my new router is a Belkin, N+. (whatever that means)