Leo's Answers
A Weekly Newsletter From
Ask Leo!
Leo Notenboom
Hello!
*** Contents
- This Week's New Articles on Ask Leo!
- A Word from our Sponsor
- Popular Articles from the Archives
- Thoughts and Comments
- Newsletter Administration
*** This Week's New Articles on Ask Leo!
How can I open Office 2007 files in older versions of Office?
I have Microsoft Office 2003 on my computer. Friends of mine are sending me e-mail with attachments but are using Office 2007. Is there any way to convert Office 2003 to open e-mails from Office 2007?
Office 2007 introduces a new file format which is, of course, incompatible with previous versions of Microsoft office. So if you receive a document that someone has saved in Office 2007 format, but all you have is an earlier version of Office that can't read it, there are some steps you need to take.
But I also need to nit-pick one part of your question as well.
Continue reading: "How can I
open Office 2007 files in older versions of Office?"
http://ask-leo.com/how_can_i_open_office_2007_files_in_older_versions_of_office.html
* * *
Can I Copy and Rename a file in a single step?
I would like to be able to copy a file but at the same time rename it, so when it gets to the destination folder it has whatever file name I want it to. Do you know of a way to accomplish this in one step?
Not using Windows Explorer, no.
However it's a snap using the Windows Command Prompt.
Continue reading: "Can I Copy and Rename a
file in a single step?"
http://ask-leo.com/can_i_copy_and_rename_a_file_in_a_single_step.html
* * *
How do I find out what's installed on my machine?
How do I get a list of all installed programs and applications on my machine? Information is all scattered and confusing.
If you're looking for a complete list, the answer is simple: you don't. "Scattered and confusing" doesn't even begin to cover it.
However if you want to know most of what's installed on your machine, you can get pretty close.
Continue reading: "How do I find out what's
installed on my machine?"
http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_find_out_whats_installed_on_my_machine.html
* * *
Is my anti-virus database up to date?
I currently use the free new version of AVG plus Zonealarm. Talking to a colleague at work the other day he mentioned he uses Norton because the AVG virus database is about 9 months out of date, implying that the auto updates I receive almost on a daily basis are very much out of date. Is this true and a consequence of going for a freebee? I have tried McAfee and couldn't get on with it at all.
I'll put it this way: if AVG free were 9 months out of date, you would have heard it from a lot more places than just a colleague. As it is, the free version of AVG is one of several reputable anti-virus programs recommended by many folks around the industry.
You do bring up a good point, though, that I want to take this opportunity to remind people about.
When they get a new computer, for example, they might start out nine months behind with any anti-virus program.
And that needs to be fixed.
Continue reading: "Is my anti-virus database up to
date?"
http://ask-leo.com/is_my_antivirus_database_up_to_date.html
* * *
What's a good way to get a permanent email address?
I've been an MSN dial-up subscriber for years, since I switched from AOL because I thought it was micro-managing my computer; yes, you guessed it, now I think MSN does it, too. In the last year we've added Road Runner high speed wireless at our house, and I've been dragging my feet on dropping MSN. I use my MSN e-mail address for everything, and I know I should not be doing that; I hesitate to take on a road runner e-mail address because we may not keep it forever. I want your advice about getting a new e-mail address that I can consider permanent. I do have my own website for my real estate practice (bought my domain from Go Daddy), but this site is also kind of micro-managed by the realty firm I work for! Would you recommend I buy a separate domain for my family with a couple e-mails on it? Also, if I drop my paid MSN account, can I keep my @msn.com e-mail address as a free one like Hotmail?
You're experiencing a very common problem. No matter what email address you choose, if it's on a domain you don't control you run the risk of losing it some day. If you have lots of contacts and correspondents, changing it can be a real problem.
So, let's change it.
One last time.
Continue reading: "What's a good way to
get a permanent email address?"
http://ask-leo.com/whats_a_good_way_to_get_a_permanent_email_address.html
* * *
What's Your Backup?
Are you ready for the ultimate disaster?
Continue reading: "What's Your Backup?" 
http://ask-leo.com/whats_your_backup.html
* * *
Where did my edited attachment go?
I opened an MSN Hotmail attached xls file, made changes to it and then saved the changed file. Now I can't find the changed file. It looks like Hotmail created the file in a Temporary Internet directory. Is it possible to retrieve this file?
This is something that bites a lot of people, even if they're not using Hotmail. You open an attachment in an email message that you've received, you make lots of changes to it, and close your work. Then later, when you return to that email and open the attachment again all your work is gone.
Where did it go?
The problem is that it's really somewhat unclear as to exactly what should happen when you open an attachment and then make changes to what you've opened. And in some cases what you might expect to have happen isn't actually possible.
Continue reading: "Where did my edited attachment
go?"
http://ask-leo.com/where_did_my_edited_attachment_go.html
*** A Word from our Sponsor
Avoid the lines AND High prices: Inkjet Cartridges Up to
75% OFF.
123inkjets is dedicated to bringing you premium laser & inkjet
cartridges, photo paper, and other printer supplies at reduced
prices. We're so confident you'll be fully satisfied with our
cartridges that we offer a full one-year guarantee.
Now you can get quality ink cartridges without paying high prices.
123Inkjets
Advertisement. Ask Leo about advertising here.
*** Popular Articles from the Archives
Ever wonder what your hard disk is doing when you haven't touched your machine?
Why, when I'm doing nothing at all, will my hard disk suddenly start thrashing?
It could be for many reasons. The most common are anti-virus tools or the system indexing service if it's enabled.
To find out what's happening on your system, we'll use a filesystem monitoring tool. Download FileMon from the folks over at Sysinternals.com. It works on Windows 95 or later, and Windows NT 4 or later.
Read more... Why, when I'm doing
nothing at all, will my hard disk suddenly start thrashing?
http://ask-leo.com/why_when_im_doing_nothing_at_all_will_my_hard_disk_suddenly_start_thrashing.html
*** Thoughts and Comments
OK, as promised, here's your reminder: on Sunday most of the United States switches to Daylight Saving Time. That's three weeks earlier than normal, so anything that tries to update automatically had to be "fixed" to do it correctly this year. That includes Windows.
You can read more about this "mini-Y2K" problem here: Do I need to do something about the upcoming change to Daylight Savings Time?
You'll want to double check that you're prepared.
'till next time...
* * *
| The Latest: | |
| Forwarded Funnies: | "Dog Rules" |
| Taming Email: | "Email is never urgent. Really." |
| Leo's MovableType Tips: | "Leaving Breadcrumbs in Movable Type" |
*** Newsletter Administration
Do you have a question? A comment, perhaps? Newsletter subscribers can visit http://ask-leo.com/askleosubscriber.html to submit your comments and questions. That page is only mentioned here, so I'll know it's from someone who's taken the time to read this far!
I'll be honest: I'll try to respond, but I get a lot of questions every day - I just can't answer everyone. Rest assured, though, that even if you don't hear from me directly, I read every email I get.
Leo's Answers Newsletter is a weekly publication of Ask Leo! and Leo A. Notenboom. It's also available as an RSS feed at this URL: http://ask-leo.com/newsletter.xml?UD=nl. Archives of previous newsletter issues can be found on the Ask Leo! web site, http://ask-leo.com/newsletter.html.
You're quite welcome to forward this email in its entirety, but you should probably delete your unsubscribe link below, so your friends don't unsubscribe you by accident. You may forward individual articles from this newsletter only if you include all and only the text of that article as found in this newsletter, including any links therein. You may not copy full articles from the Ask Leo! website - more on that in my section on copyright: http://ask-leo.com/terms.html#copyright.
I'd sure appreciate it if regular readers got a subscription of their own. You can sign up at http://newsletter.ask-leo.com.
Interested in advertising on Ask Leo! or in this newsletter? Advertising details here.
Newsletter contents Copyright © 2007, Leo A. Notenboom & Puget Sound Software, LLC.
