Leo's Answers #55 – December 8, 2006

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 connect to my DSL modem if I don't have a network card?

There are several solutions to this problem, some involving converter cables and various other add-ons.

However in my opinion, the simplest answer is still the best.

Continue reading: "How can I connect to my DSL modem if I don't have a network card?"
http://ask-leo.com/how_can_i_connect_to_my_dsl_modem_if_i_dont_have_a_network_card.html

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What are some other good support sites?

There are hundreds, if not thousands of technical support sites on the internet. If you search for various problem-related terms, you'll stumble across many of them.

I regularly get many more questions than I can possibly answer, so here are some of the sites that I use, sites that I think you can use, and some of the sites recommended by my readers.

Continue reading: "What are some other good support sites?"
http://ask-leo.com/what_are_some_other_good_support_sites.html

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How do I keep people from seeing possibly private things on my shared computer?

Yes, you may have a big problem, depending on how much you and the other person trust each other.

But it points out an aspect of security that most people miss completely. We can take some steps to make things better, but actually solving the root problem is a much bigger deal

Continue reading: "How do I keep people from seeing possibly private things on my shared computer?"
http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_keep_people_from_seeing_possibly_private_things_on_my_shared_computer.html

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Why do pictures in email sometimes show up in-line, and sometimes as attachments?

Yes, I think I can. And it is a bit of a mystery, involving a complex mix of email formats, email programs, and email security settings.

It may look like it comes and goes, but there's actually method behind the apparent madness. Complex method, but method nonetheless.

Continue reading: "Why do pictures in email sometimes show up in-line, and sometimes as attachments?"
http://ask-leo.com/why_do_pictures_in_email_sometimes_show_up_inline_and_sometimes_as_attachments.html

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Why can't I open attachments in Hotmail?

Nope, no attachment's required.

The "why" is easy. Hotmail is attempting to protect you.

What to do about it, is less obvious, and a lot more cumbersome.

Continue reading: "Why can't I open attachments in Hotmail?"
http://ask-leo.com/why_cant_i_open_attachments_in_hotmail.html

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Is Free Software Worth it?

If you get what you pay for, what if you pay nothing?

Continue reading: "Is Free Software Worth it?"
http://ask-leo.com/is_free_software_worth_it.html

*** A Word from our Sponsor

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*** Popular Articles from the Archives

One of the more surprising common requests is about getting rid of a Hotmail account. Apparently many people want to delete their account proactively, rather than use the recommended approach of simply letting it lapse.

How do I delete my Hotmail account?

I've stopped using my MSN Hotmail account and I just want to get rid of it completely. How do I close it out?

In the past I've said "You don't. Just stop using it, stop logging in to it."

This will actually work. I mean, really ... if you're not looking at it, why would you care if it still existed or not?

Microsoft's own Knowledgebase article MSN Hotmail Top Issues and Support Information says that too: "To close a Hotmail account, stop using it.".

Apparently that's not enough for many folks. OK, ok...

Read more... How do I delete my Hotmail account?
http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_delete_my_hotmail_account.html

*** Thoughts and Comments

I suppose most folks think that my computers run without a hiccup, and that since I'm so busy trying to solve problems for my readers, that I must not have any computer problems of my own.

I wish. These are computers, after all. They wouldn't be "normal" if they didn't have their own little quirks and frustrations.

Here are a couple of problems that I gave up trying to solve... maybe you'll have an idea I haven't thought of. Both relate to using Remote Desktop:

1) Because I use it pretty much continuously, I leave my laptop on all the time, and have the power settings set to never go into standby if the laptop is plugged into the wall. Most of the time that works properly. However, some combination of accessing the laptop via remote desktop, and/or unplugging from wall power and/or having the laptop go into standby when not plugged in causes that setting to revert to its default. After that happens even when plugged in the laptop goes into standby after some amount of inactivity. Every so often this happens and my backup scripts that run overnight ... don't. It also sometimes seems like I have to reset the power setting in the same place two ways: once from the laptop itself, and again via Remote Desktop. Or perhaps vice-versa.

2) Copy/paste works between Remote Desktop and your local computer. It's very handy to be able to copy some text, say, in my email client on my laptop accessed via remote desktop, and paste that into an application on the desktop computer that I'm actually sitting at. Except that every so often it stops working. Disconnecting and reconnecting the remote desktop connection resolves the issue.

I've had both those problems for well over a year, maybe longer, and have simply been living with them.

Sometimes that's the pragmatic answer. Though if you've got a better one, I'd love to hear it.

Until next week...

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The Latest:
Forwarded Funnies:	"Elections"
Taming Email:	"Don't Ask for Spam"
Leo's MovableType Tips:	"Changing Page Names Mid-Stream"

*** 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.

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Newsletter contents Copyright © 2006, Leo A. Notenboom & Puget Sound Software, LLC.

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