The Ask Leo! Newsletter
*** Featured
What's a screen shot and how do I make one?
A screen shot or screen capture is a way to "take a picture" of your computer screen or a portion thereof.
Why?
Well, let's say that you're trying to explain a computer problem to a technical friend of yours and you're trying to describe what you see on the screen - the dialogs, the buttons, the messages, whatever. You're not sure of the terms to use and your friend is having a difficult time understanding your description of what you see.
And of course, your friend insists that the exact wording of everything you see is incredibly important (for the record, he's right.)
You know what they say: "A picture is worth a thousand words." And it can go a long way to eliminating miscommunication.
Let's take a picture of your screen you can email to your friend.
Continue reading: What's a
screen shot and how do I make one?
http://ask-leo.com/C2080
* * *
*** Answercast
Answercast #77 - Moving Windows, scheduling scans, epubs on Kindle, computer longevity and more...
Do you wonder if turning on a computer causes wear and tear, or how often you should run virus scans? Want to read an epub on a Kindle or backup encrypted files? Wondering about upgrading and downgrading from Windows 8? All that and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!
Continue reading:
Answercast #77 - Moving Windows, scheduling scans, epubs on Kindle, computer
longevity and more...
http://ask-leo.com/C6112
How should I protect my equipment from power outages?
Protecting equipment from power outages can be done with a large battery called
an Uninterruptible Power Supply.
Continue reading: How
should I protect my equipment from power outages?
http://ask-leo.com/C6113
Where can I get a copy of Windows 8 to download and
try?
Trying out Windows 8 does not seem to be the same as trying out Windows 7.
There is currently no link available for a trial download.
Continue reading:
Where can I get a copy of Windows 8 to download and try?
http://ask-leo.com/C6114
Can I take the old hard drive out of a failed laptop, put it in an
enclosure, and connect it to my new laptop?
Taking an old hard drive to a new computer can easily be done with a USB hard
drive enclosure. There are a few things to watch out for.
Continue reading:
Can I take the old hard drive out of a failed laptop, put it in an enclosure,
and connect it to my new laptop?
http://ask-leo.com/C6115
If I have Windows preinstalled on a machine and I get a new machine
how do I move Windows to it?
Moving Windows to a new machine is (mostly) not possible unless you've
purchased a retail version of the operating system.
Continue reading:
If I have Windows preinstalled on a machine and I get a new machine how do I
move Windows to it?
http://ask-leo.com/C6116
Can I get my Windows 7 unsupported hardware to work by using Windows
XP in a virtual machine?
Hardware unsupported by Windows 7 will have a hard time running in a virtual
machine. There currently is no good solution.
Continue reading:
Can I get my Windows 7 unsupported hardware to work by using Windows XP in a
virtual machine?
http://ask-leo.com/C6117
If I upgrade to Windows 7 will restoring a backup made in XP cause
problems?
Restoring an XP backup to a partition of Windows 7 running virtually on a Mac
can be complicated. One way or the other, back up everything to start!
Continue reading:
If I upgrade to Windows 7 will restoring a backup made in XP cause
problems?
http://ask-leo.com/C6118
Can I backup TrueCrypt volumes with my backup
software?
Backing up TrueCrypt volumes should be possible with any backup software,
especially when backing up the unmounted volume.
Continue reading:
Can I backup TrueCrypt volumes with my backup software?
http://ask-leo.com/C6119
How can I read an epub formatted book on a Kindle?
Reading epub books on Kindle is possible after conversion to Kindle's MOBI
format.
Continue reading: How
can I read an epub formatted book on a Kindle?
http://ask-leo.com/C6120
How often do I need to run complete anti-malware
scans?
How often you run scans for malware depends on the type of person using the
computer. You don't want too many automatic programs running.
Continue reading:
How often do I need to run complete anti-malware scans?
http://ask-leo.com/C6121
Which is better for computer longevity, turning it off when not in
use, or leaving it on?
Computer longevity from turning it off or leaving it on is a question without a
real consensus of opinion. Not dropping it is really the best plan!
Continue reading:
Which is better for computer longevity, turning it off when not in use, or
leaving it on?
http://ask-leo.com/C6122
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*** Last Issue's Articles
- Ask Leo! #413 - Cookies and how they're made, do not track, magnets, expiring email accounts and more...
- Can I network two PCs without network cards?
- Do tablets need anti-malware software?
- How do I delete cookies? And just what are cookies, anyway?
- Does "Do not track" work?
- Are hibernate and standby easier on a computer than rebooting it from scratch?
- Can magnets cause problems for external hard drives?
- How long after an email account is abandoned is its email address available for a new account?
- Are multiple instances of IE causing it to slow down dramatically?
- How do I stop my computer from turning itself on overnight?
- How do I recover my lost files and folders in email?
- Is there a way to bulk erase emails?
- Answercast #76 - Erasing & recovering email, computers that turn on, magnets, hibernate vs. shutting down, do not track and more...
*** Word o' the Week
Latency, at its simplest, is the time between a request being made and a response being received.
It can also refer to the time it takes to get a message or action from one place to another. For example a slow internet connection might involve abnormally high latency between some of the various pieces of equipment involved in getting the information from your computer to the remote server or back.
In its most generic form latency can also simply refer to the time it takes to do something, but its use is generally restrict to communications and computer operations.
Word o' the Week features a computer term or acronym taken from the Ask Leo! Glossary. If there's a word you're not sure of and would like to see defined, click here to let me know.
*** Thoughts and Comments
Uncharacteristically, I don't have a lot to add this week ... 
As a wise person once said, "if you don't have anything to say, then don't say anything".
In addition to wishing that a few people (mostly politicians) would follow that advice, I'll follow it myself.
Have a good week,
Leo A. Notenboom
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