Ever have somebody email you a Word or Excel document created in Microsoft Office 2007 and you can't open it? That's because Microsoft changed the naming convention on their documents (don't you love improvements?!).
The problem is that previous versions of Microsoft Office used the standard naming convention (Word documents ended in the file extension ".doc", Excel documents ended with the ".xls" file extension, etc. However, Microsoft Office 2007 added an "x" to the end of the file extensions. Thus, Word documents became ".docx" docs, and Excel became ".xlsx" documents, etc.
The good news is that Microsoft has fix for the incompatibly issues. You can download and install a free compatibility pack that will allow you to open Microsoft Office 2007 documents. To get the free Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, click here.
If you're using an earlier version of Microsoft Office (2003, 2000, etc.), I recommend downloading and insdtalling the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack whether you think you need it or not. This way, you'll be able to open Office 2007 documents should the need arise.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Dell Computer Keeps Booting to Diagnostic Screen
Today, I encountered a unique problem with a brand new Dell computer. One of my clients had bought a new computer from Dell and asked me to come by and set it all up for him. Oddly enough, as soon as we plugged everything in and booted up the computer, we encountered the diagnostic screen.
Although there was an option to exit the diagnostic screen, doing so, only brought you right back to it. Running the tests worked great, but again, you were back to the diagnostic screen (which you still couldn't exit out of) when finished.
I even tried rebooting the computer and pressing F8 to bypass the normal start up process, but that did nothing. After every trick I knew failed, my next instinct was to reload Windows XP using the System Restore disk and start over.
But before doing that, I called Dell support and decided to talk to them about it. Dell suggested I ship the computer back to them and they would reload everything (also suspecting a software problem at the time the computer was first set up). I suggested using the System Restore disk first and if it failed to correct the problem, I would then be willing to ship the computer back.
Starting the restore process, gave me the opportunity to look at the partitions that Dell had set up at the factory. As it turns out, they were wrong. Somebody had loaded the "C" partition with the Dell Diagnostic program, and loaded the operating system (WinXP) on the "D" partition.
Because of this arrangement, the computer had no choice but to keep booting the Diagnostic program (wasting my time and causing frustration).
To fix the problem, I had to delete both partitions, create a new single partition and reload the Operating System from disk. Then of course, once Windows was restored, I had to reinstall all of the drivers and software that came with the computer. But the problem was solved and I didn't have to ship the computer back to Dell!
Although there was an option to exit the diagnostic screen, doing so, only brought you right back to it. Running the tests worked great, but again, you were back to the diagnostic screen (which you still couldn't exit out of) when finished.
I even tried rebooting the computer and pressing F8 to bypass the normal start up process, but that did nothing. After every trick I knew failed, my next instinct was to reload Windows XP using the System Restore disk and start over.
But before doing that, I called Dell support and decided to talk to them about it. Dell suggested I ship the computer back to them and they would reload everything (also suspecting a software problem at the time the computer was first set up). I suggested using the System Restore disk first and if it failed to correct the problem, I would then be willing to ship the computer back.
Starting the restore process, gave me the opportunity to look at the partitions that Dell had set up at the factory. As it turns out, they were wrong. Somebody had loaded the "C" partition with the Dell Diagnostic program, and loaded the operating system (WinXP) on the "D" partition.
Because of this arrangement, the computer had no choice but to keep booting the Diagnostic program (wasting my time and causing frustration).
To fix the problem, I had to delete both partitions, create a new single partition and reload the Operating System from disk. Then of course, once Windows was restored, I had to reinstall all of the drivers and software that came with the computer. But the problem was solved and I didn't have to ship the computer back to Dell!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Paper Mismatch Error
Have you seen the "paper mismatch" error when printing? I've seen it a few times now on different computers, running different operating systems, etc. The only common variables between the computers had in common were that the users were trying to print Works documents (Works Word, or Quattro, etc.) and they were using HP Officejet printers.
The first time I saw the error, one of my clients was trying to print a Quattro spreadsheet in landscape format when the error occurred. She could print Quattro documents in portrait, but not landscape.
The second time I saw the error, the person was trying to print a Works Word Processing document size 5.5 x 8.5. Again, everything was configured properly, but the "paper mismatch" error appeared.
It doesn't matter how many times you check your printer and document configuration settings, or change the paper type in your printer ... nothing fixes the error message.
The folks at HP have apparently seen the problem several times because they have troubleshooting steps on their support site for the "paper mismatch" error. However, none of the steps solve the problem.
The only fix I've been able to find, is to convert the document from a Works document to a Microsoft Office document. For example, if you were trying to print a Quattro spreadsheet, covert the document to Excel. If you were trying to print the document in Works Word, convert the document to Microsoft Word. Each time, this conversion has solved the paper mismatch problem (making me wonder if the problem is tied to Works, and not HP printers).
Of course, in order to make the conversion, you have to have Microsoft Office installed on your computer (which I always recommend). If you don't have Microsoft Office installed, you can either buy it or try converting the document in question to another type of document (like Word Pad).
If you do have Microsoft Office installed, the easiest the way to perform the conversion is to open the Works document in question, and then on the menu select FILE > SAVE AS then SAVE. Some formatting may be lost, but this process is a lot easier than retyping the info in Microsoft Word or Excel.
Once you make the conversion and verify you can print your document (without the paper mismatch error), I recommend deleting the original Works document to eliminate confusion.
The first time I saw the error, one of my clients was trying to print a Quattro spreadsheet in landscape format when the error occurred. She could print Quattro documents in portrait, but not landscape.
The second time I saw the error, the person was trying to print a Works Word Processing document size 5.5 x 8.5. Again, everything was configured properly, but the "paper mismatch" error appeared.
It doesn't matter how many times you check your printer and document configuration settings, or change the paper type in your printer ... nothing fixes the error message.
The folks at HP have apparently seen the problem several times because they have troubleshooting steps on their support site for the "paper mismatch" error. However, none of the steps solve the problem.
The only fix I've been able to find, is to convert the document from a Works document to a Microsoft Office document. For example, if you were trying to print a Quattro spreadsheet, covert the document to Excel. If you were trying to print the document in Works Word, convert the document to Microsoft Word. Each time, this conversion has solved the paper mismatch problem (making me wonder if the problem is tied to Works, and not HP printers).
Of course, in order to make the conversion, you have to have Microsoft Office installed on your computer (which I always recommend). If you don't have Microsoft Office installed, you can either buy it or try converting the document in question to another type of document (like Word Pad).
If you do have Microsoft Office installed, the easiest the way to perform the conversion is to open the Works document in question, and then on the menu select FILE > SAVE AS then SAVE. Some formatting may be lost, but this process is a lot easier than retyping the info in Microsoft Word or Excel.
Once you make the conversion and verify you can print your document (without the paper mismatch error), I recommend deleting the original Works document to eliminate confusion.
Friday, December 26, 2008
New Version of Windows To Be Released in 2010
A few people have asked me recently about the "new version of Windows" which is supposed to replace Vista. Although little information is known at this time, it's true that there is new version of Windows (called, Windows 7) which is supposed to be available in 2010.
Why is Microsoft releasing another Operating System (OS) so soon? One reason, of course, is to make money by constantly offering new innovative products. But another reason is that folks are still refusing to embrace Vista as XP's replacement.
While average home consumers don't have a lot of influence over Microsoft. corporations do. And according to a recent article, only 10% of businesses have made the switch to Vista, while the remaining 90% have put pressure on Microsoft to continue supporting Windows XP.
Because of this pressure, Microsoft hasn't pulled XP completely off the shelf yet and you may still be able to get it on a new computer. It also means that Microsoft will continue supporting XP longer than expected (which is good news for most of us).
To track the progress of Widows 7, Microsoft has set up a web page that you can visit. This page will share information as it becomes available and you'll be able to see what some of the changes and differences will be.
You can visit the Windows 7 web page by clicking here.
Why is Microsoft releasing another Operating System (OS) so soon? One reason, of course, is to make money by constantly offering new innovative products. But another reason is that folks are still refusing to embrace Vista as XP's replacement.
While average home consumers don't have a lot of influence over Microsoft. corporations do. And according to a recent article, only 10% of businesses have made the switch to Vista, while the remaining 90% have put pressure on Microsoft to continue supporting Windows XP.
Because of this pressure, Microsoft hasn't pulled XP completely off the shelf yet and you may still be able to get it on a new computer. It also means that Microsoft will continue supporting XP longer than expected (which is good news for most of us).
To track the progress of Widows 7, Microsoft has set up a web page that you can visit. This page will share information as it becomes available and you'll be able to see what some of the changes and differences will be.
You can visit the Windows 7 web page by clicking here.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Is Your Computer Compatible with Vista?
A lot of folks have been asking about Vista lately, wondering if Vista has improved any since its release date. The answer is 'yes', at least in my opinion.
Whenever a new Operating System (OS) is released, I usually advise my clients to stay away from it for a good year or so. This is because software is typically released before all the bugs are worked out of it, and there are usually compatibility issues with other software and hardware that may be running on the computer.
But now that Windows Vista has been out a while, it's more stable and more drivers have been created to solve compatibility issues. I've been using Vista for about a year now, and have not had any major problems with it. In fact, Vista has a few features that I have even come to love (like their gadgets).
For most of my clients, I still advise that they DON'T upgrade their computers to Vista - because of compatibility issues. But, if buying a new computer, then don't worry about getting Vista on it. Eventually, we'll all be forced to switch to Windows Vista. And that being the case, it's best to wait til you buy a new computer. You'll have a lot less headaches this way.
None the less, if you are considering making the switch to Windows Vista, you might want to check their compatibility list first to see if your existing hardware and software will work Vista. You can check compatibility list by checking the link below.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/
Checking the list can save you hours of frustration down the road when upgrading to Windows Vista.
Whenever a new Operating System (OS) is released, I usually advise my clients to stay away from it for a good year or so. This is because software is typically released before all the bugs are worked out of it, and there are usually compatibility issues with other software and hardware that may be running on the computer.
But now that Windows Vista has been out a while, it's more stable and more drivers have been created to solve compatibility issues. I've been using Vista for about a year now, and have not had any major problems with it. In fact, Vista has a few features that I have even come to love (like their gadgets).
For most of my clients, I still advise that they DON'T upgrade their computers to Vista - because of compatibility issues. But, if buying a new computer, then don't worry about getting Vista on it. Eventually, we'll all be forced to switch to Windows Vista. And that being the case, it's best to wait til you buy a new computer. You'll have a lot less headaches this way.
None the less, if you are considering making the switch to Windows Vista, you might want to check their compatibility list first to see if your existing hardware and software will work Vista. You can check compatibility list by checking the link below.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/
Checking the list can save you hours of frustration down the road when upgrading to Windows Vista.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Customizing Your Google Home Page
Once you have your Google home page set up, the next step is to customize it for you. By doing so, you can ensure that you're getting the information you want, while removing the stuff you don't want.
Once you've logged into your Google home page, you'll see a couple of links labeled, "Themes for Causes" and "Add Stuff".
The "Add Stuff" link will help you add RSS feeds and gadgets (like weather and calendar) that you're interested in. There are loads of gadgets and to make them easier to find, Google has separated them into categories (like tools, sports, finance, etc.).
In addition to the weather and calendar gadget, I tend to favor the "bookmarks" gadget and my favorite RSS feeds.
When you find one you like, simply click the "Add it Now" button under it. When done, click the "back to iGoogle home" link at top of page. If you hold the left mouse button down on the title bar of the gadget, you can drag and drop it anywhere you like on the page.
The "Themes for Causes" link allows you customize your Google page for a holiday, sports, or other theme. Some folks like to do this, some don't. It's a personal preference thing. But check it out to get a feel for how it works.
Having a Google home page can make your internet experience easier and more enjoyable. So give it a try.
Once you've logged into your Google home page, you'll see a couple of links labeled, "Themes for Causes" and "Add Stuff".
The "Add Stuff" link will help you add RSS feeds and gadgets (like weather and calendar) that you're interested in. There are loads of gadgets and to make them easier to find, Google has separated them into categories (like tools, sports, finance, etc.).
In addition to the weather and calendar gadget, I tend to favor the "bookmarks" gadget and my favorite RSS feeds.
When you find one you like, simply click the "Add it Now" button under it. When done, click the "back to iGoogle home" link at top of page. If you hold the left mouse button down on the title bar of the gadget, you can drag and drop it anywhere you like on the page.
The "Themes for Causes" link allows you customize your Google page for a holiday, sports, or other theme. Some folks like to do this, some don't. It's a personal preference thing. But check it out to get a feel for how it works.
Having a Google home page can make your internet experience easier and more enjoyable. So give it a try.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Are You Protected from the Facebook Virus?
Computer viruses are typically designed to target popular programs ... and as such, there is now one targeting Facebook users. This virus was first discovered in August 2008 and is known by its technical name, "W32.Koobface.A" (and W32.Koob.face.worm, and Boface.A).
The best way to protect yourself against this worm is to make sure your antivirus software is up to date.
If you don't have an Antivirus program on your computer, I highly recommend Norton Internet Security (not Norton 360).
For more information about other viruses found on facebook, click here.
The best way to protect yourself against this worm is to make sure your antivirus software is up to date.
If you don't have an Antivirus program on your computer, I highly recommend Norton Internet Security (not Norton 360).
For more information about other viruses found on facebook, click here.
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