PC Memoirs

Almost every PC user I know had this problem at some stage: a computer that freezes. I bet you’ve seen it too: you are surfing the Web, writing a document or playing a game, when suddenly everything stops and you can’t do anything with your PC. It doesn’t respond to input from your mouse or keyboard. The screen shows the last working picture and it doesn’t move. If you were writing a document, it’s quite possible that you’ve lost everything since the last save operation (unless you try the autorecovery option).

There are many reasons why this is happening. The most common reason is some kind of hardware fault. If you added some component recently and you know which one, try to remove it and see if that helps.

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I found a great article on how to use speech recognition in Windows XP and Office 2002 and 2003. It is published on eHow.com and it lists 9 steps on how to configure the program for first use.

You’ll need Internet access, speakers and a microphone.

Before you visit eHow.com, you should also take a look at this Microsoft support page, which explains what speech recognition is used for, how it works and how to install speech recognition software.

You use it for converting spoken words to text, so you won’t have to type your letters, reports and other documents any more. All you have to do is dictate the text into the microphone and it will be displayed on the screen. You can use it in all Office programs and in programs where this function is enabled, such as Internet Explorer.

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Today’s post is about changing the way users log on or off in Windows XP. If you want to get rid of the prompt that requires you to type in your user name and password every time, or if you want to add it for extra security, please follow these steps:

• Click on the Start Menu
• Go to the Control Panel
• Click on User Accounts
• Select the Change the way users logon or off link
• In the next Window, untick the Use the Welcome screen option for extra security (if you want the users type in their user name and password)
• Otherwise, if it’s ticked, users will simply click on their logon name and type in their passwords (if they have one)
• If you don’t have a password and you don’t want to use the logon screen, make sure the Welcome screen is ticked. On the other hand, if you do have a password and you still don’t want to use the Welcome screen, then you’ll have to remove the password

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Today, an effective anti-spyware program is just as important as an antivirus program. Sometimes both are packaged into one program that protects against all types of infections, but some users look for a separate anti-spyware solution.

If you already have an antivirus program but don’t have spyware protection, you should review my list of top 10 anti-spyware programs and perhaps try one of them.

I tried to find and list free programs only, but I couldn’t ignore the great reviews and effectiveness of the first two programs on the list. Maybe they are really worth the money?

My 10 choices are:

1. Spy Sweeper (buy or free trial)
2. CounterSpy (buy)
3. Spyware Terminator (free)
4. Spyware Doctor (free)
5. SpywareBlaster (free)
6. SUPERAntiSpyware (free edition or buy pro version for $30)
7. CA Antispyware (buy – around $40)
8. Spybot Search & Destroy (free)
9. Ad-Aware Personal Edition (free)
10. Spyware Detector (buy for $30)

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You have probably come across this problem while working with your files and folders: you try to open a file, but you get an ‘Access denied – File in use’ message. Similarly, you might try to delete a file, but you can’t do this as the file is locked by some other program and you see the familiar message: ‘File is in use or write-protected…‘

In this case, it helps if you have a program called File & Folder Unlocker. This freeware utility gives you complete control over locked files and folders. With this program, you can search files that are in use by other programs, list them and specific programs that hold them open, and easily unlock those files.

The main product Web site lists all features as follows:

Comprehensive:

• Searches all system and process handles
• Searches all loaded system drivers
• Searches all loaded processes and modules
• Searches all files opened remotely

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