Windows Tips

Here's a letter that may interest you from a loyal Infopackets subscriber: "Dear Infopackets Team, I'm really enjoying your articles and learning a lot about my computer. But things are not perfect. My wife is going crazy with her new Windows 8 ... computer because there's no 'Start' button. Is there anything she can do to get it back, short of returning to Windows 7? Please keep your useful information coming. Thanks, Bob G." My Response: Your wife is not the only person unhappy with some of Windows 8's new features. One of the least favorite changes appears to be the removal of the ... (view more)

" Dear Infopackets Team, I'm having trouble adequately seeing all the content on my computer monitor, and it's causing me eye strain. Are there programs I can use or settings I can change in Windows to make it easier to see my display? " My ... response: Magnification software allows you to magnify all or part of your display without altering the monitor's resolution. Microsoft includes a display utility with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 called "Magnifier" that is useful for this purpose, though it lacks the advanced features available in some commercial magnification applications ... (view more)

Update 12/5/2011 @ 9:25PM EST: Note that the link to the $99 deal we reported earlier today appears to be down. For now, you can read below about the deal and we will repost an updated link when it becomes available. Apologies for the inconvenience! ... We're just as bummed to find out the link isn't working. (From earlier today): Special Holiday 2011 Update: We just found out Amazon has Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack for $99. This is not only the lowest price ever, it's an incredibly AMAZING deal! In short, The Family Pack allows you to run Windows 7 on 3 separate PCs but you pay 1 low price ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Ray' writes: " Dear Dennis, Do you make or have any recommendations on ... products that would be helpful to people like myself who are getting on in age and who are becoming visually impaired? I've been using computers in some ... form since 1970, yet, I know that goes back a ways but I'm not really familiar with everything that is currently available. I'm 63 and have macular degeneration and want to keep using ... [my computer] as long as I can. Thank You. " My Response: I have a few suggestions that can help with making your screen easier to read. Off the top of my head: 1 ... (view more)

Firefox 4 was released to the public just a few days ago, and like many, I was quick to jump on this most marvelous upgrade. Firefox 4 is definitely faster than 3, and it surely uses less memory. However, the layout has been driving me absolutely ... nuts for the last few days. Wanted: Firefox 3 Theme for Firefox 4 Call me old fashioned, but I really, really, *really* liked the button layout of Firefox 3 much better than 4. The home page and refresh buttons, for example, have been moved and things are much more condensed. I also didn't care for the new color scheme. By the end of the day, I was ... (view more)

Special note: this article has been broken into two parts, as the question and answer is somewhat technical. I've gone to great lengths to make this as easy as possible and have provided step-by-step instructions on converting VHS to DVD, as we ... receive this question a lot from our readers. This first article describes how to do VHS to DVD conversion / transfer using USB video capture hardware. The second article explains how to make any video file (including any VHS videos you transfer to your PC) play in a DVD player: either connected to your TV, or playable in your PC. Infopackets Reader ... (view more)

This article is a continuation of a previous article, " How to Convert VHS to DVD Format ." This article describes how to How to Make Any Video File play in a DVD Player using Ashampoo Movie Shrink and Burn, which is currently on sale through our ... web site at 35% off. The steps below apply to virtually ANY video format -- including downloaded movies and video from the Internet, or your freshly ported VHS videos on the computer. How to Convert Any Video file into DVD Format With Movie Shrink and Burn (MSAB), converting any video file into DVD format is easy. Here are the steps: 1. ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Helen' writes: " Dear Dennis, Regarding the discounted Acronis True Image 2011 which is currently offered through your website (and which will expire on Wednesday, November 17th, 2010 at 11:59PM EST) -- I am currently using a HP ... (Hewlett Packard) 'Pocket' external hard drive, and it holds 320 GB of information. In order to use Acronis True Image 2011 to backup my computer, do I need to erase everything on the hard drive and reformat? I use my PC only occasionally. Thanks for any help you can provide. " My response: The short answer is that you don't have to format your ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Gene' writes: " Dear Dennis, Regarding the Windows 7 super discount (set to expire soon) -- I see that the Windows 7 bundle being offered is for 3 (three) licenses for Windows 7 Home Premium. Can you tell me, is there a similar ... discount / offer for Windows 7 Pro? The reason why I ask, is because I'm told Windows 7 Home Premium isn't as compatible with XP software. Is that true? " My response: This isn't a simple yes and no answer, so allow me to answer this in detail. First: only Windows 7 Home Premium is being offered in bulk (3 licenses, discounted), and not for any ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Barry G. writes: " Dear Dennis, In regard to the Windows 7 super discount (set to expire soon) -- I am a non-USA resident. You mentioned previously that the link for purchasing the Windows 7 discount was problematic for non-USA ... customers. I was wondering if you had an update for this? I would like to purchase Windows 7 before the discount expires. " My Response: The short answer is that we were not able to resolve this issue using the Amazon Associate Support system, but we have a workaround. The workaround applies to non-USA users. If you are USA-based user, please skip ... (view more)