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Five-Minute Fixes

Rapid relief for balky PCs, stuck Windows, stalled networks, recalcitrant printers, and your other everyday computing hassles.

Kirk Steers

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Sweet Sounds, Pretty Pictures

One Man's Whisper

Problem: The audio CDs you make using Windows Media Player 9 blow out eardrums: One song whispers, and the next one screams.

Quick fix: The TweakMP Powertoy for Windows XP offers a number of useful tools for squeezing the most out Windows Media Player 9. One of my favorites automatically evens the volume levels across different songs when you create an audio CD. TweakMP is free, but while Microsoft created it, the company does not support it. If you don't have Windows Media Player 9, you can download that program for free as well.

Notebook as Cell Charger

Problem: You'd like to charge your cell phone anytime, anywhere.

Quick fix: As long as you have a charged laptop PC with you, you can. USB cell-phone chargers draw current from the notebook's USB port, so you don't need any bulky power transformers. Devices such as the $20 USB Mobile Phone Charger from APC (see FIGURE 10) coil up nice and snug to fit comfortably in a briefcase compartment or coat pocket. APC and other vendors sell a wide selection of chargers for many of today's popular cell phone models.

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