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What's Up With Recalcitrant CD Rewrites, Bulky Browser Add-Ons, and More

The question and answers continue with a look at the history of the compact-disc format. Ohter topics include what you can do to dial up music volume in Windows XP or Vista while keeping the OS's system sounds comfortably pianissimo, how to uninstall or disable browser add-ons in Internet Explorer and Firefox, and how to set up faxing in Windows XP and Vista.

Why are supposedly rewritable CD-RWs read-only?

Peter Segel, Fort Myers, Florida

The compact-disc format was designed originally as a read-only medium, and the ability to erase and rewrite discs had to be added to the format after the fact. That's why you need special software to write to CD-R and -RW discs, and why--even with this software in place--CD-RWs behave like reformattable CD-Rs, and not like editable storage devices along the lines of flash drives.

Packet-writing programs get around this limitation of the format by running in the background and, in effect, fooling Windows into seeing an inserted CD-RW as a hard drive. Ahead Software's $80 Nero 7 Ultra and Roxio's $70 Easy Media Creator 9 come with packet-writing programs, though Nero's InCD isn't part of the default installation. Roxio calls its program Drag-to-Disc. Flash drives may be a better choice than CD-RWs as erasable, portable media because they don't have this problem.

How do I get loud music and soft Windows sounds?

Tom McGilligan, San Clemente, California

In Windows XP, there's not much you can do to customize your volume levels. Make sure that the volume in your media player software is cranked up as high as it can go. To turn off Windows sounds entirely, select Start,Run, type mmsys.cpl, and press ‹Enter›. Click the Sounds tab, choose the Sound scheme No Sounds (or alternatively, save your existing scheme), and click OK.

Vista has a Volume Mixer that allows you to set different audio levels for different programs that deliver sound (XP's Volume Control looks similar, but it doesn't do the job). To reach Vista's tool, right-click the speaker icon in your system tray and select Open Volume Mixer. If you don't see a speaker icon, click Start, type sndvol, and press ‹Enter›.

What's the best way to uninstall browser add-ons?

William E. Tarkington, Midwest City, Oklahoma

Internet Explorer 7 allows you to remove ActiveX controls--provided that they're ones you've downloaded and installed (as opposed to those that came with the browser). To remove them, select Tools•Manage Add-ons•Enable or Disable Add-ons. In the Show pulldown menu, select Downloaded ActiveX Controls (32-bit). Select the unwanted control, and click Delete.

You may have other options at your disposal for deleting these programs. Check Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet (Programs and Features in Vista); An uninstaller for the add-on may be there. And if the program has a reputation as malware, you may be able to remove it by using a security program such as LavaSoft's AdAware.

On the other hand, if you're using Mozilla Firefox, all you have to do uninstall an unwanted browser add-on is select Tools•Add-ons, choose the unwanted item, and click Uninstall.

How do I send a fax from Windows?

Fred Weil, Toms River, New Jersey

Both XP and Vista come with perfectly serviceable fax programs. Of course, to use them, you'll need a dial-up analog modem plugged into your telephone line. To set up faxing in XP, open Control Panel's Printers and Faxes applet. In the left pane, click Set up faxing (the option may be identified as 'Install a local fax printer'). The fax configuration wizard is self-explanatory. When it's done, you'll see the Fax icon among your various printer options.

From now on, you can fax anything that you can print. Just select Fax from the list of available printers. Vista Business and Vista Ultimate come with a program called 'Windows Fax and Scan' that makes faxing extremely easy.