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    Answer Line

  • From Windows to wireless, Contributing Editor Lincoln Spector finds solutions to readers' most vexing PC problems.
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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

When the Backup Drive Gets Full

Rat74136's external hard drive is full. He asked the Answer Line forum how to keep backing up.

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Dual-Boot with Windows 7

Thomas Wensel wants to install Windows 7 while keeping his older version.

This is a great idea if you have enough spare hard drive space. It allows you to move to the new OS without burning your bridges.

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Does 120hz or 240hz Really Make A Difference?

Carla Rowland wants to know how important the refresh rate is when shopping for an HDTV

A 120 or 240hz refresh rate can certainly improve the look of an LCD HDTV, especially when dealing with fast-moving content like sports or action movies. But the difference may not be all that significant.

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Delete a Registry Key

Buffalo asked the Answer Line forum how to delete a Registry key

I've got a strong temptation not to answer this question. Deleting a Registry key is inherently dangerous. You don't know what you can mess up.

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Why is My Computer Slowing Down?

A41202813 asked the Answer Line forum why his once quick PC is slowing down

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Does Windows 7 Have Contacts?

Brian Colgin read that Windows 7 no longer has Vista's email program, but does it still store contact information?

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Calibrate my HDTV

Alex Goldstein wants to know the best way to adjust a new HDTV.

When you turned on the TV for the first time, did it ask if you'll be using it in a home or a store? Most of the new HDTVs ask that question, which is a good thing. TVs generally leave the factory set up to look good on the showroom floor, which means they look lousy in your home. By simply asking that question and adjusting the set accordingly, the TV solves the most common cause of badly-adjusted television.

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Reletter a Drive

Windows turned drive F: into drive G:, so the PC's owner asked the Answer Line forum how to change it back.

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Old Software on Floppies

Helmut Schwemmer wants to use a very old version of Managing Your Money on a new PC. But the program came on floppy disks.

Although PCs no longer come standard with floppy drives, it's actually not that difficult or expensive to read on old-fashioned diskette (at least the 3.5-inch variety). Both Iomega and LaCie sell external, USB floppy drives for $40 list price. A little bargain hunting can find considerably better deals. (I haven't tested any of these drives, so please don't consider this an endorsement.)

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Diagnose a Bad WiFi Connection

B2CAC asked the Answer Line forum why his laptop couldn't connect wirelessly to his router.

Network problems are the thorniest to resolve. They've been known to reduce my vocabulary to curses so strong they'd embarrass Quentin Tarantino.

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Save Web Sites Offline

Slik asked the Answer Line forum how to save an entire web site offline.

Saving just a page, even with images, is easy. (I'll get to saving a whole site in a moment.) In Firefox, for example, you select File**Save Page As. In the ‘Save as type' field, select Web Page, complete, then save the file. Firefox will save the page as an HTML file, but will also save all the supporting files in a local folder.

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Answer Line Lincoln Spector |

Make Dialog Boxes Smart (Or Stupid)

Beerbrain asked the Answer Line forum about a mouse cursor that automatically moves to the Yes button when a dialog box opens.

Normally, opening a dialog box does nothing to the mouse cursor. You have to drag the mouse manually to the box.

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