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Ask Computer Jim - 31st March 2007
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Open Office
The free, multi-platform, open source office suite has just released a new version. Version 2.2 of Open Office is available for download now, links available in the Free Alternatives download section. Open Office provides Microsoft compatible versions of all of the popular office software such as Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Databases and more. You can read more about the included software here.
Call #1 - Paul
Paul has been using Open Office for over a year and is completely satisfied. He’s also a Firefox and Thunderbird user too - a couple of completely free and full featured alternatives to Internet Explorer and Outlook.
Paul discovered Open Office when he was looking for a way to create PDF documents - a feature that is included in Open Office, and that Microsoft had to drop from Office 2007 due to a dispute with Adobe.
Call #2 - Brian
Brian’s question is about starting to use Linux and he’s unsure of where to start. One of the most popular Linux distributions now is Ubuntu. You can download Ubuntu completely free here. They also ship CDs of the previous release, also completely free, by going here.
One of the great things about recent Linux distributions is that you can try them before you install by using something called a Live CD. Ubuntu has a great support network including full documentation, forums and mailing lists. There are also user groups in the Memphis and Tennessee area.
Another one of our listeners, Ben, sent me a link to a video of him demonstrating Ubuntu Linux with the Beryl interface layer. This really is amazing and shows what the open source community can do. You can watch the video here. Thanks Ben!
Call #3 - Donald
Donald says that efax also supports PDF files. efax is not free software, although they do provide some great features for blocking spam faxes and also offer a free trial.
Call #4 - Linda
Linda is running Adaware and Spy Sweeper and every time she runs them it is discovering more spyware. In addition to running an antivirus such as AVG, it is also recommended that you run several anti spyware programs such as adaware, Spybot and Windows Defender, all of which should be used on a regular basis. Linda specifically mentioned cookies. The Spybot website has an answer as to why so many tracking cookies are discovered by anti spyware programs. This is due to third party cookies being identified as tracking cookies, third party cookies are generally used by advertisers to track your movement around the web and they should be disabled in the interest of security. Information on disabling third party cookies in all major browsers is available from the Spybot FAQ #37. CCleaner is another general maintenance utility that should be used on a regular basis for keeping your computer running smoothly.
Call #5 - Mike
Mike wants training in Microsoft’s database software, Access. The New Horizons learning Center in Memphis offers Access Training. If you want to learn by yourself O’Reilly publishing has many books on Access from novice to professional. Most of which are available both online and in print versions.
Yahoo Email to get unlimited storage
Yahoo has just announced that they are rolling out unlimited storage to all it’s email accounts. Google was the first email service to offer high amounts of storage with GMail which forced other email providers to follow suit. Although Yahoo, unlike Google, still does not offer POP3 access to their web mail service.
Call #6 - Lee
Lee has the "AOL blues", she having trouble installing AOL software and trying to remove Norton. We have a guide online for uninstalling Norton products which should help with that problem. From what Lee said it sounds like she has upgraded to Bellsouth DSL but is still trying to access the web via the AOL software. When you move to another DSL provider from AOL you no longer have to use the AOL software to access the web and you can use Internet Explorer or Firefox. AOL is still available to you by going to the AOL website.
Call #7 - Michael
When Michael checks his process manager in Windows he see a strange process that is taking up to 99% CPU usage. The process he mentions is named ‘exe1.exe’. After a google search it appears this could be related to a printer/scanner driver, reinstalling the driver might resolve the issue if so - try disconnecting the scanner and see if that helps.
The other possibility is that it is a malicious process, a virus or spyware infection. Work through our quick tips for system maintenance to ensure you have a clean system. HijackThis, available from our downloads page, is also a great utility for discovering malicious software that may be running on your system.
Call #8 - Claudia
Claudia is a first time listener and is having some trouble with a process, named ‘Ydell’, crashing when her computer starts. This process could be malisious or not so running HijackThis and then submitting the log file here will help to discover if it is or not.
This could also be the remains of some spyware that has been removed and is trying to start itself when Windows starts. We have a guide for using Microsoft’s MSConfig to disable start-up items that should be of use. Another great general maintenance tool is CCLeaner, which can help clear out unused files, fix registry issues and remove unwanted programs.
Call #9 - Peg
Peg’s Dell laptop is now 3 years old and she says when she’s working on the computer the screen suddently turns dark. It sounds like the LCD screen could be failing, if you have an external monitor to try this could narrow down the problem to a software or hardware issue. If the problem does not occur with an external monitor then it’s almost definitely a problem with the laptop screen.
Call #10 - Jim
Jim says the issue with the crashing process Claudia was experiencing could be realted to a DOS command which could be worth following up.
Don’t forget to try out the Ask Computer Jim Windows Vista Gadget! If you have any support questions please send me a message via our online contact form.
Thanks to listener Petro for helping save the last 15 minutes of the podcast this week. Petro is a blind computer user who uses the software provided by Applian Technologies to record his favorite radio shows. He says that Applian go out of their way to help blind computer users like himself.
