Disabling the 'Do you want to restart now?' message after Windows XP Pro Automatic Update

One of the most annoying features of using Windows AutoUpdate is the popup warning box that asks:



If you are in the middle of working and cannot reboot, clicking cancel repeatedly on this warning can get really frustrating.

On top of that, some Windows updates AUTOMATICALLY reboot your computer. If this happens while you are gone and you can't remember what was open on your computer - too bad.

Luckily, there is a way to both disable the automatic reboot as well as increase the amount of time between the warning boxes.

For instructions including screenshots, visit http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/disable-restart-now.

- Presario

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Firefox 3.0 Hangs

I am an avid Firefox supporter, but the computer tech in me knows that for the sake of stability you never run towards a major release of a software right away. Personally, I prefer to let all of the other people work out the bugs and issues with a new version of the software - especially if my old version is running fine.

However, I started having so many issues with the old Firefox 2.x version, that I decided to break the norm and upgrade to Firefox 3.0. I did the test on my laptop first, and was surprised to find that there were no hiccups like I had when updating from Firefox 1.0 to 2.0 back in the day. However, my laptop is not anything like my production machine which I use for EVERYTHING - so I was still nervous.

Finally, I decided to roll the dice and updated my production machine. All of the bugs and issues I was having with 2.0 were corrected, and I was actually EXCITED about the features in the new version.

Then all of a sudden I noticed a major issue; when I reopened Firefox all of my tabs did not save. This was one of the main things I LOVED about Firefox; being a developer that works on multiple projects at the same time it is a very handy feature. At first I ignored it, but as Firefox started to hang, freeze, and lose my tabs repeatedly - it started to frustrate me.

After doing a little research on Google, I ran across an article on the Mozilla support site that talked about resolving FireFox hangs. What a life saver!

This article may have made the difference from me reverting back to FireFox 2.x, or trying out Google Chrome. Hopefully it will help you too:
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Firefox+hangs#Duplicate_Session_Restore_files

- Presario

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Outlook Not Closing

Since I have upgraded to Outlook 2007 quite some time ago, I have had a problem with Outlook not closing on exit. This is an issue because I also receive my mail on my Samsung BlackJack II, and if Outlook grabs the message off the server first - no email is pulled down on my phone. The only solution I knew of was to go into the task manager and end the process manually.

The crazy thing is that this issue only happened about 75% of the time; sometimes Outlook would close correctly without any problems. I knew there had to be an alternate solution to the end process trick, or at least a better way to resolve the hanging process completely. Therefore, I did some research and found a handy little page that sheds some light on the issue.

Slipstick Systems:
OUTLOOK.EXE continues running after you exit Outlook
http://www.slipstick.com/problems/close.asp

Hope this helps if you are having the same issue!

- Presario

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Adobe Illustrator CS3 Will Not Let You Save

When working in Adobe Illustrator CS3 last night, I hit the ultimate point of frustration when my application refused to allow me to save any document in .AI (native Illustrator) format. I just finished working on a magazine ad for a client, and all of a sudden a rush of fear overwhelmed me as I thought I was going to lose all of my work.

After doing some research on the web, I came across an article on the Adobe Forums that had several workaround solutions. After implementing them successfully, I thought I would share the information.

One of the issues seems to be a compatibility problem between Zune and Adobe Illustrator CS3. Microsoft explains it as the following in the article located at http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb403151&sliceId=1 :

"The Zune Team has investigated this issue. The issue is that Zune(2.1 and greater, along with many other applications) send input (via virtual keys) prior to setting foreground window. Zune does this at startup...and when a device is connected. Most apps use a specific virtual key for this, and in this case after the adobe app gets this key it will fail to save.

We have contacted adobe support with this information along with a sample repro to allow them to resolve the issue with input handling.

_Zach Johnson(zjohnson@microsoft.com)
Zune Product Team"

Here are some workarounds until they figure it out:

1. If you have the Zune Software and Illustrator open at the same time, it could be as simple as exiting out of Zune and then trying to save.

2. If that doesn't work and you are in Illustrator and have Zune running, and cannot afford to lose your progress: open up task manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL), go to "processes", kill any Zune processes running.

3. If that still doesn't work, try saving the file as an EPS. You can also save the Illustrator file and make sure that you uncheck "Create PDF Compatible File" in the save options dialog box. Reboot, kill all of the Zune processes as described in step two, open up the Illustrator or EPS file, and resave.

It was also noted that the programs 'Avira' and 'NOD 32' have a similar issue with Illustrator. If you do not have a Zune or the above options do not help, try exiting these programs before saving.

The full article is located at http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.3c05392c.

- Presario

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Unable to Start a Program with an .exe File Extension

I was working on one of my client's laptops and ran across an issue where none of the files ending in .exe were working. In trying to find a solution, I ran across an article that had some great information on fixing this issue.

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/exefile.htm

If you ever run into this problem, then I hope this resource helps.

- Presario

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How to Pick a Flat Panel TV

One of the questions I get from friends and family is, "What is the difference between Plasma and LCD TVs?" I found an article on MSN that does a great job on explaining the pros and cons of each.

How to Buy a Flat-Screen TV

- Presario

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PC World - 15 Great, Free Security Programs

Hello,

Well - I just found out that my favorite firewall program that I have been using for the past seven years, BlackICE, will no longer be supported by IBM after September of 2008. In my search for an alternative, I came across a great article on PC World's website called '15 Great, Free Security Programs'.

Here is the link:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,133631-page,1-c,privacysecurity/article.html

If you asked me three years ago if there was any free software that really works, I would have probably looked at you crazily. However, after three years of using the completely free Avast Home Edition - I have to admit that there is such a thing as good, free software. This article reaffirms my newfound faith in free software.

- Presario

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