Ask Leo!: Windows Configuration

How can I make the text on my screen larger?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:00:00 -08:00

I am “old” ... so I need to use a magnifying glass to read a lot of the screen words. I suppose that they are in a six or eight-point font. Can I make the screen text larger? Say to a 10- or 12-point font?

]]> I know how you feel. My eyes aren't all that they used to be either.

The good news is that it's actually easy to make the fonts bigger, but the setting is hidden fairly well.

The bad news is that it's also fairly easy to do the wrong thing and end up with something that seems better, but often isn't.

How do I force Windows to reinstall a driver?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:50:10 -08:00

My machine is an emachines T2792 and has six USB ports. No matter which port I plug into or what type of hardware that I try to use, my computer tells me that the “hardware has malfunctioned” or “hardware not recognized”. My OS is XP-Home edition. I've tried no fewer than a half-dozen driver repair and PC rejuvenators - all to no avail. What do you think is the most likely culprit?

]]> My knee-jerk, snarky reaction is to say that the half-dozen driver repair and PC rejuvenators are at fault. Many are no better than snake oil and they either add problems where there previously had been none or make existing problems worse.

However, there was at least a problem before you tried them, so they can't be completely at fault.

We do need to seriously consider that the hardware here has a problem and no amount of driver fiddling is going to fix that.

But before we throw in the towel on a software solution, there is one thing worth trying.

How do I delete screen savers from my PC?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 08:00:00 -08:00

How do I delete screensavers from my PC that I'm not interested in?

]]> Depending on the screen saver and where it came from, it's likely to be in one of two places. Regardless of which, screen savers are pretty easy to remove.

I'll show you both places.

How do I turn off User Account Control (UAC) in Windows 7?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:41:24 -08:00

I am the ONLY person using an Acer notebook with Windows 7 and have full administrator authorization, obviously. Nevertheless, there are many things that I cannot do (like unmark 'Read Only' from some folders or move/copy files into them. I get a message saying, 'You need full administration rights to do this'). If I click Continue, nothing happens. So the question is: how do I TOTALLY disable ANY limitations on the operation of this computer and in Windows 7?

]]> As I discussed in an earlier article, Why does my computer say I need to be administrator, when I am?, even when you're logged in using an account that has administrative privileges, you're not really running as administrator. You'll still need to confirm administrative operations - those operations requiring what's called "elevation" to true administrator.

User Account Control, or UAC, is an important and, in my mind, very valuable security feature. It prevents malicious software that you might accidentally run from having administrative access and wreaking all sorts of havoc.

I don't recommend turning it off. Not at all.

However, for those that insist, I'll show you how.

Why does Task Manager suddenly have no menu or tabs?

leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) — Sat, 28 May 2011 14:11:00 -08:00

Why does Task Manager suddenly have no menu or tabs?

]]> Windows Task Manager has a mode that maximizes the data display by hiding the menu and title bar.

It's easy to accidentally get Task Manager into that mode.

It's just as easy to get it out.