A Few Answers on Computer Ills

By James Derk Scripps Howard News Service

E-mail has filled the box again. Let’s see what we can answer in today’s summer column.

Question: I downloaded a program you recommended to remove spyware called SpywareBot, and it wants money to fully remove the spyware. I thought you said it was free?

Answer: The program I recommended was a free program called “SpyBot” or officially “SpyBot Search and Destroy.” Some crummy companies have co-opted the name and are trying to make a buck (or worse, infect PCs) using sound-alike program names. The one you want is SpyBot. The other good ones are Windows Defender (from Microsoft) and Ad-Aware.

Question: I have read with interest your columns on Windows Vista. If I want to go back to Windows XP is that possible to do with a copy of XP from a computer I don’t already own?

Answer: Maybe, if you have disposed of the computer and no one else currently owns it and you actually own the operating system (it wasn’t preinstalled on your system). It also depends if you have a real XP disk or a “reinstallation” disk that will only work with your former hardware.

The licensing of Microsoft products makes a lawyer blush, and I can’t figure it out over the phone.

Question: Does AVG Free Edition Anti-Virus work with Windows Vista? Sometimes I get a message that it is not loaded correctly on my laptop?

Answer: That can happen if your computer goes to sleep and you wake it up. If you reboot, all should be well. A patch to come out soon should repair this bug. But the only thing not working when your laptop comes back from sleep is the real-time scanner. You also can restart the AVG service if you would rather not restart the PC.

Question: Is there a good graphics program that is simple to use for Windows XP?

Answer: My new favorite is Irfanview. It is simple, easy to install and use and free. You can Google it and download it in a few moments. It has no spyware and doesn’t fill your PC with junk. It also works with Vista.

Question: How can I tell how much RAM my older Mac can hold? Is there a maximum?

Answer: Yes, every motherboard has a max. I find the best way is to use the memory calculator at Crucial (www.crucial.com). You can input details about your computer or your motherboard, and it will tell you not only the type of RAM you need but also the max your PC can hold. That way you can maximize what you already have (and sell the old stuff on eBay) and get the max out of your limited memory slots. For example, if your PC has two slots and can hold a max of 1 GB and you already have 256 installed, you should yank out the 256, sell it and buy two 512s rather than install a 512 and leave the 256.

Question: If my computer has a round keyboard slot in the back, do I have to use a round keyboard type of keyboard or can I use a USB keyboard?

Answer: You can use a USB keyboard. Just turn your computer off, unplug the old one and plug in the new one and turn on your computer. You may have to wait a while (a minute or two) for it to be recognized. Keep the old one around in case you have to ever hit F2 or something at the very start of the boot process since some older PCs won’t work with USB keyboards for this.

WEEKLY WEB WONDER: The Web site for my adoption book is www.derk.com. Please take a look and read a sample chapter.

James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair company, and a computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e- mail address is jim@cyberdads.com.

(c) 2007 Deseret News (Salt Lake City). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.