Ask the Experts - November 2007
by John Polich

Q. (Email message) How do I convert a MS Word Doc to a PDF File?

A. If you have MS Word 2007, the program will allow you to accomplish this by using the Save As option from the File menu.

We have used PDF995 with success. A free version is available at http://www.pdf995.com/. The following is from the Web site: Pdf995 makes it easy and affordable to create professional-quality documents in the popular PDF file format. Its easy-to-use interface helps you to create PDF files by simply selecting the "print" command from any application, creating documents which can be viewed on any computer with a PDF viewer.  

Another freebie is available at: http://www.primopdf.com/ 

Q. (Email message) I send this below e mail ONLY to show the ""screen shots"" or whatever they are called.   ... How are these screen shots made and located within a new outgoing e mail? By use of Print Screen and save?  Or something easier/better??

A. (The screen shots referred to are from a column re how to get to the Device Manager, etc. For example, one screen shot displays a graphic of the Device Manager). In the past I have used the Alt + Print Screen keys to copy the "screen shot" then paste into the Paint Program (an applet in Windows) where you can select (including Free form) then cut or copy and paste into the body of your email or document.

     In the past I have used Gadwin available at http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen/. It has performed very well. There are many other free programs available e.g. http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html and http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/index.html

Do a search using screen capture as the parameter.

Since installing Vista, I now use the Snipping Tool (Start> All Programs> Accessories> Snipping Tool) which is very good. It allows you screen capture a full window, rectangular area or a free-form selection which can be saved as a jpg, .gif, .png, or .mht file.

Q. (Email message) How do I put a FAVORITES icon on my desktop?

A. Bring up the Internet to the Web site of which you are interested in to the Restore Down position (upper right part of the window) so that you can visualize the Desktop. Right click and drag the icon which is just to the left of the Web address to the Desktop and select Create Shortcuts Here. Another method to accomplish this is to bring up Favorites; right click on Web site desired; click on Send To; click on Desktop (create shortcut).

Q. While attempting to access your Documents and Settings folder in Vista from an Windows Explorer window I received the following error message C:\Documents and Settings is not accessible. Access is denied. A "shortcut" sign is present.

A. This situation happened to me and was initially very disturbing. I was able to get the following information from a Web search:

A Junction Point is a physical location on a local hard disk that points to another location on that disk or another storage device. It is essentially a shortcut, thus the shortcut icon on Junction Point folders in Windows Vista. For the most part, you can ignore Junction Points for everyday use of Windows Vista. The Junction Points are in Vista for backward compatibility of pre-Vista applications. Pre-Vista applications (applications written for XP and 2000) look for folders that are no longer used in Vista i.e. folders with the "My" prefix such as My Documents, My Pictures, and so on. There are also folders in your user profile that have been changed in Vista, and pre-Vista apps might be looking for the old folder structure during installation. If you don't set the option to Show Hidden Files in Windows Explorer, you will rarely even see the Junction Point folders.

(Learning about Vista can be frustrating at times!)

Q. (Email message) Problem: I have a stupid icon on my desktop that I saved from an email so I could view it by a different program.  I never was able to view it so wanted to delete it and now I can't.  The message I get says the following (can't read from the source file or disk).  This shouldn't be a big deal but for some reason I can't even drag it to the recycle bin.

A. Try removing the icon in Safe Mode (usually by tapping the F8 key during boot up). A commonly recommended program (Unlocker) is obtainable at: http://tinyurl.com/a5sgm.

(The questioner used Unlocker and was very pleased with how nicely it worked.)

Q. What is Bluetooth?

A. Bluetooth is a relatively new wireless short range technology.  This allows devices e.g. cell phones, computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. to connect effortlessly by using a short range wireless connection. All of your enabled devices can be interconnected with each other.

The home site for Bluetooth: http://www.bluetooth.com/bluetooth/

To learn more about Bluetooth go to: http://www.bluetooth.com/Bluetooth/Learn/

Q. (Email message) I received an email attachment consisting of an .XLS file. I do not have Excel. How can I open this file?

A. There are several ways to open this file. Since you do not have MS Office with Excel, you could download and use Excel Viewer which is available from Microsoft at http://tinyurl.com/cup85.

You should be able to view the file if you have MS Works Spreadsheet (Suite) or Open Office (Calc). Right click on the file attachment and click on Save as. When the Save in dialog box comes up, select Desktop. Right click on the Excel file; select Open With and choose the appropriate program e.g. Open Office Calc.

(Open Office is available at http://download.openoffice.org/. OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.)

Q. (Email message). What is a good way to transfer pictures from our digital camera to our computer?

A. Since you did not state what type devices you have, I will list some generalizations. Make certain that you read the manual that came with your camera. The camera should have a small port associated with a USB cable which can connect directly to your PC. Your PC will see this as a "removable" drive. This will allow you copy or move your digital pictures to wherever you want on your hard drive.

A better route to take is to remove the memory card from your camera and insert it into your computer's card reader if you have one. The card is displayed as another "removable" drive. You can then copy or move the pictures as you wish e.g. to My Pictures. If your computer does not have a card reader, consider installing one. They are relatively inexpensive.

Once the pictures are on our computers, we use Picassa to organize them.

Microsoft has a very good site re your question: http://tinyurl.com/8z2mn

Q. (Email address) The door to my CD drive opens intermittently. Once it opens, it works fine. Sometimes when I reboot, it will open; sometimes there is no response whatsoever. How do I fix this?"
A. This could be a software (driver) or hardware problem. You may have a failing CD drive. Initially go to the Device Manager and uninstall the CD/DVD entries then reboot which should allow Windows to reinstall the drive. If this does not solve the problem, shut down your computer, remove its covering and make certain that the IDE cables and power connection to the CD drive are secure. You might even try another power plug.

To get to the Device Manager in Windows XP depress the Windows key + Pause key; click the Hardware tab then select Device Manager. In Vista, depress the Windows key + Pause key then select Device Manager (left panel).

If you have a failed CD drive, you might have to replace it. This is a relatively simple procedure.