Ask Mr. Modem! – September 2007
www.MrModem.com
When Bad Things Happen to Good Icons
Q. I don’t know what happened, but all the icons on my Desktop disappeared. I
can get to my Desktop folder through Windows Explorer, but when I try to drag
icons from there to the Desktop, a message pops up that says, “Cannot move icon.
Destination folder is the same as the source folder." Can you help me?
A. Yes, I’ll be happy to help you get your meandering icons back on your
Desktop, though they actually are on your Desktop by virtue of being in the
Desktop folder. That’s why, when you try to drag them from the Desktop folder to
your Desktop, Windows snips at you. It’s telling you that you can’t move them to
your Desktop because they are already there. They’re just being shy.
To coax them out of seclusion, right-click a blank area of your Desktop. From
the menu that appears, select Arrange Icons By and from the sub-menu, select
Show Desktop Icons. Click to place a check mark in front of Show Desktop Icons
to turn it back on.
Q. When I try to open a spreadsheet in Excel, I get an error message that
says, “Locked for editing.” I created the file, so I don’t know how it could be
locked. What can I do to unlock it?
A. Right-click the file and select Properties. In the Attributes section you’ll
see that “Read Only” is checked. Remove the check mark, click Apply > OK, and
you’ll be able to access and edit the file once again.
Q. I’m looking for a program that will print wallet-size checks. Any
suggestions, Mr. M?
A. Check-printer programs are a dime a dozen, but finding one that prints
wallet-size checks is the challenge here. Take at look at the cleverly named
Check Printer
(http://tinyurl.com/2wr48t). Unlike other check-printing
programs that require you to purchase blank checks, this program prints checks
removed from your checkbook—hopefully, with your permission. It allows you to
print in a variety of formats, including wallet-size checks. You can try Check
Printer for free and it’s only nine dollars to register, if you decide to keep
it.
Q. I love your newsletter, Mr. M. Keep up the good work! Lately I’ve been
getting email notices that certain emails I supposedly sent were undeliverable,
but I know I didn’t send them. What’s going on?
A. Here’s how that generally happens: Your name and email address appear in
other peoples’ address books. That’s true for all of us and of course we cannot
control who decides to include us in an address book.
Certain forms of virus (worms) will hijack address books and use them to send
out messages and infected files that make it appear as if the people in the
address book sent them.
If you happen to be in a hijacked address book, mail is going to be sent out
that shows your name and address as the sender. If the delivery address on one
or more of those messages is no longer valid, it will bounce back to you because
you’re shown as the sender. You’ll then exclaim to nobody in particular, “Hey, I
don’t know this person and I never sent this message!”
The bottom line is that the undeliverable messages you receive are nothing to be
concerned about because they have nothing to do with you. These things tend to
run in cycles, so it will probably subside after a few days. It’s just the
nature of the Internet beast these days, so whenever you get any of those
messages bouncing back to you as undeliverable, just delete them and don’t give
‘em a second thought.
Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month - September 2007
Appliance Repair Clinic
Here you’ll find useful information about every major household appliance,
including troubleshooting, maintenance tips, answers to common questions, a
diagnostic section, and where to find appliance parts.
www.repairclinic.com
My Favorite Word
The perfect site for philologists. Scroll through the submissions of word
enthusiasts who share their favorite words. Each word is accompanied by a
definition, as well as a little anecdote about the word, its etiology, or its
special meaning to the contributor.
www.myfavoriteword.com
Pandora.com
Created by the Music Genome Project, you are invited to select your favorite
music, then through analysis of the selected melody, harmony, rhythm, and
instrumentation, the site will present other music it feels you might also
enjoy. Be sure to read the Pandora FAQ (http://blog.pandora.com/faq)
before participating.
www.pandora.com
Subscribe to Mr. Modem’s Weekly Newsletter for plain-English answers by
email. For more information, visit
www.MrModem.com.