Ask Mr. Modem! – December 2007     
www.MrModem.com   


HEADLINE:  Safely Delete Restore Points


Q.  I've had my PC since January of 2007. Using XP’s System Restore, when I click “Previous Month,” I can only go back to October 2007. Does this mean that all restore points from January to October, including the original restore point, no longer exist?  How do I delete previous restore points that I no longer need?

A.  There aren't any "hidden" restore points, so what you see is what you have to work with. Restore points created in the past, if they no longer appear, are gone forever. There are two primary ways to safely delete restore points from your system:

1.  Disk Cleanup - Launch the Disk Cleanup tool (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup). After running Disk Cleanup, select the More Options tab. If you press the Clean Up button in the System Restore section, Windows will delete all Restore points except for the most recent one.

2.  Briefly Disable System Restore - By turning off System Restore, all your Restore points will be deleted. To disable System Restore, click Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. Click the System Restore Settings link and you’ll see the “Turn off System Restore on all drives” check box. Don’t forget to enable System Restore again when you’re finished.


Q.  I’m using Thunderbird as my email program, thanks to a recommendation in your weekly newsletter, which I really love. When looking at my Inbox in Thunderbird, there is no Date column. How can I add that, Mr. M?

A.  Thunderbird (www.mozilla.com/thunderbird) provides a variety of columns for sorting and organizing your email. To view available columns, including the Date column, click the button at the far right of the column header bar. A drop-down menu will display 16 possible column headings you can click to display. Bonus Tip: Click any column heading to sort the items within each column. Click again to reverse sort. This works in any Windows program, so give it a try!


Q.  I just got high-speed cable access to the Internet, but the dial-up connection box keeps popping up when I click Outlook Express. I can live with it if I have to, but it is annoying. Any suggestions?

A.  Go to your Control Panel and double-click the Internet Options icon. (Hint:  In XP, you have to click Network and Internet Connections before you get to Internet Options.)
In the Internet Options window, click the Connections tab. You can then click to select "Never dial a connection," or you can select your old dial-up connection, then click the Remove button. Since you’re not likely to be using the dial-up connection again, I’d suggest clicking the Remove button, followed by OK. That will resolve the case of the intrusive pop-up. 


Q.  I primarily use Firefox, which has a keystroke to put the cursor on the Address line. Sometimes I use Internet Explorer and I wondered if there’s a similar keystroke that will also take me to the Address line?

A.  Surprise, surprise! The same ALT + D keystroke combo will place your cursor in the Address field in both Firefox and Internet Explorer.


Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month

Big.com
My trifocals (I recently upgraded from bifocals) frequently squawk about tiny text on Web sites. Big.com to the rescue! This is a high-powered version of the Yahoo! Search engine with a twist: Everything appears in a large, easy-to-read, 14pt font. This is a blessing for anybody with a visual impairment or for those who simply want to pamper their peepers.
www.big.com

CoffeeGeek.com
Whether you prefer a fancy-shmancy CappaFrappaSpresso, or just a good old cup of joe, this is the ultimate site for coffee lovers. Here you’ll find a piping hot heap o’ news, articles, reviews and opinions for the discerning coffee slurper. And what better way to demonstrate your devotion to the Almighty Bean than by committing the Barista Code of Conduct to memory? You never know when you’ll be called upon to recite it.
http://coffeegeek.com

Tall or Not: Celebrity Height
Have you ever wondered how much taller or shorter you are than various celebrities? Me neither, but this site is fun in a rather pathetic, “I-have-no-life” kind of way. I don’t like to brag, but I felt pretty good when I discovered that I tower over—well, let’s see here, not Babe Ruth, not Barry Manilow, not Bill Cosby, not David Letterman, not Brooke Shields—on second thought, this site isn’t that much fun after all. 
http://tinyurl.com/3cagxw

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