Here are just a selection of 43 interesting and hopefully very useful Windows enhancements:

For instance, how about 'Sizer'?

A right click on the maximize button on the Title Bar in order to quickly change the size and/or placement of the active Window using a selection of pre-set profiles. Also with user-defined sizes and placements.



Or 'Fences'?

Clearly-labeled areas on your desktop that you could move or organize without needing to deal with each icon individually.

Or maybe 'Taskbar Shuffle'?

An ability to reorder the tabs in your taskbar (on the bottom of your Desktop) by dragging them about at will.

Or perhaps 'WinSplit Revolution'?

A freeware program that brings instant, versatile docking and resizing of windows to the sides of the and/or corners of the screen.



Or 'TaskSwitchXP'?

Using 'Alt+Tab' replacement, it simply scrolls across the different open apps and windows while (reliably) displaying a screenshot of the selected app.

There are 38 more of them. Some of them just might make you wonder how you managed without them previously and I do hope you find something of value.

Check them out at http://bigbrains.com/2009/11/forty-three-of-the-best-free-windows-enhancements/

This isn't a PC problem I know , but how do you overlap chart's ? such as palm oil & crude oil chart's.

aldwickk, it would depend on your charting application. Many will let you do something on the lines of "PLOTFOREIGN(symbol)" over a base symbol. You'll probably have some issues like scaling and normally that would be overcome by an option in your charting application itself.

OK KLal thank's I will look into it

IE keeps opening webpage, telling me to get windows messenger.live, every 30mins how do I stop it???

By getting Windows Messenger Live, of course.

Hillary. thats what I thought but its for windows 7 and Vista, I've got xp and the latest version of messenger already ;-)

Need a new battery for my laptop. Pcbattery.co.uk looks very good, Dell inspiron 1501 for 25.81 including delivery, seems too cheap as Dell charge 111.
Anyone had experience of PC battery.

Here are a couple at about that price

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/default.php?cat=3&type=3036&man=0&filterwords=&go=SEARCH&comp=

Load page and find 1501 on page

Richgit, the way I would do it (probably simpler ways) go in to system manager (ctrl + Alt + Del) and find the application which is booting up every 30 mins in the 'Processes' tab. Highlight the process you want to terminate and click end process. If you want to delete the file, right click the process you are targeting and click 'open file location'. Then delete the file in that location. Make absolutely sure you are deleting the correct file though!

HARRYCAT, thanks ;-) its IE thou, stopped for now heres hoping ;-)

Yes, but a process will be telling IE to open. It should be in the list.

I checked the processes, but theres 20+ and not sure which one I need to close

I don't have Messenger, so I can't look at the program here to see the details. Is it possible if you already have messenger installed, all you need to do is go the the Options or Preferences in Messenger and disable the update instructions? I would advise against disabling anything in the system Manager if you are not sure which is the one you want.

Is this any good? : http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/security/learnmore/stopspam.mspx

Another option may be to go to the download page at Microsoft and instead of accepting the download, untick the box and at the bottom tick the box that says 'don't show this download again'. In this case you will have to have already opted to do the downloads manually, not automatically.

The ongoing inventiveness of this industry does amuse me.

Firefox Extension BlackSheep Detects And Protects You From Firesheep

Why does the code below produce this error? My son's homework. I don't write Java: -

"Console() has private access in java.io.Console"

package dice;
import java.util.Random;
import java.io.Console;
public class Main {
Console console = new Console();

//constructor for Main class/**

public Main(){
//create a random variable to generate a Random number
Random aNum = new Random();
// use the randomNum methhod to create and returd a Random number
int generatedNum1 = randomNum(aNum);
//create a second random number
int generatedNum2 = randomNum(aNum);

if (generatedNum1 == generatedNum2)
console.println("Draw");

if (generatedNum1 > generatedNum2)
console.println("Throw 1 wins");

if (generatedNum1 < generatedNum2)
console.println("Throw 2 wins");

//output both of throws
console.println("throw 1 = "+ generatedNum1 +" throw 2 = "+ generatedNum2);

}

public static void main(String[] args) {
new Main();
}
//use
public int randomNum(Random aNum)
{
return aNum.nextInt(6)+1;
}
}

Is it because you've spelt 'method' and 'returd' wrong...?

(cough cough)

Exec - or anyone else for that matter.

I was having problems with one of the Computer Doctors' PC's and it turned out that my real problem was due to an external USB hub. At their suggestion I installed a Belkin PCI USB card and the machine now runs perfectly.

The card has four external sockets and one internal USB socket.

What should I be using the internal one for?

TP

Anything that draws significant power e.g. an external HD.

Things like Meece and webcams could go on the external one.

I think I am correct in saying that the four external ports, which take their power from the motherboard, are drawing their power from the same source, so the more you plug in, the slower they will react [USB current (related to power) is allocated in units of 100 mA up to a maximum total of 500 mA per port. Therefore a compliant bus powered hub can have no more than four downstream ports and cannot offer more than four 100 mA units of current in total to downstream devices (since one unit is needed for the hub itself). ]
The internal port is wired seperately, so has doesn't share it's power, though still draws from the motherboard. Faster USB hubs now come with a power lead which independently plugs into a motherboard power outlet. The internal USB port still usually has to be routed to the outside though, so not quite sure why they put it there.