OReilly PC annoyances 2nd edition mar 2005 ISBN 0596008821

PCAnnoyances,2ndEdition
BySteveBass
...............................................
Publisher:O'Reilly
PubDate:March2005
ISBN:0-596-00882-1
Pages:256

TableofContents|Index|Errata

IneveryPCuser'slife,there'sapointwhendesperatemeasuresmustbetaken.Some
pushtheirPCoffapierorchuckitintoalandfill.Othersturntheirformercomputingally
intoaplanterbox.Butdon'tgiveuponyourPCyet--helpisathand.Thiseasytoread,
accessiblebookfromPCWorldexpertSteveBasscoversthewaterfrontofPCgripesand
gremlins,withfixesforeverythingfromWindowsglitchestobrowsersthatwon'tbrowse.
Eachfixisservedupinbite-sizedportionsforquickreading--andevenquickerfixing.A
revisedversionofitsbest-sellingpredecessor,the2ndeditionoffers50additionalpages
andover120newfixedannoyances.Thisreader-friendlybooktacklesproblemsrelatedto
awide-rangingnumberoftopics:Windows--KingofAnnoyances!learnhowtokick
Windowsintherear,overcomeglitches,takechargeoftheinterface,livewiththedreaded
ServicePack2Hardware--wakeupyourDSL,tameyournotebook,silenceyourPC'sfan,
workwonderswithyourscanner,andsavepaperEmail--fromOutlooktoEudora!Defeat
spam,avoidmailinglisthassles,sendbigfiles,managefoldersMicrosoftOffice--learn
workaroundsforWord,Excel,andPowerPointthathelpyoubackuptheunbackableand
automatedataentryInternet--shakeupIE,stopFlash,outsmartdefaults,controlFavorites,
addtheGoogletoolbartoNetscapePlus,yougetaccesstomorethanonehundred
utilitiesthatwillhelpyousquashbugs,enhanceyouremail,untangleasystemsnarl,and
muchmore.IfyourPChaseverannoyedyou(doweseeseveralbillionraisedhands?),
PCAnnoyancesisforyou.Withtheflipofapageortwo,youcanfixthatfauxpasand
haveyourPCpurringagain.

PCAnnoyances,2ndEdition
BySteveBass
...............................................
Publisher:O'Reilly
PubDate:March2005
ISBN:0-596-00882-1
Pages:256

TableofContents|Index|Errata

Copyright
PraiseforPCAnnoyances
Dedication

Introduction
WHYWRITEPCANNOYANCES?
WHYTHEBOOK'SESPECIALLYIMPORTANTRIGHTNOW
ISPCANNOYANCESRIGHTFORYOU?
HAVEANANNOYANCE?
HOWTOUSETHISBOOK
CONVENTIONSUSEDINTHISBOOK
THENONEXISTENTCD(OR"SWINGBYTHEWEBSITE!")
HAVEACOUPLEOFLAUGHS
USINGTHESNIPURLLINKS
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
ABOUTTHECONTRIBUTORS
ABOUTTHETECHNICALTEAM
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Chapter1.EmailAnnoyances
GENERALEMAILANNOYANCES
OUTLOOKANDOUTLOOKEXPRESS5AND6
AOLANNOYANCES
EUDORAANNOYANCES
HOTMAILANNOYANCES
GMAILANNOYANCES
Chapter2.WindowsAnnoyances

GENERALWINDOWSANNOYANCES
SERVICEPACK2ANNOYANCES
Chapter3.InternetAnnoyances
BROWSINGANNOYANCES
GOOGLEANNOYANCES
INSTANTMESSAGINGANNOYANCES
Chapter4.MicrosoftOfficeAnnoyances
WORDANNOYANCES
EXCELANNOYANCES
POWERPOINTANNOYANCES
OUTLOOKANDOUTLOOKEXPRESSANNOYANCES
Chapter5.WindowsExplorerAnnoyances
SEARCHANIMATIONSBEGONE
ASHORTCUTTOMORERECENTDOCUMENTS
QUICKACCESSTOMYCOMPUTER
ONEFOLDER,MANYPLACES
WHENONEEXPLORERSHORTCUTISNOTENOUGH
DISCONNECTYOURSAVEDWEBPAGES
ABETTERWAYTONAVIGATE
WHENYOUCAN'TDELETEAFILE

MAKEEXPLORERCRASH-PROOF
LOOKWHATIFOUND!BUTDON'TTOUCH...
COPYINGFILEPATHS
BROADENWINDOWS'SEARCHHORIZONS
SEARCHFASTERBYEXCLUDINGZIPPEDFILES
MANAGEZIPPEDFILES
BEYONDWINZIPSELF-EXTRACTOR
RENAMEMULTIPLEFILES
GIMMEBACKMYFILEASSOCIATIONS
RIGHT-CLICKFORQUICKPRINTS
QUICKNOTESINWINDOWS
ENCRYPTFILESFORSECURITY
SHAREBIGFILESTHEEASYWAY
ATHUMBNAILVIEWFORFILEATTACHMENTS
ALLTHUMBS.DB
Chapter6.BrowserAnnoyances
MUSICANDVIDEOANNOYANCES
iTUNESANNOYANCES
WINDOWSMEDIAPLAYERANNOYANCES

QUICKTIMEANNOYANCES
CDANDDVDANNOYANCES
Chapter7.HardwareAnnoyances
THEWONDERSOFAMODEMRESET
BRINGTHEZINGBACKTODSL
UNINTERRUPTIBLEPOWERTOTHEPC
MANAGEMULTIPLEBULKYACADAPTERS
LIGHTENYOURPOWERLOAD
CLEARANDSHARPLCDFONTS
TUNEUPYOURMONITOR
HUSH...HUSH,SWEETMONITOR
STRAIGHTENUPANDDISPLAYRIGHT
SIMPLEWAYSTOREDUCEPCNOISE
LOSTSCREW,BIGPROBLEMS
EXTRAPOWERFORDIGITALCAMERAS
WINDOWSSETTINGBLOCKSDVDUPGRADE
CHECKFORLOOSECABLES
5CABLESIN1
SAFELYREMOVEAUSBFLASHDRIVE
LOCKDOWNYOURUSBFLASHDRIVE

USB-TO-PS/2MOUSEADAPTER
GIVEYOURLASERPRINTERAMEMORYBOOST
SAVEBIGWITHLOW-RESOLUTIONPRINTS
PAPER-SAVINGPRINTUTILITY
KEEPTHEPAPERFLOWING
MOVEYOURSOUNDCONNECTORSTOTHEFRONT
DOCKYOURNOTEBOOK
USEYOURNOTEBOOKATHOME
CONNECTYOURFLASHMEMORYDRIVEWITHAUSBCABLE
NO-FUSSNETWORKBACKUPS
BIGHARDDRIVECORRUPTION
UNWIREYOURPRINTER
GOWIRELESSWITHAWALLSOCKET
STIFLEAMBITIOUSWIFIPOP-UPS
EMERGENCYPOWERFORPALMS
POCKETPCFILEANDBATTERYWOES
BOOSTYOURCELL'SBATTERY
REDSKIESANDBLUEROSES
FRAMEDDIGITALPHOTOS

CURLINGPICTURES
REMOVESHADOWSFROMTHEOTHERSIDE
GRINDING,NOTSCANNING
SKEWEDSCANS
MAKESCANNERSREADBETTER
TRANSFERPHONENUMBERSTOYOURDIGITALPHONE
Colophon
Index


PCAnnoyances,™SecondEdition
HowtoFixtheMostAnnoyingThingsAboutYourPersonal
Computer,Windows,andmore
bySteveBass
Copyright©2005,2003O'ReillyMedia,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
Illustrations©2004and2005HalMayforthc/otheispot.com.
PublishedbyO'ReillyMedia,Inc.,1005GravensteinHighway
North,Sebastopol,CA95472.
O'Reillybooksmaybepurchasedforeducational,business,or
salespromotionaluse.Onlineeditionsarealsoavailablefor
mosttitles(safari.oreilly.com).Formoreinformation,contact
ourcorporate/institutionalsalesdepartment:800-998-9938or

PrintHistory:
October2003:

FirstEdition.

March2005:

SecondEdition.

Editor:

RobertLuhn

ProductionEditor:

Genevieved'Entremont

ArtDirector:

MicheleWetherbee


CoverDesign:

EllieVolckhausen

InteriorDesigner:

PattiCapaldi

TheO'ReillylogoisaregisteredtrademarkofO'ReillyMedia,
Inc.TheAnnoyancesseriesdesignations,PCAnnoyances,and
relatedtradedressaretrademarksofO'ReillyMedia,Inc.
Manyofthedesignationsusedbymanufacturersandsellersto
distinguishtheirproductsareclaimedastrademarks.Where
thosedesignationsappearinthisbook,andO'ReillyMedia,Inc.
wasawareofatrademarkclaim,thedesignationshavebeen
printedincapsorinitialcaps.
Whileeveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthis
book,thepublisherandauthorassumenoresponsibilityfor
errorsoromissions,orfordamagesresultingfromtheuseof
theinformationcontainedherein.


PraiseforPCAnnoyances
"AnnoyedwithyourPC?Fightbackwiththissmart,funny,
indispensablesurvivalguide."
EdBott,author,MicrosoftWindowsXPInsideOutand
SpecialEditionUsingOffice2003
"PCAnnoyancesispackedwithamazinglyusefultipsand
tricks.Everyflipthroughthebookbringsmetosomething
usefulthatI'mgladtoknowanddidn'tbefore."
SteveGibson,securityexpertandauthor,ShieldsUP!and
SpinRite
"Bassisthesmartestandmostentertainingtechnology
writercoveringpersonalcomputerstoday.Thisbookisa
guaranteedcureforwhateverailsyourPC,fromthebig
errorsthatcanbringacomputertoitskneestothe
glitchesthataremoretrivialbutnolessmaddening."

KevinMcKean,CEOandEditorialDirector,InfoWorld
magazine
"Oneofmycurrentfavorites...Bassdeliversonthebook's
titlebyzeroinginonahandfulofthemostcommonand
mostaggravatingproblemareasinpersonalcomputing.
Usingclearlanguageandeverydayexamples,Bass
systematicallytacklessuchknottysubjectsasemail,
Windows,wfsebsurfing,WindowsExplorer,digitalmusic
andvideo,andmore."
JohnMoran,TheHartfordCourant
"Byconcentratingontheannoyances-andthefixes-Steve


BasscleverlyexposestheunderlyingrichnessofWindows
andyoureverydayapplications.Beyondboostingyour
ownproductivityandreducingyourbloodpressure,you'll
beaherotoeveryonearoundyou!"
BillMachrone,ColumnistandContributingEditor,PC
Magazine
"SteveBass'sbook...isnothinglessthanagoldmine.It'sa
lighthearted,easyreadthatisalsojam-packedwith
serioustipsandtricks...PCAnnoyanceswon'tbegathering
anydustonmylivingroombookshelf;italreadyhasa
handyhome-rightnexttomyPC!"
LindaWebb,GreaterClevelandPCUsersGroup
"Jammedinto200pagesaretips,tricks,andtiradesthat
covereverythingfromcodecstocrashes,AcrobatReader
toZoneAlarm,withhumorandthekindofadvicethatwill
keepyourunningtothekeyboardtotryouteachnew
pointer."

JamesCoates,ChicagoTribune
"Oneofthebestdarnedall-aroundPCbooksI'veseenina
longtime."
LindaGonse,readerreview


Dedication
Maythefleasofathousandcamelsinfestthecrotchofthe
RealPlayerdeveloperwhodecidedtostickiconsinmy
SystemTray,Startupmenu,anddesktop,andmayhis
armsbetooshorttoscratch.
SnarfedfromInternet,authorunknown
IwanttothankBillGates,hisMicrosofties,andtheentire
RedmondEmpire.Withoutthem,thisbookwouldn'tbe
possible(orevennecessary).
Kvetch:Verb.PronouncedKVETCH,torhymewith"fetch";
Tofret,complain,grunt,sigh.Kvetcher:Noun.
PronouncedKVETCHER,torhymewith"stretcher";One
whocomplains,oftenSteveBass,andalwaysabout
computers.
FromTheJoysofYiddish,LeoRosten(1968)


Introduction
EarlyinOctober2002,Igotaprankcall."ThisisTimO'Reilly.
Youwanttowriteabookforme?"
"Sure,"Ireply,thinkingit'smybuddyRod,whooftencalls
pretendingtobeBillGates,"butonlyifyouincludeafreetripto
HawaiiandabrandnewVolvo."
"No,it'sreallyTim,"hetriedagain,"andI'mafanofyour'PC

Annoyances'articles."Ittookmeasecondtoregainmy
composure(untanglingmyheadsetwhilegettingupoffthe
floorisn'teasy).
ItturnsoutthatMarkBrokering,O'Reilly'sVPofMarketingand
Sales,wasonaflight,pickedupacopyofPCWorldandread
mylatestannualarticle-cum-kvetchfest.Hetoldmehewas
abletofixhalfadozenofhisnotebook'sannoyancesbeforethe
planelanded.(Oddlyenough,hestillhasn'tsubscribedtothe
magazine.)


WHYWRITEPCANNOYANCES?
I'vespentnearly20yearsinfrontofacomputer,andI
constantlyfumeatsomeofthereallydumbthingsprogramsdo
tous-andourPCs.Imean,I'mflooredthatsomecompaniesRealOneandAOL,forinstance-actuallythinkit'sokaytoplaster
iconswilly-nillyintheStartmenu,onthedesktop,andinthe
SystemTray.(Windows'systemtray,thatlittleboxinthelowerrightportionofyourdesktop,doesn'tneed-no,shouldn'thavetwodozeniconsinit.See"ProtectYourSystemFromDumb
Installations"inChapter2foratiponhowtoemptyit.)
FromtheemailIreceivefromPCWorldreaders,IknowI'mnot
aloneinfeelingtickedoff,annoyed,andaggravated(notto
mentionaggrieved).Iwantpeopletoknowthatit'snottheir
fault,and,mostimportant,thattherearesolutionsandfixes.


WHYTHEBOOK'SESPECIALLYIMPORTANT
RIGHTNOW
Lotsofpeoplehavepurchasedcomputersinthelasttwoyears.
Manyarerealizingthey'vebeenputtingupwithdumbthings,
suchasWord'sconfusingnumberingfeature,Netscape's
incessantads,orthoseirritatingpop-upads.(Heck,I'mticked

offjustwritingaboutit.)
Peoplehavealsolearnedaboutspyware,adware,andother
insidiousprogramsthatcollectandshareinformationabout
thembehindtheirbacks,or,worse,hijacktheirhomepagesor
installbackdoorwormsorviruses.


ISPCANNOYANCESRIGHTFORYOU?
Ifyou'veeverfeltevenadropofanimositytowardyourPC,this
bookisforyou.


HAVEANANNOYANCE?
I'llbetyoudo,andI'dlovetohearaboutit.Sendmeanemail
brieflydescribingtheannoyance,andI'lldomybesttocookup
afix.WhileIcan'tguaranteeanindividualresponse,Iwillpost
someofthebestonO'Reilly'ssiteforthisbook,
Writemeat



HOWTOUSETHISBOOK
Thebookisorganizedintobigcategories-email,Windows,
Office,hardware,filemanagement,Internet,andaspotforCD,
music,video,andaudioannoyances.Asyoubrowsearound,
you'llseethatsomechaptersaredividedintospecific
applications.Forinstance,theemailchapterstartswith
irritationscommontoallprograms,followedbysectionsonthe
applicationsmostpeopleuse-OutlookandOutlookExpress,
Eudora,AOL,Hotmail,andothers.

Thebestbetistobrowsethroughthebookandmarkthepages
thatinterestyou(IusethoselittleyellowPost-Its)soyoucan
getbacktothem.


CONVENTIONSUSEDINTHISBOOK
Thefollowingtypographicconventionsareusedinthisbook:
Italicisusedforfilenames,URLs,emailaddresses,andfor
emphasis.
Constantwidthisusedforcommandsanditemsthatshouldbe

typedverbatim.
Constantwidthitalicisusedfortextthatshouldbereplaced
withuser-suppliedvalues.


THENONEXISTENTCD(OR"SWINGBYTHE
WEBSITE!")
Didyounoticewedidn'tincludeaCD?There'sagoodreason,
oractuallytwo:itdrivesupthepriceofthebook,andit
becomesoutdatedinabout20minutes.Instead,wedecidedto
createaspecialwebsitewithmorethan150freetoolsand
utilitiesaimedatriddingyourPCofirritationsandannoyances.
Fortheseandothertreats,headto
/>

HAVEACOUPLEOFLAUGHS
Ihaveaquirkysenseofhumorandwanttoshareit.SoIadded
lotsoflinkstowebsitesthatpokefunatsomeoftheannoying
thingsPCs(andMacs)do.Forinstance,spendaminute

watchingShotgunStudio's"BobGetsaNewMonitor,"avideo
starringBobandhistwelve-gaugeshowingacreativewayto
getridofyouroldmonitor.It'sat />(Ifeelanannoyancecomingon:ifthevideowon'tplayand
you'restartingtofeelirritated,zipovertoChapter6andread
"WhyDoesn'tMyVideoPlay?")


USINGTHESNIPURLLINKS
It'sthesmallthingsthatdrivemecrazy-likehavingtotypethe
longweblinksIseeinbooksormagazinearticles.Sointhis
book,IuseSnipURLs,afreeservicethatshortenstheURLinto
alinkthat'snomorethan14characterslong.(Formoredetails,
see"SendingShorterURLs"inChapter1.)


ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
SteveBassfirstlearnedaboutcomputersin1982withanIBM
PCheboughtfromComputerland.Whenheaskedthemfor
support,theysaid,"Don'tuseitintheshower."Thefollowing
day,hefoundedthePasadenaIBMUsersGroup.After24years,
hefinallyclosedtheorganization,releasingtheover2,400
formermembersontothestreets().Be
carefuloutthere.Inthelate1980s,Steveco-foundedthe
AssociationofPersonalComputerUserGroups
(),anationwideorganizationservinguser
groups.
SteveisaContributingEditortoPCWorld,writingthe"Home
Office"columnsince1990,theHomeOfficeOnlineNewsletter,
anddozensofarticlesincluding"NetPhones:DialingWithout
Dollars,""TheUltimatePCTroubleshootingGuide,"and"Great

WindowsSharewareforUnder$50."Hisannual"HowtoFixthe
BiggestPCAnnoyances"articlehaswonPRSA'sprestigious
ExcellenceinTechnologyJournalismaward.
StevehasalsowrittenforForbes,FamilyCircle,andComputer
Currents,andoncehadasyndicatednewspapercolumnthat
waswaymoreworkthanitwasworth.Butwait,there'smore:
StevehasaregularspotonKPCC's"Airtalk,"anNPR-affilate
radioshow,andPacifica'sKPFK's"DigitalVillage."He'scurrently
producinganewcomputershow,"Phrenology:TheNew
Topology."It'sbeenabumpyroad.
Inapreviouslife,Stevewasalicensedfamilytherapist(so
watchwhatyousay);ownedPCGSeminars,atrainingcompany
formental-healthprofessionals;andmethiswifewhiledoing
magicatHollywood'sMagicCastle.


ABOUTTHECONTRIBUTORS
HarryMcCrackenhasbeenswattingPCirritations(ortrying
to)since1978,whenhelearnedthattheRadioShackTRS-80's
keyboardhadatendencytorepeaatchharacterssatranndom.
Afterdiscoveringthatothercomputers-suchastheAtari400,
AppleMacintoshPlus,andCommodoreAmiga-wereequally
aggravatinginotherways,heeventuallyturnedtoMicrosoft
Windows-theMotherofAllAnnoyingPCPlatforms-andfound
workinthecomputer-magazineindustry,wheretheyactually
payyoutocomplainaboutPCs.Currentlytheeditorinchiefof
PCWorld,thelargestmonthlycomputermagazine,Harryhas
writtenforInfoWorld,FamilyCircle,USAToday,andother
publications,andhasbeenagueston"DatelineNBC,"NPR's
"Marketplace,"andmanyothertelevisionandradioprograms.

HelivesinSanFrancisco'sup-and-comingMervynHeights
neighborhoodandwearsfashionableeyeglasses.
DanTynanisanaward-winningjournalist,TVcommentator,
andhigh-techguruandhasbeendescribedas"witty,""smart,"
and"notasbigageekasyoumightthink"(primarilybyhis
wife).In16yearsofjournalism,Danhaswonmorethan20
nationalawardsandhasbeenpublishedin13languages.
Danbeganhiseditorialcareerin1986,asalowlycopyeditorat
InfoWorldmagazine.ThenextyearhejumpedtoPCWorld,
wherehebeganameteoricriseuptheeditorialfoodchain.This
culminatedin1995withhisappointmentasEditorinChiefat
CD-ROMTodaymagazine;helaterservedasExecutiveEditor
forFeaturesatPCWorldfornearlyfouryears.Bythetimeyou
readthis,Dan'sfirstbook,ComputerPrivacyAnnoyances
(O'Reilly),shouldbeheadingtotheprinter.
Mostrecently,Dan'sCNETcolumn,"Inside@ccess,"haswon
twoMaggieAwards(in2002and2003)forBestOnlineColumn
(eachtimebeatingoutSteveBass,whoamazinglyagreedtolet


himcontributetothisbookanyway).
DavidJunghasco-authoredanarrayofbooksandarticleson
programminganddebuggingVisualBasic,MicrosoftOutlook,
Java,andotherInternetsolutions.Heisafrequentspeakerat
seminarsandusergroups,discussinghowtechnologycanbe
integratedintobusinesssolutions.Inhissparetime(usually
after2:00a.m.),hewritesterrificallyusefulWindowsutility
programsthathelptrackdownandeliminatesystemcrashes,
aswellaspreventscript-basedvirusesfromspreadingon
Windows-basedcomputers.Twoofhisprograms,DLLChecker

andVBSDefender,receivedPCWorld'sEditor'sChoiceaward
andcontinuetobesoldtousersallovertheworld.(David's
websitecanbefoundat.)
CarlSiecherthasbeentrying(withmixedsuccess)tomake
senseofpersonalcomputersforover20years.Duringthattime
hisfirm,Siechert&WoodProfessionalDocumentation,has
writtenmanuals,onlinehelp,andotherdocumentationfor
numeroushardwareandsoftwareproducts(onlythegood
manuals-nottheonesyouswearat).Inaddition,Carlhas
writtenadozenbooksaboutWindowsandMS-DOS.Onerecent
book,MicrosoftWindowsSecurityInsideOutforWindowsXP
andWindows2000,wonanawardofmeritfromtheSocietyfor
TechnicalCommunication.
Whenthecomputingannoyancesbecometoogreat,Carlgoes
hiking,returningwheneverpossibletothePacificCrestTrail.He
recentlymadeasmallconcessiontohisno-electronics-in-thewildernessvowbycarryingasmallLEDflashlight.
PrestonGrallahasbeenannoyedbythePC-andespecially
digitalmedia(seehiscontributionstoChapter6)-sincehewas
kneehightoadiskdrive.Theproudownerofsevencomputers,
Prestonistheauthorofmorethan30booksaboutcomputing,
includingInternetAnnoyances,WindowsXPHacks,and
WindowsXPPowerHound(allfromO'Reilly).Hislengthy
experienceincomputerjournalismincludesstintsatPCWeek,


PC/Computing(whichhefoundedandwherehewaseditorial
director),andworkingasanexecutiveeditoratbothZDNetand
CNET.Prestonhaswonanumberofawards,includingBest
FeatureinaComputerPublicationfromtheComputerPress
Association.

ABOUTTHETECHNICALTEAM
KarlKoesselisaPCWorldSeniorEditorandthebesttechnical
editorever.Karlscrutinizedalltheannoyancefixes,duplicated
theminhislab,andmadesuretheyworked.Healsosuffered
throughadozeninstallationsofYahoo'sInstantMessenger,
Netscape'sbrowser,and,heavenhelphim,Real'splayer.Karl
doesn'tletanythingslipbyandwasessentialtothebook's
accuracy.
DennisO'ReillyisaPCWorldSeniorAssociateEditorandis
theabsolutemasterofheadings(andno,he'snotrelatedto
Tim).
LauraBlackwellisaPCWorldAssistantEditorwhofiddled
withmanyofthechapters,doingamarvelousjobofmakingme
soundmorelikeme.