This week, more answers to the questions I am most often asked: Backing up email, getting photos from your camera to your PC, and playing those PowerPoint files you get in your email.

How do I back up my email?

There are several good, free programs you can use to back up your email. Amic Email Backup (http://www.amictools.com/v-amic_email_backup.html) will handle Outlook Express, Outlook, Incredimail and six other formats, but not Windows Mail or Thunderbird.

Mail Store (http://www.mailstore.com/en/) will back up and restore Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Outlook, Thunderbird, and Sea Monkey. It also claims to back up your Gmail or AOL mail, although I have not tested this myself.

MozBackup (http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/) will back up Thunderbird, Sea Monkey and even your Firefox browser.

You can do the backups manually, if you prefer. To back up Outlook Express, follow the instructions here:

Back up Outlook Express

Outlook users can check the documentation from Microsoft, here:

Microsoft for Outlook

(Remember that Outlook and Outlook Express are not the same thing!)

To back up Windows Mail, follow the steps in the tutorial on this page:

Back up Windows Mail

Thunderbird users can simply copy their Thunderbird profile to another drive or folder. (Be sure to close Thunderbird first!)

Whatever solution you choose, be sure you know how to restore your email once you've backed it up!

My camera software isn't working. What should I do?

This one has a really simple answer: Uninstall it. If you haven't installed it yet, don't.

Every digital camera now comes with a disk containing software. If you are running Windows XP or Windows Vista, you don't need software to transfer photos from your camera or your storage card to your PC. Both versions have that ability built right in.

If you're running Vista, there's a good chance that the software that comes on that disk was meant for XP, and it won't work on Vista. But even if you're using XP you don't need any special software to make that transfer. Simply connecting the camera with its cable or placing the camera's memory card into a card reader should open up a window in XP or Vista. Select the option that involves using Windows to make the transfer, follow the prompts, and those photos are going to your hard drive.

If you want another application to edit and organize your digital photos, I recommend Picasa (XP or Vista) or even Windows Live Photo Gallery (designed for Vista but available for XP also.) Both applications are free. Get Picasa here:

Picasa

Windows Live Photo Gallery is available here:

Windows Live Photo Gallery

Why can't I view PPS or PPT email attachments?

These attachments "belong" to Microsoft PowerPoint. If you have a version of Microsoft Office that includes PowerPoint, you're all set.

If you don't have PowerPoint, you can download and install a free viewer from Microsoft that will let you view these files. The link is here:

PowerPoint viewer

You don't even need Microsoft Office to use it.

Whether you have the PowerPoint Viewer or the full version of PowerPoint, you won't be able to view the attachments in your email program --- you'll have to "detach" them first.

Open an email with the attachment, and Save the attachment to your Desktop, or at least to somewhere you can easily find it. Then, run a virus scan on that file just to be on the safe side. How you do this depends on what anti-virus program you use, but with most of them you should be able to right-click on the file you just saved and select the item that will scan the file for viruses.

If it is clean, open PowerPoint viewer (or PowerPoint, if you have it)
Start Programs Wherever you put it PowerPoint Viewer (or PowerPoint)

Then, either drag the file into PowerPoint Viewer/PowerPoint, or from within the viewer:
File Open Navigate to where you saved the file Open

Your presentation should play!

Do you need help with your computer? Something else interesting to ask or tell? I'm here to help you and your computer get along! To ask a question, make a comment or suggestion, or schedule a visit, email cate@rlis.com. You can read previous columns here:

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