Windows is just trying to be helpful, but sometimes Windows or one of the programs running on Windows is just too helpful for words. This week: How to stop the nags in Windows Live Mail, show thumbnails instead of uninformative icons for your pictures, and turn off the New Programs highlighter.

How to stop the annoying "Sign In" thing in Windows Live Mail

Photo: Contributed

Windows Live Mail is a decent email program, but it does have its quirks. If you have a Windows Live ID (from Hotmail, Livemail, Messenger, etc.) you can use that Live ID from within Windows Live Mail to access online photo albums among other things. To do that, just click on the “Sign In” icon at the far right of the Home tab.

But what if you don’t have a Live ID or you just don’t want to be signed in? Windows Live Mail will continue to prompt you to sign in until you tell it to stop doing that! Here’s how to make it stop:

• Open Windows Live Mail

• Click on the little down-facing triangle in the top left corner of the program

• Click on Options

• Click on Mail

That will open the Options.

• Click on Connection

• Click on Stop signing in

• Click on OK

Close and reopen your Windows Live Mail, and you should not see that irritating prompt any more. You can still sign in with your Live ID any time you want by clicking the Sign In button.

How to make Windows 7 display thumbnails

Thumbnails are smaller versions of pictures. They are useful in recognizing and organizing pictures on your computer. Thumbnails are to pictures what a text index is to words.

If you’ve recently made the move from XP to Windows 7, you might still be trying to figure out why you only see an icon instead of thumbnails in your Pictures folder. I hate that. But there is an easy way to make Windows 7 (or even Vista, the forgotten operating system) act like good old XP.

• Click on Start

• In the Start Search box, type Folder

• Select Folder Options from the result at the top of that window

• Click on View

• In the Files and Folders section, clear the check box for Always show icons, never thumbnails

• OK your way out

Now you can see what your pictures look like without having to open each one.

How to turn off the “New Programs” highlighter

When you install a new program in Windows, by default it’s highlighted in yellow on your start menu. The first time you actually use that program, the highlighter disappears. I know Windows is just trying to be helpful, but I really dislike that highlighter. As luck would have it, it’s very simple to disable the doggone thing.

In Windows 7/Vista:

• Right-click on the Start menu

• Click on Properties | Start Menu | Customize

• Scroll down until you find “Highlight newly installed programs” and clear the check box

• Click on OK

You can do this in XP, too:

• Click on Start | Properties

• Select Start menu

• Click on Customized | Advanced

• In the Start menu settings box, near the top, clear the check box for “Highlight newly installed programs”

• Click on OK

Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your home or business computer get along!

Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna (http://computercarekelowna.com/) a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send email to help@computercarekelowna.com.

You can read previous columns here: http://rlis.com/column.htm . If you'd like to subscribe to this column by email, please visit this link: http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618 . It's easy, and free. If you'd prefer the RSS Feed, click here: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml.