More Windows XP Tips

Last time I mentioned that I have a Tips folder for a rainy day. Well, even though the sky is clear right now, who knows what will happen by the time you read this. Here are three Windows XP tips I hope you will find useful.

Fix the "email doesn't open Internet Explorer any more" problem
Several people wrote in that last couple of weeks to say that they'd installed Firefox, didn't like it, and then uninstalled it. And now, when they click on a link in their email program, nothing happens.

It sounds like Firefox configured itself as the default browser, and now that it's gone, Internet Explorer doesn't know it's supposed to work for a living again! Here's how to fix this:

Close Internet Explorer, if it's open
Click Start Run
In the Run box, type "regsvr32 urlmon.dll" (without the quotes)
Press Enter

Next, open Internet Explorer
Click Tools Internet Options Programs
Click on Reset Web Settings
Click on Apply
Click on OK

Now, click Tools Internet Options General
Under Temporary Internet Files, click Delete Files
Put a check mark in the Delete offline content box
Click OK
Click OK again
Close Internet Explorer
Close any other running programs
Restart Windows

Now open your email program and click on a link. Your Internet Explorer should open again as normal.

Turn off the highlight on new programs
By default, when you install a new program in Windows XP, it shows up highlighted on your Start Menu. You have to run the program from there to turn off the highlighting. Lots of people find that useful. Others just want to turn that off! Do it:

Right-click on a vacant spot on the Taskbar
Click Properties Start Menu Start Menu again if it's not already selected
Click Customize Advanced
Clear the check mark from the box for "Highlight newly installed programs
OK your way out

There are plenty of other options for you to explore there! You can change how the items on the Start Menu are displayed. You can even select which items to display...or not to display. Make a change or two and see how you like the result. You can always come back and undo the changes later.

View email "pps" attachments
I've had quite a few clients complain they can't open email attachments with a .pps extension. That is the extension for Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint comes with some versions of Microsoft Office. If you don't have it installed then you can just download a free viewer from Microsoft that will let you view these files. The link is here. Download and install the viewer, and you should be able to view the attachments.

A word of caution, however! Some of these files are harmful and shouldn't be opened. If you think you want to view a pps or ppt attachment, please be sure you know who sent it and that you trust that person. It wouldn't hurt to double-check with the person and make sure they really sent it.

If you do want to open it, and you install the viewer and it still won't open, it may be because your email program or your anti-virus program, or your security suite thinks all pps and ppt files are harmful, and just won't let you open it from an email. If that's the case, and you REALLY DO want to open the file:

Once you have installed the PowerPoint viewer, return to the 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 it 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 PowerPoint file and select the item that will scan the file for viruses.

If it is clean, open PowerPoint viewer:
Start Programs Wherever you put it PowerPoint Viewer

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

The PowerPoint Presentation file should play. I can't stress enough that you should run a virus scan before opening the file. There are some nasty things out there: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13958788/.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.