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How to Fix Duplicate Gmail Messages in Windows Live Mail
If you download your Gmail into your Windows Live Mail (WLM), you may notice duplicate emails in the handy “Quick Views” folder in WLM. What is up with that? The problem lies with the IMAP settings for your Google account. The fix is amazingly easy, but there’s also a second step that you should not [...]
Continue reading...Disable the Windows Installs Updates and Then Shuts Down Button
26. August 2011
I work at night sometimes, typing away into the late hours. When I’m ready for bed, I’m READY for bed. I want to kick off my womens boots, shut down the computer and relax. But then I accidentally hit that stupid little “Updates” Shut Down button. Gah! I have to sit in the dark and [...]
Continue reading...Disable Aero Theme Windows 7
26. August 2011
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Windows Aero is beautiful. But what a resource hog! If you have a computer with a budget graphics card or simply want to squeeze out every bit of processing juice from your computer, ditch the Aero. I do a lot of photo editing and some video editing, and while Aero is pretty to look at, [...]
Continue reading...How to Block Ads and Websites With the Windows HOSTS File
5. August 2011
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This trick has been around for a long, long time. But it’s still a good one. Your computer’s HOSTS file is a small text file that maps Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. In layman’s terms, the HOSTS file serves like a small contact list. When you type in, for example, www.theoldergeek.com in your browser’s address bar, [...]
Continue reading...How to Add the “Open in Notepad” Command to the Menu
2. August 2011
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If you’re like me, you write a lot of quick notes or lists or like to open files in Notepad. Notepad is a great little program because it’s just that– little. I don’t like waiting (and waiting and waiting) for my great big beefy word processor program to open when all I want is to [...]
Continue reading...How to View Email Headers in Microsoft Outlook 2010
4. July 2011
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Microsoft completely changed their premier email client, Outlook, with their release of Outlook 2010. Rather than using their familiar “menu bar” interface of previous versions, Microsoft developed a new interface they called a “ribbon.” They assumed that everyone would love this new “ribbon” which supposedly made it easier to see all your choices at the [...]
Continue reading...How to Turn Off Windows 7 Desktop Snap Feature
25. April 2011
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Windows 7 added a few special new features from Vista. One of them is the Desktop “Snap” feature. This feature allows you to drag an open program window to the top of the desktop, where Windows will automatically “snap” the window to fill half your screen. Doing the same to the other open window will [...]
Continue reading...Why Do Pop Ups Still Appear After I Have Blocked Them?
25. February 2011
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I addressed the dangers of browser popups in Internet Explorer and how to block them in my post “How to Prevent Popups in Internet Explorer.” You may have followed my advice and set the popup blocker to a high setting, blocking all poipups unless you manually override it or created a whitelist of allowed sites. [...]
Continue reading...How to Prevent Popups in Internet Explorer
24. February 2011
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Browser popups are much more than annoying. Popups are a security threat. Whenever you go on the Internet, an exchange of information is relayed between your computer and the website’s server computer (and sometimes through a number of other server computers along the way) through open doors called “ports.” Internet Explorer opens certain ports to [...]
Continue reading...How to Minimize Windows Live Messenger to System Tray in Windows 7
20. December 2010
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Windows 7 is a very nice operating system with many improved features over Vista. I was dismayed, however, to realize that many programs no longer sit neatly in the system tray next to the clock, but sit in the taskbar, clogging up my neat work station. I have used Windows Live Messenger waaaay back when [...]
Continue reading...How to Disable AutoPlay
21. October 2010
AutoPlay is a convenient feature for Windows computers. When you plug in a USB flash drive or CD or DVD into your computer, AutoPlay automatically launches the drive and/or the software on the drive. While convenient, AutoPlay has become a vehicle for the spread of malware. If you insert a virus-infected flash drive into your [...]
Continue reading...How to Create a Compressed (ZIP) File
16. April 2010
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Windows computers have a built-in compression functionality similar to the brand-name software, WinZip. To “zip” a file or folder is to compress it. All data on your computer is digitized, of course. The data is compressed– not as we think of compressed as in squeezed together, but reorganized into smaller bits. Think of a zip [...]
Continue reading...How To Add a Signature in Windows Mail
6. April 2010
Adding a signature to your emails adds a touch of class to your correspondence. It also save you the hassle of typing in your name and corresponding information in every email. Thankfully, Windows makes it easy to add both a text signature and an image signature. I’m going to address how to add a text [...]
Continue reading...How to Block Images in Emails Until You Allow Them
27. February 2010
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Here’s a handy hack and a security benefit: configure Windows Mail or Windows Live Mail to block images from displaying in emails. You can easily choose to view the images by clicking a bar in the email itself, after you have opened it. Emails are the most common means of the spread of viruses and [...]
Continue reading...How to Save Your Printer History
10. February 2010
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Did you know that you can configure Windows to keep a record of printed documents that print from your computer? This is very helpful if you print the same documents frequently, or if you want to keep a record of documents that have been printed. You can manage your printer document history through the “Printer [...]
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Meet The Older Geek
I'm Rebecca Mecomber. I have been a professional blogger and writer since 2006. I've written for or been interviewed by such media outlets as "TIME," The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, "iMedia Connection," NewYorkology.com, Manhattan User's Guide and Salon.com, covering topics such as Federal Trade Commission policy and media regulations, pro-blogging, home improvement, technology how-to, and New York travel.
I currently maintain more than a dozen blogs of various niches, including technology and computers, travel, politics, home renovation, parenting and gardening. You can check out my blogs on my About Page. Thanks for reading TheOlderGeek.com!
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13. December 2011
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