Quick Q & A: 1

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In this new segment, I’ll offer quick answers to questions I’ve received from comments, emails, or search queries.

Can I install AVG Free 2011 over 9.0?

You do not need to uninstall AVG 9.0 before beginning to install AVG 2011. During the installation, version 9.0 will be removed automatically before version 2011’s files are in place. You may be requested to reboot your computer during 9.0’s uninstall process. Any quality program will overwrite the predecessor. Thankfully, Java no longer keeps old versions installed either.

My appearance style is stuck on Windows Classic. How do I get back the Windows 7, Vista, or XP theme as a choice?

You probably disabled a Windows service called “Themes.” Open up the Services window by going to Start > Search bar (or Run command, if in Windows XP) > type services.msc

Once inside, find and open the Themes service. Start the service and set the startup type to Automatic. Your Windows 7, Vista, or XP theme should automatically be enabled. At the least, it will be an option in the Appearance tab like Windows Classic.

Am I running a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system?

If you have a 64-bit CPU, you can run either a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows. Type msinfo32 in the Start menu’s search to load the System Information. On the Summary tab next to System Type, it will either say “X86-based PC” or “X64-based PC”. If it’s x86 architecture, it’s a 32-bit operating system. If it’s x64-based, it’s a 64-bit operating system.

This is important to know when installing new programs. Those running 64-bit (ex. Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit), will have two Program Files folders in the root of the hard disk drive. One will be named Program Files (x86) for legacy programs. 64-bit has a number of advantages over 32-bit and is the future.

How do I save a web page to my computer?

I suggest using a program like PrimoPDF to save the web page as a PDF file, which you can then load in a PDF viewer like Foxit Reader (recommended) or Adobe Reader (not recommended).

What is a MAC address and how do I find mine?

A Media Access Control (MAC) address is a unique identifier for a Network Interface Card (NIC). It looks something like this: 12-34-56-78-90-AB. Ideally, there is only one NIC per MAC address, but because most computers have two NICS (an internal RJ-45 jack, and a wireless card), there are some duplicates. There are over 1 billion personal computers in the world. Throw in game systems, cell phones, and PDAs that use Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), that’s a lot of MAC addresses.

Knowing your MAC address can be helpful while maintaining your home or business computer network, especially the security aspect. There are two commands you can enter into Command Prompt (Start > Run > type: cmd) to show your MAC addresses.

• The first is getmac which is most direct. Unfortunately, it doesn’t specify which is a wired or wireless connection, so you’ll need to disable all other NICs to find each MAC address.
• The second command is ipconfig /all which will list a load of information on all connections. You’ll see the device’s MAC address next to the Physical address section. Fortunately, this command specifies the type of connection so it’s easier to understand which one you’re looking at.

What would you like to know? If you have a question you’d like answered, leave a comment in this or any article, or send me an email. I’d like to hear your questions.

FeaturedImg courtesy of clker.com

Posted in: General Apps, Malware Protection, Office, Quick Q & A, Web Browsers, Windows