ASK JIM: Disconnect to fix Windows XP woes

Windows XP woes

Q. Help. I just installed Windows XP Pro and Windows XP Office andupgraded my memory to 380 MB. Now I have so many problems.

After upgrading my Compaq computer, every time I open Word orExcel or Internet Explorer, it starts up, and then 10 seconds later amessage comes up stating "not responding." I have tried talking toMicrosoft tech support with no help, and Compaq tech can't help me.

I have no choice but to ask the master. I have been reading yourcolumn for three years, and this is my first time asking your help. -Sajid Patel@skf.com

A. If I am the master, we're all in deep trouble, Mr. P. But I doknow how to fix this particular problem. All you need to do is shutdown your browser's current setting, which causes it to dial up anInternet connection whenever it detects that no connection ispresent. That is why you get that "not responding" message every timeyou start up.

So click on Tools in the menu bar of the Browser and pick InternetOptions. Next, click the tab for Connections, and you will find thebox that orders the computer to attempt to connect to the Internetwhenever it senses there is no connection. Uncheck the box.

Q. I simply want to print out, on a sheet of paper, the names ofselected files and folders on my PC and Windows won't permit it. Ilist my MP3 music files by going to DOS and redirecting to a .txtfile, i.e. Dir Sinatra Sinatra.txt. I then edit the file and eraseall the extraneous data.

What happens if I get a new computer with the XP operating systemwhere DOS is not installed? Can DOS be installed? Is there anotherway to list MP3 files?

Secondly, I laboriously edit the .txt file line by line, and Iwonder if you could point me to an editor that would delete columnsthroughout the entire file. I used such an editor when I was doingnumerical control programming but that was on DEC computers and yearsago. - Al Lopez@aol .com

A. You need a freeware program called Printer Directory 1.0 thatcan be had at www. downloads.com, Mr. L. It lets you create a list ofall the files and folders in a Windows interface by pointing andclicking. You can order the software to either save the list in atext file or print it out.

Old computer hands like you and me never seem to shake thatnagging need to get a hard copy of all the files and folders on ourcomputers, and the authors of Windows certainly went out of their wayto make it difficult.

As to your other question, Windows XP does, indeed, permit thoseold-fashioned DOS commands you use to keep track of that old-fashioned Sinatra directory. Just click on Start and pick Run andtype in the word "command," and you'll get a DOS window.

Finally, you can use the search-and-replace feature in any wordprocessor, including Windows WordPad, to get rid of all therepetitive garbage in a text file. Just type in the garbage you wantto lose in the Find box and then order each instance to be replacedwith a single space.

Q. I hope you can help me with a problem I have with ActiveX. Onone page, and that one page only, I get the following message: "Yourcurrent security settings prohibit running ActiveX controls on thispage. As a result, this page may not display correctly." I triedclicking on "OK," but the message keeps appearing. I sent e-mails toMicrosoft about this but got no response. - Carl Merrell, Cedar Run,N.J.

A. I must assume that there is something very compelling aboutthat particular page you want to see, Mr. M.

Remember that ActiveX is a tool that can cause quite a bit ofmischief if used by vandals. Anyway here is the drill:

Look in the lower left corner of the screen, and you will see alittle red symbol that looks like the CBS eye logo after a hard nightout on the town. That is the signal that you're at a page with somekind of security issues. Click on the Tools menu and scroll down toInternet options. Click that and the Security tab in the nextdisplay. Click on the red icon for Restricted site and then click onthe Custom box, and you will get a display with a number of radiobuttons that will allow you to enable or disable ActiveX.

You also can set your security settings anywhere from low to highusing that menu. Do so at your own peril.

I would suggest that if this one site is the only one gettingkicked back, it might be better to do without it than take a chance.

Contact Coates via e-mail at jcoates@tribune.com.