PC Doctor March 25, 2010

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Dear PC Doctor:

            I just got a laptop and there is a lot to learn, but the main thing I’m concerned about is plugging in the power cord with the battery in.   Someone told me that if you do that and overcharge the battery that the laptop will blow up.  Can that be true?

            Bob

Dear Bob:

            Not really.  You didn’t mention whether the laptop is a new one or a used one.  If it is a new one, most will charge the battery and then switch over to regular power so there is no danger.  If you have an old machine you might want to check the manufacturer’s website to see what they have to say about your particular model.  Most of the problems in the past however have been from defective hardware rather than overcharging, but it never hurts to be safe!

            PC Doctor

Dear PC Doctor:

            I recently went on a trip and while there connected to a wireless network with my notebook computer.  Everything worked fine until I got home and now the notebook still wants to connect to that wireless.  It’s making me crazy because it used to connect to my home wireless first.  Is there any way to correct this annoying problem?  I currently use Vista if that makes any difference. 

            Kay

Dear Kay:

            First you need to decide if you want to get rid of that wireless from your trip because you do not intend to go back there.  To do this, click on your Start Orb (or button) and select Control Panel and then double-click on the Network and Sharing Center icon.  From the left hand column in the window that opens, choose Manage Wireless Networks.  You will see all the various wireless networks that you have in the vicinity and the ones that you have connected to in the past.  Click (highlight) the one you want to get rid of and you will see that a Remove feature will appear above the list.  Just click on that to get rid of the connection.  Now see which is the top listed connection.  If it is not the one you want, you can either use the Move Up or Move Down feature to get your connection to the top of the list, thereby making it the default to open first.  You can also drag and drop your connection to the top.  Either should work.

            PC Doctor      

Virus caution!  I know a lot of our users out there use Facebook so I wanted to pass along a warning that came out this week.  I actually heard from several users that they had received this email so please beware.  Facebook is also aware of this problem and is working on it.  The problem email tells the recipient that you have requested a password reset.  The new password is contained in a file that is attached to the email.  When you open the attachment, the virus is released.  The sender seems to come from help@facebook.com.  So please check your email carefully and delete this email ASAP.

Until next time… happy computing!