Internet Explorer Favorites Are Missing
Bookmarks (called “Favorites” in Internet Explorer) make returning to our favorite Websites an easy task, and I — for one — rely on mine. The other day I got a call from someone whose Favorites had disappeared. Quite naturally, I think, they wanted to get them back, and came to me for aid.
An important thing to understand is that Favorites and Bookmarks are shortcuts.. just like the icons on your Desktop are shortcuts to programs (.exe’s) located in your c:\Program Files folder. Your “Favorites” are simply a list of shortcuts to URL’s, and when you click on the gold star Favorites icon, this list is displayed. You can (and should) “export” this list to other browsers, a comma-separated-values (.csv) file, or a HTML file.. And you can add and delete items from this list as your heart desires.
[note: Firefox answer is here: Restore Bookmarks in Firefox– quick tip]
Tip of the day: IE is a integral component to Windows, and Windows stores your custom configurations in your User Account– your Desktop icons, Theme, Settings, etc.. Windows allows for multiple users, and each person who uses the machine should have their own user account– it also has some built-in accounts, like Administrator, and Guest (or “Public”).
If your Favorites list is empty, and not displaying any shortcuts, the first thing you should check is that you’re logged into your User Account. Click the Start button, and then choose “Log off” (or “Switch User”, depending) and verify that you are indeed logged into your user profile (and not Guest or Admin..).
If this is not the issue, navigate to the folder that contains the shortcuts list– this is called “Favorites”, and it’s located in your User folder. In XP, your User folder is in the Documents and Setting folder, so your path is C:\Documents and Settings\username*\Favorites.
In Vista and Windows 7, it’s C:\Users\username\Favorites.
Open the Favorites folder and see if your bookmarks are there. If they’re not, well, something’s happened to them somehow, and this might very well be a cause for concern (has a hacker been playing on your machine?) or it might be just ‘one of those things..’ we Windows users sometimes experience.
To restore the shortcuts, you can “import” a .csv, or .html ‘export’ you made earlier (hint, hint).. or copy the contents from a backup copy of your Favorites folder (which, because you follow my advice, you have on CD/DVD and/or another drive).
Or, you have never exported and haven’t backed up your files and folders.. (ahem), well, here is where you can try System Restore to revert your computer to an earlier date. System Restore does not restore deleted files, but it does store User Account information, and so you may have luck this way.
My article on using System Restore is here.
Today’s free download: PowerISO is a powerful CD/DVD image file processing tool, which allows you to open, extract, create, edit, burn, compress, encrypt, split and convert ISO files, and mount these files with internal virtual drive. It can process almost all CD-ROM image files including ISO and BIN.
Today’s quote: “People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Let’s review: If your “favorites” list is important to you, back it up. “Export” it to a file. Like, now. (Maybe.. email the file to yourself, too.) The How To steps are here.
Note: You may have noticed from the dates on the screenshot that this article was first published back in 2008. Back then, I used to urge people to “make a backup” at least once a month. Years ago, I gave up .. “wasting my breath”. But, since it is NCSAM, I’ll say it one more time (though the evidence is in and it’s conclusive: not one person will get smart, and follow through. Oh, well. Your loss, tears, and heartache.)
Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
How To Restore Shutdown Button To Logon Screen
Allow system to be shut down without having to log on
I have a Vista computer that was set to show the login screen (require a username+password) when it woke up from Sleep mode. Which is a good thing, security-wise.
That same computer is set to wake from Sleep mode anytime I moved the mouse or pressed a key. Which is a good thing, convenience-wise.
And I would generally keep this computer in Sleep mode. Which is a good thing, energy conservation-wise.
However, after I installed a laser mouse (quite sensitive to motion) this machine was waking from sleep (and showing the login screen) every time I set down my coffee mug with a thud, nudged the mouse with my elbow, or .. sneezed. It started to feel like it was going to wake up if I looked at it sideways..
This got rather annoying as for some reason, my logon screen (aka “welcome screen”) did not show the red shutdown options button. And I would have to enter my password and sign in, just so I could tell the machine to go back to sleep. This got quite tiresome quite quickly. I should be able to just click on (go back to) Sleep. What I wanted was this:
Which for some reason was not showing.
I went into Regedit, and found that my computer was – indeed – set to show the “shutdown options” button, but was ignoring it. Computers!
So what I did was disable it (set the 1 to a 0) and then enabled it again, and this time the “enable” setting ‘took’ (was recognized) and my “go back to sleep button” was restored — no more typing in my password every 3 minutes..!
This is quite often true with machines: disable, then re-enable (a kind of ‘reboot’) clears up the problem.
Should your power options button be missing from your log in screen, and you want it back, this web page has the How To — I recommend you use the second method. Advanced users (comfortable with editing the Registry) can easily do the 3rd method. The first method only works if you have Ultimate Editions. The tutorial is here.
(Conversely, you might want to ‘disable’, and “hide” the red power button.. say, if you had kids..)
Today’s reco’s:
• Big News This Past Week That Will Impact the World of Computing As We Know It
• HP single-handedly destroys non-iPad tablet market
“After getting a taste for $99 tablets, will consumers continue to stomach $500 price tags? Read more..“
Today’s quote: “The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” ~ Charles de Gaulle
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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Fix Missing Volume Control*
Tech Paul’s Fix for When Clock, Volume, Battery Power or Network Icons are Missing and/or Grayed Out in Windows Vista
Sometimes, unexpected (and unwanted) changes can happen to our computers that we professional repair technicians call ‘glitches’. You install some new program, and some other program you have stops working, for example. Or you uninstall a CD burning program, and find your DVD-RW is now missing. The wonderful world of PC’s! (See, Restore A Missing CD Drive*)
As a tech, solving ‘glitches’ is my game (it’s what I do), and over the years I have seen a few. One such ‘glitch’ I used to see occasionally in XP, and fairly routinely in Vista, is the “missing volume control” (or “network connection”) icon, which is a handy way to control your sound level.
Today, I will tell you the fix that not only restores the missing icon, but keeps it there.
Better still — I won’t have you mucking around in the Registry.
Simple ones first
Fix It #1) Press Ctrl+D to bookmark this page and Reboot (restart).
Make sure this isn’t a “temp glitch”. 9 times out of 10 restarting your computer solves your ‘glitch’. If you have already tried that, keep reading.
Fix It #2) Normally you can re-enable the icons by right-clicking on the Taskbar, choosing Properties and going to the Notification Area tab — place checks in the checkboxes for the icons you want displayed.
If you already tried that, or the checkboxes are “grayed out”, keep reading.
Fix It #3) Restart explorer.exe
- Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shft+Esc)
- Click the Processes tab
- Find explorer.exe in the list and click on it (turn it blue), then click “End process” button
- Restart it. Click File > New Task(Run…) then type in explorer.exe and hit Enter
Alternative: Open Control Panel > Taskbar and Start Menu — place checks in the checkboxes for the icons you want displayed.
Now Let’s Keep The Glitch Gone!
If this problem keeps recurring:
- Open Control Panel >Sound
- Double-click on your “Playback device” (aka “speaker”)
- Click on the Advanced tab
- Un-check “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device”
Click “Apply” and then OK.
Okay. That’s it. Your missing icon should be back in its proper place in the Notification Area and should stay there.
Note: When I am called upon to fix this particular problem, I usually (like, 99% of the time) find that the person’s machine is not up-to-date with all the Windows Updates – usually a missing Service Pack. I do not know that there is a direct cause > effect there.. But.
Fact: you want Updates. Install them PLEASE. Pretty please with sugar on top? (See, What’s With All These Updates?!*)
Today’s free download: iMapMyRun (health and fitness app) makes running fun and easy, turning your smart phone into a social training partner while tracking your pace, distance, and route using GPS.With 2.5 million users, you’ll definitely be able to find your friend and connect and motivate via this app.
Apps available for Apple, Blackberry, and Android devices.
Today’s reading reco(s):
Today’s quotable quote: “Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance.” ~ Bruce Barton
* Orig post: 4/22/11
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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How To Restore The Menu Bar In Vista And Windows 7
In older versions of Windows, the menu bar was always visible in Explorer. In Vista and Windows 7 the menu bar is now hidden by default, and you must press the ALT key to see it. These simple steps will cause it to always be visible.
(The “menu bar” gives you the familiar File | Edit | View |Tools | Help ‘drop down’ menus)
1) Launch Explorer by opening Computer (or Documents, or Pictures..), then press ALT to access the menu bar.
2) Click on Tools and then on Folder options.
3) In the Folder Options window, click on the View tab, and click to place a check in Always show menus.
4) Click on Apply and then OK.
That’s it. You’re done. (Should you decide you prefer the “more screen real estate” no menu bar look, simply repeat the steps and un-check the box.)
Today’s quotable quote: “Action without study is fatal. Study without action is futile.” ~ Mary Beard
Today’s free download: (an “oldie but a goodie”) It has been a while since I have mentioned one of my fave little computer protection apps – WinPatrol.
Clean up your Taskbar, ActiveX, Brower and Startup programs. WinPatrol monitors and exposes adware, keyloggers, spyware, worms, cookies, and other malicious software. This program puts you back in control of your computer with no need for constant updates.
Download WinPatrol 20.5.2011 (Window XP, Vista, Windows 7 including x64 support)
Have a great weekend everybody!
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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Restore A Missing CD Drive*
“Reader writes and asks for help with The Case of the Missing Device…”
Sometimes Windows “Loses” The CD Player..
Q: “Paul I need your help. Yesterday I put a CD in my computer nothing happened. It has been working fine, and usually it will just start playing the first song. I put in a different disk and again nothing. I opened My computer and there was no icon for the DVD. Just icons for the Floppy A:, Local disk (C) and no CD player. It just vanished! I rebooted and that didn’t help. What happened? How do I get my CD player back?”
A: The exact steps required will depend on the cause of the issue, so the following answers are ‘generic’, and may not apply to your particular situation. Read through the list to find the appropriate one for you.
1) Windows XP (and older) have a reputation for “losing” optical drives (but I have seen it occur in Vista) after uninstalling disc burning software — such as Roxio or Nero. (Sometimes.. after installing; but usually it is an uninstall failing to work properly, which leaves incorrect values in your Registry. Sometimes, though less frequently, a Windows Update, or other software change can cause this as well.)
Sometimes Microsoft gets it right:
If this is you — you have uninstalled Roxio, say — the solution is to visit Microsoft Help & Support and click the “Fix It” button. (I have written about using the built in troubleshooter before, see Microsoft “One-click” Fixes) The appropriate Fix it page/button is found here. One click should do it!
———————————
2) If that doesn’t resolve the issue, you can next try restoring your system to a prior (working) state by using System Restore. Please read How To Use System Restore To Fix Windows for instructions.
3) If that doesn’t help, or isn’t appropriate..
Open your computer’s case and check to make sure the power wires, and the ribbon cable are firmly connected to the back of the drive and to the motherboard — they may have become loose or disconnected.
No? Then open your Device Manager. Right-click on “My Computer” and select “Properties”. In Vista, click on Device Manager in the left column; in XP, click on the “Hardware” tab, and then click the “Device Manager” button.
In Device Manager, find “Optical drives” on the list, and expand the category by clicking once on the “+” sign. You should now see the device and a yellow triangle – which is telling you there’s an error.
Right click on the device’s name, and click “Uninstall” from the menu which opens. Answer “Yes”, you want to do that. Then restart (aka “reboot”) your machine. Windows should “find” a “new” CD-ROM and install it for you, thus restoring functionality.
4) If these steps fail, there is something else going on (maybe malware) and I recommend you contact a knowledgeable repair tech.. such as myself (shameless plug).
Today’s free link: KidsEmail.org. Along with ZooBah, something to consider when your child wants their own e-mail address.
Today’s free download: GOM Player is a free multimedia player with popular video and audio codecs built-in. GOM Player supports file formats such as AVI, DAT, MPEG, DivX, XviD, WMV, ASF. Users don’t have to install codecs separately. GOM Player is capable of playing incomplete or damaged AVI files by skipping the damaged frames. It can also play locked or partially downloaded files.
* Orig post: 5/4/09
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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Reader Question: My Pick(s) For Best Antivirus
I wish I had a nickle for every time I am asked this question…
Q: “Paul,
I want to thank you for all the good information on your website and I am hoping you can give me some advice. The McAfee on my new computer is due to expire and it is asking me to buy a subscription or I won’t be protected. Should I pay or should I get something else? I will be using this computer a lot and want the best protection. Thank you.
~ TB
A: TB,
In this day and age of Internet Insecurity, it is absolutely vital (IMHO) that any device that connects to the World Wide Web has antivirus: and, an “expired” antivirus is next to no antivirus. I have written much about Internet/PC security (and answered this question before). But the competition between the various vendors means that the answer to “who’s the best?” changes year to year… and I suspect you want my short answer. (And, currently, McAfee is not it.)
So, for April/May 2011 my General recommendations are:
- Paid Internet Security: Norton Internet Security 2011 (comprehensive. Any user experience level.)
- Free Antivirus: Avast! (Any user experience level.)
- For Netbooks: see, Best Antivirus For Netbooks?
- For Smartphones: Smartphone security is new to me, and I can only (at this time) say that I think that, at the very least, you want Lookout.
* You may be interested to know, PC World magazine also has those first two as their top reco’s: see, Free vs. Fee: Free and Paid Antivirus Programs Compared
“Can free antivirus software protect you? Or is it worth paying for a full-blown A/V app? We look at the benefits–and pitfalls–of free and paid antivirus products.“
Additionally: (Internet security is much more complex than bullet point answers!)
● I prefer to fine-tune my answers to the User: everybody is different, after all. To get your own “fine-tuned” recommendation, try Gizmo’s Freeware Security Wizard.
“This Wizard has been designed to help you select the best free security software for your PC based on the version of Windows that you use, your technical computer skills and your general level of security risk (read more…).”
● In my Blogroll, you will see direct links to trustworthy Product Comparison reviews.
● I recommend supplementing your antivirus with Anti-Spyware, and I frequently recommend SAS (SUPERAntiSpyware) here. It is a great additional “layer of defense”. It is available here. (It is also one of the few titles I actually reco upgrading to the paid version. Hint: look for the “Lifetime” price.)
● I suspect someone will write in and ask, so.. (For Infection Removal): MalwareBytes Anti-Malware
Today’s reading reco(s):
* Off Topic: White House Releases Birth Certificate
“In all my years of being a citizen of the United States, I have never been more embarrassed… I was brought up to respect whomever was the President; whether it be Democrat or Republican. Today.. ” Read more
* Restoring Your Contacts List or Address Book In Gmail
“Google’s Gmail has been a very popular online (web) email client for years; and, rightfully so. It continues to improve and offer features that you would typically find in email software that you would install on your PC.” Read more
* Yesterday, I mentioned iPhone tracking only part of Apple’s security and privacy shortcomings…
“The revelation by a pair of researchers that iPhones store location data for the life of the device is making waves. How much does it really matter? Chad Perrin suggests the problem goes deeper.” Read more
But Android users should (also) be aware.. Android phones keep location cache, too, but it’s harder to access
“After this week’s disturbing revelation that iPhones and 3G iPads keep a log of location data based on cell tower and WiFi base station triangulation, developer Magnus Eriksson set out to demonstrate that Android smartphones store the exact same type of data for its location services. While the data is harder to access for the average user, it’s as trivial to access for a knowledgeable hacker or forensics expert.” Read more
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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