Monday, September 30, 2013

Outlook In Vista Settings

Microsoft Outlook is a great tool to help you connect with people through mail. Besides serving as an email client Outlook can take care of your notes and appointments, manage contacts, and function as a great personal management tool. You can keep a personal address book as well in Outlook, which is separate from the virtual address book created during the starting of an account. MS Outlook allows this personal address book to be transferred to any removable media, and opened in another system. This way you never miss deadlines, can work anywhere there’s a computer, and always stay connected.
Microsoft Outlook is an email client developed and distributed as part of MS Office suite. The 2007 version of MS Outlook is completely compatible with Windows Vista, but needs to be configured a bit before using it in Vista. Changing the Outlook settings is very simple, and this can be redone or undone any time you like. If you do not know how to configure, the following steps should be great help.

Instructions to Configure Outlook in Windows Vista
  • Start the Microsoft Outlook program on your system.
  • On the top of the Outlook application window locate the Tools option, and open this menu to select the Account Settings option in the list.
  • Select the New… button situated in the Email tab. This will initiate the configuration process of your outlook email account.
  • Choose the Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP or HTTP radio button and then press Next.
  • In the fields requesting your information type in your name, your email address, and your password.
  • Click the Next option and wait while your Outlook connects to your email account. Now click on Next again.
  • Click Finish. Now the process of configuration will be completed and you can return to the home window in Outlook.
Congratulations! Your Outlook account has been successfully configured with your Windows Vista operating system. You can go to Outlook settings to customize your account in any manner you like. Outlook is one of the best email clients and ranks one as a personal manager tool. If you encounter any difficulty with your Outlook application, feel free to contact the Outlook help desk. You can even contact Windows Online support as well, where you will probably be able to fix bugs in your Vista.
So set up your Outlook account on Windows Vista and interact with anyone, anytime.

Disabling Programs On Windows

You might have installed a few programs on your computer that you no longer require, and be facing problems uninstalling them. Uninstalling a program requires the program to have all its files present. You should also be sure that the files of the program haven’t become corrupt. You might have removed some program, but it still shows errors messages when you turn on your computer. Some don’t get completely uninstalled, and show errors every time the computer starts.
To counter these applications starting up by themselves you can disable them from running when the computer starts, or you can just disable them when they run and cause errors. Microsoft Windows has some built in features that allow you to disable programs from automatically starting. Windows uses the System configuration utility for achieving this task. Windows is also capable of stopping processes that have been already started on your computer. Microsoft support has detailed help regarding how to make use of the Task Manager to handle this.
You can use the Task Manager to kill a process that has already been started. To get to the task manager you can right click on the taskbar and select Task Manager or press the Ctrl, Alt and Del keys simultaneously. This launches the Task Manager. In the Task Manager Windows go to the processes tab and select the process that you want to kill. Once you have selected the process click on End Process to kill the process.
You can prevent the programs from starting automatically on startup.
  • Go to the System configuration utility. Go to the System Configuration Utility by going to the Start Menu and click the Run option. 
  • In the Run utility enter msconfig and press Enter to launch the System Configuration Utility Window. 
  • Go to the Startup tab here. Locate the program that you want to disable. Click the checkbox next to the program that you want to disable. Only programs that have checked boxes will run on startup. 
  • Click on the OK button to apply your changes. You can restart your computer to apply the changes to it. Once your computer has been restarted it would start to reflect all changes that you have made and the applications that you don’t want would no longer start.
I hope these tips helped you solve your problem. If you continue to have any more problems with Windows please contact Microsoft support. They would help you resolve your problem, and give you a good solution for it.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Blending Images To The Background In PowerPoint

Almost all the computer users may have used the PowerPoint program at least once in their life. Students use this program very frequently to create PowerPoint presentations. This is the preferred slide show program for most of the offices that use Windows. You can use this program to create everything from informational slides to sales presentations. The presentation can be dynamic or static. The key to a successful slideshow is the appearance of the slides. Take care not to make the slides over stuffed or empty. This will make the presentation unappealing. It is always easy to work with slides when there is an attractive background. The steps to blend animated backgrounds for PowerPoint are discussed below.

Instructions To Create Animated Backgrounds For PowerPoint

Open the PowerPoint program and insert the images into the program. This is the same as you insert a picture in any Microsoft Office application. This can be done by copying and pasting or by using the insert function. Once the images are loaded in the slide, you may you may adjust them to the proper location where you want to keep them. You may now add text and any other objects in the slide around these images. Make the necessary changes and adjustments to the images so that the slide looks neat and aesthetically pleasing.
Use another program to create your background. Using multiple images in the same slide can be very difficult in PowerPoint. This is especially difficult when you want these images in all the slides. You may use programs like Microsoft Publisher or any other program of your choice to create the background images. After creating the background, save it in JPEG format. This file can be added to the PowerPoint program to use it as the background image. The advantage of following this method is that you can save the background image as a single file.
You may make use of the default templates in PowerPoint. You can find these default templates already stored in your computer. If you do not want to use these templates, you may download more templates from Microsoft. These are already made to be compatible with PowerPoint program and they give a professional look to the slides.
These are the steps involved to use images as backgrounds in the Microsoft PowerPoint program.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Troubleshooting Errors With The Import/Export Engine

Microsoft Outlook is a utility tool that is primarily used as an email client, though it also serves as a calendar, a journal, a contacts manager etc. All these features, which are present in Outlook, make this program very useful for people who are constant users of Outlook services. An important feature of Outlook is that you can import and export mailbox data for sharing purposes as well as for keeping backups. However, like all the programs and software, which are available in the market, Outlook also suffers from timely glitches. Users who encounter any issues with Outlook or its services can generally contact Outlook tech support, which is a support service from Microsoft to help with their Outlook related problems.
The most common Outlook problem, which is faced by users, is the intrusion of an error message, which says, Cannot Start The Import/Export Engine. Well you can make use of the Office repair utility, which comes with the Microsoft Office package to fix the problem in hand. To make use of the Office utility, you have to follow certain steps.

Steps Involved
  • You have to make sure that you close any of the Office applications that are currently open. As you run the tool, all the Office applications have to be closed.
  • Into the CD ROM/DVD ROM which you have in your system, you will have to insert the Microsoft Office CD ROM. Make sure that you ignore any dialog box that pops up in your screen.
  • Now click on the Start button, which is present in the taskbar. From the list of programs, select the Control Panel option.
  • Now different icons will be present and you will have to choose the Add/Remove Programs option that is present.
  • Now the list of different programs, which are installed in your system, will be present. Now browse through and select the Microsoft Office entry. Now you will have to click on the Change/Repair button, which is present at the top of the window. Now select the option that says Repair Errors In Office Installation.
  • In order to complete the repair process, you will have to click on the required options, which the system will prompt you for.
  • When the repair process is complete, you will have to click on the Finish button.
  • Now you will have to reboot your system. Open the Outlook application again and you can see that the error message will not appear and you will be able to do your work without any issues.
These are the steps to follow to solve issues with the import/export engine. If you still have any issues with Outlook, you can contact Microsoft support forum to get further Outlook tech support and help.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Configuring Outlook Express With Email

Outlook express is an email client which works on the Windows platform. You can use this software to retrieve your email from the internet servers, and display it on your computer. To access your email directly from your computer, you must know a few details about your account. The username and password are the most important details. After that come the POP or IMAP email server settings, and ports. Sometime Outlook automatically configures these ports and servers. Other times you have to manually set Outlook to point to those servers. To find what you should set them to, go to the help section of your webmail and find out the Email server settings and port numbers. You can either go to Outlook express help to find out how to configure your email or you can read on.

To configure Microsoft Outlook Express with your email
  • Open up Microsoft Outlook Express, go to the Tools menu; in the dropdown menu you will find Accounts. Click on it. 
  • This will reveal an Internet Accounts Window, Here go to the Mail tab and click on the Add button. From the dropdown menu select Mail. 
  • In the Internet Connect Wizard go to the display name field and add the name that should be displayed on your email and click on Next. Go to the email address field and enter your email address there. It should also include the ‘@’ symbol as well as the part after the ‘@’ symbol. 
  • In the Email Server Name window select either POP3 or IMAP. In the Account Type again select POP3 or IMAP. Use the settings that you have from your webmail service to fill the fields. Click Next. 
  • In the Account Names and Passwords field fill in your email account address and the password. You may have to retype your password to confirm it. Click Finish. 
  • Now go to the Internet Accounts window and select the account that you just created, and click Properties. In the Properties window, click the Server tab and select My Server requires authentication. 
  • Use the same settings as the incoming mail server is selected. Click on the Advanced tab and ensure the Outgoing as well as Incoming server settings are correctly set. Click OK.
If you have followed the above steps correctly then you would have configure Outlook Express to send and receive mails from your account. For more Outlook express help please contact Microsoft support.

How To Set Default Display Settings In Windows Vista

Windows Vista is one of the most stable Windows operating system developed by Microsoft. It is simple to access and the user-friendly interface makes it the choice of many Windows users even in the present era of Windows 7 and 8.

Like all other Windows versions, Windows Vista also allows users to bring personalized settings in the system to customize its looks and features. Vista allows its users to change the default settings so that the display features like the themes, icons and colors can be set as desired. Sometimes users may face Vista problems like being unable to change the display to its default settings once it is changed.

The display problem may persist even after you have followed the necessary procedures and you may have to perform some additional settings to fix the problem. These settings will bring back the Vista’s default display once you restart your computer. The detailed settings instructions are shared below.

Instructions

  • Click on the Start menu and go to Control Panel.
  • Click on Appearance and Personalization and select the Folder Options. Click on the tab marked as View and go to the Advanced Settings. Choose the label Show hidden files and folders and click on the OK button.
  • Form the Control Panel, click on Personalization and go to Theme. A drop-down window will appear, select Windows Vista and click OK. The settings will bring the theme to default but some icons will remain unaltered.
  •  In the Personalization window, select Change desktop icons. In the next screen, select every icon you wish to change and click on the Restore default tab. Click OK to confirm.
  • Close the window and go to Control Panel again. Click on Computer and select Local Disk. Double-click on the Users folder and then open the folder with your user name.
  • Go to the folder AppData and open the folder labeled Local. Inside the folder, locate and right-click on the file labeled IconCache.db and select the option Delete. Click OK to confirm the deletion.
  • Exit the Windows Explorer window and empty the recycling bin. Restart the computer to bring the changes into effect.

The simple steps shared above should help you fix the Windows Vista problems associated with the default display. If you have any other Vista problems, contact the Microsoft Support Center and get more assistance.

How To Update Your Windows XP OS

Windows XP is an operating system that was released on August 24 2001, and since then it has been in the market for all these years. Windows XP can be referred to as the most successful operating system ever released by Microsoft.

You can update the system files of your operating system with the help of a tool present in Windows XP known as the Windows Update program. You set the Windows Update program to download the updates automatically to your system with the help of Windows XP help instructions. Having latest updates in the system means that you have the latest security patches and other software patches that will keep your computer secure from hackers and other security risks.

In addition, if you have latest updates installed in your system, you can install and use optional drivers and software in the PC. If you are using the internet connection from a network it is, possible that the network may prevent you from downloading the updates, in this case you will require gaining permission from the network administrator to do the same. Follow the below given instructions to install Windows updates to your system.

  • Connect your system to the internet. If you are reading these instructions in offline mode, the first thing you need to do is connect your system to the internet.
  • Now click on the Start button at the left side of the taskbar and then click on Windows Update from the All Programs menu.
  • Now the Windows Update window will appear, in this window, click on the Scan for updates button to search for new updates.
  • When the scan is completed, a page appears showing all the updates that are available for your system.
  • .Now click on the Review button and then select the updates you want to install and remove those you do not want to install by clicking on the Remove button
  • Now after making sure that you have removed all the unwanted updates, click on the Install Now button to start downloading the updates to your system.
  • After the download is completed, the installation process will start and your system may restart during the process.

If you follow the simple steps illustrated above from the Windows XP help and support center, you will be able to run Windows Update in your Windows XP computer with ease.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Some Common Outlook Problems And Fixes


The contact folder of Microsoft Outlook is often prone to several problems due to numerous reasons. The integrated contact folder within Outlook can be used to get an account of the messages and files that has been sent and received as well as to identify the sender.

Most of the Outlook problems can be resolved using the Microsoft troubleshooting tools. This article lists out some of the basic reasons behind the Microsoft Outlook contact problems. Read on to find out what they are and how to troubleshoot them!

Corrupted contact files

Corrupted files can sometimes cause the application not to work.  File corruption can occur due to many reasons such as faulty updates and external applications affecting Outlook. The corrupted contact files cannot be used or accessed in the future. Unfortunately, Outlook programs do not notify you when the contact files are corrupted. Instead, you will have to find and repair such files with the help of Outlook Repairing Scan tool.

Not able to open attachments

The Outlook application can also be used to safeguard your email account from potential harmful programs. Sometimes the attachments you receive along with emails from a trusted source that you already have as a contact, cannot be opened. You will receive an error message saying that the files downloaded can cause harm to your computer. In such a scenario, you can access the file manually by saving the file to your computer. Attachments with .XML extension are more prone to such issues.

Unable to use or locate folders
Sometimes the Outlook programs fail to connect with the contact files as there is no link established between the personal file folder and the Outlook application. Now use the import function named Import and Export to manually import your contact files into the Outlook account. This will also initiate the connection between the .pst files and the contacts folder. Make sure to search the contact files using the file extension .pst. Now you can save the changes made, by restarting the Outlook application and the new folder changes will take effect.

By understanding the root cause of Microsoft Outlook problems, you can employ the right troubleshooting steps to quickly fix the issue. If you want to know more about Microsoft Outlook and its various troubleshooting steps, you may go through the Outlook Help menu or visit Microsoft Support Center online and get more assistance.

Troubleshoot Microsoft Outlook Email Issues

Microsoft Outlook 2003 is a primary email client for Windows operating systems and comes bundled with Microsoft Office Suite 2003.

Well, there are number of occasions when you find your Outlook program to be faulty and troublesome. Among the several Microsoft problems that you may face with the Outlook program, are problems with receiving emails. One main reason for this problem is that your mail server may not be responding properly. Nevertheless, you can fix the issue in a matter of minutes. Let us see how this is done.

Troubleshooting Steps

  • To begin with, you need to click on the Windows Start menu located on the left side, bottom corner of your computer screen and then click on the icon that is labeled Control Panel from the list of Start menu options.
  • Now, in the Control Panel window, you need to first change the category view to Large Icons. After that, select the Mail option followed by E-mail Accounts. Click on View or change existing e-mail accounts, and select the Next button. Then, double-click on your email account.
  • Next up, go through the information in the Incoming mail server (POP3) field, listed in the Server Information section.
  • Following which, you need to click on the Windows Start button and enter the text Command Prompt into the search text field. Click on the option that reads Command Prompt. This will open up a new window on your computer screen.
  • Once you do that, you need to enter the following text without using quotation marks: ping example.com and hit the Enter key on your computer keyboard. Please note that you need to enter the actual name of your server in this section. Doing so will check if the server is responsive. If not, you will be notified that the server is down with an error message that reads Request timed out.
  • You will have to wait until the server gets back to its working state. This might take about 24 hours if the mail server is currently undergoing maintenance.

By now, you must have successfully resolved the Microsoft problems related to MS Outlook and started receiving emails without any problem. If you still encounter any issues, please get in touch with Microsoft tech support team for further assistance on this.