Q:

Unfortunately, my headset’s microphone doesn’t seem to be working.

Before I invest in another headset, I want to be sure that my microphone is not being “muted” by a setting inside my computer.

How do I access the status of the microphone settings inside the computer?

A: Microsoft recently bought a company called Skype, which lets people talk to each other through an Internet connection rather than phone lines, saving considerable cash.

Microsoft will probably incorporate Skype into its products, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it show up inside Windows 8 later this year.

Until then, though, Windows Vista and Windows 7 offer the same ways to make sure your headset’s microphone works correctly.

To test and adjust your microphone, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the Sound icon (the little white speaker) in your taskbar by the clock.
2. When the pop-up menu appears, choose Recording Devices.
3. When the list of recording devices appears, speak into the headset’s microphone and watch the bars next to that device.

The green bars should raise and lower to reflect your voice’s volume, as shown in the figure to the left.

When those bars move constantly as you speak, you know that the microphone is picking up the sound of your voice.

Don’t see any wavering green bars? Then something’s wrong, and you need to probe further.

Set the microphone as the Default Device

Notice the green check mark next to the first microphone shown to the left?

That means it’s the “Default device,” which is the microphone Windows currently listens through. (Many computers offer two or more microphone options.)

If your headset’s microphone isn’t listed as the default device, follow this step to change it:

• Right-click the microphone’s entry, choose Properties, and choose “Set as Default Device.”

Check the microphone’s levels

After setting the microphone as Default Device, follow these steps to check its sound recording levels.

1. Right-click the microphone’s entry, and choose Properties.
2. When the Properties box appears, click the Custom tab.
3. Select the Microphone Boost or AGC check box to amplify any weak signals.
4. Click the Levels tab.
5. Adjust the volume slider to the level that you want, and then click OK.
6. Click OK to close the Sound dialog box.

Although these are the basic settings included in Windows 7, different computers may offer slightly different settings. Many manufacturers install their own settings panels that override Windows 7′s built-in settings.

For more information, drop by Skype’s own microphone setup page. It offers detailed instructions and screenshots.

Microsoft also offers an automated FixIt program on its website that claims to fix some microphone issues in Windows 7. I haven’t tried it, but it’s worth a try if these instructions haven’t helped.

Q:

The hard drive already has some files. How do I format the drive to NTFS?

A: Creating a System Image on a portable drive is the best way to back up your Windows 7 computer.

Before a hard drive can be used,  though, it must be formatted, which is how computers prepare drives for incoming files.

Windows can format hard drives in several different ways, but System Images are picky: You can only store System Images on drives formatted with NTFS (New Technology File System).

Formatting a drive completely erases its contents, so you need to store your drive’s current files in a safe place. You can copy the drive’s files back to your computer, for example, to a flash drive, or burn them to a CD or DVD.

Once you’ve safely moved the files, follow these steps to format a drive using NTFS:

1. Plug the external hard drive into your computer.
2. Click the Start menu, and choose Computer.
3. Right-click your drive’s icon and choose Format from the pop-up menu.
4. When the Format window appears, be sure to choose NTFS from the File System menu.
5. Click the Start button.

Windows formats your drive using NTFS, making it acceptable for storing System Images.

After formatting your drive, copy its original files back onto the drive.

Alternatively, you can trust Windows to convert your drive to NTFS, leaving the existing files intact. However, if something goes wrong during the conversion process, you’ll lose your files.

It’s safer to backup your files, format the empty drive to NTFS, and copy the files back to the drive.

My laptop’s manual says, “to reduce the risk of electric shock or damage to internal components, do not use a vacuum cleaner attachment to clean the keyboard. A vacuum cleaner can deposit household debris on the keyboard surface.”

Is it safe to use a vacuum cleaner on a laptop?

A: You’re seeing a manufacturer’s standard fallback statement: “Let’s warn people about everything so we can never be sued.”

There’s no electric shock involved with the extremely low voltages being used in keyboards, both on desktops and laptops. Besides, modern vacuum cleaner nozzles are plastic, which don’t conduct electricity.

As for the household debris warning, well… If you’ve just used your vacuum cleaner to clean up after something messy, and you’ve left something gross on the nozzle, sure, that goo might end up on the keyboard, as well. A slightly damp rag will take that off.

That said, if the vacuum cleaner isn’t dislodging all the cat hairs and cracker crumbs from your keyboard, try compressed air sprayers.

Sold in most office-supply and computer stores, these aerosol cans shoot compressed air through a flexible plastic tube. The tube can reach into the crevices of your keyboard, effectively blasting out the debris.

But in a pinch, vacuum cleaners also work, especially if you use a small vacuum cleaner attachment designed for reaching into small spaces.

Q: What is virtual memory? Windows XP keeps sending me messages that my virtual memory is low. Also, what does it mean when my computer says that I don’t have enough storage on my computer?

A: Windows uses memory to run the programs you see on your screen. When Windows asks for more memory than your computer can offer, Windows turns to something called “virtual memory.”

Virtual memory is a portion of your hard drive that Windows treats as “fake memory.” Windows grabs a portion of your hard drive, and treats it just as if it were the speedy memory installed in your PC.

Being made of mechanical, spinning platters, virtual memory is much slower than the real thing. But it’s better than nothing, so virtual memory lets your PC run those memory-hungry programs. And, virtual memory saves you from the expense of installing more real memory inside your computer.

Virtual memory really slows down your PC, though, so it’s meant mostly for folks on a budget who have a lot of patience.

Now, your second question: When your PC runs out of memory and hard drive space, there’s no room left to create virtual memory. So, Windows sends you the message, “Your system is low on virtual memory.” Similar messages may say, “System Process — Out of Virtual Memory,” or “Your system is running low on virtual memory.”

Regardless of the wording, these error messages all call for these same two solutions:

First, free up some space on your hard drive by removing clutter. Run the Disk Cleanup program described on page 235 of the Windows XP For Dummies, Second Edition:

1. Choose the Control Panel’s Performance and Maintenance category and choose Free Up Space on Your Hard Disk.
2. Check all the items except the last two, then click OK.
3. Click Yes when Windows asks if you’re sure.

A second solution is to add more memory to your PC, a task I walk you through in Upgrading and Fixing PCs For Dummies: Do-It-Yourself. Adding more memory is a cheap and easy way to speed up your PC, as it stops your PC from relying on the slower, “virtual memory.”

Finally, if those options don’t cure the problem, make sure your virtual memory’s paging file settings are correct by following these steps in Windows XP:

1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
3. In the Performance pane, click Settings.
4. In the Performance Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
5. In the Virtual memory pane, click Change.
6. Change the Initial size value and the Maximum size value to a higher value, click Set, and then click OK.
7. Click OK to close the Performance Options dialog box, and then click OK to close the System Properties dialog box.

Clearing some space on your hard drive and adding more memory will keep your old Windows XP workhorse running strong.

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My latest book, Upgrading and Fixing Computers Do-It-Yourself For Dummies features easy step-by-step guides with photos that help you upgrade and maintain your computer, laptop, or netbook. The book is available now on Amazon.

Q: Where can I buy one of those little rubber address stamps you describe on page 118 in your book Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition?

A: Ah, the old rubber stamp trick. See, no matter how fancy a printer you buy, you’ll almost always be let down in one key area: Printers can’t print envelopes very well.

Envelopes come in a wide variety of sizes and thicknesses, and I’ve never found a printer that could handle them all. Or any of them, for that matter.

The envelopes either jam the printer, the printer smudges the ink, or the printer places the address upside down or in the wrong corner.

As I explain in the book, I gave up and bought a cheap rubber address stamp, customized with my own return address. The rubber stamp I bought came from junk mail: a tear-off strip attached to the return envelope of a credit card bill.

However, you no longer need to patronize junk mailers. Instead, you can buy a rubber address stamp from Amazon. They arrive customized with your own address, include a pre-inked pad, and they save many hours of frustration. Plus, they cost less than $10.

Think how much your time is worth, then simplify your life by buying a rubber address stamp. I bought mine back in 2003, and it’s still working fine. (In fact, it’s outlasted two printers, and way-too-many overpriced ink cartridges.) Plus, you can re-ink the pad yourself when the ink runs dry.

Q: How do I transfer files from my old computer running Windows 98 Second Edition to my new Windows 7 computer?

It is inconceivable to me that there is no easy way to transfer data from a computer that’s only 10 years old.

Hewlett Packard’s tech support people said that it is impossible to transfer from Windows 98 Second Edition to Windows 7 – that no equipment exists anymore to support the transfer.

What do I do?

A: Windows 7′s free “Windows Easy Transfer” program works pretty well at copying your files from a Windows XP or Windows Vista computer. But as you’ve discovered, the program conveniently ignores people with older Windows versions, like Windows Millennium, or Windows 98. That leaves you in the lurch.

Since there’s no automatic way to move the information from your Windows 98 computer to your new computer,  you’ll have to do the grunt work yourself.

You can transfer your information several ways:

• Floppy drives. Since you don’t need to copy a lot of information, the easiest transfer method is probably to buy a floppy drive that plugs into your new computer’s USB port. You’ll find several USB floppy drives for less than $20 sold by Amazon. Buy one, plug it into your Windows 7 computer, and you’ll be able to read any information your Windows 98 PC can store onto your diskettes.
• Hard drive. If your Windows 98 computer can no longer copy information to floppy disks, turn your old Windows 98 computer’s hard drive into a portable hard drive. Just buy an enclosure that can read the IDE drives that were in style back then. Insert the old hard drive into the enclosure, an easy enough task. Then, plug the portable hard drive into your Windows 7 computer’s USB port, and you can cherry pick the files you want to salvage.

No matter which transfer method you choose, be aware that most Windows 98 programs won’t run under Windows 7. You’ll have to buy updated version of your programs, and check to see if they can still open the same file formats used back in Windows 98.

Windows 98 only came out 12 years ago, but that’s several generations in computer time.

Q:

But my Windows Experience Index shows only 5.9, with my weak link being my hard disk transfer speed.

I’m really disappointed. How much stock should I put into Windows rankings? Can I do better by replacing my current hard drive? What hard drives are on the market that are scoring 7 and up in transfer speed?

Are there changes I can make to my hard drive, like changing the filing system, that will speed it up and score it higher?

A: A low-scoring hard drive nearly always torpedoes a fast computer’s Windows Experience Ratings. You’ve asked very good questions, so I’ll tackle them one by one.

• How much stock should I put into Windows rankings?

Windows Experience Ratings work best mostly when comparing several computers on the showroom floor:

1. Click any computer’s Start button.
2. Right-click Computer, and choose Properties.

The resulting Windows Experience Index lets you see at a glance which computer beats the other in a fistfight.

To probe a particular computer’s strengths and weaknesses, click the words “Windows Experience Index,” shown to the left, and Windows fetches the window shown at the top of this page. As you can see, the usual bottleneck with high-performance computers comes with their hard drives.

When it comes to speed, hard drives haven’t kept up with processors, memory and graphics cards. Sure, hard drives hold more files than ever. But they can’t move those files around very quickly.

• Can I do better by replacing my current hard drive?

Yes, you can. But before doing that, try the cheap approach: Make sure your computer’s parts are up to date with the latest drivers and firmware. Drop by your computer manufacturer’s Web site, and see if they’ve posted any updates, especially for your computer’s motherboard or hard drive. If you know the motherboard or hard drive manufacturers, drop by their Web sites, instead. Updating a driver or firmware sometimes improves your scores.

If that doesn’t help, it’s time for a second hard drive. See, most vendors cut costs by putting one huge hard drive in a computer. It’s a sales ploy, as prospective buyers feel reassured at seeing all that space. But that large size comes at a price: a slow disk speed.

So, what do you do? Here’s the secret:

Buy a small, fast hard drive, and use it to store Windows and your programs. Then, use your whopper hard drive for storing all your music, digital photos, and videos. The Windows Experience Index only measures your primary hard disk — the one where Windows lives — so you’ll not only increase your score, but speed up your computer.

• What hard drives are on the market that are scoring 7 and up in transfer speed?

Solid State Drives, the big brothers to the flash drives carried around on keychains, are today’s fastest drives. With no moving parts, these drives really kick up your performance.

Unfortunately, they’re expensive. An Amazon search for SSD internal hard drives found a 256 GB drive on discount for $699. The fastest drives could be the OCZ Vertex 2 series; as I write this, Amazon sells a 60GB OCZ Vertex 2 for about $170. Sure, they’re small. But they’re large enough for Windows and a handful of key programs. Everything else can live on your slow-but-mammoth second drive.

• Are there changes I can make to the format of my HD, such as the filing system, that will speed it up and score it higher?

No. If it was this easy, computer manufacturers would be boosting their scores by doing just that.

If you want the highest hard drive scores, go with the SSD drives. I’ve never seen a reviewer who didn’t immediately gloat over their speed increase. Many buyers begin lamenting over how slow everybody else’s computer seems to run in comparison.

So, to boost your Windows Experience Index, as well as your own experience, pony up the money for an SSD drive.

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My latest book, Upgrading and Fixing Computers Do-It-Yourself For Dummies features easy step-by-step guides with photos that help you upgrade and maintain your computer, laptop, or netbook. The book is available now on Amazon.

Q:

While installing software today, I noticed that the power source wasn’t plugged all the way into the video card, so I pushed it in more tightly, and bam: The computer suddenly shut off, and it won’t turn back on.

Do you think I’ve fried the computer’s motherboard or its power supply?

A: First, a rap on the knuckles: Always unplug your computer before working inside your PC. Even if you’re just tightening a connector, turn off and unplug your computer first.

Now, back to your question. When troubleshooting a potential power supply problem, let your ears be your guide, by listening for these things:When you turn on your PC, do you hear the power supply’s fan whir into action? Even the quietest fan can be heard when you place your ear next to the round vent on the back of your computer.

If you don’t hear a spinning fan, then you’ve killed the power supply. That’s a fairly inexpensive and easy-to-install repair.

But if the fan still spins, the power supply is probably still alive, so your motherboard might be dead. Motherboards cost more than a power supply.

There’s another scenario: If you hear the fan and you hear your hard drive clicking and whirring as it loads an operating system, then you might have killed something else: the video card.

To further isolate the problem, turn to your stash of old parts and begin swapping the suspect parts with old ones you know to be good. That makes it easy to find the bad part, and lets you avoid a trip to the repair shop.

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Upgrading and Fixing Computers Do-It-Yourself For Dummies features easy step-by-step guides with photos that help you upgrade and maintain your computer, laptop, or netbook. The book is available now on Amazon.

Let your computer double as a TV set by adding a TV tuner — a gadget that pulls in a TV signal, letting you channel surf and watch shows on your monitor.

The easiest TV tuners simply plug into a USB port, available on every computer, laptop, and netbook. When combined with the Media Center found in Windows Vista and Windows 7, TV Tuners also double as digital video recorders: Like a TiVo, they automatically record your favorite TV shows, letting you watch your faves whenever you’re ready.

USB tuners are easy to install, and they’re easily moved from one computer to another. (Keep an eye on your roommates.)

You’ll only pull in free HDTV station broadcasts if you’re within broadcast range, however, so your luck will vary considerably depending on where you live.

Step 1: Install a USB TV tuner

To install a USB TV tuner onto a netbook, laptop, or desktop computer, follow these steps:

1. Unpack your TV tuner and find all the parts. The tuner itself has a USB plug on one end, and a coaxial cable port on the other. The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950Q tuner I used here includes a remote control, a miniature antenna for pulling in free HDTV signals from the air, and recording software for computers that lack Windows’ Media Center.



2. Slide the tuner’s USB plug into a USB port. Windows usually recognizes newly installed USB devices and sets them up to work correctly. If you don’t see the words “Device Installed Successfully,” install the tuner’s software, which should contain the right drivers.



3. Visit the manufacturer’s Web site and download the latest setup software for your model of TV tuner, and run that software instead of the CD included in the box. (It’s more up-to-date.) Also, some TV tuners come with their own TV-viewing software. Instead of installing that bundled program, however, run a piece of software called “Windows Media Center Kit setup,” if you see one. That kit lets you control the tuner through Windows 7’s Media Center, instead of the bundled viewer.



4. Set up the remote, if included. USB TV tuners usually have the receiver built into their box. Aim the remote control at the little box’s built-in receiver when changing channels. (The remote control included with this particular tuner only works with its own recording software; it doesn’t work with Windows 7 Media Player.)

When you’re through connecting the tuner, you need to connect your TV signal: Without a TV signal, you won’t see any TV shows.

The tuner described here comes with an antenna that screws onto the tuner. If you live within range of a broadcast station, that’s all you need to grab a few HDTV channels.

If you’re out of range, though, you need to connect the tuner to your cable signal, described next.

Step 2: Connect a TV signal to your TV tuner

This part’s easy, as the vast majority of TV tuners grab a TV signal only one way: through a coaxial port: a little threaded plug that lets you screw a connector onto it. If your room already has an unused coaxial cable poking out through the wall, screw it onto your tuner’s coaxial port. That’s it!

But if that coaxial cable’s already being hogged by a TV or cable box, then you need a splitter: a cheap little gadget that splits one cable into two, letting one end stay plugged into your TV or cable box, while the other plugs into your computer’s tuner. They’re available at nearly any store that sells TVs.

Installing a splitter is cheap, easy, and lets your TV work normally, even when your computer’s recording a different channel.

Follow these steps to install a splitter, which magically turns one cable into two: One for your computer, and the other for your TV or cable box. Here’s how

1. Unplug the coaxial cable from the RF or VHF\UHF “In” port on your cable box or TV. Found on the back of every TV and cable box, that coax port accepts the signal from a TV cable that runs from either the wall or an antenna. You may need a pair of pliers to loosen the connector from the port on the back of your TV or cable box; your fingers can handle the rest.


Unplug the coax cable from the back of your TV set or cable box.

2. Screw the coaxial cable’s connector into the end of the splitter with only one port (left). Coaxial cables should always screw onto a splitter; the push-on connectors tend to fall off. On the splitter’s other end, connect the coax cable for your cable box or TV set, as well as your computer’s TV tuner (right).


Plug your TV cable into the splitter's single port; plug two cables into the other end, one for your computer, and one for your TV.

3. Plug one of your two new cables back into the spot where you unplugged it in Step 1, on either your TV or cable box. Then plug the other end into your TV tuner’s coaxial port . The splitter then lets your TV keep its same connection, so it still receives the same channels. Plus, your computer receives all the channels, as well.


Plug the TV cable into your TV tuner.

4. Fire up Windows 7′s Windows Media Center, follow the setup screens to tell the program about your tuner, and start watching TV on your computer.

Once you’ve connected your new tuner to a signal and set up Media Center, you can watch TV on your computer. You won’t receive high-definition signals, but most cable companies broadcast channels 2-99 in regular definition.
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My latest book, Upgrading and Fixing Computers Do-It-Yourself For Dummies features easy step-by-step guides with photos that help you upgrade and maintain your computer, laptop, or netbook.

Check it out now on Amazon.

Photo by dno1967 from Flickr

A: When writing information to your hard drive, Windows usually breaks the files into pieces, stuffing them into whatever empty space it can find.

When retrieving a file, Windows rummages for those scattered pieces, which takes a little time. To speed things up, Windows includes a disk defragmentation program: The program gathers up all those scattered bits, and files them away next to each other, so Windows can grab them more quickly.

Unlike early Windows versions, Windows 7 automatically defragments your drives every week, usually at 1 am on Wednesday. (Early Windows versions made you run the Disk Defragmentation program manually, a chore many people simply forgot about.)

You can see Windows 7′s automated defragmentation schedule (and make sure that it’s running on schedule) by following these steps:

1. Click the Start button and click Control Panel.



2. Click System and Security.



3. In the Administrative Tools section, click Defragment your hard drive.

There, you’ll see a list of all your drives, with their defragmentation percentage. (If Windows 7 has been working its defragmentation magic automatically, as it should, you’ll see “0% fragmented,” along with the time and date the defragmention program last worked.

If you don’t leave your computer turned on in the evenings, though, the defragmentation program won’t be able to run. If that’s the case, tell Windows 7 to defragment the drives at a different time, perhaps during your lunch hour when you’re away, but your PC’s still turned on.

To do that, click the Configure Schedule button.

There, you can choose a different time or day; schedule the defragmentation to take place daily, weekly, or monthly; or even tell Windows to defragment different disks on different schedules.

Click OK after making any changes.