Question: Mike asks, "I installed Office 2007 on my Windows XP and now Outlook Express can only spell check in French. Any ideas?"
Answer: Well, Mike, upon researching this problem, I found that you aren't the only one having it. This is a common problem for XP users. According to Microsoft, installing Office 2007 causes several files to be replaced, including the spell check files for the English, Spanish, and German languages. The ones that it leaves aren't compatible with Outlook Express. If you upgrade to Windows Live Mail it will work again. You'll also have the latest version of Outlook Express as well. You also can keep Outlook Express, but install a third party spell check tool. The only drawback to this might be that your personal dictionary files – the files that hold terms you've added - might not be usable in both Outlook Express and Word.
Web Exclusive: The reason that this is not a problem for Vista users is because if you have Vista, you have Windows Mail, whose name was changed to Windows Live Mail when Microsoft began distributing it through their Live.com website.
Cool Site: ClassicCat.net: If you like classical music, then check out classic cat.net. This site is a wiki that's jam-packed with information about classical composers and their compositions. The site in many cases also has links to free downloads of the songs that you can keep. Articles on composers include links to other composers' articles as well. If a particular piece has lyrics, these are generally also available. Check this out, because we're not necessarily talking about just classical. Some of the composers are also ragtime or jazz composers as well. But, if classical isn’t for you, then check out the show notes for a link to more free music at Amazon.com. At Amazon, you can find over 500 mp3 songs that are absolutely free. They also feature a free song of the day that you can download and keep..
Cool Gadget: Asus' Disney-Branded Netbook: Exclusively at Toys 'R Us, you can find the EeePC MK90 Netpal. It's a netbook that includes strict parental controls including which websites get visited, how long they spend on the computer, and what programs they put on the system. It's preloaded with Disney software for Music, Photos, and Games. It has a spill-proof keyboard and themes for many popular Disney characters. It's $349 and available in Princess Pink and Magic Blue. There's a Mickey Mouse-shaped webcam and a memory card reader. Two models are available, one with a 16GB solid state drive, the other with a 160GB magnetic spinning hard drive. Looks cool. Have a look at the show notes for a link to a YouTube video demonstrating the device.
It's All "Geek" To Me: ActiveX: A Microsoft technology that allows websites to be more interactive. It lets you view a Word document or an Excel spreadsheet from within Internet Explorer. One of the downsides is that ActiveX isn't terribly secure, and while useful, it can be exploited by malicious websites to do damage to your computer. Be careful, and keep your antivirus and antispyware signatures up to date.
