Ask Mr. Modem

Mr. Modem features syndicated columnist, speaker and author Richard Sherman responding to questions from on the latest computer topics. His latest book, Mr. Modem's Internet Guide for Seniors is available at bookstores. E-mail your questions to him at MrModem@home.com

Q. I don’t know what happened, but all the icons on my Desktop disappeared. I can get to my Desktop folder through Windows Explorer, but when I try to drag icons from there to the Desktop, a message pops up that says, “Cannot move icon. Destination folder is the same as the source folder.” Can you help me?

Yes, I’ll be happy to help you get your meandering icons back on your Desktop, though they actually are on your Desktop by virtue of being in the Desktop folder. That’s why, when you try to drag them from the Desktop folder to your Desktop, Windows snipes at you. It’s telling you that you can’t move them to your Desktop because they are already there. They’re just being shy.
To coax them out of seclusion, right-click a blank area of your Desktop. From the menu that appears, select Arrange Icons By and from the sub-menu, select Show Desktop Icons. Click to place a check mark in front of Show Desktop Icons to turn it back on.

Q. I love your newsletter, Mr. M. Keep up the good work! Lately I’ve been getting email notices that certain emails I supposedly sent were undeliverable, but I know I didn’t send them. What’s going on?

Here’s how that generally happens: Your name and email address appear in other peoples’ address books. That’s true for all of us and of course we cannot control who decides to include us in an address book. Certain forms of virus (worms) will hijack address books and use them to send out messages and infected files that make it appear as if the people in the address book sent them. If you happen to be in a hijacked address book, mail is going to be sent out that shows your name and address as the sender. If the delivery address on one or more of those messages is no longer valid, it will bounce back to you because you’re shown as the sender. You’ll then exclaim to nobody in particular, “Hey, I don’t know this person and I never sent this message!” The bottom line is that the undeliverable messages you receive are nothing to be concerned about because they have nothing to do with you. These things tend to run in cycles, so it will probably subside after a few days. It’s just the nature of the Internet beast these days, so whenever you get any of those messages bouncing back to you as undeliverable, just delete them and don’t give ’em a second thought.

Q. When I try to open a spreadsheet in Excel, I get an error message that says, “Locked for editing.” I created the file, so I don’t know how it could be locked. What can I do to unlock it?

Right-click the file and select Properties. In the Attributes section you’ll see that “Read Only” is checked. Remove the check mark, click Apply > OK, and you’ll be able to access and edit the file once again.

Q. I’m looking for a program that will print wallet-size checks. Any suggestions, Mr. M?

Check-printing programs are a dime a dozen, but finding one that prints wallet-size checks is the challenge here. Take at look at the cleverly named Check Printer (http://tinyurl.com/2wr48t). Unlike other check-printing programs that require you to purchase blank checks, this program prints checks removed from your checkbook—hopefully, with your permission. It allows you to print in a variety of formats, including wallet-size checks. You can try Check Printer for free and it’s only nine dollars to register, if you decide to keep it.

Mr. Modem’s Sites of the Month

Appliance Repair Clinic
Here you’ll find useful information about every major household appliance, including troubleshooting, maintenance tips, answers to common questions, a diagnostic section, and where to find appliance parts.
www.repairclinic.com

My Favorite Word
The perfect site for philologists. Scroll through the submissions by word enthusiasts who share their favorite words. Each word is accompanied by a definition, as well as a little anecdote about the word, its etiology, or its special meaning to the contributor.
www.myfavoriteword.com

Pandora.com
Created by the Music Genome Project, you are invited to select your favorite music, then through analysis of the selected melody, harmony, rhythm and instrumentation, the site will present other music it feels you might also enjoy. Be sure to read the Pandora FAQ (http://blog.pandora.com/faq) before participating.
www.pandora.com

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