Always Searching . . .

Here’s a quick fix.

Reinstall the XPS Document Writer:

1. From the Windows Start menu, choose Printers. 
2. From the toolbar, click the Add a printer button, and choose Add a local printer.
3. Click to chose the Use an existing port option.
4. Choose XPSPort: (Local Port) and click Next.
5. From the manufacturer list, choose Microsoft, then Microsoft XPS Document Writer.
6. Click Next   When you’re finished QuickBooks will work.  This works with Windows 8 Pro and QuickBooks 2012.

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1. I miss, miss, miss the desktop.  Tiles might work fine for tablets and touch screens, but they create frustration for mouse and keyboard users.

2. I miss, miss, miss the start menu.  From its most functional search, to quick access to docs, pics, and control panel.  I missed it so much I installed an program which gave me the desktop and start menu back: Classic Shell.  I may try others sometime and see which is the best.

3. Games are gone.  I checked my games folder and nothing’s there.  When I am extremely tired, I like to play mindless games.  I found games through the tiles but had to login with my Microsoft user ID before I could install something as simple as solitaire.  My old previously downloaded games from other sources work fine, but they are not in the games folder, either. 

4. Gadgets are gone.  Yes, I know they had to go because they were prey for hackers.  But I kept them because I like to live on the edge.  No, I kept them because they were useful.  I like a quick glance at an analog clock.  Yes, I could spend twenty dollars and buy a clock and put it on the wall. . . maybe I will do that.  Meanwhile I downloaded Google Desktop and am using the clock and system monitor.  Now all I need is a weather gadget.

5. Booting is very slow.  Minutes.  Over 5 minutes when I installed some updates yesterday.  2+ minutes normally.  It’s a good thing I don’t often reboot.  Note:  after using it a week, booting is now fast.

6. Windows didn’t offer to show me which updates were installed.  Yes, I can find it.  But a quick click after booting in Windows 7 showed me any potentially problematic updates right away.

7. When I click Devices on the Right Side Menu, it doesn’t show devices and printers as it did in Windows 7.  It seems to only deal with projectors.  Completely useless.

8. Sounds.  I liked the default sounds in Windows 7.  Windows 8 sounds are so gentle that I may miss email and appointments.  I can modify the sound scheme, but none of the other themes has a sound for appointment notifications.

9. Sorry, I’ve run out of reasons.  Can you supply two more?

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First, the good:

1. My computer is more responsive
2. Programs open quickly and close quickly
3. The disk packaging is well-designed. 
4. The product key is business card size
5. The product key is printed black on white
6. The disks are clearly labeled as 32 bit or 64 bit
7. My programs all seem to work
8. My programs work better than they did under Windows 7
9. Add-ins to programs work except for QuickBooks Contact Sync
10. My hardware was all discovered and installed except for an HP printer.  It took me 3 tries to install it.

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I installed Windows 8 upgrade today.  Went like clockwork, a very slow and uncommunicative clock, that is.  There were many times when it said “please wait” with no indication of how long.  When it finally did install, I tried to like the metro interface, but failed.  I wanted my Windows Start Button back with easy access to the control panel. I wanted my desktop back.  I was able to finally see my desktop but Windows I would not automatically go there at startup.  I found the solution for the missing Start Button and my desktop:  Start Menu 8.  Start Menu 8 lets you bypass the metro interface and go directly to your desktop.  And it gives you a start menu with quick links for frequently used programs and the usual Documents, Pictures, Music, etc.  So if you now have windows 8 and you miss the Start Menu and desktop download Start Menu 8. 

AN UPDATE:  While it worked well, it also disabled my left arrow button.  Now I am trying Classic Shell.  It is working very well.  I’ll let you know if there are any more updates.

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Check your temperature: Computers can suddenly shut down for many reasons, but the most common is over heating. Even in winter a computer may overheat if it's fans are not working well or it's air intakes are blocked.  If you hear an unusual noise, sometimes pulsing from your computer, it may be the sound of fan bearings going bad.  Those fans should be replaced immediately.  A computer can also overheat when its air intakes are clogged by dust, lint, pet hair, or other soft substances.  Find those vents and wipe them with a Swiffer cloth or damp towel when the computer is turned off.  Using a vac may make a fan rotate in reverse and damage it.  So stick to cloths and give your computer a wipe down from time to time.

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How much will it cost?

Getting started with Windows 8.

Microsoft's next operating system will be released by the end of this month.  How much will it cost?  If you purchase a new computer, it will come preloaded as it has in the past.  If you purchased a new computer running Windows 7 after June 2, then you have the opportunity to get a cheap upgrade.  How cheap?  $14.99.  But you must follow the instructions on this website:  If you are like the rest of us, running an older computer with Windows 7, Vista, or XP, you are in luck.  For the low price of $39.99 Microsoft is extending the offer of a Windows 8 Pro upgrade but only if you follow the instructions on this website.and only if you complete the transaction by January 31, so don't delay.

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That seemed to be the substance of the Presidential Debate.  And that is a good question which I will try to answer in a round-about way.

I have been in several churches in my life.  They have ranged in governing philosophy from putting walls around activities that lead to harm to a strategy of giving us information and allowing us to make the decision. In other words from Puritan to . . . well whatever is the opposite.

The church I am in right now falls in the latter category.  The leaders and pastors are there to enable the congregation in doing the work of ministry.  How it works out is not setting out a list of rules or avoidances, but learning to listen to God as he speaks through scripture, through others, and through His Spirit. 

This is both an easier and more difficult way to live.  If I am given rules, I don’t have to think, don’t have to worry, don’t have to wrestle.  I need only obey.  Without rules, I have to think and wrestle with decisions which is better for me.

So how does that relate to government?  Like the church I am in, it works better if it enables the citizens to function freely .  .  . by getting out of the way.  Government does some things well: provides defense and security, maintains communication and roads, and carries on relationships with other governments.  But running a business is something that a government cannot do well.  Government functions best when it is inefficient.  Businesses must be efficient.  Inefficiency is good for government and bad for business.  Our founders knew that when they created an inefficient Tri-cameral body:  Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.  When government moves slowly, it moves best.

Business is different.  Business must have a leader, a decision-maker who can make business decisions on the fly.  Businesses have to take risks.  Business cannot function like a government or it will fail.  Government cannot run a profitable business—it can’t seem to run itself without incurring massive debt.  And an unprofitable debt-ridden business is no business at all. 

Government can help grow business best when it stays out of the way and lets business people run businesses. 

Wall image By Wenkbrauwalbatros (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

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I received an email today.  It appeared real.  Anyone might have thought it real.  Here is how it read.

THIS IS A HOAX.  For starters, Adobe Reader is at version X (10), specifically 10.1.3.  It has never been referred to by year.  Next, Adobe does not send email notifications of upgrades, not even to me, a registered user.  Upgrade notices are generated by the program when you use it or by a memory-resident icon on the taskbar, never by email.

What will happen if you download the program from the spam email site?  I can’t tell you.  I had no interest in being the guinea pig.  What I can tell you is that anyone who so clearly violates trade name rules, is up to no good. 

This has been your spam warning for the day!

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I received the letter below and want to encourage you to support the Buckeye Trail.  I am offering a 2-night at my cabin for the silent auction. 

Monday, February 13, 2012

Dear Diana,

Hello, my name is Yvonne and I am an avid hiker and backpacker. From the Foothills Trail of North Carolina…the Sheltowee Trace of Kentucky…the Appalachian Trail reaching from Georgia to Maine and the great state of Ohio’s own Buckeye Trail, I have backpacked hundreds of miles on these footpaths. From the strenuous climbs of a rugged mountain, to the views of a peaceful valley spreading below, I am passionate about them all and because of that love I want to help build, maintain and promote the trails and to protect the lands on which they traverse.

I want to focus on just one of these beautiful trails today…Ohio’s Buckeye Trail. The Buckeye Trail is a 1,444 mile hiking trail located entirely within the state of Ohio. It traverses 49 of Ohio’s 88 counties. From the southern terminus at Eden Park overlooking the Ohio River…this trail follows old canal towpaths, abandoned railroad rights of way, rivers, lakeshores, rural byways and primitive footpaths over forested public and private lands. It passes through state forests, state and local parks and many small towns and urban areas where traveling on foot gives you a unique perspective of our state. It is truly a gem in our very own back yards…that needs to be preserved, protected and maintained for now and for future generations.

As a volunteer of the Buckeye Trail Association (BTA), a 501(c) 3, nonprofit organization formed in 1959, I am coordinating the Silent Auction to be held at the 1^st Annual Buckeye TrailFest. On April 26^th-29^th, 2012, the Buckeye TrailFest will feature Presentations, Workshops, Field Trips, Hikes, and this fundraiser. This letter is a personal invitation for you to get involved and to possibly donate towards this Silent Auction. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the BTA and may be tax deductible.

Thank you, for reading this letter, for researching our websites and for considering making a donation to the Buckeye TrailFest. This Silent Auction will be a grand fundraiser and a romantic weekend package for two or any offer, will be greatly appreciated by myself, Andy Niekamp and the many hikers and backpackers of Ohio…Check out their websites at http://www.buckeyetrailfest.org/ and http://www.buckeyetrail.org/

Loving Life,

Yvonne Entingh

Buckeye TrailFest Silent Auction Coordinator

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