Q Some time ago, I was told how to install a magnifying system that would magnify the small print on many Web sites by simply holding down my Control key and turning the wheel on my mouse. Recently, I installed an update on Windows XP and lost this capability. Any advice?
A The hands-down best and easiest way to get magnification of Web sites is to upgrade to Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer 7 browser, Mr. M. In fact, Microsoft already may have downloaded and installed it during one of the many update sessions the software giant foists on users when they go online.
IE 7 comes up with a small icon in the bottom right-hand side of its display that lets users click to magnify the display from 125 percent to 400 percent with mouse clicks. The new IE magnifier also can be triggered by pressing Control and the plus sign to zoom in and Control plus the minus key to zoom out.
Q I recently downloaded Windows Media Player 11. Having used it for several weeks, I want to go back to the Windows Media Player 10 that came with my computer. Is the older version still in my computer, how do I identify it and where do I find it?
A Microsoft still lets customers roll back from the new and greatly changed version 11 of the Windows Media Player to version 10, Ms. A. As always, the trouble is that doing this is a bit of a stretch, even for intermediate computer users.
When version 11 installs itself, it makes some big changes in marking the songs and movies and such that users have added since it was installed. You may lose things you purchased or recorded if you download the archived versions of the Media Player from www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download.
You must change the system registry and remove some software modules before returning to version 10. So when you go to the Web site, you will need to look for the link to a “Read me” file for version 10 that will show you how to undertake the needed steps.
Q I want to build my own Web site through one of those places that offers free pages. What is the best free Web site? Next, I want to set up an e-mail address and hide my home e-mail address. I don’t want to expose my current e-mail address.
A A great many outfits, including behemoths Yahoo and Google and less visible companies such as Homestead.com, offer free Web sites for people willing to let ads play on those sites when visitors gain access to them. To get more, you’ve got to pay, particularly if you want to get a Web deal that includes e-mail addresses that you can control.
Yes, it is a blessing to get an e-mail address never before used because spammers cannot find it. However, they do use so-called sniffer programs to monitor Web traffic and record the e-mail addresses that move across the Internet.
Yahoo is much more deeply involved in selling Web sites than is Google, so I’d point you there to check out the ad-supported and the paid programs available starting in the $10-a-month range. I am a bit partial toward the Homestead.com service because it has a particularly user-friendly program called Site Builder, which uses your Web browser to perform all the needed tasks – including uploading your text and photos – that can get a tad hairy elsewhere.
Google’s free service is at www.pages.google.com, and Yahoo’s is at geocities.yahoo.com. Or check out www.homestead.com for a service not affiliated with search engines. Another place I’d suggest you explore is www.hostway.com, where low-cost paid plans are available as well as a relatively cheap service ($39.95) that lets users acquire customized e-mail accounts that, at least in the beginning, can deliver spam-free service.
Contact Jim Coates of the Chicago Tribune at askjimcoates@gmail.com.
