I need a converter that can convert FLV to MP4. I wan’t something that is free, no watermark, registration limit or anything like that.
- Kevin

You can download WM Converter 2 available from Download.com.

After doing some pretty major stuff to my compaq windows xp laptop, the display on the screen has gotten huge. For example, the mouse cursor is much larger than it used to be, along with the icons, etc.
- Brad

It seems to be a resolution issue.

1. Right click on your Desktop.
2. Click ‘Properties‘.
3. Click ‘Settings‘ tab.
4. Use the slider tab to select the resolution of your choice.
5. Click OK.

You may have to try a few resolutions before you get to the resolution that seems good to you.

How can I import my contacts from Google’s GMail to my Outlook?
- Rakesh

1. Log on to your Google Gmail account.
2. In the left column, click Contacts.
3. On the right side of your screen, above the message count, click Export.
4. Click Outlook CSV (for import into Outlook clients).
5. Click Export Contacts.
6. When prompted to download the export file, click Save.
7. Choose a location on your computer to temporarily save the file. The default file name is gmail-to-outlook.csv.
8. Click Save.
9. In Outlook, on the File menu, click Import and Export.
10. Click Import from another program or file, and then click Next.
11. Click Comma Separated Values (DOS), and then click Next.
12. In the Import a File box, browse to find the file you downloaded in step 8, and then double-click the file.
13. Click one of the following: Replace duplicates with items imported, Allow duplicates to be created, Do not import duplicate items.
14. Click Next.
15. In the folder list, click the Contacts folder where you want the imported contact information to go, and then click Next.
16. To add or remove fields to determine the way the contact information is saved in the new imported file, click Map Custom Fields and follow instructions.
17. Click Finish.

My Windows XP machine’s hard disk is almost full. I wish to know if there is any command using which I can determine the disk space used in various directories.
- Gagan

The Sysinternals website, part of Microsoft TechNet, offers a disk usage command similar to the one in Unix/ Linux. Just download the zip file, unzip the executable inside du.zip to your main Windows directory, and you can check disk usage on the command line using the command ‘du’. Download it from http://microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/du.mspx

I moved my machine to a remote location in India. There is no phone or internet access in that area. For some reason I must format the machine as reinstall Windows XP. I have heard that we can reinstall XP without having the need to reactivate if the machine’s configuration does not change.
- Amit

Yes, you don’t have to reactivate Windows XP every time if you reinstall the OS on the same computer. For this follow the below steps:

1. Double-click My Computer.
2. Double-click on the “C” drive.
3. Go to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
4. Find the files “wpa.dbl” and “wpa.bak” and copy them to a safe location.
5. After you have reinstalled Windows XP on your reformatted hard drive, click “No” when asked if you want to go ahead and go through the activation process.
6. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode.
7. Double-click My Computer.
8. Double-click on the “C” drive.
9. Go to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
10. Find the file “wpa.dbl” and “wpa.bak” (if it exists) and rename them to “wpa.dbl.new” and “wpa.bak.new“.
11. Copy your original “wpa.dbl” and “wpa.bak” files from your floppy disk, CD or DVD into the C:\Windows\System32 folder.
12. Restart your system

I have Windows XP SP2 which is stuck in Safe Mode. I would like to get it out without doing a “Repair” from the CD. I have checked the boot.ini and it appears to be OK. It appears I may have some startup programs, missing but I am not sure.

sfc/scannow do not run in Dos or safe mode.

Once this problem had surfaced in my friends machine and it was a driver issue. Did you install/ update drivers lately? If yes, remove them or try reinstalling a fresh set of drivers for all your devices.

I have some audio issues on my Windows XP. It has an ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe board with the latest audio driver for Sound Max installed. The device manager sees the device without any conflicts or issues. However, I am not getting any sound. If I look at the audio device in the control panel, it is grayed out with no audio device available. I’ve tried removing and reinstalling the device driver several times, but same result. Thanks for any help.
- Mack

Click ‘Start‘, then on ‘Run‘, then type ‘services.msc‘ and click ‘OK‘
Check if service “Windows Audio” is in automatic mode and running. If not, then double click that service to set “Start up type” to automatic or click the ’start’ button to start the service.

I use windows explorer a lot in Vista with select all or Ctrl+a to select multiple files, now the annoying thing is it works perfectly just like on XP, but here’s the catch, after a while using it suddenly I cannot select multiple files anymore or even use the Ctrl+a key (even tried on file and select all) because it’s either grayed out or just won’t let me, now by that time i have to select one by one which is very annoying!

- Jodi

This is due to a rogue setting which is created is perpetuated by the saved folder view settings.

• Run Regedit.
• In Regedit, navigate to the following key:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags

In it try to identify the the BAG number which is causing the selection problem. Delete that single bag entry. If you are unable to identify it then delete the entire Bags folder. All that these Bags entries do is remember folder view settings so you would not be deleting anything vital. Moreover, they get re-created once you logoff, logon and start using Windows Explorer.

I currently have a problem you have posted a message about. I have a hard drive with xp pro w/ sp2 that i am trying to get some files off of so i set it as slave and put it in a computer with xp home w/ sp2 installed. Every time I try to access the admin folder it tells me access denied. I tried to do what you said about turning off simple file sharing but the advanced button is not there. I go to my computer,tools,folder options, and then the view tab. there is an advanced box but no where in there can you turn off simple file sharing. I went to Microsoft’s knowledge base they say nothing about it either. I’m not sure if you have seen this before but any help you could give me would be great.
- Jeff Thomas

You can turn off simple file sharing in Windows XP Professional, but not in Windows XP Home. Don’t worry though, there is a way around this. You won’t get to turn off simple file sharing but you still will be able to modify the settings you want to modify.

• Restart your computer in Safe Mode. To do this, follow these steps:
  • Restart your computer. Before you see the Windows XP logo, hold down the F8 key.
  • Select Safe Mode.
• Login in as Administrator. You’ll get a warning about running in Safe Mode. Click Yes.
• Find the folder whose permissions you wish to change. Right click on that folder, and select Properties.
• Change the properties of the desired folder(s). Voila. You can now change all the properties of the folder just like you would in Windows 2000.

Have you figured out the workaround for adding Lexmark printers in Vista?
- Chuck

You can get the Windows Vista compatible drivers for Lexmark over here. Just click on the appropriate link and you will get a page where you will be able to download the appropriate driver for your printer.