Without installing extra software the easiest way to do this is to change the folder Windows looks in for wallpapers. You can do this by changing a setting in the Registry (which is really an operation for advanced users only). If you are not, you need to take extra care, as you can cause serious damage if you make a mistake.

Here’s how to do it. Click on the Start Menu and click on Run. Type RegEdit to open up the Registry Editor. You need to find the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version
This is where you find the settings for Windows including an entry called “WallPaperDir”. You can Modify this and point it at the folder you keep your photos in. Click OK and close RegEdit to save your changes.

The Registry is a place where Windows keeps all its settings, so changes in here should be taken lightly. It’s a bit like buying automotive performance parts for your car; you always need to make sure they’re the right type, because if they’re not they can cause some serious damage to your car.

Assuming that the printer has been connected correctly and installed with the right drivers, the most likely reason is that it has not been set as the default printer and your Fax is currently taking its place. The quick fix is to click on the small down arrow next to the Fax Wizard and select the printer from the menu that appears.

To make the printer the default option, left click on the Start button and click on Control Panel. In Windows XP click on the printers and Other Hardware icon and then View installed or fax printers. Windows Vista users should click on the Printer option in the Hardware and Sound section of the Control Panel. Right-click on the printer and left-click on Set as Default Printer. This will make sure that your printer comes up next time you print. I hope you manage to get those pet supplements for your cat, and hope it’s doing better now.

I got this message from a friend who spends quite a bit of time online messing around reading about his favourite sport, shooting. He was going on about receiving information about Nightforce rifle scopes and how he couldn’t just click the link in the email and how “his computer wasn’t working properly”. Well, the problem he described is caused by not having an association set up which can interpret the link. This can sometimes happen when you try a different browser then uninstall it. These leaves your operating system without an association for web pages because the old associations now don’t point anywhere.

You can solve this problem by associating your links back with Internet Explorer. Here’s how you do this:

• Click Start, the Control Panel
• Double-click on Internet Options
• Click on the Programs Tab
• If there is a button marked “Make Default” click this
• Otherwise click in the box labeled “Internet Explorer should check to see if it is the default”
• Click OK
• Start Internet Explorer and choose Yes when asked if it should be the default browser.

That should solve the problem for you, but feel free to give me a shout if you still have problems.

I was speaking to a neighbour the other day, who was complaining that his Windows cursor was blinking faster than a billboard in front of a hotel in Vegas. He asked me if I could give him a hand in sorting it out so I headed over to his house.

I actually went down the wrong route first, I thought I would fine something under the Mouse settings in Control Panel; but the Cursor Blink Rate isn’t there; it’s under the Keyboard settings. So here’s how to change the setting:

1. Open Control Panel
2. Click on Keyboard Properties
3. At the bottom of the dialog box, you’ll find a slider labeled Cursor Blink Rate.
4. Just drag the slider along to the left and the situation should improve.

Here’s a screenshot of what it looks like:

Hope you manage to find it.