| Mike's PC Tips and Tricks (my opinions -- your mileage may vary) |
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Miscellaneous Answers
Chances are, you reached this page via a search
engine. The below are problems that I have encountered and solved.
It probably won't make for very interesting reading unless you are
looking for an answer to a very specific problem!
Feedback welcomed -- e-mail me!
| iTunes Q. I'm using Home sharing, but the icon next to the shared library is a music sheet with a picture of a musical note (sitting on stop of a stack of music sheets) -- instead of the home icon. That means I can view and play songs from the other library, but I can't drag and drop them into my library or playlist. How can I get the Home sharing to work as it should? A. The music sheet icon indicates that you have normal sharing on -- not Home Sharing. Easy to fix! --On both PCs, turn off Home Sharing (File Menu >> Advanced). --On both PCs, go into File Menu >> Edit >> Preferences, click on the sharing tab and uncheck "Share my library on my local network". --Make sure "Look for shared libraries" stays checked. --On both PCs, turn Home Sharing back on. Be sure to enter the same user account info for the share. That will do it! |
| Process Explorer Q. I'm using Process Explorer to replace Windows' useless Task Manager. On my Windows 7 64bit system, nothing happens when I use<CTRL<ALT><DELETE> and select Task Manager to bring up PE. That's b/c the file my registry is trying to run is not the 64 bit stub that PE creates when the default PROCEXP.EXE is executed. A. This site documents how replacing the Task Manager with PE works behind the scenes. Just in case it gets taken down, I'll recap the important parts and my slight adjustment to get it to work on my system. --Start Process Explorer. Make sure the "Replace Task Manager" option is set. --Navigate to the directory where you have stored PE, and look for PROCEXP64.EXE. Make a copy of it. --Open up REGEDIT and navigate to this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\taskmgr.exe--Note the value of the Debugger key: Debugger: "C:\whatever_your_path_is\PROCEXP64.EXE or_maybe_just PROCEXP.EXE"--Modify the value to point to the copy that you just made above. --I always want to run Process Explorer with elevated privileges, so I edit the properties to Run as Administrator. |
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Clothes
dryer maintenance Q. What needs to be periodically done to keep a clothes dryer humming along? A1. Clean out the lint from the back of the dryer all the way to the outside vent. You should do this at least once per year. If you don't, you risk a flash fire (lint is very flammable and doesn't need much of an excuse to flash) and longer drying times. Procedure: unplug the dryer; pull it out from the wall and turn it so you can access the exhaust apparatus -- do not stress any of the connections!; loosen clamps; shop vac everything you can; bang on the exhaust tube heading outside to dislodge lint inside; clean outside vent; carefully re-assemble everything and make sure clamps are tight. Do a thorough job. A2. Does the drum make noise (bang, squeaking, rubbing) when it spins? If so, your drum glides are probably gone. If you're somewhat handy, it's an easy fix. --Go to a site like http://www.appliancepartspros.com/ and look up your dryer. Take note of the assembly that shows the drum glides (mine are shown on the front panel view, not the drum view). Now, find a video on YouTube showing how to open up your dryer. UNPLUG THE DRYER FIRST OR YOU WILL GET A SHOCK! --Verify that the glides are worn or missing. Order new ones. My dryer requires two pairs of different glides -- the Web site above will guide you (you can ask questions, too). I ordered an extra set so I won't have to pay shipping next time. --Verify that the drum bearing (what the glides clip onto) is not damaged. My drum bearing was damaged -- the glides had worn away, so the drum then wore away the plastic of the drum bearing -- there were no tabs left to clip the guides onto, and some parts of the bearing were paper-thin (it's supposed to be rigid plastic!). --Once you have the dryer back together enough to avoid being shocked, plug it back in, turn it on and make sure that the drum spins freely. If so, unplug again and finish putting everything back together. |