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Houston Chronicle Help Line column: Changing settings for default printer can be difficult
Jun 30, 2009 (Houston Chronicle - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Q: I recently installed a new HP printer, but it will not allow me to set it as the default printer. When I try to set it, it reverts back to the old printer as soon as I close the window.
A: The first time I came across this problem, it had me completely stumped. I even went so far as to delete the old printer from the Printer Control Panel and found that the printer would come right back and, quite infuriatingly, be set as the default printer once again.
What turned out to be the cause of this perplexing problem was that there were some incomplete print jobs assigned to the old printer, and apparently nothing was going to happen the way I wanted it to until those incomplete print jobs were dealt with.
I double-clicked on the old printer, canceled print jobs and rebooted. Then I was able to set the new printer as the default without a problem.
Q: I have a dbx file that I cannot open. It is currently in my documents and is completely made up of humorous e-mails that I want to save. What should I do?
A: Each folder in Outlook Express is contained in its own dbx file--the Inbox, the Deleted Items folder, etc. One way to back up your Outlook Express E-mail is to simply make a copy of these files.
The problem with this is that moving them to a new computer and opening them up is not as straightforward as using a more conventional backup method like exporting the e-mail using the built-in import-export options of your e-mail program.
The good news is that hope is not lost. You can open this dbx file in Outlook Express by simply copying the file to the location that contains the dbx files your current version of Outlook Express is using.
In Outlook Express, right click on the Inbox and select Properties. The dialogue box will say "This folder is stored in the following file:"
Make a note of that location and put your dbx file of funny e-mails into that folder. Be sure to give the file a unique name so you don't overwrite any of the existing dbx files.
Once that is complete, restart Outlook Express and your saved e-mail will show up as one of the folders along with the Inbox and others.
Q: In Internet Explorer the icon to open Outlook Express is located immediately next to the icon to print. I am forever hitting Print when I mean to open Outlook Express. Is there a way to move these icons?
A: There are two things you can do to cut down on the errant clicking of the Print icon.
The first is to increase the size of these buttons. To do this, right click on the Print icon and check Use large icons. This will give you a bigger, more easy to read target when you go to click on one or the other.
The second option is to rearrange them so the Print icon is nowhere near the Outlook Express icon. When you right click on the Print icon, select Customize Command Bar and then Add or Remove Commands.
Here you can reorder any of your Internet Explorer command Bar icons by moving them till you get them where you want.
Technology Bytes from 8-10 p.m. Wednesdays on KPFT 90.1 FM. The program is also available on the Internet at www.geekradio.com. Lee cannot personally answer all reader questions.
Write Jay Lee at helpline@chron.com. You can view more questions and answers at the Help Line Blog at blogs.chron.com/helpline. Lee co-hosts the radio show
To see more of the Houston Chronicle, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.HoustonChronicle.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Houston Chronicle
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