Got a question about technology? Ask it here. Discussion of hardware, software, TiVos, multi-region DVDs, Windows, Macs, LINUX, hand-helds, iPods, anything tech related. Better than any helpdesk!
I've been having a lot of trouble with my laptop wireless, too.
The router craps out at home several times each evening, which is one thing.
The other thing is that I can't use any one else's wireless. I've tried several times recently and even though the connection says it's up, I can't get any access at all, not even the login for (for instance) the coffee shop's free wifi.
I assume these are two different problems, because my brother was visiting and complained about my router. So I suppose I should probably replace the router. But what do I do about my laptop?
I've tried to organize this thing in a logical manner,
There's your mistake. I hope it goes better tomorrow.
Hey techerinos!
I've got a new Dell. I only get Microsoft word for 90 days. What happens to my files when it expires?
I suspect the files stay in place but you can't read or use them unless you get Open Office or the MS Office beta.
You can still read them (even without installing anything else). WordPad opens .doc files, though if you make changes, you'll have to save as .rtf files, as WordPad doesn't save in the .doc format.
OpenOffice is pretty good these days. It's what I use at home.
www.openoffice.org
Really slow and bloaty though - it takes a lot to be more bloatware than MS Office, but open office manages it.
It does work very well ; I think the word processor handles graphics and modest desktop editing better than word. I will not compose in it, but I use OpenOffice for its extensive translation capabilities, and at times for final edits and final layout.
I use OpenOffice cause I can't afford MS Office. It works, but I get frustrated with it more than with Word. Probably cause I'm more used to the shortcuts in Word and they don't always work in OpenOffice.
It works pretty well for me, but I didn't like it until version 2.0. I'd recommend having Java 1.5 installed first (maybe this is only an issue with Linux though and the craptasic faux java that is installed by default in many versions of Linux). However, this is on Linux not on Windows.
Abiword is another option for word processing that is lighter weight. The interface might look a little funky on Windows though.
