Crumble Your Cookies

Q.  I’m sure you’ve covered this before, Mr. M., but what are cookies and should I delete them?  If so, how do I do that?

A.  Cookies are tiny text files that are primarily used for personalization purposes or to remember account log-in information on a particular Web site. Whenever you visit a Web site that asks if you want it to remember your username and password, that’s accomplished by a cookie placed on your computer, so cookies can be a wonderful convenience.

To toss your cookies — you should pardon the expression — in Internet Explorer 7, click Tools > Options > Delete Browsing History > Delete Cookies button.

Firefox users, click Tools > Options > Privacy tab, then click the Show Cookies button. On the Cookies screen you’ll see the two options to “Delete Cookies,” which will not delete any cookies saved via the Exceptions button on the previous screen, or “Delete All Cookies,” which will — er, um, well, delete all cookies.

Q.  Every so often my computer’s clock falls a minute or two behind. I used to have a software program that automatically updated my computer clock to the correct time.  Is there a good program to use for that purpose with my Windows XP computer?

A. Before the arrival of Windows XP, we had to either manually adjust the time or log into an Internet time server and update the time display. That function is automated in XP, but the synchronization can only occur when your computer is connected to the Internet.

To make sure you’re synchronized, double-click the time display in the lower right-hand corner of your screen.  Click the Internet Time tab and place a check in the box next to “Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server.”

Select a time server in the server box (I use time.windows.com) and click “Update Now.” If you don’t have a 24/7 connection to the Internet, you can update whenever it is convenient by clicking the Update Now button.

Q.  When Web pages display on my screen, they’re too large and I have to scroll from side to side to view them completely. Is there any way I can view an entire Web page without having to scroll from left to right?

A. It sounds like your monitor is set to a low resolution. Resolution is measured in pixels, which are the small dots that comprise a screen image. The higher the resolution, the more information can be displayed on screen, so the smaller each item appears. Conversely, the lower the screen resolution, the larger the objects appear on screen — a feature my bifocals particularly appreciate.

To adjust screen resolution, right-click a blank spot on your Desktop and select Properties. In the Display Properties window, click the Settings tab. In the Screen Resolution section, slide the little gizmo (sorry for the technical talk) to the right to increase one level. In other words, if your current resolution is 800 x 600, try 1024 x 768.

Click Apply > OK to save your changes and exit. If you’re using Windows Vista, right-click a blank spot on your Desktop and select Personalize > Display Settings. Under Resolution, adjust the slider bar accordingly, followed by Apply > OK.

Mr. Modem’s Sites of the Week:
Mr. Picassohead
An online do-it-yourself portrait center for “painting” in the style of the abstract artist Pablo Picasso. Click “Create a Picassohead now,” then drag and drop Picasso elements onto a blank canvas. Click the “View the Galleries” link to see what other abstractionist wannabees, with too much time on their hands, have created. 
www.mrpicassohead.com

Time Capsule
Not content to be another “On This Day In History” Web site that displays what happened on your birthday, this site goes a step beyond.  Here you can accept all or part of what occurred, or create your own headlines, celebrity birthdays, top songs, and other categories, or choose a little of each for variety. Who says you can’t change history?
http://tinyurl.com/59gdb

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus useful PC tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s Weekly Newsletter. For information, visit www.MrModem.com.