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Solutions: Organize photos in Media Center

Q. What software on the Windows side is comparable to iPhoto on the Mac? I'd love to be able to advise my Windows-using friends on this issue.

By John Torro, Times Correspondent
Published January 28, 2008

Q. What software on the Windows side is comparable to iPhoto on the Mac? I'd love to be able to advise my Windows-using friends on this issue.

A. The Microsoft PC counterpart of Apple's iPhoto is Microsoft Media Center. Many Windows XP PCs came with Windows Media Center Edition installed and it is included in Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate. It's a one-stop application for organizing and viewing your photos, videos, DVDs and music and it will perform as a DVR with an optional TV tuner card. You can find out more about it at www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/mediacenter.

Q. On Jan. 21, you mentioned that it's fine to leave a computer in sleep mode overnight instead of turning it off. Does the computer just naturally go into this mode or do I have to somehow put it "to sleep"? I have been arguing with my husband about leaving it on or turning it off. I say turning it off saves electricity. He says it is not good for the computer to keep turning it on and turning it off. Which mode saves the most electricity?

A. You can set the Sleep settings from Control Panel, Power Options. As long as it is in sleep mode and the major components are not drawing power, an insignificant amount of electricity is being used. In my 30 years of working with computers, 90 percent of bad things happened while turning the computer on, so I always left them running. However, the quality and reliability of hardware, especially hard drives, is far superior to what it used to be and it seems to handle the power ups and downs just fine.

Q. A while back you told a writer how to "view suspicious-looking e-mails without opening them." Well, your method doesn't work for us squares with AOL. For one thing, right-clicking unopened e-mail doesn't provide Properties to select. Any suggestions?

A. It's not an AOL thing or being a "square" it's just the difference between a client-based e-mail application such as Outlook Express and a Web-based e-mail reader. I like using an e-mail client for the added capabilities, but Web-based e-mail is more convenient. However, there is no way to view mail's contents without opening it. If curiosity is too strong and you must, make sure your browser security options are on high and are properly updated. If your e-mail provider has a junk mail feature, use it.

Q. I downloaded a Norton security product and all went well except it said I needed a stronger password. I followed instructions. It satisfied Norton, but now when I log on I have to type in my new password before the regular screen comes up. I clicked on HP Administrator, but didn't find anything where I wouldn't have to type in the password each time I log on.

A. It's asking for your password, well, because you have a password. If you want to remove the password go to Control Panel, User Accounts, Change Account and reset the password to spaces. I'm supposing that the Norton directive was more a suggestion than a requirement, so this should not be a problem.

Send questions to personaltech@sptimes.com or Personal Tech, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Questions are answered only in this column.

[Last modified January 25, 2008, 22:09:26]