Hollett's Computer Support Page

I originally was going to copy and paste my original site contents here. But then I discovered how lazy I really am.

I have four emails. One from my ISP that took a couple of years to get. A story for another time. I have a Yahoo account - tied into my web site - http://www.geocities.com/terryhollett2003/

I have a Hotmail account, only because my relatives starting using MSN Messenger (which I consider BLOATED SECURITY RISKS). They use to sign in using my email until they eventually got there own accounts.

I prefer to access my email through an email program rather than signing in to the web sites. It was the Mozilla Suite rather the email client built in that I used at first, it was taken over and renamed SeaMonkey, but it was never the same. Still haven't warmed up to the Opera email client (when you get use to a certain look and feel for so long).

In the beginning there was Netscape, that begat Mozilla Suite, that begat Firefox and Thunderbird. And that's why I use Thunderbird (Mozilla Suite and Thunderbird are one and the same).

I also have a gmail or Google Mail account. Both Hotmail and Yahoo have made it almost impossible to use email programs to access their services. I have had no problems receiving emails but sending was another story. To make a long story short without all the technical details, I got gmail to use as an outgoing mail server (SMTP).


I try to keep my browser updated for security reasons and decided to upgrade to version 9.6 of Opera. No real difference from the previous version except for one thing. I cannot sign into gmail, that is, Google's web based email system. I can sign in using Firefox - so it seems to be a browser issue this time.

I've been fooling around with computers a few years now. My first experience was with one of those computers that you hooked up to a TV. It looked like a keyboard and the only way to get programs on it was to program it in or load prewritten one of a cassette tape.

I guess my first experience with, lets call them, modern day computers was when I took a 30 hour course back in 1994 on Desktop Publishing.

Then my Uncle got a computer, a 286 with about 1 MB RAM, 12mhz speed (at one time thats all you needed). It had a 'Monochrome' or 'Black and White' monitor. The operating system was 'Windows 3.1 and MSDOS 6.22.

When he first got it, even I didn't even know how to start it up. Windows did not automatically start up at the time. Whe had to get someone come and show us.

These days I'm the guy everyone comes to, to show them how things are done.

I currently have my own website at www.geocities.com/terryhollett2003/. Its a record of a number of problems I have had on my own computers over the years and of course the problems of others who have come to me seeking help.

My first computer, I bought from a second hand store. It was a '486sx, 50mhz, 8mb RAM, with Windows 3.1 and MSDOS 6.22. It did not have a mouse so that was the first thing I had to learn, how to use one without a mouse. I didn't have the internet then so what I was able to learn about computers came from the magazines I bought over the 'Pharmacy', here in Twillingate.

Since then I went through a few computers, all second hand; 486Dx66mhz, P-166, Compaq Deskpro (P200), IBMPL300 (P266), and my latest another 'Compaq Deskpro', this time a P2-400mhz, 192mb RAM. I recently bought it at a yard sale for $20.

Then came the internet. First my only access was at the 'Public Library' or on my Uncle's computer. Then at the post office they use to sell 'Telus' long distance calling cards that could be used to access the internet through their service. Then came 'Sympatico' dial-up. And finally, 'Personia' cable-internet.

I currently still have the cable internet.

And speaking of the internet, my choice of browsers. At the Library at the time it was "Netscape 4', on my Uncle's computer it was 'Internet Explorer', On mine it was first 'Internet Explorer', then 'Opera' version 3 or something. It had this big 'hunking ad' that you had to pay a registration fee to get rid of.

I tried a few independent ones that didn't impress me including one called 'Firebird' which I think was the original name for the 'Firefox' browser, correct me if I am wrong.

Anyway I eventually settled on 'Mozilla suite'. An open source version of 'Netscape', that included a browser, email client, newsreader and a HTML editor. I used it up till the 'Mozilla Foundation' decided to give it up and concentrate on developing 'Firefox'. It was taken over and renamed 'Seamonkey', apparently the original name of the project.

Anyway, I wasn't sure what to expect so again I went hunting for a browser. Decided to try 'Opera' again. That 'ad' was gone and 'Netscape', at the time, was history. And 'Opera', it still is today.

I originally gave up 'Internet Explorer' because I became to paranoid about potential security issues. Firefox is and always will be a resource hog. But 'Opera' still has its faults.

My Grudges Against Opera:

1. It will not print up my main web page right. I have a website at www.geocities.com/terryhollett2003/ . My page displays the way it was designed to in Opera but it will not print up properly. It display and prints up properly in Firefox.

The first part is OK, with the list of topics centered, but then it gets all screwed up. In the 'Whats New' section should be all 'Left justified', that is over to the left like most english language is written and read, but when I print it up or go into the 'Print Preview mode', its centered.

Got problems with your computer?

This part should also be to the left. Its centered. Then there is a square (actually a one column table) with 'NOTES' - it is centered and should be.

Then it gets worst. Under that is the section 'My Current Computer Stats' Again it should be left, its centered, and bold. Only the headline should be bold, and the words 'HOST' and 'CLIENT'.

The two links at the end of the page are the way they should be.

I like to update my page every now and then, I also like to print up a copy. But I have to switch to Firefox to print up my main page. I don't have this problem with the other pages on my site.

I went over the page in question with a fine tooth comb, but still couldn't find anything that might be interfering.

2. The Print Preview. With other browsers the 'back' button takes you out of the 'Print Preview' page back to the original, it doesn't work the same way with Opera. The back button takes you back to the page before the one you are previewing. With Opera you have to press, 'Refresh' to back out of the print preview to the original view. The problem was I did not figure that out right away.

3. There are a few pages I have trouble signing into. I have had problems with signing into Yahoo to update my website. The page kept trying to load over and over and over....but it seems to have cleared up now.

I buy lotto tickets online at www.alc.ca. I have an account with them and every time I try to log on, I get the error message that 'I need cookies enabled', which I have. The only way to bypass it is to disable cookies, refresh the page, re-enable cookies, and log in again.

3. I haven't cozied up to the Opera email yet. I've used Mozilla Suit so long, I've gotten use to the interface. Seamonkey, which I did try for awile, had the same interface but the junk mail controls seemed shot. I'ved used Netscape 7.2, the last version to have an integrated email client for awile but eventually settled on 'Thunderbird'.

4. finaly, the 'download transfer window'. When I click on a link to open another tab I want it to open upfront but when I click on a link to download a file I would prefer it to open in the background.

5. Opera sucks at saving user names and passwords. Even though by clicking on Tools>Advanced>Wand passwords, all the sites I requested for passwords to be saved are listed. But every time I go to these sites, I have to manually enter my login data.

Despite theses little problems I have no intention of giving up Opera.



9:22 PM Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Grudges Continue (Opera 9.51)

I save many web pages on my computer. I'm asked to fixed a number of computers around here and this means doing a lot of research online. I like to save theses pages on my system rather than have to hunt them down on the internet again and again. I end up printing up a lot because I have a hard time reading things of a screen - to hard on the eyes.

I've saved and printed up more than a few over the years. But its the saving of pages that is my latest grudge.

By default, web pages are now saved in that crappy 'MHT' format which no browser on this planet seems to ba able to handle NOT even Opera. Firefox keeps trying to download it even when I chose the option to Open it. Opera displays it has a HTML coded page (open any web page, right click on it and select Source - that's what I see everytime I try to open a MHT web page in Opera). What where you Opera developers high on when you chose that has the default???... without giving the option to change the default.

Unfortunately I don't always remember to change the 'save as' option. I've been searching the Internet but haven't found any way to change the default.

I did find a person with a similar problem at the Opera Forum.... but no solution.

http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=238439&t=1213999810&page=1#comment2614854

Some of my old grudges are gone. My web page at http://www.geocities.com/terryhollett2003/ prints up properly now. But this cleared up long before using 9.51. The download transfer window opening in the background, finaly. Thank You. Saving user name and passwords - still hit or miss. One little trick I have learned is to not log out of any page you want saved. Just close down tab or go to another site.

I have a problem with the browser crashing on certain flash websites but it seems to be a flash problem and not a browser problem. I thought it was a browser issue first but the same sites mentioned usually also crash Firefox as well. A solution, go to http://www.oldversion.com/ and download an older version of the flash player. I recommend nothing lower than 8. Uninstall the recent version first, usually ver9.

Only downside, some websites will give you a message that you have to upgrade your flash player. Of course if that page is crashing your browser - you can't view it anyway - you've lost nothing.

Last grudge, The Cache - I occassionaly download a movie from sites like Youtube. And I prefered to just dig them out of the Opera cache - see this post - http://www.geocities.com/terryhollett2003/may2007.htm

But Opera decided to remove the extensions from the cache files making this task a little bit harder. Now I hear you saying there are a number of programs that can be used to download these videos, yes there is but I don't need the extra bloat and drag on my system of a third party program.

Some of you are asking, 'What about the Widgets?? - I had two different ones installed, neither worked. And again I don't like the extra bloat of dragging down my browser and/or my system.

Another thing I like saving are Flash games and animations. Normally I would go to the cache folder and dig out the files with a .swf extension. Try digging through 2376 (actual number currently in my cache) files with no extensions to find the .swf. Of course I could just save the web page as......

The movies are still a little easier to find because they are usually the largest files there.

Otherwise, still an Opera fan. For NOW!!!????

To the Opera people, don't change this browser to much. I have Firefox on my system and I'm not afraid to use it!