laptop help

[Japher]

I gots this laptop and it is having some issues

1) It's running Windows 98, and that ain't going to change unfortunately

2) Wifey saved some Excel files to desktop and they won't open unless you got to Excel and then select to open, the icon on desktop doesn't work

3) It could use a free firewall

4) The wireless adaptor, Belkin, refused to work... it worked for weeks and decided to stop for no real reason. It runs off a wireless router I have hooked to my REAL computer...


Any help would be appreciated... I hate laptops

[Urban Ranger]

Your best bet is to reinstall W98SE cleanly. This should fix most of your problems. If you have a wireless router (more like a router/switch/access point combo) it probably has a built-in firewall that you can configure via a Web browser.

[Dinner]

Shoot it. Then throw it out the window.

[snoopy369]

iirc, Win98 has the file type associations in the Tools... menu under folder options, similarly to Win2000... just add xls to Excel.

Also, try the "Open with..." option, from the right-click menu, Win98 sometimes gives you and sometimes doesnt, but if it does use it, and select "always use this" etc...

Otherwise, regedit, then HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, then .xls, see what "content type" it lists (if it's nonexistent, or has no content type, then add it in as this ...

(Default)
Content Type - application/vnd.ms-excel

That's mine anyway, not sure how it varies for other excels.

If that's already there, then your problem is with the application association, which i'm not comfortable enough explaining, as it probably varies across windows types and across excel versions...

Firewalls, there are plenty of free ones ... http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/fil...id,7228,00.asp gives you some links.

Often wireless routers need to be reset from time to time, I have to reset mine probably once or twice a month... unplug the router, turn off the dsl/cable modem, wait a minute or two, then turn them on again in the reverse order giving time for the modem to initialize before resetting the router. I'm not sure why, but the WAN is affected but the LAN is not by whatever the problem is (overheating?)...

Good luck with Win98

[Datajack Franit]

belkin I just hate their trash

[Japher]

thanks all

I'll try the excel fix later today

the router, for some reason, decided to start blocking the laptop for no apparent reason. it now works

I will also check out the firewalls

as for Belkin, the laptop and modem were free... can't complain about that. It's a Pentium3 and we use it mostly for surfing the web and word/excel apps. It is our upstairs computer as the real computer is in the basement, for in case it floods.

[MrFun]

Put the laptop in the washing machine -- on gentle cycle with bleach.

[Japher]

Color safe bleach or the normal stuff?

[MrFun]

color safe bleach


Ted Striker