How do I change languages in Windows 7 Starter Edition?

I have a laptop running Windows 7 Starter Edition. What is the procedure for changing the language setting from Spanish to English?

taskbar - How to show seconds on the Windows 10 tray clock

How do I show seconds on the Windows tray clock? I've tried the advanced options in the control panel, but I'm not sure how do I do it. Is it like hh:mm:ss or is it something else?

macos - Can't Type Tilde character in Mac OS X

Hi this is a new problem that I did not have a few weeks ago.

I have a Logitech Illuminated Keyboard running on Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

The problem is that I cannot type a tilde. Instead when I press the tilde I get this character:

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

I cannot for the life of me figure this out, except that I vaguely remember I can asked to redetect the Mac keyboard layout for this keyboard and I think i chose the wrong one.

Now I get this weird character when pressing tilde. How can I fix this? Or how can I redetect this keyboard layout? Thanks.

Answer

Don't know if you are still reading this but if you download a program called Ukelele, you can make custom keyboard maps.

Then you need to put the keyboard map into ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts/, log off and then back in.

Once you have done this you can choose your custom keyboard layout and you will be able to use the ~ key without any problem (I'm using a Logitech illuminated keyboard using the default Logitech-UK keymap that comes with Ukelele and everything works).

How do I repair my Logitech Anywhere MX?

My Anywhere Mouse has got mushy mouse button syndrome. That is, the left mouse button feels a little bit soft, and it easily double clicks, let's go when I drag something.

Before I repair it at home, rather than bringing it to the store (I kind of need it, it's the only one I have), I'd like to know exactly what I'm doing. It'd be too bad if I tried to repair it, voided the warranty and didn't succeed.

I'm guessing there are screws to open it under the rubber pads. And I suppose I can take those off without breaking them, and put them back on without bending them.

• 
  

  How is this mouse held together, and what's the safest way to open it?

  
  


• 
  

  Once I have it open, will I be able to fix the problem? What's causing the mushy mouse button?

  
  

Here's what I know so far:

• It might be the switch itself that's broken, in which case I shouldn't open it (I can't get a replacement, voiding the warranty to "have a look" seems pointless)


• 
  

  If there are screws underneath the rubber pads, they're only on the 'front', the back two thirds of the mouse are all battery cover:

  
  

  

  
  

  There's nothing I can see under the batteries either.

  
  


• 
  

  In the mouse I had before this one, there were sort of springy things connecting the actual button with the switch soldered to the board. They were just lying inside of a bit of plastic, and I could swap the left and right ones easily. If repairing it is more difficult, transferring the problem to the right mouse button would be a very good start.

  
  

Answer

Thanks, Kristian, for the tip about the battery stickers. (I suspected, but was not sure)

This is the second Logitech mouse I've had the same problem with. The microswitch is not defect, because if I dismantle the top and actually press the microswitch with my fingers it works fine.

The problem is with the underside of the button where it meets the microswitch. This plastic is softer than the microswitch and with time the microswitch grinds a groove into the button, which is when the problems start, as the switch is then not completely pressed. I glue a very thin, hard foil over this groove and the problem goes away.

I guess it's too late for the original post, but I hope this helps other people searching for a solution to the same problem.

compression - How to avoid compressing compressed files

Most compression programs compress all files by default. But when archiving a folder containing already compressed files, there is no need to compress them a second time, such as archives, packed setup program, jpg, movies, mp3,....

Are there any compression programs that allow an arbitrary list of type of files to be stored while the others are still compressed ?

It looks like Winrar can't.

I expect this would be doable with tar+gz/bzip2 and some scripting in various ways.

Edit :

Winrar can

Answer

WinRAR allows you to select files to store without compression, under the Files tab when you make a new archive. I don't believe it supports wildcarding, however - but the included Rar.exe cli tool should be easily scriptable to do this.

virus removal - Safely opening a suspect USB Drive

If you have a USB Drive that may or may not be contaminated, what is the best way to retrieve data from it without reinfecting yourself?

Answer

If you want to be completely sure, mount it on a Mac or Linux box. Seriously.

For an example, see the new shortcut icon exploit, which ALL Windows machines since NT have been vulnerable to. This exploit allows arbitrary code to be executed simply when the folder is opened. No Autorun required. No manual execution required. It infects the system as soon as the folder is opened.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/Threat/Encyclopedia/Entry.aspx?Name=Exploit%3AWin32%2FCplLnk.A

If you don't have a real *nix (includes Mac) box, just boot from a LiveCD. You may want to scan with Clam AntiVirus while you're at it too.

keyboard shortcuts - Why does the Start Menu open when I push escape in Windows 7?

Why does the Windows key seem to be reversed with the Escape key? This seems to randomly happen, and rebooting reverts their functionality.

What is happening that makes this happen, how can I prevent it from happening again, and how do I fix it when it does happen without rebooting?

Answer

I think Ctrl + Esc opens the Start Menu.

You probably have a problem with the Ctrl button, or you have some sort of "sticky buttons" option enabled in the accessibility preferences.