Folder name changes easy

By Tamara Holmes
USA Today

Q. Can I change the name of one of my Windows file folders or do I have to create a new folder and then move all the documents from the old one to the new one?

A. You can use either of those methods to achieve the same results, although it probably would be easier to just rename your original folder. It's not hard to do. In Windows Explorer, simply right-click on the folder you'd like to change. In the pop-up menu, click on Rename and type whatever name you want to appear on the folder. You can also single-click on the name and type away. The change should take effect instantly.

	Pros, cons of disabling cookies
	By Steven S. Woo Des Moines Register
•	Q. What are the disadvantages of disabling cookies? I am afraid that if I disable cookies I might disable something I need or the computer needs.
•	A. Although cookies — which store personalized information about you to help customize your Web browsing experience — pose a security risk, they also can be useful. Such cases include shopping online. A Web site may use cookies to remember the items you put in a virtual "shopping cart" while you surf through the site. Cookies also make it possible to use certain services on the Web such as online banking or the Web-based e-mail service Hotmail (hotmail.com). If a site absolutely requires cookies to function, the site will tell you. You will be kept from continuing without enabling cookies. Unfortunately, when you activate cookies, you are open to Web sites that use them to harvest information about you to sell to marketers. You can turn off cookies for regular Web surfing, but turn them back on when you need them. Look in the security preferences area of your Web browser. This process can be tedious, however. Try using a cookie management program that lets you use cookies from the Web sites you designate and ignore cookies from others. Cookie Pal (kburra.com) and other free and shareware programs will list each cookie on your system and let you individually delete them. E-mail questions to woos@news.dmregister.com.

A. If your computer is not protected and you open an e-mail attachment that contains a virus, no flashing light or warning signal is going to tell you that your PC has just been infected. In fact, there might be no outward sign of infection at all. If you receive an e-mail that you know to contain a virus, it's good practice to send the sender of the message an e-mail letting him or her know that the message contained a virus and suggesting that the person run an updated anti-virus program. There's a good chance the person doesn't even realize there's a problem.

Q. One of my software programs has been crashing a lot lately so I'm going to re-install it. Will the re-installation overwrite my old files?

A. When you re-install the program, you'll overwrite the program files but not the files you created using the program. The program files are those that contain instructions the program needs to run. In your case, you'll want these files to be overwritten because one of them could be corrupted in some way, causing your program to crash. But any files that you created using the program are stored on your hard drive so they should be safe, barring some type of hard drive catastrophe. Just to be on the safe side, it's always wise to back up your hard drive before re-installing a software program, particularly because you've been having computer problems recently. Also note that some software programs require you to uninstall a program before you re-install it.

Q. I need a new driver but I don't have a fast Internet connection and don't want to download it. Can you buy drivers in stores?

A. You're not likely to find standalone drivers — software that enables your operating system to work with your computer's peripherals — in your local computer store. Drivers tend to be very small, so you might not be faced with a long download time, but if you're determined not to download, try calling the manufacturer of the product you need the driver for and asking the company to send you a copy of the driver on disk or CD-ROM, possibly for a nominal fee.

Q. What is an RTM version of a software product?

A. RTM is an acronym for "release to manufacturing," and it's the time in which a particular software program is given to manufacturers so they can bundle it in future versions of their hardware products. The RTM version generally is released before a program is put on the market for consumers to buy. That way, manufacturers have time to install the software on their computers and work out any bugs or conflicts that may arise between the software and their devices. Once the RTM version of a product has been released, it's pretty much finished and ready for the consumer market, although the final consumer release might include a few last-minute tweaks.

Holmes is assistant technology editor at USAToday.com.