BS: computer help? my cat...

Subject: computer help? my cat...
From: John Hardly
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 01:56 PM

I hate to do this but my "Dummies" doesn't answer.

...and I'm not making this up...

My cat just walked across my keyboard and when she got off the taskbar was vertically positioned along the right side of my monitor.

I consulted "Dummies" and was able to drag it back to the bottom of my screen but now;

1. my quick start icons are to the right of any programs I'm running, and
2.the little "themometer" that moves to the right as a page opens (to tell me I'm still connected and loading) has disappeared.

In my cat's defense;

1. She's obviously smarter than I -- she did what I cannot undo,
2. She (and again, I'm not making this up) has walked across my keybad TWICE while I have been playing hearts and both times she has shot the moon!

...smart cat. Dumb me.

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: DMcG
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 02:04 PM

i) If you put your mouse on the vertical line to the left of the quick start icons you should be able to drag them to where you like them. I'm not sure what you mean by the thermometer widget but you might find what you want on

ii) Have you considered hiring your cat out? It sounds useful, if not to games palers then to people who charge for repairing machines!

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: katlaughing
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 02:04 PM

Try rebooting. I've had this happen, too, though don't play hearts so sad to say my puir cat had no chance to shoot anything!*bg* When it has happened to me, I'd just fiddled around with the various icons and space bars until I finally hit it right. Good luck and give that cat a prize!

kat

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: DMcG
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 02:05 PM

I meant games players but palers might be right if they play a lot....

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: DMcG
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 02:36 PM

This themometer thingy. Did you mean the status bar in Internet Explorer? If so, you can turn it on and off from the View/Status Bar on the Internet Explorer menu. (This was cunningly cut out of my first message, but I cannot blame our cat...)

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: John Hardly
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 02:37 PM

okay, I've got my "thermometer thingy" back -- it was under my tool bar. But I still can't get my quick icons to the left of the programs running area of the task bar. Thanks for the help (I tried re-booting -- reminded me about the computer tech who got a job in the auto repair shop -- until they figured out his only means of repair was to shut the car off and try restarting it.)

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: DMcG
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 02:51 PM

Ok three options.

a) The techie approach: Instead of dragging the Start Icons left, try dragging the running programs right

b) The sneaky approach: Wander into your neighbours (with cat), mess up their icons and watch how they sort it out

c) The artistic approach: Defend your right to have the quick start icons on the right. Why should you go along with the sheep who think it should be on the left?

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: glen197
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 03:01 PM

My problem has been with Elef doing random clicking for attention...He used to do it to play with my moving hand. Now he does it for attention. This gives a whole ne meaning to "Cat and mouse games". And perhaps the excuse "The Cat ate my mouse." For delayed computer responses.

Glen

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: katlaughing
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 03:16 PM

Very funny, John, are you saying that I am just a lowly mechanic?!**BG**

Keep clicking, you'll sort it out. I've a virtual cat I'll send you. You're going to like him, I think! Opens catflaps on your screen, has his own tv and fhisbowl, walks off the end of your screen then just down from on top....cute little bugger and he won't mess up a thing on your menu bars!:-)

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 03:36 PM

John,

Try dragging the vertical grey lines next to the icons, rather than the icons themselves.

Play around a bit, I'm sure you'll get there. And, you'll have taught yourself! often the best way of learning.

Jim

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Mar 02 - 04:58 PM

Last time that happened to me (without the help of the cat) I started up again, but in safe mode - to do which you push the switch on button, and then keep on clicking on F8 on the keyboard and when it asks you if you want to start up in safe Mode tell it you do by clicking 3 on the keyboard.

Then when it started up it did it with everything in the right place, and I promptly shut it down again and started the normal way.

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 10:05 AM

My dearly departed, much missed, generator of the infamous Cat Fart thread once bounced off the keyboard, managing to corrupt the hard drive and save the corruptions.... we had to strip it down to the boards and start again from less than zero! Think yourself lucky!!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: Banjer
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 10:13 AM

I can't understand what all the fuss is about....some folks have to pay big bucks to get a 'cat scan' and here you are getting one for no charge!

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: John Hardly
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 11:35 AM

well, I opened in "safe mode" and still my task bar is backwards. It all seems to operate okay so I guess I'll leave well enough alone. Maybe Maggie (the cat) will work on correctiing it tonight when all the people of the house are off to bed.

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 11:49 AM

Drag your task bar around a few places and you may land it back the right way round.

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 12:01 PM

Hi John.....I go through those kind of things every so often and I'll be damned if I ever remember what fixed them! I had a 3 month fight like the one you're going through and one day it was fixed by the same culprit who started the problem to begin with..........THIS would be the culprit in question......not the one with the glasses, the one with the feathers.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: E.T.
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 12:14 PM

I can't offer specific advice in this cat-fight - but it strikes me there IS under the "my computer" icon or "keyboard" a display menu where it gives you the choice of "auto-arrange". If you have a check or if it's on, no matter what you do it will go back to the previous incarnation every time you reboot.

Unclick it. Then try moving those icons.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Elaine (whose toolbar is stuck at the top - sigh)

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 01:28 PM

I managed to separate my forward and back icons, they're now at opposite ends of the toolbar..... still haven't worked out how to put them back together, but it took me an hour and a half to get them back on the same page!!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: John Hardly
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 02:03 PM

well, in the "My Computer" there IS a keyboard icon but, nope, it doesn't allow me to change it.

catspaw, can I borow your bird? It's obviously smarter than my..............ssshhhhhhhhhh (Maggie's reading over my shoul.............

........NO!!!!! MAGGIE...NO!!!!!!!!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: GUEST,Maggie
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 02:05 PM

.....I fixed the damn computer. You can keep you f***in' bird!

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: Grab
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 06:10 PM

A solution to the quick-launch problem.

There's two separate bits, the quick-launch section and the programs running section. To change which way round they are, click and drag on the vertical bar on the left-hand section, and drag it over to the right. Once you've dragged it past the vertical bar on the right-hand section, the two will swap places. The trick is that you can ONLY make them swap places to the right, you can't drag the right-hand one to the left.

I suppose Microsoft thought this would be an intuitive user interface feature...

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Mar 02 - 09:43 AM

LOL....Good job Maggie!!! And it's wise I keep the bird as he lives with cats and has been known to attack them occasionally.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: computer help? my cat...
From: JennieG
Date: 18 Mar 02 - 11:56 PM

Jeez Spaw - Mr Next Door Neighbour who moved away last year used to keep cockatiels, I miss their chattering - the new people keep children instead, 3 noisy little ones...our ginger cat, Belle, developed quite a taste for cockatiels. We know she wasn't getting next door's so can only assume that their chattering let other birds to their big cage and Belle was feasting on the 'visitors', grey ones like yours and yellow ones too. I don't know how they would go with a computer though.
Cheers
JennieG