Q. I was shopping for a new Windows Vista computer, but I’m confused by the different versions of Vista. Can you sort them out for me or tell me which one to get? Thanks, Mr. M.

A. There are five primary versions of the Windows Vista operating system: The no-frills version is Vista Home Basic, which is similar to the Home Premium Edition, except Home Basic does not include Vista's fancier media features, such as DVD burning, HDTV, TV recording, and other similar features. I would steer clear of Home Basic.

Vista Home Premium - This is Vista Home Basic, but with the media features included. Its target market is users who watch TV on their PC or who want to create DVDs from their camcorder footage.

Windows Vista Business - As did Windows XP Professional, this version targets the business market. It includes a fax program, for example, but lacks the media-related features found in the Home Premium version.

Windows Vista Enterprise - This business version contains even more tools such as support for additional languages and larger networks. Enterprise won't be of interest to most home users.

Windows Vista Ultimate - A combination of Home and Business, this version targets the hearts and wallets of power PC users or individuals who simply want all the bells and whistles. And yes, I'm running Windows Vista Ultimate. I never met a bell or a whistle that I didn’t like.

Q.  I look forward to your newsletter each week and never fail to learn something new. Here’s my question:  I've used Outlook Express for years, but after updating to 6.0, it won't let me open attachments. If I double click the paper-clip icon, it tells me "OE removed access to the following unsafe attachments." How can I fix this?

A.  When Outlook Express 6.0 arrived on the scene, one of its default settings was changed from previous versions of OE. It’s this change that’s causing you not to be able to access your attachments. The good news is that it’s very easy to fix. 

Just click Tools > Options > Security tab. Click to remove the check mark next to, "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus," then click OK.

If you disable this setting in order to access an attachment, you might want to go back and enable it again when you’re done. Whatever you decide, just be sure to always use, and keep updated, a good anti-virus program, and protect yourself at all times. There are many such programs, but my personal favorite is the free version of AVG Anti-Virus. at

Q.  I’m trying to create a slide show of photos on CD, but when I try to burn them in a certain sequence, no matter what I do, they seem to wind up either in alphabetical order by filename or by date. I even tried naming each file with a number, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., but that didn’t work. I would really appreciate your help, Mr. M.

A. You’re on the right track renaming the photo files with numbers, but instead of using single digits, number them 01, 02, 03, 04, etc. so each number has the same format.  If you have more than 100 slides, use 001, 002, 003, etc. Using this method, you can arrange files in any sequence you wish.

Mr. Modem's Sites of the Week:

Infoplease
Information Please has been providing answers since 1938—no, not on the Internet, but as a radio quiz show. It’s been on the Internet since 1998. InfoPlease is a free, comprehensive reference center that combines a variety of resources, including an encyclopedia, dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, almanac, plus extensive information about language, world geography, history, sports, civics and current events.
www.infoplease.com

Flash Experiments by Clown Staples
Arguably one of the most ingenious sites on the Web, here you’ll find three Flash experiments. The first, “Morse,” combines Morse Code and music; “Windows Noises” orchestrates the various Windows blips and beeps into a virtual symphony; and the third, “Ball on a String,” is a stunning example of computerized motion. Simply move your cursor and follow the bouncing ball. It’s difficult not to be dazzled by the sophistication, dare I say artistry (I dare!) on display here.
www.geocities.com/clownstaples/

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