Q. Sometimes I’ll accidentally hit the print button when I’m viewing a document or Web site. When I try to stop the printing, it won’t stop so I wind up wasting lots of paper and ink. Is there some way to stop my printer once it starts printing?

A. Oooh, I hate it when that happens. The next time that occurs, instead of screaming or cursing at the printer (always my first course of action), double-click the printer icon in the lower right-hand corner of your Taskbar, in an area called the System Tray. The printer icon will only appear while you're printing. A status box will appear that displays the print job or jobs in the print queue. Right-click the job that's printing and select Cancel. There may be a few seconds delay, but the job will stop and the page being printed will be ejected.

Here’s a quasi-interesting tidbit: That sliver of time within which you realize that you clicked the Print button by mistake is called an “ohnosecond.” It can also occur the instant you click the Send button and realize that you forgot to attach a file to an email or that you’re sending a message to the wrong person. Ohonoseconds are not confined to computing, however. Another example is that slow-motion moment as you lock your car door while catching a glimpse of your keys dangling from the ignition. “Oh, noooooo!”

Q. I don’t know what happened, but I can’t move my Desktop icons. If I try, they bounce back to where they were or zing over to somewhere else on the Desktop. Do you have any idea what’s going on? Is it a virus?

A. Your computer is fine and no, it’s not a virus. What happened is your Desktop’s AutoArrange feature has been turned on. When AutoArrange is on, icons snap to a pre-configured grid pattern on the Desktop. It’s a great way to keep your icons in neat and tidy rows, but that setting does prevent you from moving icons or arranging them as you wish. An alternative is to select “Align to Grid,” which will allow you to arrange your icons in any order, but they will always be neatly arranged in rows and columns.

To view your AutoArrange options, right-click your Desktop and place your cursor on Arrange Icons or Arrange Icons By, which will display a sub-menu. In that menu, you will see a check mark beside Auto Arrange, if it is enabled. Click to remove the check mark to disable it, or try the “Align to Grid” setting instead.

Mr. Modem's Sites of the Week:

Download Calculator
Use this handy resource to determine how long it will take to download a file. All you have to do is type in the size of the file in question. The calculator will display download times based on a variety of data transmission speeds. This is particularly useful if you’re not sure whether to wait by your computer for a download to complete or make yourself a sandwich.
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Movie Origins
Features the fascinating real-life stories behind many films. Read about the actual people whose lives inspired blockbuster movies such as Erin Brockovich, A League of Their Own, Goodfellas, Men of Honor, The Mr. Modem Story, Boys Don’t Cry, Schindler’s List, and many more.
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Road ID
If you’ve ever been concerned about having a medical emergency and being unable to communicate with friends, family, medical or emergency personnel, this line of identification products may ease your mind. With any luck, you’ll never have to use one of these items, but under the right (or wrong) circumstances, wearing one could save your life.
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