Hello everyone!  A common problem for Vista users with Dreamweaver MX is the “Insert>Tables” function; it simply will not work.  I have already posted two articles on this issue providing some fixes for the issue.  In the first article, I show how to make the “Insert Table” function actually do something and that is insert a table.  The only problem with THIS fix is that it doesn’t allow you to change the specs before the table is inserted into your Document.  The second fix is a tip given by a user, and another tip given by me which has worked for a decent ammount of people, but not all (for some it only worked temporarily, then the problem occured again.)  In this tutorial, I will be giving a new fix which will make the “Insert Tables” function work like a charm.

1.  First thing is first, download, save, and extract this ZIP file:  newtable1.zip

2.  Right click and copy the “table.htm” file  (The code in this file was taken from an extension called “etable” that you can download from http://www.idest.com/dreamweaver/objects-fr.htm)

3.  Go to C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common  (NOTE:  Some users may have to go there AND C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common and repeat the following steps in both locations.  This location is “Hidden” so either enable windows explorer to view hidden files and navigate to this location, OR copy and paste the filepath into the address bar in windows explorer and replace “YOUR USER NAME” with an appropriate username.)

4.  In this folder, rename “Table.htm” to “Tableold.htm” so you can reuse this file as a backup.

5.  Now, press CTRL+V to paste the recently downloaded “Table.htm” file.

6.  Open up Dreamweaver MX and insert a table

Now, the customization feature won’t look exactly like the original, but it has all the functions – plus a little more!  If you want, you can even tweak this “Table.htm” file to do whatever you’d like.

For me, this is the best way to get Dreamweaver MX to insert tables on Windows Vista.

What Do You Think?
Did this help you?  Have you tweaked the Table.htm file to do something really cool?  Send your thoughts to david@funkytower or leave a comment below.  I look forward to hearing from you. 

Take it easy,
David Crandall

UPDATE:
I received this e-mail from Dave who has some useful information for those who may have trouble using this fix.

Just a heads up I had to change the file in all of these location in order to get it to work. Thought I would let you know in case anyone else had trouble with it. So thank you for pointing me in the right direction. The tables not working has been a huge frustration since switching to vista.

Thanks again!

C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common

C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration-1\Objects\Common

C:\Users\David\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Common

C:\Users\David\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Dreamweaver MX\Configuration\Objects\Common

In Dave’s case, there are 4 file paths in which he had to paste the “Table.htm” file.  This situation is pretty uncommon, but if you find yourself STILL not being able to get the ‘Insert Table” function to work, search out some new file paths that are in relation to Dreamweaver MX.

Please note, typically, when you need to paste this file in more than the two file paths is when you’ve uninstalled and reinstalled Dreamweaver MX multiple times.  When uninstalling Dreamweaver MX, Vista leaves behind the hidden “Configuration” files, thus, when reinstalling, a second Configuration folder is created.  I hope this makes sense.  Thank you, Dave, for sharing your new info with us!

We tend to take lightly the warnings that our own online protection software notifies us about.  We don’t take the time to read where these files are located and what programs these files are associated with.

Recently, my sister had a problem – she had some massive spyware/adware problems; she had alot of pop-ups, which, in my opinion, were caused by some P2P (Peer-to-peer) softwares she had downloaded.  So, she took my advice and downloaded Spybot S&D on her Windows XP SP2 machine, downloaded it definition updates, ran a full scan, and deleted all unfixed files.  The result – extremely slow and incomplete bootup.  It seemed as if all that booted up was a black screen and the mouse cursor.  She called me and asked me to look at it to see what I could do.

Well, I went to her house and did the typical things: I booted up normal, but to only encounter the black screen.  I booted up in safemode, and got the same thing.  I booted up in safemod with DOS, but STILL couldn’t do anything.  After hours of trying different methods WITHOUT reinstalling Windows, at the end of the night, we decided to turn the computer on in the morning and just let it sit.

About a 30 min to an hour after booting up normally, we got a backgroundless desktop with the normal icons, but no start menu.  This told me that the taskbar (start menu) was having trouble booting up and was using up all the PC’s memory.  So, I conjured up some more ideas.

First, I tried to pull up the MSConfig menu and keep some programs from running on startup – sadly, MSConfig just wouldn’t pull up – it said I had to be running an Administrator account.  So, I restarted the computer and waited awhile, except this time, I tried to pull up MSConfig earlier on in the process.  It still did not work.  I tried this also in safemode and safemode with DOS – both got me nothing – no msconfig, no desktop icons, nothing.

So, since this alone took HOURS, I decided to come back the next day.  So, keep in mind, this is day number THREE.  The computer was painfully slow.  I decided that since explorer.exe was partially working (evident by the desktop icons) that I would pull up Windows Explorer to browse files and find the System Restore program.  If anything could fix the problem, one would think this would be it.

After an hour of browsing, I finally got to the folder where the System Restore program was located.  I tried opening the program, but an error came up telling me that System Restore could not repair my computer and to try again another time.  By this time, I was getting really frustrated.  Since we didn’t have the tools at hand to back up files, and since my sister really didn’t care anymore about losing files, I got a Windows XP SP2 disk to reinstall Windows.  I put the disk in the drive, restarted the computer, hit F8 for boot options, and booted from the CD Drive.

Now, this disk has the option to fix Windows, or install/replace windows on a hard drive.  The “fix” mode took me to a DOS screen, and all that really did was tell me useless information.  I exited THAT and rebooted back to the disk drive, and selected to reinstall Windows XP.

Now here’s where the SOLUTION is:

When you select a hard drive to install windows, it recognizes that there is already another version of Windows XP on that hard drive – so, it asks if you would like to repair that version, or replace it.  Well, if I replace it, all the files on the computer would be gone – which would stink, but repairing would keep all my sister’s programs, settings, and files installed.  So, obviously, since I had nothing to lose, I chose repair.

It went through the whole process and acted as if it was completely reinstalling Windows XP, it even took around 40 minutes – just like I was reinstalling windows!  How fun!

Well, the wait was worth it, because at the end of the day, I was able to boot up the machine like it used to boot up before encountering any problems.  I decided to get her AVG Free Antivirus – since she didn’t have that.  I installed it, ran it, and had all problems fixed.  There was a good chunk of “unfixable” files that could be deleted, which I checked to see what they were for.  I found they were not essential to the PC’s performance, and had them deleted.

Finally after midnight of the 3rd day, my work was done.

So what’s the point?

Simple, be smart and use common sense when dealing with  your PC’s safety.  Don’t delete things you don’t know about unless you’re sure it won’t effect your PC’s performance.  This applies to many things like messing with msconfig’s start up options.  Also, don’t use P2P programs, they are dangerous.  You can read about all these things in another one of my articles about speeding up your computer.

Also, when your at wit’s end and are about to take the step to reinstall windows, choose the drive to reinstall it on, AND THEN CHOOSE REPAIR!  This way, you can at least save your files.

So if you’re having that wretched problem of a black background and white cursor with no start menu or desktop icons, pop in that Windows install disk, pick the hard drive to reinstall it on, and choose the repair option.  I hope that helps ANYONE who has had this problem – which I have done some reasearch and know that there are many who have had the same issue – nothing seemed to work, so they just reinstalled windows completely, and sadly, lost all of their files. 

Again, be sure to use this repair option that the disk offers after you pick a hard drive to reinstall windows on, it could save you some head aches.

Note:  This solution was tested on Windows XP, nothing older, nothing newer.  I’m sure any newer version of windows would have the same option, but as far as an older version of Windows – I’m not completely sure.  Anyways, if you have a computer THAT old, you need to upgrade.  Just do it, you’ll aprreciate it

What Do You Think?
Did this help you out at all?  Do you have any questions?  Have you found a different solution to this “black screen and cursor only” problem?  Whatever you have to say, let me know.  You can e-mail me at david@funkytower.com and I’ll be happy to get back to you.

Take it easy,
David Crandall

AVG Free:  AVG is a free antivirus protection software that frequently updates their systems.  I have used AVG before, and it has always been up to date with the latest threats out there.  If you are a windows user and just can’t afford good antivirus protection, AVG Free is the way to go.  (You can also buy AVG Internet Security which includes antivirus AND antispam protection, firewall, and phishing and email scam protection for about $55 for 1 year, or about $80 for 2 yeaers.)

SpyBot Search&Destroy:  Tired of pop ups, the ones that come up even when you’re not browsing the internet?  Well, it’s time to get rid of it using SpyBot Search&Destroy.  This is a great, free spyware/adware removal tool who’s systems are also frequently updated to fight against the latest threats.

IExplorer 7 or FireFox:  Did I just mention a web browser?  Yes I did, 2 infact.  Firefox is great for ridding of ads on pages that could potentially expose pop ups and feed you spyware/adware by using the built in pop-up blocker and the No-Script add on.  IExplorer 7 has some neat new features that help improve your security as well, such as a customizable pop-up blocker and phishing filter.   These are essential to protect you from spyware and adware that could potentially steal your information and identity. 

What’s cool about the customizeable pop-up blocker built into IExplorer is you can choose when you want IExplorer to block pop-ups.  This is great, because sometimes, we click things that we need to access that appear in pop-up windows.  With IExplorer 7, you can choose to allow pop-ups from websites you choose, and block all others.  You can customize the popup blocker in FireFox as well.

Google Toolbar:  If you don’t want to go through the hassle of downloading and installing a new web browser, snag the google toolbar for IExplorer or Firefox.  It has a built in pop-up blocker as well as Google search built right into it. 

There you have it, some great tools to help you have a safer experience on the world wide web in the best way possible – for free!

What do you think?
Know of any cool software, programs, or different ways to stay safe from spyware, adware, phishing, and viruses on the internet for free?  What do you do to stay safe online?  Was this a big help to you?  Whatever you have on your mind, please share it with me!  Feel free to respond via the comment form below, or send me an e-mail at david@funkytower.com.  I hope to hear from you soon

Take it easy,
David

The answer simply because we cannot afford the better hardware.  Well, here are a few tips and tricks that will help you speed up your computer’s performance!

1. Clean it out!  And by this, I mean physically open the computer up and clean it.  All you need is a can of air.  Dust tends to build up very easily and gets caught in the sphagetti of wires inside our computers.  This cause heat to increase, and performance to decrease.  So take a can of air, and blow away as much dust as possible.  If you have a grounding bracelet, CAREFULLY get in with your fingers and get any dust bunnies you may see.  This definately makes a difference.  Be sure to do this monthly or bi-monthly to keep your computer’s perfomance in top shape.
2. Anti-Virus.  No, I’m not going tell you to get new antivirus programs, nor am I telliing to get rid of any antivirus program you may have.  Antivirus programs like McAfee and Norton eat up ALOT of RAM.  Think of RAM as a bunch of guest rooms: Norton is a family of hundreds and they need a place to sleep.  This causes your computer to run slower, applications take longer to open, internet browsers to take forever to launch, etc.  Go into your antivirus’s settings and make sure it is not set to run on start up.  Norton and McAfee are set to scan your whole computer as soon as you boot your computer up, which is probably why it takes forever for your computer to boot up.
3. Less programs on startup.  We all love instant messengers, heck I have about 4 or 5 different ones.  These are the typical programs that help eat up memory on start up.  Be sure to go into your IM’s settings/options and undo any setting that allows them to run on start-up or when you connect to the internet.  Again, the more memory you have available, the better your computer’s performance will be. On windows, you can also keep unneeded programs by clicking on your start menu, click run, and then type “msconfig” (without quotes obviously), click ok, then click the “Startup” tab.  Uncheck any program you don’t need to be running until you pull it up – but be careful not to uncheck anything you don’t know about!  You may accidentally uncheck something that makes your operating system function, and then the only thing you can do is reinstall Windows and lose everything you’ve saved on your computer!  So, be careful in using this method. Another two programs that always gave me trouble was iTunes and the QuickTime Updater.  You can get to the settings of these programs through the programs themselves to keep them from running on startup.
4. NO PEER-2-PEER:  Morpheus, Kazaa, Limewire, etc….No more.  Uninstall them if you have them and then do a good virus scan and spyware scan if you have any virus/spyware removal softwares.  Sure, downloading movies, games, software, and music for free is fun, but doing it this way is also illegal and unsafe for your computer.  Sometimes adware, spyware, and viruses are encrypted into the files you download.  These are harmful to your computer and they can make your computer go extremely slow.  On top of that, the constant downloading and uploading will eat up your RAM.

There you have it, 4 easy ways to help make your computer’s performance that much better.  These are also good practises to take when buying a new PC to keep it functioning like it did the day you bought it.

What do you think?
Did this help you?  Do you have other methods that could help speed up your computer without buying new hardware?  Whatever the case, I want to hear what you have to say.  Send me your thoughts at david@funkytower.com!

Take it easy,
David