I. TODAY'S TECH LIVE HEADLINES

WEBVAN CALLS IT QUITS The struggling online grocer will close its doors and file for bankruptcy. techtv

MSN MESSENGER OUTAGE CONTINUES The Microsoft service is hit with a seventh day of glitches that affects up to 10 million users. techtv

POLL: MSN LOGIN FRUSTRATION Has the MSN instant messenger service network affected you? Vote in our poll and let us know! techtv

TV THROUGH YOUR USB ATI's trustworthy and feature-packed TV tuner technology gets wrapped up in a USB package. techtv

INDEPENDENCE DAY FOR AT&T WIRELESS AT&T gives up stake in wireless company. techtv

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II. CALL FOR HELP LINKS

MSN MESSENGER HACK If you've lost your MSN Messenger contact list, this registry hack will get it back. techtv

FANTASY BASEBALL Create your own online dream team. techtv

PROTECT YOUR PC Lock your PC up like Fort Knox with help from a few passwords. techtv

CREATE DOCUMENT SCRAPS Save bits and pieces of a Word document for use in other files. techtv

DO YOU KNOW INTERNET SAFETY? techtv

ALL THE LINKS FOR TODAY'S SHOW techtv

***************************************************************** Products Zone Stop! Read our expert reviews at the Products Zone, before you buy that new tech gadget. Our Lab Rats have tested and analyzed new products so you don't have to. techtv

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Chris' show notes for Monday, July 9, 2001...

*Delete folders

Dale called us from Crossville, Tennessee to see if he could delete an empty system folder. Usually, all you have to do is go to the Windows Explorer, right-click on the folder, and select delete from the context menu. If this doesn't work, you can try holding SHIFT as you press DELETE to force the removal.

Unfortunately, these two options did not work for Dale. He also tried to delete the files from a DOS prompt outside of Windows, but it still didn't work. We believe he has a third-party application running that automatically restores deleted System folders.

*Maximum USB

Mark from Tyler, Texas wants to know how many USB devices he can have on his computer? The maximum is 127 devices with external ports (128 when you count your computer). That's in theory. Of course, when you add a hub to another hub, you take up yet another port. The actual number of available devices will be less than 128.

Keep in mind, USB devices suck up power, too. Some more than others; a scanner should require more "juice" than a Webcam. Some run on an external power supply (printers, hubs, etc.). I hope you have enough outlets, let alone open USB ports.

*Haunted PC

Nick from Winona, Minnesota has a ghost in his PC. It rattles, shakes, and then suddenly a dialog box appears across his screen. He uses a cable modem with firewall protection from Zone Alarm. So, what's gone awry? We don't know.

We suggested that he troubleshoot his system, working forwards and backwards. Removing programs one-by-one from the System Tray is a good start. To stop programs from loading on system startup, I suggested he use X-Setup (www.xteq.com/products/xsdk/) -- the ultimate free Windows tweaker.

If all else fails, reinstall Windows. techtv

*Write protected floppies

Joseph from Lancaster, Kentucky tried to get rid of a few files on a floppy disk. Floppy disks can be write protected with the slide of a switch. A hole found at the top of a floppy disk determines writability. If they are both open (like on cassette tapes), then you can't write (or record) on the floppy. Slide the tab down to cover the hole and you'll be good to go. Or, if the tab is missing, you can use a piece of masking tape to cover the open hole. When that's done, you can add/delete files on the disk at will.

Joseph gave it a shot, live on the air, and it worked like magic! See, that's what happens when you make a call for help!

*Final email

AOL, MSN, ICQ, IRC, Yahoo... ugh! Do you really have to run all of those services to keep in touch with your friends and family members. Sure, but only if you don't know about Trillian. Find it at: cerulean studios -- you'll fall in love with it instantly. Ha ha... get it? Nevermind.

Where can you find out how to reformat your hard drive? Take a guess: techtv

Thanks for watching! Remember, it's not your fault.

Chris "The Gnome" Pirillo mailto:gnome@techtv.com

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That's all for now, folks. Keep watching Tech Live every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, and visit our websites: techlive and callforhelp

-- Anonymous, July 10, 2001

Answers

Summertime Help

Now that summertime is here, we can get outside and mow the lawn and swim and play softball and get ourselves bitten by numerous bugs. If you'd like to know more about how to deal with these bug bites on you and your family, take a quick trip to convoke.com!

Read all about bugs and their bites! Click here ... http://www.convoke.com/markjr/summer.html

-- Anonymous, July 10, 2001

And finally, last but not least:

Read all about bugs and their bites! Click here ...

-- Anonymous, July 10, 2001