Hibernate Mode Has Advantages
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about the Hibernate feature on laptops running Windows XP , the problems with using older operating systems, and upgrading software.
If you have a question, send it to me at
mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg's Mailbox.
Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
Q: On my Windows XP laptop, there is this feature called "Hibernate." What are the advantages to using the Hibernate feature over shutting down the computer normally?
A: If you shut down the laptop normally, all of the applications and windows you had open are closed. When the laptop restarts, you start from scratch, with only those programs that are set to launch at start-up.
By contrast, the Hibernate feature preserves the state of your laptop at the moment you shut it down. When you restart, all of the programs you were running and the windows you had open are restored to their last status and position at the time you shut down. This can allow you to quickly resume working. However, if the machine has been performing sluggishly or exhibiting some other problem, a normal shutdown is the better option.
Q: I would like to set up a wireless router to send data to a computer that has the Windows 98 First Edition operating system. All of the routers I can buy require Windows 98 Second Edition. Will the router work on First Edition?
A: There might be some techie workaround available, but I see no reason to assume the makers of these routers are wrong when they say the first edition of Windows 98 is incompatible with their products. Remember, that operating system is now six years old, an eternity in computer terms. Its networking capabilities are primitive by today's standards, and it uses a different underlying architecture than today's versions of Windows.
In general, if you stick with either version of Windows 98 or with its barely improved successor, Windows ME, you will find your options more and more limited when it comes to adding new hardware and software to your computer.
Q: I would like to replace the Microsoft Works software that came on my Windows PC with Microsoft Excel and Word. Must I buy a complete Office suite or am I able to get just those two programs? And, how do I eliminate Works?
A: Excel and Word are available separately, but buying them would cost you more than if you bought the complete Office suite and simply ignored, or didn't install, the components you didn't want to use.
Even at discount, the latest versions of Word and Excel, bought separately, cost around $190 each. But Office costs around $330 at discount dealers. And, if your version of Works qualifies for an upgrade to Office, you can pay much less for the entire suite -- around $180. Or, if you or anyone in your family is a student or teacher, you can buy the Student and Teacher edition of Office, which is identical to the Standard Edition, including full versions of Word and Excel, for as little as $125 at discount dealers.
Once you have installed Office, or just Word and Excel, I'd first make sure all of your Works documents are imported successfully. Then, you can just uninstall Works to eliminate it.
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Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
笔记本电脑“休眠”功能的优势
在我们大多数人拥有的大件电器中，再没有什么比个人电脑更令人费解、更变幻莫测的了。每个人或许都有些关于电脑的问题，而《莫博士信箱》将为您提供帮助。
本周我将回答有关Windows XP笔记本电脑中的“休眠”功能、使用旧操作系统遇到的麻烦以及软件升级等问题。
问：我的笔记本电脑安装了Windows XP，其中有一个叫做“休眠”的功能。这一功能与正常关闭电脑相比有何优点？
答：如果你正常关闭笔记本电脑，你所打开的所有程序和窗口都会关闭。当电脑重启时，除了那些设定在启动时运行的程序外，其他程序你都需要重新开启。
与此相对比，“休眠”功能能够保存你关机时的状态，当你重启时，所有运行的程序和窗口都维持在你关机时的原状。这能够让你很快的继续工作。但是，如果你的电脑运行缓慢或者出现了其它一些问题，你最好还是正常关机。
问：我希望设立一个无线路由器，以向一台安装Windows 98第一版操作系统的电脑传送数据。我所购买的所有路由器都要求电脑安装Windows 98第二版。此类路由器能与Windows 98第一版兼容吗？
答：也许你可以找到其他技术解决办法，但是我没有任何理由认为这些路由器制造者所制造的路由器与Windows 98第一版不能兼容是错误的。要知道，这个操作系统已经有6年历史，在电脑行业看来它已经是很古老的了。它的网络能力以今日的标准看来是非常初级的，它使用了一个不同于当前Windows版本的基本架构。
简单的说，如果你坚持使用Windows 98的任何一个版本或与之相差无几Windows ME，你会发现当在电脑上安装新硬件和软件时，你的选择范围越来越窄。
问：我想用微软Excel和Word替代我的Windows电脑上的Microsoft Works软件。我是否必须购买全套的Office软件还是可以只购买这两个软件？我如何将Works软件从我电脑上移除。
答：Excel和Word可以单独购买，但是购买这两个软件的花费可能比你购买全套Office软件（你可以不安装不需要的那部分软件）的花费还要高。
即使打折后，最新版的Word和Excel的单独售价都在190美元左右。但是从折扣商那里，你能够以330美元的价格买到全套Office软件。如果你的Works版本能够升级到Office，你能够花更少的钱买到全套软件－－大约180美元。或者，如果你或你的家人是学生或老师，你还可以购买学生和老师版的Office，它与标准版本完全一样，囊括了Word和Excel的完整版本，从折扣商那里只需125美元就可以买到。
一旦你安装了Office，或者仅仅是Word和Excel，请首先确保你所有的Works文件都已经成功导入。然后，你就可以卸载Works了。
