Deleting Emails on Your Treo
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 bout deleting groups of emails on a Treo, eliminating unnecessary background programs and sending files from a Mac to a Windows PC.
Q: How do I delete groups of email messages quickly on the Treo smartphone?
A: It depends on which Treo model you are using and which email program you are using. If it's a Windows-based Treo, like the Treo 700w or 700wx, you can't delete large groups of messages very quickly in the built-in email program. You have to manually select large groups of messages and then use the delete function. If it's a Treo model that uses the Palm operating system, like the Treo 700p or the 650, it is usually possible to do this automatically with a few keystrokes, though the method varies depending on which email program you are using.
If you are using my favorite Treo email program, SnapperMail, on a Palm-based Treo, and you want to delete all or many of the messages in a mailbox, such as your inbox, you can do so with one hand and as few as three keystrokes. This "Purge" command allows you to delete all the messages, or only messages older than various periods of time you can set. You don't have to use the stylus, or manually select any messages, or use two hands. You just press the menu button, the "T" key, and the center button on the navigation pad.
Q: When I open the Windows Task Manager, I note that there are anywhere from 52 to 57 "processes" operating on my PC. I am sure this is slowing things down. However, the names of the programs are virtually impossible for a nontechie to understand so I don't want to eliminate any of them for fear of causing major damage to the operating system. Short of calling a service technician, is there a way for me to find out which processes can be safely shutdown and/or eliminated?
A: This is one of the major banes of using Windows -- every program and even some Web sites think it's OK to install and run in the background all sorts of little, and not-so-little programs, which create the "processes" you are seeing. Some of them may even be spyware and adware. And, yes, they do slow down your computer.
Unfortunately, I don't know of any quick, easy way a mainstream, nontechie user can tell which ones can be safely shut down. There are programs like Startup Cop that help you decide which unseen programs you should allow to launch when your computer starts, but they don't necessarily cover stuff that launches after start-up. And there are Web sites, like processlibrary.com and answersthatwork.com, which let you look up a process to see what it does, but that is a laborious process. The latter Web site offers a $29 program called the Ultimate Troubleshooter for managing all these processes, but it's pretty intimidating for a nontechie.
Antivirus and antispyware programs can shut down some malicious background processes, or stop them from loading in the first place. But many of the resource-draining "processes" you are finding may be from "legitimate" programs on your PC that simply want to hog the computer.
Q: If I switch from Windows to a Macintosh, will my colleagues be able to read any Mac files I send them?
A: There is no such thing as a "Mac file." The Macintosh today can create and read all the major standard types of files that Windows PCs use. For instance, photos in the common JPG format; music files in the common MP3 format; Adobe PDF files; text files; and many other types of files can simply be moved between Windows and Mac computers with no conversion necessary. Microsoft Office files, like Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, can also be shared between the two platforms, without conversion, if you have the Office program suite on both ends. The Mac's built-in email program, Apple Mail, even has a setting for sending "Windows Friendly" attachments.
There are some specific programs on both platforms that can create proprietary file types not easily opened, or opened at all, on the other platform. Most annoyingly, the Windows and Mac versions of Quicken don't share a common file format. But now that the new Macs can also run Windows, you can always launch Windows on your Mac in a pinch to run a program that can handle some Windows-only file type.
删除Treo上的电子邮件
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。
本周我将回答读者关于大批删除Treo智能电话中的电子邮件、终止不必要的后台程序、以及Windows和Mac间文件传输的问题。
问：我如何才能快速成批删除Treo智能电话中的电子邮件？
答：这取决于你用的是哪种型号的Treo手机以及哪种电子邮件程序。如果是Windows操作系统的Treo，如Treo 700w或700wx，你就无法在内置的电子邮件程序中很快地成批删除电子邮件。你必须要手动选择要删除的邮件，然后使用删除功能。如果是使用Palm操作系统的Treo手机，如Treo 700p或650，通常可以通过点击几下按键进行自动删除，不过所用电子邮件程序的不同，具体操作步骤会各有不同。
如果你使用的是我最喜欢的Treo电子邮件程序SnapperMail，并且Treo的操作系统是Palm，要想删除邮箱（如收件箱）中的全部、或大量电子邮件的话，你可以只用一只手、最多按三下键就能完成任务。这个“清空”(Purge)命令能够删除所有邮件，或是是删除那些你所设定时间之前收到的邮件。你不必使用手写笔或手动来选择要删除的信息，只需点击菜单按键（“T”按钮）和导航 盘的中心键即可。
问：当我打开Windows工作管理员(Windows Task Manager)时，我注意到我的电脑中总有52个至57个“处理程序”，我认为这肯定会降低电脑的运行速度。不过，对于我这样一个电脑盲来说，根本无法理解这些程序的含义，因此我不敢贸然删除其中的任何程序，以免给操作系统惹来大麻烦。如果不寻求专业人士的帮助，是否有办法能让我安全地关闭或删除这些程序呢？
答：这正是使用Windows的一大弊端－－每个程序、甚至一些网站都认为可以在后台安装和运行各种各样的程序，不管它们是大是小，这就是你看到的“处理程序”，其中一些甚至还有可能是间谍软件和广告软件。确实，这些程序会降低你电脑的运行速度。
不幸的是，我不知道有什么快速、便捷的方式能让电脑普通用户、或电脑盲们辨别出哪些程序可以安全关闭。有一些像Startup Cop这样的程序能帮助你决定在启动电脑时运行哪些后台程序，但这些程序不一定能控制那些在电脑启动后运行的程序。还有一些网站，像processlibrary.com和answersthatwork.com，能让你查到某种程序的作用，但这种做法相当耗时费力。answersthatwork.com出售一种名为Ultimate Troubleshooter的软件，用于管理上述程序，它的价格为29美元。但对于电脑盲来说，它有些太深奥了。
杀毒软件和反间谍软件能够终止某些恶意的后台程序，或者在第一时间阻止它们安装到电脑上。不过你会发现，某些耗费大量电脑资源的“程序”可能就来自于电脑上的合法程序，为的只是独占电脑资源。
问：如果我把操作系统从Windows转到Macintosh，我的同事能够阅读我发给他们的Mac文件吗？
答：没有“Mac文件”这样的东西。现在的Macintosh能够生成和打开Windows电脑使用的所有主要的标准格式文件。普通JPG格式的照片、普通MP3格式的音乐文件、PDF文件、文本文件以及许多其他类型的文件无需任何转换就能在Windows和Mac电脑间传递。如果你在Windows和Mac电脑上都安装了微软Office套装软件，像Word、Excel和PowerPoint等Office文件就能在两种操作平台上实现共享，而无需转换。Mac的内置电子邮件程序Apple Mail甚至还能设置发送“Windows Friendly”的附件。
这两种平台上都存在某些程序，它们生成的专用的文件格式在对方操作平台上很难、甚至根本无法打开。最烦人的是Windows版Quicken和Mac版无法共享文件。不过，现在新的Mac电脑也可以运行Windows了。这样一来，你总能在Mac电脑上启动Windows，处理那些只能在Windows上运行的文件了。
Walter S. Mossberg
