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by: KayBrenner
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From a design standpoint, Microsoft developed Windows to be easy and intuitive; most computing tasks can be accomplished with relative ease within the cozy Windows environment, and, most of the time, Windows will get out of your way and let you do your thing. But every version of Windows has a dark side that gets a little illumination from time to time: lurking in the cyber shadows are annoying security alerts, long unplugged USB device notifications, and pointless balloon messages that announce the obvious and lame, just to name several Windows annoyances that can be quickly disabled at your whim if you've got the inclination and information.

In this article I'll be discussing some common Windows Irritants and their solutions.

Irritant: "Delayed Write Failed" Error caused by Disconnecting USB Drive

This problem occurs when you disconnect a USB drive without notifying Windows first. There's a chance that Windows will still be writing data to your USB drive if you just suddenly disconnect it, which may result in scads of corrupted files, a gamble most users don't want to take. To ensure that Windows has completed all write operations to your USB drive, always use the "Safely Remove Hardware" utility located in your system tray; this tool will notify you with a message balloon when you can remove your USB drive. For the computer aficionado that craves more control over their numerous USB devices, throw Google a query, as there are plenty of free programs on the web that can manage your USB device collection for you.

Security, security, security

Even if your system has the latest virus definitions installed, Windows may still be babbling on about your system being at risk of an exploit or virus. This can sometimes occur when you disable a setting on your antivirus software. To prevent Windows from being so meddling and intrusive, you may opt out of receiving the security alert messages by clicking on the balloon alert message when it pops up, selecting Recommendations in the Virus Protection Panel; from here, select "I have an antivirus program that I will monitor" to put the alert messages out of commission.

Irritant: Redundant Printer Messages

Trying to send files to a network printer can prove to be hassle with Windows on your footsteps. Anytime you try to do that, a message will appear, just in case you do not know what you are doing. Do not let the system insult your intelligence and disable the annoying messages from Control Panel. There you will find, in Printers and Faxes, on File, the Server Properties. An the Advanced Tab, there is a box saying "Notify me when remote documents are printed"; this is the one that must be unchecked. All done!

When URL's Don't Act As URL's

Some of the most annoying things have the easiest solutions. If you are used to switching between browsers when you use the Internet, it is very likely that you have encountered this following problem. At home, or at your workplace, you receive many e-mails, some containing URL's. But what do you know! When you try to open them with Thunderbird or Outlook, they no longer work. And this repeats so many times that you get a headache. The reasons why this thing happens is because you have installed another browser than Internet Explorer and then you decided to switch back. Your Internet Explorer will no longer recognize the URL's, but it is no biggie. The solution is simple. Just search for Internet Options in Control Panel and, from Programs, choose "Internet Explorer as the default browser". Problem solved!

About the Author

Kay Brenner is a Computer tool consultant who specializes in restoring your slow PC, saving you time and money wrestling with a sick computer. To reclaim your dream machine you first bought, download a free PC Health Check

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