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 switching to a Web-based email service, viewing PDF files on Macs and antivirus programs that support Windows ME.
Q: I use an email address provided by my Internet service provider and access my email using Microsoft Outlook. I would like a more portable email address that isn’t tied to any one ISP, and an email program that is independent of any particular computer. What can you suggest?
The obvious answer is a Web-based email service that has a decent Web-based interface that can be accessed from any computer. There are lots of these, including Yahoo Mail, Microsoft’s Windows Live Mail (formerly Hotmail) and Google’s Gmail. I am not a fan of Gmail, which I believe has too many quirks and too few options for users to avoid them. Windows Live Mail is promising, but my favorite among these leading services is Yahoo Mail.
Q: I am thinking of switching to Apple, but I am wondering if Macs come with free Adobe Reader software, like some Windows computers do.
No, Macs don’t include Adobe Reader, which allows the viewing of PDF documents — but they don’t need it. The Mac operating system allows you to open and create PDF documents, right out of the box, without any additional software. If you get a PDF file as an email attachment, you can just double-click it and it opens. Even better, any program running on the Mac can save almost anything as a PDF file. For instance, you can save a Web page as a PDF file that can be opened in Adobe Reader on Windows. Adobe charges money for software that does that.
However, if you prefer Adobe Reader, there is a free Mac version, very similar to the Windows version, that you can download at www.adobe.com.
Q: Do you know of any antivirus programs that are continuing to support Windows ME in their newest versions?
The latest version of Grisoft’s very good AVG Anti-Virus program still works with the ancient Windows ME operating system, according to the company’s Web site, at www.grisoft.com.
Q: Last week, in answering a question about the speakerphone function on another Windows Mobile phone, you claimed that, on the Motorola Q, a multistep software process is needed to turn on the speakerphone. But isn’t that wrong? Isn’t there a hardware button that does that?
Yes, I erred when I wrote that. I just blanked on the hardware button, which I certainly knew about, having carried a Q for a couple of weeks while testing it. We have already run a formal correction, and I hereby apologize to Motorola for implying that the process was clumsy, when it’s simple.
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Because of the volume of email I receive, I can’t routinely answer individual questions by email, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com