Leave computer turned on even when not using it

Q: Sometimes a day or two can pass without anyone using our desktop computer. Should we leave it on or turn it off? Do we extend the life of the hard drive when the PC is turned off?

A: There are two issues involved: power consumption and component wear. On both counts, I think it's better to leave your computer on.

Computers don't require much energy, particularly when they're inactive. On a PC, you can set your screen to darken and your disk drive to stop spinning when the computer has been idle a certain number of minutes. You can find these settings under Power Options in the Control Panel.

Computers also tend to suffer less wear and tear if you leave them on.

Turning a computer on and off creates tiny power surges that eventually can damage electronic components. You also can reduce wear by using the automatic disk drive power-saving option mentioned above.

Another benefit to leaving your PC on is that programs that run automatically, such as antivirus scanning software, aren't interrupted.

For more about whether to leave the PC on, see www.5starsupport.com/tutorial/on-off.htm.

Q: I'm having a problem with the size of Web pages on my new laptop. They appear about half-page size on my 22-inch screen. Can you tell me how I can reconfigure the page to appear full size?

A: In either the Firefox or Internet Explorer browsers, you instantly can maximize the window by clicking the square at the upper right corner. Or you can resize manually by putting your cursor on the corners of the window and stretching or squeezing it into the size you want.

The next time you start the browser, it should "remember" the window size you chose.

But Web page contents usually are formatted in the shape of a piece of paper held vertically and won't fit your PC's wide screen. So you'll get white space on both sides.

Q: When I get e-mail from people on AOL, I can't download their attachments in my IncrediMail program. Instead I get a message that says "X-bittorrent not found." What should I do?

A: Many IncrediMail users are having the same problem, and several have concluded it's a software flaw.

See forums.techguy.org/web-email/730379-x-bittorrent-not-found-incredimail.html.

As a check on their findings, you might want to try another e-mail program and see if it can read the attachments that IncrediMail can't.