ItsGeekToMe.co

Q: Since a Windows update last week, I’ve been receiving the following message on my desktop on each start: “To free up disk space, Outlook Express can compact messages. This may take a few minutes.” I have been canceling the messages since never use Outlook Express. Also, with info from one of your previous columns, I followed your directions to identify Windows Live Hotmail as my webmail source at IE Tools. I thought that would clear the message, but it didn’t. I have Windows XP, by the way. Do you have any ideas about how to stop the Outlook Express message?

– Ty W.
Fort Walton Beach, Fla

A: Yes, Ty, I do have some ideas.  First of all, the message you mentioned is only generated by Outlook Express, so something must be running OE, or you wouldn’t see it.  Now, before you think “Yes, but I already said that I don’t use Outlook Express” let me finish.  One of the problems in a situation like this is that when we say “run Outlook Express” we think of clicking OE’s icon and seeing OE’s window pop up on our screen.  However, there are other ways for OE, or at least parts of it, to run.  Certain parts of Outlook Express, such as its search functionality, can be executed by other software running on your computer, or even the operating system itself.  In your case, I believe the problem is related to the Desktop Search feature, which, if I had to guess, was probably one of the items installed in the update you mentioned.  Desktop Search has a list of places it will search, and one of the choices is to search within Outlook Express, and for some reason (thanks, Bill) that option is set by default when Desktop Search installs.  To stop the error message, right-click the magnifying glass icon in the main Windows tool bar, and from the popup menu, choose “Windows Desktop Search Option”.  Look under “Included Locations” for an entry for Outlook Express.  Select it, and click the “Modify” button.  From the “Indexed Locations” popup, uncheck the Outlook Express entry (or entries, if more than one).  Back out of all the dialogs, and the message should be gone.

Q: I read your column weekly and have learned a lot by doing so.  I am a writer so I am in MS Word a lot.  My problem is at the start of a sentence I am constantly disrupted by the program capitalizing the first letter when I did not do so.  I change it and it comes back. I am sure there is a quick fix, but where?

– Charlene G.
Fort Walton Beach, Fla

A: This function is part of the AutoCorrect feature of Word.  The method to configure it varies depending on which version of Word you’re running.  I’ll cover the latest version – Word 2007, so if you have another version, your method will vary.  To start, click the Office Button in the upper left corner of the window.  At the bottom of the pop-up push the button that says “Word Options”.  In the left-hand navigation pane, select “Proofing”, then click the “AutoCorrect Options…” button.  Uncheck the box that says “Capitalize first letter of sentences” and click OK to back out of the dialogs.