The discussion forums at Annoyances.org allow beginning and experienced Windows users alike to exchange information for solving problems, improving performance, dealing with common annoyances, and simply getting more out of Windows.
Note: Our discussion forums are not chat rooms, nor are they a means of contacting Microsoft technical support.
Choose one of the following topics for more information:
First, choose the discussion forum for your version of Windows, using the links to your left.
Then, read a few posts by other users to see how it's done.
Finally, use the links at the bottom of the forum and message pages to search the forums, post new messages, and even respond to existing messages.
Do I have to sign up?
Nope! All you have to do is type your name and email address to post a message to one of our forums.
Note: We also now ask for a password the first time (details), which will allow you to customize the forums and will help us protect your privacy.
What is a thread?
A thread is a small group of messages that all stem from a single message.
For example, if you pose a question and it subsequently gets four responses, all five messages would be part of the same thread.
Threads are important because they allow everyone to easily follow a conversation; please do your part to keep threads succinct and tidy.
If you'd like to reply to someone else's message or follow-up on your own message, use the Reply or follow-up to this message link at the bottom of the page, and your message will appear in the same thread.
Please don't start a new thread when continuing an existing discussion.
If you'd like to start a new topic, use the Start a new thread on a different subject link instead.
Likewise, please don't start new topics inside someone else's thread.
Tip: See the All messages in this thread section at the end of any message for an overview of the corresponding thread.
Click Show all to view all the messages in a particular thread on the same page.
How do I change the number of messages displayed on each page?
Want to sort messages chronologically rather than by thread?
Want threaded branches to be opened automatically?
Want a bigger edit box when composing messages?
Use the Set forum preferences link at the bottom of any forum page!
Just make sure the Cookies feature in your browser preferences is enabled; otherwise, Annoyances.org won't be able to remember any of your choices.
What does Annoyances.org do to protect my privacy?
Annoyances.org will never share your name, email address, or any other contact information with any third party.
We will not use your information for anything other than notifying you of replies to your forum messages, passing on personal messages sent through our forum's contact links, or responding to messages sent directly to us.
The name you type when composing your first forum message will be shown on all your forum posts.
Read these instructions if you want to change your name appearing on any messages you've already already posted to the forum.
Your email address is always kept private, and is used to email you carbon-copies and response notifications to your messages, so be sure to type your email address correctly if you want to benefit from these services.
If you don't want to clutter your private mailbox with email from the Annoyances.org forums, you may want to create a new email address at one of the free online services, such as Yahoo or Gmail.
This way, you don't have to make up a phony address, yet you can take steps to protect your own privacy, not to mention reduce your exposure to spam.
Note: if you elect to contact another forum member directly (privately) by clicking his or her name in a forum message, your email address will be used as the return address, and the recipient will see it.
However, unless the recipient chooses to reply to an email sent in this way, the sender (you, in this case) will never see the recipient's email address.
(This does not apply to public messages posted normally in the forum.)
Your email address will never be made public at Annoyances.org.
HOWEVER, if you type your email address in the message body, you'll effectively circumvent our privacy measures.
Any information typed into the subject or message body will be posted to our forum for everyone to see, so use your head when you post!
Note: please don't ask us to remove messages just because you were careless when you posted a message to our forums or you neglected to use the proper precautions to protect your privacy (see our message removal policy).
Is HTML allowed in messages?
Yes.
Essentially, anything goes on the forum.
Fill your posts with animation, HTML formatting, colors, etc., to your heart's content.
Make 'em as ugly or as pretty as you like, as sparse or as overcrowded with junk as you can stomach.
It's all good.
HTML can be especially useful to bold items, make hyperlinks, separate paragraphs with <P>, make bulletted lists, and even include images.
Hint: Use the QuickLink button in the message composition window for details if you're not familiar with HTML.
Due to past abuse, however, the <embed> code (used to include Windows objects) is no longer allowed.
Also, JavaScript and tables are no longer allowed in posts, mostly because they can be exploited to interfere with the proper operation and appearance of the pages at Annoyances.org.
Note: One consequence of the fact that HTML is supported is that greater-than and less-than symbols will not work as you might've expected.
Instead, just use the following codes for these symbols:
For >, type >
For <, type <
When I use my browser's "Back" button, the message disappears
This appears to be a bug in some versions of both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, and could be due to improper cache settings.
(Note that neither Mozilla nor Netscape 6 has this problem).
The solution is to not use your browser's Back button at all.
Instead, use the appropriate links on the various pages at Annoyances.org to navigate.
For instance, when viewing the preview of your message before you post, just click <-- Edit on the page to return to your message.
What do I do with a question or comment about the Annoyances.org forums?
If you're having trouble with the forums, please scrutinize the questions and answers on this page; odds are you'll find the information you seek.
If you can't find an answer to your question, please don't clutter up our forums with questions about the forums.
Instead, please contact us directly and help keep the forums on-topic.
What do I do if someone posts a rude response to my question?
Most visitors to the Annoyances.org forums have a genuine interest in helping, and as such, are happy to provide courteous and productive responses to questions.
However, you must be aware that this is a public forum, and as such, is open to everyone who wishes to use it.
This means that, occasionally, there will be some clown who thinks it is funny to post a rude, insulting, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate response to a message.
Of course we don't condone this behavior, but we naturally can't screen each and every message before it is posted to the forum.
If you see such a message, don't retaliate - it just makes things worse.
Simply click the Report abuse of the forum link at the bottom of the message, and we'll investigate.
If we find that the message is inappropriate, we will promptly remove it.
If we find that a particular visitor has a history of such abuse, we will prohibit that user from using our forums.
How long will my message remain in the forum?
Messages are kept in our forums indefinitely so that they can be useful to other visitors.
Why aren't discussion forum messages showing up in searches
The site search is separate from the forum search. Make sure you choose one of the forums from the Look In list; if you select Annoyances.org articles, the forums won't be included in your searches.
When you submit a new message to one of the Annoyances.org forums, it is posted to the forum immediately.
However, it may take a few minutes for your message to show up in the forum listing.
If this happens, please don't panic, and please don't post your message again.
To find a list of the messages you have posted to the Annoyances.org forums, enter one of our forums (Windows XP, Windows 98, etc.) using the links to your left, and then click Find my most recent posts.
If you don't see the Find my most recent posts link at the bottom of the forum listing page, then you're not currently signed-in.
Click Set Forum Preferences to sign in before trying to find your recent messages.
The following are reasons why one or more of your messages might not appear in search results:
The Find my most recent posts feature only shows messages in the current forum. So, if you're looking at search results for the Windows 2000 forum, you won't see messages you've posted to the Windows Me forum (and vice-versa). Try clicking the various forum links on the search page to see all your messages.
If you've changed your email address since you last posted a message to our forums, or you've switched computers, your old messages may not show up with your new messages.
Simply log out and sign back in with your old email address.
(If you posted messages under more than one account and wish to have your post counts consolidated, please see this note.)
Finally, your messages might've been removed if they were in violation of our posting policy.
How do I change or remove a message I just posted?
Once messages are posted to the forum, they cannot be modified.
If you need to make a correction or otherwise add to your message, simply post a follow-up message in the same thread by using the Reply or follow-up to this message link at the bottom of the message page.
Please do not start a new thread to make corrections to an earlier message. (What is a thread?)
Tip: Use the Preview button to see what your message will look like before you post it.
Note that messages are only removed from our forum for these reasons.
If you posted a message to the wrong forum, please report it to us, and then post in the correct place.
What do I do if I see a message that doesn't belong?
If you find an inappropriate message, use the Report abuse of the forum link at the bottom of the message page, and we'll investigate it as soon as possible.
Any such messages found to be inappropriate (according to these rules) will be promptly removed by our administrator.
Keep in mind that reporting a message doesn't guarantee it's removal.
Note: Please do not hassle other users by unnecessarily reporting their messages.
Any user abusing our service will banned.
What types of messages are considered inappropriate at Annoyances.org?
We feel it's important that everybody pitch in to help maintain the integrity of our forums.
To that end, we will investigate any suspicious messages brought to our attention and remove any that are found to be inappropriate.
A message will be deemed inappropriate (and will be deleted) for any of the following reasons:
Off-Topic
If it does not relate the topic of the forum. Since the Annoyances.org has only Windows forums, messages about topics like P2P file sharing, games, instant messaging, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Hotmail, or web programming are all off-topic.
Tip: Please restrict your messages to topics that relate directly to Microsoft Windows, Windows components, windows-specific hardware problems, or any of the topics in the Annoyances books.
Misplaced Messages
If it posted to the wrong forum (e.g. a Windows 98 issue posted to the Windows XP forum).
If it was a follow-up to an existing thread, yet was posted as a new thread. Hint: always use the Reply or follow-up to this message link to follow-up to an existing message. (What is a thread?)
If it was mistakenly posted as a reply to an existing thread, but should've been in a thread of its own. Hint: always use the Start a new thread link to discuss a new topic.
If it is a duplicate of another message posted to any of the forums at Annoyances.org. (Please don't double-post, or post your message to more than one forum.)
Spam & Piracy
If it contains any advertisements.
If it contains any copyrighted material.
If it contains information related to software piracy, such as CD keys, serial numbers, links to "warez" websites, or instructions intended to circumvent copy protection.
If it contains information related to password cracking or the circumvention of security measures.
If it contains a request for any of the aforementioned prohibited information.
Abuse
If it is a rude or intentionally unhelpful reply to someone else's question.
If it contains petty criticism of someone's ignorance, spelling, grammar, or language skills.
If it contains malicious or intentionally incorrect advice.
If it contains any harmful or annoying HTML code, or code that interferes with the display or operation of the site. (more information)
If it contains a large amount of abusive or inappropriate language (although a few colorful expletives are okay if used appropriately).
If it intended to harass, criticize, or otherwise single-out another user on the forum.
If its author has posted messages to the forum under several aliases in an effort to berate, deceive, or confuse other Annoyances.org visitors.
If it contains a complaint about someone else's message on the forum. (Tip: please use the Report abuse of the forum link at the bottom of the message page to report a message, and then move on.)
Other
If it is a reply to another message that has been deleted.
If it contains a HijackThis Log without a description of any specific problems being experienced. Please help keep the forums tidy by only including a log in your message if someone asks for it.
If it doesn't make any sense. Please write in complete sentences, and try to carefully and thoroughly explain your question.
If it is written entirely in a language other than English.
If it contains questions or comments about the forum or the Annoyances.org site, such as anything already addressed on this page. Instead of cluttering the forum with your questions about the forum, please simply contact Annoyances.org directly.
If you see such a message at Annoyances.org, please use the Report abuse of the forum link at the bottom of the message page.
The following are not suitable reasons to have a message removed:
You've asked a question and you want it removed because your question has been answered (more information).
You posted a message and you don't want your name appearing in a public forum (more information).
You included your email address in the body text of a message (more information).
Someone has disagreed with you, or has written something with which you disagree.
Someone has asked a question you think could be answered by searching.
Someone has posted a message to a thread started by a different person.
Someone has posted a "me too" message to someone's thread (e.g., "I'm having the same problem").
The author of a message has asked "too many questions" recently.
Someone has posted a tip or general information (answered a question that wasn't asked).
The author of a message in the Annoyances.org forums, coincidentally, has the same name as you.
You don't like the way someone writes.
You don't approve of someone's lack of familiarity with the English language.
You don't like someone's username.
You are having a personal dispute with another user.
Important: if you use the forum to publicly complain about someone's message, your message will be removed.
Instead, please use the Report abuse of the forum link at the bottom of the message page to report the offending message.
Why was my message removed from the forum?
Your message was likely removed because one or more visitors to Annoyances.org reported it to us via the Report abuse of the forum link at the bottom of the page.
We investigate all messages reported to us.
If your message is found to violate our appropriate message policy, we will delete it along with any replies it might've received.
Now, Annoyances.org gets dozens of these reports each day, and as you can imagine, it is quite time-consuming to go through them all.
As a result, your message may've been removed hastily, and unfortunately, without proper consideration. PLEASE do not take it personally.
If your message has been removed, please don't complain publicly on the forum.
Instead, please read these reasons to find out why your message was removed.
We do our best to be fair in our attempts to maintain the integrity of our forum.
If you believe that one of your messages has been unjustly removed from an Annoyances.org forum, please read our appropriate message policy to make sure you understand our rules.
If you're certain that your message doesn't violate any of our guidelines, you may repost the message.
IMPORTANT:
If you contact us to inquire as to why your message was removed, we will just send you back to this page, so don't waste your time (or ours) until you have read this explanation carefully.
Note also that having messages deleted does not affect your account standing in any way; we only take action against those visitors who repeatedly and intentionally abuse our forums.
My question has been answered; will you remove my message?
Sorry, it doesn't work like that.
Your message and any responses it receives are not just for you; they benefit all visitors and help to build a public archive of solutions and tips.
Messages are only removed from our forum for these reasons.
How do I remove or change my name from the forum archives?
Open one of the forums (links are to your left) and click Set forum preferences.
If you're signed in, you'll have an opportunity to change the name that appears at top of each message you've posted at Annoyances.org, as well as your email address (always kept private).
(Note that this doesn't apply wherever your name might appear in the body text of a message.)
Note: If you're not signed in, just type your email address and password, click Save Changes - you'll instantly be returned to the Preferences page, at which point you'll be able to change your name.
If you'd like to have one or more of your messages removed, please see this note.
How do I change my email address?
Open one of the forums (links are to your left) and click Set forum preferences.
If you're signed in, you'll have an opportunity to change your email address (always kept private), as well as the name that appears at top of each message you've posted at Annoyances.org.
Note: If you're not signed in, just type your old email address and password, click Save Changes - you'll instantly be returned to the Preferences page, at which point you'll be able to change your email address.
How do I forcibly have a message removed?
The forums at Annoyances.org are a user-to-user service; the content of any particular messages is the responsibility of the individual who posted it.
Annoyances.org is not responsible for forum content, the correctness of forum content, or any damages to your computer, reputation, emotional stability, or anything else you feel is a consequence of having read a message in one of our forums.
If you feel that a particular message is inappropriate or violates our message posting policies, please follow these instructions to have it removed.
If, on the other hand, a particular message does not violate our posting policy, it cannot be removed.
Please see FindLaw.com for details.
Why am I not receiving email notifications from Annoyances.org?
If you've requested to have Annoyances.org email you when others respond to your forum messages, but are not receiving these emails, there are several possibilities:
You mistyped your email address when you posted your message to the forum. Open any forum and click Set Forum Preferences to change your email address.
Your email provider or email program has overly-aggressive spam filters, and the notifications are being deleted.
You haven't yet received a reply to your message. Open your message (details) and look beneath the message body to see if it has received any replies.
You didn't actually check the little box to notify you of responses. In this case, just open the message and click Subscribe to this thread.
How do I unsubscribe from the Annoyances.org emails?
There are two types of email messages sent out by Annoyances.org:
If someone clicks your name at the top of one of your messages, that person can send you a private email through our site.
(Note that your email address is not made public unless you reply to one of those messages - details.)
If you don't want to receive emails from other visitors to Annoyances.org, all you have to do is visit the Preferences page and place a checkmark next to the Do not permit other forum members to email me directly option.
If you've subscribed to a thread, or if you turned on the Please email me when anyone directly responds to my message option when composing a message, Annoyances.org will send you an email notification when someone posts a new message to your thread.
If you don't want to receive notification emails, just click the unsubscribe link in the next email you receive.
Why am I getting spam?
From time to time, we receive complaints from visitors to the Annoyances.org forums that they are receiving spam.
Rest assured that we will never send you spam (even through others may try to "spoof" an Annoyances.org email), nor will we sell or trade your email address or otherwise make it publicly available in any way.
(See our Privacy Policy for further details.)
In short, if you're getting spam, it's not coming from us.
Note: No third party has access to the email address you use to post messages at Annoyances.org, unless you type your address in the body text of a message for everyone to see.
In fact, we have a system in place to prevent you from doing so, which means you'll have to take special pains to defeat our safeguards and include your email address in a message body.
Please don't ask us to remove your message just because you carelessly included personal information in the message body (details).
Unfortunately, there's nothing that we (Annoyances.org) can do to restrict the email that others send you.
Nor do we have the power to remove you from someone else's spam mailing list.
Please consider using a spam filter or taking other precautions to reduce the unwanted email you might be receiving.
Note: The only time you will ever receive email from Annoyances.org is if you choose to be notified when someone replies to your forum message, and, in this case, these notifications can be disabled at any time. You might also receive email from us if we reply to an email you send us.
Help - something is not working!
For all of the features in the Annoyances.org discussion forums to work, you need to have your browser configured to accept all Cookies, and you need to make sure the JavaScript option in your browser preferences is turned on; refer to your browser documentation for details.
See Troubleshooting Annoyances.org for more issues.
My message count appears to have been reset!
Don't worry; it hasn't.
All that's happened is that your latest messsage(s) have been posted through a different account than your earlier messages.
This can happen if you log out and then log in again with a different email address, or if you switch PCs and don't use exactly the same email address.
Remember, even a single letter or punctuation can make the difference, so make sure to double-check your email address when you log in.
To log in with your correct address, start by logging out.
Then, return to the forum, click Set Forum Preferences, and log in at the top of the page.
If you've posted a large number of messages with more than one account, we can consolidate your accounts, but please don't ask if you've only posted a handful of messages with the wrong account.
To consolidate messages, just send us all the email addresses you've used at Annoyances.org, and make sure to note the primary address you wish to continue using.
I'm having password problems
Annoyances.org requires that you specify a password whenever you post a message to one of our forums.
If you're having trouble getting Annoyances.org to recognize your password, try these solutions:
Annoyances.org hasn't always required passwords.
If you last posted a message to our site before February 2004, then your email address is in our database without a corresponding password.
This means that you'll need to choose a password - just type any password (something you won't forget) into the password field next time you post a message to our forums.
If you've recently posted a message to the Annoyances.org forums, then you must've chosen a password at that time.
Simply re-enter your email address and password if prompted, and you'll be signed in.
If you've forgotten your password, just leave the Password field blank, and your password will be emailed to you.
Now, if your email address is wrong, or if you're using an overly-aggressive spam filter, you may never get that email.
Tip: If you (or your ISP) have employed a spam filter, try turning it off until you receive the reminder email.
Note that Hotmail and Earthlink use extremely agressive spam filters that will prevent email messages like these from reaching you.
If you continue to have problems with this type of thing, consider switching to a more reliable email provider.
If you get an error that you didn't enter your password, then we don't have a password on file for you.
This means that you'll need to choose a password before you can continue; just type any password (something you won't forget) into the password field, and that will become your password at Annoyances.org.
If you remember your password, but Annoyances.org won't accept it, make sure your caps-lock key isn't on.
Capitalization, punctuation, and spaces all count, so make sure you're typing it correctly.
Leave the password field blank to have Annoyances.org email your password to you.
If Annoyances.org won't remember your password (meaning that you have to sign in each time), or won't accept your password at all, it's probably a "cookie" problem.
To fix the problem, make sure your web browser is configured to accept any and all "cookies" without restriction (this option is usually found in your browser's privacy settings).
Refer to your browser documentation for details.
Once you enter your correct email address and password, you'll be signed in, and won't have to enter your name, email address, or password again.
If you switch computers or sign out, however, you'll have to type both your email address and password before you can post again.
Note: Once you're signed-in, click Set Forum Preferences on any forum listing page to change your name, email address, or password.
How do I log off / sign out of Annoyances.org?
When you log into the forums at Annoyances.org, your login is saved so you don't have to log in each time you visit the site.
This makes it possible for Annoyances.org to remember your viewing preferences and allows you to easily find your previous messages.
If you're using a public computer, you may wish to log off when you're finished visiting the site.
Important: Posting messages to our forums from more than one account is grounds for being permanently suspended from Annoyances.org.
If you posted messages under different accounts accidentally, and wish to have your post counts consolidated, please see this note.
