Win32 Virus Removal

A: You're right, Windows 7 doesn't come with a calendar. Instead, Microsoft has included a calendar with Windows Live Mail, an e-mail program available for free at download.live.com.

The calendar also is available online as part of the Windows Live Hotmail e-mail service. Other Web-based e-mail such AOL Mail, Gmail and Yahoo Mail also include calendars.

If you want a stand-alone calendar installed on your computer, your best bet is Sunbird from Mozilla (the creators of the Firefox browser).

Sunbird has all the features you enjoyed with the Windows Vista calendar, including the ability to schedule events, set up alerts and create multiple calendars. You can download Sunbird at Mozilla.org.

Q: All of a sudden, weird noises are coming from my Vista computer. It sounds like plumbing, plus breathing hard, plus rain on a tin roof, plus a small dog occasionally squealing.

It goes on for a couple of minutes then stops for a while and then starts again. The sounds are kind of scary.

Last week, it seemed as if the computer got taken over by some ad with a soundtrack for something and I could not even find a window to close, so I just turned it off to stop it. Has my computer been hijacked by some virus?

A: That's one seriously disturbed computer you have there and, yes, a virus or other malware probably is responsible. Either that or your system has been possessed by a heavy-breathing, gurgling, squealing demon dog.

I vote for the first possibility and recommend either the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool (free at microsoft.com) or the free version of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (malwarebytes.org).

If they can't solve the problem, take the computer to a repair service - or an exorcist.

Q: I have a wireless Canon MX860 printer that won't connect to my computer. Instead, I get a message saying that the printer isn't compatible with Windows 7.

I can use the cable that came with the printer, but it's really short and I have to stand next to the printer to print anything. How can I get the printer to talk to the computer wirelessly?

A: Go to the Support section at canonusa.com and download the Windows 7 driver for your printer. The driver was made available in October, when Windows 7 was released.

After installing the driver, run the software that came with the printer to establish a wireless connection to the computer. And if worse comes to worst, you could always buy a longer cable.

Q: I got a new computer that does not have Microsoft Word. My old computer does. Is it possible to transfer this program to my new computer, or am I stuck having to buy another copy of Word?

A: You are not stuck. The best solution for your predicament is PCmover, which, as the name implies, can move everything except the operating system from an old computer to a new one.

You can buy PCmover as a download at laplink.com for $39.95 - but you'll also need a cable to connect the computers, which you can order from Laplink or buy in a store.

As an alternative, you might consider using a free substitute for Word such as AbiWord (downloadable at abisource.com) or the word processor in OpenOffice (openoffice.org). Or, you can use the word processor in Google Docs, the free online applications from google.com (go to "Documents" in the "More" menu on the Google home page).

By the way, later this year Microsoft is expected to make a basic version of Word available as a free online application as part of its rollout of the next version of Microsoft Office.

Got a question about computing? E-mail David Einstein at einstein.dave@gmail.com.

This article appeared on page DC - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle