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Q: I use a computer that supports USB 1.1 under XP. With the 2.0 specification so much faster, is there any device I can add that upgrades my motherboard to this current spec level.r
A: You cannot upgrade the motherboard but you can buy a PCI card for about $25 that will give you from two to four USB 2.0 ports.
Be aware that although USB 2.0 is quoted at 480 Mbits/sec, you are not likely to be able to transfer from any common source at the full rate as there are few devices that you can send data to at this speed, and saving and writing to disk cannot be sustained as speeds of normal hard disks are much lower. However, you will see a marked improvement in speed after the upgrade.
Q: I have Windows XP but I am unable to understand all of the instructions, even using Windows for Dummies. Would you please recommend a book or at least a comprehensive glossary?
A: The best place to look is Google, as it is not difficult to find information on most topics. With a glossary, for example, see: www.sharpened.net/glossary/index.php or whatis.techtarget.com
Q: When using Bookmarks in Firefox, I come up with the problem of multiple deletions. I often bookmark multiple sites and I find that I cannot delete more than one item at a time. When using the "right" key to delete, there is no trick like holding down the shift or the control key. B. Thomas
A: You are not stuck with deleting one file at a time. Click on Bookmarks, then Manage Bookmarks and you will find that you can manage multiple deletions by using your shift and ctrl key combinations.
Q: About 45 seconds after my computer opens, the screen reverts to the lower-quality colour (eight bit) and 640 x 480 pixels. I then have to change the screen settings manually and have been advised to update my drivers. How do I do that?
A: You must find out what make and model of the video card you have and then go to that manufacturer's site and look for support or upgrades and download the appropriate driver. There should be some information on how to install it but usually you just double-click on the downloaded file.
If you do not have these details, you can find out by running a diagnostic program. You might consider the free and excellent program Belarc Advisor, which gives more information on other aspects. It can be downloaded from belarc.com/free-download.html