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Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
Business
Steve Alexander

Tech Q&A: Fixes for music, mail updates and browsing

Q: I have a Lenovo 2A tablet computer that uses the Android operating system. I have no problem transferring music from my PC to the tablet, but only some of the songs will play on the tablet. The other songs are skipped over. What's wrong and how can I fix it?

_Tony Jenkins, Coral Springs, Fla.

A: The music-playing software you're using may not be compatible with the type of music files in your song list. For example, the Google Play Music app for Android computers can handle music files whose names end in .mp3 or .wma (these are files that have been digitally compressed to take up less computer memory.) But the program isn't compatible with files ending in .wav or .aiff (which haven't been digitally compressed.) To find out what types of music files your music app can play, check the website of the software company that created it.

If you need to look for a different music playing app to accommodate your song files, you can find a list at tinyurl.com/pyhu24z.

If new music software doesn't solve the problem, reset the tablet to its factory settings (see tinyurl.com/hs5oazd), and try playing the music again. But back up your tablet's data first.

Q: I use Microsoft's Outlook.com for email, but I can't insert working hyperlinks (links to web addresses) into emails. If I cut and paste a link into an email, then hit enter, it changes color and underlines as a hyperlink should. But when I click it, nothing happens. What can I do?

_Laurie Franklin, Richfield, Minn.

A: Your hyperlinks will function properly if you use a different command to activate them. Hold down the CTRL (control) key at the same time you use the mouse to click on the hyperlink in your email. The link will then open the website in another browser window.

Q: I know that Windows Vista is no longer being supported by Microsoft, except for the security updates that continue until next April. But my copy of Vista can't seem to get any of the updates that are available; I get the message "Windows can't check for updates." When I click on the link that's supposed to fix the problem, I'm told to "check for updates," a process that goes on and on without retrieving any updates. Is there a way to solve this problem?

_Richard Angel, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

A: Yes. You're experiencing an automatic update glitch that's affected other Vista users. The recommended fix is to manually download and install the Vista update at tinyurl.com/z55dm9b.

Q: When I use the Mozilla Firefox browser on my PC, I keep getting an "unresponsive script" error message. This often happens when I use email. What can I do to stop it?

_Cheryl Alberts, Ham Lake, Minn.

A: Script is a programming language for websites. When Firefox says a script is unresponsive, the cause may be a software conflict on your PC, a website problem or a flaw in a Firefox browser add-on program. To fix these problems, see tinyurl.com/zold4dm.

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