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Eliminate browser click on Web page

March 18, 2010 at 8:54PM

Q When I'm reading the Star Tribune online, my Internet Explorer browser makes a clicking noise when I go to a different page. I can't find any place where I can turn this off. Any suggestions?

TOM SKLUZACEK, Mendota Heights

A The annoying click is a feature of Internet Explorer, not StarTribune.com. To get rid of it, change the settings in Windows Explorer, the PC file menu program that shares sound files with Internet Explorer.

If you're using Windows XP, go to Start, then Control Panel, and click on the icon "Sounds and Audio Devices." Click the "Sounds" tab, and under "Program Events" scroll down to Windows Explorer. Beneath that you'll find a list of Windows Explorer functions. Scroll down to "Start Navigation" and highlight it. In a box below program events you'll see the default sound "Windows XP Start.wav." A dropdown menu shows alternate sound settings. Choose "None."

If you're using Windows 7 or Windows Vista, go to Start, Control Panel, choose the "Sound" icon, select the "Sounds" tab and follow the directions above.

When you next start Internet Explorer, the click will be gone.

Q Microsoft has started this campaign to verify that people's software is genuine. Now my Microsoft Office programs say that my software is not genuine.

I legitimately bought my software years ago, but since then have had two computer crashes that required the Office software to be reinstalled. Perhaps that's where the problem arose. What should I do?

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CAROL HOFFMAN-GUZMAN, Miami

A Other people have complained about being wrongly singled out as software pirates by Microsoft's Office Genuine Advantage software.

The software automatically downloads to your PC, decides if your Office programs are legitimate and sends warnings if the answer is no.

Here are two remedies.

Buy a new copy of Office. Go to tinyurl.com/ybd247d and click "Validate Office." If your software fails, you'll be offered a discount on Office 2007.

Get rid of the Microsoft Office Genuine Advantage software with some technical tricks, which can be found at tinyurl.com/msrto9. If you opt to do that, it might also be wise to adjust Windows Update to avoid downloading the software again. See tinyurl.com/y8o3b8s. I suggest switching the setting to "download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them."

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E-mail tech questions to steve.j.alexander @gmail.com, or write to Tech Q&A, 425 Portland Av., Minneapolis, MN 55488-0002. Include name, city and telephone number.

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