Finding or fixing old software favorites

Q: I like Windows 10, but I miss the Microsoft Office photo editing program that I used on Windows 7. It allowed me to easily crop and resize photos, rotate them by small increments and make minor lighting adjustments. With Windows 10, I haven't found a way to do all of those things in one program. Where can I get my old photo program to use with Windows 10?

Craig Wiester, Minneapolis

A: You're referring to Picture Manager, which was part of Microsoft Office until the photo program was discontinued in 2013.

You can get Picture Manager back by installing Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 or 2010 on your Windows 10 PC. (If you don't want to install the complete Office program, you can install just Picture Manager by choosing "custom install." See tinyurl.com/cy87w6b.)

If you no longer have the installation disk for one of those older versions of Office, you can still buy Office 2010 as an online download (see tinyurl.com/zwmw9tl or tinyurl.com/hr8sdpd) for $70 to $110.

If you lack an older Microsoft Office disk and would rather not buy Office just to get Picture Manager, you can download a similar editing program called Microsoft Photo Gallery. It's part of the free Windows Essentials 2012 that can be downloaded at tinyurl.com/psesquz.

If you don't want the entire Windows Essentials package, you can do a custom installation. First click to install Essentials, then click "choose the programs you want to install." Make sure that only the box for "Photo Gallery and Movie Maker" is checked.

Q: My Internet Explorer 11 browser crashes at least once an hour on my Windows 7 PC. While I also have the Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers, I'd prefer to use IE 11 as my default browser if it can be fixed. What can I do?

John Davies, Minneapolis

A: Crashes in Internet Explorer 11 can often be stopped by resetting the browser to eliminate potential software compatibility issues. You can do that by closing and reopening the browser, then clicking Tools (the gear icon). Choose Internet Options, then Advanced, then Reset. (See detailed directions at tinyurl.com/qgvw4kw.)

There are two ways to reset the browser. The first way removes all browser toolbars and software add-ons, and most settings. But it leaves intact your personal browser settings, such as the home page, history of websites visited and cookies (bits of code that identify you to websites you visit frequently). If that doesn't work, the second type of reset erases all settings. In either case, you must restart your PC to complete the reset.

If resetting doesn't solve the browser crashing problem, IE 11 itself has a software problem as a result of periodic updates. To fix that, you can revert to the previous version of IE that was on the PC, then download a fresh copy of IE 11. See the same website for details.