Q Until recently, I was able to double-click on hyperlinks contained in e-mails and be connected to the Web page without having to open a browser and copy the Web address into it. But now when I double-click on the hyperlink, I get this message in Microsoft Office Outlook: "This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator."
What gives? And how do I change it back ?
DENIS BOULET, MIAMI
A If you're on a work computer, it's possible that your company's system administrator -- the person in your information technology department who sets the rules for network programs -- has changed the settings to prevent employees from clicking on e-mail hyperlinks. This might be a precautionary measure to prevent the unwary from being misdirected to a phony website that may try to download malicious software to your computer.
But the same error message can also be triggered by a software error, in this case some corrupted code in the Internet Explorer Web browser. If that's the cause, it can be fixed by altering the settings in Internet Explorer or, if that doesn't work, by replacing the corrupted code, called a "Registry Key." For details, see tinyurl.com/y43khn.
Q I have a computer video clip that I can't play with my Microsoft Windows Movie Maker program. An error message says the file containing the clip, which ends in .mov, is a file type not supported by the program. Is there any program that would convert my .mov file to a file type one that Movie Maker would accept, such as .avi?
UDO GRAEFE, OTTAWA
A To find programs that can convert your file to .avi, go to www.download.com and search for ".mov to .avi." Or download Apple's QuickTime (tinyurl.com/8vts), which plays .mov files.
