Give yourself a break while rebooting

Q: Whenever I update my system on "update Tuesday," I have to reboot every time. I also reboot on my own from time to time. When I reboot, I like to go do something else for a few minutes, but I can't because I have to click OK to get by the Windows login page. I have no login password on my system. What can I do to bypass the login page and have the system be at the desktop when I get back to continue with my work?

G.F., High Point

A: The process is very similar for both Windows XP and Vista, said Priscilla Alden with UNC-Chapel Hill's Information Technology Services.

First, click on the "Start" button in the lower left corner of the screen. In XP, select "Run," type "control userpasswords2" in the box and press "Enter." For Vista, type "control userpasswords2" in the "Search" box and press "Enter."

From here, both XP and Vista are the same. Select which user account you would like to log in automatically and uncheck the option that says "Users must enter a username and password to use this computer."

Click OK, and you will then be prompted to enter the user account password, which would be blank in your case. Click OK again and enjoy your coffee break.

Q: My computer is running extremely slowly; it takes several minutes to boot up and agonizingly long to respond to any command. I believe there may be programs running that I can't see, but don't know how to find out which ones I might be able to eliminate from start up or how to do it. Can you help?

V.S.

A: "A 'slow computer' makes up about half of our business," Alden said.

She suggests going back to the "Start" menu and the "Run" box. Type "msconfig" and choose the "Startup" tab to see which programs are set to run when your computer starts. You can disable any that are unnecessary.

Alden cautions against removing programs indiscriminately. If you don't know what a program does, try searching the Web first or just leave it alone, she said.

If this doesn't help, you may need to add more RAM to your computer or go to the extreme measure of reloading the operating system and software.

Do you use the Internet for more than six hours a day? Spend time wishing you were online? Hide your Web surfing from friends and family?

According to Chinese researchers, you may be addicted to the Internet.

China's health ministry is expected to officially define Internet addiction next year and register the condition with the World Health Organization. It would be the first country to do so.