Q:I wrote an article in Microsoft Word 2003 for Windows that several co-workers edited with Track Changes turned on. Now I can't get the tracking to turn off.

I selected Final in the drop-down menu at the top to accept all of the changes, saved the document, sent it to myself, and when I open it, the changes still show up. (Very frustrating.) I need to send the document to someone who should not see the changes.

Any suggestions?

A-L.B., Raleigh

A:The Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word is handy for writing projects that require collaboration. When it's turned on (select Track Changes under the Tools menu), Word highlights the changes that each reviewer or contributor makes using a distinct color for each, allowing everyone to easily notice the suggested changes, or markup.

The author and other collaborators also have the choice to accept or reject each change.

It is a common misconception among Word users that choosing Final from the Reviewing tool bar's drop-down menu (which also has the choices Final Showing Markup, Original and Original Showing Markup) is a way to accept tracked changes. It is not. It does make the changes "disappear," but it only hides the changes so that you don't have to see potentially distracting markup.

You also hide the markup when you deselect Markup under the View menu or when you deselect Comments, Insertions and Deletions, Formatting or any of the Reviewers under the Show menu in the Reviewing tool bar.

Hiding the markup is not the same as accepting the changes, though it may look as if it is. To accept or reject changes, right-click on each highlighted change and choose from the menu items. Or use the icons on the Reviewing tool bar to do the same.

It is also possible to accept all changes or reject all changes at once. Click the tiny arrows pointing downward beside the icons for Accept Change and Reject Change to see these options.

Once you have accepted or rejected the changes, you and anyone else who reads the document should not be able to see the changes any longer.

Q:A virus scanner came installed with my Windows computer. Do you know of any free virus scanners online? I'm just looking to see if there are any that are free and can be accessed over the Internet.

B.R., Raleigh

A:Trend Micro, an established company that sells antivirus, antispyware and firewall software, offers free antivirus scanning via the Web through its HouseCall service. You connect to the HouseCall server, and HouseCall searches for viruses on your computer.

If HouseCall finds viruses, it gives you options to try to clean the viruses or delete infected files. This Web-based service requires the use of cookies and ActiveX Controls, which HouseCall's FAQ section can help you enable.

The company's Web site says Trend Micro uses the free scans to track, analyze and predict virus outbreaks and to build its graphical Virus Map (www.trendmicro.com/map). The free scans do not collect personal information, according to the company's Web site.

Visit www.trendmicro.com/hc_intro/default.asp for more information. The company has also introduced a beta version of the HouseCall scanner for Macs. Click the button in the left-hand side that asks, "Got a Mac?" to learn more and try it.

Another option is to download and install a free antivirus program on your PC. For this, a good choice is AVG, offered by Grisoft (free.grisoft.com/doc/1), another reputable antivirus software maker. You can also download and use Grisoft's free antispyware and antiadware program.

With these types of programs, you must make sure you are regularly updating the definitions. Using the software with old virus or spyware definitions is ineffective.

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