arkiemom

The instructions that came with my new under the cabinet stereo says to not install it near a microwave or other noise producing appliance. Of course the best possible place for it is right above my countertop microwave! Is this a safety issue, or just a precaution because of radio interference? Anyone out there know?

I would like to take my old desktop to Best Buy for recycling. I can't wipe my hard drive the normal way because the desktop no longer works. What would be the best way to make sure I don't recycle my confidential info? Is it hard to remove the hard drive?

I have naturally grey/platinum hair. The rest of my body is fairly tan, but I have to use darker foundation to make my face match. I am considering using a facial self-tanner but am afraid it will cause my hair to take on a yellowish tint - especially around my face. Does anyone have experience with using one in this case? If so, what is the best brand?

I will be traveling soon and have the option of taking my Ipad2 or my Dell mini Netbook. I got the Ipad recently and haven't gotten used to it yet or downloaded that many apps. What are the advantages of each as far as ease of use, airport security hassles etc.? Also, what are some travel apps you think are "must haves" if I do go with the Ipad? Any other advice?

In June I signed a one page acceptance for a roofer to re-roof my home. He quoted a specific price in the proposal. To make a long story short, it is now October and still no roof. I have made multiple phone calls to the company and keep getting various stories such as the shingles have to be special ordered, we were out of town, I'll get to it in two weeks, etc. The latest story was not only do the shingles have to be special ordered, but also the price will increase by $1900.

Here is my question. Can I cancel the original acceptance without penalty based on the following:

1. The amount I agreed to pay has increased substantially.

2. The job has not been scheduled in a timely manner.

3. Difficulty getting phone calls and written communication returned by the company.

I am not sure how legally binding the one page proposal is. Help! I need a new roof before winter!

28 minutes ago - 4 days left to answer.

In June I signed a one page acceptance for a roofer to re-roof my home. He quoted a specific price in the proposal. To make a long story short, it is now October and still no roof. I have made multiple phone calls to the company and keep getting various stories such as the shingles have to be special ordered, we were out of town, I'll get to it in two weeks, etc. The latest story was not only do the shingles have to be special ordered, but also the price will increase by $1900.

Here is my question. Can I cancel the original acceptance without penalty based on the following:

1. The amount I agreed to pay has increased substantially.

2. The job has not been scheduled in a timely manner.

3. Difficulty getting phone calls and written communication returned by the company.

I am not sure how legally binding the one page proposal is. Help! I need a new roof before winter!

I have been getting phone calls on my cell the last two or three weeks from someone who says they have information about the refinancing loan we requested. They always use our first names and leave a name and number to call back. However, we have not inquired about a refinancing loan - nor do we have any intention of doing so since we are only a couple of years or so from having our home paid for. . What type of scam is this and how do I stop them from calling? Should I be concerned that someone IS actually trying to do something without our knowledge? Has anyone else had experience with this?

The company they purport to represent is Evolve Mortgage.

I have a 20 gallon river tank ecosystem. This is a special aquarium that houses 9 fish and 3 dwarf African frogs. It only has 6 -7 inches of water ( about 6 gallons). I need to move it from school to home in a few days ( summer vacation and a building that is not air conditioned in the summer.) This is my question. I am concerned about trying to catch the frogs since I have read they cannot be caught in a net. I am contemplating catching the fish, then removing any loose objects and draining the tank until it contained only 2-3 inches of water. That way I could move it frogs and all. Has anyone had any experience moving a partially full aquarium? How likely is it to damage the seals etc.? I would appreciate any advice from an expert or someone who has done this before - successfully or not!

I recently had a "crop" of snails hatch in my freshwater aquarium. ( So much for the guaranteed snail-free live plants I bought.) They are very strange little creatures. They have a whip-like tail or structure of some sort that they appear to use to swim. Then they will stop and latch on to the side or one of the plants. They also move rapidly along the floor of the aquarium - unlike any other snail I have seen. They are not eating the plants, get along well with the fish and frogs, and are doing a bang-up job of keeping the aquarium clean. Any idea what these are? Should I be concerned about them?

I asked a similar question the other day but need additional answers. I am currently using Kaspersky which offers very good protection. The problem is that is slows my computer to a crawl when updating several times a day. I realized today that the reason is my operating system does not have the required free space. I am using Windows XP service pack 2 but only have 256 MB of RAM. I know it is ancient - but I only use this computer for shopping, bill paying, and e-mail. I really need an effective program since I do share sensitive info when paying bills and banking online.

Any suggestions for effective internet security that won't use up my limited space?

I received several suggestions the other day that required downloading multiple solutions. I really would like an "all in one" approach.

Thanks!

My current internet Kaspersky 2010 subscription is getting ready to expire. I like the protection provided, but have really been bummed out by the frequent updates. When it updates ( several times a day) while I am using the internet, my computer slows to a crawl. It is virtually unusable until the update is completed. I have also used Bitdefender and Norton in the past and am not that thrilled with them either. What do others think is the best protection? I basically use my home computer only for banking, shopping, bill paying, and e-mail. I rarely download any video or similar files. Should I continue with Kaspersky and learn to live with the slow downs? Or, what do you think is faster and just as good?

Also, I have DSL and a wireless router if that makes any difference.

I promise this is the last aquarium question today! ; - ) I have set up a 20 gallon river tank ecosystem. ( With several of you guys helping!) If you've not seen one before, they consist of a 20 gallon tank with a large backdrop built in. The backdrop contains ledges, plants, pools, and waterfalls. This is my question. I added three dwarf African frogs to the tank. They will obviously be able to climb on the backdrop area. There is a 1/8 to 1/4 in gap where the aquarium hood meets the tank due to cords. Is this a large enough gap for the frogs to escape - or do these aquatic frogs even do that sort of thing? I know that fire bellied toads are escape artists from terrariums but am not sure about these frogs. Any ideas?

I just spent three hours acclimating 12 zebra danios and 2 African Dwarf frogs to a new aquarium. They were shipped from another state 2 days ago. I am pretty sure they are starving but can't find in the literature how long to wait before feeding. I wasn't sure if I should wait several hours or if it was OK to go ahead now. Any help from experienced fish people?

I bought a Marina C25 submersible heater for my aquarium. This may sound like a stupid question , but does that really mean the entire heater - cord and all can be in the water? I just have a hard time with the whole electricity and water don't mix idea! I want to mount it horizontally which would mean the entire heater and a few inches of the cord will be in the water. Please convince me I won't get electrocuted! ; - )

We maintain health insurance on my stepson who is a college student and lives with his mother in another state. She recently had him put through a series of expensive tests. ( She "doctor shopped" until she found someone to do these tests and they all turned out negative- thank God. )Consequently there are a lot of non-covered expenses the insurance did not pay. We are not in a position to help with these bills right now due to a job situation. Legally, who is responsible for paying these bills? The person who authorized the treatment ( her) or us because the insurance is in our name? He is 20 years old if that makes any difference in your answer.

We are in an extreme hot spell of temps in the upper 90's and low 100's. The humidity is also very high. It seems like our unit is running pretty constantly. It's cooling great, but I wonder if there are things we can do to help it be more efficient and to make sure it doesn't go out altogether. Any air conditioning pros out there with good advice?

Last Fall we had what we thought was a large field mouse in our house. I saw it numerous times as we tried to catch it and it appeared much larger than a normal "house mouse" ( About 6 to 8 inches from head to tail. ) It was somehow able to get in and out of the live traps we set out until it finally just disappeared after we found and eliminated the hole it was entering through. Today while doing some cleaning underneath our enclosed stairway, I found what seemed like a rather large loosely constructed nest. It contained pillow stuffing, sparkly string, a plastic package of screws, plastic, and misc. other odd materials. Was it just a mouse or does this sound like a pack rat instead? Will eliminating the nest keep it from coming back?

My old Dell died in a "crash" several months ago. I have a Dell laptop, but would still like to replace my desktop. Mainly I use my home computer for shopping, e-mail, bill paying, some video/photo editing, and word processing. The tower I am looking at is the Dell Inspiron 560. It has 4GB of memory with a 500GB hard drive. Will this be enough considering my main uses? I can get this one for $369. I do want to stay under $500 but want one that will be as fast as my Latitude E5400 laptop. Is the Inspiron 560 comparable at all?

The latest story involving the 16 year old attempting to sail around the world alone makes me wonder. She almost died and now a massive rescue at sea is going on. ( Thank God for her safety!) There have been several instances lately of teens attempting things like this or climbing Mt. Everest etc. At what point should a parent refuse to allow their child to undertake these risks? After all, a 15 or 16 year old is certainly not capable of arranging or funding such an endeavor without full parental backing. Do you think the parents bear the responsibility to"just say no"? Do you think they are in it for publicity? Why would a parent allow a child this age to do these things?

My stepson installed a Belkin wireless router while home on vacation. I want to make it a secure connection so that I can use my laptop I have looked in my control panel and the Windows XP help section and can't seem to find the directions for doing this. Can someone point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance from a non-techno person - so make it as simple a s possible.