OSKALOOSA — Q. I am divorcing my husband after many years of marriage. I am trying to plan for my family's future-confidentially. He seems to be on the family computer a lot. I'm worried that he might have installed a monitoring program. How can I tell?

A. Keyloggers are designed to be invisible. Finding and removing them is difficult. You need a special program to check for keyloggers. Start with the free KL-Detector. You can find it at Komando.com/news. It was designed for XP, but I got it to work in Windows 7. Unfortunately, KL-Detector won't remove keyloggers. You'll need another program for that, and you'll have to pay for it. There's SpyReveal ($50). This scans your machine for keyloggers. It changes the name of a file so the keylogger won't work. This essentially quarantines the keylogger.



Q. I have a computer with Windows 7. It recently started opening context menus and submenus incorrectly. They now open to the left of the cursor position. Originally, the menus opened to the right. I don't know why this happened. What can I do to fix it?

A. This behavior is actually a Windows feature in Vista and Windows 7. It was designed to make things easier for tablet users. But you're obviously not a tablet user. Luckily, you don't have to put up with this. You just need to change the Handedness setting. To access this option, click Start>>Control Panel. Then select Tablet PC Settings. You will see an area labeled Handedness. It will probably be set to Right-handed. Change it to Left-handed to get things back to normal. Click OK.



Q. It seems like TV commercials are getting louder. I'm always changing the volume or hitting the Mute button. I would like the volume to stay consistent with the TV program. What is going on?

A. The FCC limits a broadcast's peak volume. This is the loudest a program or commercial can get. TV shows rarely hit that limit. Commercials, on the other hand, are all about grabbing attention. So, they start at the peak volume and stay there. You're not the only one annoyed. Congress is working on a solution. However, it is still working its way through the Senate. There are some TVs and home theater receivers with volume leveling. But they're expensive. I'd wait for new restrictions to fix the problem.



Q. I have several computers that use Microsoft Outlook. But I have one computer that doesn't have Outlook. I don't want to buy another copy. Is there a free or cheaper alternative? It needs to be able to import my Outlook contacts.

A. You may be able to install Outlook on the third machine without paying. Each copy of Outlook 2007 can be installed on two machines. There are caveats, though. One machine must be a desktop. The other must be a laptop. And you must own both. Failing that, you can download a free alternative. I recommend Mozilla's Thunderbird. Grab it for free at Komando.com/news. It can import Outlook contacts. In fact, Thunderbird will also import Outlook mail, settings and filters. The options appear the first time you run it.



Q. Our family needs to cut back on expenses. I'm cancelling the cable TV, but will be keeping broadband Internet. Is there a way to watch TV shows online legally? I'd like to get kids' shows and the occasional movie.

A. Cutting your cable is a great way to save money. And much of the content is available online. You just need to know where to look. Most networks put their shows on their sites. But searching multiple sites can be a hassle. That's why Hulu is so popular. It hosts free movies and shows. Clicker is a similar service. Even YouTube hosts TV shows and movies. You can also download free desktop programs that bypass the browser. Find links to these sites and programs at Komando.com/news. You'll find links to kids' shows, too.

Copyright 2010,  WestStar TalkRadio Network. All rights reserved.

Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about consumer electronics,  computers and the Internet. To get the podcast or find the station nearest you,  visit: http://www.komando.com/listen.