Mr. Modem: Menu bar has gone missing
At the top of my email, the File, View, Edit, etc. options are no longer visible. How can I get them back?
A disappearing Menu bar can be caused by any number of issues, though resurrecting your Menu bar is usually a simple process. You didn’t mention what mail program or service you are using, but any of the following might be successful:
Right-click anywhere within a toolbar at the top of the window. From the menu that appears, click the name of the missing toolbar, which is usually Menu bar, Standard bar, Oyster bar, or something similar.
If you don’t see anything that looks vaguely familiar, select the Customize option, if available. Click the check box next to the Menu bar option (in Outlook you will first need to navigate to the Toolbars tab) and click OK to restore your Menu bar.
In some programs you can quickly display the Menu bar by pressing the ALT key or occasionally ALT + M.
A disappearing toolbar can also be caused by problems with installed add-ons or extensions. For example, Outlook will automatically disable any add-on that is causing a conflict or isn’t operating properly, but if the add-on affected the Menu bar at the top of the screen, it may cause that toolbar to also be removed.
If none of the above are successful, go into your mail program’s Help area and search for “toolbars” or “Menu bar” and you may find instructions for returning the wayward critter.
Is there a limit to how many times I can use my Windows Recovery Disk to format my hard drive?
There is no limit, so you can use your Recovery Disk until the cows come home — if you are, indeed, expecting bovine visitors. Doing so will not damage the Recovery Disk, so there is nothing to be concerned about as far as overusing it. That being said, using the Recovery Disk is a fairly big deal, so you would only want to use it if it is absolutely necessary.
For example, if your computer won’t reboot, it might be time to reformat the drive, though I would tend to have a reputable computer repair person take a look at it first and then decide what’s best for your ailing system.
Mr. Modem publishes “Ask Mr. Modem!” each week, featuring PC tips, tricks and plain-English answers to your questions by email. For more information, visit www.MrModem.com.
Mr. Modem’s sites of the week
NaughtyCodes.com
Though it sounds like an adult-oriented website, it is not. This site provides access to a database of discount codes you can use when placing an online order. Select an online store from the drop-down menu and you will see the code and the discount. Sure it’s naughty, but it’s also kinda nice. A similar site is RetailMeNot.com.
School Snow-Day Calculator
It’s that time of year when little tykes and those who aspire to a lifetime of illiteracy pray for snow days. Simply type in your ZIP code (U.S. only, because apparently it doesn’t snow anywhere else) and select the type of school being attended (or leave the school field blank). The site will then present your chances of experiencing a snow day. I just checked and here in Phoenix there is no chance of a snow day this week, so as far as I can tell, the Snow Day Calculator is extremely accurate.
The Labyrinth
http://labyrinth.georgetown.edu
You can always tell a scholarly website because it usually begins with a Latin quote (showoffs!) In this case, the quote (from Chaucer, of course) is “Ita Daedalus implet innumeras errore vias vixque ipse reverti, ad limen potuit.” Harkening back to my conversational Latin class, it means, “Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go.” I could be wrong. This is a repository of information relating to Medieval Studies, searchable by category, sub-category or keyword.
This story was originally published February 9, 2015 at 1:02 PM with the headline "Mr. Modem: Menu bar has gone missing."