Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with default

How to set Excel2003 to automaticall include file name and path on printed spreadsheets

Wroksie — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:21:16 -0800

How can I set up Excel 2003 to automatically include the file name and path on every spreadsheet when printed? I have been tasked with figuring this out and setting it up every computer in the office (as the only person here who doesn't poke the actual screen when asked to press 'start', I am the default IT guru - yes, it's that bad).
Anyway, I used this tutorial to figure out how to do this using a macro, and it works great - but I have to go in and add the code to every spreadsheet, which is a pain, and which I doubt my coworkers would be willing or able to do. What I need is a way to set the default template to automatically include the file name and path on every spreadsheet without the user having to do anything or even think about it. I would prefer it be in the footer so that it only shows on printed copies, as per the above tutorial, and not included in an actual cell, but at this point I will take what I can get.

Trying to print Word documents with a specific preset from the Finder. Impossible?

bigmusic — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:22:04 -0800

OS X (10.5) Printing difficulties: Trying to print Word documents with a specific preset from the Finder. Impossible? I hate clicking documents open to print and then having to close them. I have to print up about 20 word documents in a folder multiple times every week - those documents should be printed with a 4x4 layout - single sided. (n-up 4 in CUPs speak) - I'm switching from Windows and in windows I had two printers installed (actually the same printer) with different layout options, so all I had to do was make sure the default printer was the one with right layout options. However, on OS X presets seem to be ignored if you print from the finder [Finder |File |Print], it goes with the "Standard" preset no matter how I try it, from the automator, the terminal, applescript. If I open it directly in Word, the correct preset always shows up as the default preset.

Things I've tried:
I've located the PPD file and didn't see an option to set up the N-Up 4x4 as an option anywhere.

I've option clicked the print button with the correct preset.

I've tried switching the printer preset in the terminal.

I've tried using the automator, with the supplied word 2008 actions.

I've looked at the cups documentation, and see that there is an option for using the 4x4, I'm just not sure how I would go about setting that option for a specific printer instance, or how I would print to to that specific printer instance - any clues?

Need Font Wrangling Advice

captainscared — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:42:23 -0800

I need to clean out the mess that is my fonts on OS X 10.6. What are the default system fonts? I have a large number of fonts and now I seem to have created a mess using various font organizers.

Question:

Does anyone know the default font installations for the various libraries ( /System/Fonts and ~/Library/Fonts, etc)?

Also, what is the best way to coral all of my fonts from various folders, check for problems, and toss out dupes?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

PS Free apps are obviously preferred to paid ones.

401K Loan Default: When is a disbursement not a disbursement?

Anonymous — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:22:01 -0800

I discovered today that I have defaulted on a 401K loan in the amount of $3,896.31 ... help me figure out what the penalties will be & if the confused-sounding rep at Fidelity really knew what she was talking about. I discovered today that I have defaulted on a 401K loan in the amount of $3,896.31 due to a combination of Fidelity being inept (they sent the notice to an incorrectly spelled street address) and my HR dept. giving me bad info (they told me the loan would be suspended while I was out on FMLA, but it was not). Fidelity informs me that
a) my payroll deduction payments will stop and cannot be restarted - to repay now I'll need to pay by coupon/check;
b) my defaulted loan will continue to accrue interest until paid off;
c) even if I pay it off within 60 days of the date of default (June 30th), I'll still have to pay the IRS penalties & the amount will still count as part of my taxable income.

I know you are not my tax professional but I don't have a tax professional, and can't afford at this moment to hire one, so you'll have to do.

1) Is the info I got from Fidelity correct? I'm a bit puzzled that it will both be considered a disbursement and still need to be repaid with interest. That seems like double dipping to me. I have previously (many years ago) had a 401k loan turn into a disbursement (due to end of employment) and it was just a disbursement - there was never a demand I also repay.

2) Can you help me calculate what my penalty payment will be (not counting the additional tax I'd need to pay with amount as part of my taxable income)? Will it be a flat 30%, or is it more complex than that.

3) I am expecting a large insurance settlement within the next few months. This money will not be taxable. If I put some of this not-taxable money into, say, an IRA, what (if anything) will this do to offset the tax hit I'll take for this disbursement.

Again, I know you are not my tax professional. Our finances are very tight (what with FMLA and medical bills and so forth) until the claim settles, but if I can avoid penalties by repaying within 60 days, that will be another stick to use to encourage my attorney to get things wrapped up.

Other things you may need to know: I'm in the USA. I was on unpaid medical leave for 12 weeks but have now returned to work. My employment status has not changed.

Thank you for your help.

Can your passport be confiscated for unpaid debt?

Wroksie — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:41:51 -0800

I think I remember reading a while ago (not sure where I read this or if it was a reliable source) that a US citizen settled out of the US can be detained or have their passport confiscated for large unpaid debts if they come back into the US, even for a short visit. I was discussing this with a fellow ex-pat here in the UK the other day, who is considering just not paying her student loans for a while since she was made redundant late last year and she and her husband are really struggling - so if she defaults on her loan and comes back to the US to see her family, can she be kept in the country against her will? If so, for how long? Until the entire debt is paid?

What next - tried to pay judgment, cannot pay

olddogeyes — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:47:29 -0800

A friend of mine finds themselves in a unique and confusing situation regarding an unpaid debt and a judgment.

They had a judgment awarded against them for $8,000 and had never received notice. They only found out about the judgment when they applied for a mortgage.
When they took out their original mortgage several years ago the lender didn't require them to take any action on the judgment and they were able to obtain a mortgage with the judgment still in place.
They made their mortgage payments on time for two years and wanted to refinance (the original mortgage had a requirement that they had to wait two years to refinance which they met otherwise there would have been a penalty).
The same mortgage company now wanted the judgment taken care of (paid off) before they would refinance the loan.
My friend agreed to do that and was able to borrow an additional amount to cover the refinance and the judgment (essentially a cash-out as far as I can tell - except my friend never saw the cash - more below).
The mortgage company generated a check for teh debt made payable to the county court and my friend mailed it in to the court where the judgment resided.
At some point later (a few months), the court returned the payment saying that they could not locate the creditor who had filed the judgment.
The mortgage company did NOT notify my friend.
After about a year, my friend noticed that the judgment still showed on their credit report as still being due.
They proceeded to contact the mortgage company and have been getting the run around for 1.5 years. Before they contacted mortgage company they spent quite a bit of time trying to do their own research by repeatedly contacting the County Court. Every time they called the court would be closed or when they were open they would get voice mail. many messages were left explaining what info they were trying to obtain with their contact info. They never heard from the court so eventually they decided to contact the mortgage broker to find out how they could find out if the check had cleared since it was cut by someone other than them.
Mortgage company keeps asking friend to provide new info for creditor -- i.e. where to send the money.
Since my friend was not aware of the judgment in the first place, they don't even know who the creditor is/was and they are afraid to attempt to call any of the bill collectors that are sending them collection notices because they are afraid it will cause a statue of limitations to be reset. Apparently where they live, Colorado, the statue of limitations is seven years and they believe that if they don't have any contact with the collection agency that the debt will go away after seven years. Whether that is true or not I don't know.
So my friend is stuck in limbo. The mortgage company has the $8,000, my friend has been paying interest on the $8,000 (in addition to the rest of their mortgage) and the judgment is still there.

My questions are as follows:

Can my friend petition the court to "cancel" the judgment since they have attempted to pay it without success?
If the judgment is not going to be paid or "canceled," can my friend get the $8,000 back?
Is my friend owed a refund of interest paid on the $8,000 and possibly a fair interest rate for the use of the money during the time (approx 2 yrs) that the Mortgage company has been holding the funds?
What is the process to locate whoever bought that debt/judgment or if it is in fact owned by anyone now given that my friend does not have any idea who the original creditor is/was?

Thanks for any light that you can shed on this confusing situation.

Are 401k's & IRA's subjec to a Deficiency Judgment? (Colorado)

olddogeyes — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:44:48 -0800

After a foreclosure & a Deficiency Judgment, can they go after my 401k & IRA? I am a few months away from foreclosure on a piece of property in Colorado. I assume that the lender will pursue a Deficiency Judgment. If they do, can they go after my 401k and my IRA's? Are there any assets that cannot be touched by a DJ?

Also, maybe I shouldn't assume that they will pursue a DJ. Is there any way to find out if my lender (WAMU - Washington Mutual) regularly pursues them in Colorado?

If it makes any difference, the total value of my retirement savings (401k & IRA) is less than the likely amount of the DJ. In other words, were they to "tap" my retirement savings, it would wipe out 100% of the value AND I'd still owe money.

Thanks for any insight...

I want Thunderbird to ask what email address I want to use.

Plug Dub In — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:21:09 -0800

Thunderbird: Is there some magical way (plugin? manual tweak?) to have the "from" email account in new messages be blank so I'll have to select it each time I make a new email instead of using the last selected mailbox? I sometimes accidentally send email from my "professional" firstname.lastname@gmail.com email address when I really should send it from internet.handle@gmail.com.

It's not a huge deal, I'd just rather the fine people of Craigslist not have my full name. And I really hate webmail.

Default media player problem

ricardo — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:49:43 -0800

When downloading a file from Rapidshare sometimes the default video player on my computer (windows xp) switches to something called “Nero Cover Designer,” and I cannot play the video. I have Nero software, and can’t seem to stop my computer defaulting to this, no matter how many times I go into the control panel and try to ensure all files go via windows media player. I am not at all I.T. savvy, so any suggestions in the most simple language possible would be much appreciated.

What the hell do I do with this Vespa?

bukharin — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:42:06 -0800

What the hell do I do with this Vespa? In October 2007, I purchased a Vespa with high interest financing. I had a nice job, I justified it as a work-related purchase, but really I just wanted a sweet toy. Also I'm young and stupid. So - through a misunderstanding I won't go into, I got fired. I could no longer afford the monthly payments, let alone the insurance. I haven't been able to make even a minimum payment since May 2007. Meanwhile, because I lived in a crappy neighborhood, a bunch of street kids beat the Vespa up, knocking off a mirror and scratching and denting it. I tried selling it at a must-sell-now discount, significantly less than I paid for it, but I couldn't do that because I owe too much on the loan, and you can't transfer a title over without the lienholder releasing it - which means I have to pay off the loan. But I can't pay off the loan. So, I'm spiralling further into debt, I have a Vespa I can't get rid of or even drive (it doesn't even start anymore), and - and - here's the catch - my best friend (also young and stupid) co-signed the loan because I have no credit. So, if I have it repossessed, I ruin her credit for 7 years. And mine. She's also poor, and I have no way (as far as I know) of raising the cash to pay off the loan to sell it at a loss.

What do I do?

Loans with Borders?

mireille — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:36:23 -0800

If someone moved out of the US and defaulted on a federal student loan, and never returned to the US as a resident, what would be the implications/ramifications? --i.e., on future visits, cross-border financial matters, family still residing in the US (if any), and other potential fallout.

non vib vocal sounds

allterrainbrain — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:50:59 -0800

I want to remove the vibrato from MIDI playback in Sibelius. In Sibelius playback of an a cappella choral piece, the default vocal sounds have a strong vibrato that distracts from the rhythmic feel if the piece is slow and sustained (because their vocal sample vibrates at a different rate for each pitch).

I want to EITHER
1) be able to specify "non vib," either in the score or globally, in a way that will affect playback
OR
2) substitute third-party vocal sounds that are naturally non vib.

I have access to Sibelius 3.0 and 5.0, both on Macs.

Where does KDE 3.5.5 keep it's global icons?

baylink — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:53:17 -0800

How do you create system-wide desktop icons in KDE 3.5? I've just upgraded a client from SuSE 9.0 to OpenSUSE 10.2, and the directory in which I used to put appname.desktop files to make them show up on the desktop for all users, formerly

/etc/opt/kde3/share/apps/kdesktop/Desktop/

(which worked), now *appears* to be

/opt/kde3/share/apps/kdesktop/programs/

which (as you can infer from the fact that I am asking) does not.

I've done a fair amount of Googling this afternoon, but neither the SuSE nor the KDE doco really tells you all that much about the internals; it's one of KDE's major failings, from a deployment viewpoint.

Any KDE wizards out there who know the magic incantations I must mutter to make my desktops work?

Debt charged off and reported without asking me for payment

0xFCAF — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:16:38 -0800

Is a company required to make a good faith effort to collect on a debt before reporting it as charged off? Do I have any recourse for my credit report? I seem to have the opposite problem of everyone else on the internet - I can pay my bills, and collectors won't start calling me.

Here's the full story: About three years ago I moved and neglected to change my address with my cell phone provider (Verizon). Since I stopped getting bills, out of sight, of mind, and I didn't pay for about two months. When I tried to make a call and got redirected to their billing department, I realized what I had done. Their automated system offered a total amount due (about $150 if I recall) and I paid it using a credit card over the phone. I switched to automatic credit card payments and continued to have uninterrupted service with Verizon for another two years, at which point I closed my account and switched to a different provider.

I checked my credit report recently and found that I had a ~$30 item from Verizon listed as "Charged Off as Bad Debt". This item originated about five months after I originally paid off what I thought was the due balance on my account.

In the intervening three years, I was never contacted by a collection agency nor Verizon about the amount supposedly due. They certainly could have - they had my address and obviously my phone number, but it seems they made no attempt to inform me of this debt or collect on it. They certainly could have just deducted it from my credit card since I had automatic payments set up. Now it's the only bad thing on my credit report and I'd like to get rid of it.

Assume for the purposes of this discussion that I really don't care if the $30 is legitimate or not, and that I'm willing to pay it + interest to get rid of the item on my credit report.

General questions I'm tossing out:
* Is it OK for companies to report a charged off debt without even trying to collect on it?
* Will Verizon even accept payment on something "charged off" ? If so, will that change the status of the report?
* Can I get this completely erased by any means?
* Is the dispute process with the credit reporting agencies something that might actually work in this case?
* How much is it actually affecting my credit score?

Dealing with default

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:34:59 -0800

I defaulted on my student loans and I want to know the best way to pay them back. My student loan is in default. I have a job. I also have enough money saved up to pay it all back right now in one payment. (I know this is a pretty dumb way to pay off a loan but I'm just trying to work with my present situation since I can't go back in time.)

What do I need to know before paying it back? I'm wondering if I'll be able to negotiate some sort of deal to lessen the damage done to my credit report. Is this avenue worth pursuing or should I just send them the money ASAP? If so, what resources do I need to consult to get more information? Is there someone I can pay to act as my advocate in dealing with the lendor?

(Anon contact - guyindefault@hotmail.com).

What happens when you don't pay your student loans

PercussivePaul — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:56:41 -0800

Someone I know has decided that she is simply not going to pay off her student loans. What's going to happen to her? She is from BC, Canada and owes something like 50K. She moved to Europe earlier this year to be with a guy, doesn't speak the language there and is unemployed with no prospects for employment. While she has talked about getting married, I have reasonable cause to believe that the relationship will not last.

It is not up to me to change her mind, but she is a very close friend of my girlfriend's and we are both wondering if there is anything we can say to talk some sense into her, bearing in mind that she is not really listening to reason right now. (She got angry at my girlfriend when my girlfriend refused to support her decision.)

Can she expect to be hunted down by debt collectors in Europe? If she ever returns to Canada will they grab her at the airport? What are the consequences of her decision? Or perhaps it really is possible to escape from the consequences by staying out of the country, in which case we should be supportive? (I really have trouble believing that last one but I will try to keep an open mind.)

Rebuild Vista icon cache?

phaded — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:18:12 -0800

Why is Vista showing the wrong icon for Windows Photo Gallery? This is a question that really amounts to nothing more than cosmetics, but it's still nagging me, and so I am choosing to burn my question for the week by asking it. I had previously asked about changing the default program for video playback. That question was answered rather quickly, but it came with an unwanted side effect: the icon for Windows Photo Gallery in Vista's Set Default Programs screen has been replaced by a generic one, as can be seen in this image. The same icon is shown if I go to the Set Associations screen.

In XP, I'd just fire up TweakUI and rebuild the icon cache, which would fix problems like this. I don't know what would do that in Vista, though, and while it's not hurting any part of my system, it's bugging me, and if there's a way to fix this, I'd love to know what it is.

Software to auto-change default printer based on what's connected?

Alabaster — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 05:55:55 -0800

I'm looking for a freeware/cheapware utility to automatically change my default printer based on what's attached (I'm using a laptop). Basically:

-When I'm at work I would like it to default to my (networked) work printer
-When I'm at home I would like it to print to my USB attached printer.
-When I'm not attached to a printer I would like it to print to my PDF creator
-When I have my photo printer connected I would like it to automatically print to that

I'd like it to do this without my having to change anything manually each time. I've seen lots of programs that allow you to change printers in one-click from the task tray, etc. but this still requires me to REMEMBER (I invariably forget and get print errors).

I read about a program called Printer Dashboard that allows you to put your default printers in priority order, so that it can choose intelligently. But apparently this program doesn't work in XP (also, it appears to be bloated with a lot of features I don't need). Any ideas?

Thanks

Firefox restoring to default

wheelieman — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 06:40:16 -0800

Why does Firefox (Version 2.03) restore to its default settings once a week and how can I change this?

Firefox extension to control HTML forms?

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 07:19:20 -0800

Can a user install an extension, preference or script to have Firefox manipulate an HTML form element on loading, e.g., having a SELECT's default OPTION set when visiting a certain page. If a user visits a webpage that, for example, requests selecting a drop-down menu containing different server names, I'd like to have the user be able to set his or her default server and then have the pull-down menu set upon each visit.

I don't have the option of doing this server-side, or setting cookie variables, since I don't administrate the web server or application.

Thanks for any advice!

How do I make sure Outlook Express stays as the default Mail program?

leemajors — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:34:52 -0800

I just rebuilt a computer with XP Pro for a family member who got hit by multitudes of spyware. She uses Outlook Express but ever since the rebuild, the default email program keeps changing from Express to something else. Initially it was Outlook, as Office is installed, but since they don't use Outlook I uninstalled it and alas, the default email program switched to MSN Explorer or some such. Is there a way I can make sure Outlook Express remains the default program?

Always open with...

Null Pointer and the Exceptions — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:20:19 -0800

In OSX how do I get files without extensions to be recognized by something other than Excel? Ideally I'd like them to be opened by the shell, or perhaps a new session in iTerm but iTerm is greyed out in the Choose Application menu.

Does debtor's prison still exist?

hazyjane — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 05:27:52 -0800

An American friend of mine who is also an expat in France is going home to visit his family for Christmas this year. The problem is he is in default on his federal school loans. He is afraid he's going to get arrested at customs. Is this a possibility? He owes over 10k dollars, and his mom told him a federal marshall came to the family house looking for him 6 months ago.

Yes, I've told him he needs to pay up and he intends to, but he's not in a situation where he could comfortably start paying before Christmas. He also says he doesn't fit into any categories where he could get loan forgiveness, forbearance, etc.

Thanks for any help you can give him - he is a mefi reader but not member, and will be reading along. I can post follow-ups for him as necessary.

How can I change the default 'address bar search' in Firefox?

simonash — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:13:27 -0800

How can I change the default 'address bar search' in Firefox? If I type a word in the address bar, rather than a URL, it now takes me to an Earthlink search page, rather than the Google 'I Feel Lucky' search results.
I have no idea why this is. Earthlink isn't my ISP. I don't have any Earthlink software. Have never used anything to do with Earthlink.
I checked keyword.url under the about:config options but that is set to Google.

Can you help - it's v. annoying

A small thing, but annoying.

longsleeves — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 00:23:52 -0800

Why must I have an avatar? My sbcglobal DSL mail service wants me to customize an avatar for my mail page. Currently a white and gray silhouette of a young black woman's head with trendy (?) worm dreads is always there. Plenty of lame options are offered but I want the graphic to just disapear from my mail page, but that option is not offered.
I understand that it isn't attatched to sent mail but still.