Q. I really like the Recycle Bin because it gives me an opportunity to change my mind after I delete a file—except for the last time I tried it, which is why I’m asking you for help. I deleted a file just as I usually do, and then a day later when I realized I still needed it, I went into the Recycle Bin, and to my surprise, my file wasn’t there. What’s going on? Can I get it back?

A. Well, you apparently failed to read the fine print about the recycle function. The Recycle Bin is great—up to a point—but it appears it reached its tipping point. When the bin gets too full—as measured by a percentage of your computer’s hard disk—it empties itself without warning, and that’s apparently what happened. You can change the tipping point by right-clicking on the Recycle Bin , clicking on Properties and then adjusting that percentage.

I would suggest you go into the Recycle Bin every week or so and clean out the files you definitely don’t want so you don’t get into such a bind again.

Now, on to your next question: The answer is yes—you may be able to get the file back.

Some background first: When you delete a file, its code is not immediately destroyed. It’s simply renamed and hidden, and Windows identifies it as empty space. However, when that space is needed, it gets written over with a new file, and then it really does disappear. So if you can get to the space in time, you might be able to retrieve it.

There are utilities designed for that purpose, but they’re not free. However, if all you want is to get back that one file, you can download a free demo copy of Final Data ( www.finaldata.com ); it will let you try to recover up to three deleted files.

The other option—the one I would suggest—is to invest in a software tool such as Norton Utilities. Among its many functions is UnErase ; its name describes what it does and the screenshot of its wizard (below) shows how easy it is to use.

Q. I do lots of searching for information on the Web—not just for my professional work, but also to help my kids with their homework. What’s a really good all-around search engine?

A. Up to now the one I used most was Google. It’s received loads of accolades from the technology press, and Yahoo and Netscape even use it to augment their search services. It’s fast and very thorough. But I may switch—or at least expand—my list of favorites. Recently, a new search engine has come along that one-ups Google.

The new one, iLOR ( www.ilor.com ), uses Google as its search engine and then adds some very user-friendly extras. When you begin a search with iLOR, the opening screen looks just like Google’s. But when your mouse passes over one of the suggested search results, a small box appears offering you several options. For example, I entered my name in the search box and clicked on Search . When my results appeared, I moused over to the second item on the page, triggering the options box (see below).

The first option, put in my list , triggers a second box that keeps track of links you’ve already selected and lets you e-mail a link to someone or add it to your Favorites list.

Another iLOR option— go now-anchor here —opens yet another window with a link to the original search results page so that, no matter how deeply you proceed with your search, you can get back to the search page with one click rather than having to tap, tap, tap on the Back button. A third iLOR option— open in taskbar —creates a separate search window for the highlighted item.

As you can see, it’s a very search-friendly tool.

To avoid being accused of search-engine bias, I’ll provide you with a few other really good search tools:

Altavista ( www.altavista.com ) lets you customize your search by date and geography. It also contains Babel Fish, which translates text into many different languages.

IxQuick ( www.ixquick.com ) hunts through 14 other search engines and then ranks the results by the number of times a find is listed.

Wisenut ( www.wisenut.com ) uses a technology similar to Google—albeit it’s a bit slower. But it adds a quality feature—ranking finds by the number of matched links. It also can search in multiple languages.

Q. I work with very large Excel workbooks that contain many different external links, and let me tell you, finding them when I need to break the links is quite a chore. Do you have any ideas?

A. This is a common problem and there are several solutions. The conventional approach is to use the Find command (Ctrl+F) to search for characters common to your links. Then, once directed to the link, you can delete it. Of course, if you have many worksheets, the find-and-delete steps can be quite tedious.

You also can write a macro to find the links. But again, with many workbooks that, too, is a big job.

Probably the best way to locate all the links quickly is with a free program that you can download called FindLink. It was written by Bill Manville and it’s at www.bmsltd.co.uk/MVP .

Q. I’m in a funny bind. I recently made some changes in the way my screen displays, and now when I open a Word or Excel file, sometimes the top of the document is hidden. The problem is more than cosmetic; with the top missing, I can’t access the title bar and I can’t move the image to correct it. Help!

Q. A techie know-it-all in my office tells me I should create an emergency start-up disk. However, he’s also the kind of guy who wears a belt and suspenders—right? So should I ignore him?

A. Ignore him at your own risk. Even techie know-it-alls who wear belts and suspenders are right some of the time.

When it comes to computers, you can’t be too safe. After all, your professional data are stored on it, and there’s going to be a time when you hit the power button and the computer will grind away but nothing will appear on the screen. That’s when you wish you had made a start-up disk.

OK, the sermon is over. Now, let me tell you about a start-up disk. When an operating system is first installed on a computer, a screen usually appears that strongly suggests you prepare a start-up disk. Unfortunately, when you take delivery of the computer, the operating system is usually already installed and unfortunately no one advises you about that option.

So now’s the time to correct that serious omission; it takes only a few minutes.

First, locate a blank, formatted floppy disk. Open the Control Panel (Start, Settings, Control Panel) and double-click on Add/Remove Programs (see below, left).

Select the Startup Disk tab and click on the Create Disk button (see below, right).

Just follow the screen instructions. When finished, label the disk Startup Disk , add the date and put it in a safe place—but not so safe that you’ll forget where you put it.

Now if ever your computer fails to fire up, just slip in the disk and hit the power button. The disk contains all the essential files for getting the computer under way.

In Excel, to create a chart using the current selected range, press F11 or Alt+F1.

In Excel, to insert today’s date, press Ctrl + ; (that’s the Ctrl button and a semicolon).

In Excel, to view all the formulas in a workbook, press Ctrl+~;. For some reason you don’t have to hold down the Shift key (since the ~ button is above the ` (accent) button). Press Ctrl+~ again to return to normal.

In Word, to show all the formatting marks, press Ctrl+Shift+* (that’s the asterisk mark above the 8 button (in this case you do have to press the Shift key). Toggle (press Ctrl+Shift+*) to hide them.

In Outlook, you can keep separate windows open for each folder (that is, Calendar, Inbox, Tasks). To open a separate window, simply right-click on the item under Folder List and then select Open in new window .