I don't get it; whenever I try to save my file to a flash device/hard disk, I get an error message denying this. I'm always in the administrator mode and the external storage device works just fine.

You won't believe this, but this problem occurs when an external storage device is formatted in an earlier version of the Windows NTFS file system such as Windows XP. Now, how obscure is that?

Nevertheless, this problem can be easily fixed -- format the drive under Windows Vista itself and if that doesn't help, there's a workaround.

The workaround is simple -- copy the file into the Documents folder and then move it to whichever folder you like. Weird, eh?

If this doesn't work, just open the file through the program that opens it and not by double-clicking (Windows would probably wont allow it) the file and then save it. Simple! Just remember that you need to be in the administrator mode to do this, if not this is how to run administrator mode in Vista.

1. Right-click the shortcut that starts the program, and then click Properties
2. Click the Shortcut tab, and then click Open File Location.

3. Now Right-click the executable file of the program, and then click Run as Administrator to start the program. Hold down Shift and then Right-click if required.

Note: If the program was installed by using an .msi package file, you must locate the actual executable file for the program to run it as an administrator and not through a shortcut. For example, a shortcut to a Microsoft Office program does not include the "Run as Administrator" option.

It's very strange; I think I have a spook in my PC. Sometimes when I delete files, the Recycle Bin doesn't show any files there; I don't Shift+Delete any files. Also, sometimes the files appear on their own after some time. To boot it all, my hard drive space is getting eaten up mysteriously on my portable hard drive. What is happening? Do I need to reinstall my Recycle Bin?

This is the funniest problem I've heard of recently. No, you do not have to reinstall anything (you cannot reinstall the Recycle Bin without reinstalling Windows itself), nor do you have a ghost in the machine; you are just not being attentive enough. And yes, this is not a Windows issue, so no need to blame poor old Windows for this; this is a human error.

When you delete files, they do not actually get deleted but get marked for deletion; the files are pretty much still there in the storage device. Only when the Recycle Bin is cleared, do they get deleted. This is true only if you don't unplug your device before deletion. You've unplugged the device before hitting 'Empty Recycle Bin,' causing the mysterious disappearance of the files from the Recycle Bin and their subsequent appearance.

This also explains the mystery of your hard drive space being eaten up -- all of the "marked for deletion" files are still present in the device you are using. If the deleted files aren't showing up at all in the Recycle Bin even after plugging in the device, here's what you need to do.

All you need to do is investigate the device a bit by unhiding files in Windows.

1. Go to My Computer, Tools | Folder Options.

2. Scroll down to Show hidden files and folders and tick it OFF. All hidden files will show up.

3. Now go to your portable device and note all the hidden the folders there. Recognise anything? Delete all hidden folder/files that you know you had deleted before.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin. Now your space should also have "mysteriously" come back.