Questions and Answers

The Questions and Answers Page

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This page gives answers to computer questions - to find a word press Ctl + F

My book 'Hints and Tips for Silver Surfers' finally sold out. If you would like to download a copy in PDF or Word format please get in touch by clicking Here . I also have a Paypal Account. Please include your e-mail address in any correspondence. Click here to > See details of the contents and comments on the book Not yet a silver surfer ? This book was for anyone with PC problems !

I get a lot of my information from a newsletter from Fred Langa, If you wish to get the same sent to you on a weekly basis just click the logo above

This 'page' is actually 11 pages ! You can scroll down by pressing the Spacebar. To find a specific word use Edit, Find.
Over the last few years I have had many questions and have sent these answers. I hope they helped. If anyone has further questions - or better answers - please email me by clicking Here

.If you don't find the answer here try one of the sites mentioned at the end of this page
Spyware and Anti-virus Programs http://www.askbobrankin.com/ http://forums.computeractive.co.uk www.uktsupport.co.uk www.helponthe.net www.netsquirrel.com www.help.com www.askmehelpdesk.com (good for beginners) www.5starsupport.com www.irvings-info-page.cityslide.com www.newbieclub.com, http://home.about.com, www.techsupportguy.com, www.allexperts.com, www.helpwithpcs.com, www.pctechguide.com www.freehelp.com, www.howstuffworks.com, Realpchelp.com, www.buildeasypc.com, www.pcpitstop.com (Pcworld); this last site will give you a health check of your computer, as will McAfee's Clinic (free 2 week trial) www. mcafee.com. http://www.adwarekillers.com/ specialises in spyware removal. But first, if you have Windows 98, try using the System File Checker (SFC.exe). See Help, (Windows key + F1), Index, System Files, Checking for Errors. You will probably need your Windows disk and point the Browse at d:/win98. Microsoft problems (most of them) may be resolved by searching the Knowledge Base of their site at http://search.microsoft.com/ (In Win 98 click on Help whilst on line) Another VERY useful resource similar to (but even bigger and better than) Silverhairs is www.barrett.net http://www.v-com.com/product/fi_ind.html (was Ontrack) and www.symantec.com both produce excellent System Suites and may be worth buying to give your machine a general check-up.

If you ever wondered what the mysterious codes mean when you get "This program has performed an illegal operation......" you can get a program called Winerrs from http://ca mtech2000.net. It is just a small download.

Q. I have a new PC which has the later S-ATA type hard disk. I would like to add my old ATA hard disk to this machine but the cable connector is unsuitable
A. It is possible to buy an adapter to fit the old drive to the new 80 pin cable. They are about £13 plus post.
Q. I thought I had lost all my incoming Outlook Express e-mail messages the other day and some were quite important. Is there a simple way to save these on something like a CD or Memory stick ?
A. If you go to File, Export, Messages you CAN export the lot or just a single folder, such as Inbox. But Outlook Express only gives the option to export in an Outlook format, NOT Outlook Express. However , that is not a great problem because it also gives the opportunity to IMPORT from the Outlook type file. So your messages would be safely held. The default name is Outlook.PST . The file can be quite large (e.g. 60 Mb) But that is nothing to a CD or a 1 Gb memory key (£7.99 form Argos) You could even store it on line at a site such as www.diino.com which allows gigs of space, though it would take a while to upload.
Q. I have bought a second land laptop but there is a password preventing me from accessing most of the programs.
A. Most people do not put a password on the administrator's account. So try to access this by going into Safe Mode at startup. In Safe Mode go Start, Control Panel, User Accounts. Click on the main account icon and click on Remove Password
Q. October 2007 I have had a problem with Windows updates. I have heard that Microsoft has caused this.
A. You are quite right and I imagine that Microsoft will issue a 'patch' before long. It has said that the problem can be recified by going to the Command Prompt (Start, Run, CMD) and typing regsvr32 wups2.dll and pressing Enter
Q. I have a computer which I know is OK but I am unable to boot it up long enough to do anything with it.
A. I haven't used this but Computer Active gave it a four star recommendation. Using a different computer (and you MUST be on broadband**) download the files for a System Rescue CD (which must then be burned into a CD on your working machine). It is free - but is 119 Mb - and can be found at www.computeractive.co.uk/2197597 ** it would take over 7 hours on dialup
Q. I have insatlled Thunderbird as an alternative e-mail client to Outllook Express, as you suggested, but had difficulty installing Thunderbird's spelling checker
A. Download the English dictionary from Thunderbird to your desktop. Open Thunderbird. Click Tools, Add-ons, Extensions. Next. find the dictionary you downloaded and drag it to the Extensions window. Click on Install Now and restart Thunderbird.
Q. I had a problem with Vista's new email program, Windows Mail. I could note delete deleted items
A. Quite a few people seem to be haveing this problem. Personally I did the same as the following Answer and downloaded Thunderbird
Q. Suddenly I have found that I cannot send or read emails with Outlook Express. When I click on them they then look as if they have been read. I cannot even find them on the Server site.
A. I have not yet found out what causes this but was able to bypass the problem by installing an alternative e-mail client, Thunderbird from www.mozilla.com. It imported all addresses and messages from OE.
Q. I have lost my Restore (XP) and also my 'wallpaper', which is greyed out.
A. It turned out to be another Norton 2007problem. This is what he did to get back to normal : 1) Turn Norton off temporarily. 2) Restart the PC. 3) On Norton anti virus tab or Norton internet security tab, click settings. 4) Under Basic Security click Auto-Protect. 5) Click configure. 6) In the left pane click miscellaneous. 7 )In the right pane under How to protect my product, uncheck Turn on protection for my Symantic Product. 8) Click OK. 9) Run System Restore. 10) Restart, go through above but 11) Finish by checking Turn on protection. Or just get Avast (free) instead (ed.)!
Q. I have TWO versions of Mozilla Firefox in my Add/Remove programs list. Can I remove the older one? It takes 12Mb of space.
A. Unfortunately if you remove the older one they will both disappear. If you are anxious to regain that space the only thing to do is remove them and then download and reinstall the latest version (marked 2.0.0.6). That one is over 23Mb.
Q. I have been unable to send a video as an attachment to an e-mail. I am using AOL
A. Microsoft says : Many mail servers will allow attachments of 4 MB or larger, but others have lower size limits. If you have trouble sending—or your recipient has trouble receiving—a message, try reducing the file size (and quality) of your video attachment and re-sending the message.
(Editor) Alternatively, upload your video to a free on line service such as Diino.com and tell people where it is. OR Make a CD or DVD of the video and post it, OR put the video on a memory stick and give/send that to the friend.
Q. I use the free Open Office suite instead of Microsoft Office but it creates special word processing files ending ODT, which other people can't open.
A. Open Office is a powerful alternative to Office. If you click on the Tools menu, Options and the small + sign next to Load/Save, then on General, click on Always Save and change it to Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP and click OK to save this change
Q. My Add and Remove Programs section contains all the many Windows XP Updates from Microsoft. This clutters it up. Do I have to keep them or is there a way to hide them ?
A. You certainly need to keep those but there IS a way to hide them. In Add and Remove left click the box at the top labelled 'Show Updates' and remove the tick
Q. Someone sent me a file ending in Zip but I couldn't open it
A. Zip files are ones that contain files which have been compressed by a file compression utility. The most well-known program to do this is Winzip from www.winzip.com. This is Shareware and, although it will never stop working, you will be 'nagged' to buy it. If you want a free one that will do the same job try 7-zip, downloaded from http://sourceforge.net/projects/sevenzip/ When you click on the zip file it will display a list of all the files it contains. You can view each one by clicking on them. But if you wish to expand and keep them you need to select them and click Expand at the top. It is likely to offer to expand them into the My Documents folder but you can type another folder name, such as unzipped at the end of the line and it will create that folder and expand the files into it
Q. I am unable to see pictures people send me and I get the dreaded red x as a placemarker
A. Various reasons. The best answers I have seen are at http://askbobrankin.com/red_x_appears_instead_of_image.html
Q. I have upgraded from Windows ME to XP and am unable to uninstall my Norton anti virus with Add/Remove
A. When XP is the result of an upgrade the Norton (2001) uninstall files are corrupted, so Add/Remove produces error messages. Download the Norton System Cleaning Utility from www.symantec.com/techsupp/consumer.html
Q. I have installed Firefox and made it my 'Default Browser' when asked. How could I revert to Internet Explorer ?
A. Open Internet Explorer, Tools, Internet Options, Programs and check " Internet Explorer should check whether it is the default browser". Click Apply and close, then restart, Internet Explorer.
Q. I sent a large Powerpoint file as an attachment to an Outlook Express e-mail. Many people received four separate emails each containing garbage.
A. If using Outlook Express go Tools, Accounts, Mail, click on your email address, Properties, Advanced and untick "Break up messages larger than.....".
My Norton Internet Security is saying it will not work alongside Windows Defender and Spybot Search and Destroy. Is there anything I can do ?
A. Users of Internet Security 2006 and 2005 report that this was not the case with those versions. However, with Internet Security 2007, things have apparently changed. As far as I know, the product will not co-exist with Windows Defender, Spybot, PC Tools Spy Doctor, and possibly other security-related tools. So it is either or I am afraid.
Q. I am using an SD memory card to store some files and, although it is a 1 Gig. card I have only been able to store about 190mb.
A. If you are trying to store them on the root directory of the card this is the reason. For some strange reason ALL disks are limited to 276 files in the root. This does not apply to sub folders. So make sure you create these - just as cameras do.
Q. I have a Win 98 PC and a Win 98SE disk but when I try to install SE it tells me I need a Update disk. J
A. This can be overcome but the instructions are rather lengthy. I will e-mail them to you (and anyone else who needs them)
Q. I used to be able to use Microsoft Fax (via my dialup modem) until I installed XP SP2
A. See MS Fax doesn't work with XP SP2 (Ask Bob Rankin)
Q. I would like to clear up my Startup programs but Msconfig list is not easy to read or understand
A. Many people are very confused about the programs displayed in Startup (via Msconfig) and there is a better place where they can be seen much more clearly and full screen. Go Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System information, double click Software Environment and click Startup Programs. Wait a second then, to see it full screen click the small square, top right. You can't print this in a sensible format so you are back to writing things down. Now you are in a position to search for the ones you think are suspicious. One of the best sites for this is http://www.windowsstartup.com/wso/search.php. I have also done a page on Startup. Click HERE.
Q. How can I backup and restore messages in my Outlook Express folder ?
A. This is dealt with in one of Microsoft's pages at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/270670
Q. NTL user. I received numerous notices from NTL Admin warning me that they could not deliver mail because my Inbox was full - despite it having very little in there.
A. I had the same problem and discovered that the real blockage was on THEIR server, which I accessed via www.ntlworld.com (Email) I then had to delete pages of emails, much of it spam. It was then put in the Trash folder and I had to do the same with that. If you never want to access mail from the server you can stop this building up. In Outlook Express click Tools>Accounts and double click the account name. Click the Advanced tab and make sure the 'Leave a copy of messages on server' box is unchecked.
Q. I have heard that CDs can explode in certain circumstances
A. Yes. This has happened. When rotating at maximum speed the outside edge is travelling at a tremendous rate. They quite often make a humming sound. Experiments showed that they shattered regularly when the speed was increased by about three times the normal. Factors involving cracks and off-centre labels increased the chances.
Q. I am having problems with Windows Live Messenger 8. It throws me out of webcam sessions.
A. Yes. I had the same problem. I uninstalled it but was unable to re-install a working MSN Messenger 7.5. In the end I had to restore my XP PC to a previous date.
Q. I am having problems updating Microsoft's beta (trial) anti spyware program, now called Windows Defender
A. Yes. Microsoft has admitted there is a problem. If you're still having trouble, uninstall it and get the new download (from http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx ) and then reinstall.
Q: I am using Windows 98 and wonder how I can reinstall it without having to reformat the drive and lose my data
A: You can reinstall it over the existing Windows program. Just go out to DOS and run the Windows 98 Setup file from the disk. Install it in the usual place : C:\Windows, or if you are nervous you could install it in a different directory. But be sure to make a backup of any data you want to keep, such as word processed files and photographs, just in case.
Q: I am using Clip Organizer with Word 2003 but I am unable to drag some of the pictures which show up in the catalogue.
A: Obviously, if you are getting the clips from the net you must be on line. But there seems to be another problem with Clip Organiser. Very strange but it appears to include pictures which have been deleted from the hard disk ! I think it is yet another Word bug. Try dragging those clips which display a thumbnail picture. At least they MUST be there.
Q: How can I translate emails to another language ?
A: I used to use a service called T-mail but it appears to have disappeared. A site which lists one hundred translation services is http://www.bultra.com/mtlinks.htm Be careful: "Out of Sight, out of mind " translated into Chinese becomes "Blind idiot !". Most people use www.babelfish.altavista.com or Google. Create your mail, then copy the text and paste it into one of these, find the alternative languages and copy and paste the result into your mail.
Q : I use Broadband but when I send an e-mail with Outlook Express the PC drops the line and I have to go on again.
A: This is due to an Outlook Express setting. Open Outlook Express, Tools, Options and under the Connections menu remove the tick from "Hang up after Sending and Receiving"
Q : When I click to download certain files I get the message "Your current security settings do not allow you to download this file".
A: This is a security setting in Internet Explorer which may have been increased when you did an update. Right click IE on the desktop, Properties, Security, Custom level and change the setting under File downloads, which you will find if you scroll down the list.
Q : I have had a problem sending emails. They appear to go but when Outlook Express drops the line they have not gone.
A: If you are using an anti virus program, such as Mcafee, you could try unchecking the outbound e-mail check. What may be happening is that the line is dropping whilst the email is still being checked by your AV program.
Q : I have had a problem sending emails with large attachments (600k or more)
A: In my case this turned out to be a setting in Internet Explorer. Right click IE on the desktop, Connections, Settings, Properties, Options and set 'Idle time before hanging up' to 10 minutes or more;
Q : What are the most useful shortcut keys avoiding the use of the mouse ?
A: Ctrl + A Select all ; Shift + arrows selects text ; Ctrl + C Copies a selection ; Ctrl + X Cuts selection ; Ctrl + V Pastes clipboard contents to cursor position ; Home/End Moves cursor to beginning/end of line ; Ctrl + Home/End Moves cursor to beginning/end of document ; Ctrl + Up/Down arrow Moves cursor up/down one paragraph ; Ctrl + Left/Right arrow moves cursor one word to left/right ; Ctrl + Z Undo the last action.; Tab takes you to the next field (in email or form filling) Alt + any underlined menu letter e.g. Alt + F for File. In many programs Ctl+Shift + U will underline selected text. With B it will Boldface it. Try it on e-mails or Word.
Q: I know it is a good idea to clear out my Outlook Express mailboxes from time to time but how could I keep a copy of my old mail for future reference ?
A: There are a number of answers to this. Have a look at http://www.google.com/search?q=archive+outlook+express
Q: I would like to log in to your computer from anywhere in the world. How can I do that ?
A: Try LogMeIn from https://secure.logmein.com/go.asp?page=download1 It is free. Recommended by guru Bob Rankin.
Q : I used to have your website as my home page (gee! thanks!) and lately it seems to have been taken over by a very frightening on from syserrors.com. Every time I change back Syserrors comes back
A: There is a very good article on this precise problem at http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/hijacked/#removal. If the recommendations do not cure it please contact me
Q : I use Windows XP and I know that I can defrag the hard disk with its defrag utility but it does not seem to do a very thorough job. Can you recommend any other method ?
A. Ashampoo have some very reliable products and one of them is a defragger which works in the background. It is on a 30 day trial, so can see if it helps you before buying. Take a look by clicking Here
Q : My HP computer arrived with a version of Norton (Symantec) anti virus program but as I have the free Avast! program I don't need it, and Norton is expensive. But I have had difficulty getting rid of Norton.
A : Take a look at http://tinyurl.com/9rkh7 which is the Norton page on this subject.
Q. I have Word 2000 installed but am unable to open a WPS (Microsoft Works) file someone sent
A. Microsoft produce a converter which will allow you to open WPS files using Word 2000. Download the file from here
and install it, then try to open the WPS file again. Other Viewers for Word, Excel and Powerpoint can be found Here
Q. I would like to use the Google free Picasa2 graphics program but when I try to download it it says that it is "not a valid win 32 application set up 1884"
A. Picasa recommends that you get rid of the previous version(s) and try again but other people have found that if, instead of SAVIng the download, you choose the RUN option you can install it. Great program. Well worth persisting.
Q. My PC tells me that I am short of Virtual Memory, even though I have installed plenty of RAM and my hard disk has lots of space
A. Virtual Memory is really only hard disk space, which is used when the PC thinks a program needs more RAM. However, it is best to let Windows manage the amount. Go to Control Panel / System / Advanced, then press the Settings button under Performance. Click Advanced again, then press the Change button under Virtual Memory. If System managed size is selected, you're all set. If you want to fiddle with the Custom Size options, it is up to you, but I really don't advise this. But do the usual virus checks and try to reduce the programs that load at startup. Few are necessary.
Q. How can I display my holiday photos on line ?
A. There is a free program you can get from www.flickr.com. This allows you to store them on their site. But there are quite a few organisations that allow this facility, free of charge.
Q. I have installed Acrobat 7 and am having problems reading previous PDF files
A. There have been various suggestions how to cure this. ComputerActive suggested uninstalling all previous versions, reinstalling the latest then rebooting. Or you can uninstall 7 and keep version 6
Q. I understand XP allows you to make a Forgotten Password disk.
A. Yes. Go Start, Control Panel, User Accounts and click on your User Name, click Prevent Forgotten Password and follow the Wizard. A very good idea if you use a password to enter your XP 'account'.
Q. I want to move my AOL addresses to Outlook Express. You, too !?
A. It used to be difficult to do this. AOL has a facility for printing the addresses and I suggest that as a backup. But they now offer a program which does that. I have used it and it works well
Q. I want to move various settings from a Win 98 machine to a new one with XP.
A. XP has a special program to do this, called the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. It is actually called Fastwiz.exe. You need to run the program on the new computer to create a Wizard disk on a floppy disk then run this Fastwiz program on the old computer and create a folder on its hard disk with the files and settings. These then have to be copied to the new computer (with floppy disks, CD or memory stick). Then run the Fastwiz program again on the new computer to copy the files and settings to it. Not easy, I know but it might save you having to set up quite a few things.
Q. I have to reinstall my printer software but it says that one of the files is already running and aborts
A. I had this problem and found that it was because the previous software was being started in the Startup. Go Start, Run Msconfig and untick any items referring to your printer. Restart the PC and try reinstalling again
Q. I have had a problem getting into Safe Mode and also with the computer rebooting itself
A. This is a known problem after some people have used the Microsoft update KB890859. See more info at http://langa.com/u/0f.htm and http://langa.com/u/0g.htm and http://langa.com/u/0h.htm and http://langa.com/u/0i.htm and http://langa.com/u/0j.htm and http://langa.com/u/0k.htm
Q. How can increase the size of the scroll bar on the right of my pages ?
A. Right click on a free space on the desktop, Properties, Appearance, Scrollbar. In XP click Advanced and select Scrollbars from the list
Q. Using Outlook Express, how can I be sure that each member of the family just gets their own email ?
A. Each member has to have their own Identity. To add a new identity in the File menu, point to Identities, and then click Add New Identity. Type the name of the new user. If you want to include a password for this identity, select the Require a password option, and then enter a password. Outlook Express then asks you if you want to log on as the new user. If you answer yes, you will be prompted for information about that Internet connection. Then go into each identity, (click Tools, Accounts, and delete all except the one account which belongs in that identity.
Q. My firewall is reporting that Backweb is trying to access the net. Is this Spyware and should I remove it ?
A. Backweb-8876480.exe is a process that comes with the Logitech products software. It manages the automatic update check as well as providing you with new for the latest offers and products from Logitech. This is a non-essential process. Disabling or enabling this is down to user preference. You will find it in your Startup (remove via Msconfig). However, I checked another machine recently, which had no Logitech equipment and Spybot reported a Backweb. I zapped it.
Q. I use Windows ME and when I start Word I get a message about resources being low, even though I haven't got other programs running. I have Norton Anti Virus. Could this be anything to do with it.
A. Sometimes you can cure this by deleting any copies of Normal.dot on your PC. It will be recreated when you start Word. But Norton can have an effect, also. Open it and go to Misc Options and turn off the Office Plug-in option
Q. I can't play the music on your first page, although I can play CD's. I am using Internet Explorer.
A. Obviously your sound card is working. The problem must lie in the fact that the card wont play the very small Midi files.
A. Found that going to Control Panel, Sound, Audio & changing SB Audigy Audio (my sound card) to Microsoft GS Wavetable SW synth I was able to play Midi files. Thanks anyway.
Q. Windows Messenger comes with XP. But I prefer the more capable Live Messenger. How can I stop Windows Messenger from loading ? Please see Here on this site for answers to this complex question.
Q. I have been bothered by a program called DMVLITE and can't get rid of it. Is it a virus or spyware ?
A. DMVLITE is a rather pushy marketing organisation. Go to www.dmvlite.com and click Uninstall
Q. Since using XP I have found a file called Thumbs.db in every folder where there is a picture. Is it caused by a virus ?
A. No. Thumbs.db is a data file for the pictures which help you to rapidly see the pictures as thumbnails using the Windows Picture Viewer. So they are harmless and mostly quite small. You can turn off this facility via Control Panel, Folder Options, View. Unless you turn them off you cannot delete them. Well, if you do they are generated again immediately
Q. I use AOL 8. Can I view the spam e-mails which AOL is blocking ?
A. Yes. Although AOL9 lists blocked spam on the read message page (bottom left) you can view it with older AOL versions by going to www.aol.co.uk and entering you screen name and password. And I recommend that you do !
Q. My computer is using the FAT32 filing system. How can I convert it to the more efficient NTFS system ?
A. In Windows XP this is quite straightforward. Go Start, Run, Command (OK) and type CONVERT C:/FS:NTFS. Backup if you wish but I have never lost anything whilst doing this conversion. See XP Help, NTFS.
Q. Instructions say to backup the Registry (using Regedit) before tampering with it. How is that done and how would you get it back to the original ?
A. The Registry of every Windows Computer is a long text file which tells the computer what to do at every stage. Yes, it can be fatal if you tamper with the Registry of a computer and things go wrong. Go Start, Run, Regedit and (THIS IS VITAL) click at the top of the registry list, click File, Export. Name the file something like Register and remember where you save it. It will automatically be named something Reg e.g. Register.reg. Later, if there is a problem and providing you can restart Windows you can reopen Regedit and Import the file to get back to where you were . In addition Windows XP has a 'Last good' facility. This will restore the part of the Registry which relates to drivers only.
Q. Can I reinstall Windows 98 or ME without having to lose all my data and programs ?
A. Yes. You need two things. Your original Win 98 or ME disk and a 'Boot disk', which you hopefully made for such cases. If you do not have a Boot disk, get in touch with me. Start the machine with the Boot disk in the floppy drive and the Windows disk in the CD drive. Type D: SETUP /pf (exactly as shown) and hit Enter. Follow the on-screen prompts. You will need the identification key for the CD. This should be found on the Disk cover or manual.
Q. My Computer makes a long 'Beep' sound when it starts. What does that mean ?
A. A single Beep indicates that everything is OK but different Beep sounds may indicate a problem. The codes vary for different machines. Have a look at http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
Q. On Page 35 of you book you mention that Scandisk will check the hard disk surface. I couldn't find it on my Windows XP machine.
A. True. In Windows XP Microsoft have gone back to the program CHKDSK.EXE, which starts another program called Autochk.exe. To run it click My Computer, Right click the C: drive, Properties, Tools and Check Now.
Q. How do I save pictures that are inserted into Word documents people send me ?
A. You can right click a photo and click Copy, then Paste it into a graphics program to save it as a JPG. Unfortunately Word is such a crippled program that the result looks like a 16 colour poster ! The answer is to open the Doc file with the much more modest (and free) word processor called Wordpad, which comes with Windows. Copy and Paste from that results in a perfect picture !
Q. I use Windows XP and I am having trouble with Internet Explorer and Outlook Express
A. In the old days (Win 98) you could go to Add/Remove programs and opt for a repair on Internet Explorer. But IE no longer appears there. It is necessary to click Start, Run and type in SFC/scannow, and then click OK. This attempts to repair all hidden system files. You may be prompted for the Windows XP disk. You will see this screen..
Q. I am using Windows 98 and am sure that I used to have an option (in Explorer) to view my pictures as Thumbnails
A. Thumbnail view allows users of Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows ME to quickly view images and HTML documents. If that option has disappeared from the View heading, right click on the folder or drive you wish to enable Thumbnail view on, click properties and choose the option to enable it. It should not be necessary with XP.
Q. My Task Manager screen no longer shows all the tabs it used to. It just shows the Task heading
A. This can happen. Just click the border of Task Manager and it will return to normal.
Q. I would like to be able to get my Hotmail from my Outlook Express.
A. In Outlook Express go Tools, Accounts, Mail, Add, Mail, Next, Next, Change Incoming Mail Server to HTTP, Change Http Mail server to Hotmail, Next, Type in your Hotmail address, Type in your Hotmail password, Tick Remember Password
Q. Windows XP. My Outlook Express takes a long time to load. It didn't used to
A. It is likely that one of the Microsoft Updates has caused this problem. Hotfix Update Q811493 was buggy and needs to be re-installed with the later version. In Add/Remove programs look for that number and Remove it. Then go to http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=811493 and download the later version
Q. I use Windows XP but I do not seem to have the Backup Program
A. Some PC's are issued without this. If you are unable to find a suitable backup program I can recommend Argentum Backup which you can download from www.computeractive.co.uk/downloads/1134505 It is shareware and under 1Mb. If you like it you can get a registered copy for $25
Q. I get an error code Ox800cccoD or ox800cccod when using Outlook Express. What is it ?
A. That strange error code Ox800cccoD or 0x800ccc0d when you are using Outlook Express can be caused by a firewall, especially Mcafee's. A second answer I received on this one was that it happened as a result of Symantec (Norton) e-mail checker and that you should either turn it off temporarily or just wait a while and resubmit your e-mail.
Q. When I try to print a web page from Internet Explorer I get a message saying "An error has occurred in the script on this page"
A. This is almost certain to be caused by a piece of Spyware called Surfairy. To remove it go Start, Run, and type
c:\program files\surfairy\uninst.exe (or try uninstall.exe)
Q. Is there a way I can create PDF (Portable Document) files that can be read with Acrobat ?
A. The full Acrobat Professional is available but costs $$. However, if it is for a small number you can go to http://createpdf.adobe.com you can convert five documents free of charge. You have to upload them and they will be e-mailed back to you as a PDF. Another program for this is PDF995 from www.pdf995.com. Yet another is a Shareware program called PDFFactory Pro from http://www.avalanche.com.au/downloads.html. Once you have installed any of these programs you can open any document (Word etc) complete with graphics and go as to print it but select the Pdf 'printer' from the printers listed. In a moment you have your PDF file and can save it.
Q. I occasionally get a Script error' message when I am on line and it asks me if I wish to Debug. It does not seem to make any difference whether I click Yes or No.
A. The reason for this is that the Web page author has made an error and there is nothing YOU can do about it. You can stop this message appearing by right clicking Internet Explorer icon on the desktop. Choose Advanced and check the item Disable "Script debugging"
Q. Many web pages seem to miss a right hand border when they are being printed. It is particularly bad when printing bank statements !
A. I hope these pages don't act like that. But if, when you go to print, you choose the option to print in Landscape you should be OK.
Q. Someone told me that Realplayer contains spyware. Is there a way to stop this ?
A. No, I don't think so though, like many companies, they like to get some feedback via cookies. If you have a problem with Realplayer I recommend that you uninstall the it and get the one from http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/audiohelp.shtml?help. Four different ones are available for the various Windows versions.
Q. There are a lot of programs which load when XP starts. Pressing Ctl + Alt + Del shows the list but it is difficult to tell what they do. Are they all essential ? Can any be removed to save memory ?
A. Although some of the Startup programs can be revealed (and unchecked in Msconfig, Startup), they are not all shown. To see them all go Start, run, Services.msc and click OK. For a fairly complete description of each item (and which you can safely Disable or change to Manual (which lets XP decide)) see www.blackviper.com/winxp/servicecfg.htm
Q. Where is Backup in Windows XP Home edition ?
A. The Pro version installation includes it but with the Home Edition you will have to find it on your XP installation disk if you have one. Double click on a file called Ntbackup.msi which is hidden in the CD folder Valueadd\msft\ntbackup. Alternatively get more comprehensive backup programs such as Norton Ghost or PowerQuest's Drive Image (£).
Q. My Modem makes an awful noise. How do I silence it ?
A. Right click on your ISP , Properties, General Tab, Modem Configure and Clear the tick against enable Modem Speaker.
Q. I use MSNMessenger to chat to friends. Can I use it from another machine, say a cyber cafe ?
A. Yes, on any machine with Messenger loaded, you can sign in with your Passport (Hotmail/Msn.com) name and with your password. If it has already signed in (e.g. on a friend's) first go File, Sign Out on the initial Messenger screen. Do not tick 'Always sign me in with this name', especially on a public machine.
Q. I have a new XP machine and have loaded my Office 97 program on it. I now find that Outlook Express no longer does a spelcheck.
A. Unfortunately, Microsoft have made sure that you have to install a later version of Office for this to work. If you are not willing to pay such a large sum I can only suggest that you get a free spellchecker e.g. www.quinion.com/mqa/spell or write things with your word processor and copy them to your email
Q. I use Freeserve and am finding that people cannot send me email with certain type of attachments e.g. EXE or HTM files
A. Freeserve is very picky about what you can download because of virus fears. Friends may get round the EXE file problem by compressing it into a ZIP file or even renaming its ending. You would have to rename it back when received. HTM files are what the Web is made of. In this case you may find that your Outlook Express is set to refuse them (as attachments). In OE go Tools, Options, Security and UNTICK the item which says "Do not allow attachments..... "etc
Q. How can I transfer my old tapes and vinyl records to my PC ?
A. You need to connect your Hi Fi from an output e.g. headphone socket, to the input (Mic or Line In) socket on your sound card. Get a suitable cable from www.maplin.co.uk Then you need to record the sound using some appropriate software. The simplest type comes with Windows and is the Sound Recorder (Sndrec32.exe) which can only record in the Wav format. You can use other software to convert these Wav files in to MP3, WMA or other sound formats. See Downloads at www.computeractive.co.uk
Q. Since moving to Broadband I have lost the facility to fax from my PC
A. You can still fax from your PC providing you connect your old modem to a telephone socket
I have lost the icon of the two little screens that indicated that I was on line. I used those to disconnect.
A. This can happen (like a lot of things) after installing Service Pack 1 for Windows XP. Go Start, Settings, Network Connections and right click on your ISP's icon. Click Properties and make sure there is a tick in 'Show icon in notification area when connected'
Q. Lately when I have been in MSN chat I have had an error message about Internet Explorer and it has closed. Tina.
A. Me : Sorry. Haven't come across that one. Let me know if you find out the cause
A. Tina said : I finally got the answer from MSN. They suggested I empty the Temporary Internet Files folder. This worked.
A. Yes, an over full 'cache' can cause all kinds of problems . The same reason can make it impossible to access websites whilst using AOL
Q. Since I upgraded to Windows XP copying a disk to my CDwriter takes much longer than it did under Windows ME
A. If your CDwriter is on the same cable as the other CD or the Hard disk it will slow things up. So, whatever you do, put the CDwriter on the other cable. You will have to open the PC to do this and set the Writer as Master. Hopefully XP will recognise the change. See below.
A. Thanks for your help. I've now set my writer as master on the secondary port, (after battling with Windows XP to get it to boot). Apparently, it doesn't like a change to the drive configuration, and I had to run a repair program (by booting with my original XP disk). Now, my system is stable and I can write up a 700mb disk in about 3 to 4 minutes !!. .
Q. I am getting Spam in text format sent directly to my screen (not via E-mails) How can I stop it ?
A. This spam is using the Microsoft messenger facility in Windows XP. Nothing to do with MSN Messenger. A Firewall will stop it. Alternatively, you can disable the messenger facility, which seems pretty useless. Follow this if you can. Start>Settings>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services>click Messenger (way down the list)>click Stop>Now right click messenger, Properties, Select Disable in the 'Startup Type' scroll bar.
Q. My new e-mails are not being shown at the top of the list in my Inbox any more. I use Outlook Express.
A. You can put them in order by clicking on the word Date at the top of the list. Click it again to reverse the order. To check that they will come in the right order in future go to View, Sort and check the Date box
Q. How can I revert from the FAT32 to the FAT files system
A. Firstly, I wonder why you wish to return to the FAT system. Having converted to FAT32, as suggested on Page 16 of my book, you should have more space and faster hard disk access. But, if you really wish to revert to FAT, I fear you will have to reformat the drive, which means you will lose everything on it.
Q. (1). Using AOL I have been unable to download graphics (2). Using AOL I have been getting 'Page Not Found' when I search the net
A. It is important for AOL folk to delete their Temporary Internet files frequently. Otherwise either of these things may happen. You can do it by right clicking Internet Explorer, Properties and click Delete Files - just the same as 'normal people'! Another thing : Whilst many things on the computer require a double click you should click only ONCE on a web link. Otherwise this can result in "Page Not Found", too.
Q. My keyboard shows the hash # sign instead of the £ and the " and @ are also reversed
A. This is because whoever set up Windows didn't select the British settings and you have, in effect, a US keyboard (in both senses). To change this to a UK layout click Start, Settings, Control Panel, Keyboard, Language, Details, Add. Look for English (British) in the list below and click this and 'Set as default'. Unfortunately the little program that makes this happens isn't always added so it may (very likely) ask you to put your Windows Disk in the CD. When you do this, to prevent it loading, hold the Shift key down. Make sure the program looks for D:/win98 (or Win95) folder, depending on the Windows you are using. Click OK. When you restart the machine all should be well. n.b. In Windows XP this item is under Regional and Language Options and I don't think you would have to add any additional driver from the disk.
Q. When I go to print your Q and A page I get six !
A. Sorry about that. I ought to split it down but that leads to complications, too. Either click Edit, Select All, Copy (or Ctl+C) and then open your your word processor (or WordPad) and Edit, Paste (or Ctl +V) it into that, which will allow you to print individual pages; or just select the section you want (by dragging the mouse down) and paste that into Wordpad for printing. Or you can even select a section and go File, Print, the choose Selection rather than the whole document
Q. Since installing Internet Explorer/Outlook Express 6 I have been unable to download some attachments - even MP3 music files. I even get notices saying the file has been removed
A. Because of the ever present danger of viruses in attachments Microsoft has increased the security of Outlook Express. You may find that there is a check against "Do not allow attachments to be opened..." in Outlook Express. Providing you have good anti virus software installed you can uncheck this item by going to it via Tools, Options and the Security tab in OE.
Q. When I try to start Word 2000 it locks my machine and Ctl+Alt+Del gives a message about it having insufficient resources.
A. This is dealt with in a Microsoft FAQ. It is due to a corrupt Normal.dot (the Template Word uses to begin). You have to delete or rename it and Word will create a new one. Go Start, Find/Search, Normal.dot. Right click any you find and click Delete.
Can I block email from whole e-mail addresses rather than just a specific address ?
A. Yes, Outlook, Outlook Express and AOL all allow the blocking of complete email addresses. In OE go Tools, Message Rules, Blocked Senders, Add and enter just the words after the @ sign. Or you could even block (say) all Russian emails by entering *.RU
Q. How did you solve the problem of your Win 98 PC booting up into the Start-up Menu ?"
A. Go to Start, Run, Msconfig and in the General dialogue box click the Advanced button, Advanced Troubleshooting Settings . If the 'Enable Start-up Menu' box is checked, uncheck it.
Q. I can't play Macromedia Flash (SWF) movies on mine, though the on line ones are OK. Where is the Flash Player on a PC ?
A. If you haven't got the program Flashpla.exe then they can be played with recent Internet Explorer. When you are on line it takes over but off line you may have to 'associate' the SWF type with Internet Explorer. Right click the SWF file whilst holding Shift. Click 'Open With'; Browse for Iexplore.exe in Program Files and click 'Always use the selected program.... '
Q : My young son has been playing an old Mario game and I can't close down my XP machine. It says it has 31 copies of NTVDM.EXE running ! What is it and what should I do ?
A. NTVDM.EXE is a Microsoft program which enables old programs to be run under XP. It seems that it has re-loaded each time he played the game. It will disappear when you reboot. Just switch off at the mains. I defy even XP to keep going after that !
Q. I get a mysterious file on my machine called ppthumbs.ptn. What is it ?
A. PPThumbs.ptn files are created by Scansoft's program called Paperport, to hold "thumbnail" images. According to Scansoft technical support, you may delete these files, but they will be recreated as soon as you run Paperport again.. Windows XP creates a file called Thumbs.db in every folder where there are graphics. If you delete them they come back, so leave them alone.
Q.I have always been able to use my webcam to connect to people with sound and vision but since downloading the new version of Microsoft Messenger (V5) it tells me I must be using Windows XP. I am using Win 98.
A. The answer here is to replace Messenger with the old version (4.6) (You may have to uninstall V5 first). This can be done by going to www.microsoft.com and searching on the word Messenger. The older version is marked 'Messenger for Windows 95'. You will also have to invoke Netmeeting to contact the person who is using Windows XP. The latest MSN Messenger allows you to contact people on Windows ME from an XP machine. You may have to edit your Firewall to allow the program through- Ed.
Q. Since September my Windows M.E. has been unable to restore from Restore Points
A. There is a bug in Windows M.E. You should go to www.windowsupdate.com and look for the patch called Windows ME system restore update.Unfortunately it will remove previous restore points but will cure future problems.
Q. When I go to Edit in any program to copy and paste something most of the items are 'greyed out'
A. You cannot copy anything until you have selected the section or files. You may find a Select All item or, otherwise, select the section by dragging the mouse over it whilst holding down the left button. The Edit, Copy item can then be used. The shortcut is Control + C
Q. I have been getting Page Not found messages and am unable to access the net. I would like to reinstall Internet Explorer from scratch. Can I do that?
A. There can be various reasons why you get Page Not found. You may have spelt it wrong or the page may have actually disappeared. But there can be other reasons such as too many Temporary Internet Files. See www.ieinfosite.co.uk As you cannot download anything from the net you could get a recent ISP installer disk from Tesco, WHSmith or others. They all have Internet explorer on them and you should be able to overwrite the old one. If you have Windows XP try Add/Remove programs ... Windows components, Untick it then tick it again when it has been removed,
Q. I am having trouble opening things with a double click
A. Try the following : Go Start, Settings, Control Panel and click on the Mouse icon. Move the slider to the LOWER end of the Double-click speed. Check if the setting is right for you by clicking the Test Area. Alternatively you can set it to open with a single click or even click an item once and press the Enter key
Q. How do I change the heading that appears at the top of Internet Explorer ? It is for a previous ISP.
Go Start, Run, Regedit. To be cautious make a backup of the register by going File, Export. Now you have to got to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Software\microsoft\internet explorer\main. Look for Window Title in the right frame, click on it and enter any title you want. Just close the Register. File, Exit. You don't have to save it. Restart the machine.
Q. My machine is getting very slow. How do I reinstall Windows (95/98/ME) ?
A. First you must create a Startup disk by going through Add/Remove programs. Insert this and restart your PC. It should start your machine and ask you if you wish to start with CD ROM support. YES. You will just get a C: prompt. Put your Windows CD in and follow the on screen instructions. With XP put the CD in and start from that.
Q. How can I get rid of the password screen at startup ?
A. In Windows 95 , 98 and ME the password only serves to enable you to set up different desktops for different people. It is no protection whatsoever. The easiest way to get rid of it is to search for a file ending .pwl and delete it. When you restart, leave the password sections blank. Alternatively try the method below. NB there is no Pwl file in Windows NT, 2000 or XP.
A2. Go Start, Settings, Control Panel, Passwords (in XP it is under User Accounts). If you have a password type it in. Leave the other parts BLANK. If you haven't a password leave all three blank. Finish with OK.
Q. I used to belong to one ISP but have changed to another. How do I stop the first one from coming up.
Click on My Computer and find any old Dial up Network connections there and right click them and click Delete. Then right click on the Internet Explorer icon and click Properties, Connections and make sure you have removed it from there. Now open Outlook Express, click Tools, Accounts, Mail and make sure it is removed from there.
Q. I bought Encyclopaedia Britannica on DVD but it wont play on my Pioneer DVD-ROM. I downloaded a fix from Pioneer but it has to be installed from MS-DOS. My Windows ME doesn't have MS-DOS !
A. You have to create a Startup disk as usual. Then start your machine with this in the drive. Elect to Start the Computer with CD-ROM support and follow the onscreen instructions to install the update from your download. I knew they would regret leaving out DOS - Ed. Actually you can still get to the old DOS C:\ prompt, even in XP, by going Start, Run, Command.
Q. How do I take emails (reinstate) out of the Deleted Folder in Outlook Express
A. You can just drag an email from the deleted folder back into the Inbox folder
Q. When I right click My Computer it still refers to a program I deleted ages ago.
A. This program is still listed in your Register. Microsoft used to offer a free program called Regclean which would have helped but this has caused problems with some Office programs and has been withdrawn. See Article KB 2899958 on www.microsoft.com Unless you are pretty confident you should just ignore it - as you can those uninstalled programs that hang about in Add/Remove Programs. If you are using Win 98 or ME you can run Scanreg. To restore the Register (if things go wrong), in Win 98 and ME, use Scanreg/Restore, which is a DOS program found in the Windows/Command/ folder.This is not included in Windows XP. There is an even more thorough Register cleaner that can be downloaded from www.easydesksoftware.com/moresoft.htm. but make sure it is suitable for your version of Windows
Q. I have bought a couple of games and they won't run. I get a message about the display.
A. If a program won't work because of a screen resolution problem, right click the desktop, Properties, Settings and adjust the colours. Most games need 256, or Hicolour or Trucolour. Whilst there, click on Advanced and make sure a monitor icon appears on your Taskbar, so you can change the resolution again if need be. If your graphics card or monitor are old you may not be able to change settings. You may even have to restart in 'Safe Mode' to be able to revert to the old settings because the screen has gone crazy.
Q. I have just added more memory to my PC but it is not being recognised
A. First, check your manual as to whether the memory chips should be in pairs - and which slots they should occupy. Secondly, go to the machine's BIOS as it starts up (probably by holding down the Del key). Check the memory, Save the Bios settings and exit. Now, check the memory again by going Start, Run, type Mem and press Enter.
Q. My computer freezes and I get the message that the system is low on resources. What am I doing any thing wrong
A. In Win 98 if you go Start, Run, RSRCMTR you should get a little green square bottom right. This will give you an idea of what percentage of your memory is free. You can then see what effect there is when you close some programs, though it is not possible to say what the lowest limit is. Often these programs are started up when you start the machine. Many are not needed and could be started just when required.
Q. How can I backup my e-mail messages in Outlook Express ?
A. Unfortunately, File, Export, Messages only works for import to a couple of Microsoft programs. The only thing you can do is find the files and copy them to your backup disk or hard disk. All of the files end in dbx. So, go Start, Find and enter dbx. Right click each one and click Copy. Go to you backup disk or folder and click Edit, Paste (or you can press Ctl + V). If you have lots of messages the file might be too big to go onto a floppy disk. Compressing them with Winzip may help. Try Msbackup for larger files.
Q. My PC has decided to start up with the dial-up dialogue box and will just sit there until I cancel or dial-up.
A. Right click the Internet Explorer icon, click Connections and then the 'Never dial a connection' button. I know it sounds ridiculous but that is what you have to do. If that doesn't work try Outlook Express, Tools, Options, General and in the section "If my computer is NOT on line... " change the option to "Do NOT connect".
Q. I tried to get into Safe Mode by pressing F8 on startup as you suggested (so I could do a fast 'defrag' ) and my machine just locked up.
A. Not all machines can use F8. The other way is to press the Ctrl key as the machine is starting.
Q. My Outlook Express closes down whenever I try to send mail.
A. It could be that your Outbox file is corrupt. Go Start, Find, Outbox.dbx. Right click and delete it. You will lose all messages from your Outbox but it may cure the problem. Outlook Express will create a new empty one next time you start it. If it doesn't help you can always restore the file from your Recycle bin. If it merely closes down after you have sent or received mail that is a setting which can be changed.
Q. I am getting big telephone bills, although my use is 'off peak'. I use Freeserve/Wanadoo. Should I change ISP ?
A. Freeserve/Wanadoo has one of the cheapest deals out. Go to 'Home Time' on their Web Page. You will be able to sign up for an £9.99 per month off-peak deal. Even their Anytime deal is only £13.99 a month (paid via your phone bill) Unfortunately it could also be that your computer has been hijacked by a phone dialler program. See here
Q. I have two machines and one of them doesn't have a floppy disk. How can I transfer a file from one to to the other? I have a CD re-writer but the CD is not recognised on the other machine.
A. Some re-writeable disks cannot be used on another PC. Use the cheaper CDROM type and 'close it off' with your CD writing software. Also there are ways to transfer files via the Serial, parallel or USB ports, providing you have the correct cable and software. Personally, I use a memory stick.
Q. Can you transfer AOL e-mails to Outlook Express ?
A. Although AOL e-mail Address book and Favourites are not compatible with Outlook Express you could always forward e-mails from one to the other. n.b. AOL has a program to do this (undeer development 07/05).
Q. How can I edit an incoming email on AOL ?. "Cut" or "delete" seems to remove the whole message.
A. Rather than Cut you should use Copy, open your word processor (I use Wordpad) and Paste it in.
Q. When copying a file from a C Drive onto a floppy and you receive the message which says the disc isn't big enough, what do you do to copy the rest of the file?
A. You can either use MSBACKUP and then RESTORE it to the other machine or use Winzip, which allows multiple floppy disks. www.winzip.com. If you can't find Msbackup you may need to get it from your Windows CD. Also people connect machines by cable and use a program such as Laplink. There are also utilities which will split a file into smaller pieces. Another way is to send the file to yourself over the net. Personally, I use a memory stick.
Q. How can I send the same message to everyone ?
A. The best way is to write the message to yourself and add everyone else's address as a BCC (Blind Copy). Then they will not see who else is getting it. But if you want to get personal you could write it, then select it, then click Edit, Copy. Go to send the letter to each person but start it with Dear (person's name), then press Ctl + V to Paste in the rest of the letter you just copied.
Q. How can I delete Favourites I don't want.
A. When you have the list showing (click Favorites in Internet Explorer), RIGHT click one and click delete. This applies to most Windows programs when you want to delete a selected item.
Q. My printer is printing everything black - even the colours
A. Go Start, Settings Printers and right click your printer and check that in Properties you printer is not set to print only black. While you are there check that it is set to print to A4 paper (not Letter, which is shorter)
Q. Disk Cleanup doesn't get rid of my 'cookies' . How can I do that ?
A. Cookies are kept in the C:\Windows \Cookies folder. They do not take up much space and most people leave them alone. But, if you would prefer to delete them use Windows Explorer to find them and delete them one by one or wholesale by clicking the first, holding down Shift, clicking the last then right clicking (and clicking Delete)
Q. How do I print pictures larger ?
A. I always import my pictures into my word processor. There I can put them where I want or stretch them to any size. I use Wordpro but any reasonable wordprocessor will do this. Windows XP has a superb print facility which is part of its graphics viewing program. This will print photos any size.
Q. I installed MS Messenger to talk to people abroad. They can hear me but I can't hear them. Any ideas?
A. I think your settings are alright but theirs are the problem. Their mike may be muted either in Messenger or in another sound program they are using. Or maybe they have plugged it in the wrong socket. It's easily done.
Q. How do I download a page and its pictures so I can look at it off-line ?
A. There are special off-line readers but Internet Explorer can help, too. When you find a page you like add it to your Favourites, then tick the Make available offline box. In Customize you will find the facility to make linked pages available off line, too. But you can click File, Save and put it in a folder. Its pictures will be in a separate folder. Just click on it to see it.
Q. My Outlook Express and Internet Explorer password isn't saving, although I click the box to save it.
A. Set the password permanently in Outlook Express (not Internet Explorer). Go Tools, Accounts and select your default Mail item, Properties, re-enter your password and click Remember Password. Click Apply.
Q. I seem to have lost the address line in my Internet Explorer
A. If you click on the word Address, which should still be visible, it will come back - and stay back. But most of the layout in IE is controllable from View/Layout
Q. How can I get a copy of radio broadcast into my machine.
A. You could connect your radio to your sound card by cable if it has an input socket or put the mike near the speaker. You need some sound recording software such as Sndrec32.exe (comes with Windows). I also recommend that you get the new MS Media Player 9. Media Player can play a wide variety of audio and video formats. These have to be added to a Media Library, a Playlist is then created and the Playlist can then be copied to a CD Writer.
Q. My Window 95/98/M.E. machine will not shut down.
A. This is a big subject as there can be many causes. Please go to http://support.microsoft.com/and search for the question for your particular version of Windows
Q. Defrag is not completing, saying a program is writing to your hard disk, even though I have cleared everything using Ctl+Alt+Del.
A. This is usually caused by something working in the background. Even a Screensaver can be the cause. But it can also be the result of a bad sector on the hard disk. So, you could start with a Thorough Scandisk - testing the surface. Try doing the Defrag from Safe Mode. If you use Windows 98 remove all programs from Startup by going Start, Run, Msconfig. In the General section click Selective Startup. Now untick Load Startup Group. Restart the machine and try Scandisk again. Later, go back and tick the Load Startup Group again but check under the Startup tab as to how many of these you really need. Alternatively get Diskeeper from www.computeractive.co.uk/download/1143637 Another possibility is Powerdefrag from E-technik. That closes your machine down, restarts it with no baclground programs running, defrags then reboots again.
A. Incidentally Defrag needs at least 15% free hard disk space to work properly. If you have large files, Defrag may not be able to shuffle things around well enough to do a good job.
Q. The taskbar has gone up to the side of my screen and sometimes appears much larger
A. You can put the taskbar anywhere you like by 'dragging' it. With the arrow on the taskbar hold the left button down and drag it back to the bottom. You may have to try a few times to get it back. If it is wider than normal 'hover' the mouse pointer over the upper edge of the taskbar until a double ended arrow appears and drag it back down to normal size.
Q. Can I delete old emails in bulk ?
A. In Outlook Express you can open any folder (including 'Deleted'), click on the top message, hold shift down and click on the bottom one. Then hit Delete. Just like you can in Windows Explorer. Another way is to click Edit and empty the Deleted folder or use select all and Delete
Q. I received some mail since then every time I go to my mail 40 to 50 come in from other people, all complaining about getting mail wrongly addressed. Could you advise me how to stop this.
A. I fear you have contracted the dreaded KakVirus. See the links on my Page 13 to clear this and install Internet Explorer 6 (see cover disks), which has a bug fix preventing further infection.
Q. I am having problems with Outlook Express. It says a file is missing
A. Time to upgrade to Internet Explorer 6.0 (includes Outlook Express) Get it off cover disks - because it takes 75 Mb (although you can delete half of this from the Windows /Temp folder afterwards). You do not have to backup your Favourites and E-mail addresses now, as it transfers them. If you already have 6.0 try clicking it in Add/Remove Programs and try Repair.
Q. My graphic files open with a certain program. I would prefer them to open with a different one.
A. Find a graphic using Windows Explorer. In Win 95/98 hold down Shift and right click it. Click Open with and select the new program from the list. Tick 'Always use this program'. In XP you don't need to hold down shift
Q. I deleted a program but it still show up in Add/Remove programs list. How can I get rid of it
A. You might try reinstalling the program and Uninstalling it correctly (don't just delete the folder) But if you really want to know where this list is kept it is deep down in the Register. Go Start, Run, Regedit. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\Microsoft\Windows\Currentversion\Uninstall. Remove the offending folder from there and then Exit the Register. It is a good idea to File\Export the Register first.
Q. I can't view a picture sent to me as an attachment.
A. There are a number of photo type programs on Cover Disks - see page 17. Or, if you can use the free Picasa program. But see also the Answer above about file types. You will also find that Internet Explorer will enable you to view many types - start it, go File, Open, change the file type from HTML to jpg or gif etc, then click Browse to change to the folder where the graphic is and click on it
Q. How do I add a site to my Favourites using Internet Explorer ?
A. When you are in the site click on Favourites. A column will appear on the left with a list of Favorites. Just click Add. To close the column click the X. By the way, you can drag favourite Favourites to the top of the list or you can put them in order with Start, Favourites, right click, Sort.
Q. Can I get faxes sent to my email address ?
A. If you go to www.efax.com you can get a free telephone number. If people send faxes to that number they will be forwarded to your e-mail address. It does work but there is a charge after the free trial.
Q. I changed my printer to Landscape and can't get it back to Portrait.
A. Go Start, Settings, Printers. Right click your printer, click Properties and make sure the Portrait button is selected
Q. How do I clear Read Only files.
A. The Read Only attribute can be changed by right clicking the file (in Windows Explorer) and looking at its Properties
Q. How do I reduce the list of previous contacts in Internet Explorer.
A. Right click IE, Properties, Clear History. Or reduce the time they are kept to fewer days
Q. I have changed ISP but am still being sent to the home page of my old ISP
A. You can enter any address you like in Internet Explorer: Right click the IE icon on the desktop, go to Properties and enter the full address - you can even go directly to http://www.silverhairs.co.uk ! You can also open a favourite page and whilst on line click on Use Current on the same IE Properties screen.
Q. How do I print the screen like I used to be able to in DOS and old Windows ?
A. Press Print Screen as before but now go to an application, such as your Word Processor and press Ctl + V to paste it in. If you want to capture just a window press Alt as well as Printscreen to capture it.
Q. I seem to have lost the scrollbar in my Outlook Express
Q. My Outlook Express screen looks very different from one I saw in a Cyber Cafe
Q. I have lost 'folders' from my Outlook Express screen
A. See View, Layout. Experiment with these until you get the look you like. You can always use Reset to return to an earlier view. Also look at View,Toolbars, Customize when you have started New Mail
Q: I want to put a graphic of my dog on my screen as a background
A: In Win 95/98 & XP having scanned the picture, save it as a Bitmap e.g. Poodle.bmp. Save it in the Windows directory. Now go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, Display and select that file. In Windows ME/XP it is easier to add a JPG file as background. Tip : If you want to change the screen background or screen saver etc a lot just 'drag' the Display icon onto your desktop. For a range a nice background pictures go to www.webshots.com You can even upload your favourite original photos for people to download.
Q: My father (87) can't get used to the mouse, double clicking etc.
A: Get him to play Solitaire! Good for double clicking and 'dragging' But it is also possible to make your mouse work with a single click. Go My Computer, View, Folder Options and click on Web Style. Also you can experiment with mouse speeds by Start, Settings, Control Panel, Mouse. Many commands can also be carried out using Alt and the underlined letter or shift and arrow keys (for selecting text). Also, for arthritic hands and arm mobility problems you may find that a ball type mouse is better. There are some large ones. Also, have a look at Accessibility in Start/Settings/Control Panel/ You can try 'Sticky keys' or change the repeat rate of the keys and prevent unintentional double keying. For sticky keys try pressing the shift key five times. Lastly, you will find that if you click an icon and press the Enter key it will load the program.
Q: How do I Copy and Paste things ?
A: Select a section of text or a picture by dragging the mouse across it. Go Edit, Copy. When you go to another program (or even the same one) go Edit, Paste. This applies to every Windows program. I find that the shortcut keys (CTL+C and CTL+V )are very useful here. You can also 'drag' selected text from one place to another. Or, if you want to make a copy, hold Shift whilst you drag.

Other helpful sites you may wish to try :

Spyware and Anti-virus Programs http://www.askbobrankin.com/ http://forums.computeractive.co.uk www.uktsupport.co.uk www.helponthe.net www.netsquirrel.com www.help.com www.askmehelpdesk.com (good for beginners) www.5starsupport.com www.irvings-info-page.cityslide.com www.newbieclub.com, http://home.about.com, www.techsupportguy.com, www.allexperts.com, www.helpwithpcs.com, www.pctechguide.com www.freehelp.com, www.howstuffworks.com, Realpchelp.com, www.buildeasypc.com, www.pcpitstop.com (Pcworld); this last site will give you a health check of your computer, as will McAfee's Clinic (free 2 week trial) www. mcafee.com. http://www.adwarekillers.com/ specialises in spyware removal. But first, if you have Windows 98, try using the System File Checker (SFC.exe). See Help, (Windows key + F1), Index, System Files, Checking for Errors. You will probably need your Windows disk and point the Browser at d:/win98. Microsoft problems (most of them) may be resolved by searching the Knowledge Base of their site at http://search.microsoft.com/ (In Win 98 click on Help whilst on line) Another VERY useful resource similar to (but even bigger and better than) Silverhairs is www.barrett.net http://www.v-com.com/product/fi_ind.html (was Ontrack) and www.symantec.com both produce excellent System Suites and may be worth buying to give your machine a general check-up.

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