|
FAQS!
FACTS! FAX! 206 (06/04/00)
SOUNDS
DIFFICULT…
Thanks for the info on creating sound .wav files from a CD
(F!F!F! March 23rd). I made the .wav file OK and put it on my hard
drive. The question is, how do I play it back? I get utter
silence when I try.
Ian M. Charteris
Following your advice to David Flower for recording
from an audio CD, I tried it, but my Sound Recorder records for 60 seconds
only! If I click record again it appends the rest on a track. That’s no good is
it? How do you adjust the default recording? I've scanned the registry
but seen no obvious time setting.
Brian
Ellison
Several
readers had difficulty with this tip and special thanks to David Fowler– the
sender of the original query -- who became a sort of unofficial clearing house
for other readers who couldn’t get it to work. Thanks also to everyone else who
wrote in with solutions and advice. It appears that on some versions of Windows
98, or for reasons that we’re not entirely sure about, the option to record
from CD is disabled. To enable it open Sound Recorder, select Audio Properties
on the Edit menu, click on the Recording icon (the one with a microphone) to
bring up the Recording Control window, put a tick into the check box under CD Audio
and make sure the level slider isn’t set to zero, about halfway should be
sufficient or you can experiment with the level when making a recording.
The
60-second time limit on Sound Recorder is an old favourite. To extend recording
time you need to create a large empty file, which you can use for recording. So
make a blank recording, save it and call it ‘blank’. Now go to in Insert File
on the Edit menu, select blank.wav and make a new recording, this time the
length will increase to 2 minutes; repeat the process as many times as
necessary to get the length you need. You might want to make a couple of copies
of your blank.wav file, for later use. When you’re ready select Open on the
File menu, choose blank.wav and make your recording.
NEW BOTHER
STARTS PUZZLE
I am wondering if you can tell me why a friend with
an Apple PC sometimes receives her E-mail punctuated at frequent intervals with
the letters nbsp. I
now use Plain Text when E-mailing her and it seems to solve the problem but we
wonder what the letters nbsp stand
for? Here are my suggestions:
Not Bad shows Promise
Never Believe Slick Propaganda
Never Buy Soggy Pancakes
Nude Bathers Sent Packing
Joy McCormick
We’ve had one or two like that. We
can tell you what it is but we’re not exactly sure how it gets there. It’s a
hypertext mark-up language (HTML) command – usually preceded by an ampersand,
i.e.  . It stands for no-break space and is what’s known as a
‘character entity’. It’s used on web pages in place of a normal space, to stop
browsers inserting a line break in text. If anyone has a rational explanation
-- preferably in English -- we’d like to know…
DIMINUTIVE DISCS
I am a student and I am completing a project whereby I have to produce an
ILU (Independent Learning Unit), on a CD-ROM. I would like to put this ILU
on to an 8 cm (3.25-inch) diameter disc. I have seen CDs of this size and I
have some examples, however I cannot find a source.
David Maynard
We rang several manufacturers and distributors and
drew a blank (excuse the pun). They certainly used to be available, TDK made
several sizes up until a couple of years ago, but they stopped making them due
to lack of demand. One manufacturer (Memorex) told us they could still be
obtained on special order, but you would need to buy them in quantity, if
anyone can help David please let us know.
DOS DIRECTORY
Thanks for the Boot Camp articles on
MS-DOS, but where can I find a list of the available commands? Help is only of
help if you already know what the command is. There must be a list hidden away
somewhere in the system!
Willie
Whybray
There used to be on earlier versions of MS-DOS but a
lot of useful things like that were stripped out when DOS was integrated into
Windows 95. However, you’ll find a complete list of commands, what they do and
how to use them at:
http://www.easydos.com
/dosindex.html
BUYER BEWARE
Working
on the theory that everything in America is at least half the price of ‘rip-off Britain’, I was thinking of buying a laptop when we visit the States later this year. My only concern is with the power supply. Will this
cause me any problems when I bring it back to the UK?
Steve O'Malley
US
laptop prices are certainly a little cheaper than the UK, but not by much. On
most goods brought into the UK, costing more than the £145 gift allowance you
have to pay VAT and import duty but currently this does not apply to computers
or peripherals, even so have a look at the Customs and Excise web site for the
latest information before you leave at:
http://www.hmce.gov.uk
/public/advice/index.htm
Mains
chargers for laptops are unlikely to be a problem since most models work over a
wide voltage range (typically 100 to 240 volts AC 50/60Hz), but check first.
However, there are other problems. To start with you’re unlikely to find a
model with a UK keyboard, so there won’t be a ‘£’ sign though you can easily
reconfigure the layout in Windows. The more serious problem is with the
warranty, it is unlikely the UK division of the manufacturer – if they have a
branch here – will support the guarantee as it would be classified as a ‘grey
import’, and spare parts such as batteries etc. may be difficult to obtain
here.
CLICK
CHARGE
My ISP is BT Click which charges 1p per minute in
off-peak periods. A friend told me that when one accesses certain web
sites an extra levy is charged, though one is not informed of this when
accessing the site and the extra charge is not itemised in one's
account. Is this true?
Michael Robinson
No.
IT
FAQ OK?
Is
there a website of Acronyms?
Joe
Holden
There are lots of them, try:
http://www.acronyms.ch/
http://homepages.enterprise.net
/jenko/Glossary/G.htm
And if you want some alternative explanations for PC jargon have a look
at:
http://www.gotjokes.net/computer_jokes
/computeracronyms.html
THOSE **** BLEEPS…
For some time now I have been trying to get rid of those irritating beeps
heard as Windows 98 is starting up. I have the sound turned down everywhere I
can find, but to no avail.
Andy Skarstein
Those bleeps are there to help you. They are part of the Power On Self
Test (POST) routine conducted by the PC’s BIOS (Basic Input Output System)
program that checks the hardware on your machine, prior to loading Windows. If
you hear more than one bleep there’s usually something wrong! You can’t turn
the beeps off because they’re heard through the PC’s internal speaker (unless
you disconnect it, but that would be inadvisable). There’s a good explanation
of what they mean, covering most popular makes of BIOS at:
http://www.pchell.com
/hardware/beepcodes.shtml
IMMOVEABLE ICONS
The problem with moving icons on the desktop (F!F!F! March 23rd) has been
repeated many times when my grandchildren visit and use my computer. I found a
cure in a small shareware programme called EzDesk. This enables you to store
the resolution of the screen and the position of icons, and reset the screen
after they have been rearranged. An evaluation copy may be downloaded at http://users.aol.com/EzDesk95.
Gerald Singer
Thanks for the tip.
|
