FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  208 (20/04/00)

NASTY INFECTION

At start-up I receive the toolbar message ‘Driver Memory Error’ followed by a screen warning saying ‘Registry Editor - Cannot import C:\Windows\kak.reg’. I have tried scandisk to no avail. One suggestion from Compaq was that it was a program that needed uninstalling. I have hunted through Add/Remove programmes but found no odd ones. There is no indication from the message what file it could be. In any event, how does this affect the memory, what is a kak.reg file and how do I solve it?

R. Applewhite

You have been infected by an extremely virulent JavaScript virus or ‘worm’ called ‘Kak’, which exploits a security loophole in Outlook Express version 5. It gets onto your machine though an email message -- you only have to open the infected email for it to load -- and once present attaches itself to outgoing emails. Although not as destructive as some other viruses it can upset printer operations in OE5 and interfere with other settings, as well as generating the bogus memory error messages you are seeing. Fortunately it can be easily removed, and there’s a self-installing patch to stop it happening again on the Microsoft web site at: http://www.microsoft.com

/technet/security/bulletin/ms99-032.asp

For more information of what the virus does, and how to disinfect your PC visit: http://www.datafellows.com/v-descs/kak.htm

SWAP STOP

While browsing through the various files and folders on my system I have noticed that there is a file within Windows 95 called Win386.swp, which is growing in size all the time. There does not appear to be any obvious way of opening this file. What is it for, what is in there and can it be accessed? Is it OK just to let it grow and grow or should there be some sort of limit as to how big it gets?

Peter Porrett

This is the Windows Swapfile or ‘virtual memory’, it’s an area on your hard disc drive that Windows uses to temporarily store files and data used by Windows and running applications. It grows and shrinks all of the time, you can alter the size of the file and set limits but it’s a good idea to leave it alone and allow Windows to manage it, according to the amount of free hard disc space on your machine. The option to change the settings can be found by right-clicking on My Computer, select Properties, then the Performance tab and click on Virtual Memory.

TIME THEORY

I saw the question in F!F!F! (April 6th) regarding files that were apparently created some time in the future and while I am no expert this might be a possible solution. If the reader carried out any Y2K testing last year, he might well have set the system clock to some date in the future to see what would happen when the machine passed the dreaded 31st December 1999/1st January 2000 threshold. If he had then forgotten to reset the clock any newly created files would show an incorrect date.
Rolston Holas

That sounds more plausible than our temporal rift theory, and those from several other readers who wondered if the PC in question was a ‘Time’ machine…

SCAN PLAN

My problem is with ScanDisk, both the Standard and Thorough tests. I find that it gets to about 50%, goes back to the beginning and starts again. This is repeated several times. If I let it continue, the following notice appears on the screen: ‘Scan Disk has restarted 10 times because Windows, or another program has been writing to the drive’. To my knowledge from looking at the Desktop, no other programs are operating.

Frank Harman.

There has to be one or more programs still running in the background, the most likely ones are a screensaver or a virus scanner. Disable both and if that doesn’t work press Crtl + Alt + Delete once, to open the Close Program dialogue box, and use End Task to close everything except Explorer and Systray, then try again. If all else fails you can try the DOS Scandisk utility on your Emergency Start Up disc. Boot up from the disc and type ‘Scandisk c:’ at the A: prompt and press Enter.

SOUNDS BORING

I use a number of Windows sound schemes but after several days with one of them, it gets tedious and I need to go into Control Panel etc. to change it.  Is there any way to set up the computer so that each time it is booted up, it chooses a sound scheme at random or works through a play list? 
D. Thornton

We have found two programs that might be of interest. MiniWare Theme Randomizer 2000 automatically changes screen savers, desktop themes and sounds, and Switcheroo 1.0, which randomises Windows sounds. Both are shareware and can be downloaded from: http://download.cnet.com/

BANK ON IT!

I would appreciate your advice on a problem, which presumably affects a large number of computer users. My Packard Bell PC, purchased in late-1994, is fine for word processing and Internet access but I have been de-banked. Barclays’ new home banking system only works with the later versions of Explorer, which need Windows 95 or later. I am happily using Windows 3.1. The question is, what upgrades will I need to make to my 50 MHz PC with 20 MB of RAM and a 250 Mb hard disc to allow it to accommodate later Windows, and what will they cost? Some say I should throw it in a skip and buy a new one, but I regard a life of only five years for a £1,200 piece of equipment as distressingly short -- even cars and washing machines hold their value better than that!

Martin Quinlan

Five years, you’ve done well! Unfortunately that’s the price we pay for the many worthwhile advances in computer technology. If you were to try and upgrade your PC to anything like a decent spec all that would remain is the case, keyboard and mouse, and the amount you would have to spend on new components and software would probably be more than a new machine. The only consolation is that a new Windows 98 PC will cost you considerably less than £1200; if you shop around and buy mail order you should be able to get a cracking machine for less than £700 that should last you another 3 to 5 years. Don’t throw your old PC away there are many organisations who can make good use of obsolete equipment, donate it to a local charity shop or contact CRAFT in Aberystwyth on (01970) 626523.