FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  209 (27/04/00)

SHOWING RESULTS

Excel provides an ideal solution to W. V. Holden's query about a program for garden shows (F!F!F! April 13th) and any other kind of competition or event. Set up the spreadsheet with a list of numbers (1, 2, 3 etc.,) in column A.  It is advisable to start with No.1 in row 3 or 4 since row 1 may be used for the overall heading and 2 or 3 for column headings. Column B or both B & C can be used for names and additional details. Then take one column for each category e.g. cucumbers, roses, apples, etc. The last column will then be the total points.  Use either the AutoSum button or enter the appropriate formula, e.g. =SUM(F4:J4) and copy the formula down all the rows.  After entering all data, the final numbers of points are shown against each name.

To rank the results select all data to be sorted (but not the far left column with the listed numbers), either by selecting the top left column to be sorted and holding down the left mouse button until all are sorted, or by selecting the top left column and pressing Ctrl + Shift + End. Click on the menu item Data, then on Sort. There is then the option to select the column - here the column with the final scores - and select ascending or, probably, descending order.
After saving to disk and/or printing the file, all data including column A can again be selected and the sort command used for column B (or whatever) to produce an alphabetical list. The numbers in column A must each be entered individually; if they are generated automatically (e.g. =A4+1) they will not sort but remain as they were.  That way the alphabetical list will have each place beside the participant's name. Be careful to select all columns to be sorted.  Data in columns not selected will remain in the same place, so will usually not relate to the rest of the data in that line.
Frank Dowling

I was intrigued with the request for information about a flower show results program as I set my undergraduate students such a task as part of their coursework this term on a Business Information Technology Module. It occurs to me that one of my more enterprising students is seeking some help but perhaps I am getting old and cynical.

John Hooton

Perish the thought! Thanks to Frank Dowling and everyone who wrote in with ideas and several readers who said they were writing programs for this application, we look forward to seeing them.

MOUNTING TENSION

Could tell me whether I can mount a 3.5 inch hard drive (to be used as a second hard drive), in a 5.25 inch mounting as I have no free 3.5 inch spaces left inside my PC. I don't seem to be able to find a spare power connector in the jumble of wires in my PC, is there any way that the power connector can be split or another one added?
R Stewart

The answer to both questions is yes. You need a drive bay adaptor kit, obtainable from most PC specialists for a few pounds or in case of difficulty from Maplin Electronics, (part no. ZG43W, HD fixing kit), it costs £3.99.  If you haven’t got a spare power plug you will need a ‘Y’ adaptor cable, again they are readily available, and from Maplin (part no. DG43W) for £2.99. Maplin’s sales line is 0870 264 6000 or you can order on-line at: www.maplin.co.uk

BETTER BOOT

Thank you for your ‘Quick DOS’ tip (F!F!F! April 13th) which entailed modifying the msdos.sys file. Some time ago you showed how to alter this file to delay boot up to give the opportunity to select DOS or Safe Mode or whatever. I think this was by changing the line BootGui=1, could you kindly re-enlighten me before I start tinkering?

Paul M. James

The tweak you’re referring to was a Boot Camp Tip of the Week some time ago, it halts the boot-up sequence for a few seconds, displays the Windows Start Up menu – with options to go to the DOS command prompt or Safe Mode -- before continuing to load Windows. As before you need to open msdos.sys with Notepad (make sure its Read-Only attribute has been disabled by right clicking on the file in Windows Explorer) and under the heading ‘Options’ enter the following three lines:

BootMenu=1

BootMenuDefault=1

BootMenuDelay=xx

Note that there are no spaces and that ‘xx’ in the third line is the delay in seconds; try 10 seconds to begin with.

WICKETWARE? 

Is there a program available to prepare cricket averages in the forthcoming season?

Donald Oates

Another job for Excel, or possibly someone has written a program, your suggestions please.

TAKEN TO TASK

I usually manage to overcome my computer's idiosyncrasies but some are beyond me. The most irritating at present is that the task bar has suddenly doubled in height so I constantly have to push documents upwards to expose the bottom (well, you know what I mean!)…

Linda Wain 

You can easily resize the taskbar by carefully positioning the mouse pointer along the top edge of the bar, so that it turns into a double arrow symbol, click and hold the left mouse button and ‘drag’ the top edge to your preferred height. If you click and hold in an empty part of the Taskbar you can drag it to any of the other three sides of the screen. Better still, go to Start > Settings > Taskbar and Start Menu and check the item ‘Auto Hide’, which will make the Taskbar disappear and free up valuable screen space, until the mouse pointer is over it.

SCROLL CALL

There was me thinking I was pretty good with a computer and software, when something happens in Word 97 that I cannot resolve.  I don't know how, but I have lost the use of the scrolling bar (it usually appears on the right hand side of the screen), it has just disappeared and I cannot find it anywhere! Could you please tell me how I can get it back and, if possible, how I could have lost it in the first place.
Carl Miller

At some stage you or someone else must have gone to Options on the Tools menu, selected the View tab, and unchecked the item ‘Vertical Scroll Bar.

RESOLUTION SOLUTION

On my computer's " Display Properties " screen the " Screen area " control is stuck on 640 by 480 pixels. When I try to increase this by pressing the control with the mouse cursor, the slider control changes colour from grey to white, but it will not move up the scale to follow the cursor's movement from left to right. How can I fix this to enable me to have control of the screen resolution?

Charles Hill

A missing or corrupted driver usually causes this. Here are a few things to check. Right Click on My Computer, select Properties and the Device Manager tab. Click the plus sign next to Display Adapters and make sure the correct one is listed. Right click on it, select Properties, the General tab will show if it is working correctly. If you are uncertain select the Driver tab and click on the Update Driver button and follow the instructions. Return to Device Manager and make sure the entry under Monitors is also correct.