FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 246 (18/01/01)
Q
Recently I have been sent
a couple of very large emails, which I have found impossible to download.
Before completion the connection has been terminated with the error message
using the phrase 'timed out'. When this happens a logjam is created making it
impossible to receive any subsequent messages. The only solution, thus far, has
been to get my server to delete the offending message, which, of course, means
I never get to see it! No one
seems able to explain why it happens nor how it might be remedied.
Henry
Bristow
A
If you are going on-line
at peak periods it is possible your connection is timing out. Check to see if
there are long periods of inactivity by watching the modem icon in the System
tray (next to the clock on the Task Bar), which flashes on and off to show that
data is being sent and received. You can increase the timeout by right clicking
on My Computer, select Properties and the Device Manager tab. Click on Modems
and select your from the list. Click Properties and select the Connection tab
and deselect of change the setting 'Disconnect a call if idle…' setting.
Contact your ISP to find out if there are any limits on the size of the emails
or attachments. If so you will have to alert anyone likely to be sending you
large emails, or change to a new ISP. You can instruct Outlook Express not to
download emails over a particular size limit. Go to Message Rules on the Tools
menu, click Mail, then New and under 'Select the Conditions for your Rule'
check the box 'Where message size is
more than size', then in the Rule Description box click on Rule and set your
size limit.
Q
My computer boots up overnight automatically about
three times each week, without me, or anyone else, being anywhere near it! The
screen always shows the awaiting password dialogue box. But the fact is that
the machine starts by itself! I could not believe this at first but I assure
you that this is happening, as I said, about three times each week. Can you
assist with a comforting explanation?
Dan Blunt
Possession by malevolent spirits is a possibility
but the most likely explanation is that your computer has been set to switch
itself on when the phone rings. In fact the phone doesn't even have to ring, BT
routinely tests every phone line and this brief nightly interrogation of your
apparatus can be enough to trigger a function called 'wake up on modem ring'.
This can be switched off, though the option moves about a bit, depending on the
version of Windows that you are using, the type of PC motherboard and your
modem driver software. The first place to look is in the PC's BIOS (basic input
output system), a program that configures the machine at switch on. It can be
accessed immediately after switch on by pressing a key, look for a message that
says something like ' to enter setup press XX'. When the menu appears look for
a command in the Power Management menu. The other place to look is in your
modem's 'Properties', which you can access by right clicking on its entry in
Device Manager (see previous question)
Q
Can you explain the
message that came up as I started up my laptop and the steps I should take to
remedy the problem? The message reads as follows "Terminating thread due
to a stack overflow problem. A VxD, possibly recently installed, has consumed
too much stack space. Increase the settings of 'Min SP's in System.INI or
remove recently installed VxD's. There are currently 5 SPs allocated".
Serge
Blonsky
A
During boot up Windows
sets aside several 4-kilobyte chunks of memory called stack pages, which it
uses if it runs out of memory whilst loading device drivers. Normally Windows
allocates 2 stack pages, at some point your system has increased the number to
5 but this obviously still isn’t enough, and you are being asked to add some more;
fortunately it's quite easy to do. Use Notepad to open the System.ini file,
which you will find in the Windows directory (remember to change Files of Type
to 'All Files'). Scroll down the list to the heading ‘[386Enh]'
and at the end of that section add the line 'MinSPs=8' (minus the quote marks),
save, exit and reboot. If you need to increase the number of stack pages
further you should do it in multiples of 4.
Q
How do I record from the Internet? If radio is
being broadcast live on the Internet, e.g. a Radio 4 programme, can I set up my
PC to record it in some way for later playback? Ideally I'd like it in a medium
I can play in the car. Would I be able to set the PC to record when my
favourite programme comes on?
Michael Kaltz
A
I am assuming
that for one reason or another you cannot receive Radio 4 by conventional
means, in which case the simplest and most direct method is to connect an audio
tape recorder to the sound output socket of your PC, and use a plug-in mains
timer to switch the tape recorder on and off at the appropriate times (cheaper
models with mechanical deck mechanisms can be left switched off in record
mode), for a more sophisticated solution use a mini hi-fi systems with a
built-in record timer. You can record sound on the PC's hard disc drive, a
utility called Total Recorder will record any sounds made by or passing through
your PC and it has a built-in timer. However, you will still have to make a
copy of the recording on cassette tape, if you want to hear it on your car
stereo. You can download a trial version of Total Recorder from: http://www.highcriteria.com/products.htm.
Q
I enjoyed the Boot Camp
article on calendars, and it set me thinking about historical calendars. One
of my retirement hobbies is local history research and wherever possible I like
to fix a day of the week to match the date of an event. It is fairly
straightforward from the time the Gregorian calendar was introduced in Great
Britain in September 1752 but for the centuries before that it is difficult.
There are formulae for the purpose but mistakes are easily made. Are there any
sites on the net that can provide calendars for the years before 1752 or
software that can be downloaded to make the task easier?
Barry Redfern
A.
There are
several on-line date calculators, configured for various types of calendar; the
following sites also have useful links to other calendar resources:
www.wallandbinkley.com/mcc/mcc_main.html
www.lieberknecht.de/~prg/calendar.htm
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