FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  255 (23/03/01)

Q

Having recently bought a digital still camera I was amazed how easy it is to view my new images on my TV. Sadly the 'honeymoon' ended when the camera memory filled and I had to free-up space for more images. Those initial shots are now JPEG files on hard drive (backed-up to CD-R) but are no longer viewable in my living room. Although my PC has a TV output, it is on a different floor making cable connection impractical. I have been looking at domestic DVD players but see no evidence that they can handle still images. I have an old P90 PC and wonder if adding a TV card would enable me to play still images on TV?

Clifford Jackson

A

Video cards with TV output are readily available but they require a PCI or AGP connector, which your PC is unlikely to have. An alternative solution would be to buy another memory card for your camera, preferably one with a large capacity, and use that for images that you want to view on your TV. The file management software supplied with your camera should allow you to download stored images from the PC onto the card, or you can use a plug-in card-reader module or floppy disc/PC Card adaptor – depending on the type of card you are using.

Q

I have a Windows 98 PC with Office 2000 software. When I try to close any program a message appears on screen saying a "Fatal exception OE has occurred at 0028:c16000A3.... it may be possible for you to continue, press any key to continue". When a key is pressed the PC freezes and I have to switch it off. I have had everything reinstalled on my PC and the hardware checked but to no avail. Can you suggest a cause?

Hava Sacha

A

Fatal exception errors are often hardware related and more often than not caused by faulty RAM memory cards. Sometimes it is possible to resolve the problem by changing BIOS settings but it's usually easier and quicker to replace the errant module. It's not a difficult job but it's not something you should tackle yourself if you've never delved into the innards of your PC.

Q

Is it possible to delete all the forwarded names from the top of an email and keep the main email content for future reference or is it possible to transfer it to Microsoft Word then delete in the usual way.

Hazel Simpson

A

If you just want to re-use the text contained in an email message, highlight it then press Ctrl + C and this will copy it to the Windows Clipboard. From there you can paste it into an email message window, or any other application, including an open word processor document, using the program's paste command or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V.

Q

I want to use the Print Screen key on my keyboard but see that printed on its side is "Sys. Req.  What additional software do I need?
Stan Dixey, Plymouth

A

Pressing the Print Screen key takes a snapshot of whatever is on the screen at the time, creating a bitmap image file, which is sent to the Windows Clipboard. (Pressing Alt + Print Screen captures just the active window). The image can be viewed in any graphics program, including Windows Paint, or pasted into an open word processor document. Incidentally 'Sys Req' or System Request is a hangover from the very early days of PCs, and was used to call up a menu of commands.

Q

My mouse is so sensitive that it has become almost impossible to use when trying to double click on items. I have lowered the 'double click' speed to minimum in Control Panel, but the improvement is marginal. Is there any other form of adjustment possible, and should I try to reload in the mouse software?
Jeremy Wright, Cholsey

A

If your mouse is getting on a bit or has been well used then it's possible that the button switch has become intermittent. Try changing the button configuration (Control Panel > Mouse, Buttons tab), to swap the left and right button functions; if normal sensitivity is restored you need a new mouse.

Q

The problem described in F!F!F! of 8th March reminded me of how I used to cope with foreign language characters in writing up my homework when I was doing French and Spanish classes. Rather than using the Character Map I installed keyboard support for these languages (Settings/Control
Panel/Keyboard/Language). Using a chosen key combination (Ctrl+Shift works fine) one can then toggle between languages, the language in effect being indicated in the status bar. The remaining problem is to know which key produces what character. I printed out the keyboard characters in the form of a table for reference but the most common ones are é, è, à, ç using 2, 7, 0, 9 on the UK keyboard. Circumflex accents are selected using [ (left
square bracket) followed by the letter, e.g. â, ê, î, ô, û.H.L.Rose

An easier way of inserting foreign letters is by holding Alt down and typing an appropriate number on the Num Pad. For example: Alt1 + 131 gives 'â',

160      á            132            ä            133            à            134            å

142      Ä            143            Å            130            é            136            ê

137      ë            138            è            144            É            147            ô

148      ö            149            ò            153            Ö            162            ó

212      È            135            ç            129            ü            155            ø

151      ù

Eric Wimbles, eric.wimbles@lineone.net

A

Thanks for those suggestions, incidentally for the Alt + number trick to work you have to press the Num Lock key