FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  268 (21/06/01)

Q

I am furious! I have Quick Time Player on my Windows 98 computer and everything has been fine until they sent something online – not requested - which has changed every single .jpeg; .gif and .bmp file I have, to now show a Quick Time icon. Every program I now run, from Paint to my web page shows a Quick Time icon on a media file. To view any photo or drawing I now get it in a Quick Time skin. I see this as an invasion to my personal choices on my computer, how dare they! I want my choices back, can you please help. Once changed back I am dumping Quick Time, I will not tolerate such bullying, underhand and sneaky tactics.
Marion Negus

A

You're not happy, are you, but I know what you mean. It's a bit like someone coming into your home and rearranging the furniture; this kind of roguish behaviour by some programs is high on the list of many PC users annoyances… Fortunately the solution is reasonably straightforward. There are several shareware utilities, like 'Associate' (http://www.alberts.com/authorpages/

00005515/prod_556s.htm), which simplifies the process of file changing associations, but it's really not that difficult to do manually. Open Windows Explorer highlight a file you want to change, hold down the Shift key, right-click on it and select 'Open With…' from the drop-down menu. Scroll down the list of applications and choose the program you want to open that type of file, select it, put a tick in the 'Always use this program to open this type of file' checkbox and click OK. You can change the icons by highlighting a file in Explorer, go to the View menu then Folder Options and the File Types tab. Scroll down the list to find the appropriate extension, highlight it, click the Edit button and then the Change Icon button, make your change and exit.

Q

How do you enable/disable the 'splash screen' when a program starts, especially Internet Explorer? Does it involve altering the Registry?

Guy Waterfield

A

Go immediately to David Yates' most informative web site (http://www.dgyates.demon.co.uk/splash.htm) entitled 'Splash Screens. Why I hate them and how you can get rid of them'. There you will find splash screen elimination details for more than a dozen popular applications, including Internet Explorer. The following sites are also worth perusing for alternative solutions:

http://support.microsoft.com/

support/kb/articles/Q175/3/74.ASP

http://www.jsware.net/jsware/tweakr.html

Q

I have a virus in C\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\Wintask.exe. Norton AntiVirus has quarantined this file, which it tells me to delete and reinstall. Is wintask.exe important or can I just delete it? The fact that it has been quarantined does not seem to affect my computer. 

J. S.Moss, Hebden Bridge

A.

Your PC has been fallen victim to the 'Navidad' virus, also known as 'Emanuel'. Freeware disinfection utilities and full instructions can be found at the following web site: http://www.pandasoftware.es/library/

gusano/W32NavidadB_EN_2.htm.

Q

How do I delete The Favorites folder? I never use it and it clutters up the Start menu. Trying to delete it using Explorer results in a message about how Windows will fall over and die without it, but I find that hard to believe. It won't even let me change the name to the British spelling; a piece of petty Microsoft tyranny that for some reason annoys me as much as their predilection for adding "My" in front of otherwise sensible designations like "Documents" or "Computer". I tried deleting it from MS-DOS, but after warning that all the files in the directory will be lost it reports "File not found" and deletes nothing. Help!

Alan Donnelly

A

It can be done but it involves editing the Registry, which you should not attempt unless you know what you are doing, have made a backup and promise not to blame me if anything goes wrong... Open Regedit and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\

CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. Right-click in the right pane, select New then Binary Value and rename it 'NoFavoritesMenu' (minus the quotes of course), hit Enter twice and in the Edit Binary Value dialogue box that appears, enter the value '01 00 00 00'. Click OK, close Regedit and reboot. If at some stage you want to reinstate the Favorites menu change the Binary Value to 00 00 00 00 and it'll be recreated after a reboot.

Q

I have a number of programs that load automatically when Windows starts up. They are not listed in the StartUp folder of the Start/Programs menu.  Can you tell me how I can stop them loading?

Chris Larmer

A

In addition to the Startup folder programs can also be loaded automatically by the Registry and commands in system files. The Registry is off-limits for most users, but providing are using Windows 98 and ME, (sorry Win 95 users…) you can easily stop programs loading. Go to Run on the Start menu and type 'msconfig' to open the Windows Configuration utility. You'll find most of the programs that start with Windows listed on the Startup tab, and they can be disabled using the checkboxes. You might also want to have a look through the listings on the Config.sys, Autoexec.bat, System.ini and Win.ini tabs, but make a note of any changes that you make, in case the PC starts acting up.

Q

When I write a letter in Word the computer insists on trying to make me write the date in numbers, and, although I'm sure it's the modern way, back to front, when what I want to write is, for example, 7th June 2001.How can I stop this interference?
Janet Cooper

A

Go to Date and Time on the Insert menu, select the date format you want to use (yours is third on the list), click OK and it's done.

Q

I am looking to buy a laptop that I will mostly be using for Internet access, e-mail, typing and printing letters and other Office-type programs etc.  I have no intention of serious game playing.  What specifications should I be looking for, or rather what additional features will be unnecessary.  I do not wish to pay a lot of money for things such as really fast processors or advanced graphics capability that I have no need for or that I will never use.  I am going to the USA on holiday and I have heard that computers there are much cheaper than in the UK.  Would a laptop bought in the USA be value for money and would it cause any compatibility problems in the UK?

Gary S Nichol

A

There's little or nothing to be gained buying a laptop in the US, what with the poor exchange rate at the moment, prices are not that different to the UK, and you'll have to learn to live with a US keyboard (no pound sign, etc.). Whilst there are no compatibility problems as such, you may run into difficulties with technical support, warranties, spares and repairs. There are some excellent bargains to be had here in the UK if you shop around and you should be able to find a decent machine for less than £800. Since you are not overly concerned by processor speed, widgets and extras your minimum specification can be quite modest: a 650MHz processor, 64Mb RAM, 7-10Gb hard disc, a built in modem and a 12/13-inch TFT screen will do everything that you want. Have a look through the ads in the fatter PC magazines and pay a visit to your local PC stores to see and try as many different machines as possible. Models with external CD-ROM and floppy drives and longer battery lives are best if you want to travel light, otherwise shortlist models with large bright screens a big comfy keyboard and an easy to use pointing device.