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FAQS!
FACTS! FAX! 296 (15/01/02)
Q
I have recently
bought Windows XP but cannot register it because it does not recognise my
Diamond SupraSSP 56i PRO DF modem. The Diamond web site has no updated drivers.
Do you have any suggestions, which would save me buying a new modem?
Graham P
A
You can of course activate Windows XP by phone, either in
person or by keying in your registration number, just follow the on-screen
prompts. I don’t know how far you got with the Diamond web site but there is a
Windows XP compatibility chart buried deeply in the support section, which
suggests that most of its modems are or can be XP compatible. However there’s
no mention of your model (did you copy the model number correctly?) but there
is a Supra SST 56i PRO DF which is XP compatible using the Windows 2000 driver.
The XP compatibility list can be found at:
http://www.sonicblue.com/support/
diamond/default.asp?menu=support&submenu=Modems
Q
Since my other half (a bit of a Luddite) attempted to send
an e-mail, new messages now open as minimised boxes. How do I get back to
maximised boxes - and stop me whingeing at him every time?
Sue Davis
A
Outlook Express, like most Windows applications has an open
window size and position facility. Right-click on the program icon in the top
left hand icon on most windows, this should display a drop-down menu with
Maximise, Move and Size options. Click on Maximise or change the shape and
position of the window, close it and the new settings should be stored.
Q
I have been trying to produce fractions in both Word and
PowerPoint but cannot get fractions such as 7/9ths to display properly - is there any easy way of doing this
Russell Doherty
A
I’m not aware of a direct method in PowerPoint but you can
create fractions in Word, and they can be easily copied and pasted as text into
PowerPoint. In Word position the cursor on the page where you want the fraction
to appear then go to Field o the Insert menu. Select Equations and Formulas in
the left pane and select EQ in the right hand window and EQ appears in the
Field Codes box below. Type in the following (without the quotes) ‘\f(a,b)’,
where ‘a’ is the numerator and ‘b’ the denominator, click OK and change the
font size to suit.
Q
I use Outlook Express 6 as my e-mail program and I am unable
to type the Euro symbol when sending emails, but I can do it in MS Word using the Alt.
0128 keys.
Ted Wooller, Nissaki, Corfu
A
There is a much simpler method of accessing the Euro symbol
and the keyboard shortcut Alt Gr + 4 works on every application I’ve tried it
with, including OE. Use. By the way, Alt Gr is the right-hand Alt key, and in
case you were wondering ‘Gr’ is short for green, a throwback to the days when
some secondary keyboard functions were labelled in green…
Q
I have been trying to transfer photos to CD
using Adaptec Easy CD Creator, but unfortunately keep getting the
following error message: ‘T0100 :1/0 error (06/0C/04) unexpected error, write error
buffer under run occurred’. Can you shed any light on the matter?
Matt Philp
A
Buffer under-run, sometimes referred to as ‘burn’ simply
means that your PC is not keeping the CD writer supplied with an uninterrupted
flow of data. If, for any reason, there is a gap, however brief, the disc will
be unreadable. Most CD-R/RW drives these days have an internal memory buffer
and a means of pausing recording until the data flow is restored – so-called ‘burn-proof’ technology – but
the most likely cause is one or more programs running in the background slowing
things down. Use Ctrl + Alt + Delete to close all applications before you start
recording and you should try lowering the CD writer’s recording speed.
Q
When I first switch on my computer I get the following
message: "No ISDN devices were found. Please install an ISDN device
and run the configuration wizard again". What do I have to do to make it
go away?
Desmond Whyte
A
At some point you, or someone else must have started the
ISDN connection Wizard and now your PC thinks it should be connected to a
digital phone line. You can tell it to stop looking for an ISDN connection by
going to Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, Click on the Windows Setup tab
and scroll down the list to Communications. Double click to bring up the list
of components, deselect ‘ISDN Support’ and click OK to remove it.
Q
I have a problem with my Epson Stylus Color 200, I recently
installed a new colour cartridge, which cannot reproduce black print, it will
not print yellow either and it has now decided that it will switch between blue
and red at will. Previous attempts at printing colours exhibited a lack of the
yellow component. Is this a cartridge fault or has the printer itself in need
of overhaul?
Roger C
A
Assuming that the printer has been behaving then the main
suspect has to be a faulty cartridge. It may just be that it hasn’t been
installed correctly or that the contacts are dirty, it’s worth taking it out
and re-seating it, otherwise take it back from whence it came and ask for a
replacement.
Q
Further to David Morris’s problem (F!F!F!
January 8th) regarding accidentally deleting emails in Outlook
Express I used to have the same problem. My solution was to re-arrange
the Toolbar by moving the "send/receive" button to the very
right, away from the "print" button and the problem was solved.
Robert J. Boyne
A
An excellent suggestion, thank you. All you have to do is
open a message window, right-click into an empty part of the Toolbar and select
Customize. Highlight the icon you want to relocate in the right hand button and
use the Move Up or Move Down buttons to reposition it.
Q
My computer is really ill. When I try to shut down it says
that I have to end a task, but nothing (as far as I know) is running. I
click "End Task" but nothing happens apart from the screen going
into a shade of grey. I also can't use Scandisk or Defrag for I
presume the same reason. What can be running in the background? I've turned off
the anti-virus software and the firewall and indeed everything else that I
could think of - but to know avail.
Avi Lehrer
A
All of the programs that are running on your computer are
displayed by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete, just once, to bring up the Close
Program dialogue box. You can isolate the troublesome program, and decide
whether or to remove or reinstall it by a process of elimination. The next time
you close down your PC bring up the Close Program window and ‘End Task’ one
entry at a time, (except Explorer or Systray) then try shutting down. Programs
running in the background will also affect Scandisk and Defrag, so make sure
everything has been closed down, including screensavers and power management,
before you start.
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