FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  299 (05/02/02)

Q

I want to put a bracket symbol to cover two or more lines of text. It must be really simple. I have tried a text box but the text then moves. Any ideas?

Jan Brickel

A

The simplest method is to use Autoshapes on the Drawing Toolbar (View > Toolbars > Drawing), select the Basic Shapes option and then click on the bracket or ‘brace’ style you prefer. The cursor should change to a crosshair (the document should go into Print or Page Set-up mode) and position the brace or brackets around the text using the ‘sizing handles.

Q

Each time I boot up I get the message ‘Error Starting Program, A required DLL file PNGU3263DLL not found’. Could you please tell me how I can find the file? I am using Windows 98 and Mcafee Virus Scan and First Aid.

Donald Jones

A

That file belongs to the RealJukebox media player and the error message suggests that it has been damaged or deleted. The simplest solution is to uninstall RealJukebox from Add/Remove programs in Control Panel and then re-install it. You’re seeing the error message when you boot up your PC because RealJukebox is in your Start Up group, there’s no good reason for it to be there and it adds to the time it takes your PC to start. You can easily remove it by going to Run on the Start menu, type ‘msconfig’ and select the Start-up tab, uncheck all references to RealJukebox and restart your PC, if you see a dialogue box asking if you want to continue in Diagnostic mode click Yes.

Q

When I am connected to my ISP (Freeserve) I keep getting the menu with my e-mail address and password asking me to connect even though the taskbar shows that I am connected.  Eventually I press cancel and the menu stops recurring.  If I press cancel on its first appearance I loose the connection.  Could this be a fault of either Norton anti-virus or Norton Personal Firewall?

Peter Stovin

A

One possibility is that Freeserve is not set as your default ISP in Outlook Express and another dial-up connection is trying to log on, to retrieve email. Go to the Tools menu in OE and select Accounts, if Freeserve is not marked as the default simply highlight the entry and click Set As Default, or highlight and remove the other accounts, if they are no longer being used.

Q

I cured the awful noise I was getting some 18 months ago on the modem by means other than the volume slider, but I did not record what I did.I have just upgraded to AOL 7.0 (from AOL 6.0) and this has upset the settings, so I'm back to this terrible noise, which tells the whole village I'm going on the Net!
John Cooper

A

If you are using an external modem there’s usually a volume control somewhere on the box. For internal modems you’ll have to go into Dial Up Networking, which you will usually find in My Computer, Control Panel or Setting on the Start menu, depending on which version of Windows you are using. Open Dial Up Networking, right-click on your dial-up connection icon and select Properties then in the ‘Connect Using’ box click the Configure button and on the General tab you should see a volume slider control.

Q

I share a computer at work, and wish to create a password-protected folder for all my personal letters, pictures etc. We use the Office 2000, on Windows 98, and I am aware that a single Word file can be password protected, but could not find the option for the Folder. Please could you tell me if it is possible to create a new password protected folder?

Harry Elmee

A

I’m not aware of any way to password protect folders in Word but there are plenty of third-party utilities that will do the job, you may already have one on your PC. WinZip (www.winzip.com) will compress and password-protect any file on your PC, alternatively have a look at a shareware program called Magic Folders. This offers a high level or protection with the option to encrypt the file and it’s very easy to use. The download is small (286kb) and it can be found at http://www.pc-magic.com/

Q

Having finally succumbed to Microsoft's email advances to upgrade Outlook Express to Version 6, after a 90-minute download, V6 ran up OK and had successfully transposed my Address Book. However, my archive of email folders and their contents could not be found – Outlook Express presented me with a clean sheet, so to speak.  Since the original OE was to be backed up, I cannot believe that my folders have been overwritten - but please, please how on earth do I retrieve them?  I have not executed a disk clean up since the event.

Keith Parbery

A

For future reference, Microsoft routinely distributes updates of Internet Explorer and Outlook Express on PC magazine cover mount CD-ROMs, so it’s always worth checking with your newsagent first, before embarking on a long and potentially costly download.

I think it is very unlikely that your messages have been deleted; it’s more likely that they simply haven't been imported properly. Messages are kept in a separate folder, to check if they are still there open Windows Explorer and look in: C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Identities\{-- long number/letter code --  }\Microsoft\Outlook Express. There you should see a list of files with the names of your various message folders, ending in the suffix ‘.dbx’. You can open these files with Word or WordPad; there will be a lot of gobbledegook and symbols but the text part of the messages should be readable. Assuming they are intact go to Import on the Outlook Express File menu and follow the prompts.

Q

I am being driven demented by emails from airlines etc. that automatically dial up their company website, even when one is reading them offline (as I always do, with Outlook Express set up to disconnect after sending/receiving.  Go! is a case in point.  Delia On Line another - I've settled that one by unsubscribing because it was so irritating anyway, but I really do want to remain on the airline mailing lists.  Any ideas?

Alison Bell, Forfar, Angus 

A

This can be extremely irritating but you should be able to put a stop to it but it’s a two-part process. Stage one is to go to Control Panel (Start > Settings) click on the Internet Options icon, select the Connections tab and click the item ‘Never Dial a Connection’. Stage two, go to Dial Up Networking (look in My Computer or Control Panel), select the Connections menu and click on Settings then make sure the item ‘Prompt to use Dial Up Networking’ is checked.