FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  308 (09/04/02)

Q

I have recently started to get a strange effect on my computer, that the text in pop-up menus suddenly starts to disintegrate when I run the cursor over them. When this happens the text on the desktop icons is also affected, but the icons themselves are OK. The shutdown and restart commands from the Start button are also affected. A reboot restores sanity for a while.  Norton Antivirus has failed to find anything.  Is this a virus and if so which one and how do I get rid of it?

Bryan Price

A

It could be the work of a virus so make sure your virus signature files are up to date but you may have become the victim of ‘prankware’ a program installed on your PC by a friend relative or colleague with a warped sense of humour or a score to settle. Usually these programs announce themselves after a short while and include simple removal instructions but it may be that yours is more malicious. In any case look for any unfamiliar programs in your Start-Up folder (Start > Programs), and check the Start-Up group by typing ‘msconfig’ in Run on the Start menu (select the Startup tab), and disable if necessary. You might also like to pay a visit to the following prankware websites, to see what you’re up against…

http://www.rjlsoftware.com/

software/entertainment/default.shtml

http://www.computerpranks.com/

http://www.justfreestuff.com/pranks.html

Q

When I boot-up, my Desktop displays an error message: ‘Disknag.ini is invalid or missing. Do you want me to create a new one? It makes no difference if I click Yes or No, the message clears and things are as normal.  Next time I boot-up, the message returns! How can I get rid of it?

Ian Page

A

Disknag is a utility on Dell PCs that reminds you to make a system recovery or emergency Startup disc. Assuming that you have already done so (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Startup Disc), you can safely disable Disknag by going to Run on the Start menu, type ‘msconfig’, select the Startup tab and uncheck the box next to Disknag.

Q 

I was interested to read your Boot Camp on Outlook Express.   One aspect you did not cover was printing out mail. Whilst it is possible to print directly from Outlook Express the output covers the full width of the page leaving no margins. Unlike most other programs there appears to be no Page Setup facility. Can you tell me whether it is possible to print from Outlook Express with margins?

Robin Armstrong

A

It is but you’ll have a tough time finding it… Print setup for Outlook Express is controlled from Internet Explorer. To adjust the margins open IE and go to Page Setup on the File menu, there you will find boxes for the right, left top and bottom margins as well as page orientation.

Q

Many people use a laptop as a transportable computer, usually powered by the mains. Is this likely to be detrimental to the battery? Does anyone make a mains only laptop, thus getting rid of the complication, and weight, of a battery?

Les Needham

A

Laptop chargers are usually quite intelligent and automatically reduce the charge current to the battery to a trickle, or switch it off altogether as soon as the battery is fully charged so keeping the laptop plugged in is unlikely to have any damaging effects. In fact there are advantages because the battery acts as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) which can protect the PC and the data it contains from serious damage in the event of a power cut. Most laptops can be powered from the charger/adaptor with the battery removed, thus becoming a mains-only laptop by default…

Q

When I boot up I get a message "DMI pool data, compression driver cannot be set up correctly…’ Later in boot up the identical message appears. My computer is only a few months old and this glitch has appeared these last few weeks. So far my supplier has ignored my complaint.

Roy Luffman

A

Since the machine is still under warranty you really should insist that the supplier sorts it out. This error message should be fairly easy for them to resolve, but it’s important to ensure they’ll be on hand should something really serious develop. For the record this error message is often due to a damaged system file and the usual solution is to boot your PC from its emergency startup disk and copy across the system files, using the  ‘sys c:’ command at the A:\ prompt. All being well you the message ‘System Transferred’ will appear and the PC can be rebooted.

Q

How do I speed up the dealing of the cards in the game of Spider? On two occasions this has happened by chance or magic! My son-in-law's computer deals out the cards very quickly by some in-built method. Ours is a Packard Bell just one year old.  It has done it on those two occasions, so it shows it is possible.  I would be very grateful if you could tell me how it is done.      

June Forster

A

The mystery deepens because the speed at which the cards are dealt in spider varies enormously and it can actually run slower on faster and better-specified machines. It seems to have something to do with the make or type of graphics card but I’ve yet to find a clear explanation. As for making it go faster, I have discovered a somewhat bizarre solution but it appears to work. Before you start open Spider Help, minimise the box then deal and see what happens…

Q

My taskbar - the one at the bottom of the screen -- has gone walkabout. Instead of a thin line across the bottom of the screen it has become a fat line. How can I return it to its pleasing slimline glory?

Irvine Patnick

A

Carefully position your mouse pointer onto the top edge of the taskbar, click and hold the left button, the border will highlight and the arrow pointer should change to a double-headed arrow, and you can adjust the width of the taskbar by moving the mouse, when you’re happy with it release the mouse button. If you click and hold into an empty part of the taskbar you can drag it to one of the sides or the top of the screen (I prefer mine on the right side to increase the depth of the screen area).