FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  319 (25/06/02)

Q

I was interested in your recent Boot Camp on Windows Startup. I tried deleting all programs not required and only loading those one wishes to use at any one time but this made very little difference to the boot up time.  However, I have several programs running in the background, which are only used when Internet Explorer is running such as No Pops, Webcelerator, Download Accelerator. Can you suggest a way to make these programs load only when IE loads?
Michael Dewhurst

A

If you followed all of the steps in the article then your PC is probably booting up as quickly as it ever will and the only way to make it happen any faster is to reinstall Windows. As for starting several programs at once, the easiest way is to create a Batch File, a simple and almost forgotten utility in Windows 9x. A batch file is basically a program made up of DOS text commands. Begin by creating a new folder on your C: drive, call it ‘Multistart’ and put in it copies of the ‘.exe’ files for the programs you want to start together. For example, for Internet Explorer go to C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer, right click on Iexplore.exe, select Copy then go to your Multistart folder and click Paste, repeat for NoPops.exe (C:\Program Files\NoPops) and any other programs you want to launch together. Next, open Notepad (Start > Programs > Accessories and type the following lines:

@echo off

start c:\multistart\iexplore.exe

start c:\multistart\nopops.exe

Add any extra ‘start c:\multistart….’ lines for other programs you want to include. Call the file ‘Multistart.bat’ and save it to the desktop. Now, when you click on it the Multistart icon the programs you’ve nominated will open one after the other. Further refinements and alternative suggestions are welcomed.

Q

Very often when I try to print off a page of information from a website the extreme right hand edge does not appear on the printout. This is not always important but recently I have been looking for quotes from ferry companies for channel crossings and the vital price is missing from the print out because it is on the right edge of the screen. This happens even if I use the bar at the bottom of the screen to move the right edge of the screen so that it is in vision. Can anything be done, either with the printer or the computer to cure this problem - or is it my bad luck that certain websites are built that way?

Barry Jones

A

Have you checked Printer Setup in Windows Explorer? It’s on the File menu and there you will find settings for paper size and margins, there’s also a Printer button that will take you to your printer’s setup utility.

Q

We have suddenly developed a problem with Paint, which I use a lot for laying out pages of edited photographs. The program will not open, and none of the photos bitmap, jpeg etc. will either.  Our computer is 3 years old, but has no other problems. I have run Scandisk, defragmented, and tried McAffees PC Clinic! Microsoft has said it is not their problem as we bought the computer with Paint bundled in it.  My computer manufacturers say it is not their problem either. It is probably something quite simple, but as amateurs as far as computers go we are now completely stuck. Please can you help?
S.E. Bolt,

A

This is a known problem, caused by a problem in the important Windows Registry files. Microsoft don't say how or why it happens but they have published a fix, which you can find at: http://support.microsoft.com/

default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q185501

It involves editing the Registry, which is not difficult, but do make a backup first and follow the instructions to the letter. To backup the Registry open Regedit and on the Registry menu click Export Registry File. Give it a name, i.e. 'regbak' and save it in a location you'll remember. If anything goes wrong double-click your regbak.reg file and the backup will be automatically restored.

Q

Does Microsoft Publisher only come bundled with a PC or can you buy it separately?  If so where as I have had great difficulty obtaining a copy. 
Geoff Cordingley

A

That’s odd, it’s widely available as a stand-alone program, or as part of the Microsoft Office suite. Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk) has Publisher 2000 listed at £104.99 but the cheapest deal I’ve seen is just £49 for the 2000 version from CD-ROM Cellar (www.cdromcellar.com) which is also advertising the 98 version for only £39.

Q

On recent boot up I had the "blue screen of death" with several lines of text the gist of which is that I have problems because of "stacking" I seem to remember this problem being raised in F!F!F! in the past but I cannot find anything quickly in the archive. What is stacking?

David Taylor

A

I suspect that you are referring to a ‘Stack Page Overflow’ error, which means that your PC has used up the memory allocation (Stack Pages) it puts aside for emergencies, to stop the system from crashing. The cure is simple, open Notepad (Start > Programs > Accessories) and open System.ini, which you find in the Windows folder, (you may have to change the Files Of Type setting at the bottom of the Open dialogue box to ‘All Files’). Scroll down the list to the section [386Enh] and at the end type ‘MinSPs=4’ (without the quotes of course, and no spaces), then save the file and re-boot. If you still have problems try increasing the number of stack pages, but it must be in multiples of 4.

Q

Before digital cameras became popular many people bought the latest and very convenient APS cameras. Bonus Print and other processing firms now produce disks of the pictures on each APS film at a small charge, provided an order is placed at the same time as that for processing.  Bonus Print do not respond to repeated requests to produce disks from older APS films at an appropriate charge. Can you please suggest a processor  prepared to provide this service so that pictures from older films may be saved and viewed on computer?  The adapter on my scanner only enables me to scan 35mm films.
Norman T Berry, Farnham Common

A

The exceptionally cheap Bonus Print deal (just £1.99) is clearly a loss leader so it’s not altogether surprising that it’s only available at the time of processing but several other companies also offer an APS/35mm negative to CD-ROM service, including Jessops, (http://www.jessops.com/info/dp/index.cfm), which charges a more realistic £9.99 for up to 40 images (20 pence per extra image). Incidentally, if you have a CD-Writer why not have a go at making your own, scanning the prints, rather than the negatives, the results can be very good.