FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  322 (16/07/02)

Q

How can I set up a free POP3 personal email address and use it from Outlook?  I understand that if I have my own email address that I can use any ISP. That way, when I want to change my ISP my email address remains constant.  I have tried looking around the Internet but I am getting bogged down with too many options.

Sylvia Bedbrook

A

You don’t need to do anything in Outlook, or Outlook Express for that matter. When you sign up or register a domain name you will normally be given the option of email forwarding. That means that when someone sends an email to Sylvia@sylvidbrook.co.uk, for example, it goes first to the domain name registration company’s server, which then redirects it to your current ISP’s mailbox. The only modification you might want to make to Outlook/Outlook Express is to create a rule, to send incoming messages addressed to sylviabedbrook.co.uk, to their own inbox. Incidentally I checked with domain name sellers Low Cost Names and your name – and many variants – are all still available and can be all yours for the princely sum of £7.50 (plus VAT) for two years, and that includes free email forwarding. Registration takes around five minutes, full details at: (http://www.lowcostnames.co.uk/)

Q

Once upon a time I downloaded the Beta version of Internet Explorer 6. Now the full version is available but if I download it I am continually interrupted by IE6 reporting errors back to the mother ship (Microsoft). Any assistance would be gratefully received.

Harry Jones

A

The trick is not to try and upgrade but to remove IE6 from your system and start afresh with a new installation. You could try the Add/Remove Programs utility in Control Panel but I suspect bits will still be left behind, that could interfere with the installation, so if it fails again have a look at the Microsoft Knowledgebase article on the subject of removing IE6, which you can find at:

http://support.microsoft.com/

default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q293907

Q

I recently discovered a file named desktop.ini among the .doc files in My Documents. Not having a clue how important it was, I used the Find option to see if it had accidentally been copied.  I was surprised to find 26 desktop.ini files - although the majority seem to be temporary Internet files. How many desktop.ini files do I need? Do you recommend any action?

John Gimson

A

You’ll find desktop.ini files all over the place and they’re perfectly harmless. A desktop.ini appears in any folder where you have changed from the default ‘View’. In other words, if you switched from List, Small Icons, Details etc. a destop.ini file is created in that folder to remember your preference. You can safely delete the file if you really want to and in most cases the folder will return to its default view though in some folders the Windows Registry will regenerate the file the next time you boot up.

Q

I have been trying to set up an email account for my daughter's mother-in-law. Everything went fine until I tried to send an email using her new Freeserve account. Although we could receive emails on her machine and use the Internet, I couldn't get the programme to send or receive any emails under her name. I did use my account initially to get her on to the Internet. I think the problem may be that when you click on New Mail, once the screen appears, there is no entry in the 'From' line at the top. Could this indeed be the problem? If so can you help?

Margaret Elliott

A

It sounds as though some details were left out when the account was set up. You can put that to rights by going to Accounts on the Tools menu, make sure the Mail tab is selected, highlight the account name, click Properties and then the General tab. In your case the Mail Account entry at the top should show ‘pop.freeserve.net’, if it doesn’t click the Servers tab and enter ‘pop.freeserve.net’ into the Incoming Mail (POP3) box. Now go back to the General tab and make sure that under User Information there’s an entry in the Name box – this can be anything you like and it will appear in the body of the email – and the ‘Email address’ box, which has to be the senders full email address. Fill in the details; click OK and all should be well.

Q

I have run into a problem -- all of the currency symbols have changed from £ to $ and I cannot find the way to correct this. Please advise.

Albert Lidington Smith

A

The most likely explanation is that somehow the keyboard language setting has been changed from English (British) to the default setting of English (United States).  To change it back go to Keyboard in Control Panel, select the Language tab, if both versions are show it may be that English (British) is no longer the default, in which case select it and click the Default button. If it’s not shown click the Add button and select it from the list.

Q

Two friends tell me they have sent e-mails, but I have not received them!  Is there any way of finding out what has happened to them, and perhaps more importantly, are there any more that I might never know about?

Margaret Simpson

A

Email is generally very reliable and ninety-nine times out of a hundred, when an email goes astray it is because it was incorrectly addressed. Occasionally an ISP’s server goes down or develops a fault but the sender will normally be alerted that the message couldn’t be delivered. If the message was successfully delivered and the ISP’s server suffers a catastrophic crash data may be permanently lost but thankfully this is a comparatively rare occurrence.

Q

I have just read your Boot Camp articles on broadband Internet. I am with AOL and I have been offered broadband, I know there are quite a few differences with the way AOL works so I wonder if they just the same as any other provider?

Hazel Coates

A

AOL broadband is the same way as everyone else’s, it only affects the way you are connected to the Internet. As far as you’ll be concerned the only things that will change will be the speed at which web pages load and the fact that you’ll be ‘always on’ – there’s no need to wait whilst your PC dials up a connection. It takes a little getting used to but I guarantee you’ll be instantly and soon wasting hours in front of the screen and don’t forget, your phone line can be used as normal whilst you are on-line.