FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  324 (30/07/02)

Q

If I click on the 'Favorites' button whilst Internet surfing, the folders and files inside appear in the order that they were created.  I can find no way of sorting them alphabetically even though this is the way they appear if Windows Explorer is used to open the 'Favorites' folder.   I am using MS IE version 6.0 under Win98.
Clive Mansell

A

You can arrange the Favorites list in alphabetical order by right-clicking in the list as it appears when you select Favorites from the Internet Explorer menu bar (or Favorites on the Start menu), select ‘Sort by Name’ from the menu that appears. Alternatively in Internet Explorer click the Favorites icon to display the list, select Organize at the top then in the dialogue box that appears you can manually move items by dragging and dropping them into new positions on the list.

Q

I use an external ADSL modem with a USB connection on my laptop.  I only have one USB port and find it frustrating that I cannot use my printer whilst on-line, which has a USB connection as well.  I have tried a bog standard hub, but it couldn't cope with the ADSL line.  Is there one that could solve this problem for me?

Moira Riddell

A

Simple plug-in hubs draw power from the USB cable, which means that other devices connected to the hub that also rely on the low voltage supply carried by a USB cable – such as an ADSL modem -- are starved of power. So-called ‘bus-powered’ hubs are only suitable for devices that have their own independent power supply – printers, scanners etc – the alternative is a ‘self-powered’ hub, either an external type with its own plug-in mains adaptor or better still, a PCI-card hub, which are available with up to 4 USB ports. They only take a few minutes to fit and are widely available from PC suppliers and on line  (Ebuyer www.ebuyer.com currently has a 4-port model for less than £10).

Q

Peter Vick wanted a program to display the time worldwide, (F!F!F! July 23rd). Whilst the Windows facility can suffice for giving the time in most countries, one still needs to search for them in the list. For the Rolls-Royce in this area look no further than WorldTime by PawPrint software (www.pawprint.net). This not only time syncs your computer but also has a very useful time calculator of the form:

What time is it in .... when it's .... in ....

Paul Lautman

A

Thanks for that, it looks like a useful little program, maybe we’ll include it in our next shareware/freeware roundup.

Q

Our organization uses its inkjet printers (various Epson, HP, and Lexmark) only one day a week. Are the inkjet cartridges drying out the rest of the week? Would it be sensible to remove the cartridges and seal them in airtight containers?

Captain David Null, CAP-AuxUSAF

A

That would be a bad idea and would definitely lead to them drying out at an even faster rate or leaking. In general once a cartridge has been loaded into a printer it should not be removed until it is empty. Cartridges will eventually dry or clog if they’re not used for extended periods but this normally takes several months under normal ambient conditions (i.e. living-room temperature, humidity etc.). It varies from make to make but providing a printer is used at least once a week the cartridges should have a normal life span.

Q

In Boot Camp for 16 July you mentioned using "services.msc" to check on unwanted programs in Windows XP. Is there anything similar in Windows ME to find unwanted Start-up programs? 

Eric Hayman

A

In Windows 9x, which includes the SE and ME versions you can use the System Configuration Utility, which is launched by typing ‘msconfig’ in Run on the Start Menu, select the Startup tab and deselect the items you do not wish to start with Windows but only disable one item at a time. If you make any changes at boot up Windows will warn that it is in ‘Selective Start up Mode’, this is not a problem and it’s okay to tick the ‘Do not show this message again’ box.

Q

I have searched XP Home for a method of stopping IE6 History storing data, some of which is quite sensitive (to me). I am not currently using passwords as I am the only user but from time to time my guru programmer son-in-law is allowed to access my PC and passwords are set up for the sensitive items. However the history remains available to him, as it was at the time the History was created. Apart from deleting the History is there any other way of stopping this irrelevant assimilation?
Hugh Allen

A
This is a job for Tweak UI, the unsupported Microsoft utility for changing the way Windows and other MS applications look and behave. The tool you’ll be interested in is ‘Paranoia’, which can be set to automatically delete History files at logon. There is a version of Tweak UI specifically for Windows XP, however, for some reason it doesn’t have the Paranoia feature, fortunately the Windows 9x version appears to work perfectly well under XP and this can be downloaded from: http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/

downloads/PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakUI.asp

Q

Following purchase of a new machine I am refurbishing a P120 computer for use for Internet, Word processing and Excel. The guide book I am using implies that after reformatting the hard disc the Favorites sites list and Outlook Express Address book details will be lost and but should not be copied over as the files may themselves be infected with viruses or otherwise defective. Do you agree? If not, can you tell me the names of the files where the Favorites site addresses and address book details can be found and copied on to, say, Zip discs.

Stephen Smith, St Albans

A

The book is correct in that reformatting a drive effectively erases all of the data stored on it, including your address book and Favorites list but the chances of them containing viruses are very small indeed, especially if you’ve been using an up to date virus scanner. You can easily copy your Favorites list simply by copying the folder of the same name into the same location on your new PC. Favorites is a small text file and can be found inside the Windows folder. To move the Outlook Express Address Book go to Export on the file menu, select Address Book and Text File (comma Separated Values), give it a name and save it to a floppy or Zip disc. Reverse the process on the new machine, i.e. Import on the OE File menu, select Other Address Book then Text File (Comma Separated Value).