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FAQS!
FACTS! FAX! 333 (01/10/02)
Q
I run Windows 98. I have an
Olympus C920 Digital Camera and a Kingston Smart Media Card Reader. I can
transfer photos from the Card Reader to my PC OK. But is there any way that I
can transfer a Photo from my PC via the card reader back to my camera. I have
tried and although the photo file will go to the reader and I can put it back
to the PC it won’t show on the Camera screen. Is it possible to do this?
George Beale
A
It should be, the reason the camera won’t display the
imported image is probably because its rudimentary filing system doesn’t
recognise the file name. All you have to do is rename the file on the card,
whilst it in is in the card reader, to something resembling the file names the
camera assigns to the images it records. You must use the same form of
characters, but obviously with a different number to the other picture files on
the card.
Q
Whilst working with
Word and after importing pictures we get the error message 'the system is
dangerously low in resource's. The only way out is to restart. What causes this
error message and what's the way to over come this problem?
Mike Brookes
A
This, like a lot of problems with Word is often caused by a
damaged or corrupt Normal.dot template file, which configures Word when it is
opened. Word frequently modifies this file so it’s not unusual for the odd
glitch to occur. The solution is simple, close Word, and locate your Normal.dot
file using Search or Find on the Start menu and rename it ‘Normal.old’. Word
will automatically recreate Normal.dot the next time it is opened and return to
its default settings. You will have re-enter any preferences and formatting,
which can be a chore, so make a copy of Normal.dot when you’ve got Word set up
and file it in a safe place so that if it throws a wobbly again you will have a
known good backup.
Q
I have a network running at home on my personal PC (Windows
98), which I connect to my work laptop (also Windows 98) to keep things
synchronised. As a result, I have file and print sharing activated. The work
laptop is not connected directly to the Internet for security reasons and
company policy. However, the home PC is on the Internet and recently I have
noticed that nine times out of ten when connected to the internet, my (shared)
floppy disk drive searches for a disk or sometimes my printer starts working as
if gremlins have taken over the machine. I used Net Watcher to see if there was
a user on the network and hey presto, there are computers/hackers trying to access my computer.
I currently have the A drive titled as 'Banking' on the network. This
provides the bait that lets me know by its noise that a hacker is
trying to
access my computer. I then switch to Net Watcher and terminate the
sneaky so
and so's connection to my computer. I have looked for firewall
software but haven't found anything that alerts me about the hacker without
making Internet surfing a succession of acceptance dialogue boxes.
Are you aware of the extent of this problem and is there any software that you
can recommend to resolve this problem?
Pete Howells, Derby
A
You are on the right track with a firewall and I’m surprised
that you haven’t come across ZoneAlarm or Outpost. Once installed on your PC
these programs will initially ask your permission to allow programs to access
the Internet, such as your browser and email client but you only have to do
that once. After that you’ll only be warned when a new or unauthorised program
tries to access your connection. You shouldn’t be troubled by hackers again
since both programs make your PC effectively invisible to the Internet,
so-called ‘Stealth’ mode. ZoneAlarm tells you when someone is probing your
connection but it happens frequently and it gets a bit tedious after a while so
most users tend to switch the alert off. Both programs are free for personal
use and you can find more details and downloads at:
www.zonelabs.com
http://www.agnitum.com/
products/outpost/
Q
Some time ago I seem to remember you had a question
about printing several separate e-mails on to one sheet of A4. Have I
missed the answer?
John Durkan, Salisbury
A
I think you’re referring to Boot Camp Top Tip 159, the gist
of which is that there’s a feature in Outlook Express that lets you to combine email messages into one
document, which you can then print out. To use it open your Inbox or mailbox
containing the messages then hold down the Ctrl key and click and highlight
them one at a time. Next, go to the Message drop-down menu and select Combine
and Decode. At this point you have the option to change the order of the
massages, if not just click OK and the document will be created. You can then
use SaveAs on the File menu to save it as a separate document.
Q
This
following error message appears on my Windows XP machine on a daily basis: ‘ACPI BIOS is
attempting to write to an illegal IO port address… This could lead to system
instability. Please contact your system vendor for technical assistance’. Can
you help?
George Cooper
A
This somewhat
alarming message is due to an incompatibility between Windows XP and some BIOS
programs. The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is a small program that runs
prior to Windows, to configure the motherboard and the hardware in your PC.
Some older BIOS’s try to make changes to the hardware configuration when
Windows is running; Windows doesn’t like it, and displays the error message
you’re seeing. Unfortunately the only solution is to update the BIOS – not
something a novice should attempt – hence the message to contact whoever sold
you the PC for help. If you know your way around a PC’s innards the solution is
to visit the motherboard manufacturers’ web site and download and install the
updated XP-compatible BIOS.
Microsoft has a
couple of useful articles on the subject at:
http://support.microsoft.com/
default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q283649&
http://www.microsoft.com/
hwdev/tech/onnow/BIOSAML.asp
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