FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  335 (15/10/02)

Q

I want to start editing footage from my analogue camcorder. I am going to buy a high level laptop with FireWire port (with a view to upgrading to a digital camcorder). If I buy Pinnacle Studio 8 or DC10, how can I input from my camera to the laptop, since I can't fit a video card? 

Derek Francis

A

It’s not a problem, there are a variety of input devices for laptops based around PC cards but if you want to keep it in the family as it were have a look at the Pinnacle Linx video and audio input/output module, which plugs into your laptop’s USB port. More details from: http://www.pinnaclesys.com

Q

I have purchased a new computer and am transferring files from the old machine. I cannot find a logical method to copy my e-mail messages.According to the book they should be located in .dbx files. I have found these, but when I copy them (via a Zip disk) they appear to be empty. Any suggestions please?

John Wishlade

A

We dealt with this very topic in Boot Camps 196 and 197. To cut a long story short, the reason your method didn’t work is that files in the Outlook Express message folder are lightly encrypted, they should also be moved en-masse and you must use the Outlook Express’s own Import facility to transfer them. Copy the whole Outlook Express folder, which you will normally find at: C:\Windows\Application Data\Identities\{GUID}\Microsoft\Outlook Express, (GUID or Global unique Identifier is a long string of letters and numbers) paste it into a newly created folder on your new machine’s hard disc then select it using Import on Outlook Express’s File menu.

Q

Recent warnings about the Bugbear virus  happened about the same time that my PC started to misbehave. First it refused to switch itself off at the end of the shutdown routine. Then CompuServe told me that OHMO.EXE was using dialup. Noting that OHMO.EXE was created 1st October 2002, was 50688 bytes, and could neither be renamed nor deleted; I concluded that I had got Bugbear. Now I find that my Norton Antivirus update shuts down as soon as I start it up so I can't get a fix from them. What should I do?
D. John Akerman

A

It sounds a lot like BugBear, and one of the first things it does is to disable your anti-virus software. Symantec, (Norton AntiVirus) has now posted some useful advice and a BugBear removal tool on its web site at: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/

Q

I have a Daewoo computer, which I purchased about 3 years ago. It runs Windows 98 and I only use it to back up vital (to me) documents, which I create on my other PC. I recently had cause to format the hard drive due to a crash and re-installed everything from scratch. I managed to get it all going OK again except for the sound. When I checked in Install New Hardware in Control Panel, it tells me there is no driver for my sound card. I am having all kinds of problems finding a driver as Windows does not recognise which sound card is in place. Is there any way I can identify the sound card manufacturer and type so that I can find the correct driver, I don't have much hair left and can't afford to pull any more out.

Harry Roy

A

You’ll find it listed in Device Manager (System in Control Panel, click the Sound icon) but the driver should have been supplied with your PC, along with all of the others on a CD-ROM. However, assuming that this has somehow been lost or damaged, you can download it from the Daewoo PC support web site at: http://www.daytek.ca/service_pc.html

Q

Trying to update IE5 with the IE5.5 service pack via the Microsoft site, I download the file and when automatic set-up jumps in, it tells me: ‘A previous program installation was never completed… Setup will now close’

If I try to install IE6 from a cover disk, I get: ‘A previous installation has pending work requiring a reboot…Setup will now close."

Needless to say, shutting down and rebooting does no good, and just brings back the same error messages. There's no explanation of this genus of error message on the Microsoft website. I've looked for obvious files to delete but nothing jumps out. Any ideas how to wipe the slate clean and install these downloads?

John Osborne

A

It’s easy to get into a tangle so the first thing to do is remove all traces of IE5, this is dealt with in Microsoft Knowledgebase article Q217344 at:

http://support.microsoft.com/

default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q217344

Once that’s done you should be able to perform a clean install of IE6 and hopefully all of your troubles will be over…

Q

When I open or close a Word 2002 file I get an error message ‘Compile error in hidden module’. I can click OK and all functions work perfectly. My I have been told this is due to an anti virus plug-in not correctly loading. I have completely uninstalled and reinstalled the virus scanner without success. Do you have any suggestions?

Ken Osborne

A

This is one of those annoying all-purpose error messages with a multitude of causes and solutions however one that is definitely worth trying is to rename the Word Document Template (normal.dot), which has the effect of resetting Word to its default condition. Exit Word, locate normal.dot using Search/Find on the Start menu and call it 'normal.old' then launch Word.

Q

I have Windows 98 and sometimes receive e-mail attachments, which will not open.  A warning window appears stating : ‘This file does not have a program associated with it…Create an association in My Computer by clicking View and then clicking Folder Options’. Fine! Then what?

What do I have to do to ‘create an association’?  I cannot find any mention or guidance from Windows Help or Windows reference books on this problem and have been deleting the e-mails without access to the attachments, which is pretty frustrating. Am I being stupid or does this require attending a Create an Association course in computer techniques?

Sid King

A

Another common and perplexing error message. This one is basically saying that Windows has encountered a file type that it does not recognise – usually an image, word processor document or spreadsheet file -- and is offering to try and open it with one of the programs on your PC, which is usually just a waste of time. You need to identify the file type and then install the appropriate software, to do that go to a file extension search engine like: http://www.wotsit.org/search.asp or http://extsearch.com/, type in the three or four letter file extension into the search field and it will tell you what the file is, and which program you need to open it.