FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  342 (03/12/02)

Q

The Computer Club at our local secondary school was recently given about 50 semi-obsolete (Pentium 200) desktops for refurbishment and distribution to the poor and elderly, each machine comes with a copy of Windows 95 on CD. The hard drives are wiped and the condition of each unit is unknown. What's the best way to test and determine characteristics of the machines? 

David Dreaming Bear

A

Do what manufacturers the do. The simplest way to test a PC is to load Windows. The installation disc carries out a number of tests on the hardware before and during installation, which will flag up any serious faults and once Windows has loaded you’ll be able to check the PC’s performance and profile status from System in Control Panel

Q

Some time ago you mentioned a download for Windows 95 that would delete addresses from the address bar in Windows Explorer and the shortcut arrows on desktop icons. Do you know whether it has been updated for Windows ME? 

Stephen Tolputt

A

That sounds very much like our old friend Tweak UI, which is part of the Microsoft Powertoys suite of desktop tools. Version 1.33 is suitable for Windows 95, 98 ME/NT and 2000 and you’ll find it, along with download and installation instructions at: http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/ downloads/PowerToys/

Networking/NTTweakUI.asp

Incidentally you can remove those Internet addresses without the assistance of Tweak UI, just go to Start > Settings > Taskbar & Start menu, select the Start Menu Programs tab and click the Clear button.

Q

In February this year I bought a new PC and specified Windows 98 for the operating system. It was loaded with the second edition of 98, which comes with Internet Explorer 6, rather than IE 5.5, which I had used previously. For a couple of weeks all was well and then, when browsing a site, the system seems to freeze. Either the progress bar flashes full, goes grey and the Explorer icon plus 'Done ' appears at the left of the progress bar, or it is impossible to get a response from the back button. It is then necessary to refresh and this can take nearly a minute. Sometimes I even have to refresh my homepage (I use Google) to activate it when I get on line for the first time. 

I have asked a number of IT professionals but none can help, although two have mumbled something about "known problems," or suggest that it is not as reliable as 5.5. Should I remove IE6 and reinstall 5.5, or is there an alternative such as an update or a patch

Eddie van der Straeten, Cambridge

A

Patches and updates are sometimes half the problem, replacing or updating files that are better left alone. There are plenty of possible causes for IE freezing but one that’s definitely worth investigating is to replace a system file called oleaut32.dll, which can become corrupted when IE is updated. The easiest way to reinstall it is to use the System File Checker utility. Type ‘sfc’ (without the quotes) in Run on the Start menu, select ‘Extract one File…’ then type oleaut32.dll into the box, load your Windows 98 installation disc, click Start and follow the prompts.

Q

I have a PIII 500 PC with a 17-inch SVGA monitor and a 32 MB Riva TNT2 AGP Graphics Card. My display is partially corrupted in that any dark area on screen produces a horizontal dark band the entire width of the screen. This band moves as the dark area is relocated, so it is not burnt onto the screen. Does this indicate a monitor or a graphics card fault?

John Sanderson

A

It sounds very much like a monitor fault but before you try your PC with another display check the settings in Display in Control Panel, and make sure that you are using the latest/most appropriate driver for your system by visiting the manufacturer’s web site (www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp)

Q

I am using a d Dell computer with Windows XP and Netscape 6.2 as a browser, via a standard 56K modem to my local service provider. When I start up the browser, it brings up the connection request window, I click the connection button and it dials correctly. However, when I shut down the browser, there is no reminder that I am still connected to the telephone line and I have to click on the local service provider icon to bring up the window to enable shut down. This means that there is always the possibility of forgetting to shut down modem, keeping the phone line engaged. By the way, broadband is not an option as it is not available where I live!
Andrew Clokie

A

Firstly you should enable the connection icon, which appears in the System Tray, next to the clock. This appears, and blinks, all the time you are on line and uploading or downloading data and you can easily disconnect by clicking on it. Second, set the connection ‘time out’ so that your PC automatically disconnects if there’s no on-line activity. To do that go to Start > Control Panel and click the Network Connections icon, right-click your modem in the Dial-Up section at the top and select Properties. On the General tab check ‘Show Icon in Notification Area….’, then select the Options tab and under Redialling Options set a time, 2-minutes, say, from the drop-down menu next to ‘Idle Time before Hanging Up’.

Q

I am having some valuable archive 8mm film transferred professionally to video tape, and then wish to load it onto my computer for editing before returning it to tape. How do I connect my VCR to my computer in order to be able to stream video from and to the VCR? I have an nVidia GeForce2 MX 32mb video card. I assume I need another card of some sort.
Geoffrey Shaw, South Croydon

A

You might want to ask whoever is carrying out the transfer if there’s the option to also copy your movie as data files to a CD-ROM or Video CD (or DVD if you have that facility). This bypasses the analogue to digital conversion stage, which will degrade the picture when you download your movies from the VCR onto the PC. If you want to go down the VCR route you will need a video input module, like the Pinnacle Linx (currently £36 at Amazon.co.uk), which plugs into one of your PC’s USB sockets. You will also need a graphics card with a separate composite or S-Video (TV) output in order to get your edited footage out of the PC and on to a VCR. These are readily available from PC specialists like ebuyer.com; prices start at under £25 for AGP and PCI types.

Q

Some time back you listed a very useful trick to sound an audible warning whenever the caps lock was pressed. I have upgraded and lost that facility. Could you please remind me of how to set it up?
Phillip Hopkins

A

If your PC has an internal speaker (it bleeps when you first switch it on) you can enable ‘ToggleKeys’ from the Accessibility icon in Control Panel. If Accessibility isn’t shown you will have to install it from Add/Remove programs in Control Panel, select the Windows Setup tab and it’s at the top of the list. Otherwise try a little freeware utility called FirstCap, which can be downloaded from: http://www.falsinsoft.cjb.net/