FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  355 (18/03/03)

Q

My desktop is crowded with program and folder icons. I seek some means to draw ‘boxes’ (preferably in different colours) around each main group.  Can this be done and, if so, how?

Mike Tennent

A

PC desktops, like real ones, quickly become cluttered and the simplest solution to overcrowding is to group your icons into folders. For example all of your Internet programs (browsers, email clients etc.) could be in one folder, and your graphics programs in another. To do that right-click onto an empty area of the desktop and select New > Folder. A new folder will appear, give it a name and press Enter. Now all you have to do is drag and drop the icons onto your newly named folder, which you can open by double clicking on it. If that sounds like a lot of hard work, or you want quicker access to your icons try a simple little freeware utility called Iconoid, which allows you to group icons together on the desktop according to function and save (and restore) their positions. It can be downloaded from: http://www.sillysot.com/

Q

I have copied my address book to CD-RW but cannot view it using Acrobat Reader. Only Notepad or Word can open it but it is in an indecipherable language.

Janice Moorkite

A

That’s because Outlook and Outlook Express use the proprietary ‘WAB’ (Windows address Book) file format, which can only be read by those programs. If you want to be able to view or edit your address book in your word processor or Notepad, go to Export on the Outlook or OE File menu, select Address Book, and choose Text File (Comma Separated Value), which will create a text file, which you can then save in the location of your choice.

Q

Is there a way to copy an MS Word 97 document into an Outlook Express 6 email (and vice versa) without losing the formatting such as bolds and, especially, paragraphs?

Jeff Probst

A

No problem, you have two choices. Copy and paste the document into a New Message window and on the Format menu (the one on the message window) check the item ‘Rich Text (HTML) and this will preserve the formatting and typeface etc. Alternatively, send the document as an attachment.

Q

I have recently upgraded the RAM in my PC (1.3MHz) to 512Mb, but it now seems to be worse off, with Media player seeming to be the most affected, slowing down and taking up to a minute to load even small video file of about 10Mb.

Tim Mortimer

A

Windows 9x (which includes 88 SE and ME) can only handle a maximum of 512Mb RAM and if you exceed its capacity it can actually slow the system down or make it more unreliable. However in your case I suspect it may have something to do with the way Windows ME is managing its resources and there’s a lot you can do to optimise your system. There’s a useful guide at: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2000072514215039

Q

My PC is running Windows 95 and I'm trying to find out how to clear the system tray of icons for programs I no longer want. How do you stop the icons appearing there in the first place?

Moira Keay

A

The icons in System Tray represent programs that are launched with Windows. Some of them can be found in the Startup folder by going to Start > Programs, and you can simply delete the shortcuts for the programs that you do not want; however, programs may also be launched by system files or from within the Registry. These are best left alone unless you know what you are doing. Later versions of Windows (98 onwards) come with a useful utility called ‘msconfig’; unfortunately there is no equivalent in Windows 95 but you can download a freeware utility that does a similar job, called Startup Control Panel, which you will find at: http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

Q

This may be marginally naughty but certainly no worse than using a video recorder to copy a TV program or a cassette recorder for the same on the radio. How can I save an Internet broadcast of La Bohemme, for example, for later CD burning? A cassette recording of a regular FM broadcast lacks digital quality and I have no way of getting DAB here in darkest Dorset.

Alan Hobby, Bridport

A

Did you know you can receive most digital radio broadcasts on a satellite TV receiver? The quality can be excellent and you can easily record it on tape, or a MiniDisc recorder, say. The quality of Internet broadcasts is not that wonderful, moreover it may be interrupted at busy times by congestion on the web, even if you have a broadband connection. If you want to try it you will need a audio recorder program, which also lets you record audio from anything going through your PC’s sound card or any external source, such as a satellite receiver or FM tuner. There are plenty to choose from but Easy Audio Recorder is a good place to start, it’s simple to use and it’s free, you’ll find more information and the download page at:

www.winpicks.com/ShowDetails

.asp?title=Easy+Audio+Recorder

Q

I have a problem accessing the Virgin Blue web site I can fill out the form but when I press "Find Flights" nothing happens. On the toolbar below the page is a ‘JavaScript: submit’ message. I do not have any problem with the rest of the site, or any other site. 

I have a second question regarding e-mail. I have found that by right clicking any e-mail and then Properties and then Details and then Message Source I can find out who sent the message without opening it.  Is it safe to check e-mails this way if you are not sure whom they are from?

Terry Mason, Perth WA 

A

The JavaScript message means your browser is attempting to access or send a form and it’s likely that your security settings or Internet firewall software is trying to block it. If you are using Internet Explorer you can change your JavaScript configuration by going to Tools > Internet Options > Security and click the Custom Level button. Scroll down the Settings list and change to ‘Low Safety’ or ‘Disable’ (it’s normally set to ‘High Safety’.  If you have a firewall program try disabling that or changing the security setting.

Opening an email using Properties > Message Source is perfectly safe since it will not activate or execute any malicious programs, worms or viruses it may contain.