FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  361 (22/04/03)

Q

I recently up-dated from OE 5 to OE 6 after a message on screen talking in terms of ' critical updates '. Today I received two emails, one from a UK based friend and the other from a USA based contact.  Both had attachments that would not open or save.  The file stated, "This unsafe attachment has been removed “! Apart from the fact Microsoft has no right to remove items from my PC without permission my virus checker would decide if the items were " unsafe " or not and I now have to contact both parties and advise I have no idea what was sent - the attachments might well require an answer.  How can I prevent this happening again?

B.C.Rayson

A

Believe it or not this is by design. Microsoft clearly believe that the threat from viruses and worms being carried inside attachments is now so great that it is safer not to allow them, it’s just a pity there’s no warning this happens when you install SP1. Fortunately the solution is simple, in Outlook Express go to the Tools menu and select Options then the Security tab and uncheck the item ‘Do not allow attachments to be opened or saved…’

Q

My son is currently touring the world.  I would like to create a simple web Site so that he can download digital photographs of his travels. The web site will then be accessed by his friends in UK.  Can you suggest something quick and simple?

Malcolm Norris

A

Most ISPs provide a free allocation of web space, which you can use to host your son’s photographs. Visit your ISPs home page for instructions on how to upload images, it’s usually very simple and the necessary utilities are provided on the site. If by chance your ISP doesn’t have this facility there are plenty of companies providing a free web hosting service. There’s 50Mb of space up for grabs, and a simple to use photo album template at: http://www.tripod.lycos.co.uk/

Q

Recently I attempted to download the latest updates for Outlook Express, as per your recommendation in Boot Camp, but having achieved 30%, it cut out completely. I have no idea why, or how to restart it. However, I am wondering if all these updates are really worthwhile? I use Windows ME and I don’t send emails, only receive them, and select carefully as ninety percent of it is rubbish, sent in response to my searches, and unrequested.

L.G.Ellis, Bournmouth

A

Most of the updates and patches are concerned with security and since you receive more emails than you send – a very high proportion of them from unknown sources – you are precisely the kind of user these downloads are designed to protect. It sounds as though your Internet and email software is well behind the times so you might be better off reinstalling the latest version, rather than trying to update your current programs. To save the bother of a long download check the freebie cover discs on computer magazines like PC Pro, which regularly features the latest releases of Internet Explorer and Outlook Express (they come as a matched pair).

It’s difficult to say why your downloads cut out without knowing a lot more about your system and Internet connection but you should check your modem’s settings, which you can access from Internet Explorer. Click on Internet Options on the Tools menu then the Connection tab. Highlight your modem then click Properties and the Advanced button and make sure that the ‘Disconnect if idle’ time is stet to at least ten minutes, to counter any lulls in your downloads.

Q

 I have a 16-page document in PDF format via Adobe Acrobat 5.0. My question is can I put this into a Word document so that I can edit it? I am running Word 97 on Windows 95.

Ian Hodgson

A

Yes you can and the simplest method is to select the Text tool (the ‘T’ next to the magnifying glass icon on the Adobe Acrobat Reader toolbar and use the cursor to highlight the block of text, press Ctrl+C to Copy it to the Clipboard, open a new document in Word and press Ctrl+V to Paste the text onto the page. Repeat for each page.

Q

As an ex-DOS user, there are some things I miss with Windows. It used to be easy to print out the contents of a DOS directory.  But how can I now print out the list of file, their sizes, etc. from the Right Hand Side of Windows Explorer display of folder contents? How can I total the sizes of all the files in a folder as listed on the RHS of Windows Explorer? (To see if they will fit on a floppy). The Print Screen (PrtScn) key was useful for capturing on paper the information on the screen, but there doesn’t seem to be an equivalent in Windows. Is that correct?
Jack Palmer, Weymouth, Dorset

A

You are a bit of a latecomer but welcome to the wonderful world of Windows, where everything you want can be found, albeit sometimes via a slightly convoluted route. First, printing the contents of directory is not directly supported buy being an old DOS hand you’ll have no trouble creating a simple batch file to do the job. Open Notepad and type: DIR %1 > LPT1 (where LPT1 is your printer port). Use Save As to give it a name, use the extension .bat, (i.e. foldprnt.bat), and save it in the root of the C: drive. Now go to the Run command on the Start menu and type C:\ foldprnt.bat A:\directory. (Where A: is the drive where the folder or files are stored -- use C: if it's on the hard disc -- and directory is the name of folder whose contents you want to print out). If you just want to print out the list of files on the disc just type C:\dirprnt.bat A:

If all that sounds like more trouble than it’s worth then download a free utility called Directory Printer, which you can find at:

http://www.karenware.com/

powertools/ptdirprn.asp

The sizes of files within a folder are shown in the Status bar, at the bottom of a Windows Explorer window and PrtScn still works but the captured image is sent to the Windows Clipboard, where it can be copied into any open graphics program or open word processor documents using the Paste command (Ctrl + V).