FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  363 (06/05/03)

Q

I wonder if you can help with something that drives me barmy. I currently use Windows ME but this is a problem I have had with every version of Windows I have used so far.  Why is it that although Windows displays the time constantly at the right hand end of the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, it does not see fit to display the date?  Please note, I do know how to go into Settings to call up the date, but I would like to know whether there is a way of getting the task bar to display the date all the time, rather than having to call it up.  Does anyone know if it is possible to persuade Windows to do this?
Fiona Buckley

A

Did you know that you can display today’s date simply by positioning the mouse pointer over the time display in the System Tray? Unfortunately there’s no way in Windows 9x (95/98/SE/ME) to display the date all the time (it can be done in Windows XP though) but there are plenty of third-party utilities that can do it, try a little freeware program called Tclockex, which you can download from: http://users.iafrica.com/d/da/dalen/tclockex.htm

Q

Each time I shut down my computer, I get the following message:

‘Notification WND for RNAdmin is not responding’. I have searched Microsoft web site, and can find no reference to this. I have also searched Norton web site and again can for no reference.

David Kelman

A

This is the work of Real One Player’s update program. If you are not using it the solution is to uninstall it from Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, otherwise go to the Real Networks web site and download the latest version.

Q

I have windows XP home edition and a Microsoft keyboard and I have tried every thing that has been suggested in your Boot Camp article on power saving but I am unable to get my computer to go into Standby mode. I get an error message that says ‘The device driver for the ‘standard 101/102 key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 keyboard ‘ device is preventing the machine from entering standby’. I closed all applications as advised but it didn’t help.

V.C.Dalal

A

Several programs are known to cause this behaviour, including Adobe Type Manager and the encryption utility Pretty Good Privacy, which both add driver files to the existing keyboard driver, have a look at Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q257199 (http://support.microsoft.com/ default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q257199) for more information.  Out of date and ‘Unsigned’ drivers, not officially endorsed by XP, have also been known to cause this type of problem, again the Knowledge Base can help with article Q308514 (http://support.microsoft.com/

default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q308514), which deals with how to identify and remove or update dodgy drivers.

Q

I have used the "Power", "Sleep" and "Wake" keys to power down my computer satisfactorily up until this week. This week I have had broadband (NTL) fitted with a separate external modem. Now when I power down using Sleep or Power keys it operates OK but it cuts off the USB connection to the broadband modem and I have to shut down the computer and reboot to get it reconnected. I have Windows 98 SE installed. Is there any way I can power down and not at the same time shut off the modem?
Jack Fish

A

Your PC’s Advanced Power Management (APM) system doesn’t support USB devices. There’s a very slim chance that a BIOS upgrade may be available for your motherboard but this can be quite a tricky procedure and is not recommended for novices; check the manufacturer’s web site for further advice. The only other thing you could try – though I’m not very hopeful – is to connect the modem to an external ‘powered hub’, using an plug-in mains supply, which may keep the modem powered up whilst the PC is in Standby mode, however these things can be a bit hit and miss, so I’m not making any promises.

Q

I'm trying to find an old Boot Camp tip from a couple of years ago without success. It is in Word and puts an envelope on the tool bar. After typing a document one could click on the envelope and it would come up on the screen with the letters address. Feed the envelope into the printer and it printed the address off the document. I've just changed computers and am missing this handy utility.
Eric Walmsley

A

Here’s how to do it, and as an extra bonus tip, a reminder of how to carry across your Word preferences, macros and custom dictionaries to another computer using the same version of Word. To put the Envelopes and Labels icon on a toolbar right-click onto an empty area of the toolbar and select Customize and then the Commands tab. In the categories window select Tools then scroll down the list in the right hand Commands window to find the envelope icon. Click, drag and drop it onto the toolbar and close the Customize dialogue box.

All of the changes and customisations you make to Word are contained in the document template file ‘normal.dot’. Simply copy normal.dot to a floppy disc (use Find/Search on the Start menu to track it down) and copy it into the appropriate location on the other PC.

Q

I have a minor but very irritating problem, which occurs when I open a Word folder. The "Open" dialogue box should appear with the columns of folders in alphabetical order, starting on the left. However, as soon as this happens, the columns flick leftwards, so that the first column commencing with "A" moves of the screen and I have to use the slide bar to move it back where it is visible. It has only just started happening a few weeks ago, and never occurs in Excel. How do I resolve this?
John Marchesi

A

You may have inadvertently changed the ‘View’ in the open dialogue box. Open the box and click on the little down arrow next to the View icon and change to the List option, which will display folders and files in alphabetical order.