FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  368 (10/06/03)

Q

I need to restrict access to Internet Explorer; I'm using Windows 2000.
Ideally the user will have to double click the Internet Explorer icon and be asked to enter a user name or password. It must be done without logging out of Windows, as other applications are running that must not be stopped. Any ideas?
Paul Wilmott, York

A

Not a problem, there are plenty of commercial programs and shareware utilities that can add password protection to Internet Explorer and other Windows programs, here’s a small selection that will run under Windows 2000:

http://www.visualautomation.com/

securedesktop/

http://www.popupstop.com/

comparison.htm

http://www.topshareware.com/

DUN-Shield-download-177.htm

http://www.softheap.com/

Q

Recently the cursor on my computer began to slow down. It would work for a few seconds then freeze for a few seconds. This only happened when had we had been online for an hour. When we came off the Internet, the problems cleared up.  

Evan Phillips

A

Slow downs and momentary freezing are usually a sign that your PC is running out of resources – too many programs are running at the same time -- or you haven’t got enough RAM memory. Memory is currently cheap so there’s no excuse for not installing the optimum amount of memory for your system, which could be anywhere from 128 to 512Mb. You should check with your PC vendor/manufacturer or consult the motherboard manual for guidance. To reduce the number of running programs and services that load with Windows go to Run on the Start menu and type ‘msconfig’ and select the Startup tab. Uncheck any items that you don’t need or use, with the exception of Explorer, Systray, plus any anti virus and firewall programs. Only uncheck one item at a time to make sure you don’t disable anything important.

Q

Help! How do you prevent the accursed Windows Messaging screens, which pop up from time to time? I run a PC and laptop, both with Windows 2000.  Most of the messages are suggestive if not downright obscene and are definitely not wanted in this household.  I would be grateful for any
help you can give.
Judi Whiting, Newport Pagnell

A

Windows Messenger, installed and enabled by default in Win XP and 2000, was meant to allow PC users to send and receive messages but it has since been hijacked by spammers and advertisers. To switch it off go to Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Services. Right –click Messenger and select Properties then click Stop. Change Startup Type to Disabled and click OK.

Q

I took your advice and bought a card reader for my digital camera. When downloading into my picture program direct from the camera, my images are recorded at 120 pixels/inch, but when I put the card into the Reader, (via the same USB port), the resolution is 75 per inch, and the printout is not so good.  The card reader manufacturer says it is the camera, the Reader supplier suggested the Reader was faulty and supplied me with another of a different make, - which does exactly the same!  I can find nothing in my camera or Adobe software which adjusts the resolution read from the card, so why is this?

Barry martin

A

It is highly unlikely that the card reader has anything to do with it, as far as Windows is concerned it is juts another disc drive and when it comes to saving files it is treated in exactly the same way as your hard or floppy disc drives. You should be able to prove that by simply dragging and dropping picture files from your hard disc onto the card reader icon in Windows Explorer, the files copied on the memory card should be identical to the originals on your hard drive. The most likely explanation is that your image-editing program is set to save in a lower resolution, have a look at the settings in the Options or Preferences menus or consult the program’s Help files

Q

I took your advice regarding firewalls and installed Zone Alarm. I’ve been horrified at the displayed info: ‘Blocked Intrusions 2767, Probable Hack Attempts 1919’, and all this in just one month. Should I be concerned that the world is trying to get my personal data?
Fred Dunsdon

A

Yes and no. The number of attempted ‘hacks’ Zone Alarm has intercepted is not unusual but some of them will simply be web sites that you’ve visited, and subsequently left, trying to update information. Most of the others are automated programs trawling the web attempting to infiltrate unprotected PCs. Many don’t constitute a real threat, especially if you are using a dial-up connection because every time you log on and off the Internet the address allocated to your PC by your ISP changes, so your PC cannot be traced or uniquely identified. However, that’s little consolation and the bottom line is that your PC is under constant threat from intruders, so make sure it is fully protected by a firewall and constantly updated antivirus software.

Q

My graphics card has a ‘TV Out’ socket but I am unable to fathom how to view DVD movies played on the PC DVD-ROM drive on my television. I have connected the output socket on the PC to the Video In phono plug on the television but the graphics card instructions are then too vague for me to understand. Can you help?

Graham James

A

Graphics cards with TV output work in different ways. On some you have to enable the facility, and this may or may not disable the PC monitor output. Look for a control utility on the Programs menu and make sure the output is set for the PAL video system, which we use here in the UK. Sometimes the controls are incorporated into the Display utility in Control Panel (usually on the Settings tab), otherwise visit the card manufacturer’s web site and look for an FAQ section.

Q

I have a JVC digital camera that allows me to take short videos using a jmm format. Unfortunately my Ulead DVD Picture Show software does not support this format, so that I am unable to use these videos in my movies. Is it possible to change jmm to, say, avi for instance?

Anthony Curnow

A

Not as far as I know and you are not alone in seeking a conversion utility. JVC seems to have rather shot itself in the foot with this proprietary format and the only piece of software I have found associated with it is a free ‘viewer’ program for Windows and Mac that can be downloaded from:

www.jvc-victor.co.jp/english/

download/vpwjvd/dl_vpwjvp-e.html