FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  378 (26/08/03)

Q

I wish to add a logo to the return address on an envelope in the top left hand corner. I use Word for addressing envelopes and I have tried many times to do this but cannot make it accept the logo (which I have in another Word file). The 'Help' doesn't cover this problem; at least I can't find it. 

Jill A Judge 

A

Word has a little AutoText function called EnvelopeExtra for adding graphics and extras like special text to envelope addresses (and if it’s mentioned in Help I can’t find it...). It’s all quite straightforward -- though a little too involved to go into here -- but you can find a good step-by-step tutorial at: www.gmayor.dsl.pipex.com/

Alternative_Return_Addresses.htm

Q

You wouldn't believe the exasperation you cause to an inquisitive twit like me with your oft repeated phrase "...but that's another story..."! But seriously - is there a big fat book I can buy that shows all of the ways

Mr Gates stores our private info on Windows XP?

Chas Hobson

A

I promise not to do that again without further explanation, but in answer to your question, it doesn’t need a book, fat or otherwise, to explain what’s happening. Windows XP like its predecessors permanently stores details of all of the web sites you have visited in files called ‘Index.dat’. These are labelled System files, which means they won’t normally show up in Windows Explorer, and you can’t delete them while Windows is running as they are permanently open, nor are they erased when you delete your History or Cookie cache files, so anyone with a bit of knowledge can find out exactly what you’ve been up to.

You can delete these files in Windows 9x (98/SE/ME) with an excellent freeware utility called Spider (http://www.fsm.nl/ward/) but as far as I’m aware there’s no freebie equivalent for Windows XP. You can view them in XP with a freeware program called Index Viewer (http://www.exits.ro/) but to delete them you’ll need a shareware program like History Kill. You can download a 15-day demo from: http://www.historykill.info/index-dat-files.htm, the licensed version, which includes a free pop-up stopper costs €42 (around £30).

Q

I have been trying to change my Internet home page from my ISPs chosen page to something else. The ISP’s technical support gave me instructions for changing the homepage address in Internet Options and when that did not work they showed me how to reset Internet Explorer but to no avail. They now tell me that I have a "registry issue" that has locked the key that holds the homepage and advise me to seek the help of a local PC specialist. Can you help?

Ken Webster

A

Home page hijacking, as it is known, can be a real nuisance. Due to a flaw in Internet Explorer it can happen at any time, simply by visiting a web site or clicking on a link. Usually you can change back to your chosen home page from Internet Options on the Tools menu but if the hijacker’s dirty work has fiddled with the Registry it will simply revert back to the hijackers page every time you open Internet Explorer. If you feel up to a spot of Registry editing, and it’s not difficult, (just make sure you follow the instructions and always make a backup before you start), then have a look at a Microsoft Knowledgebase article Q320159 at:

http://support.microsoft.com/

default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;320159. To stop it happening again you can install a utility like FreeSurfer, which is actually a highly effective pop-up ad stopper, but also has a homepage locking facility. You’ll find it at: http://www.kolumbus.fi/eero.muhonen/FS/fs.htm

Q

I noticed that a large number of files have built up in my Windows folder, and I don’t know what they are. The files all start with fffe, fffee, or ffff, then a long number, and end with .tmp. I have tried deleting my Temporary Internet Files and cookies, but they are still there. The properties say they are archive files, of 0 bytes. My teenage son downloads and watches, then deletes, video clips and music files. I wonder if they have somehow been saved to Windows and have not been deleted properly. Is it safe to get rid of them?

Mrs J. Butle

A

Any file ending with the suffix ‘.tmp’ is normally safe to delete. Windows usually does it automatically when it shuts down but sometimes it forgets, or fails if the PC crashes or isn’t shut down properly. They not doing any harm and take up little space but if you want to get rid of them the safest way is to go to: Start > Programs  > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. Make sure C: is selected click OK and on the dialogue box that appears make sure Temporary Files is checked then click OK. A more thorough method is to go to Find/Search on the Start menu and type ‘*.tmp’ (without the quotes) into the Files or Name field and press Find. You can then highlight all the ones you want to get rid of and click the Delete key. Do not empty the Recycle Bin for a day or two, just in case you deleted something you shouldn’t have.

Q

Occasionally I take photos with my digital camera in portrait format. i.e. I hold the camera sideways. When I copy these pictures onto my hard drive (Windows XP) they appear on the computer screen as intended in portrait format, as opposed to landscape and rotated 90 degrees. How does the computer correctly rotate these photos automatically, when I have not told it to do so?
Robin Whiting, Dersingham, Norfolk

A

It’s not Windows being clever this is almost certainly a function of your digital camera, which has a built-in ‘orientation sensor’ that rotates the image according to whether the picture was taken in portrait or landscape mode.