FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  388 (04/11/03)

Q

I use Windows 98 SE and on starting Adaptec Web Check or Paintshop Pro I receive error messages that include the line ‘…missing export msvcrt.dll ?? u@yapaxi@z’. What is going on?

R. Smith

A

At first glance all that gobbledegook looks like the work of a virus or worm but it’s actually caused by the Windows system file msvcrt.dll becoming corrupted or being overwritten by a newly installed program. The solution is to extract and install the original file from your Windows CD-ROM. It’s obviously quite common because Microsoft has a knowledgebase article showing you how to do it, just type ‘296551’ into Google’s search window for more details. 

Q

After experiencing no problems for the first couple of months, when I now try to download photos from my Fuji Finepix A310 on to my PC (Windows 98) the computer freezes.  I have tried reloading the software again but this had made no difference.  Is it the memory?  The camera is fine as I have tested it on another (newer) PC.

Natasha Parys

A

This sounds more like a USB problem and you have reached the limit of the number of devices that can be connected to your PC. The problem is usually due to the use of an unpowered ‘hub’, which many users fit to allow them to expand the number of USB sockets. Some USB devices, like scanners web cams etc. draw power from the USB port and when the maximum current drain has been exceeded, by plugging in another device, say, Windows hangs. The answer is to use a ‘powered’ hub, or fit a multi-port USB expansion card to your PC.

Q

The clock on my Compaq Presario 2292 runs a bit fast, so every now and then I want to correct the time as indicated in the left hand down corner of my screen. Unfortunately, this is only possible when I switch to the DOS screen and type in the correct time. The appropriate keys on the windows clock screen do not function, i.e. the buttons are light grey, not black and cannot be pushed. My operating system is Windows 98. Would you know a way of tackling this problem, that is not a serious one, but annoying nevertheless?

Maarten van Vliet

A

This catches a lot of people and the design of the Windows clock dialogue box could be better. The trick is to click onto the numbers that you want to change in the digital clock display beneath the analogue clock, the up/down buttons then become active.  If you log onto the Internet more than once or twice a day then there’s an even better way to keep your Windows clock accurate and that is to use an Internet time synchroniser utility. This will automatically check your PC clock using time signals from Atomic clocks connected to the web. Have a look at About Time, it’s ‘careware’ (freeware), the zip file is only 600kb and it can be found at: http://www.arachnoid.com/abouttime/index.html

Q

I belong to an organisation with a scattered membership. One member has suggested our website should have a message board. Who would be legally responsible if a member posted an offensive or libellous message? Could a complainant sue not just the writer of the message, but also the webmaster (me!) and even our ISP?

Paul Elis

A

You are wise to check, the Internet has created many complex anomalies, which you would be well advised to study, before you let everyone have their say. No surprisingly most of what you need to know can be found on the Internet and a good place to start would be the very useful articles in the Internet Law archive on the Wrigley Claydon Services web site at:

http://www.swarb.co.uk/index.html#lbint

There’s also a very readable ‘Idiots Guide’ to libel at:

http://www.urban75.com/Action/libel.html

And if you can find the energy and resolve, everything you need to know about The Defamation Act 1966, can be found at:

http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1996/1996031.htm

Q

I am using Windows XP Home, and when typing in Outlook Express instead of producing the pound and euro sign I get a peculiar T and A symbols; the keyboard is set to English (British).

Joy Walsh.

A

There’s a couple of possibilities; the font you are using to send and read emails might be damaged (least likely in the case of Windows XP), or you may be using an incorrect character set; this can happen if you’ve read an email containing a faulty character set.

To check for a faulty font open the new message window in OE, change the font and send a short message to your own email address. If you can read it properly then the font might be damaged, in which case you may need to run the XP repair utility from the installation CD-ROM

An incorrect character set is easier to put right, open OE then go to Tools > Options and select the Send tab and make sure that ‘Reply to messages using the format in which they are sent’ is checked, then go to the Read tab and click the Fonts button. In the Font Settings windows make sure Western European is selected and click the ‘Set as Default’ button. Click Ok then select the International Settings button and make sure Western European is shown next to Default Encoding.