FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  405 (09/03/04)

Q

My last computer came with an ‘AnyKey’ programmable keyboard. You could write small macro programs, which could be initiated by a single key stroke, a very useful function for remembering names and numbers etc..

When I came to replace the Gateway I looked for a computer with a similar function but failed. My new PC has a Microsoft Internet keyboard on which you can modify the function of certain keys but it is not programmable. Any ideas, computer shops look bewildered when I enquire?

Carl Shortman, Southampton

A

The Anykey keyboard was only supplied with Gateway PCs in the early to mid 1990s and whilst popular with users they never went on open sale. Production has long since ceased and your best bet is to look for one on the auction site ebay (www.ebay.co.uk), there were a couple of well looked after examples selling for less than £25 last week and several in the US. Alternatively, have a look at X Keys, it’s an add-on keyboard that reproduces most of the Anykeys functions. There’s more information on the P I Engineering website at: (http://www.xkeys.com/resources/anykey.php), along with a list of UK distributors.

Q

Whilst I am on the Internet or e mailing I get one of two messages when I come to shut down the computer. They are: ‘msimn.exe.Application error’ and ‘DDCMan.exe Application error’. If I don't click OK they clear themselves and the shutdown completes but as they clear there is a pronounced whoomph from the speakers. Everything continues to work day by day though one of these alerts invariably pops up.

Charles Carr, via email

A

It looks like two unconnected events. The first error message is sometimes due to a full Temporary Internet Files folder so start by emptying that. Go to Internet Options on the Tools menu, select the General tab and click the Delete Files button. In the dialogue box that appears make sure the ‘Delete all offline content’ box is checked then click OK and reboot. If the problem persists have a look at Microsoft Knowledgebase article 258034 (just type the number into Google).

The second error message is caused by Game Channel software, which presumably you or someone else using your PC has installed. It has been implicated as Spyware but in any event the solution is simple, uninstall it and the problem should go away

Q

As my PC is running very slowly I was attracted by the HD Cleaner, which you mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Having installed the program, I was shocked to find that I had 8000 odd duplicate files. Before attempting to delete these, I read the Helper information, which ended with " Be careful: not all files that are duplicates may be deleted. Sometimes, specialised knowledge is required to know which duplicates may be deleted!!"

As I don't have the "specialised knowledge", I cannot safely delete any of them. Is there any way, please, of finding out which ones I can get rid of?

Similarly, there is a warning against deleting zero-byte files, some of which are required by Windows. How do I find out which? The Clean the Registry is also recommended for "experienced users only". This seems to be a fantastic program, but can it safely be recommended for use by anyone who is not very computer savvy?

David S Morris, via email

A

The scary warnings are mainly there to protect the program developer’s behind. In general most of the options are safe for novices to use, but naturally people and PCs being what they are, things can and do go wrong.

If you take sensible precautions, like backing up all irreplaceable data beforehand, only doing one thing at a time, and rebooting after every task, the chances of anything really nasty happening are quite small. All deleted files can also be sent to the Recycle Bin so there's another safety net in case something goes wrong. Give it a try, but small steps to begin with, like only deleting 20 or so duplicates at a time, for example.

Q

Now that one can purchase LCD screens that can be rotated by 90 degrees to portrait form, is there any means by which a word document can be displayed such that a complete page appears on the screen.
R N Davidson, Sawbridgeworth,

A

Screens that rotate normally come with a software program that switches the PC’s video output from landscape to portrait mode, so that the desktop and all applications are rotated through 90 degrees. The best known of these utilities is Pivot Pro and there are more details at: http://www.portrait.com/

Q

I recently purchased a laptop computer but I cannot send e-mails because I cannot get the "@" sing, instead there’s a double apostrophe. I seem to remember this is something you’ve dealt with before and remember thinking at the time what a silly problem to have…

Len Pritchard (aged 74), via email

A

A lot of PC and laptop manufacturers leave the keyboard language on their machines set to the Windows default, which is English (US). To change it to English (British) and put the keys and symbols back into their correct positions, in Windows 9x go to Keyboard in Control Panel and click the Language tab, in Windows XP it’s under Regional and Language Options, select the Language tab and click the Details button.

Q

I recently came across a painting of a local scene and wished to research the artist.  Using Google UK, I searched for William Burbidge Painter Artist and although the search came up with thousands of "hits", none seemed appropriate.  I got references to William Shakespeare, other Burbidges, and various references to the words painter or artist.  How does one obtain that one "hit" that relates to the combination of those four key words please?

C R Thompson, St. Agnes, Cornwall,

A

There are plenty of tricks to narrow a Google Search but when looking up names always put them in quotation marks otherwise Google treats them as two separate words. Using ‘+’ and ‘-‘ signs in front of words can also help reduce the clutter. For example, if your first search turns up another person with the same name who’s a famous mountaineer, for example, simply add ‘-mountaineer’ (without the quotes) to the search terms.