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FAQS! FACTS!
FAX! 428 (17/08/04)
Q
I run Windows XP and have AVG anti virus on my PC. I also
have AdAware and Spybot. AVG has picked up a virus called BackDoor.Agent.BA,
and offers to remove it. It then says it has been sent to the virus vault, but
it is still there. I've looked on the web for BackDoor.Agent.BA and the closest
I can find is letters from people who have AVG, one person even suggested the
virus was from AVG itself. Have you any ideas, the virus reminder keeps on
popping up on the screen every time I change programs and it's slowed down my
system?
Phil Lovegreen, Chester
A
An anti-virus company
spreading viruses, now that’s an interesting idea… We won’t dwell on the many
loopholes in that particular conspiracy theory but whilst AVG cannot
automatically remove this infection it has made available a free cleaner
utility that you can download from:
www.grisoft.com/us/us_remtext.php?id=bagbugnet
Q
I have an annoying glitch on my PC. Some days it's fine,
other days it starts and a message instantly (1 - 2 seconds later) comes up
saying 'FPU fan is not working' then it shuts down. My 13 year old son has
figured that, if you unplug the machine and plug it back in, it will work OK,
but even this remedy has now failed. Any glimmer of hope?
Terry Verney, North Finchley
A
I think the message was
‘CPU fan is not working’, which refers to the small cooling fan that sits on
top of the main processor chip on your PC’s motherboard. Over time these can
get clogged with dust and slow down or become unreliable, causing the CPU to
heats up and the PC shuts down in order to prevent any damage. My guess is your
fan has been on the blink for a while and switching the PC off and on again
kick started it but now it has failed completely and needs to be replaced. Do
not try to use your PC again as the CPU could overheat, with expensive consequences!
CPU fans are normally held
in place by a simple clip but getting at it is another matter. On some PCs you
have to remove the power supply module, or it can be buried beneath a web of
cables. By all means have a look but don’t forget to unplug the mains lead
before you open the case. If it looks accessible have a go but touch the case
metalwork frequently to dissipate any static charges on your body or clothes.
Be very careful not to touch or disturb anything apart from the fan, and
remember where it plugs into the motherboard. Replacement fans cost from around
Ł5 upwards and can be purchased from PC dealers and companies like Maplin (www.maplin.co.uk). There are
several different types so you will need to know the make and type of processor
in your PC, otherwise seek expert help.
Q
Recently I have received copies of US Censuses as
attachments to emails in ‘gif’ format. Whilst I can view the
documents by using the scroll bars, I can't reduce them in size in order to
print them on an A4 sheet (or even two that I could later stick
together). The original documents scanned in the US and downloaded from a
site are probably about A2 in size. I have an HP 2175 printer and
even using the ‘Fit to size’ option didn't help; nor did trying to print at
50%. I have the same problem when trying to print off photos that I have
been sent or scanned in myself using my previous flatbed scanner.
C R Thompson, St. Agnes
A
You need an image editing
program, but the first thing to do is extract the picture from the email and
save it in a folder on your PC, (right-click on the attachment and select
SaveAs). There are plenty of excellent programs on the market but I would start
with a freeware offering called Irfanview, which we have mentioned on a number
of occasions. It works with all versions of Windows and you can download it
from: www.irfanview.com/
Once installed open your gif image then click
Resize/Resample on the Image menu. There are various options and you can resize
the image directly, in pixels, centimetres or inches, or experiment with one of
the defaults (Half, 640 x 480 pixels etc), then click OK. Alternatively go to
Print on the File menu, click the Print button and this will open Irfanview’s
Print dialogue box, which has a range of resizing options under ‘Print Size’,
and you can see the effect in a thumbnail view.
Q
I normally back up my Word and Excel files and folders on my
second drive D:. However having suffered a C: drive disaster, how can I save a
backup copy of my 'Local Folders' contents from Outlook Express 6 onto my
second hard drive?
Should I have the same problem again, how can I then
'Restore' the saved Outlook Express folders from my D drive to a blank new copy
of Outlook Express 6 on my C drive, so that I can read the folder messages? The
same applies to the Address book in Outlook Express.
Peter Carsons, via email
A
You can make a full backup
of all of your Outlook Express email messages, address book and accounts
settings by following the procedure in Boot Camps 309, 310 and 311, which deals
with transferring OE to another PC.
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