FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  429 (24/08/04)

Q

In earlier versions of MS Word I seem to recall being able to produce a full page width solid line by typing several, maybe 4 or 5, hyphens followed by Return. I found this very useful to top and tail footers and headers. This doesn't seem to work in later versions of Word and I can't find any reference to it in Help etc. Was I imagining this feature?

Bill Pilgrim, via email

A

I agree it’s not very well documented but this feature is present in all recent versions of Word. It is usually enabled by default but you may have accidentally turned it off. To switch it back on go to Insert > AutoText > AutoText, select the 'Autoformat as you type' tab then under 'Apply as you type' select Borders.

Q

I've been trying to help a friend with Windows 2000, to switch off items that start with Windows using the configuration utility ‘msconfig’ but when I type the command in Run on the Start menu I get the message ‘Cannot find the file msconfig (or one of its components)’. Can you get at the Start Up list in W2000? I notice that your recent article on XP said that msconfig is also used in earlier versions of Windows, but I think you left W2000 off the list.

Ray Glover, via email

A

For some reason Microsoft didn’t see fit to include msconfig in Windows 2000 (or NT), however, there’s nothing to stop you using the one in Windows 98, SE and ME or the newer version supplied with Windows XP. Simply find a Windows 98 or XP computer and copy the file ‘msconfig.exe’ onto a floppy (it’s usually in c:\windows\system or locate it using Search/Find on the Start menu). You can run it directly from the floppy or copy it into a folder -- c:\winnt\system32 is a good place to keep it -- so you can launch it in the usual way from Run on the Start menu.

Incidentally many programs that start with Windows 2000 are referred to as ‘services’ and ‘processes’ and these can be selectively disabled by going to Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Services. Right click the program or service you want to stop, select Properties and under Startup box select either ‘Disabled’ or ‘Manual’. Be very careful though, as unlike msconfig you can switch off critical components that could stop Windows working or compromise your PC’s security.

Q

I recently added an additional 512Mb RAM memory module to my Windows 98 computer but although recognised by my PC it has not improved the performance or percentage of system resources free etc. Can you suggest any solution please?
David Snook, via email

A

When Windows 98 was introduced memory chips were very expensive and 64Mb was considered more than enough for most applications. The operating system and early motherboards were not built to use large amounts of memory efficiently, even though the OS will recognise up to 2Gb of RAM. However there is a bug, which can crop up if you install more than 512Mb. It’s to do with the way Windows handles very large files and if you give it too much memory to play with it will gobble it all up and actually slow your system down. To add insult to injury you may get error massages like: ‘There is not enough memory to run this program’… There is a workaround, which tells Windows that you have more than 512Mb of memory installed but don’t expect any significant improvements in performance. Details can be found in MS Knowledgebase articles 253912 and 108079 (just type the numbers in Google).

Q

I am currently living in France and I have a brand new HP computer running Windows XP PRO. I have just set up the PC and it connected without problem for half a day and then for no apparent reason every time I dial up I get a message screen saying "Generic Host Process for WIN32 services has encountered a problem…". I am then invited to send an error report but as soon as I try the PC crashes. The only way out is to pull the mains cable out of the PC and then restart.

Hervey Raymond, via email

A

Tut tut! My guess is you haven’t installed or updated your anti virus software... Your PC is almost certainly infected by the ‘Sasser’ worm or one of its many variants. Fortunately it is fairly easy to get rid of and you can find a free removal tool at: http://securityresponse.symantec.com/

avcenter/venc/data/w32.sasser.removal.tool.html

Q

Could you advise please if a photo inkjet printer handles text printing as well as an ordinary one, and whether it is better economically for a moderate user to buy one with 6 colour cartridges or one with a single colour cartridge or should I continue to get pictures developed professionally?

Mr W Ryan, Coventry

A

As you probably know manufacturers make little or no money from the sale of printers but rely on ‘consumables’ for their profits, with the ink in some printer cartridges variously calculated as being worth more than its weight in gold or the most expensive perfumes. The economics of using a colour inkjet printer vary considerably with the make and model, what you are using it for and whether or not cartridges are refillable or cheaper ‘compatible’ ones are available. Photo printers add another layer of complexity and in general ones with separate ink tanks for each colour can be cheaper to run than those that use all-in-one cartridges as the printer’s utility program will declare the cartridge empty as soon as one colour has run out, even though there might be plenty of ink left in the other reservoirs left. However most printers have a separate cartridge for black ink so if you are going to be using it mainly for printing text base your calculations on the cost of those.

In short it’s a minefield; comparative costings for various printers frequently appear in PC magazines and consumer titles like Which? however they rapidly go out of date as new printers come on to the market. I’m afraid you are going to have to do a little homework. Shortlist two or three models in your price range with the features that you want, check the brochures or specs for the life expectancy of the cartridges then do some shopping around for cartridge prices.