FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  448 (11/01/05)

Q

I have looked at the web cams on a web site in Valencia during last summer without problems (www.comunitatvalenciana.com/). However now when I try, the site loads but the camera picture is blank showing a dark box containing a small white box with a red cross. The words "Tu navegador no soporta Java " are shown also. I have no problems with some other webcams I look at. Since I last successfully viewed the web cam, I have upgraded to XP Service Pack 2 and am using Norton Internet Security. Any ideas?

John Trainer, Birmingham

A

This error message basically says that your browser does not support the Java, which is a small program that some websites need to display graphics properly. Due to a legal wrangle between Microsoft and Sun Microsystems MS stopped including Java in Internet Explorer version 6, shipped with Windows XP. Fortunately it’s easily cured and you can download the necessary files free from: www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp 

Q

In Outlook Express where do the 'Deleted items' go when emptying the folder and can they be retrieved if one is emptied in error?

Graham Trow, via email

A

As you probably know deleted data on a PC is rarely irretrievably lost and there are several utilities that can recover files that have been erased. I would start with a simple shareware program called Dbxtract that is designed specifically to work with Outlook Express mail folders, the latest version costs $5 and can be downloaded from: www.oehelp.com/DBXtract/Default.aspx. An earlier freeware version is still available: www.pcworld.com/downloads/

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Also have a look at Final Recovery, a free trial version will show you what, if any, emails can be recovered; the fully functional program costs $29 and you’ll find them both at: www.finalrecovery.com/emailrecovery/

Q

I have a play-along Clarinet tutor, which includes a CD containing several backing tracks.  I play these through MS Media Player, which also offers the facility to store the tracks on the hard drive as .wav files. Several of the tracks are quite short. I would like to double or treble the length of the tracks by manipulating the associated .wav file(s).  Is there a simple way of doing this?

R. Ball, via email

A

There certainly is and I would try an excellent little freeware program called Audacity 1.2.3. In addition to a huge range of clever effects, from echo to pitch and speed changes, it lets you copy and paste sections or whole passages of a .wav (and most other audio formats) file into a simple timeline display. You’ll find it at: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Q

I am finding it impossible to install Windows XP Service Pack 2. The automatic update fails and when I try through Windows update or from disc, halfway through the installation process an error message appears ‘access denied’. Have you any suggestions?

John King, via email

A

This is normally associated with a problem in the Windows XP Registry, due to certain ‘keys’ not being properly updated. However, there is a fix, outlined in Microsoft Knowledgebase article 873148 (just type the number into Google). It involves editing the Registry, which isn’t difficult, but please make sure that you make a backup first (see MSKB article 322755) and follow the instructions to the letter.

Q

I have recently designed a logo for a Society to which I belong but different computers seem to use different fonts for the same font name. I have transferred the ‘Algerian’ font, from my desktop PC to my laptop via floppy disc but it does not appear on the drop down menu on the standard tool bar, or in the format menu although it appears in the ‘Font’ folder, which I can only access via the search functions. Also, if I try to use the font in a template or mail merge document on the laptop, the font style it is completely different from the original. Where am I going wrong?

Dave Roberts, Paignton

A

Simply transferring a font file from one PC to another doesn't work; it has to be properly installed. Got to Fonts in Control Panel and use 'Install new font' on the File men to import the file from your disc.

Q

Should a PC be turned off whilst not in use?  There seems to be a difference of opinion in that some say that leaving a PC on simply wastes power yet others say that the constant turning on and off wears out a PC prematurely.

Peter Skinner, via email

A

This is one of those hardy perennials. My advice is to leave your PC switched on throughout the day, or for as long as you are likely to be using it, and if it is going to remain dormant for any length of time -- more than an hour or two, say -- then use Power Management/Options in Control panel to switch off the monitor and disc drives, or enter standby or hibernation states after a half an hour of inactivity. This reduces power consumption significantly and you won’t have to wait for it to boot up when you want to use it again. There’s still some argument over whether repeatedly switching the machine on and off shortens the lives of some components, due to the sudden changes in temperature, so I take the view that it is better to be safe than sorry.