FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  461 (12/04/05)

Q

I have a Chinese sister-in-law who uses my computer occasionally for emails.  Since then some of the emails I receive display Chinese characters in place of some of letters on my emails. Any suggestions?

Tim Hardingham, via email

A

When foreign language characters or symbols appear in email messages this may due to encoding errors or OE trying to use the wrong character set. To get it back on track go to the Tools menu, select Options then the Read tab and click the International Settings button. In the Default Encoding box make sure that ‘Western European (Windows) is displayed and check the item ‘Use default encoding for all incoming messages’.

Q

I have a Windows XP computer. I have recently changed from AOL and I am now using Outlook Express for my email. Now I find that that when I click on to a hyperlink in an email message nothing happens and I have to copy the link and paste it into Internet Explorer. The link shows correctly (blue and underlined). Any advice would be welcome

Monty Portman, via email

A

This is most likely due to Outlook Express security settings or your Firewall. Go to Tools > Options > security tab and make sure that 'Block images and other external content...' is unchecked. If that doesn’t work check your Firewall’s email settings, or disable it altogether to see if that makes a difference. Failing that there are some more suggestion in Microsoft Knowledgebase article 177054, which you can find by typing the number into Google’s search box.

Q

Whenever I click on the Outlook Express 6 icon on my desktop, I get the message: ‘Outlook Express has encountered a problem and needs to close…’ 

I am using Microsoft Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2.

Edgar Graham, via email

A

There’s quite a few possible causes so start by running thorough virus and malware scans to eliminate the possibility of any infections and then make sure you PC has all of the latest patches and updates installed. Next try renaming the ‘folders.dbx’ file (call it folders.old), which may have become corrupted. You can find it using Search on the Start menu. As a last resort you can try repairing or re-installing Outlook Express. There’s a step-by-step guide in Microsoft KB article 318378.

Q

Help, I've lost my Recycle Bin from my Windows XP Home desktop! I've tried searching for Recycle Bin with no results and I can’t see the bin in the My Computer folder. A few days ago I temporarily changed my screen to 800 x 600 and back, which moved all of the shortcuts and last week I installed a new printer, which created some extra, which I re-arranged. I must suspect it 'went' on one of those occasions. How to I get it back? I've tried System Restore with no luck.

Colin Jewes, via email

A

Third party programs can hide the bin but if you haven’t installed any applications with this option then it is probably due to a Registry error. System Restore should have fixed this, but only if you selected a Restore Point before the problem occurred, so try again with an earlier date. Otherwise, if you know your way around the Registry, understand the risks and the need for a backup you should be able to sort it out yourself. The keys that need to be modified or replaced are outlined in MS Knowledgebase article 810869.

Q

I recently bought two Logitech "Quickcam Messenger Plus " webcams, one each for my son, who is shortly going to work in Texas and myself. We are both using XP Pro and 56k modem. The camera functions well, the sound seems to be out of sync, which really isn't a problem however there are a great deal of howls and whistles (at both ends).

Jim Pierce, via email

A

The howls are due to acoustic feedback, caused by having the microphone too close to the loudspeaker or by having the microphone and volume levels set too high. It can be difficult to avoid, but juggling the levels and moving speakers around might help. The best alternative is to use a headset with microphones for web cams, they're cheap -- typically £5 to £10 -- and they solve the privacy problem.

Q

I've just installed an additional IDE hard disk following excellent guidance from Boot Camp article 316.  The new 250Gb drive is useable but for some reason has only formatted to 127Gb.  Is this likely to be a hardware limitation (my system is now a few years old), a software problem or something else? I'd appreciate some help in being able to utilise the full 250Gb.

Richard Hyland, via email

A

There is a problem with the FDISK and FORMAT utilities in Windows 98 and the solution is to use a third-party disk preparation tool, it’s worth having a look on the drive manufacturer’s web site. Alternatively you can download a fix from the Microsoft Support web site, it’s listed as Q263044 and as usual just type that reference into Google.

Q

I am having trouble writing emails.  Sometimes when I wish to insert or change some words already written it goes into overwrite mode and I cannot understand why, nor can I cancel it.  I cannot find any icon indicating that overwrite is on nor have I knowingly enabled this facility. It does not always happen and I am able to edit messages easily.  Please can you tell me how I can cancel this action and possibly how I might have inadvertently asked the computer to do overwrite for me?

Ruth Brend, via email

A

I suspect that you have inadvertently pressed the 'Insert' key on your keyboard, pressing it again will toggle back to normal typing mode.