FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  500 14/02/06)

Q

My IBM ThinkPad has a preinstalled Windows XP Pro. It now takes more than five minutes before Windows appears. Is there anything I can do to correct this?

Fereydoun Jahanshahi, via email

A. Yes there is and the five-minute boot time suggest that your PC has become seriously cluttered with a bloated registry, more fonts than you will ever need or use and probably scores of unnecessary ‘Services’ loading at start-up and running in the background. In an ideal world XP should boot to a useable state in less than 30 seconds, it’s achievable but it involves a fair amount of work but you should be able to get it working in less than a minute without too much bother. Have a look at Boot Camps 355 to 357.

If your installation is more than two or three years old, say, you may be better off starting over, reformatting your hard drive and re-installing Windows, though make sure you have the necessary recovery discs, and needless to say you should backup all of your irreplaceable data first. You might also want to have a look at Boot Camp 405, which shows how to create a ‘Slipstreamed’ installation disc that simplifies the Windows installation process.

Q

This is not strictly a technical problem, but I have received an e-mail already forwarded to a lot of people, telling me about a virus that opens up through an email. I am reluctant to forward it yet again and wonder if it is of genuine concern.  I hope you can help.

Maureen Schofield, via email

A.

Scary emails like this have been doing the rounds for years; forwarding them does no good and it creates unnecessary alarm. Like any email chain letter you should just delete it even when it appears to come from well-meaning friends and colleagues.

Provided your anti-virus software is regularly updated and you never open unexpected attachments the chances of your PC catching something nasty are minimal. When new viruses are detected anti-virus companies circulate updated ‘signature’ files, often within a matter of hours and these will be distributed to users far quicker than chain letters and viruses.

Q

I recently had BT Broadband installed on my Windows 98 computer by a BT chap and since then I have had two problems, possibly connected. 

Every time I boot up the Date/Time has reverted to the date when I first bought the computer - September 2001.  I correct it but when next turned on it is back to the September 2001 date.  

Also every time I boot up I get a message flashing up tell me  "C/windows/system/wsinit certificate not present"

Everything on the computer, with the exception of the date/time, is working.  Is this the problem with the clock/date and is there anyway I can cure the problem.

Pauline Baume, via email

A

I don’t think the two problems are connected. When a PC starts forgetting the date and time it’s almost always due to a dead or dying clock backup battery. It lives on the motherboard and its job is to keep the PC’s ‘hardware’ clock running when the computer is switched off. Replacement is usually quite straightforward though it will entail delving around inside the machine so if you don’t fancy the idea have it seen to by a professional. 

Pinning down the wsinit certificate message hasn’t been so easy since several applications use files with this name, including a pop-up stopper, chat line manager and audio editor. The program that is causing the problem should be listed in the Startup group that launches automatically with Windows. I suggest that you go to Run on the Start menu and type ‘msconfig’ select the Startup tab and look through the list. Anything you are not sure of, with the exception of Explorer and System Tray, you can deselect and reboot, and see if that makes the message go away. If not reselect and try the next one on the list. When you’ve found the culprit you can uninstall or reinstall the program.

Q

My friends have recently returned from the USA where they subscribed to Wal-Mart Connect Internet Service. They understood that they could continue to use this in the UK but have been unable to do so. Can you tell me what they can do or who they should contact?

Len Porter, via email

A. I think your friends may have been misinformed and Wal-Mart, in common with many ISPs, restricts its accounts to residents of the country in which it is based and will not allow access through an overseas connection. Some ISPs operate internationally and one of Wal-Mart’s Internet providers is AOL so it may be possible for your friends to transfer their account but this is something they would have to discuss with Wal-Mart’s support department.

Q

For over six weeks, my Broadband Connection has intermittently dropped out. My ISP Wanadoo hasn’t been able to help. My specific query relates to the error message ‘Default Outlook Express Mail 127.0.0.1/smtp.freeserve.com (Failed)…’

No guidance is given on how I might remedy this possible fault. Do you think that the alleged fault could be the cause of my connection dropout? If so, how might I find out how to remedy it?

Norman Marks, via email

A

In fairness to Wanadoo neither problem sounds as though it is directly to blame, though I would have thought it’s Help department might have pointed you in the right direction.

Dropped connections are almost always due to problems with the phone line, so get BT to check that out, and make sure the connections inside your home are all okay. Renew the cable between your modem and the wall socket and check inside to make sure there are no loose connections.

The error message is almost certainly caused by a mis-configured spam filter, firewall or email-checking anti-virus program. Disable or uninstall each one in turn and when you find which is responsible pay a visit to the FAQ or support section on the manufacturer’s web site for the cure.

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© R. Maybury 2006, 0602