FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  504 14/03/06)

Q. I use Outlook for email and travel abroad on a regular basis. I am usually able to link my laptop to a local ISP in whichever country I’m in, which obviously saves on costs. However, I am never able to use Outlook properly. I can receive mails, but cannot send them. My ISP tells me that they don’t really support Outlook, but that I can change a server setting. This I don’t understand and the need to keep changing settings on my laptop concerns me. Can you help, and please keep in mind that I am not a computer expert.

Christine Smith

A. The advice you have been given is broadly correct, though I’m not sure what they mean when they say they don’t really support Outlook, that’s pure tosh! Anyway, the POP3 email system works by storing your incoming mail messages on your ISP’s mail server computer and you can retrieve them on any PC, anywhere in the world using any internet connection on any standard email client program.

Outgoing mail, on the other hand, has to go through the mail server computer of the ISP that you are using to connect to the Internet, which means that you have to change the SMTP address in your email program.

The ISP’s SMTP address should be displayed on the ISP’s website, usually in the support or FAQ section and it only takes a few moments to alter the setting. In Outlook (and Outlook Express) go to Tools > Accounts, click on your email account then click Properties and select the Servers tab. Make a note of your current ‘Outgoing Mail (SMTP)’ setting  -- usually something like ‘smtp.myisp.net’ -- then replace it with the new SMTP address. When you return home just remember to restore the original setting.

The alternative is to send your messages using a webmail server like Mail2Web. You can use this service to access your mailbox and send emails, which you can copy and paste from Outlook or your word processor, and don’t forget to send a copy to yourself, so you’ll have a record of it.

Q. I am having problems downloading music from the Internet. On the Oxfam website I am informed that the tracks have been downloaded but they do not appear on my Media Player.

Brian Tooley, via email

A. As far as I can see there is nothing out of the ordinary about Oxfam Music. Purchased downloads are standard DRM protected .wma files that will play on Windows Media Player, most other media players and supported portable devices. Downloads are stored by default in your ‘My Music’ folder and should be listed in the Windows Media Player library.

It’s possible that the files were corrupted, the download interrupted or maybe Windows Media Player is saving them in another location. To see if they are on your PC use Search on the Start menu and look for files with a .wma extension stored on the day you purchased the tracks. In case you have lost the tracks the site keeps a record of your purchases and they can be downloaded again at no additional cost. 

Q. I recently upgraded my motherboard and processor and, not unexpectedly, Windows XP Home didn't like the change. I have two HDDs, a primary 80Gb drive and a 160Gb slave, previously designated C:
and D: I managed to reinstall Windows on my second HDD but the installation process changed my primary drive from C: to D: and vice versa for the slave drive!
 

I can live with that, but I do not like having to choose which Windows
installation to boot from each time. I would like to remove the
Windows installation on the slave drive, but I am not sure how to do this
safely as it is now designated the C: drive. Can you suggest my best course of action?

John Mathias, via email

A. That’s quite a tangle but it should be possible to straighten things out, however, before you do anything you must backup any irreplaceable data, just in case it all goes belly-up. The key to the problem is a hidden system file called boot.ini, located in the root directory of the primary hard drive (usually C:). Boot.ini controls how the PC boots up, telling Windows what operating systems are installed and where they are located. You need to edit boot.ini, so that the PC boots on the right drive and copy of Windows. To make things a bit easier I would remove the drive with the redundant Windows installation, and set the other drive to ‘Master’ mode, you then need to reset the MBR (Master Boot Record, details here) and when you have it booting on your chosen drive you can remove the old copy of Windows if you need the space. You will find a reasonably straightforward guide to editing boot.ini in Microsoft Knowledgebase article 289022. It’s not difficult but I would definitely heed the advice about making a backup copy first.

Q. Every time I turn my printer on, I get a message that new hardware has been recognised and the operating system, (XP Home) tries to install it. The Found New Hardware Wizard says it has failed to install, shows that an error occurred as the print driver is unknown. I have tried to resolve this problem by uninstalling the printer and reinstalling it, which is quite successful, but the next time I switch on the printer I get the 'Found New Hardware' message again. Any ideas please?

David Speare, via email

A. This is a known bug in XP and the chances are a Registry entry has become corrupted and the only long-term solution is to repair the damage. The usual warnings apply, about not fiddling with the Registry unless you are reasonably sure of what you are doing, and always set a new System Restore point, or backup the Registry before proceeding. When you are ready go to Run on the Start menu and open the Registry editor by typing ‘regedit’ (without the quotes) and work your way to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\

CurrentControlSet\Enum\LPTENUM

Right-click on the key in the right-hand pane and select Delete, and when asked to confirm click Yes. Restart your PC and the printer will be detected again and once it has been installed this time it should stick… 

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© R. Maybury 2006, 0703