FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  525 (08/08/06)

Q. Internet Explorer has been storing data that I type into online forms. This includes email addresses, login details and also credit card numbers. I consider this to be a substantial security risk and am desperate to sort out the problem; however I cannot find a way to switch off this feature. I also want to wipe IE's memory of all data that it has so far stored.  Can you help?
Jonathan Luckhurst, via email

A. This feature, which is called AutoComplete, concerns many users, and rightly so but I suspect some would find it quite useful, if it was better explained, not foisted on users by default and made more accessible. You can switch it off, or take control, by going to Tools > Internet Options. Select the Content tab and click the AutoComplete button. On the dialogue box that opens you can select which, if any, items you want it to store and the two buttons underneath let you clear the AutoComplete forms and passwords memories.

Q. The CD/DVD drive on my Dell Dimension 8400 works very intermittently. It fails to read audio CDs and CD-ROMs and a pop-up tells us to insert a CD/DVD into the drive even though there is one already in there. Device Manager says the drives are working normally but obviously they aren't! Do you have any advice?

Sarah Spaxman, via email

A. Nine times out of ten it’s due to dirt or dust on the drive’s laser pickup. Cooling fans inside the case draw air in though gaps in the case, including the one around the CD/DVD loading drawer so it can get quite dusty inside. Contaminants can also get in on the surface of discs that haven’t been stored in their protective cases and if you work in an especially dusty or smoky atmosphere it can be a real problem. Fortunately in most cases all it takes is a run-through with a good quality disc cleaner. Combination types work best, they have small brushes mounted on the surface of the disc and can be used dry, or ‘wet’ with a cleaning fluid, to remove any stubborn deposits. It’s worth using a drive cleaner every two or three months to stop it happening in future.

Q. Can you tell me what the pin connections are on a keyboard, with a connector lead ending in a 5 pin male DIN plug? Is there any way to test the keyboard-socket on a PC? I can check the supply voltages with my AVO test meter, but how about the other connections? I am interested in such basic details can you help? 

Anthony Lynch

A. Good for you! For most users PCs are just boxes with lots of sockets on the back. How they work is of little or no interest, which is fine, provided there’s someone on hand to fix them when they go wrong, which may not always be the case given the predicted skills shortages. It’s good to hear from someone who is interested in the nitty-gritty of computers, and better yet, has an AVO meter, and for what it’s worth in my opinion the Model 8 Mk II was the finest test instrument ever made!

But I digress, and the answer to your first question is: Pin 1 - Clock, Pin 2 - Data, Pin 3 not used, Pin 4 - ground and Pin 5 - Vcc (5 volts). Google ‘at keyboard interface’ for detailed technical information.

The simplest way to test the keyboard socket on a PC is to plug in a known good keyboard. If you want delve deeper into the inner workings of the keyboard interface then you will need and oscilloscope to check what’s on the clock and data lines and there’s a range of specialised programs for testing both keyboards and keyboard controllers. For the record PCs with a faulty keyboard socket can be awkward to repair; beyond replacing a damaged socket and checking for badly soldered joints around the socket there’s not a lot you can do since the next component in the chain is a keyboard controller chip and if that has failed usually the only thing you can do is replace the motherboard.    

Q. My main machine will not boot up. It goes through the initial stages and then stops at a line, which says "Checking NVRAM". I've trawled the net for solutions and tried several of them, including removing and replacing the motherboard battery. None of them has worked. I wonder if you've ever come across this problem before and have another suggestion that I could try.
Bert Millington, via email

A. I have, it’s not uncommon and changing the CMOS backup battery on the motherboard would have been my first suggestion. The error message usually indicates a hardware problem, or possibly something wrong with the BIOS (Basic Input Output System -- a small program that checks and configures the PC’s hardware). The next thing to try is reset the BIOS, however, since you cannot get past the pre-BIOS error message you’ll have to do it manually. If you have your motherboard manual to hand check to see if the BIOS can be reset by moving a ‘jumper’ connector. If not unplug all of your PC’s drive connector cables (floppy, hard drive, CD/DVD etc), all USB connections, the printer etc. so all you have connected to the motherboard is the monitor, RAM memory and power supply. At switch on you should now be able to enter the BIOS program’s menu and there should be an option to reset to the factory defaults, then Save the settings and Exit. Reconnect the hard drive and under the Main or General section set it to Auto detect drives then Save Exit and Reboot again. Finally connect the remaining drives one by one, rebooting each time, and hopefully everything should return to normal. If you are still unable to enter the BIOS program than I’m afraid the motherboard is faulty and needs to be replaced.

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© R. Maybury 2006, 0108