FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  534 (10/10/06)

Q. I have transferred all of my music collection to my computer, but I should like to be able to play my music through my amplifier and speakers in our living room. I have a spare 80Gb hard drive, which I use to back up my computer's system. I could easily transport that to our living room, but I need something like a digital to analogue converter, with some sort of display for music selection. Is such an idea feasible, or am I shooting for the moon?

Nigel Hinton, via email

A. The only gadget I’m aware of that has a display and can convert the digital data on a hard drive into music, is called a PC…

Listening to the audio output of your PC on a Hi-Fi system in another room is not a problem and any of the wireless AV ‘senders’ on the market will do the job, simply leave the video cables unconnected. However this arrangement won’t allow you do anything other than listen passively to the track selections you’ve created on the PC. There may well be a clever solution but rather than get bogged down with complicated and expensive technology, why not just copy your tracks to an MP3 player or a cheap laptop and connect that to your hi-fi system?

Q. My Windows XP PC seems to have recently developed a problem with its display. The problem is the icons have some kind of shadow attached to them, which I can best describe as looking like a kind of piano keyboard.

I have run a full system scan with my virus scanner and I have tried using System Restore but that didn't cure the problem. I also tried using 'Safe Mode' to see if that highlighted anything, but the display in safe mode was even worse. I'm now stumped. Could it be a problem with my graphics card?

Tim Cox, via email

A. It’s not the graphics card, corrupt icons are not that unusual and one possible cause is the normally well-behaved and very useful little Microsoft utility called Tweak UI for XP; if you have it on your PC uninstall it. It probably won’t fix the icons but it should stop it happening again. The easiest way to repair the icons is to delete them! It sounds a bit drastic but Windows will automatically rebuild the icon file when it reboots. Open Windows Explorer then go to Tools > Folder Options; select the View tab and under Hidden Files and Folders make sure that ‘Show Hidden Files and Folders’ is checked. Click OK then make your way to: C:\Documents and Settings\<yourname>\Local Settings\Application Data. Delete the ‘IconCache.db file, reboot and your icons should return to normal.

Q. Using a wireless connection to the main PC we used to be able to print from my son’s PC and a laptop. Now he's back at school we can no longer print from the other PC or laptop. I've tried reinstalling and then sharing the printer (an Epson Stylus Color 680), but it still won't share. The dialog box shows 'Printer settings could not be saved. Operation could not be completed'. Any suggestions?

Trevor Bennett, vie email

A. I’m not sure how your son’s return to school could have had anything to do with it but here’s a couple of things to try. Open the printer ‘Properties’ on the PC to which it is connected (right-click the icon in Printers and Faxes in Control Panel), and make sure that Sharing has been enabled and there are no password restrictions. Next. On the same PC go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools. In the right hand pane double-click Services, scroll down the list to Server, right click on it and select Properties and make sure that Startup Type is set to ‘Automatic, click OK and reboot. The only other possibility is that you might not have ‘permission’ to use the printer so make sure that you are logged on as Administrator and not as a guest or user.

Q. I've recently had broadband installed at home and I would like to be able to set up a wireless connection so that I can access the Internet on my work laptop. The desktop is PC is not normally left on (it's getting on a bit and we're trying to preserve its life) and I don't want to have to load any extra software on to my work laptop in case it causes problems. The broadband modem has no separate power supply; presumably this comes from the USB port.

Is there any way I can set up a wireless router within the system such that I could use broadband with my laptop when the desktop PC is switched off?  Could I insert a router between the desktop and the modem, to allow other computers to then use the modem and the modem to draw from the router's power supply?

Philip Whitehead, via email

A. You cannot do it with your existing USB modem, which relies on the PC for both power and software control. You need a box of tricks called an ADSL modem/wireless router; these are widely available and cost around £50 to £70.

The ADSL modem is fully self-contained and maintains a connection to the Internet, whether or not any of the PCs connected to it are running. If you site the modem/router close to your desktop PC the two can be connected by a simple LAN patch cable and the laptop will connect to the router through its Wi-Fi adaptor. Installation is normally very straightforward and the modem/router’s setup menu is accessed though a standard web browser on your desktop PC. Normally you will only need to enter your User Name and Password to get connected, most of the other settings can be left on their defaults, though I strongly recommend you enable the router and your laptop’s WEP or WPA encryption, to protect your network.

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© R. Maybury 2006, 0310