FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  547 (09/01/07)

Q. When I visit the new Met Office website page an ‘Illegal Operation’ error message appears, which says there is a problem with ‘module Jscript.dll…’ Sometimes the desktop goes blank, a white page with a request ‘Do I want to restore desktop’, I press yes and everything returns to normal. How do I cure it?

M.P. Evans, Newport

A. Jscript.dll is a library file used by Windows when running JavaScript (Microsoft calls it Jscript), which is the programming language used to add features and functionality to web pages. If the file is missing, corrupted or being interfered with by another application than it can make Internet Explorer crash when you visit a web page containing JavaScript code.

Most of the time the symptoms you describe are due to IE ‘Add-ons’, which are the extra facilities and plug-ins that you find on some web sites so that is where I would start. Go to Tools > Manage Add-Ons > Enable or Disable Add-Ons and if any are showing highlight and disable them one by one to see if that makes a difference. If not then work through the list of suggestion in Microsoft Knowledgebase Article 870700. If all else fails you could try re-installing Internet Explorer or just call it day and switch to an alternative browser, like Mozilla Firefox.

Q. When I press the Windows Start key, the Start menu comes up for a flash and then disappears again. I press again and it comes up and stays there as it should.  Press again and it works impeccably, until I press any other key and then it plays up again.  Does that make sense?

Anthony Withers, via email

A. This is an odd one and but here are a couple of things to try. You can sometimes ‘reset’ a misbehaving Start menu by temporarily switching to the ‘Classic’ style. To do that just right-click on the Start button and select Properties. On the Start Menu tab select ‘Classic Start Menu’ then OK. Reboot the PC then go back and use the same procedure to switch back to the normal Start menu. It’s possible the menus display is a bit touchy, it could be a Visual Effects setting but before we look at that download and install Tweak UI for XP from Microsoft. This brilliant little utility has a facility to control menu speed, double-click ‘Mouse’ then move the menu speed slider to the right and see if that helps. To check your display settings open System Properties (Winkey + Break) select the Advanced tab then click the Settings button under Performance. Under Custom make a note of the boxes that are checked then uncheck them one by one and try the Start button each time. 

Q. I have been trying to copy some old tapes onto my PC and have found your recent series of Boot Camp articles (Vinyl and Tape to CD and MP3) very helpful. Having downloaded Audacity, it all works brilliantly except for one issue. It only accepts the left track of the stereo recording. The ‘Level’ indicator at the top of the window only shows activity on the left track and, even if I set ‘New Stereo Track’ in the project menu, it still reverts to mono and is definitely only recording one track as, on playback, you can't hear the right track.

I have checked the connections and replaced the lead to the input of the PC but to no avail. Touching the centre pin of the left lead results in the expected hum, but there is nothing from the right plug.

Connecting the tape deck to my Hi Fi proves that there is a stereo output from the source. I assume that the input jack on all PC's are stereo, so could there be a setting somewhere that sets the input mode? I am using Windows XP home.

Martin Kotler, via email

A. The only other mono/stereo input control in Audacity that I am aware of is in Preferences on the Edit menu. Select the Audio I/O tab and under Recording make sure in the Channels box ‘2(Stereo)’ is selected. Double-click the volume icon in the System Tray to display the Volume Control and check that the balance control on the Line In Slider is in the middle. Try connecting another source, like a personal stereo or a stereo radio, there could be some quirky problem with the output level from your tape player. If that is okay then there has to be a problem with your PC’s audio input or audio adaptor. If the audio adaptor is integrated into the motherboard make sure that there are no mono/stereo switches in the BIOS/Startup program (see motherboard manual or operating instructions for details). Otherwise try substituting a new or known good audio card.

Q. I am thinking of upgrading to Vista when it becomes generally available and ran an online compatibility test. It highlighted several problems, including that Vista needs 1Gb memory as I have 256Mb. My 40Gb hard drive has only 15Gb of free space and I need 128Mb video memory whereas I have only 64Mb. I wonder if it is cost effective to upgrade my computer or buy a new PC?

David Saunders, via email

A. Vista is very demanding and only moderately fast PCs built within in the past year or are suitable and can run it at anything like its full potential. The bottom line is that you are going to have to spend between £150 to £200 to get your PC up to the minimum  ‘Vista-Capable’ specification and even then it may not perform all that well unless it has a 2GHz or faster processor. If not this will add another £70 or so to the bill, assuming that your motherboard can support it. In other words it’s probably not worth the effort and expense and with new XP PCs, with free or discounted Vista upgrades, now selling for under £400  

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© R. Maybury 2007 0101