FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  553 (20/02/07)

Q. Somehow, in saving numerous email attachments as text files to the My Documents folder, I have managed to create a handful of 'empty' corrupted file icons. They won't open, but if I try to move or delete them I get the message ‘Cannot move file: cannot read from the source file or disk’ or ‘Cannot delete file’. etc. Similarly, I cannot rename them either, I would be most grateful if you could advise a way of removing these irritating icons.

Norman Armiger, via email

A. Obstinate files that can’t be deleted can be infuriating. Sometimes there’s a good reason, though. Windows tries to protect important System files, and it won’t let you delete a file that is in use, for example. To avoid that happening reboot the PC and without launching any programs go straight to Windows Explorer or My Computer and see if you can delete it. Windows Explorer could also be responsible if it is trying to read and index a corrupt file. The workaround is to go to the View menu and select Details. Go back to the View menu and click on Choose Details, deselect everything except Filename and have another go.

If neither of those work then I suggest downloading an excellent little freeware utility called Unlocker. This is a Shell Extension that lives inside Windows Explorer; simply right-click on the disobedient file, select Unlocker from the menu that appears and choose the required Action (Delete, Rename or Move), click OK and it should finally disappear.

Q. We live in a small village near Gloucester; it’s rural, but not isolated. BT tells us they cannot provide us with a broadband service via our landline, because of the presence of a line sharing device. BT recently quoted a neighbour £9,800 for an additional phone line to overcome the problem. Apart from robbing a bank or moving or buying a laptop and driving to the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot is there anything we can do to equip our PC and get better than our present 28-31 kbps?

J. Simpson, via email

A. DACS or Digital Access Carrier System line-sharing devices have been an ongoing problem for BT subscribers who want broadband. Unfortunately it is under no obligation to remove or upgrade DACS lines though there have been cases of BT relenting. Assuming that you are not the only one affected and you can get enough of your fellow villagers interested it could be worth approaching BT again as they are obviously quite keen to sell their services, and plug the gaps in the phone network.

Failing that you should visit the Access to Broadband Campaign (ABC) website, which gathers together the information you and your community need to start a campaign or approach companies marketing alternative local broadband systems, like WiMax (wireless system providing coverage of a kilometre or more from a central base station).

If all else fails, and you have to go it alone there are a couple of other possibilities, such as the high-speed data facilities provided by some mobile phone networks – if you have coverage where you live. However, this can be rather expensive. The other possibility is satellite broadband, which delivers blisteringly fast download speeds, via a satellite dish, though ‘domestic’ systems are not so good at sending data as it has to go via a dial-up connection on your phone line, and needless to say it’s also quite expensive to install and run.

Q. I have recently purchased an external Hard Drive and it works great. However, I would really like to be able to click on the drive letter (in My Computer) and have the external disk ask me for a password to continue. My small SanDisk U3 USB 'Stick' has this feature but is there something similar for an external hard drive? The data is not confidential and I don't think I want to run an encryption process on it as that sounds very time consuming.

Sonny J. via email

A. I wouldn’t dismiss encryption. You probably won’t even be aware it’s happening and it fulfils your main requirement, of being asked for a password, before you can access data on the drive. You may not even have to go looking for encryption software, many external hard drives come with a suite of applications that usually includes an encryption utility, if not check the manufacturer’s website. 

I am not aware of any freeware programs that provide basic PIN or password protection for a specified drive (and if anyone does, please let me know) but an Open Source program called TrueCrypt  ‘hides’ and encrypts the contents of a drive. A commercial program called Lockngo looks as though it might have what you are looking for though, and a single user licence costs $19.00.

Q. I have a Samsung MP3 player, which doesn’t come with a mains charger; instead it has to be charged by the PC, via its USB connection cable. Clearly this is not possible on holiday; Samsung do sell a charger for £25, however, there are a number of mains chargers, with USB connection, available on the net from £5 to £15 .Can the cheaper alternatives really be used for any MP3 player as they claim

Brian Parratt, via email

A. Don’t risk it! If the voltage supplied by the charger was too high it could easily fry the player, ruin the battery or worse. The lithium ion battery packs used in these devices can overheat, and in extreme cases, burst into flames. Don’t take chances, stick with the official charger, or hunt around for a ‘compatible’ model that has been designed to work with your specific player.

Q. Occasionally a little box with a red cross appears instead of a picture or photo on a web page, can you please tell me what’s happening?

Ian Horsfield, via email

A. It’s called a 'placeholder' and it shows the spot on a web page where a picture or image should be. Occasionally the image may be corrupt, or it has triggered your browser's security settings, but normally the reason you are seeing it is simply because whoever is responsible for site hasn't uploaded the image or hasn't linked it correctly to the page, so it's probably not your fault.

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© R. Maybury 2007 1302