FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  559 (03/04/07)

Q. We have a new wireless router and as the signal does not extend to all the computers in the house we need a device (I can't remember the technical name), which bounces the signal on. I was told that we needed one that would be compatible with our router but they seem to be twice the price of all the others have found. I would like some advice on whether or not this is true.

Wendy Shires, by email

A. There are several exotic and often quite expensive ways to increase the range of a home Wi-Fi system, including high-gain antennas, range extenders, repeaters and signal boosters, however often the simplest solution is also the cheapest and that is to reposition your wireless router. Mounting it up as high as it will go on a wall often does wonders, as will moving it away from any metal objects – a filing cabinet or radiator for example. Also avoid siting it close to any other electronic devices, including your PC.

If that doesn’t help then replace (or connect) an external antenna. The internal aerials and ‘rubber duck’ antennas fitted to these devices are designed for close-quarters domestic operation and are usually not very effective beyond 20 to 30 metres. Most routers have an external aerial socket to which you can connect a larger, more efficient or directional antenna. You should mount it where they will do most good, in your loft or on the outside of your home. Incidentally, if you fancy a challenge you could try your hand at making your own, with the Cantenna, a home-brew directional Wi-Fi aerial based on a Pringles crackers tube… 

Signal boosters also plug into the router’s antenna socket. These are aerials with a built in amplifier and they are usually ‘bi-directional’ which means they amplify both the outgoing and incoming signal. Finally, as a last resort there are range extenders or repeaters and there are several types but the most common ones are stand-alone devices that are sited close to the limits of the router’s range and act as a relay station, bouncing signals between the router and the remote PC.

Q. I am looking at buying a desktop PC with Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed, 2Gb RAM and an Intel Dual Core or a Core 2 Duo processor. Looking at the adverts in magazines and on the web they seem to pre-install the 32-bit version of Vista; would there be any advantage in having the 64-bit version? Apart from MS Office 2007 all of my applications are 32-bit; will these run on a 64-bit operating system?

Alan Clarke, via email

A. Microsoft Office 2007 and indeed more than 95 percent of commercial software is designed to run on 32-bit systems, so no problems there. In fact you will be hard pressed to find many exclusively 64-bit programs apart from specialist applications and those designed for very demanding tasks like video encoding or high-end design and graphics. In short a 32-bit system will be more than adequate for all of your current and future needs. It is quite likely that within the next few years, as more software becomes available, 64-bit PCs will become the norm but for the moment it’s not something you need to worry about.

Q. You recently gave advice regarding reducing the file size of photo attachments to e-mails. However, when I attach photos they also appear in the body of the e-mail often greatly enlarged.  The attachment can be opened normally, but some recipients do not seem to realise this and think that I am at fault for not sending normal sized pictures.   Grateful if you could advise as to how to prevent attached photos also appearing in the body of the e-mail.

Bill Hall, via email

A. This is the default setting when sending emails in Rich Text (HTML) format. You have two options; you can either switch to Plain Text format or you can manually remove the picture each time, and this is on the message box Format menu, at the bottom. Simply uncheck the item ‘Send Pictures with Message’. To switch permanently to Plain Text emails go to OE’s Tools menu then Options and click the Send tab. Under Mail Sending Format select Plain Text then OK or Apply.

Q. I am trying to network my two computers so that they can share my broadband connection. My Dell computer running Widows XP Home edition with all current updates is the one that is connected to the Internet. The second machine uses Windows 98 SE. I have installed a PCI network adapter card in this computer and connected the two computers with a twisted cable.

I have run the network connection wizard as it instructs, including making a floppy disc to install the wizard on the second computer. This second computer then asks me to go to the Start menu and open My network places, doing this sends a message saying failed to install wizard. I can get no further than this. I have not been able to share any files either and I would appreciate any help or advice that you can offer.

Bill Pickin, via email

A. Networking two PCs in this way for Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) is quite tricky but it can be done. However, this type of direct PC-to-PC connection by LAN (Local Area Network) cable only works when the cable is question is a ‘crossover’ type, as opposed to the normal ‘straight’ LAN cable. Maybe this is what you meant by ‘twisted’ but in any event you should first check that you have the right cable type.

The ICS Wizard is unreliable and most times you have to manually configure the ‘client’ PC’s networking protocols and TCP/IP address settings. It’s quite involved and I suggest that you read through the very helpful article on the PC Annoyances website.

However, as I said it can be a palaver; personally I wouldn’t bother, it’s much easier to use an inexpensive router to connect the two PCs together by standard Ethernet cable and connection sharing will be enabled virtually automatically on the Windows 98 PC.

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© R. Maybury 2007 2703