|
FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 575 (24/07/07)
Q. Recently, when I
tried to open Windows Security Centre, I get an error message, which says:
'Windows Security Centre is unavailable because it has not started or was stopped. Please close
this window, restart the computer (or start the Security Centre)
and then open the Security Centre again'.
I tried all that but it
made no difference. The odd thing, though, is that I cannot recall making any
changes that might have affected the Security Centre. The only other security
related software is AVG, which is regularly and automatically updated, and
Windows Defender, which I have set to run as a Scheduled task.
Alan Cox, via email;
A. The Security Centre
is a ‘Windows Service’, which is another name for a program or set of programs
or components that start automatically with Windows and run in the background.
From the sound of it the Security Centre service has been switched off. If it
happened at the same time you set up the Defender schedule, or installed an
update then that may have had something to do with it, otherwise the cause is a
bit of a mystery. It’s not a problem though, and you should be able to switch
it back on again by going to Run on the Start menu. Type: ‘services.msc’ (without
the quotes) and in the dialogue box that opens scroll down the list and double
click on Security Centre. On the Startup Type drop-down menu select Automatic
and click Start. Click OK, exit the box and the Security Centre service should
now start with Windows. If it doesn’t restart try disabling the Defender
Scheduled Task.
Q. My wife and I both
have computers, they are the same models, bought at the same time. I have an
animated screensaver, called ‘Aquarium’, on my PC but I cannot find this program
on her machine. Is there a way of transferring this program to her computer,
and if so where is stored on the disc drive?
Charles Bates, via
email
A. Aquarium is not a
standard Windows screensaver so it must have been installed by someone before
you took delivery of the PC. Perhaps your PC was an ex-demo model, or, more
worryingly, a ‘return’ passed off as a new machine.
Either way it’s not
usually possible to copy the more elaborate screensavers from one PC to another
as they come with complex image libraries, and the only way to install them on
a PC is from the original disc or download.
For the record
screensaver files usually have the extension .scr, and the Windows ones can be
found in the C:\windows\system32 folder, but third-party screensavers often
make their own arrangements, file-wise, and can end up almost anywhere. You may
be able to find out the origins of this program from Display Properties
(right-click on the desktop, select Properties then the Screensaver tab and
click the Settings button), otherwise here are countless variations on the
fishy 3D theme. If you Google ‘3D aquarium’, you will find there are plenty to
choose from, most of them, though, are commercial programs, but if you want a
freebie try ‘Fastastic 3D Fish Aquarium,
which also lets you put your own photos in the ‘tank’, to give the fish
something to look at…
Q. I have a substantial
book collection and now that I am retired I though it would be a good idea to
classify them according to the Dewey Decimal System, which as you know is the
cataloguing system used by public libraries. Do you know is there is such a
thing as a web site where I could type in the name of a book and it would show
the Dewey Decimal code?
Frank Wenham, via email
A. I suggest the ISBNdb (International System of Book Numbering
Book Database) website, which brings together a number of large book databases
from around the world. These can be searched by a variety of means including
the author’s name, book title, publisher, topic, keyword or the ISBN. If a
title is listed on the database its statistics file normally includes the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) number.
Alternatively you can use the ISBNdb’s DDC
Search facility, which will help you obtain a number by drilling down
through the categories and sub-categories. Simply click on a top-level sub
category (i.e.100 for Philosophy and Psychology, 200 for Religion, and so on)
then follow the links through to the next level of sub categories and
eventually lead this will lead you to a classification.
Q. We have two
telephone lines in our home and until recently I used the second one exclusively
for my broadband connection. My wife recently bought a PC and she now uses the
same line for a dial-up connection. I would like to know if she can also switch
to broadband, i.e. could we have two broadband connections on the same line?
Nick Thomson, via email
A. It might be
technically possible but at the moment you can only have one broadband
connection per phone line, however, there is nothing to stop you sharing your
Internet connection with your wife’s computer, by setting up a home network.
If the two PCs are
physically close then all you need is a simple router and a couple of LAN
(local area network) Ethernet cables. If her PC is not in the same room or some
distance form your machine then you will need a wireless router, prices start
at around £50. This connects to your PC by LAN cable and your wife’s machine
will need to be fitted with a Wi-Fi adaptor. This is a little device, costing
around £20 that plugs into a spare USB socket. Obviously there’s a bit more to
it than that but you’ll find a simple to follow DIY guide to setting up a home
wireless network in Boot
Camp 455
---end---
© R. Maybury 2007 1007
|