FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  580 (28/08/07)

Q. My daughter lives in New Zealand and for some time now I have been thinking about getting broadband and installing the free Skype phone system, so I can call her on a regular basis. All of the low-cost broadband deals I have looked at so far impose a monthly usage ‘cap’. Can you tell me what impact Skype would have on this and would it exceed the limits, which are normally around 2Gb per month?

Anthony Cramer, via email

A. Of course it all depends on how often you call your daughter, and how long each call lasts but according to Skype whilst you are connected you are using between 3 – 15kb/sec, which worst-case works out to around 5.4Mb/hr. My back-of-a-fag-packet calculations suggest that you would use up a 2Gb limit in around 400 hours, or a little over 16 days continuous chat.

Skype also consumes bandwidth when idle, so that you can accept incoming calls and keep your ‘buddy’ list updated. This can be up to 0.5kb/sec, which doesn’t sound much but if your PC is left running all day then it will start to add up.

There’s more, and this is where it gets a bit complicated. If you read through the small print in Skype’s Privacy Policy there’s a section that says your PC can be used as a ‘Supernode’. Basically Skype works by using subscriber’s PC as impromptu hubs, routing calls from other Skype users through each other’s Internet connections. If this happens your bandwidth usage could suddenly increase. To stop your PC becoming a Supernode you should have a firewall installed and avoid leaving it running continuously  

Q. A friend gave me a CD on which she had burned some photos (.jpg) using Windows XP Home Edition. When I inserted the disk in my computer (XP Pro SP2) it at first would not recognise the disk.  I tried accessing via Windows Explorer, which showed a blank disk.  Right-clicking Properties on the relevant disk in My Computer showed an empty disk (all blue) with no files.

On examining the disk it seems that something has been burned.  I returned the disk and we opened it on her computer with no trouble - all the files were there and accessible.

M. Grice, via email

A. My guess is your friend is using a UDF (Universal Disc Format) utility to create CDs and has not 'finalised' the disc. Finalising, as the name implies, is the last stage in the CD creation process, when disc’s table of contents (TOC) is closed, no more files can be added and it becomes readable on any CD drive. On some CD/DVD burning programs finalisation is semi automatic, on others, when the disc is ejected there may be a message asking the user of they want to ‘close’ the disc so that it can be read on any drive. The exact method varies but the instructions for how to do should be in the manual or Help section of the program or utility your friend uses to create the discs.

Q. On several occasions I have noticed that programs on my Windows XP laptop suddenly slowed to a crawl but it gets very hot and I can hear the cooling fan speeding up. Recalling earlier advice that you gave, I pressed Ctrl + Alt + Delete to open Task Manager and checked the Performance graph. This showed CPU usage at 100 percent. I then checked the Processes tab and this showed that one item, called Helpsvc, was responsible. Have you come across this problem before and do you have a remedy?

Charles Keynes, via email

A. Quite a few people have reported this problem, which concerns a ‘service’ component that checks for updates for the Windows Help files. It is a known bug in Windows and Microsoft released a fix for it in Service Pack 2, but it doesn’t always work.

To make matters worse, Microsoft Knowledgebase article 839017, which deals with this issue, mentions a ‘hotfix’ that will cure the problem once and for all but clicking the link takes you to the MS Support Centre, where you are asked to pay for further help to download this hotfix.

I cannot find a direct link to this purported cure but checking around it seems there are simpler ways to deal with it, that won’t cost you anything, and that’s to switch the Service off. I doubt very much that you will miss it and as far as I can see all it does is install Help ‘headlines’ (the ‘Did you know…’ tips that appear in Help boxes) when your PC carries out an automatic update. To disable it and hopefully calm your PC down Open Control Panel, select Performance & Maintenance/Administrative Tools > Services, scroll down to Help & Support, right-click on it and select Properties. On the General tab, change the Startup Type drop-down to Manual, click OK reboot.

Q. Last year I built a DT Mk 2 computer from the instructions you gave in Boot Camp 436. I am a complete novice so I was particularly pleased when it worked first time. To date it has performed faultlessly but now there’s a problem. It has become rather noisy. I’m fairly sure it’s coming from the CPU cooling fan, but I am loath to mess around with it as I had a terrible time fixing it to the board. I know this is probably a daft question, but can these things be oiled, or do they have to be replaced?

Peter Davies, by email

A. I know exactly what you mean; the fixings used on P4 fans are horrible. The trick is to make sure the four mounting lugs are in the ‘open’ position, before you insert them into the hole. Apply light pressure to the fan housing to make sure it is seated properly and lock two opposing lugs first (rather than two on the same side).   

Oiling the fan is not an option; several years ago I took one apart to see if it was possible, it’s not and doing so will kill it stone dead…

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© R. Maybury 2007 2108

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