FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  583 (18/09/07)

Q. I have used Outlook 2003 alongside XP on my PC for some years because my PDA (XDA2i) runs Outlook. I have now installed Vista on my PC. I was rather hoping that my PDA would sync with Windows Mail, Calendar and Contacts but, although the sync manager accepts such settings, and indeed reports that synchronisation is complete, there is no transfer of data, as far as I can see

Alun Thomas, Southampton

A. Connecting to advanced mobile devices like PDAs has never been one of Vista’s strong points, despite efforts to streamline the process with the ‘Sync Centre’ Stat > Programs > Accessories. This is a poor replacement for Active Sync in Windows XP, not that it was any great shakes to begin with. However, there is now a possible solution in the form of Windows Mobile Device Centre, which has been beta testing for the past few months and is now available for download from Microsoft. It has most of the best bits of Active Sync plus a few new bells and whistles but the key features are quicker and simpler connectivity and much improved synchronisation with a very wide range of devices and Microsoft applications, like Outlook.

Q. We have a message containing a photo folder of some 10Mb stuck in our Outlook Express Sent Items mailbox and it is causing problems. It is actually addressed to ourselves but we do not believe it has ever been sent, as we have never received it back again. The photos in question were sent to us on a shop-made CD, which the PC refused to transfer to the My Pictures folder. However, a program on the CD program did allow us to email them so we decided to send the whole full disc back to us. In retrospect this was foolish! 

We have tried many times to delete the folder but with no success. Whenever we do Outlook Express states 'program not responding'. It is also preventing us from deleting other Sent messages and causes the computer to freeze when we try. Have you any suggestions as to how we can delete the offending message?

Malcolm and Barbara Lewis, via email

A. Outlook Express message folders are encrypted and there are ways to get into them using specialist software but I think the quickest and simplest thing to do is delete the whole Sent Item folder. If there are any messages on it you want to preserve you could try a freeware program called OEViewer, which lets you export selected messages.

Once that’s done open Windows Explorer and navigate your way to C:\Windows\Application Data\Identities\{GUID}\Microsoft\Outlook Express (GUID or global Unique Identifier is a long string of characters). Look for the Sent Items.dbx file, right click on it and select Delete.

Q. I need to access my emails in Spain as I live there a great deal of the time. I have a mobile phone in Spain so I could buy a laptop or computer but it is not possible for me to have broadband and Telefonica tell me that it is very slow indeed on the mobile. What would be the best way of retrieving and sending emails and the least expensive? We also have Sky TV, would it be possible to use its email system to retrieve messages.

Valerie Williams, via email

A. If you have, or can install a landline telephone in your Spanish home then even if you can’t have broadband where you are, you can still use a dial-up connection to download your emails, either by calling your UK service provider directly, (potentially expensive) or by opening an Internet account with a local ISP (much cheaper). If you live in a complex or ‘urbanisation’ it may be possible to get together with some neighbours and set up a local wireless network. As a last resort you could use your mobile phone and providing you are not on the receiving end of too much Spam or emails with large attachments then it needn’t be outrageously expensive as emails can be downloaded and sent quite quickly, and once again if you connect using a local service provider you can keep the costs down.

I’m afraid using your Sky box for emailing is a non-starter; it requires connection to a phone line, but I doubt if it would work as Sky is a UK only service and they would most likely cut you off if your Sky box started dialling home from Spain.

Q. I use Windows XP and whenever I close the PC down I get an error message with the code oxc0000142. I have found several references to it on the web but they are all meaningless to me. Can you assist?

Pete Grainger, via email

A. For the record the error code is 0xc0000142 (it’s a zero, not the letter ‘o’). This error code is normally accompanied by the message ‘application failed to initialize’ with a reference to a file, which should point you towards the cause of the problem. What’s probably happening is a program or service is set to automatically launch with Windows but there’s something wrong with it, it is missing or corrupt but Windows keep trying to sort it out in the background and it’s only when you exit Windows that it tells you that there’s a problem.

Make a note of the filename in the error message then open the Windows Configuration utility (type msconfig in Run on the Start menu), select the Startup tab and with a little luck you should see the filename listed. You may be able to determining which program it is associated with by Googling the name, and you can decide whether it’s something you want – if so try re-installing it – otherwise un-tick the checkbox and reboot and it shouldn’t bother you again.

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© R. Maybury 2007 0409