FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  594 (18/12/07)

Q. I have an old laptop (64Mb memory, 6Gb disk), which I was hoping to bring back to life with Puppy Linux, featured in your Boot Camp series of articles. I burnt a CD and tried it on my main computer and it looked very good, but how do I get it to work on my laptop?

The laptop presently runs Win98SE, but it will only boot from a floppy or the hard drive. The CD drive uses a USB connection so only comes to life when the driver has loaded. How do I get Puppy on the hard disk of the laptop?

David Redclift

A. Puppy Linux has proved to be extremely popular and as you’ve discovered it works really well. If you fancy a bit of a challenge it can also be persuaded to run on your old laptop using a utility called WakePup2. This is a floppy boot disc that enables your laptop’s USB port, so you should then be able to run the Puppy disc on your external CD drive (or a USB flash drive). Once it’s up and running you can copy the Puppy files to the hard drive and set it up as the primary or secondary operating system. WakePup2 is on the CD you’ve created and there’s another version for earlier releases of Puppy, full details of how to make a WakePup boot disc can be found on the Puppy Linux Discussion Forum.

Q. I run Windows 98SE and Office 97 Professional. I am reluctant to spend on upgrades but would like to buy my daughter an iPod for Christmas and so need to install iTunes, which I believe is incompatible with Windows 98.

I am following the Puppy Linux Boot Camp articles in the hope that it can run iTunes but I need an answer soon before Santa sells out of iPods. Otherwise can you recommend another software solution that doesn't mean giving lots more money to Microsoft?

Doug Richardson, West Yorks.

A. Don’t worry, Santa will never run out of iPods but I don’t think there’s any alternative to buying a new PC if you want to run iTunes. You are right about it not being compatible with Windows 98 and Linux is also a non-starter. There is a piece of software called Wine that lets you run Windows applications under some of the more sophisticated Linux distributions however, by all accounts it’s not very stable, in any case it’s way too demanding for Puppy.

Fortunately iTunes is not essential for managing a music collection on an iPod and there are a number of freeware and commercial alternatives, including a few programs that run on a Windows 98 PC; there’s a helpful guide at Techlogg.com.

However, your Windows 98 machine is almost certainly on it’s last legs and will need to be replaced, probably sooner rather than later, but if you are that averse to swelling Microsoft’s coffers you could always buy an Apple PC or laptop, and you can be pretty sure it will be compatible with iTunes….

Q. Can you tell me why when I visit a computer shop all the laptops on display are sitting quietly, yet mine sounds like a turbo-jet. Are they modified or do they have some special way to display them?

Hugh Douglas. Via email

A. Laptops in shops don’t usually do very much except show a desktop or screensaver so the CPU is barely ticking over and the hard drive has powered down. They’re also standing on flat smooth surfaces with plenty of room for cool air to circulate. Back in the real world, as soon as you start running a couple applications things quickly start to warm up and if the fan or ventilation slots are blocked, as will happen if you actually have it on your lap, then you will start to feel the heat.

Fan noise varies from one make of laptop to another; some are very quiet indeed, especially when new, but almost all fans get noisier as they get older. Fans also have to work harder if the cooling system has become clogged with dust and it’s worth giving it a blow-through with an ‘air duster’ (can of compressed gas) two or three times a year. 

Q I have a problem with my digital camera whereby I am unable to switch off the flash function. I emailed the manufacturers and they were very helpful and described a procedure, which involves a file that they have sent to me. The instructions are to transfer the file to an SD Card and then insert the card into the camera and let it download. My problem is that I’m unable to copy the file to the card. Can you help in any way?

John Joiner, via email

A. It sounds as though you have been sent a firmware upgrade. This is the software that controls the camera, like the operating system in a computer, and it may be this new version fixes a known fault with the flash. Copying the file to an SD card is very straightforward, though you have to have some means of connecting the card to your PC, either with a card reader, or a SD Flash card adaptor.

Card readers are the most flexible option, especially if you get a multi-format type that can read different types of memory card. SD adaptors are cheaper and more convenient, though. They look like ordinary USB flash or ‘pen’ drives and you simply pop the card into the slot and plug it into a USB socket.

Windows ME, 2K, XP and Vista should automatically recognise the card reader or adaptor and designate it a ‘Removable disc drive’. If you are using Windows 98 SE you will have to install a ‘driver’, which should be supplied with the device, or can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s web site, but check first as not all USB products support older versions of Windows these days. 

To transfer the file from the PC to the card all you have to do is open My Computer or Windows Explorer and Drag and Drop or Copy and Paste the file onto the card icon and it’s done!

If you have a computer problem write to: fff@telegraph.co.uk

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© R. Maybury 2007 2711