FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  614 (27/05/08)

Q. I have been using Vista Home Premium for almost a year now but now I find that when I click on a link on a web page a separate Internet Explorer opens up and it promptly freezes. I've tried everything I know (admittedly not a great deal) without success. This includes adding websites to Trusted Sites in Protected Mode, opened a separate Standard User account and tried using that for accessing the Internet. I have also Searched through the Internet Options, Security tab, for possible measures, but all to no avail.

E Duncan, via email

A. Judging by the number of emails I’ve had lately from fellow sufferers you are not alone and it seems that doesn’t take much to make Internet Explorer lock up these days.

Of course the quick and simple solution is switch to a better browser, like Firefox, but if you want to have a crack at fixing it, here’s a couple of things to try. The current number one cause of IE problems is Add-ons, some of which are really very flaky. Go to Tools > Internet Options select the Programs tab and click the Manage Add-Ons button. If there’s only one or two disable them one at a time (right-click and select Disable) but if there’s a lot disable half of them and see what happens. If there’s no change disable the other half. If the problem disappears re-enable half of suspect ones, check and repeat until you have isolated the one that is causing the problem. Failing that there’s the facility to reset IE to its factory fresh condition; to do that go to Start > Control Panel > Internet Options. Select the Advanced tab and click the Reset button. 

Q. I am going on an extended trip of Australia and I want to be able to check that no unauthorised activity is occurring on my credit and debit cards and also to pay bills as they become due.  As I will be travelling I shall be obliged to use hotel broadband systems and public Wi-Fi hotspots. When using the Internet I shall only be visiting trusted financial websites and opening emails from known correspondents.

I would prefer not to take my laptop for weight and security reasons but having looked at PDAs, I cannot find one which appears to give any direct firewall protection and precious few with virus protection.  My question is twofold. First are there any PDAs or mini-notebooks offering the protection I seek?  If not, will it be safe for me to use one in the circumstances described with only the Internet security that is provided?

Bob Comba, Hereford

A. I think you will find a PDA really hard going on a long trip. They’re fine for an occasional spot of mobile browsing and emailing but the tiny screens are hopeless for viewing web pages and composing even short emails on a touch screen or microscopic keypad is real chore. On the plus side security is not usually a problem since these devices use operating systems and browser software that is not targeted by viruses, worms, and hackers.

A mini notebook is your best bet and the cute little Asus Eee PC is a good place to start. It has a 7-inch screen (a 8.9-inch model is now available) and a small but useable keyboard but the key features as far as you are concerned, is that they are tough, with no HDD and all solid state storage, and it uses a version of the Linux operating system, which is virtually bullet proof and about as secure as it gets.

All the software you are likely to need is included (MS compatible office suite, Firefox browser, Thunderbird email, image editor, multimedia player etc.), plus Skype, so you can make free and cheap phone calls whenever you’re in range of a hotspot. Wi-Fi log on almost effortless and it has good connectivity (LAN and 3 USB ports). There’s also a built-in SD card reader for your digital camera. The 4Gb and 8Gb models come with a webcam and at around £250, it’s not going to break the bank.

Q. I have been using XP for over two years and I used to shut it down on a daily basis using the Hibernation mode, with a full close down once a week. However, for some reason now whenever I now try to use Hibernation or Standby modes the system shuts down but then immediately reopens.

I have recently downloaded ‘Channel 4 On Demand’ and my AVG Internet Security has been upgraded, otherwise there have been no changes to my system.

Mike Depledge Horsforth

A. I don’t think AVG has anything to do with it but C4OD might be implicated. It uses Kontiki peer-to-peer file sharing software, which runs in the background and could be ‘waking’ the machine through the network adaptor. To see if this is the case and stop it happening open Device Manager (Winkey + Break > Hardware > Device Manager), double-click Network Adaptors, right click on the entry, select Properties then the Power Management tab and make sure ‘Allow the computer to turn off…’ is checked. 

If that doesn’t work check Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Del) to see what is running before you go into Hibernation. Select the Applications tab and ‘End Task’ any running programs then try Hibernating. Check also the Processes tab and If you see any ‘Kontiki’ entries click End Process and see if that makes a difference.

Another fairly common cause of a restart after Hibernation is insufficient disc space for the multi megabyte ‘hiberfile’, which stores your current Windows session. This could also be connected with C4OD if you’ve been filling up your drive with downloaded programs, in which case you need to free up space, or get a larger drive.

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

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© R. Maybury 2008 0605