FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 074 (09/09/97)

TYPE APPROVAL

In a recent episode of ‘The Bill’ in ITV, one of the characters was able to produce documents using a font created from a sample of his own handwriting. Do such programs actually exist, and if so, where can I get one from?

Rodney Bennett, Richmond, Surrey 

A

There are several software packages that can create custom Truetype fonts to your own specific design, that could be based on your handwriting. Autocad Fontmaker is worth investigating, unfortunately we have been unable to track down a UK supplier but it can be ordered directly from their US Website at: http://www.aag.com/fntmkr.htm

Alternatively there are a number of companies that will do the job for you, simply supply them with a sample of your writing; the cost varies between £30 and £80. Most of them produce cursive scripts, that give the appearance of natural, joined-up writing. Some of these firms can also be found on the web, try: http://execpc.com/~adw/html and http://www.pernet.net/~chadly1/fonts/fonts.html

SCARCE SLOTS

I have one PCI socket left on my PC and two items I wish to connect. Is there any ‘add-on’ that will allow me to increase the number of slots?

G. E. Haines

A

Not that we’re aware of. The number of PCI slots a particular motherboard has cannot be changed. The only way to increase the number of sockets available on a system is to change the main board. Most Pentium boards have three or four PCI slots, and one of those normally shares a case slot with an ISA socket. The Micronic Twister AT is one of the few exceptions as it has five PCI sockets. Several motherboards for Pentium Pro and Pentium II processors, including the Asus P6RP7D and SuperMicro P6DNH have up to eight PCI slots. These are available from Fox Computer Systems, telephone (0990) 744500.  

LOST POWER

Last December we purchased our first PC from Gateway 2000 in Ireland. After some initial teething troubles -- rectified by a complete re-installation of the software --  it has worked fine, but I have been unable to get the machine to go into low power mode, though there’s no problem with the monitor power save facility. Have you any suggestions?

R. J. Marshall

A

Check the power management settings in the PC’s BIOS set-up program. After switch-on press the delete key and this will take you to the BIOS main menu, there you should find a set of options, to power down the hard-disc and other devices, after a pre-set period of inactivity. 

CARDFILE REVISITED

I have been following with interest the correspondence over the lack of Cardfile in Windows 95. I recently replaced my clapped-out Ambra Sprinta with a 166MHz Pentium, pre-loaded with Windows 95. I followed the suggestion of your correspondent (FFF 12/8/97) who copied the Cardfile.exe from Windows 3.1 and loaded it onto Windows 95. I succeeded in installing Cardfile on my PC and can open it, but when I try to access entries I get odd messages, telling me the path or directory does not exist. I am a middle-aged housewife, struggling with large manuals and the very useful ‘Dummies’ books, but this subject does not seem to be covered. Help, what do I do now?

Susan M. Fletcher, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham

A

When you copy Cardfile you also need to transfer across all of the data files it has created. They are also located in the Windows directory, look for files with the extension ‘.crd’, and copy them to the same location as Cardfile.exe. Check to make sure that you have installed Cardfile in Windows, and not one of its sub-directories, otherwise the program and its data files may become disassociated.

NEVER A CROSSWORD

I have been using a crossword program called Xsolve for many years. It is DOS based and worked perfectly well on my old 386 until the hard disc drive died. I now have a Pentium PC with Windows 95 but I cannot get Xsolve to fully work, which is a pity as I have built up a large collection of dictionary files. The program was produced by a company called DPS Newport with a PO Box address in St Albans but I can get no response from them. Do you know if they’re still in business, or failing that, any Windows 95 crossword programs, so I can start again?

Arthur Barwell, Bromley, Kent

A

A lot of DOS programs will not properly run from the DOS window within Windows 95. You could try re-starting the PC in the DOS mode, (from the Shut Down menu), and running the program from there, though some older DOS software simply won’t run on Windows 95 PCs. DPS Newport appear to have sunk without trace, but the good news is that there’s no shortage of crossword software on the internet, whether you’re interested in creating or solving puzzles. It’s also a good place to meet and share information with other like-minded enthusiasts. Some sites worth visiting are:

Crossword Construction Kit -- http://www.smartcode.com.isshtml/cwk.htm

Crossword Express -- http://www.puzzledepot.com/cwe/

Centron Software -- ttp://www.ac.net/~centron/frames/index.html and

Literate Software -- http://www.litsoft.com/