FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 077 (07/10/97)

RECENT DEPARTURE

Regarding your procedure for selectively removing file names from the Document list on the Start up menu (F!F!F! 09/09/97). I use Windows 95 and have tried to follow your instructions but can't locate any file called Recent in Windows or any other folder.

Tracey Gardner

A

We omitted to say that Recent is a ‘hidden file’ that only appears in the Windows 95 folder when the ‘show all files’ option has been checked. If you’re in Explorer you will find it in Options, which is under View on the toolbar.

HARD LINES

I have an older 486 DX 33 PC, that suits my purposes, except that I now need a larger capacity hard drive. However, I understand that because my machine has an IDE controller, it cannot recognise a drive larger than 528Mb. In view of this uncertainty do you think an acceptable alternative would be to install one of the new high-capacity floppy drives? I have a number of infrequently used large programs and files, that could be put onto discs, to free up space on my existing hard drive. 

J. R. Cottrel, West Bridgford, Nottingham

A

Apart from being much slower than a hard disc, and ultimately more expensive, high-capacity disc drives are primarily designed for backing up files, and don’t address the basic problem, you need a larger hard disc drive! Nowadays virtually all new hard disc drives conform to the Enhanced IDE (EIDE) standard and the 528 megabyte restriction is no longer an issue.

You have a number of options. Windows 95 automatically recognises larger disc drives, so this could be an excuse to upgrade your operating system, though you might need to increase the PC’s RAM memory as well. If you want to stay with Windows 3.1 then you can get around the upper limit by installing a small piece of software, that uses a technique known as Logical Block Addressing (LBA). The necessary utilities are usually shipped with new disc drives, or the retailer should be able to supply you with a copy. The other alternative is to replace your hard disc controller card with a more recent EIDE version, that will support any size of disc drive -- up to four of them in some cases -- as well as CD ROM and tape drives. Prices start at around £25 for the new card. SMC Computers provide a useful 24-page DIY installation guide and utility software with all new hard drives. For more information call (01753) 550333.

GO FASTER FONTS?

I have a self-built 486/66 PC, it works wonderfully but it seems rather slow. I wonder if it has anything to do with the 500 fonts my machine has stored? I daren't touch them because I read somewhere that terrible things might happen if I deleted any, that were installed with Windows 95. What do I do as I only use at the most three families of fonts?

Mike Mills

A

The speed of your machine has little or nothing to do with the number of installed fonts. Most of the time they sit harmlessly in the background, minding their own business. The only time you should consider removing any of them is if you need to free up disc space, and only then as a last resort. Leave well alone! There are plenty of other ways to make your PC run faster, but first check that the ‘Turbo’ mode hasn’t been disabled on the motherboard. Remove all of the clutter, unused files and programs from the hard disc, using a programs like Clean Sweep or Uninstaller, and run the Defrag utility, to speed up disc access. If you’re using Windows 3.1 optimise memory usage with Memmaker. Finally, consider upgrading your machine. Increasing the size of the RAM memory is the simplest, cheapest and often the most effective method. Ultimately or you could install a Pentium class CPU or new Pentium motherboard and processor.

PC PAGE

I understand that it is possible in the US to send text messages to pagers via the internet. Is this possible in the UK and if so, who supplies the software? If not, will it be available in the near future?

Tarsem Singh

A

As yet this facility doesn’t exist in the UK, though all of the pager companies we’ve spoken to, including BT Paging, Page One and Vodaphone Paging, agreed that it is a good idea, and there is no technical reason why it couldn’t be implemented here.  In fact BT already have a closed intranet paging system up and running, though it can only be used by BT staff at the moment. A spokesperson at Vodaphone Paging suggested that they would be ‘worth watching’ in a few weeks time.  You can send text messages direct from your PC to pagers on some networks, via messaging centres. This can be done using Mobile Messenger, from Vega Ltd, which can send messages to BT and Vodaphone alphanumeric, numeric and tone pagers. Vega can be contacted on (01706) 44177.