FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 078 (14/10/97)

ON THE LINE

I want to use a computer to run a model railway. I can program in Pascal and BASIC and have access to a range of PCs (8086, 386 and Pentium). Can you tell me where I can find out more about interfacing the computer to the layout?

Les Keen, Little Hadham, Herts

A

Your first port of call -- or should that be station -- is the Model Electronic Railway Group, who have developed several systems for controlling model railways, and signalling systems, using various types of computer; apparently Sinclair Spectrums are very popular. There are also a number of off-the-shelf software packages, interface boards and even model trains with built in controller chips, that will run on almost any type of PC. The Model Electronic Railway Group  have prepared an information pack about themselves, send two first class stamps to: Paul King, 25 Fir Tree Way, Hassocks, West Sussex BN6 8BU, or give them a call on (01273) 844530. If you have an internet connection you will find a vast amount of information and links to other useful sites at: http://www.magic.ca/~prodyn/resources.html

MISSING COPY

I have an AST 812 computer which I purchased new in January 1996. It came pre-loaded with Windows 95. Recently I noticed that the Copy Disc command on the My Computer, drop-down File menu was no longer there. I can of course exit to DOS, to copy a disc, but this takes a lot longer. Can you suggest why this command has disappeared, and a way of restoring it?

Barry Yeates, Midsomer Norton, Somerset.

A

Assuming that the Copy Disc option doesn’t appear when you click the right mouse button on the floppy disc drive icon, the most likely cause is the Discopy.dll file is missing or corrupted. The solution is to restart the PC in MS-DOS mode and look for Discopy.dll in the Windows System folder. If it’s there rename it Discopy.old. Next, extract a copy of Discopy.dll from the Windows 95 CD ROM (or Disc 11, in the case of Windows 95 on floppy disc), it can be found in the Win95_10.cab cabinet file, copy it to the Windows System folder and type exit.

BENIDORM ON LINE

I am shortly moving to Spain for an extended period and will be taking my Macintosh Performa 5320 Power PC. This has a modem which has served me well to date in the UK. I also have an internet package, which I have not yet used. Can I use my modem on the Spanish telephone network? Is the internet package suitable for Spain, if not can you supply a suitable name or number for an internet service provider in the Alicante region?

B. J. Croxford, Chester

A

Your modem will work on the Spanish telephone system, but you will need a phone socket adaptor. Most of Spain now uses the American RJ-11 telephone socket, you can obtain a suitable lead from Teleadapt Ltd, their telephone number is 0181-233 3000. Without knowing which internet package you have it’s a little difficult to give specific advice. The simplest solution would be to set up a CompuServe account, before you go. Access software is widely available on free cover-mounted discs, on many UK computer magazines. When you get to Spain simply log on using the local point of presence number. You can find it by typing ‘phone’ at the ‘Go’ command. The CompuServe access number for Alicante is 6-691-9464, though you may prefer to use the Valencia number (6-351-0133), which has a faster 33.6kbps connection.

CACHE 22

I notice that with frequent Internet use vast numbers of files are accumulating in the 'Cache' sub-directory of the Mosaic directory on my computer.  Do these files serve any useful purpose?  Is there any disadvantage to deleting them at regular intervals to avoid them gradually using up hard disc space?

Tim Hunt

A

They can sometimes come in handy if you’ve forgotten a particular web address or need to retrieve information quickly, but in the main they’re just taking up space, and can be safely removed.

EPSON OUT OF SORTS?

I brought an Epson Stylus Color 400 printer for my 486 PC. The printer is first class, but it is totally unsuitable for me as it will not print from my business software, which runs in DOS. I brought it after consulting with the sales assistant, as to its suitability. I never imagined that anyone would try to market a printer which, no matter what other capabilities it has, could not run in DOS. Surely the necessary drivers are available, can you help?

John H Starey, Milton Ernest, Bedford

A

To be fair to Epson the Stylus Color 400 is marketed as a low-cost Windows-only printer, it’s one the few models in their range that is not DOS compatible. It sounds as if your complaint rests with the retailer, who clearly didn’t take heed of your specific requirements. You should take it back and ask for a refund or exchange it for another model. As a matter of interest the Stylus Colour 400 can print plain text and listings in DOS, but it has only one built-in font (Courier). There is no simple upgrade or software patch. The necessary commands and fonts are stored in a chip, that the manufacturer didn’t fit, in order to keep the cost down.