FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 91 (06/01/98)

MAC TIME TRAVEL

My normally trusty Mac has developed some strange habits. Once or twice after switch-on I have been confronted with a black screen -- re-booting usually cures this -- but the clock keeps on resetting itself to 1956. Has my PC developed a talent for time-travel, or is there a fault, that I can fix?

Clive Vincent, Kings Lynn, Norfolk

A

Relax, it’s not a fault. You didn’t mention which model you have but we’d guess that your Mac is between four and five years old. That’s how long the battery lasts, that keeps the system clock running. Most models use a half AA-sized 3.6 volt lithium battery, (Maxell ER3S, Saft LSL3 etc.). Apple dealers can replace it for you, this typically costs around £20, but it’s not a difficult job and you could do it yourself in around fifteen minutes if you are handy with a screwdriver. Replacement batteries are widely available from Apple dealers, cameras shops and electronic suppliers for £5.00 or so. Switch the machine off, disconnect the power cable and remove the case lid. The battery is usually close to the power supply module, it’s easy to spot as it is held inside a small black plastic cage. Press in the retaining tabs with a small screwdriver, it can be a little fiddly but once released you should be able to lift it out. Pop in the new battery -- making sure it is the right way around -- and refit the case. Power up and reset the clock, and all should be well, for another four or five years at least.

PASSING CLOUDS

It is bad enough waiting for my PC to switch itself off, without having to stare at that really annoying picture of clouds and the patronising ‘it is now safe’... etc.  message at the end. Can they be removed or replaced?

Andrea Jefferson, Cheadle, Cheshire

A

It’s quite easy to modify or change the sign-off graphics, which are basically simple bitmap (BMP) files. You’ll find them both in the main Windows 95 directory. They’re called Logos.sys and Logow.sys and you can look for them in Explorer, they’re down past all the yellow folders. If you want to have a fiddle around, then open the Paint utility in Accessories (or your preferred graphics program). Click on Open in the File menu. ‘Look’ in Windows, change the ‘type of file’ field to ‘All Files’ and they should appear. You can do anything you like to the images, add extra text or your own freehand graphics and colours, then save them, and that’s what you’ll see next time you switch off. Alternatively, they can be replaced by renaming, moving or deleting the originals and copying the bitmaps of your choice into the Windows directory and calling them Logos.sys or  Logow.sys

TRIP TRAP

I recently purchased a new computer with Windows 95. Everything was okay until I tripped over the power cord. Starved of power the computer shut down. Now when I start it up the blue Windows screen appears and it goes into DOS. I tried typing ‘win’ to get back to Windows 95, the computer went through the start up procedure again then went into DOS again. This time I tried ‘exit’ but to no avail. How can I get back into Windows?

Andrew Collett

A

A sudden power interruption will normally only result in the loss of whatever it was you were working on at the time. However, problems can occur if it happens when the machine is writing or updating critical files on the hard disc. It’s impossible to say which ones will have been affected, or how much damage has been done, but you might be able isolate the problem by starting Windows 95 in ‘safe’ mode, which bypasses the main start-up files. During the boot-up sequence, when it reaches ‘Starting Windows 95’, press the F8 key. Select option 2, to see if Windows will load in safe mode. If so, exit Windows, re-boot the machine and select option 5, ‘step by step confirmation’ and follow the on-screen prompts to the point at which the machine stumbles. You could also try the ‘Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT)’ , which creates a log of the boot up sequence, that will be filed in the C: root directory. It will probably contain a number of error statements, but the one you’re interested in will be the last entry.

LENS LORE

I have a reasonably recent PC and I am interested in buying a digital camera but I am a little mystified by the lenses that they use. Most of the ones I’ve seen have a focal length of 5 to 10 mm, which on my SLR camera would produce a wrap-around ‘fish-eye’ effect. Surely this isn’t the case on digital cameras, but can they be compared with 35mm SLR type lenses?

Edward Morgan, via fax

A

The lenses on most digital cameras are equivalent to SLR lenses with a focal length of between 40mm and 50mm. The apparent disparity is due to the difference in size between a frame of 35mm film, and the CCD (charged coupled device) image sensors used in digital camera. Most models use CCDs that are only 7 to 10 mm across, hence the need for lenses with a much shorter focal length.