FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 098 (26/02/98)

ZIP TIP

I have some '. zip’ files stored on 3.5 inch discs -- pictures downloaded from the Internet. How do I display or print them? When I try to open a file my computer activates an Acrobat Reader which responds with the error message that the file does not start with '.pdf'. Do I need to obtain a special reader program for these files, and if so where can it be obtained?

A Corcoran

A

Files with the extension .zip are compressed, so they take up less room. To open view or print the information they have to be expanded or unzipped, using a file extraction program. The best known is a shareware utility called Winzip. It is very widely distributed on magazine cover discs and can be downloaded from numerous sites on the Internet, including the Winzip home page: http://www.winzip.com

Once installed on your PC Winzip will automatically open any zipped file, as soon as you click on it. You can view the archived files, or extract them to the drive and directory of your choice.

MOANING MINI

My PC mini tower case has recently taken to emitting a dreadful moaning sound on start-up -- something between a baleful dirge and a cow in pain. My system is fairly new and the manufacturers assure me there's nothing to worry about. They say part of the workings may have dropped out of place -- possibly the fan -- and it will grind itself down shortly, following which the problem will go away. I wondered if you had ever come across anything like this before and if so have you any advice, apart from returning the machine.

J.Ward, North Yorks

A

Nine times out of ten bovine-like moaning sounds come from the CPU cooling fan. Sometimes a dry bearing causes it  -- some of those fans are very cheap and nasty -- or it could be a cable rubbing against the blades. Either way it needs attention. Waiting for it to grind itself down is definitely not a good idea! If the PC is still under warranty the vendor is obliged to put it right, though if it is an obstructed fan that’s something you might want to fix yourself, rather than suffer the nuisance of sending the machine back, or waiting for a visit from a service engineer. Unplug the machine from the mains and remove the case lid. Make sure you earth yourself on the case before touching anything. Locate the fan, it should be clipped to the processor chip, on the motherboard. If there are any cables fouling the fan blades gently move them out of the way. If the fan is clear and the noise persists then it’s going to have to be looked at.

SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!

I see in my Windows 95, Sounds Properties (in Control Panel) there is a heading 'You've got post', but I am unable to make it work. I actually heard it once, it sounded like Joanna Lumley, but she went away, and won't come back. I assume that it refers to Email and would draw one's attention to waiting mail. Is it possible to implement it and if so would one have to be connected to the Internet, or just have the computer switched on?

Max Airey

A

Ms Lumley’s voice was almost certainly put onto your PC by AOL (America On Line) Internet access program. Its one of several messages recorded by the ex-Avenging comedy actress; AOL hoped she would give the UK version of their software a more British feel. Should you so desire, you can use these sound files to replace the standard Windows 95 dings, pings and ta-da’s. Click on the Sounds icon in Control panel, and then choose a Windows ‘event’ you want J.L’s dulcet tones to replace (asterisk, critical stop, start or exit Windows etc.). Highlight the event then use the browse button to find the sound file, click on it, to associate it to the action then click OK. The files are called ‘Gotpost’ ‘Filefini’, ‘Welcome’ and ‘Goodbye’ and are normally found in the AOL directory.

THE DOTTED LINE

We are a charity – The Stafford Wildlife Trust – and for reasons of cost and versatility most of our PCs are connected to ink jets printers. However, one user needs to print on continuous stationery and labels. What type of printer we should be looking for, given we don't want to spend a fortune? Incidentally, the programs are all Windows 95 based.

Martin Adams

A

This is one of the few applications where a dot-matrix printer, with a tractor feed for continuous stationery, can outperform newer printer technologies. They’re relatively inexpensive – prices start at less than £50 for end-of-line models -- moreover print ribbons are cheaper and need replacing less often than inkjet cartridges. There’s not so many of them these days but Epson and Panasonic still have quite large ranges.