FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 123 (20/08/98)

OFF LINE

Some months ago I attempted to uninstall Line One Internet software from my computer. However, I cannot remove the Line One icon from the Start Menu. I have opened the Start Menu, deleted the icon and even gone on to delete it from the Recycle Bin but next time I switch on it has reappeared like a boomerang. What must I do to get rid of it?

Mike Smith

This sticky icon has been annoying a lot of people, fortunately it's quite easy to remove though the method is by no means obvious. Right-click on the Start button and select Explore, this will open the Start Menu group, where you should see an item called 'Iconfix'. Highlight and delete it then re-start your PC, then you will able to drag the offending icon to the Recycle Bin and it will stay there!

IN OR OUT

I currently have a Pentium 75MHZ based, home computer and I am very interested in purchasing a modem for Internet and E-mail connection.  Would you recommend a stand-alone modem or one that is integrated within the computer? Are there any limitations from the somewhat dated computer specification, or is this merely dictated by the modem capabilities?

Wayne Middleton

Internal modems tend to be a little cheaper, mainly because they do not need a case, serial cable connection or an external power supply, otherwise they're no different to external models. Internal modems take up an ISA expansion slot and that can be a problem on some recent PCs which only have two slots to begin with. On the other hand external modems monopolise a serial communications port, which are increasingly in demand by other peripherals, including digital cameras, pocket PC docking stations etc. However, in our opinion, the balance tips in favour of an external modem, especially when it comes to monitoring your PC's activities. These days a lot of programs have automatic dial-out facilities and with an internal modem it's not always obvious if an Internet connection has been made, or terminated. The winking lights on the front of an external modem tell you immediately what it's up to, and warn you of any unexpected or unwanted connections. Your PC is perfectly adequate for Internet browsing and most other routine applications, like word-processing etc. the only time it might seem a little slow is with the latest graphics and games software.

SLUGGISH SCANNER

My PC is a three year old an AST Advantage 611 with a 586 Cyrix processor and 32mb of RAM, running Windows 95. At the present time there is approximately 180mb of space on the hard disk. I recently purchased a Genius ColorPage-View Scanner, which is taking an exceptionally long time to calibrate. The system hangs for about two and a half minutes before eventually activating the Kye Scanner/Textbridge Classic front menu. The problem is most pronounced with TextBridge which takes about three minutes to activate and then a further calibration time of two and a half minutes for each additional page to be scanned.

I have been in contact with Kye who could only suggest that my PC might not support the EPP protocol but on checking the manual it appears that it does. When I spoke to AST's Helpline, they suggested that the problem might be because the software is set up for an Intel chip whereas mine is a Cyrix. A local computer retailer suggested it might be memory related and so I added a further 16mb of RAM to bring the total to 32mb to try and resolve the problem - still without any joy. As far as I can see the only other alternative is that my scanner is faulty. When it works, it works very well but it's terribly frustrating. Can you please shed some light on the matter?

N F Deller

It's not unusual for scanners to take up to a minute or so to get going, this is usually to allow the lamp to warm-up, to ensure colour accuracy, however, two and a half minutes seems a tad excessive. The point about EPP (enhanced parallel port) support could be relevant. Whilst your PC motherboard may have this feature it isn't necessarily enabled. To find out you need to go into the BIOS program, which can be accessed immediately after the PC is switched on. Look for a message that says something like 'To enter Set-up press Delete', this will take you to a menu screen, look an option called CMOS or Chipset Set-up, this should contain an item relating to the parallel port mode. If it isn't set to EPP change it; the menu screen will have detailed instructions on how to do it. Whilst 32 megabytes of RAM sounds plenty, 64Mb is considered a good starting point for scanner and heavyweight graphics applications. Memory is cheap at the moment so it's worth upgrading but before you do, check that PC recognised your last upgrade by going to the Control Panel, click on the System icon and the General tab where you will find the PC's RAM and processor details.  The fact that you have a Cyrix processor should make no difference, though it is true to say that scanners work best on fast Pentium machines. You might also want to think about increasing the size of your hard disc drive, or freeing up some space, 180 Mb isn't going to last very long.

APPLE ANSWER

I read the Email from John Fleming ('A is for Apple' F!F!F! August 6), regarding the refusal of his Macintosh to print caps lock 'A'. I had precisely the same problem with my old Macintosh Quadra 650, which occurred about a week after I had used Norton utilities and installed Norton Symantec anti virus software. The only difference was that my problem was with the letter 'Q', but otherwise the symptoms were identical. My Macintosh supplier suggested that the anti virus software was almost certainly the cause and, sure enough, as soon as it was removed the shift lock 'Q' function returned. Differences in machines and operating systems may explain why the same symptoms applied to differentcharacters.

Mark Sykes

Thanks to Mark Sykes and the other readers who have experienced similar problems with anti-virus software.

FAULTY FAX

Why won't my fax doobery work as it said it would in Boot Camp (August 6). I get messages like 'Internal MAPI error' and  'Unrecoverable Error'. I have tried uninstalling and then re-installing but it still won't work.

Brenda Nooney, London E14

There is a known problem with Windows 95 OEM service release 2 and 2.1. The solution is to use Add/Remove in Control Panel to remove all Windows Messaging components, then restart Windows and reinstall MS Fax from the CD -ROM, Windows Messaging is added by default. Incidentally, a couple of readers have pointed out that Windows 98 doesn't have the option to install MS Fax from the Add/Remove Programs utility on Control Panel. Instead you have to use Windows Explorer to install a file on the CD-ROM called 'Wms-exe'. It's contained in a folder called 'Intl', which can be found by opening 'Tools', then 'Oldwin95', and 'Message', this will install Windows Messaging, after that return to the Intl folder and click on 'Awfax.exe'.