FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 148 (11/02/99)

FAST FONTS

There are times when it is difficult to choose which font to use in Word 7. The drop-down menu in Microsoft Publisher shows an example of the font. Is it possible to see an example of Microsoft Word fonts on screen or to print a test page for easy reference?

Geof Wilkinson

A

Word 6 and Word for Windows (aka Word 7) come with a macro called FontSampleGenerator that will print out examples of all of the fonts on your PC (and supported by the printer), see Help for details. However, it is not installed by default, so you will have to go back to your installation disc and run the setup program again. A similar macro is also available for Word 97, though it is not supplied as standard and you will have to download it from the Microsoft web site (see below). It's quite long so highlight, copy and paste the macro text from the web page into an empty macro field  (Tools > Macros > Create, call it ListFonts).

http://support.microsoft.com/

support/kb/articles/Q170/9/70.asp

PICTURE THIS

Having recently acquired a scanner I wonder if you can tell me if it is possible to create CD-ROMs of my colour photos? I have a Pentium MMX 166 running Windows 95 and an Epson colour printer.

Chris Addy

A

You don't even need a scanner, a lot of high street photo processors will record your 35mm photographs on to Kodak Photo CD discs, that can be read on almost CD-ROM drive (with suitable software). You can find out more from the Kodak web site at: http://www.kodak.co.uk

If you want to do it yourself then you will need a recordable CD-ROM drive; prices start at under £200. This is going to be the topic of a Boot Camp article in a couple of weeks time, so you may want to hang on until then. Home-made CD-ROM picture discs can be played on any PC, though again some additional software may be needed, depending on the file formats used.

OPEN WINDOWS

Do programs that operate on Windows 3.11 also function on Windows 95/98? In reply to a question in F!F!F! (January 28th) you suggest that the Cardfile program from Windows 3.1 will run, but what about other programmes? In particular will I be able to install my (totally adequate) version of Excel 5.0 on a new machine that has the Windows 98 operating system. If, as I suspect, some can and some cannot, what are the criteria?

C.Berkley

A

Windows 95/98 is backwards compatible with software designed to run on earlier versions of Windows. There are a few rare exceptions but you shouldn't have any problems with Excel. As a matter of interest Excel 5.0 should be okay with the Year 2000 date change on your new machine though there are one or two minor issues with the way it handles dates with two-digit years. Full details on this and all other Microsoft applications are available on the Microsoft web site (www.microsoft.com), click on the Support button and select Year 2000 Compliance.

BUG BEATER?

Because I don't use my PC for any date sensitive work, I have decided to avoid millennium bug problems by switching back the date on Control Panel later this year so that it never reaches the dreaded 2000. But as I recently joined the Internet I am wondering whether my PC will be affected when I put my date reverse plan into action. Naturally I hope the answer will be 'not at all'.

Brian Lovelidge

A

Happy to oblige, not at all… You may find that incoming and outgoing e-mails are dated incorrectly but otherwise everything should behave normally. Since you are not using any date sensitive applications why not try the 'Y2K rollover' test, you may well find your computer is compliant (it should be if it's less than three or four years old). Even if it's not your PC isn't going to explode on January 1st next year. The worst that can happen is it will get the date wrong, in which case all you have to do is reset it. There are plenty of fixes available on the Internet, so stop worrying and leave the time and date setting alone.

MOVING STORY

If one changes Internet service providers, is it possible to ask the former ISP to redirect e-mails to the new address?

Anthony Mobereola

A

You can always try but we doubt if any of them are that obliging. We would of course be delighted to be proven wrong and will happily mention any that provides such a useful service.

HIDDEN TALENT

If I set Autohide on the Taskbar I have a problem. Every time I scroll down the page using the mouse arrow the sodding Taskbar keeps jumping up and getting in the way. Is there a way of turning it off and just using a key to bring it back?

Norman Ladzrie

A

Why not move the taskbar to another part of the screen? Simply put the mouse pointer into an empty area on the Taskbar, click, hold and drag it to the side or top of the screen.

PRINTS OF DARKNESS

I have recently bought a scanner; it seems to work well, if a little slowly but we have problems printing the results. The main difficulty concerns watercolour paintings that we are trying to print out. They scan well, if the results on the screen are anything to go by, but when they are printed the colours are dark and harsh. I am using a HP DeskJet 600 with a colour cartridge. The very helpful chap in the local computer shop suggested altering the printer settings but to no avail. Any help, in words of one syllable that could be understood by a middle-aged home computer user. One other question, what is the light fastness of colour prints and do different models produce varying results?

Kate Pickard

A

The paint or graphics software that came with your scanner should allow you to alter basic colour and brightness settings, if not then it's worth changing to a program like PaintBox Pro, which has an enormous range of simple to use adjustments. Your monitor might be giving a false impression; make sure it is set up correctly and the type of paper you are using can also affect print quality. For best results use high-quality, low absorbency grades, specifically designed for inkjet printing. Most inkjet printers use water-based inks and these will begin to fade after only a few years, faster if the print is exposed to bright light or stored in a humid atmosphere. Longer lasting UV stabilised inks are available for HP and other makes of printer that should last 25 years or more.

NUMBER'S UP

Can you please advise me how to switch off the Num Lock light that comes onevery time I log on to my PC, I know there is a way to cancel this problem but for the life of me can't find any information on this topic.

Ken Hollis, Camberley, Surrey

A

Either uncheck the 'Num Lock at Boot Up' option in your PC's BIOS program (refer to the handbook for details) or use Notepad to open config.sys (it's in the root of the C:/ drive) and add the line 'numlock=off'.