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RSS feedsQ: I pre-registered with BT for its ADSL service, and am due to have it installed within the month. My main concern is that, with a constant connection, I will be vulnerable to sad, bored, no-life hackers looking for a challenge. I have an anti-virus package, but will this be enough? Is there any cost-effective software out there that could act as a firewall to keep my system secure, or is there anything else I could do for peace of mind?
Abdul Sahin
via email
A: I hope the delays that many users have been experiencing in getting ADSL installed have not affected you. A virus scanner is, of course, very important but if you have an always-on connection then we would recommend a firewall. A firewall is a filter that blocks or allows connections and data transmissions via the internet, stopping unwanted users from accessing your machine. There are many different ones available online to download from companies such as Symantec, Zone Labs and Biodata. Biodata does one that was recently reviewed in What PC? and a trial version is available at http//shop1.sphinxwall.com/Shop/download.ash.
PC file frenzy
Q: I was looking at the files on my PC with Windows Explorer and found that I have thousands of files, which presumably originated from the internet, in the directory C:/windows/temporary internet files in sub-directories such as 6x3amx67, Clyfsp63, Klk3il27 and Ojkqog5s. Each sub-directory seems to contain more or less the same files.
Some of the files are cookies, and others seem to relate to websites that I have visited at some time. Is it safe to delete these files or is there a mechanism in Internet Explorer that will delete the files automatically? As my hard disk is old and small, it seems that they are taking up a lot of space unnecessarily.
Mr PS Lyford
via email
A: You will do no damage to your computer by deleting these files. They are copies of pages you have visited that you can view offline and they also help the pages load faster next time you visit. If you delete them manually you will delete your cookies and lose settings for various websites.
A cookie stores information that can be recalled next time you visit the site. If you go to Internet Explorer, Tools, Internet Options, you will find three sections. The second of these lets you delete your Temporary Internet Files. This will delete all the old files, but leave all your cookies in place.
Reconnection frustration
Q: I have a persistent problem that I am told is not uncommon. Frequently, after disconnecting from the internet, my computer waits a couple of minutes and then automatically redials my Internet Service Provider, which is very annoying.
My ISP is Demon and I use their Turnpike software - they assure me that it is not their fault and the problem occurs both in Windows 95 and Windows 98, but they cannot tell me how to fix it. Can you help, please?
Chris Harthan
via email
A: The only reason we can think of for your PC to reconnect to the internet is that there may be another program on your computer that is set to automatically connect. For instance, AOL Instant Messenger can be set to automatically reconnect to the internet if disconnected. You should also uncheck the 'Connect Automatically' box under your Dial-up account, so if it does try to reconnect, it will wait for you to click OK, rather than running up your phone bill.
Wrestling with reload and repair
Q: I have been wrestling with my new computer, an Athlon 900-based machine with 30Gb of storage space and 128Mb of SDRAM, for a month now. The machine uses Windows Me and is prone to locking up. The result has been some loss of data and, more frustratingly, a lot of time reloading and repairing files. In desperation, I have now partitioned the hard disk using FDISK, but the lockups persist and seem to be associated with the Internet Explorer package.
Will Jones
via email
A: You say that you have partitioned the hard drive: do you mean you have formatted the drive and reinstalled Windows Me? Assuming you have already done this, make sure you have the latest versions of the drivers for your hardware as this can very often fix problems.
Also, check to see if there are any hardware conflicts in your PC. Right-click on the My Computer icon, select Properties and click on Device Manager. Now check that none of the items on the list have a Yellow Exclamation mark beside them, as this indicates some sort of problem or conflict.
Failing all that, there could be a problem with your memory, as this can sometimes cause intermittent 'hangs'.
Drive E's good: how do I get it?
Q: I would like to configure my PC so that email and anything downloaded from the internet is automatically saved to my E: drive, so that I can keep my active C: drive clean with just my programs and the operating system. How can I do this? I have tried dragging shortcuts to E: but this doesn't work.
Gordon Heath
via email
A: This shouldn't be a problem. You can set where to store your Temporary Internet Files and emails. In Internet Explorer, go to Internet Options, General, Temporary Internet Files Settings - at the bottom there is an option to Move Folder. Click on this and you can select where to store all your Temporary Internet Files. For your emails (assuming you are using Outlook Express 5) go to Tools, Options, Maintenance. There is a Store Folder option - use this to change its location to your E: drive.
Large-file download to CD
Q: Whenever I want to download a large file or program from the internet, I try to download it to my CD writer so that I can save a permanent copy, but my system will not allow me to copy straight to CD. If I save the file to my Desktop, when I try to copy it onto a CD I get a message telling me I have no permission and should contact my network administrator. I am not on a network, but I am running Windows 2000. How can I get around the problem?
Alan Fey
via email
A: There are two parts to your problem. First, you cannot save files directly to your CD writer unless the CD has been formatted using a program like Adaptec DirectCD, which will enable the drive to be treated just like a hard or floppy drive. As for the permission error, if you are running under Windows 2000 then you have to log in to use the PC. Each user of the PC will have different access rights. You need to make sure you are logged in as an administrator or a user with the same privileges.
Automatic internet disconnection
Q: My children use the internet quite a lot, which I don't mind as it is a very useful tool for their homework, but they keep forgetting to disconnect when they're finished. Consequently, they have been running up large phone bills. Can I set the computer to automatically disconnect from the internet?
Walter Archer
via email
A: I assume from your letter that you are paying for your phone calls to the internet. If you use the internet a fair amount then it may be worth considering signing up with one of the Internet Service Providers that offer a flat-rate fee per month, which includes all your call charges. Freeserve offers free connection off-peak for around £8.99 a month, but there are numerous ISPs that offer similar services.
But yes, you can set your computer to disconnect from the internet. Go to Control Panel, Modem, Properties, and you'll see the option 'Disconnect a call if idle for more than x minutes'. If you set this to around three to five minutes, it won't run up a large phone bill every time the children forget to disconnect, and it won't disconnect them while they are still surfing.
Playing games on a Daewoo
Q: Last year I bought a Daewoo machine with a K6-2 450 processor, 32Mb of RAM, 40x CD-ROM and a 4Mb SIS graphics card for £520. I bought the computer for surfing the internet, but now I want to play games. At the moment, my machine really struggles when I try to play them. It has no OpenGL support, so I can't play games like Quake3 Arena or Soldier Of Fortune. Should I just buy a new computer or upgrade the graphics card? I have no AGP slot, so it would have to be a PCI card, and I was thinking about getting a 3dfx Voodoo 2000 card. Will I be able to play most games then?
Andrew Hartley
via email
A: It depends on how much money you want to spend. If you get something like a Voodoo3 3000 or 2000, or even a TNT2 Vanta PCI, you will improve your PC's performance and you will be able to play the games you mentioned. It's not going to be superb performance, but it's obviously cheaper than getting a whole new machine.
If you are considering a new PC and want something for around £799, then take a look some of the Duron and Celeron-based PCs that are around at the moment. You'll find some good PCs at very reasonable prices.
The mysterious case of the missing 8Mb
Q: I recently purchased a Rock notebook after reading some good reviews in various magazines, including What PC?. When I ordered it, it said it had 128Mb of memory installed, but when I look in Windows under System Properties, it reports 120Mb of RAM. Where has this 8Mb of memory gone? Have they supplied me with less memory that I asked for?
Timothy Dreah
via email
A: I can safely assure you that you do have 128Mb of memory installed in your machine. Some notebooks, instead of having dedicated video memory as there would be in a desktop PC, allocate a certain amount of your system memory to be used for graphics. You can usually set this in the BIOS to 8Mb, 16Mb or 32Mb.
Notebook makers do this because it works out cheaper and, as most notebooks struggle to play games anyway, it doesn't really have an adverse effect on performance.
Making MP3 music with Winamp
Q: Every time I double-click on an MP3 file to play it, Real Player 8 loads up. I have always used Winamp to play my MP3 songs, and this used to be loaded instead. How can I make Winamp play my MP3s automatically?
Fred Clarke
via email
A: Locate an MP3 file on your computer. Click on the file once with the left mouse button (it will go blue), hold down the left shift key and press the right mouse button once. This will bring up a list of options. Click on 'Open With' and select Winamp from the list. To ensure that Winamp is set as the default player for your MP3s, check the 'Always use this program to open this type of file' box.
Any port in a storm - and they're all at the back
Q: Having only recently purchased a computer after years of never having one, I am slightly baffled as to why all the ports are on the back of the computer. Every time I buy a new piece of equipment that needs to be plugged in, I have to move my computer and the ball of wires that gathers behind it, to find a free port. Is there an item of kit or a box, a bit like a four-way plug, that allows you to extend the ports to the front of the machine?
Martin Smith
via email
A: There is an item called a USB hub that will certainly extend your USB ports to the front of the machine and will also give you more ports to plug any new devices into. As far as extending the other ports, I've never seen anything that does that. Some PCs come with the serial ports or USB ports on the front, but generally most devices released these days are USB.
Time out for parallel port scanner?
Q: I have just bought a new Time Professional 900 PC with Windows Me to replace my three-year-old Time 200+ with Windows 95. I want to connect my old Epson GT 5000 parallel port scanner to the new system, but the bi-directional parallel port card will not fit my new machine. I tried fitting it into the white slots but they are too small. Is there any way I can overcome this problem (for example, a USB-to-parallel cable) or will the drivers not work? Do I just have to give my scanner away and buy a new one?
Phil Banks
via email
A: Don't worry, you won't have to throw away your scanner just yet. The reason the card won't fit into the white slots is because these are PCI slots, and your card is designed for an older ISA slot. Your new PC won't require this card as it will have a bi-directional parallel port built into the back of the computer that you can plug the scanner directly into. The drivers will work in exactly the same way as if it was plugged into your card.
Even so, you may still wish to get a new scanner as there are faster and higher-resolution models on the market. A reasonable-quality scanner will set you back about £50. Check out the February 2001 issue of What PC? for a roundup of the latest scanners.
Component upgrade without tears
Q: Having read many articles about upgrading a PC, the main emphasis is obviously a decent motherboard, processor and memory. Can you replace these components and leave your existing hard drive complete with operating system, or would you need to start from scratch by reformatting the drive and reloading the operating system and programs? In my case I want to upgrade my AMD processor to another AMD, rather than anything more dramatic such as Pentium to AMD or vice versa.
Phil Dobson
via email
A: When upgrading components of your PC you don't have to completely start from scratch and format your hard drive, you can simply uninstall any old drivers before adding the new hardware. Then you install the new drivers and all should be fine. If we were replacing an motherboard, we would prefer to reinstall Windows, but this is not essential.
When you uninstall items from your computer, generally not everything is removed, so a clean install can often improve stability and reduce the possibility of any conflicts. Even changing from an Intel-based system to an AMD-based system shouldn't cause any real conflicts.
If you are upgrading your PC and you play games, then you should consider buying a new graphics card, as this will give you a real increase in performance.
My Print Preview is missing!
Q: In Microsoft Word 2000 I'm trying to do a Print Preview but the option seems to have disappeared from the File menu. When I click on File, all that is visible is Open, Close, Save, Save As, Page Setup, Print, My Recent Files and Exit. Where has it gone?
Alistair Upson
via email
A: Word 2000 automatically hides options you don't use very often to reduce the drop-down menu size. At the very bottom you will notice a double 'v' sign. If you click on this, all the options in the File menu will appear to you.
The PC Doctor regrets that he cannot provide readers with individual replies or answer queries over the telephone, but if you have a question or problem you want to share with other readers, write to PC Doctor, What PC? Editorial, VNU House, 32-34 Broadwick Street, London W1A 2HG, or email pcdoctor@whatpc.co.uk
See also:
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