Computer Tips

All information or apparent advice on this page is used at the reader's sole discretion. No liability whatsoever is accepted by the publishers for any damage, inconvenience or costs of any kind, incurred directly or indirectly, as a result of using the information herein published.

WORD 2000 will not start.

Q. I am running Microsoft Word 2000. When I try to start Word 2000 it hangs with the logo on screen but will not open. I have tried everything, including reinstalling Windows 98SE. Can you help?

A. I'm afraid there is no short answer to this. There are several possibilities but it is most likely to do with a damaged template located in the Word startup folder. To check this out, go to Start||Run||Browse and find the folder were Winword.exe is located. Click on it to select it and click on "Open". In the "Run" dialogue box you should have something like: "C:\Program files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe" including the quotes. At the very end of this line, after Winword.ex" type /a. to give you "C:\Program files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe" /a. Click OK.

If Word starts, then the problem is likely to be a damaged Registry Data Key, a damaged Normal.dot global template or problems with other stored templates in the startup folder. To resolve this, we'll go through the procedures.

First, shut down all open programmes.(highlight the text in this article and print it off) Now to rename the global template, normal.dot. Find this file using "Start||Find", right click on normal.dot and rename it to say, oldnormal.dot. Renaming this file resets all the defaults so do not delete it.

Start Word in the normal way. If everything runs smoothly, okay. If not, I suggest going to the Word startup folder and checking out the templates stored there. Go to C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\Startup and move all the templates to another location - say your desktop. Start Word and if all runs well you can replace the templates one at a time until you find the troublesome one. Check them all, there could be more than one problem. Contact the template supplier for further remedies if you want it reinstated.

If temporarily removing the templates does not cure the problem, then I suggest removing the relevant data Registry Key. Before going any further backup your registry. (Go to "Registry - Backing up" for instructions on this).

1. Close all open programmes.
2. Click Start||Run.
3. Type "regedit" (Not the quotes) and click OK.
4. Scroll using the plus signs to the following registry key. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Data.
5. In the left hand window, select the Data folder and hit "Delete". You will be asked to confirm it. On the Registry menu, click "Exit" to quit the Registry.

Start Word in the normal way. You should see a notice saying something like: "Preparing to install..." and "Please wait while Windows Configures Microsoft Office."

If, after trying these remedies, you still have problems, I suggest you go the Microsoft Knowledge Base at Microsoft.com and check out Q236319 : Q236383 and Q236423.

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DIRECT CABLE CONNECTION - Blank window

Q. I found your advice on Direct Cable Connection very useful but having got it to connect my two PCs, I can only get a blank window with a computer's name.

A. Sorry, I overlooked this point in my earlier replies, (I have now inserted this point into the earlier article) although it is a bit unusual for the C:\ drive not to have 'sharing' enabled. Go to Windows Explorer in both PCs and right click on (C:). Select 'Sharing' and enable "Shared as" and enable "Full". You can do this to all the drives on your PC if you wish. You can also add a password to restrict access.

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TRANSFERRING OUTLOOK ADDRESS BOOK

Q. Thank you. With your advice I have managed to connect my laptop to my PC. Now I would like to transfer my Outlook Express address book from my PC to my laptop. Can you help?

A. Yes, but I would not advise transferring via a DCC except indirectly. Create a folder on both the PC's and laptop's root drives (usually C:\) and call them anything. "Transfer" should suffice. Bring up Outlook Express on your PC and click on "Addresses". Then click on File. Select "Export||Address Book (WAB). Browse to your new 'Transfer' folder on the PC's root directory, give the file a name and hit 'Save'. You can now drag the file to your laptop's new 'Transfer' folder using a DCC in the usual way. On your laptop, simply reverse the procedure using File||Import to complete the transfer.

An easier way is to export straight to a floppy or USB memory stick and import from there. Saves all the foregoing rigmarole!

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DIRECT CABLE CONNECTION

Q. I have spent hours trying to install a Direct Cable Connection between my PC and my laptop. I followed the Wizard exactly but when it comes to entering the name of the computer I don't know it. When I look in Windows "Help", it keeps referring me to the System Administrator. I'm a lone user so I am the System Administrator. Can you help?

A. Installing a Direct Cable Connection is considerably more arduous than either the handbook or Windows 'Help' describe. (Both being basically useless for the less experienced individual) For this reason, I suggest you highlight these instructions, copy them (Right click in the highlighted area) and print them off. (Do not try printing the whole page unless you have a ream of paper in the printer!)

Follow these instructions for both your PC and your laptop. First give your PC and your laptop names, or at least know their names. Then you must be sure the necessary protocols are available on both machines. You must also make sure both machines use the same port. LPT1 for a parallel cable connection.

Go Start||Settings||Control Panel||Network. Select the Identification tab and type in the computer's name. Call it what you like. Below that type 'Workgroup' ( it doesn't matter but is as good as anything) Below that type Guest or Host - depending which machine you're working on. I recommend making the PC the 'Guest' and the laptop the 'Host'.

In the Configuration window look for "IPX/SPX-compatible Protocol->" and "TCP/IP->".

If any of these Protocols are missing, you have some more work to do. Still in "Configuration", click on "Add". Highlight "Protocol", click on "Add". Highlight "Microsoft" select the protocols I have described and hit OK. If they do not load themselves, you will be asked to insert the Windows CD and load from there.

Back at the "Configuration" tab, under 'Primary Network Logon', select "Windows Logon" Underneath this click on "File and Print Sharing" and enable "I want to give others access to my files".

Now click on the Access Control tab and enable "Share-level access control".

After all that, you can go to Start||Programmes||Accessories||Communications||Direct Cable Connection and follow the Wizard. Remember, you can't use any old parallel cable to link the two computers. Your printer cable, for instance, will not work. You must buy a cable specifically designed for DCC.

Finally, go to Windows Explorer in both PCs and right click on (C:). Select 'Sharing' and answer the questions. I suggest "Shared as" enter "C" and enable "Full". (You can do this for the other drives too, if you wish).

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MS WORD (Fonts)

Q. A friend of mine tried building a computer and gave up and then gave it to me! After many frustrating hours I managed to get it going. My problem now is, I can't get MSWord to display the fonts. All I get is gobbledegook. Black squares and so on. Can you help?

A. There are several possibilities with a personally built PC but assuming all the drivers and loading went okay the most likely is the ATi II/II+ graphics driver which has several known bugs. Go to the ATi Web site at www.ati.com hit "Drivers" and follow your nose. You should be able to download the latest driver for your card.

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CD-ROM Autostart

Q. In the past, whenever I inserted a CD into the CD-ROM it would start automatically. Suddenly I find this doesn't happen. I'm never sure how to open the CD using Start||Run. Can you help?

A. Another computer with a mind of its own. Unless you were fiddling somewhere and accidentally disenabled the Auto insert notification (or Auto detect, I like to call it), your PC has decided to switch it off itself! To enable this, right click on My Computer, select "Properties" select "Device Manager" and click on the + sign by CD-ROM. Highlight your CD-ROM description and than click on "Properties". You will see a list of items at the bottom of which is "Auto insert notification". Make sure there's a tick in the box and all should be well.

NOTE: Depending on the CD's formatting, not all CDs will autostart. In which event use Start||Run||[your CD-ROM's letter] OK. Click on "Setup" to install it, or "Run" to play it. The latter is usually an exclusive icon with an 'exe' (Application) extension which you will probably recognise.

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Corrupt system file-Replace.

Q. I am unable to start several programmes because of a corrupted system file in Windows 95. On my Windows 98 lap-top it's easy with System File Checker, but I don't appear to have this with Windows 95. How can I find the file and replace it?

A. You are quite right when you say Windows 95 does not have System File Checker. To find the damaged file look in Windows\Faultlog.txt. To replace the corrupted file you will need to go into MS-DOS and extract if off the Windows 95 CD.

To get things right, I suggest you boot with your Start-up floppy so insert this and boot to the Start-up menu. Select "Proceed with CD-ROM support". You'll note the prompt will show A:\>. Insert the Windows 95 CD, type "ext" (without the quotes) and hit 'Enter'. You will be asked from which directory you want to extract. Type E:\WIN95. 'E' will be your CD-ROM in DOS as the letters shuffle up one place. ('D' becomes the RAM). You will now be asked what file to extract. Be absolutely sure you get the file name and its extension exactly right. You will then have to enter where you want to send it. In your case it will be: C:\Windows\System. Hit "Enter" to confirm it when asked. You will then be asked if you want to overwrite it. Select 'All' and hit "Enter". The undamaged file will be copied from the CD and placed in your System folder.

This method can also be used for Windows 98 and ME but they are not interchangeable.

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WINDOWS ME (Reverting to Windows 98)

Q. I recently installed Windows ME and have been experiencing all kinds of problems. Now I regret having ever done it. Is there any way I can get back to Windows 98?

A. Yes. During Setup Windows ME offers you the opportunity to backup your system files which contain all your current configurations. If you took this elementary precaution, uninstalling Windows Me is very simple. Go to My Computer||Control Panel||Add/Remove Programs and select Uninstall Windows Millennium. Click the Add/Remove button.

Before you start, however, I strongly recommend that you make a note of your Dial-up Connections (telephone numbers, connection configerations etc) as these are the most likely candidates to go belly up when downgrading.

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IMAGES - From digital camera

Q. I download images from my digital camera into My Documents but when I want to insert an image into a MS Word document using Insert Picture, I can't get the image. Just a load of text symbols. Can you tell me what's wrong?

A. I am assuming your images are loaded as JPEG and you can open them in an image editor but can't import them to Word. The chances are the problem lies with the graphics filters not having been loaded when you installed MS Word. To check this open MS Word and go to Insert||Picture||From file. In the dialogue box look in the box for "Types of files". If this is the problem you should not be able to see "JPEG File interchange format" or whatever file extension your images show.

To install the graphics filters you will need the MS Word or MS Office CD, whichever it was you used to install Word. I always recommend shutting down all other programmes when installing, so do that first.

Now go to Start||Settings||Control Panel. Click on the Add/Remove Programs icon. Select MS Office or MS Word, whichever it was you installed, highlight it and hit "Add/Remove". You will be asked to insert the CD. Setup will run, checking your system etc and you will be presented with three choices. Hit the Add/Remove button. When the list pops up scroll to "Converters and Filters". Make sure the box is ticked and highlight it. Click the "Change Options" button. Make sure "Graphics Filters" is enabled, click "OK" and "Continue".

All should now be okay.

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FAT 32 (Converting to)

Q. I have recently upgraded my Window 95 PC to Windows 98. I was asked if I wanted to convert to FAT32, and as it gave some warnings and I was unsure, I declined. I have now been told it is a good idea to convert. Can I do this now.

A. FAT32 (File Allocation Table 32bit) is an enhanced file storage system (over FAT16) which greatly improves the performance of your PC. The warnings are pertinent but not life-threatening. In answer to your question, yes, you can convert after having declined during the installation of Windows 98. Go to Start||Programs||Accessories||System Tools||Drive Converter (FAT32). In the dialogue box click details for a full explanation of FAT32. When you have read the facts and you still want to proceed, close this window and select "Next". Select the drive you want to convert, usually 'C', and click "Next". Follow the wizard.

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CREATING A FILE COPY

Q. I want to create a second copy of a file in the same folder - I'll be editing it but want to retain the unedited version as well. Is there a simple way to do this?

A. Yes. Right click the file. In the pop-up menu select 'Copy'. In the same folder, right click in an open space and select 'Paste'. Your file will be pasted as "Copy of...". You can right click, select "Rename", and type it's new name or just leave it as "Copy of..."

RECYCLE BIN (Bypassing)

Q. Can I delete a file without sending it to the Recycle Bin?

A. Yes. Hold down the Shift key and hit "Delete". (Not usually a good idea)

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MY BRIEFCASE

Q. What is "My Briefcase"?

A. "My Briefcase" is a storage folder with an additional and exclusive capability. That is to synchronise files removed, changed and then replaced. It is used by those needing to transport information between computers and works with floppy disks, tape-drives, RW-CDs or linked computers - lap-tops, PCs or both. It is a simple but long explanation to use "My Briefcase" effectively so I suggest you look in Windows "Help" (Start||Help type "My Briefcase" Select "Using My Briefcase"). Full instructions are given there. I would add, it is not a good idea to use the "My Briefcase" folder simply as a convenient Desktop storage folder.

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Direct Cable Connection - "SEND TO" SHORTCUT

Q. I have a lap-top which I link to my PC for transferring work to use in the field. For the sake of the Direct Cable Connection, the lap-top is called LT-Office. Is there a way I can set my PC's "Send to" menu to include my LT-Office?

A. Yes. The pop-up "Send To" menu is a list of shortcuts which you can add to quite easily. With the two computers communicating, open Windows Explorer on your PC and scroll to Windows\Send To in the left hand window. Click on it to open it in the right hand window. In the unopened LT-Office window, with your right mouse button, drag it's 'C' icon into the "Send To" folder in the right hand window of your PC's Windows Explorer. Select "Create shortcut here". Right clicking on any file or folder on your PC will now give you the option to send it to your lap-top. This way, however, files and folders will be sent to the lap-top's root directory. If you want to send files to a particular folder on your lap-top, open Windows Explorer on you lap-top and drag the folder as before.

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LONG FILE NAMES (short file names!)

Q. I hear a lot about long file names. So what is supposed to be a short file name?

A. People referring to long file names in computer parlance are usually talking about Windows being able to accept file names of up to 255 characters. This compares to MSDOS which accepts only 8 characters (and still does) and many years ago was the main Operating System for computers. In fact it still is the OS on your PC, except Windows writes it for you each time you ask it to do something. If you right click on any file, with a name of any length, and click on 'Properties', you will see its MS-DOS name. If it is over 8 characters in length, it will end with a ~. If there is more than one file with the same opening characters, a '1' or '2' will appear after ~.

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BACKING UP THE REGISTRY

Q. I keep reading about backing up the registry before attempting any registry editing. How do you back up the registry before say, removing a key identified by my virus scanner?

A. It is true, you should always create a backup of the Windows registry before editing it. If your editing goes pear shaped, you'll want to quickly restore the uncorrupted version from a backup.

I suggest you create a backup and save it to your Desktop. Click Start||Run and type "regedit" (without the quotes) and click OK. Click Registry||Export Registry File. In the dialogue box, "Save in", type or browse to Desktop. Call the file what you like but "Registry Backup" is prudent. Select 'All' next to "Export range" and save the file. You should now have "Registry Backup.reg" on your Desktop.

When you have finished safely editing the registry and everything works fine, you can delete Registry Backup.reg from your Desktop. Do not keep it there. It's a volatile file which will replace your registry at the drop of mouse.

If things do not work out with your editing, you simply double click on "Registry Backup.reg" to replace your goof with the registry you had before you started.

It's worth remembering, as described elsewhere on this page, your registry is automatically backed up by Windows each time you cold boot and can be picked up with scanreg /restore in MSDOS mode. You can also keep many more backups than the default 5 and replace any registry with one you know is okay. Go to "REGISTRY BACKUPS - Increasing number of" in these pages.

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WEB SITE LINKS - Off your site

Q. I have built a small web site for my local rowing organisation and have put some links on it to other useful sites connected with the sport. However, when visitors to my site go to some of these sites their back button does not return them. Is there anything I can do to make sure they can return to my Web site.

A. I suggest these links be tagged to open in their own window. In the html script, immediately behind the "href....." link and inside the <tags> add target="_blank". With this small addition, when your visitor leaves your site to visit another link, they do so in a separate window. This allows the visitor full access to the second site with all its navigational aids, which, once used, usually prevent them returning via the 'back' button. Now they simply close this window to return to the page on your site. They can even keep both windows open and navigate both sites if they wish.

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SECURITY - Surfing

Q. You say how risky it is to keep sensitive information on your PC in case, when surfing the Net, people can hack into your private files and steal data like credit card numbers and so on. Is there not a way you can keep these safe?

A. Yes. For personal users you can download "Personal Info Keeper" free which will store any and all information, including credit card numbers and passwords, in an encrypted form. You can visit the file on your PC while on line and cut and paste usernames and passwords as you need them. Very useful, if like me, you have several different passwords etc for different sites. Like many absent minded friends, I do forget sometimes, which means all the rigmarole of contacting the web-site administrator for a new password or finding the old one. Go to www.highcriteria.com/.

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SHUTTING DOWN PROBLEMS

Q. A friend and I have both been experiencing problems with Windows shutting down. Sometimes all goes well, other times it gets to "Windows is shutting down" and freezes. When rebooting, the ScanDisk sometimes runs automatically and sometimes does not. Is there anything we can look for?

A. Yes, but I can't help without lots more information and there are too many questions to start listing here. Better to visit www.aumha.org/a/shutdown.htm. You will find a good list of suggestions to help you check out the problem.

OPENING FILES - File Extensions

Q. I use Paint Shop Pro for my image editing but whenever I click on an image to open it, it always opens in Coral. This happened aftet I installed a Coral graphics library. Can I change this so it opens in Paint Shop Pro?

A. I find it extremely annoying that software producers should decide their programme is the most desirable and overwrite your PC's previous settings without first asking. The answer to your question is, yes. Pick the image file type you want to always open in PSP and right click on it while holding down the Shift key. In the pop-up menu select "Open with..." Scroll to the PSP (Paint Shop Pro) icon and highlight it. Enable the "Always use this program to open these files" check-box and hit OK. All these image files will now open in PSP. You can do the same for any other roaming file type.

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SCANDISK - Malfunction

Q. I use Windows 95 and suddenly ScanDisk has stopped running after a bad shutdown. Can you tell me what's wrong?

A. It is amazing how so many PCs seem to have minds of their own! This setting is contained in the Msdos.sys file. Unlike Windows 98x where this is much easier to correct. You will have to look in Windows Explorer. As the file is a hidden and read-only file you'll need to do a little work. In Explorer go to "View||Folder Options||View" and enable "Show all files". Click "Apply", "OK". In Windows Explorer's left hand window click on "C" (assuming this is your root directory) and then in the right hand window scroll to Msdos.sys. Right click on it, select "Properties" and clear the "Read-only" check box. Back in Explorer, open the file. (You may be asked which program you want to use to open it. Choose Notepad)

You will want to find the entry under [Options] - Autoscan=, which is almost certainly set to 0. Change it to read Autoscan=1 and all should be well.

Don't forget to go back to file "Properties" and recheck the "Read-only" check box and in Explorer the "Do not show hidden or system files" check box.

RECORDING MUSIC CDs

A question from the music world caused me a bit of a headache this week. Not being into music, especially recording and playing my own, I decided to quickly research the problem so forgive me if you spot any loopholes in my answer.

Q. I bought a RW-CD so that I could transfer my tapes onto a CD to play on my hi-fi and in my car. Everything seemed okay until I tried playing it, then, apart from a couple of squeals, I got nothing. Can you suggest anything.

A. The number of possibilities here is pretty well endless so I will have to make some assumptions on what you are doing right, rather than wrong. You are using the correct cable linking the 'Line In' socket on your PC with the 'Aux/Rec Line Out' socket of your hi-fi equipment. Your PC manufacturer will confirm this. You are using the latest driver for your recording hardware - check the manufacturers web site. You ran the recording on your PC to make sure it was correctly loaded on your hard-drive before attempting to transfer it to CD.

That said, the most likely mistake is to record onto a Read-Write disc. This will not work as RW disc formatting is not recognised by hi-fi equipment. Always record music onto Write-Only discs and make sure everything else on your PC is shut down, including your Screen Saver. Another possibility is you transferred from your PC using either MP3 or data transfer. Be sure to transfer to your disc as an audio CD. Another possibility; you left the recording 'open' as you would for a multi-session recording. This must be 'closed off' or again, your hi-fi equipment won't recognise it. Check your handbook for this info.Finally, thanks to a bonus in my morning paper some weeks back, I see a lot can be learned from http://wowfabgroovy.port5.com/vinyl.htm. We're told it's a slow site so be ready for a bit of frustration. In the UK I suggest going on-line at around 8.00/9.00 a.m when the US is asleep.

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MS Word - DELETING TABS(white space)

Q. I am working on a document in Microsoft Word with a lot of tabs separating numbers, for example: 5 00 CF 1. The first three factors only vary by folder but the last figure is sequential up to several hundred. I need to edit out the tabs and the first three factors only leaving just the "1". There are hundreds of these and using the down arrow button and 'Delete' is driving me crazy. I've looked all over Word to find out if this can be done automatically but can't find anything.

A. It can be done using Edit||Replace, but watch out - I'll explain at the end. With the document open go to Edit||Replace and click on "More". In the window type the first figure, say a "5" (without the quotes). To clear tabs, you click "Special||White Space". This will show up in the window as ^w. Type the second figure "00" - and so on. You will finish up with 5^w00^wCF^w. Leaving the bottom window empty, click on "Find Next" and the first of your editing entries will be highlighted. Click "Replace". It should leave behind only the figure "1". The next entry will highlight automatically, and so on to the end of the sequence you want to edit.

Back to my warning. Unless you are fully acquainted with the document and its formatting, in sequential numbering with so many numbers in question, it is wise to do one entry at a time rather than choose "Replace All". Similarities such as tabs with a similar figure, before or after, can get replaced or in this case deleted. In a large document, that can be catastrophic on your work-load. Hitting the replace button one at a time is by far the safest bet. If you do decide to risk "Replace All", do a check before saving. If it does not work, you can go to Edit||Undo to save the day. I also advise making a backup of the document before using "Replace All". If it should go belly up, you can always start again.

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MS PAINT... Error.

Q. When I try to open 'Paint' I get the following error message:

"This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor." The option "Details" is displayed which gives a string of meaningless numbers.

A. To resolve this problem, use registry editor to delete the following registry key. Remember to back up the Registry before starting.

Navigate to and highlight 'Paint' and delete it...

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Applets\Paint

The registry key 'Paint' will be renewed the next time you start "MSPaint".

You can click on or copy and paste this address into your browser for more information on this problem:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q185/5/01.asp

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