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PRINTING
If I try to print certain web pages, on which the text goes right across the screen, the rightmost edge gets chopped off. Is there a way to fix this?
This happens because some web pages have fixed widths. You could try printing in landscape mode - click on File, then Page Setup, and choose Landscape in the Orientation box. Alternatively, select the text, right-click it and select Copy. Then open up your word processor, go to the Edit menu and choose Paste. You should find it is now formatted for printable A4 pages.
Whenever I try to print a web page from Internet Explorer I get a message saying, 'An error has occurred in the script on this page.'
This is caused by a piece of spyware called Surfairy. To remove it, click on Start, then Run and type c:\program files\surfairy\uninstall.exe and press Enter. If that fails, try c:\programfiles\surfairy\uninst.exe. Restart your computer once it has uninstalled.
If I change my mind while a document is printing, can I cancel it?
You can cancel printing a document at any point until it has finished printing. If there is still a dialogue box on screen with a Cancel button, click on that. If the document continues to print, double-click on the printer icon in the Taskbar. In the window that appears, right-click on the item you want to cancel and select Cancel. Depending on the printer and the size of the document it may take some time to stop.
NETWORKS AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY
I want to set up a wireless network between my two notebook computers and connect it to my broadband modem. Do I need a hub or a wireless access point, or can I do it with just a pair of wireless network cards?
Your network will work with just a pair of wireless network cards, but you will have to make one of the PCs share its internet connection (this is called ad-hoc mode). It might be easier to connect a wireless access point to your router if it has a network port, and allow the wireless PCs to connect directly to that (this is called infrastructure mode).
I have set up a wireless Lan at my house which is working well. The only problem is that my neighbour can use it to access the internet through my account. While I don't mind my neighbour doing this, how do I secure the network to stop anybody else doing the same?
There are two main ways to secure your wireless network. Firstly, switch on the Wireless Encryption Protocol. The way to do this varies between manufacturers, but your manual or manufacturer's website can explain.
Secondly, some wireless devices allow you to dictate which computers can connect to the network by entering the 'MAC address' of all the network cards you want to allow on to the network. Again, consult the manufacturer for instructions.
How do I set up my home network so that I can print from one computer to the printer attached to another computer? I don't want to set it up so that files are shared, because I don't want my private documents available on the network.
Open the Printer control panel by going to the Start menu, then Settings, then Printers. Right-click on the printer you want to share, then select Sharing from the menu. In the Sharing tab of the dialogue box, select Shared As, then give it a name and choose a password if you wish.
If you are not using Windows XP you will also need to go to Start, Settings, Control Panel and double-click on the Network icon. Click on the File and Print Sharing button and tick the box for printer sharing. If you don't want to share other files, make sure the other option is not ticked.
When I connect to the internet I get a dialogue box saying, 'No domain server was available to validate your password. You may not be able to gain access to some network resources.' When I click on OK this box closes and another opens inviting me to enter my network password, user name and domain. I am not connected to a network, so what do they mean?
Your internet connection has not been set up properly. Click on Start, then Settings and Control Panel. Double-click on Network and select Client for Microsoft Networks from the list of installed components, then click on Properties. Another dialogue box will appear. Just remove the tick from Log on to Windows NT domain and click on OK.
HARDWARE AND COMPONENTS
My PC turns itself on whenever the telephone rings. How do I stop it?
This is a feature in the BIOS that allows certain events to 'wake' the computer. When it is starting up you will see an option to press 'Delete to enter set-up' (or it may be Escape, F1 or a similar key). Press it and you will see a menu.
Be very careful with this menu as making the wrong changes can cause serious problems. Find the Power options and you will see an option for Wake on ring. Make sure it is disabled, then follow the options Save, Exit and Reboot. For more information on tweaking BIOS options, see our guide on the topic here.
My clock in Windows is slow. Is my computer slowing down?
There is a battery inside your PC that keeps the clock going while the computer is switched off. If your computer is under warranty, you can have the battery changed. Otherwise you can open the PC up and change it. It's a watch-style flat silver battery and a replacement can be found in high-street electrical stores.
Windows 98 came with a program called ScanDisk which I used every few months to make sure my hard disk had no errors on it. I've upgraded to Windows XP and the program has gone. Is there a replacement for it?
ScanDisk has been integrated into the Windows Explorer. Hold down the Windows key and press E - this will bring Explorer up. In the left-hand panel, right-click the disk you want to check and select Properties. Choose the Tools tab in the resulting dialogue box, and click on Check Now. Make sure both checkboxes are ticked, and click on Start.
I ran a BIOS check on my computer and it said that my system BIOS was out of date. It suggested an update, but I want to make sure that it won't cause any problems.
You should always take great care with the BIOS, as it's one of the core parts of the computer. Unless you have serious PC problems and have been specifically told by a technician to upgrade the BIOS, you are best advised to leave it alone.
The image on my new flat-panel (TFT) monitor appears fuzzy and deformed. If I press a button on the screen it gets clearer, but it is squeezed into the middle of the monitor with a black box around the outside. Should I send it in for repair?
TFT monitors operate correctly at only one resolution, and the manual will tell you what it is. If you try to use a different one, the screen size will be either too big or too small. The deformation you describe is caused by Windows running at too low a resolution for the screen's size so the monitor has to zoom in to make it into a full screen.
Hold down the Windows key and press D to minimise all of your windows, then right-click on the Desktop and click Properties, then on the Settings tab. You will see a slider marked Screen Area. Move this to the right one notch, then click on Apply to see if it is fixed. If not, repeat this until the screen is the correct size, then click on OK to close the dialogue box.
I have tried to play a 3D war game, but all I get is a blank screen or an error message. How do I go about playing it?
Assuming that you have a processor and graphics card capable of playing them (compare your system to the specifications shown on the game's box), you should install the correct drivers for your video card (they will be on the card manufacturer's website) and install the latest version of Microsoft's DirectX driver set, which controls graphics in games. It is available free of charge here.
There are funny colours displaying at the sides of my monitor. I think it might be something to do with my speakers, which are placed next to the screen. Is there a way to fix the problem?
This is the Gauss effect, and it happens when the magnets in your speakers interfere with the delicate workings of your monitor. If your monitor has a degauss button (see the manual to find out) press it.
The screen will flicker and the colours might get better. Move all of the magnetic equipment as far from the monitor as possible and it may get better naturally. If it hasn't improved after a week or so, you may need a new monitor. Speakers designed specifically for PCs should not cause such problems.
I want to upgrade the memory in my PC. How do I tell what type of memory I should buy?
It's hard to know what type of memory modules you need. If you still have your PC's manual, it should tell you, or you could try the manufacturer's website or technical support department. Alternatively, the internet memory seller Crucial will attempt to work out what you need. Go to www.crucial.com/uk and enter your PC's make and model in the appropriate boxes. Kingston offers a similar service at www.valueram.com/europe.
DISK DRIVES AND BACKING UP
I recently bought a CD-RW drive for my computer. It seems to work fine and I successfully burned a CD containing about 20Mb of photos. When I tried to burn some more photos to the same disc, it says the disc is full. The properties section in Windows says the same thing - that it is a 20Mb disc and it is full. I thought CDs held about 700Mb of data. Am I wrong?
It looks like you have accidentally selected the Finalise CD option in your CD-burning software. This stops the disc being written to again, and tells Windows that there is no more space. Next time, if you want to burn to a CD more than once, make sure that any options to finalise the disc are not selected.
When copying files, the PC displays a 'time remaining' indicator. This ranges from 10 seconds to hundreds or even thousands of minutes, although it never takes that long.
Windows estimates these times based on what is being copied at a certain moment. If you're copying lots of small files the time may be an underestimate, or it may be an overestimate if you're copying large files. If it gets stuck for more than a few minutes without changing at all, you should cancel the copy. Otherwise, it is best just to wait for the time to right itself.
The manual that came with my recordable DVD drive says to end all tasks that are running on my computer before burning a disc. This worked fine in Windows 98 (using Ctrl-Alt-Del), but using Windows XP's Task Manager, it tells me that ending these processes may cause problems.
It can be very dangerous to end running tasks if you don't know what they are, as you may stop Windows from working. As long as your PC is quite recent (up to three years old) and you don't have any other applications (such as Word or Media Player) working when you burn your DVDs you should have no problems.
You mention Microsoft Backup on many occasions, but I can't find it in Windows Me.
You can install Microsoft Backup by inserting your Windows Me CD. Ignore any boxes that appear, double-click on My Computer, right-click on the CD drive and select Open. Double-click on Add-ons, then Msbackup, and then double-click on Msbexp.exe.
I bought a 90-minute (800Mb) CD-R to use in my new CD-RW drive, but when I try it, it says the size of the disc is only 80 minutes' worth (700Mb).
You need to use a technique called overburn to create a 90min CD-R. You will need a fairly new CD-RW drive and the latest version of your CD-burning software. To enable it in Nero, for example, go to Preferences, then tick 'Enable overburn' and enter the capacity of your CD in the boxes (normally 90 minutes, 0 seconds, 0 frames).
You need to be very careful with this as it is possible to damage your discs and even your CD-burner if you try to overburn too much data onto a disc. For most of us, it's easier to either stick to normal CD burning or buy a DVD writer for greater capacity.
Don't panic
You don't always need to call a premium-rate telephone support line when you have a PC problem. Many of the solutions to common crises are not tricky to put in practice; it's just a case of finding someone to tell you what the problem is. Armed with these answers, you should find it easier to troubleshoot your computer.
If you can access the internet, there are many support forums where experts congregate and offer free advice to anyone who asks. Manufacturers' websites are getting better too, with most offering support, questions and answers, and manuals and software to download.
You could try our own Reader Forums here for a start.
See also:
We continue our round-up of 50 essential utilities to help keep your PC perfect. Why pay over the odds for utility software when you can get it for free? 03 Sep 2004
Why pay over the odds for PC utility software when you can get it for free? We round up 50 essential utilities that can help keep your PC perfect 03 Sep 2004
The second and final part of our guide to breathing new life into an old system suggests more ways to upgrade your PC 06 Aug 2004Is your PC looking a bit long in the tooth? We show you plenty of ways to breathe new life into an old system 06 Aug 2004
Sometimes the most frustrating problems can have the simplest solutions. In part one of our feature we look at Windows, applications, security and the internet. 25 Jun 2004All Desktop Computers
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