dacs.doc electric

Random Access

Instant Replay: March 2000

Bruce Preston, Moderator

Q. When I start Netscape Navigator using a shortcut in the StartUp folder of the Start Programs menu, it comes up full-screen even though the Start Minimized setting is selected. Why can't I get it to start minimized? A. Navigator is choosing to ignore the setting. We tried it on another machine and observed the same results. Q. A friend has the source for an application and needs the old, pre-Windows Quick-Basic compiler. Does anyone have a copy so he can run the application? A. Several offered to check their attics or basements, but no one was certain that they still had it. Another alternative is to put the source code into a "module" file and attach it to a simple "start application" form in Visual Basic. You could make an application that doesn't make use of the GUI (Graphic User Interface) of Visual Basic. The syntax of Quick-Basic is not very different from the BASIC language within Visual Basic. Q. I was doing some scanning, and several scans worked fine. But after several more scans, the carriage "jammed" and now no longer moves-even after a power cycle. A. The scanner may not have actually turned off; it might have just gone into a suspend mode. To completely turn it off, unplug the power cube. If that doesn't reset it, get/borrow a volt/ohm meter and see if the power cube is delivering its rated voltage. And check the hardware manufacturer's Website looking for a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) in the support section. Failing that, call the manufacturer. Q. Is Microsoft's Media Player still in beta? A. It has been officially released. Q. I recently used the Windows Update feature, and it reported that the site has changed. Does anyone know about this, and should I apply the updates. A. Yes, the site has changed. Let the update change the shortcut. Supposedly, 80% to 90% of the updates have to do with security (but who is counting?) and should be applied if you frequent the Internet. Q. I want to replace a CD drive and am having a problem removing the IDE, ribbon cable from the back of the drive. Is there a trick to it? A. PLAN A: Don't pull on an edge of the cable. Instead, try to sandwich the cable between the lengths of your index finger and middle finger and then try to "roll" the cable out by twisting your wrist. This should apply even pressure on the entire width of the cable. PLAN B: If that fails, note that on many machines, the full-size drives are mounted to a "cage" that is held on by two or three screws, all easily accessible from the open side of the machine. Once these are removed, the cage can usually be slid toward the rear of the machine (about a half-inch) and then lowered and removed. This will give you more working room. PLAN C: Follow the ribbon cable to the disk controller (on newer machines, you'll find it on the motherboard. Make note of the orientation of the cable where it attaches to the motherboard. (Note that one edge of the ribbon cable will have a (usually) red stripe painted on it that corresponds to pin 1 of the connector.) Remove the IDE ribbon cable from the motherboard. Remove the audio cable connector from either the CD drive or the sound card-again making note of the orientation of the connector. Remove the power connector. Remove the screws holding the CD drive to the drive rack. You should now be able to slide the drive out the front face of the machine, dragging the cable with it. Now that you have the drive out, you should be able to remove the ribbon cable. PLAN D: involves the use of a blacksmith's tin snips. Q. What is the current thinking on dust removal from a keyboard? Vacuum or compressed air? A. Not recommended, but if you must, unplug the keyboard and then vacuum it. The risk is that vacuuming can generate a static electric charge, which could damage active components within the keyboard. Using compressed air could drive the small particles into the mechanism. For light cleaning you might try putting a few drops of a cleaner such as Windex in a small glass dish and then slightly moisten a cotton swab and wipe the keyboard clean. Do not spray the cleaner onto the keyboard directly; if it drips/runs into the circuitry you will have a problem. If you use a swab, it should not be so wet that it drips if squeezed. Q. My display "jiggles" during start and shutdown, but not when the machine is in normal operation. A. The display is running in a low-resolution mode (640x480) during startup (such as when you get the BIOS copyright, etc.) It does a "context switch" after Windows boots and changes to the higher resolution (such as 800x600 etc.) There are different scan rates for different resolutions, and it sounds like your monitor has a dislike for the lower scan rate (which is also used to display the "It is now safe to turn off your computer" message. The consensus was that the power supply in your display is probably going. Borrow another monitor if you can to make sure you don't have a problem with your videocard-and be prepared to replace your monitor. Q. When I look at HTML source I see lots of the four-character strings &nbsp. What are these? A. It is a code for "non-breakable space" and is used to prevent word-wrap at an inopportune place. There are many such special character codes; the "&" character is the one that is used to indicate the start of the code. Q. I have a DVD drive with very choppy playback. It handles CDs just fine. A. Is the DVD decoder in hardware or software? The software decoders leave a lot to be desired. One thing that might help (it helped a lot with .wav and .avi files) is to purge your temporary directory of files. The temporary directory is usually C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. Do this immediately after starting the machine. Any file that is in this directory with a date/timestamp prior to the start of the machine is fair game for deletion. Q. In Outlook Express, we no longer see the address book; it used to be there when we started it. A. Tools / Options / Default Screen is used to describe which frames you want to be visible when Outlook Express starts. It sounds like the address book was there previously and somehow got removed. Q. In Windows NT 4.0, I have the directories \TEMP, \TMP, \WINDOWS\TEMP, \WINDOWS\TMP, and so forth. Which is the temporary directory? A. All of them. These were all the "official" temporary directory at one time, and applications of different generations will create another directory for temporary storage if it doesn't find this one. Q. I just got DSL service to the Internet and understand that I am now "exposed" to outside viewers. How does this happen? A. This would require a full-length article. Just understand that the Internet originated in academia, where sharing of information was a primary function. Add to this that the basic networking in Microsoft's consumer operating systems was implemented for "office workgroups," where connections to the outside world were not anticipated, so they had a relatively simplistic password and access method, and you have a recipe for wide-open access. Suggestion: Visit the site www.grc.com and follow the links to "Shields Up!", a free testing service that will use some fairly standard probing techniques to test your exposure to outside viewing of your system and data. If you have an "always on" connection such as DSL or a cable modem, we highly recommend a personal firewall system. There are links at the grc/shieldsup site to a forum that discusses firewalls, proxy servers, NAT software gateways, etc. Q. If you only have a dial-up modem, are you still exposed? A. Yes, but you are somewhat less likely to be scanned as a "moving target" since your IP address changes every time you connect. A hacker is more likely to scan the addresses associated with permanent locations, since it may require several visits before a successful break-in.