Q: The questioner heard of an anti-spam program called "K-9" and wondered if others had any opinion. A: This is an open source project. The program uses AI (artificial intelligence) techniques to learn which email messages are spam. It may also maintain a "white list" (senders known to the recipient). It is claimed to be as much as 98% effective. Another suggestion was SpamCop, from the spamcop.net web site. Q: A friend installed MSN (presumably version 8) and can no longer find Internet Explorer (IE). It appears that the MSN install sets up its own browser that is less capable than IE. A: Open a command window and type <iexplore> to run the "real" IE. The icon may be hidden, but the program is still there. Another suggestion was to use Mozilla (an open source browser). Q: I tried to uninstall AdAware and found that it left a DLL behind. How can I remove msgsrv32.dll? Do I need to remove registry settings? A: The consensus from many people was that the DLL in question is a Microsoft DLL that is part of Windows and should not be removed. [Reporter's note: Microsoft has a searchable database on the MSDN web site at (sorry but this is the simplest URL I could find...) http://support.microsoft.com/ default.aspx?scid=/servicedesks/fileversion/dllinfo.asp&SD=msdn. This database will give the origin of every DLL used in every Microsoft product. To find the version of a DLL, right click on the DLL file and pick Properties from the context menu. Version is on the version tab. A search for this file finds that it is a "Windows 32-bit VxD Message Server" and is a part of Windows 95/98/ME.] Q: I had a problem with my scanner and called the person listed for hardware in the DACS HelpLine (in dacs.doc). John Gallichotte found a free download to solve my problem. A: John explained the scanner software produced a BMP (Windows bitmap) file and the questioner needed a JPEG file (a standard graphic image format). John found a program that would do the conversion. Editors Note: The software in question
is Serif PhotoPlus v5.5. It can be downloaded from Q: The scandisk program has stopped working on my computer. Does anyone know why? A: Jeff suggested searching got the exact error message in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. There are instructions on how to search for an error message on this page. Another person suggested turning off the screen saver while running scandisk. Q: I have an external Firewire hard drive from LaCie that I use with my Macintosh to archive important files. After a while, the disk becomes scrambled and unreadable. I used a product called Tech Tools to recover the drive and this seemed to be successful. LaCie support says that the problem is in Apple's hardware implementation of Firewire and that I should purchase an Adaptec adapter card. I have the newest Apple driver. What can I do to make this drive work? A: This question generated a lot of discussion. Suggestions from various people included: back up all files immediately to another drive; try the drive on another computer; make sure you have the latest Apple Firewire driver; and send the drive back to LaCie for a replacement. It seems that LaCie is claming that this particular model of Macintosh has a problem in the Firewire chip and thus the problem cannot be fixed by a new software driver. If this is true [Reporter note: Didn't Apple invent Firewire?], then some hardware must be changed - either buy new Firewire adapter card, get LaCie to replace the drive or replace the Macintosh. One person suggested using the Apple forum on the Motley Fool web site as a source for support. Q: This is a comment on the PC Tax Cut, income tax preparation program. After using Tax Cut to prepare my tax return, I found errors in the reporting of real estate tax. A: There were no other reports of this problem. Q: What is the best way to copy files to a new hard drive? A: As might be expected, this generated a lot of discussion. Several programs were suggested such as DriveCopy from PowerQuest, and a free utility from Western Digital. Further discussion found that the questioner is purchasing a new computer with Windows XP. One person suggested connecting the old drive in the new computer as a slave and copying all data files to the new drive. The questioner wants a way to move programs as well as data to the new computer. The reporter suggested trying the "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" that comes with XP. I (personally) have never used it, but at worst you lose a few hours giving it a try. At best you move all your programs, data and configuration settings to the new computer in a few hours and life is wonderful. Q: I installed an internal Zip drive and now my monitor colors are off. The settings in Windows have no effect. I tried the monitor on another computer and it was OK. A: This is a hardware problem. After some discussion the source of the problem seemed to focus on the monitor cable and specifically a pin in the cable connector. Another person mentioned that power supply problems in the monitor can also produce this type of problem. Q: I (as in this reporter) set up a computer for a friend. When we were done, the monitor shows horizontal banding wherever there are dark objects on the screen. Another monitor shows the same effect and the computer's original owner says it "worked OK in Florida". Should I replace the video card? A: Several people suggested removing the video card and reseating it, another person suggested cleaning the card-edge contacts. |
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