Q. I am trying to install a scanner on an XP system. I get the message “Driver not signed.” The scanner and driver are from Canon. I contacted Canon and was told to ignore the message. However, taking the ignore option results in the no driver being installed at the end of the installation process.
A. A Windows 98 driver will not work on [Windows] XP. Twain versions are newer. Twain is an interface standard for scanners, digital cameras and such. There is a place in XP for emulating programs from older operating systems but it will not work for device drivers. Be sure the driver is XP compatible. Canon can be sloppy with drivers. Advice: take notes during an install. Q. I have an HP 720C printer. I have tried to install the printer onto an XP system. The printer did not work with the old driver. The driver supplied on the [Windows] XP CD didn’t work. I contacted HP and they told me to use the XP driver. A. After three years HP drivers will generally not work with new operating systems. The “best bet” with the low cost of new printers is to buy a new, more current printer with software supporting Windows XP. Q. I have several word processing programs on my computer. I open documents in the word processors by selecting and clicking on the documents from Windows Explorer. This opens the document in the default word processor. I want to change the default for certain documents. How do I do that? A. On systems prior to Windows XP hold the shift key when clicking on the file. This will let you choose a new program as default. [JS — I was unable to confirm this on Win 2K] On Win 2k/XP systems, right click the document in Windows Explorer and select “Open with…” from the context menu. There is a check box to make the chosen program the new default for files with this extension. Q. I am upgrading from Windows 98 to Windows XP. Are there issues with using older office suites under Windows XP? A. Office 95 is flaky. Office 97 is ok. Office 2000 is ok. There can be issues with email. Outlook Express is ok. (OE is not part of Office.) [JS — Microsoft does not support Office versions prior to ’97 on XP.] Q. I have Windows 98 First Edition. I have gotten my updates over the Internet. The installs hang, however. Also, when using Internet Explorer, new windows hang. A. Maybe something broke on a previous install or Internet Explorer needs repair. When doing installs, disable Java, clear Internet Explorer cache, and clear the Windows temp folder. The update site doesn’t recognize Internet Explorer 5.5 and Microsoft no longer supports Windows 98. [JS — Late news is that Microsoft changed its mind and will continut to support WIN98. Suggest these options and try to update Internet Explorer first, and then move to other updates]. Q. I’m looking for information or software for a Sound Blaster sound card. I want to write a C++ program to control sampling thru an A/D converter which will allow me to record and listen at the same time. A. Check back thru the old issues of DACS.DOC looking for DigiDesign and watch out for feed back. Earphones were suggested. [JS — Creative Designs, the maker of the original Sound Blaster cards, should have programming on their Web site.] Q. The hard drive on my laptop is full. I have an external drive connected but the computer doesn’t recognize the external drive giving a message that the drive needs to be partitioned. The external drive interfaces thru a PCMCIA card (PCcard). The external drive came with a floppy. The external drive is powered thru the PCcard. A. Try to install the external drive on a different computer to see if the drive is formatted. Check out the floppy for an install wizard. It was determined that the PCcard does not cause the computer to “beep” when inserted to an already booted system. This could indicate that the card is defective. Q. I have a small LAN (four PCs) with an Internet connection thru Charter Cable. There are times when the cable modem will have a normal sequence of lights indicating that it is on and functioning, yet there will be no Internet access. A. Disconnect the modem power cord, count to ten [wait one minute] and reconnect. This is a common problem. |
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