IT Queries: Computer problems answered

I’ve read I should use a different browser to Internet Explorer because of its security problems. Which one should I use?

Internet Explorer is the web browser built into Windows. Because of the way Microsoft have set it up, it is particularly prone to security problems.

To make things worse Internet Explorer is a fundamental part of Windows so any problem with IE becomes a problem for your entire system.

So regardless of the current security scare it’s a good idea to use an alternative to Internet Explorer and there are plenty of options.

Mozilla Firefox

The most popular alternative browser is Mozilla Firefox. You can download a free a copy from the Mozilla website.

Opera

One of the longest established alternative browsers, Opera tends to be the cutting edge browser, while it’s not for everyone it’s fast, stable and is also a free download.

Google Chrome

A new alternative is Google’s web browser. It’s fast but it does do things a bit differently from the others. You can get this free from Google’s website.

Apple Safari

If you use a Mac then the Safari browser is included with your system. Windows users can download a free version from Apple.

All of these alternatives are perfectly good for general web browsing. It’s best to try each and use the one you find works best for you.

Unfortunately you can’t completely get rid of Internet Explorer. Not only is it a integral part of Windows, but some web sites won’t work properly on anything else, so reserve IE for those sites that require it and use an alternative for the rest of the web.

Running Windows XP and usual Windows e-mail and internet programs.

Problem is the dial-up window keeps appearing un invited and it takes 3 attempts to cancel it. Even then it will soon re-appear. I have only one ISP entered into the dial up system.

The problem is the computer has been set to connect to the Internet via a dial up networking connection everytime it needs something from the network.

To fix this, you need to change the Internet connection settings. Click Start, Control Panel and go to Internet Options.

In the Internet Settings box, click on the Connections tab and change the radio button to Never dial a connection.

Click Okay and the connection will go away.

Keep in mind this will mean you will have to manually connect every time you want to go onto the Internet through dial up networking.

I had the same error as described in this earlier question on my HP PC. I have tried the steps you showed above, but I got an error from RegSvr32: “The module “c:\windows\system32\mscomct2.ocx” failed to load. I have looked into the c:\windows\system32 folder and couldn’t find the mscomct2.ocx. 

If the entire control is missing, you’ll have to reinstall the files. To do this, visit the Microsoft website and dowload the Microsoft Windows Common Controls-2 6.0 package.

Once you’ve downloaded the cab file, you’ll need to open it by double clicking it and copy the contents into the c:/windows/system32 folder.

Once you’ve copied them into your system folder you’ll be able to register them as we discussed in our previous post.

This can be a complex problem to fix and if you are still having problems, you may need to call a computer tech.

I downloaded some photo’s from my camera the other day and selected (ticked) some photo’s to put on my memory stick (usb) and seem to have lost all the photo’s I didn’t select. I am very upset about this as I had quite a number of our cat on there. We lost him last Friday morn. He was hit by a car. Is there any possible way that these photo’s might be on the hard drive somewhere, as I didn\’t save them. Please help.

Distressed and very upset.

Sorry to hear about the cat.

Luckily there’s a good chance you’ll get those photos back if you haven’t used the camera’s memory card since deleting the photos.

To do this, you can use programs like the free Restoration program or commercial products like Recover my Photos.

Keep in mind that recovering data can be a delicate task and it’s best done by experienced computer techs. So you may want to call for help.

Thanks for the tip about XPS files. I’m running a Mac and I’d like to be able to open them. The Microsoft software is Windows only.

Unfortunately that’s right, Microsoft have made it difficult to read the XPS files if you aren’t using MS products and this is one of the biggest barriers for using this format.

There are some third party applications that will read XPS files on the Mac including NiXPS and these are the best bet at the moment.

I’ve received a file that finishes .xps. what is it and should I open it?

An XPS file is an XML Paper Specification document which is Microsoft’s answer to Adobe Acrobat, or PDF files.

XPS files are slowly becoming more common as time goes on although they are still fairly rare creatures.

If you want to open them, you’ll need the XPS reader sofware which is a free download from Microsoft. They also offer the XML Essentials Pack which allows you to create these files as well.

You should treat any file you receive as being potentially infected and run it with an up to date virus scanner.

I would like to purchase software to locate and correct any problems in the running of my computer. Could you tell me of a company that does that?

There’s a whole industry dedicated to this. Unfortunately most programs are useless and quite a few are scams.

Generally, it’s best to regularly clean up your computer as we describe in this post.

If you are still concerned, it’s probably best to call your local computer expert to give your computer a good clean out.

Is it possible to read an incoming e-mail in Outlook Express without opening it? (I used to be able to do this with Eudora). At the moment if I place the cursor over an incoming mail and click once, the text appears in the window below, but the envelope icon opens to denote that it has been read. If I double click, the e-mail opens in full.

Outlook Express’ default setting is to mark an email as read if you preview it for more than a few seconds. 

To fix this, click Tools, Options and click the Read tab.

Take the tick off first option, Mark message read after displaying for x seconds, click Okay and the problem will be fixed.

I am getting large amounts of email that purports to be responses from me sending out spam which I didn’t send.  

Do you have any service or program I can use to cleanse my system as I suspect there may be a hidden program using my computer to send out spam. I do have Mcafee and its up to date but always says I’m virus free.

You almost certainly aren’t infected with a virus. What’s happening is somebody else’s computer is and it is sending out spam email with your email as the return address.

The only real way to block this is to set up an email rule that automatically bins unwanted messagesbut the downside with that is you won’t be told when a legitimate email isn’t delivered.

Generally the best advice is to simply live with it and delete the rubbish as it arrives. Usually we find this problem passes after a while.