IT Queries: Computer problems answered

I have XP and heard to wait before I install Microsoft Service Pack 3…  Do I need to be wary of it?

No, we recommend you should install it as we suggested in a previous post. 

After downloading mozila firefox, how do I disable Internet Explorer as my web browser and make FireFox the default, I have Windows Vista Home Premium installed on my laptop, thanks.Normally Firefox will ask you if it should be the default browser the first time you open it. If it doesn’t, you’ll have to change the settings in the Default Programs settings.To get to this setting, click the Start Button and then Control Panel. In the Control Panel screen, click the Programs heading and select Default Programs.The the Default Programs box will show the available programs on the left of the box, double click Firefox and select Set this program as default on the right. Click okay and Firefox is now your web browser for all applications. 

I am having a problem with outlook express 6. I might check my email 10 to 15 times a day but after the 3,4 or 5 time it freezes up and won’t open. I have to reboot the computer to get to open again. Can you help?It sounds like some of your mail folders are getting too big. Outlook Express has a nasty habit of acting erratically when its folders get too big, unlike Outlook which simply stops.The first thing you should try is to clean out any unnecessary files in your inbox. If you have a lot of old emails in the inbox then creating new mail folders, say 2007, 2006, 2005, etc, and moving the emails into the appropriate folder might help the problem. 

Many thanks for answering my previous questions June 12th.  One answer didn’t help at all so perhaps I will reword the question.  When I open Outlook express it opens in a full screen. However when I open individual emails they open in a very small screen 2″ x 2″.  How can I make them open full screen at a default?  I know that I can make them full screen by using the square BUT I want to avoid doing this for every email.  Even if I go down the list the second and third one go back to the small size. I would just like to praise Bordernet ever since  I changed  from Bigpond I haven’t hadone spam! -Helen  Good to hear Bordernet have worked for you. It’s probably more a function of changing email addresses than anything else.In respect to your Outlook Express problem, the answer is you can’t. The best you can do is follow our instructions from the earlier tip and make the message as big as possible.

I’ve just been reading about the new Google web browser. Should I install it?It’s an interesting development from Google. So far the reviews have been good and this answer is being typed using it.Generally we don’t recommend users running beta software, that is trial softwore, but in the case of Google, things tend to stay in beta forever.If you are comfortable running it and putting up with any unexpected bugs, then give it a go. 

I’m running Vista – and using Windows Mail.  There is one email which for some reason cannot come through and it is stopping my other emails from coming.

How can I fix this problem?

The first thing is to download and install Windows Vista Service Pack 1. This will fix a bug with Windows Mail that caused this problem.

If the problem continues you can clean Windows Mail up with the WMUtil tool.

Once you’ve installed it, choose “Clear Outbox” and, once that has finished “Repair Database”.

Restart mail and the problem should be fixed.

When I open an email in Outlook, I find there’s a big red cross where images should be. How do I show the images?

Warning: This solution involves editing the Windows registry. Doing this incorrectly can damage your system. If you are not an experienced computer user, call for a computer technician.

First backup your important data and then restart your computer. Do not open Outlook.

Once your computer is running, open the registry editor by clicking Start, Run (or Find in Vista) and type regedit and click okay.

Go down the list on the left hand side of the Registry Editor screen to HKEY_CURRENT_USER click the plus on the left of the key to expand it and click the plus next to Software.

Continue down the tree by clicking the plus next to Microsoft then Office then 11.0, Outlook, Security and finally highlight OutlookSecureTempFolder.

On the right hand side of the screen you will see  %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK3D\ . Note the %USERPROFILE% may be the user’s name instead.

Highlight and delete %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK3D\

Close the Registry Editor, reboot your computer and Outlook 2003 should work fine.

I’ve just read about bank records being found on second hand computers. How do I clean up my computer before giving it away?

The risk of giving away important information is real, on your computer is all your passwords, login details, important documents and web browsing history. Whoever gets your computer has the potential to cause some real mischief.

Cleaning up computers can be a fiddly task, if for no other reason that simply deleting information doesn’t necessarily mean the data has gone from the hard drive.

We’ve covered this problem previously and we’d strongly urge you to do this with any computer you are disposing of.

If you are having problems doing this, our associated company PC Rescue offers this service and your local computer tech will probably do so as well.

Windows Mail is printing in a much smaller font than the original and different font sizes (such as on a letterhead with a large name, small address etc) are not being picked up at all. How can I fix this?

Fonts in Windows Mail are a bit of a problem, like Outlook Express it uses Internet Explorer to handle tasks like font sizing and printing. So there’s two potential programs causing the problem.

First, change the font sizes in Windows Mail. In Windows Mail, select tools, options, click the fonts button and select the medium option under Font size. Click OK to to exit and restart Windows Mail.

If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to change the settings in Internet Explorer. Open IE and press the ALT key then click View, Text Size and click medium.

I just zapped a brand new office desktop by neglecting to switch the voltage from 110V to 220V. We operate in a 220V country, but we buy all our computers from the US (110V). There was an immediate, short, loud zapping noice as soon as I plugged the cable to the electrical outlet, and smoke came out of the back of the CPU.

What can I do to salvage this desktop?

This is a pretty common problem when plugging a US purchased computer into 220 or 240v mains system. While you get an impressive bang, it usually only destroys the power supply.

Just take the computer to your friendly local computer shop and get them to replace the power supply. Usually this will cost less than $100.

Try to get a power supply rated at least 400 watts as many systems only come with 200w power supplies or less which mean you can have problems when power hungry peripherals are plugged into the USB ports.