Office isn't the only suite

We answer your tech questions.

PC World staff | Tuesday, September 29 2009

No accounting for it
I use a Microsoft Works spreadsheet for general accounting tasks. The document was originally created on a PC running Windows 95, and ran happily on my Windows XP Pro PC. But my Vista netbook won’t let me save changes to the file, which it states is ‘read-only’. Is there a fix?
Roy Myers

The version of Microsoft Works you are using is presumably rather long in the tooth since it ran on your Windows 95 PC. This is probably the issue – only Works 8.4 and 8.5 are Vista-compatible (tinyurl.com/kmna9m).

Try opening the spreadsheet and saving it with a different name to get around the read-only restriction.
If this doesn’t solve the problem, uninstall Works and reinstall it in Compatibility Mode. Right-click your Microsoft Works CD in My Computer and choose Explore. Next, right-click the setup file and choose Properties•Compatibility. Select Windows XP Service Pack 2, then install the suite.

Another option is to try to open the files using OpenOffice.org, which works with most popular file formats.

Express frustrations
I am having problems with Outlook Express on my Windows XP PC. An error message tells me that the connection to the SMTP server has not responded. Internet Explorer continues to work, so I don’t think it’s the web connection at fault. Rebooting my PC cures the problem.
Mike Rignall

This error is caused by the connection to your email server being cut off or disrupted. It could be caused by your internet connection at home or at the email server itself. To prevent Outlook Express stalling, you need to give it enough time to connect.

Launch Outlook Express and click Tools•Accounts. Click the Mail tab, then click the name of your account. Choose Properties•Advanced Options.

In the middle of this tab is a slider to adjust the ‘Server timeout’, which is set to 1 min by default. Move the bar to the right to specify a timeout value of 5 mins. Click Apply, OK and reboot your PC.
Note that you will have to apply this procedure to each of your Outlook Express email accounts if you use more than one.

The original problem may occur if you’ve been sent an email with a very large attachment that takes a long time to download. If so, find out whether your email account has a webmail interface. You can log into this to see what’s causing the blockage and either delete the content or download it from there and then remove it.

If the problem persists, call your ISP’s helpdesk and get IT to have a look for you.
As a final measure, you should run full antivirus and spyware scans on your machine – some web nasties can wreak havoc with your internet connection.

Strange case
I recently installed Outlook 2007. When I create a message, the first letter of each new line defaults to upper case. How can I change this?
Andrew Nichols

There’s a simple fix for this, Andrew. Open Outlook and go to Tools•Options•Spelling•Spelling and AutoCorrection. Remove the tick next to the Capitalise first letter of sentences option on the AutoCorrect tab.

What a card
I’m having problems using my laptop’s card reader with the microSD card and adapter supplied with my mobile phone. When I try to transfer data to the card or format it, an error message states: ‘write protected’. The combo works fine on a friend’s PC, and I’ve been able to use other memory cards with my laptop.
Claudius Subbiah

It’s likely that your laptop’s internal card reader isn’t recognising what is probably a high-capacity microSD Card. This will be confirmed if you try the reader with a smaller-capacity card – perhaps 1GB. Only version 2.0 devices can read the newer microSDHC cards. External card readers, such as the Sandisk MobileMate Micro Reader, pictured above (around $30, sandisk.co.nz), are the easiest workaround.

It’s a date
During the bootup process my XP Home PC displays the error message: ‘Cmos checksum error, defaults loaded. Press F1 to continue. Press Esc to enter setup’. If I press F1 then startup continues as normal, but the date is 31 December 2004 and the time is 11:02pm.
Derek Chapman

The Cmos battery has died and it’s this that retains time and date information. The battery is located on your motherboard and looks like a large silver watch battery that’s roughly the size of a 10c coin (see image above).

You can purchase a new battery from an electronics or hardware store for about $3. To replace it, power off your computer, earth yourself by touching a metal radiator, then open up the case and locate the battery. In the majority of cases a clip will hold the battery in place, and you may need to use a small screwdriver to gently prise this back.

Once you’ve replaced the battery you’ll need to go into the Bios and reset the date, time and any other hardware settings that were previously in place. If you don’t do this, your PC still won’t boot correctly.

Bootup bugbear
My six-month-old, self-built system, which previously worked fine, now won’t boot up. The fans work and the PC seems to begin the startup process, but this is successful only when I quickly power it down and immediately switch it back on. Any ideas why?
Lisa Martin

As with the previous question, it’s probable that your PC’s Cmos battery is low and Bios information is not being retained. Try replacing this battery.

It’s possible that the power supply unit is causing problems, given the age of your machine, but it’s an unlikely culprit unless you’ve recently installed a high-end graphics card that’s drawing more power.

Cover DVDs can’t be read
I can’t get my PC to recognise the PC World cover DVDs. They work fine on my friend’s PC and my DVD drive doesn’t have a problem with other discs.
Michael Byott

It’s common for older DVD drives to not recognise some discs – you can fix this by updating the drive’s firmware. This will enable your drive to recognise new media, patch any known issues and may even improve the overall performance.

Check your DVD drive type and manufacturer by right-clicking My Computer•Manage•Device Manager•DVD/CD. Now go to the manufacturer’s website and download the latest firmware. Make sure there’s no disc in the drive when you apply it.

Turn to page 73 for more information and advice on uprading firmware.

Curtains for Windows?
The power cable to my PC was accidentally removed while it was running Paragon Disc Wiper. When I start up the machine it now gets as far as ‘Verifying DMI Pool Data’ and then tells me it has ‘no signal’.
Norman White

The sudden removal of power during read/write operations may have had unfortunate consequences for your hard drive. First, check whether Windows can see the drive by starting the PC and entering the Bios. If you can see the hard drive listed in the Drives section, this is a good sign.

Next, boot up from your Windows installation or recovery disc and begin the installation process. If the drive is undamaged, Windows will begin to format the drive and install itself.

If the Windows installer reports that the disk has errors and cannot install, reboot the machine and run the installer again. This time, enter the Recovery Console by pressing R when prompted to do so.

When the command prompt appears, type diskpart and press Enter. Highlight your hard drive and press D to delete the drive and L when prompted.

If the drive is marked as ‘Unpartitioned space’, set the partition size to maximum and hit Enter. If it isn’t marked in this way, press C to create a new drive.

Press Esc to exit the disk partition tool. Reboot the PC and run the installer again.

If Windows refuses to recognise the disk or you can’t make any changes to it, you’ll need to buy a new hard drive.