Aunty Virus 30th November 2011
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Barry via email asks:
Hi Aunty, I always look forward to your column and the useful advice you give. I have a problem that I hope you can help with. I recently fitted my neighbours PC with a Bluetooth dongle to enable her to transfer pictures from her phone. Everything went as it should and the PC recognised the phone and vice versa but when I transferred a sample picture, the PC generated a message that Windows could not transfer the file.
The phone showed 100% transferred but the PC stopped at about 95%. The O/S is Windows 7 Home Premium and the dongle is a type I have used in the past with no problems whatsoever.
Aunty Says:
I have had a good ponder but I’m not completely sure about this one Barry. Maybe try initiating a transfer from the other device first (PC to phone or v.versa) and see if you can then work it the other way. This could be a Windows security issue so check you don’t need specific software for the phone and maybe temporarily switch off your firewall. Let me know how you get on.
Hi Aunty, I always look forward to your column and the useful advice you give. I have a problem that I hope you can help with. I recently fitted my neighbours PC with a Bluetooth dongle to enable her to transfer pictures from her phone. Everything went as it should and the PC recognised the phone and vice versa but when I transferred a sample picture, the PC generated a message that Windows could not transfer the file.
The phone showed 100% transferred but the PC stopped at about 95%. The O/S is Windows 7 Home Premium and the dongle is a type I have used in the past with no problems whatsoever.
Aunty Says:
I have had a good ponder but I’m not completely sure about this one Barry. Maybe try initiating a transfer from the other device first (PC to phone or v.versa) and see if you can then work it the other way. This could be a Windows security issue so check you don’t need specific software for the phone and maybe temporarily switch off your firewall. Let me know how you get on.
Ken from Calpe asks:
Hi Aunty, can you please tell me how do I find out whether ADSL dongles will work satisfactory here in the outskirts of Calpe? I have been told so many different stories regarding their use and I am totally confused. Some phone shops tell me that a dongle will work if I own a mobile phone, and other people say that I must have a 3G mobile. Some have said that the signal is not always strong enough.
Aunty Says:
The bottom line is that you won’t know until you have tried it Ken. Normally if a mobile internet dongle can’t find a strong enough 3G signal it will revert to 2G (sometimes called CDMA). 2G is much slower than 3G and it will only allow you to do the very simple things. The best way (and only in my opinion) of testing the signal in your area is either borrow a dongle from somewhere, or test with a decent mobile phone (an iPhone is ideal) that uses 3G to access the Internet and see what kind of connection you get. To make all of this more confusing, different mobile providers will have different levels of coverage in your area.
Hi Aunty, can you please tell me how do I find out whether ADSL dongles will work satisfactory here in the outskirts of Calpe? I have been told so many different stories regarding their use and I am totally confused. Some phone shops tell me that a dongle will work if I own a mobile phone, and other people say that I must have a 3G mobile. Some have said that the signal is not always strong enough.
Aunty Says:
The bottom line is that you won’t know until you have tried it Ken. Normally if a mobile internet dongle can’t find a strong enough 3G signal it will revert to 2G (sometimes called CDMA). 2G is much slower than 3G and it will only allow you to do the very simple things. The best way (and only in my opinion) of testing the signal in your area is either borrow a dongle from somewhere, or test with a decent mobile phone (an iPhone is ideal) that uses 3G to access the Internet and see what kind of connection you get. To make all of this more confusing, different mobile providers will have different levels of coverage in your area.
Tony via email asks:
Dear Aunty, I'm having a problem with entering key strokes when inputting data to Facebook. Only 50% of the keystrokes appear and I have to insert the missing letters and spaces, sometimes having to hit the key more than once. This keyboard problem only happens with Facebook and there is no problem with missing keystrokes on anything else that requires a data input. The keyboard is a Logitech wireless keyboard MK300 and the batteries are fully charged.
Aunty Says:
Try using a different browser Tony and let me know either way if it works, we can try some common fixes if the problem is not resolved.
Dear Aunty, I'm having a problem with entering key strokes when inputting data to Facebook. Only 50% of the keystrokes appear and I have to insert the missing letters and spaces, sometimes having to hit the key more than once. This keyboard problem only happens with Facebook and there is no problem with missing keystrokes on anything else that requires a data input. The keyboard is a Logitech wireless keyboard MK300 and the batteries are fully charged.
Aunty Says:
Try using a different browser Tony and let me know either way if it works, we can try some common fixes if the problem is not resolved.
Bob from Calpe asks:
My problem is every time I turn on after all the usual pages and the page saying Please wait for ID Scan - the next page then says: “CPU fan error Press F1 to resume” which I do and all is well, but should this really happen every time?
Aunty Says:
No this shouldn’t happen Bob, and it could indicate a clogged up heatsink or faulty fan. If you are feeling brave you could pop the side of your computer off (usually the left) and have nose at the fan and the heatsink it is screwed to and see if it is clean and that it spins OK. Other than that it’s a trip to your local repair shop for a checkup.
My problem is every time I turn on after all the usual pages and the page saying Please wait for ID Scan - the next page then says: “CPU fan error Press F1 to resume” which I do and all is well, but should this really happen every time?
Aunty Says:
No this shouldn’t happen Bob, and it could indicate a clogged up heatsink or faulty fan. If you are feeling brave you could pop the side of your computer off (usually the left) and have nose at the fan and the heatsink it is screwed to and see if it is clean and that it spins OK. Other than that it’s a trip to your local repair shop for a checkup.
Peter via email asks:
Dear Aunty. When I lost my Outlook Express through a minor systems crash it was restored with all email addresses but not with the spellchecker. Any Ideas how I can restore it as I have toured the Internet without success?
Aunty Says:
I’m pretty sure the spell checker for OE is installed when you install MS Office. Did you have Office installed prior to your system crash?
Dear Aunty. When I lost my Outlook Express through a minor systems crash it was restored with all email addresses but not with the spellchecker. Any Ideas how I can restore it as I have toured the Internet without success?
Aunty Says:
I’m pretty sure the spell checker for OE is installed when you install MS Office. Did you have Office installed prior to your system crash?
Justin via email asks:
Dear Aunty. I am using a new laptop running Win7 and I am having problems trying to make Skype to Skype video calls. I have installed Skype and have got as far as logging in with my Skype name & password. It is also possible to watch the demo video which shows how easy it is to make a call. Unfortunately this seems as far as it goes and I cannot find anywhere where I can enter the Skype name I want to call
Aunty Says:
You need to click on the ‘Add a Contact’ button in the left panel and type in all or any of their details and once they have accepted they will appear in your contact list. I usually use their email address as this is guaranteed to be unique. Obviously you will need to know the email address they used to set their Skype account up.
Dear Aunty. I am using a new laptop running Win7 and I am having problems trying to make Skype to Skype video calls. I have installed Skype and have got as far as logging in with my Skype name & password. It is also possible to watch the demo video which shows how easy it is to make a call. Unfortunately this seems as far as it goes and I cannot find anywhere where I can enter the Skype name I want to call
Aunty Says:
You need to click on the ‘Add a Contact’ button in the left panel and type in all or any of their details and once they have accepted they will appear in your contact list. I usually use their email address as this is guaranteed to be unique. Obviously you will need to know the email address they used to set their Skype account up.
Ask Aunty all your questions over in our forum.