Windows XP

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM 2007

Houston We Have a Problem… 028 31/03/07

BCC Limits Newsletter Mail out

I run the local Neighbourhood Watch scheme and last month, when I emailed a Police message to my client lists I had the following Error message: ‘452 Error: too many recipients’. I contacted my ISP and was told they had reduced the number of recipients for any given email from 100 to 20 in an effort to reduce Spam. They just suggested that I reduce the number of recipients to my email to 20 but this means I have to repeat the same message six times. Do you have any alternative suggestions?

Oliver Dunthorne, by email

The flood of Spam shows no signs of abating and I suspect this type of restriction will become increasingly common. The simplest solution is to use a free email service like Google’s Gmail (www.gmail.google.com), which lets you send a single email message to up 500 recipients, though you can only do this once in a 24-hour period.

Links in Messages Stop Working

When I click on a hyperlink in an Outlook Express email message, nothing happens. Please can you help?

Jackie Peart, by email

You are not alone! I have this filed under ‘One of life’s little mysteries’, as I have no idea why it happens, but I do know how to fix it. An incorrect or broken File Association causes it, which is how Windows know what to do when you click on a file icon or hyperlink.

Open My Computer or Windows Explorer and go to Tools > Folder Options and select the File Types tab. Scroll down the list of Registered File Types until you come to ‘URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol’, select it, click the Advanced button and in the list of Actions select Open. Click the Edit button and in the box ‘Application used to perform action’ it should read ‘C:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe’ (without the quotes). If not then change it so that it does then repeat the procedure for the entry ‘URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol with Privacy’. Finally, open Internet Explorer and if you see a message saying ‘Internet Explorer is not currently the default browser’, exit the box and do not click Yes otherwise the new settings may not be retained.

You’ve Got Mail On Screen

Before I retired, I worked in an office where we were on line all the time, and I was able to get my computer to announce the arrival of any e-mails in a dialogue box which came up on the desktop or whatever file I was working in, saying something like, "You have mail". (I am not referring to the noise I get when I am working in Outlook Express and an email arrives, which is fine).

When I retired, I couldn't get this to work because I didn't have Broadband. Now that I have, I just can't seem to find the box to tick to get this to work - I've spent HOURS trawling through all the tools, options, etc. in various bits of the computer, without success. I have also asked numerous friends, who have said they knew how to do it, but never come back to me… I have Windows XP. Can you help please?

Gwyneth Mileham, by email

This facility isn’t dependent on having broadband; it’s an option in Microsoft Outlook, which I suspect you were using in your office. For the record to switch it on go to Tools > Options > Preferences Tab > Email Options ‘check ‘Display Notification…’. There’s no equivalent feature in Outlook Express, but you can add it with a free third-party utility called Outlook Express Mail Alert (http://tinyurl.com/2x7cul).

Have I Been Corrupted?

I have to print out many catalogues for local art societies, which I always do as a table. But I have lost my grid lines! My supplier said I was corrupted and I uninstalled all data and reinstalled as directed but still no grid lines on Word. Have you a solution as exhibitions are looming?

Suzanne Jones, by email

I think we can rule out corruption, it’s far more likely that your grid lines have simply been switched off. You will usually find the Hide/Show Gridlines option on Word’s Table menu though in later versions it’s buried in a sub menu and you need to go to Table > Tools > Borders. Otherwise you may have chosen not to have any borders on your table when you created it. You can put this right by highlighting your table then right click on it and select Table Properties. On the Table tab click the Borders and Shading button and make sure that ‘None’ isn’t selected.

Changing Picasa Email

I have recently downloaded the Picasa image viewing and editing program and use it for reducing size of photographic files to send via email, which seems OK to me. However it sends these photos direct to Outlook Express. I use AOL so is there any way I can make Picasa use this instead, or do I have to start using Outlook Express?

S. Bigg, by email

In addition to Outlook and Outlook Express Picasa also works with Mozilla Thunderbird, AOL, Google Gmail and Picasa Mail. To switch it to AOL open Picasa then go to Tools > Options and select the Email tab. Under Email Program select either ‘Let me choose each time I send Pictures’ or AOL, if it is displayed. If you select the first option when you next click the email icon you should see a box with AOL listed at the top.