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Houston
We Have A Problem 104, 15/05/10
Satnav, A
Lost Cause?
I have
downloaded an update for my new Garmin satnav. Afterwards I tried to extract
the file to put it on the satnav but after reaching 80% the progress window
disappeared and no further prompts appeared. I also tried a file opening
program, which I had to pay for, but all it does is tell me to buy other
program to repair the file. How can download the update straight to my satnav?
Paul
Thompson, by email
You really
should read the manual! In order to install an update on your satnav you must
use the purpose designed WebUpdater program. Trying to fix the problem with
snake oil and ‘scamware’ utilities that you have found on the web is just
asking for trouble. They never work, you run a risk of making matters worse and
there’s a very real danger of infecting your PC with viruses and trojans.
WebUpdater
automatically checks the Garmin server for updates, downloads them to your
computer and installs them on the device. It may have been supplied with your
satnav but if you don’t have it (or a copy of the manual) you can download them
free from the Garmin website at http://tinyurl.com/y3jrgdg
Colour
Supplement
Is it
possible to alter the yellow colour of the folder symbol in Windows Explorer
(or even have an alternative icon) so that when I have folders within folders I
can distinguish the folder level that I’m using?
John
Naden, by email
No problem
and all you need is a simple little freeware utility called Rainbow Folders (http://tinyurl.com/58nf86). This lets you change the colour
of as many folders and sub-folders as you like and you can choose from the
entire Windows colour palette. As an added bonus you can assign each folder a
‘Tool Tip’, which is a little information box that appears when you hover your
mouse over the folder. It could say something useful like ‘Delete me at you
peril! Incidentally, the list of operating
systems on the download website is out of date and it works fine with both
Vista and Windows 7.
Video Home
Truths
I have been researching so-called 'grabbers' to transfer VHS
tapes to my PC with the intention of minor editing before creating DVDs. I have
not found one that does not have so many damning comments by purchasers that
buying seems a big risk. Can you
recommend one?
R. M. Stephens, by email
Sorry, but since you haven’t told me anything about your
computer I cannot name names. However, I can tell you that most of the problems
with video to PC transfers, editing and DVD authoring are down to the user’s PC
simply not being up to the job. To be fair that’s partly due to the often
wildly optimistic ‘Minimum System Requirements’ claimed by manufacturers of
these products. Only fast and well-equipped XP computers can handle this sort
of demanding application so ideally your starting point should be a reasonably
speedy Vista or Window 7 machine.
It should exceed all of the program’s requirements for
processor speed, RAM and free hard disc space by a comfortable margin. I also
strongly recommend installing a slave hard disc drive, or an external drive
specifically for storing the large video files that the transfer and authoring
processes will involve. This can help to reduce the data bottlenecks that can
slow things down and spoil the finished recording if you use your system drive
to simultaneously run Windows and your video programs as well as processing
your video files.
Bold Statements
Online banks and
other similar institutions understandably encourage customers to change to
having paperless statements. I like to annotate my statements but it
seems to defeat the object of the exercise to print them out to do this.
I would like to find a program into which one could download the statement to
be managed, but so far I have been unsuccessful. Do you have any
suggestions?
Anthony Burnham, by
email
I'm not
aware of anything, probably because there's no agreed standard for this type of
document or web page. You could try directly copying and pasting the statement
data fields or table into a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, but some online
statements contain a lot of background formatting and HTML code and you may
just end up with a nasty mess. As a last resort why not take a screengrab of
your statement to create a bitmap or jpeg image? You can then use the text or
freehand drawing tools in Windows Paint or your preferred image-editing program
to make your annotations.
Foiling
Interference
Since I
have had a plasma screen VDU on my PC, I notice severe interference on nearby
FM radio receivers, even through a block and plastered wall. Wrapping tin foil
around the aerial doesn't make much difference.
Dermod
Malley, by email
Radio
frequency interference or RFI is a common problem with many electronic devices;
TVs and monitors are prime offenders as they contain circuitry that generate a
lot of high frequencies. Unfortunately there is no simple one-stop solution.
Moving the radio further away from the monitor is the obvious answer and
changing your radio might help. There can be quite significant differences in
interference rejection between different makes and models; DAB radios can also
be less prone to this type of RFI. Interference often travels along mains
wring, so try a plug or strip adaptor with a built in RFI filter, or switch to
a battery powered or wind-up radio.
You could
try attaching a sheet of tin foil to the wall immediately behind the monitor.
This will create a ‘screen’ that may reduce the level of interference reaching
radios on the other side. It should be even more effective if you can earth it,
by attaching one end of a short wire to the foil and the other end to a
radiator or gas or water pipe. By the way, wrapping aerials in tin foil is
really not a good idea, for so many reasons…
---end---
© R.
Maybury 1904 2010
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