Q: Whenever I try and boot my Windows 95 PC with a Win 95 startup disk or a bootable disk and then type C:\Windows\WIN, I get an error that "A device or resource required by VFAT is not present..." and the systems halts. Please help.
Debanjan Das
Calcutta

A: Is there is a specific reason why you are booting from a floppy? Any Win 95 startup disk won't do; it must be the one created during Windows setup. The VFAT error occurs when the Ifshlp.sys file is missing from the Windows folder or is not loaded during boot up. It also occurs if the [Paths] section in MSDOS.SYS file is incorrect. Or a WINBOOT.INI file from a previous, incomplete installation is present in the root folder of the boot disk.

Q: I seek your advice to solve my problem. When working in Win95 when I try to shut down my PC, it hangs. And the message that its safe to turn off the PC does not appear. Also whenever I try and open any site using Explorer I get an error 'Connection with the server could not be established.' Previously everything was OK. Please help.
Pratik Choudhury
Calcutta

A: From what you report with Windows shutdown and Explorer, I strongly suspect a virus. Usually a hang on shutdown is caused when a service or software fails to terminate. Try a small experiment: restart your PC and choose Safe Mode (press F8 during boot up). Now shut down Windows. If this time the PC shuts down without hanging, the problem is caused by a installed software, For (Internet?) Explorer, try clicking the "Detect Network Settings" link. If this too fails you may need to reinstall Windows.

Q: I read the ChiefChat with Mr Sandeep Todi and want some assistance with regard to batchmates.com. I am a chemical engineer of the 1969 batch from Banaras Hindu University. I have lost touch with all my batch mates. I know very little of computers and surfing. I desperately need addresses and contact information. Can you help me?
AK Agarwal
Calcutta

A: For confidentiality reasons, the site cannot share such information. We suggest you visit a cyber cafe and visit batchmates.com. Register at the site and then search for your batch mates.

Q: I am an avid reader of it@tt and would like to know where I can read more of Esther Dyson.
Arvind Singh
Calcutta

A: One place you can read more of Ms Dyson is it@tt. The other is her company site www.edventure.com

Q: I know nothing about computers and want to learn how to operate one. I am a student of Class XII in the Science stream. Please tell me how to learn.
Sumit Arya
Calcutta

A: First get your Boards out of the way. Then sign on for a basic class in computers. Your companions will probably be school-going children and homemakers.

Q: What are .tmp files? Are they virus prone? Also my computer is not Java enabled. As a result I cannot see Java applets from sites like www.lakecards.com nor can I make use of chat sites. But the Yahoo Messenger works perfectly. Could you please tell me how to make my computer Java-enabled ?
Arnab Banerjee
via email

A: Windows Temporary Files (.TMP) can be safely deleted. They are only used to store data while its being transferred between memory and disk cache. And as such are not accessed. In our virus age, all files can be affected by viruses.

The simplest way is to download the Java Runtime Engine from java.sun.com. Yahoo Messenger is a compiled application and doesn't require Java. We also recommend that you install the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine.

Q: I have a Pentium/133 with 32 Mb RAM and Windows97. Whenever I start Scandisk with Surface option in MS-DOS mode the following error "There is not enough free conventional memory to perform a surface scan.." appears. Secondly, whenever I try to copy the contents from Netscape Navigator to MS WORD97, illegal operation error comes and WORD closes down.
Manish Rakhecha
via email

A: We are confused. Is that Windows 98 or 98? Still, avoid running Scandisk in DOS (except when your system has restarted after an abrupt power blackout). Scandisk is designed to run only in Windows. As to copying content, again we require a clarification: are your trying to open system files in Word or something else?

Q: I am planning to establish a Web-designing company. Can you Suggest what strategy I should adopt to collect projects from inside and outside India.
Rajeev Kumar
via email

A: A detailed answer is too long to be included in this section. The best way to solicit work is to first build a Web site that showcases the technologies and techniques you plan to offer. Then start visiting the relevant discussion groups to post a message. You can also join services like elance and guru.com.

Q: I am into in-house systems development since 1990. Presently I am working with a Multinational. I am desperately planning to switch over to the web technology. To get rid of the hectic programming what I am presently into, should I go for web site design/development or web site administration ? Will freelancing be helpful for earning handsome amount ?
Snehanshu Choudhury
via email

A: Why the desperation? You will need to work hard and long when establishing yourself in a new field too. There's more money and opportunities in site design and development. However, if you need a visual background to be a good designer . To freelance you must first be able to offer something.

Q: I am a regular reader and find that your information is very useful. I will be grateful if you please give me the addresses of some job sites that will help me look for jobs in software.
Sharmila Ghosh
via email

A: You can try www.careermosaicindia.com.

Q: I am a regular reader and find Mailbox very helpful. Recently Auto Run is not working anymore. I am using MS Excel 97. In a cell when I want use lakhs the computer displays thousands and millions. Please give me the remedy.
Probir Mitra.
via email

A: Thank you, we aim to please. To get Auto run working, we suggest you download either MS PowerToys and Flexy (see this issue). Unfortunately, you cannot format cells to display Indian numbers. You have to use the default. Or manually edit each figure.

Q: I am a regular reader and like it@tt. I am a school teacher and have a PC at home with an Internet connection. Can you please suggest some online resources or freeware available for children which should comprise basic education, computer education as well as entertainment.
Ashim Bhattacharya
via email

A: That's a tall order. We suggest you begin your knowledge quest at Microsoft's Educators site (www.microsoft.com/education). We also recommend a search using your keywords on Google.com and Northernlight.com.

Q: Thank you for your informative article "Pull The Plug On Bugs." My computer boot sector has been infected by a virus called WYX. I used my McAfee programme to try and clean the virus, but failed. I upgraded the programme by downloading the requisite .DAT files from the McAfee
home site. I tried the upgraded programme and failed again. The message was "The boot sector of drive C:\ cannot be cleaned or the disk is write protected". Can you help?
Don Alney
via email

A: To remove a boot sector virus you need to first boot the PC using a clean (virus free) bootable floppy disk or your original Windows CD. Access to the boot sector is usually locked by the OS to prevent damage to the boot record. Viruses don't target the sector itself; they modify the record. If your system has been infected with WJX for at least 10-15 system startups, I recommend that you backup critical data before deleting the existing drive partitions, then make fresh ones and finally reformat them.

Q: I have an assembled Pentium with 64 MB Ram, 10.2 GB hard disk, with Windows 98. The problem is that it usually get hangs. Please suggest a suitable remedy.
Jagjit Singh
via email

A: You need to send us more details like error messages and what you were doing when the PC locked up. Meanwhile ensure your c:\CONFIG.SYS file contains the following statements, "device=c:\windows\himem.sys" and "device=emm386.exe auto"

Q: Thanks for the latest news and updates you provide in it@tt. Following your Viruswatch of 28th November, I tried to clean my PC of the MTX virus which came through email. McAfee SDAT4107 managed to delete Win32.dll, MTX_.exe, and IE_PACK.EXE. But Wsock32.dll the message was "Clean Failed." How can I repair this?
Papiya Paul
via email

A: You need to extract Wsock32.dll from your Windows setup files (.CAB). Use the Start|Programs|Accessories|System Information tool to replace the file.

Q: I have a account in sendmoreinfo.com but do not know how to send and receive e-mail. Please help.
Sachin Agrawal
via email

A: This is a Web-mail only service and you cannot access it from the desktop. For information on using the service, we suggest you check out the on-site FAQ and Help areas.

Q: I have a Pentium II/400 with 32Mb RAM. I have also a BackPack CD writer. I had installed the CD's driver and it was running well. But recently when I try to copy a CD the copying software says that there is no supporting CD writer. Also My Computer does not display the drive. I have re-installed the driver but to no avail. What is the problem? I would like to know how to improve the download speed of files from the Net.
Animesh Priyadarshi
via email

A: First uninstall the Backpack software and restart your system. Now go to Control Panel|Add New Hardware. Avoid the auto-detect and manually add the writer. When prompted, give the path to the driver software that came with the unit. If this too does not resolve your problem, we suggest checking out http://www.micro-solutions.com/tech_support/master.html. To increase the speed of file downloads, you need to do 3 things. Begin by making sure your telephone connection has as little noise/disturbance. Next, ensure your modem is 33.3 kbps or faster. Finally, use a download manager like GetRight or Go!Zilla.

Q: Whenever I close Microsoft Word, the error message "Program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down" crops up. Otherwise, there are no problems. I have got AVG antivirus installed and it has not detected any viruses. I also want to know how to open a file with .PS extension. Opening it in Word pad results in gibberish.
Nimita Mukherjee
via email

A: Your Word appears to have been corrupted; most commonly by a macro virus. We suggest a reinstall. Make sure you regularly update your AVG antivirus. To view Postscript (.PS) files you need a desktop publishing program like Adobe PageMaker. Word pad is displaying the hex codes.

Q: I have a Toshiba Tecra 510 CDT laptop a Pentium/133, 48 MB RAM, 2 GB HDD and Windows 95. This machine originally had the Japanese version of Windows installed. I had formatted the hard disk and installed the English version. As a result, the sound drivers for Creative Labs Sound Blaster Pro were deleted and I can no longer get any audio output. Can you tell me of any site from where I can download the drivers files? I had tried the Creative Labs site but did not find the required drivers. Please advise.
Aniruddha Mallik, Calcutta.
via email

A: Presumably you don't have the original setup disks. You should first check the Toshiba online support centre. We did and got a relevant response. Failing this, you should Contact HCL India as they are the authorized Toshiba service for India.

Q: I am facing a strange problem. Whenever I save any Word document on a floppy, I can't re-open the file. Recently I installed Windows ME replacing Windows 98. After installation the free space on C Drive was over 1 GB. But the very next day I found only 135 MB. Is it any bug of the OS or any virus attack? Please suggest.
Sandip Mitra
via email

A: The garbled characters points to a damaged Word file. It is possible you have a macro virus on your PC. Did you use an authorized copy of WinME or a pirated disk? If it was the latter, then its possible the virus came on the CD. The loss of free space is indicative of a virus attack.

Q: I have a Vintron Celeron/400 with 32 MB RAM and Windows 98. I use OE5 as my e-mail client. Whenever I press the Reply or the New Mail button, I get the message "The operation could not be completed. RICHED32.DLL failed to load. Please reinstall" and "There is not enough memory". There is still 1.5 GB memory in my C drive and more in D. Meanwhile, I downloaded Riched32.dll from the Internet and installed it in OE5, to no avail. I also tried to copy-paste the file from another Windows 98 CD, but the message recurs. Please advise.
Santanu Ganguly,
via email

A: Oh dear! You probably made things worse. For now the best way is to first remove IE5 and then download a fresh copy of IE (5.5 SP1 has just been released) and re-install. Never download specific Windows system files from the Internet as you will get a virus. The memory problem means your PC needs more system RAM. And has nothing to do with free space on your hard drive. If you use Windows 98SE, you should have at least 64 MB RAM.

Q: I read your article about Cool and Free Utilities, but unfortunately was unable to find ZD FindOrphans software after number of searches. Please help me.
Debabrata Sarkar
via email

A: Visit www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,,00181J,.html for a direct download link.

Q: I am a software professional planning to buy a PC for self-development. I wish to have WinNT as OS and run servers like Apache, EJB Application server etc. I want to know the ideal hardware configuration required, the products I should buy and where I can get them cheap. Looking ahead for your assistance in this regard.
Kaustuv Bhattacharya
via email

A: We recommend a Pentium III with 128 MB or more RAM and 10 GB or larger hard drive. Instead of WinNT, we recommend Windows 2000 Professional instead. Some applications like Apache you will be able to download from the Internet. As for the rest, its best to browse through the various computer shops in your city.

Q: How I can convert my CDs to MP3 files. What are the software we need? How I can see movies on the Internet and what software is needed. Please also tell me the site name. My system is giving some problem and we have receiving an illegal operation message.
B Vijay
via email

A: To convert CDs to MP3, download a CD-ripper like Audiograbber. You will also need the MP3 codec (not free but bundled with Windows 98SE/2000/ME). To view online media you need the relevant plug-in and player. Windows Media Player is a good beginning. However, you need an uninterrupted throughput of at least 56 kbps to view a streaming movie. You have not provided sufficient information about your system problem and we are unable to help.

Q: I have IE 4 installed on my PC. I also have a lot of folders and mail under Outlook Express. I want to replace IE4 with IE5. Will this delete my existing folders and mails under Outlook Express ? If yes, then what should I do ? If I need to take backups of my folders and mails then how should I go about it and how should I reinstall it under IE5.
Dipankar Mukherji
via email

A: Upgrading from one IE to another should be a problem. But its better safe than sorry. In OE4, export your email folder by folder. Also search your drive for .MBX files and copy these to a safe place. Then upgrade IE. If your email comes through fine, great. Otherwise you will have to import email from the backups. IE4 stores email as plain text, so you can actually find messages using Notepad.

Q: I have a Pentium II with Office 98 (sic). When I am sending email from Word 98 (sic) I receiving an error "Word couldn't send mail because of MAPI failure." Please tell me how I will send mail from Word 98 (sic).
Susri Roy Choudhury
via email

A: I presume you refer to Office 97. I recommend against using Word as an email client. Check that MAPI is enabled by opening Word. Go to File|Send To|Mail recepient and see what program opens. If none does, you need to first configure your default email client.

Q: Recently, when I switched on my PC it started a surface scan. However, the day before I had switched it off properly. After finishing the scan it reported "1 sector found bad" among the used clusters. How can I detect which part of the hardware has been damaged and how do I rectify it?
Samprity Dey
via email

A: Actualy the answer is very simple: your hard drive has a damaged sector. This could have been caused by age and/or use (wear and tear). It could also have been caused by a virus. We suggest first running a virus scan with the latest antivirus signatures. If there is no virus, consider getting your drive replaced before more sectors fail.

Q: Thank you for your prompt reply regarding my problem of IE not showing .JPG images. But the problem remains. Please tell me what to do.
Raktim Das
via email

A: Well, the only recourse is not to use IE to view ,JPG images. You can also enable the "View as Web Page" option in Windows Explorer and see if the JPGs display. If they don't, you fiddling has damaged the system settings and you may need to re-install Windows.

Q: I have Pentium/233 and have configured my OE5 for Netkracker, Caltiger and Yahoo email. I would like to know the incoming and outgoing mail server for Rediffmail so that I can get my these emails directly into my OE.
Puspal Ghatak
via email

A: We have tired of requesting readers about screaming (all capitals) email. Henceforth such letters/queries will be accorded an extremely low priority. RediffMail is a Web-based service and does not support POP3. You will have to access it through a browser.

Answers by G. Menon
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