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Q: I have a Cyrix MII/300, 64 MB, with Win98. Recently I tried to install RedHat 6.2 in a 2GB Windows partition but failed to configure my SVGA card. I shall be highly obliged if you can help me to configure and run the Xfree86 with GNOME desktop environment.
S Banerjee
via e-mail

A: You need to define your monitor's exact horizontal and vertical scan frequencies (this information should be available in the manual). Otherwise visit the company's web site for the details. Once this resolution is defined, you should have no problems making RedHat run.

Q: I have a Pentium/200 MMX, 64 MB RAM, running Win95 OSR1. I use VSNL and Caltiger. While browsing in IE 5, if I open two or more instances of the browser, my machine hangs. I have no option but to reset. My Internet connections also get disconnected frequently.
Mallar Ghosh
via e-mail

A: It appears that IE is damaged. Use Control Panel|Add Remove Programs, select IE and then click the Add/Remove Button. In the sub-menu, select the Repair option. We also recommend you download and install IE 5.5 and its Service Pack 1. Your Internet connection drop can be caused by poor line conditions. Set your modem for a lower speed, e.g. 33.3kbps. Also read the Product Preview this week.

Q: I have Win98 and use OE for e-mail. I also have Norton Antivirus. I recently installed PC-illin 98 as well. However my friends are complaining that they are receiving emails with a virus called W95.MTX.dr. To check I tried to send mail from my Onlysmart account to my Caltiger mail address. I got two mails, one which is blank and contains a file Protect_your_credit.HTML.pif of 19 kB. Despite scanning this file, my antivirus softwares declared it is free from viruses. When I clicked the file nothing happened. Is this a virus attack? Can you also give some sites that provide free email with POP and SMTP. Please don't mention Hotmail as is very slow.
Koushik Mukherjee
via e-mail

Q: Recently I have been having problems. A message appears ""Mtx_--This program has performed an illegal operation.." I use OE for email. When I send mail an attachment is also going with it. I received a warning from Caltiger mail that a virus named--"W95/MTX.gen@M " was found in an attachment named "MATRIX_Screen_Saver.SCR". I guess some sort of virus has got into my system. I have McAfee VirusScan v3.1.9 (Deluxe) loaded. I came to know from one of my friends that it is quite back dated. Please suggest a way to get rid of this virus. Also the name of a good antivirus. Samik Ghosh
via e-mail

A: You have a serious MTX infection. Read my Viruswatch column (http://www.careermosaicindia.com/itattt/dec00/12/viruswatch.htm) for information on resolving your problem. The .PIF file you received indicates your PC is already infected. Decide on one antivirus software. Also make sure its signature files are updated monthly.

VirusScan 3.1x is horribly outdated. If you need a stop-gap virus solution, download AVG Antivirus (www.grisoft.zom). You can also purchase PC-illin 200 for Rs 750 (it@tt readers only) . Email us at [email protected] for more details.

There arent too many free email sites with POP and SMTP support. You could use Yahoo Mail (mail.yahoo.com). Hotmail is slow because Microsoft has recently shifted Indian subscribers to its Indian server; which is horribly slow. The work around is to use a US address in your profile.

Q: I have Celeron/333 with 32 MB RAM. I am using Fotolab to make print outs of photographs. But the software is not running without the CD. As soon as I try to preview a photo, a black screen flashes with "Extract from: TMPBORD.LZH...P0095.BMP." Also what paper should be used to get near photographic finish? Is photographic paper recommended? Where can I purchase such paper?
Amrita Basak
via e-mail

A: Consider increasing RAM to at least 64 MB. Fotolab seems to be designed to run only with the CD-ROM present in the drive. To get as close to the original, use special coated paper for your printer. You can get packs of paper from Epson and HP. They are quite expensive. Check with a computer store. Photographic paper won't do.

Q: Often during browsing with IE5, certain pages are not being loaded because a URL (http://www2.burstnet.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad3510a.cgi/47/RETURN-CODE) could not be found.
Suddha Satta Ray
via e-mail

A: We tried to replicate your problem. It appears that this page loads a cookie-based banner ad. Such banners usually display as pop-ups. You cannot view the site unless you also view the ad. Please check if your browser is configured to reject cookies.

Q: I over clocked my Pentium 100 to 133MHz. All diagnostic utilities, including BIOS, show it to be a Pentium 133. Now I intend to purchase a second hand Pentium 200. Is there any utility that shows the true processor speed of a CPU irrespective of whether it's over clocked or not?
Santanu Acharya
via e-mail

A: Since over clocking effectively re-defines the CPU configuration on the motherboard, the BIOS will report the over clocked speed. A simple way to find out the original speed is to check out what is printed on the top of the CPU (usually under the heat sink). This is the true, non-over clocked speed.

Q: All of my letters by post are either ignored or assumed to be lost in postal transit. It seems that you entertain only email queries. I don't have a computer and access to the Net is a costly affair here in Kharagpur. I have received some pictures in BMP format in my mail box. I have tried downloading but had to quit because of awfully slow dialup connection consuming a lot of money. Please tell me how to view them directly on the net without downloading.
Appa Rao MVN
via e-mail

A: Oh, the bitterness! Since we didn't receive any mail, we couldn't answer them! We still entertain the odd snail mail that gets through in spite of postal delays. There is no "fast" way to view BMP images sent by email. Why not delete them. Then email the sender to send them again as GIFs or as a zip attachment that you can download.

Q: I am getting my Caltiger mails downloaded into OE. It's quick, convenient and economical. I also have a Hotmail and a Yahoo address. Can you tell me if I can connect all three to OE? If yes, how can it be made so. This may be an elementary question for you but I do not know the answer. Please help me.
Anand Kumar
via e-mail

A: It feels nice to be appreciated. To setup Hotmail in OE, select Tools|New Mail Account|Hotmail and follow the wizard. Make sure to give your complete Hotmail ID. For Yahoo, the procedure is the same as setting up your ISP account, except the POP mail server is pop.mail.yahoo.com and the SMTP server is smtp.mail.yahoo.com.

Q: We have 6 computers connected in a network through a server. All our systems has been affected with a virus that has damaged the motherboard. Please help us.
Dibbendu Sinha
via e-mail

A: If the virus has actually damaged the system boards, there very little I can do to help. Your hardware vendor will be better. Also, in the absence of any information about the virus it is difficult to diagnose your problem.

Q: I have a P-III/500 MHz with 64 MB RAM and use Windows 98. Initially I set up my Internet connection with a D-Link modem. This worked fine for a month, but suddenly stopped performing. The connection dialogue box used to show "Your modem is not responding." My vendor was good enough to replace the modem. I have tried two D-Link modems and then a Hayes modem. But every time the same message appeared. However when I set up a Microtek modem, it started behaving fine. That was almost a month ago and till date the Microtek modem is giving me good service. However I am at a loss to explain this phenomenon of some modems not responding/working. I did nothing with my telephone line or electrical wiring.
Someswar Bhowmik
via e-mail

A: You didn't mention if the modems were working or appeared dead. In the case of the D-Links, I learnt from reliable sources that the wrong drivers were packed with the modems. From experience, I find it is often better to use a generic Windows driver (usually Rockwell) that what comes bundled with most modems sold in India. Still for peace of mind, have both the telephone line voltage checked, as also your electricity grounding.

Q: I am using Word 2000. Previously I used to send faxes directly from Word 2000 by using Outlook Express. A problem has suddenly generated in the last week, and I'm not able to send facsimile through OE anymore. I don't face any problem while sending e-mails by using OE of my computer.
Dona Dawn
via e-mail

A: Perhaps you were using a trial fax driver. We recommend a visit to http://support.microsoft.com/support/word/wordfax/.

Q: I have a Pentium 166 MMX, 32 MB RAM and Win 98. I have recently installed Musicmatch Jukebox. I can hear the music when the CD is in the drive. But whenever I try to copy the songs to my hard drive by pressing the record button, the lower window opens and shows the message "initializing...cd-rom drive is empty". Although the CD is in the drive. I have tried with different CD-ROMs but this problem persists. Kindly help me.
Subhankar Nag
via e-mail

A: Perhaps your PC is missing some essential conversion (codec) libraries. Or you have a Beta version which does not permit recording. Please also check the software's minimum and recommended system requirements.

Q: I have got a PIII/600, 64 MB. It has 4 partitions. Drives C, D and E have Win98 and F has NT loaded. NT gives a max resolution of 800x600 only. Also every time I turn my machine on after shutdown (after making my drives and folders non-shareable) in NT, I find them in shareable mode again. How do I disable the IE5.5 Content Advisor. I’m unable to connect to VSNL and Caltiger although I’m can connect to OnlySmart. Whenever I try to connect to VSNL there is a password check again and again where as the password is correct and the account is functional. Please guide me.
Bobby
via e-mail

A: It is possible Win NT does not support the 810 chipset's display card. The shared drive mode in NT is a administrative feature and reappears each time you login. You need to allocate specific permissions to drives/folders to share them with remote users. In IE, select Tools|Internet Options|Content to go to Content Advisor. You can't disable it, but can lower its settings to zero. For your VSNL connection blues, check if your password has not been hacked. Use a remote email POP service like mail2web.com to verify that your ID and password are OK. If not, you will need to make a written request to VSNL to reset your password.

Q: I'm a regular reader of "it@tt". I have a Pentium 233, 32 MB Ram with Windows 98. Should I upgrade to Win 98SE? Does it need more RAM?
Indrajit Datta
via e-mail

A: If you are satisfied with Win98, there is no need to upgrade to Win98 SE. This has quite a few bugs. And yes, you will need to upgrade to at least 64 MB RAM to use it.

G Menon & A.S.A. Acharya
[email protected]

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