Inbox

By DON McALLISTER

Welcome to InBox, where we attempt to answer your internet questions.

Shortcuts to Paint, Calculator and a few other Windows programs have vanished from Rene's Start Menu and she does not know how to retrieve them.

You'll have to remove, then replace those programs, Rene. Go to Start/Settings/Control Panel/Add Remove/Windows Setup Accessories. Uncheck the box beside each missing program (if there is a tick there), hit Apply, then replace the ticks and hit Apply again.

Robin has changed drives and transferred all the e-mail DBX files, but when opened they all come up as machine code.

Oh dear! Unfortunately, the DBX files are only part of the mailbox, Robin. They should also combine with the MBX & IDX files. Another important file to get is the contacts (a WAB file). You'll have to transfer the rest of the files needed for the e-mail to work.

Graham bought a computer at auction. He is confused with strange software corruptions in the display when using Windows.

Unfortunately, other potential buyers have the habit of altering software to make the item less attractive to fellow bidders, Graham. Rather than waste time finding those problems, it's safer to replace the mess with a clean install of Windows. Make sure you have all driver and software disks ready, as they will be needed. It's not easy to track faults when the machine history is unknown.

Sonia has downloaded Adobe Acrobat Viewer, but she has no idea what to do with it. She also asks why when PDF (portable document format) files are listed to start with Works, it can't open them.

Double click on the Adobe file you downloaded, Sonia - it will install and associate the PDF files to the viewer. Next time you get sent a PDF file as an e-mail attachment, just click on it and it will start Adobe. The PDF files don't start with Works because Adobe hasn't been installed yet and Works has been designated as the default program for that file type. The Adobe installation will sort it all out.

"How can one forward an e-mail without all the addresses that are usually in the header?" wonders Peter.

Just highlight what you don't want and press delete, Peter. Everything inside a Forward e-mail can be altered before it is sent.

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