InBox

By DON McALLISTER

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


Q. I have recently upgraded to Windows XP Home and cannot find how to make the default folders view to show as details. It comes up with tiles all the time, no matter how often I manually change the view," writes Peter.

A.It's easy, Peter. Open a folder, select View/Details, then Tools/Folder Options/View. Hit the button "Apply to all folders".

Q. "Msvcirt.dll file is linked to missing export msvcrt.dll." Mac gets this message when trying to collect mail, which he can now do only through his provider's web mail gateway.

A. A program has overwritten the msvcirt.dll file Mac. You can find the explanation and solution on this Microsoft support page - support.microsoft.com/?kbid=296551.

Q. Norm's irritation is growing as torrents of internet sites these days use popup advertising windows. He has looked at "SpyBot" but he's not sure if that's what he needs to stop them.

A. SpyBot is not designed for that job, Norm. Take a look at www.tucows.co.nz. Search for "popup". You'll find two pages of Shareware/Demoware and Freeware solutions, specifically designed to nuke those unwanted windows. (Hint: Count the cows - four or five means highly recommended.)

Q. Reg received WS2_32.dll error when he installed Spybot anti-spyware software under Windows 95.

A. Yes, Reg, this error is documented on a SpyBot FAQ (frequently asked questions) page - security.kolla.de/index.php?lang=en&page=knowledgebase/faq/faq011c.

What it tells you is that you need the "Winsock2" update for Windows 95. Like many of the Windows 95 updates, Microsoft has hidden them because it no longer supports that product. But that page has links to the update location for you to download and install it. On my Windows 95 test machine it worked a treat.

Q. Is it worth upgrading my 5-year-old Windows 95 computer to XP?" asks Craig.

A. Frankly, Craig, no. Nearly all computers more than two years old will have at least one component that isn't compatible or has no drivers available for Windows XP. See the Windows XP hardware compatibility list at www.microsoft.com/hcl.

If you want XP's improvements, it's time to buy an up-to-date machine.


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