Inbox

By DON McALLISTER

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

Q. Bryan is having problems getting spell check to work in Outlook Express.

A. Outlook Express relies on word processors like Word or Works for a spell checker, Bryan. Vampirefo www.geocities.com/vampirefo has a free spell checker solution that eliminates the need for purchasing extra software.

Q. Huia runs Windows 2000 and would like to create a boot/start-up disk.

A. If your machine is unable to boot from the CD-Rom, Huia, you can download the boot floppy files from bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm which has the boot disk files for all versions of Windows.

Q. Greg's Windows 98 machine visited the doctor. When it returned home he found some system files in the recycle bin, so he trashed them and then the errors began. Unfortunately these errors flick by so fast, it's hard to identify which files are missing.

A.This sounds like a job for the "System File Checker" utility that is included with Windows 98, Greg. Go to Start/Run, type in SFC then hit enter. Make sure your Windows 98 setup CD is in the drive before you start. Choose "scan for altered files" and it should do all the hard work for you.

Q. As Duggie's computer starts, he gets a soundcard message. But before it can be read it's gone. "Can the boot process be temporarily stopped so this message can be read?" he asks.

A. Simply press the "Pause" button on your keyboard, Duggie. Read those system startup messages, and then press the spacebar to reactivate the boot-up process.

Q. Mal has been told a possible data corruption problem may have been caused by power failure. He's baffled because he uses spike protectors.

A. Spike protectors stop surges and spikes only, Mal. To stop damage from power loss, you need an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that will continue to supply power for a few minutes so you can safely shut down when a power outage occurs.


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