InBox

By DON McALLISTER

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

Paul's Outlook 97 has an annoying habit of changing all .jpg image attachments to .jpeg and he has to change them back to open them.

Dump Outlook 97, Paul. Five years ago internet software dealt with graphics files in ways that are no longer compatible with current practices. Update your email program to get all the current features and compatibilities.

Internet photo competition scam? The International Library of Photography is running a photo competition and lucky Don's photo is to be published. He's been offered a copy of the book for US$68 ($158). "Is this legit?" he asks.

Bad news, Don. Searching Google for the company name followed with the word scam produced many results, one of which is from a photography bulletin board where many fellow winners complain they have accepted that offer, yet not received any book. (The same crowd seem to run a poetry scam as well.)

More connection woes. Our recent "provincial dialup" issue has generated quantities of email listing connection problems with many unrelated causes. Some of the common disconnect causes are:

* Your modem drivers and internet provider settings are incorrect.

* Your modem is conflicting with other hardware in your machine.

* You have a fax that polls the line regularly.

* You have a monitored home alarm which uses your phone line intermittently.

* Your call waiting isn't disabled. Dial *52 before dialling your internet provider to disable it.

* Phones and lines react badly to moisture, wear and tear, and can be affected by electric fences, cellphones and other electrical appliances resulting in line noise. Use a corded phone and dial one number each 10 seconds, listening for noises to find out if you have this problem.

* Telecom exchange switching can be incompatible with your modem settings.

* Cheap Winmodems work well in some areas, but die on bad lines.

Rather than providing answers to all of these here, I suggest you call your internet provider helpdesk, which should be well versed in these issues and trained to guide you through a solution for your particular problem. The staff can solve most issues, but no one reacts well to abuse. Be nice.

* If there's anything you want to know about the exciting world of the web, just e-mail inbox@nzherald.co.nz.