InBox

By DON McALLISTER

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

Q. Tasha's browser has been hit by a hijacker called Xupiter. It seems to have run itself without authorisation and has taken over her Internet Explorer settings.

A. Yes that one has been ruffling many feathers worldwide lately Tasha. It sneaked in using Activex in a webpage you visited. Spybot (a piece of "donationware") will remove it. Unfortunately, that other well-known spyware remover, Adaware, has been slow in eliminating this hijacker. After you've installed Spybot, it will protect you from future hijackings. More on Xupiter removal here.

Q. Stuart is now a dad! He'd like to record baby with a digital camera but visits to the big shops (Noel Leeming and Hill & Stewart) suggest it's going to cost an arm or a leg!

A. Yes Stuart, this is something we've been on about for a long time. Digital camera prices here are horrible. The good news is that thanks to some parallel importers, prices are coming down, so shop around. Check out Mobile Phone Traders in Albany and etown.co.nz. There are also bargains to be had on Trade Me and we have heard from readers buying overseas through some of the online stores featured at eBay. For good quality printable pictures, we recommend you start looking at the 2 megapixel level, but the more megapixels you can get the better. Try also to get 3X optical zoom and a large viewing screen. Before buying, it's worth checking out some camera reviews such as the links at digitalcameras.co.nz.

Q. Peter has found that Windows XP has an annoying habit of staying online when he's finished if he doesn't manually disconnect.

A. Microsoft hid the setting in XP, Peter. It's one of those set-and-forget features that's not used often and is now hiding in Internet Explorer. Go to Tools/Internet Options/Connections/Settings/Advanced. Place a tick beside "Disconnect when connection may no longer be needed". This setting is shared between all internet software.

Q. Mike receives the message "Stop 0x000000D1" every time he tries to shut down Windows XP.

A. It's a known bug within the universal serial bus (USB) drivers, Mike. Use Start/All Programs/Windows Update and get SP1, which fixes the problem for good.


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