Monday, December 4, 2000		Dr Tribune

Dr Tribune: First of all, the SMPS are always being made for a range of voltage and not for specific voltage. For example, 160 to 260 volts. Normally they come pre-set for a specific value e.g. 230 volts, and supports a range of voltage. Thus, it does not mean that the voltage above and below the one set in the SMPS is out of range. Similarly for various computer parts, the voltage is referred in terms of a range. Therefore in your case, you do not have to worry. However, you may get your SMPS set at higher voltage.

Regarding the quest for information on software, please write specifically, on which software would you like to seek information.

Dr Tribune: We thank you for appreciation. Downloading a song is just like downloading any other thing from the Internet. All you need to do is search a site, which hosts downloadable songs and as per the instructions provided on the site you can download it on the computer. Normally, the download begins by a simple click. But some sites ask for holding down of shift key while clicking the right mouse button. So, there could be several methods of downloading, which may vary from site to site. Regarding the message saying: "Your connection is not optimised", you need not worry. Its only an advertisement and has nothing to do with the actual speed of the Internet.

Dr Tribune: It’s a common problem, for which there is no easy solution. During the process of uninstall, you can select not to delete these shared files as deleting could either cause non-functioning or malfunctioning of software. Though the chances of noticeable corruption of any other software is only 25 per cent as in 75 per cent cases, deleting these may not affect the computer significantly. However it is still advised not to delete them. As far as the solution is concerned, there are many disk-cleaning utilities available, which can hunt unused and waste files and delete them from the system. You can try these to solve the problem. But, you should not attempt to delete them manually, unless you know fully about them.

We have bought a computer Celeron 500 MHz with Intel 810 chipset motherboard and 64 MB SDRam. From Chip, a computer magazine, I apparently found that my motherboard resembles Priya as seen from the picture. Please tell me whether Priya and Intel motherboard are the same or has the dealer purposely put Priya motherboard and charged me for Intel.

Dr Tribune: It is important for you to know that there are various companies, like Vintron, Priya, Tomato, Xo etc., which make motherboards and use Intel chipset on it. Normally, all computer assemblers use these motherboards and charge for it accordingly. Original Intel motherboard is expensive. Technically Intel and Priya motherboards are different, but since they perform the same function so normally, many call them Intel motherboards. Thus even if the motherboard is Priya, there is no problem and as far as its charges are concerned, you can confirm it with the dealer and the market.

Dr Tribune: Regarding the Internet problem, try using the VSNL connection. From my personal experience I can say that VSNL connections works faster than any other connection. If after testing the line condition as per the article published on October 2, you think that the line condition is ok as prescribed then trying other ISP’s could really help in your case. Otherwise you can use some Internet booster software mentioned in the previous issues of Download section of Login… Tribune. However, before downloading you must make sure that the software is compatible with Windows NT (your operating system). Other ways to boost the Net connection speed is to avoid using extensions on the line, on which you are using the Internet. Put off the fax if it is also connected to the same telephone line. Also make sure that there are no cracks and joints in your telephone line. These methods would certainly help in getting a good speed.

Regarding the system speed, I would say that it is subjective and you normally realise when you work on a faster computer. However, if it has become really slow in comparison to its previous performance, then you must first run scan disk, and then defrag. Also, in the systems properties (from the System tab in control panel), boost the application performance to the maximum and also increase the virtual memory size to maximum. These factors would definitely increase the performance of the computer. Other measures to boost the performance is to delete all the *.tmp files present in your temp directory and also clear the cache and also the disk memory of the Internet browser. However, after doing all this, if you feel that your performance is still not satisfactory, then you can shift to Windows Me, which is based on NT’s platform but it is quite faster in comparison to NT.

Dr Tribune: Networking is being supported by all popular versions of Windows. Though with the advanced versions of Windows, the task of networking became easier so in your case networking is possible on Windows ’98 platform. There are basically 2 methods of networking 1) LAN 2) Direct cable networking. In you case since only 2 computers are to be installed, you do not actually need a LAN, though if you are ready to shell out some money, then putting up a LAN is always a better idea. Other options are direct cable networking. For this purpose you can connect the computer through serial-to-serial or parallel-to-parallel port. However, for this kind of networking, the use of some software like PC Anywhere would be of immense use. Thus, if you connect computers through a direct cable connection using PC anywhere, you will be in a position to actually view the contents of each other’s computers on any screen. Moreover, the data transfer is also fast and you can automate it. There are many other software also, but I have found this software to be excellent. This is a Symantec Corporation’s product and a trial version can be downloaded from its site.

Dr Tribune: First, I would like to tell you that you cannot download Com port from the Internet. It is a part of hardware and thus it cannot be downloaded. Moreover, it must already be present on the computer. All you need to do is read the manual of your motherboard very carefully.

This is a very common confusion in the minds of our majority of readers that their computers do not have Com 3 and Com 4 ports. It is actually not true. Normally, persons installing internal modem need these ports. Since the procedure of installing/activating the Com 3 and Com 4 port is different in various versions of Windows, thus it is better to go through the manual of the device, which is being intended to install on these ports. They have clear guidelines, how to install these ports on the computer and also how to install the particular hardware. So, before you proceed, please read the manual carefully as it has the solution for all the Com port related problems?

Dr Tribune: Though Yahoo! is a popular and a dependable site, yet like any other site it can also give problems. The problem mentioned was related to the Yahoo’s site and had nothing to do with the computer. This problem had occurred in the past, but has been restored promptly. Therefore, since this is a Yahoo specific problem and you still face it, get in touch with the site administrator of Yahoo!