Monday, September 22, 2003		Dr Tribune

Q I have Motorola SM56 modem installed on Win ’98 SE (Full version). I use Net daily and a virus (HTML.Redlof.A) is troubling me. I came to know about it from Norton anti-virus 2003. I do not know from where I acquired it. I delete it daily but it resurfaces. And if it is not deleted, its size keeps on increasing. It starts off as a KB file and grows up to MBs.

A Removing virus-affected files or the files created by the virus would not solve your problem. You need to remove the root of the virus by using anti-virus software. You can remove it by any leading virus scanners like Norton, Mcafee, Trend Micro PC ciline, Panda, etc., after clean booting your system with a virus-free media. As long as the virus remains active in your system entries, you will continue to face problems.

Q I have P 4, 1.6 GHz (512 KB cache), Intel Original D845GEBV2 motherboard, DDR 512 MB, Samsung 40 GB 7200 rpm HD, 17" LG Monitor with Windows XP Professional. Tell me how much RAM my motherboard’s onboard graphics has? The display adapter shows 64 MB RAM from Programs>Accessories>System tools>System information. How can I get maximum performance out of my onboard graphics? What is meant by ‘video frame \ buffer’ and ‘AGP aperture size’ in BIOS setting? A few days ago, I purchased NVedia Gforce2 mx400 (64 MB SD RAM) graphics card but it did not work well and showed vertical coloured lines on the screen. So I removed the card and am now using onboard graphics that are working well. What is the problem with that card? I want to use 3Ds Max and Maya. Should I use onboard graphics or extra graphics card (keeping in view my motherboard)?

A Regarding your first query, the most reliable answer about the onboard display adapter could be obtained from the manual of your motherboard. Usually, display adapter’s memory is variable, which can be increased by sharing/dedicating more RAM to the display adapter. Since onboard display adapters share their memory with RAM, it may increase or decrease as per settings. If your system settings are showing 64 MB RAM for display adapter, then you can take it to be correct. With your computer configurations, you can get a reasonably good graphic performance. On NVedia Gforce2 mx400 (64 MB SD RAM) graphics card, you will have to disable the onboard graphics card and then use this card.

Q I have a Celeron 633 MHz and Windows ’98 with MS Office 2000 installed. The printer is colour Epson c41sx. The problem is in MS Word. Whenever I want to print matter written in Wordart, it does not come in the printout. Please help.

A Ensure the following: i) that your printer is working fine and is properly connected, turned on and you are using the right driver set for it; ii) make sure that ink cartridges are not empty; iii) ensure that WordArt graphic has not been set to "Send to back" under Order tab. You can check—select the WordArt graphic, right click it, from the drop-down menu click on Order. Here you must select the "Bring it to front" option. This should solve your problem.

Q My computer is Cyrix M-II, 300 MHz processor, VIA motherboard, SIS multimedia VGA card, 14" LG monitor, 32 MB RAM, 20 GB hard disk and OS Win ’98. While working in MS Office 2000, my computer restarted automatically. After this, there was no display; a blank screen without cursor appeared. Every time, I restart the computer, the monitor indicator turns green and then yellow and stalls. Is this problem related to the motherboard (weak battery, BIOS chip, SIS VGA card), or does it lie with my monitor?

A While a problem with your monitor cannot be ruled out, in the given situation it the needle of suspicion goes first to a faulty motherboard battery, then your RAM, VGA Card and last the motherboard itself. Check out these things in that order. First try replacing the motherboard battery; if it solves your problem, fine. If not, then plug out the RAM, clean its edge that goes into the slot with a dry cotton cloth, and plug it back. If this also doesn’t work, do the same procedure with the VGA card; you may also opt to use another VGA card to check if there is any problem with the card. A similar check can be made for RAM also. In most cases, the problem is with either the RAM or the VGA card. If replacement of RAM and VGA cards also fails, get your motherboard thoroughly checked.

Q I have an assembled PC — Celeron 766, 128 MB RAM, 20 GB HDD, Mercury 810eFST motherboard, Motorola 56K internal modem, Win Me and Win XP Pro OS (where I use the Net). I have the latest version of AVG anti-virus installed. My VSNL Net connection was working fine until it started showing an error message: "Generic Host Process for Win32 Services has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for inconvenience. Windows must now restart because the RPC service terminated unexpectedly." After the error, applications like Outlook show a message saying "not enough memory" when I try to open them. Once this error occurs (generally after 5 to10 minutes), I’m unable to surf or even disconnect and have to shut down the system. I tried to solve this problem by restarting the RPC service and even disabling the shutdown option in the service, but in vain. Even after clean installing afresh the Win XP, it shows the same problem.

A Your computer is affected by the MSblast virus, which is also known by other names. This is the typical error message returned by this virus. You should immediately contact or and download the patch file for removing this virus on a removable media like floppy or download on a virus-free PC and then copy it to a floppy. Before this you would also require a security patch from Microsoft to cover a security hole, through which this virus has crept in. Before using the virus-remover file, please follow the instructions carefully and have the settings required.

Q I have a P III with 128 MB RAM and 40 GB HDD. I am unable to open two Web pages simultaneously. If one page is already open, the other one opens in the same window, replacing the previous one. On right-clicking the icon of the Web page, there is the option of ‘open in same window’ instead of ‘open in new window.’ Where should I make modifications?

A The settings of all browsers are different, and we would need information about your browser to solve your problem.

Q I have an Intel PIII with 550 MHz SD RAM, 64 MB, 10 GB hard disk, Win 98, Motorola SM56 PCI speaker phone modem. I uninstalled Norton anti-virus. In the process some of my system files also got deleted, including MMSYSTEM004 file. Now I can’t play any audio or video file. What should I do? My other problem: when I try to connect to my BSNL connection, at times it gives the message, "Your computer configuration doesn’t match with server type computer. Check properties, otherwise consult the network administrator." The password and user name are correct. It automatically disconnects after every 15 minutes. Third problem: while my fonts folder has all fonts, in MS Word I can see only the font "plotter".

A I do not think that your problem is due to uninstalling Norton Antivirus; that does not delete any system files. I would suggest you to reload Windows without removing or formatting. Simply reinstall over your previous system and your problem should be solved. Regarding your second problem, the best solution is to create a new account under dial-up networking for your Internet connection (BSNL), as this would bypass any anomalies that might be there in your current connection settings.

Another option: you can restore all the settings in the current account to default. Regarding your problem of frequent disconnection, check your line condition for cuts and joints, earthing or noise.

These things can cause a problem. Also, in your dialup connection setting, check under the ‘Options’ tab; if there is a time limit set under the option ‘Idle time before hanging up’, change it to ‘never’. Check this setting even if you create a new dial-up account.

For your Microsoft Word font problem, check if there is any printer installed on your system. Normally, this error comes up if there is no printer installed. To solve the problem, install a printer.