Video play
A colleague has sent me a video (an .avi file) but an error message says I'm missing a DIV3 decompressor so I can't view it. Other .avi files haven't been a problem in the past, so why the change? Jon Bunch
Bearsted
Jack Schofield replies: When a video file is created, the sound and video information is compressed to save space. This is done using a codec - short for compressor/decompressor. There are dozens available, including Cinepak, Intel's Indeo and Microsoft's Video 1. The catch is that you need the same codec (or a compatible codec) to play back the video as was used to compress it. This is not usually a problem because Windows Media Player can often download the codecs it needs without human assistance, if they are on Microsoft's website. In this case, you need a DivX codec, which you can download from the DivX website.
You could play a DivX 3 movie with the DivX v3 or, better, v4 codecs, but as far as I can tell, DivX has removed these, leaving the new v5 as the only alternative. Unfortunately, v5 is not available just as a codec, but lumbers you with another media player you can't easily uninstall. If you search the web for DivX412Codec.exe or DivX411Codec.exe you should be able to find a copy.
When playing an avi file in Windows Media Player, select File|Properties and click on the Advanced tab. This will tell you which filters are in use: in this case, probably a DivX Decoder Filter and an Mpeg Layer 3 Decoder. Selecting one of these and clicking Properties should tell you the type and source of the codec, and may also allow you to adjust the output. This is useful because if someone else can play a video clip, they can tell you you need to play it too.
More Trojans
I ran the Blackcode scan for Trojans mentioned last week, and was concerned to get a warning: "The scan detected one or more open ports used by trojans. However, it may be possible that those ports are opened becouse [sic] of another application and not by a trojan. Please make sure that you know why is that port opened. If you are not sure, we recommend you to use a local antivirus program." How bad is this, and how come Norton Anti-Virus has not picked it up? I have used Zone Alarm since being on the net and have scanned all software. Stephen Luck
JS: Statistically, you are unlikely to have a Trojan, but if you are running the Zone Alarm firewall then you should have no open ports that could allow hackers to connect to your PC. Look through the list of programs in Zone Alarm and make sure you know what they all are and what they are doing. (For example, port 25 is usually used to send email to an SMPT mail server, and port 80 to access web pages.) If you can't find out, block them and see what happens. You may also get more information by running a check at Housecall or another online Trojan checker. Most anti-virus checkers do a good job of finding Trojans, but Norton (NAV) and AVG are not among the best according to Hackfix.
Under Protext
For years I have used Protext v.6.53, a DOS word processor that is no longer supported. I recently changed to a Brother HL-1440 laser printer for which Protext does not include a driver. Does anyone know of a Protext driver for the HL-1440, or is there a program to convert Protext files into Word files without losing formatting? Michael Miller Sheffield
JS: Probably the best person to ask is Brian Watson at Protext Software, which still sells the program. Otherwise, you can convert Protext files very easily, since it can save files in Microsoft's RTF (Rich Text Format) file format.
Icons off
How can I remove unwanted icons from my desktop? Jos Harris
JS: You can remove most icons from the Windows desktop simply by picking them up with the mouse and dropping them in to the Recycle Bin. The icons with arrows are only links or shortcuts, so binning them has no effect on the applications or files themselves. If you have files saved on the desktop (no little arrows) and want to keep them, open Windows Explorer and drop them into My Documents or another convenient directory.
F1 stop
Do you know of any way to prevent the F1 key from firing up the Excel help system? I've managed to disable F1 in Word, but this eludes me. Ewan Bennett
JS: You can disable all sorts of things with security programs such as Secure Desktop but I don't expect you will want to pay $195 for it. Perhaps a reader will help us with a cheaper alternative. Otherwise you could try a low-tech solution, such as putting a red sticky label on the F2 key you really want to hit.
Check out
On my hard drive I have a considerable number of files labelled File0030.chk or similar. What are these files, and is it safe to delete them? Most seem to be leftover fragments of documents I edited some time ago, though some consist of unintelligible gibberish. John Davies
Cardiff
JS: When Windows runs Scandisk or Checkdisk, typically after a crash, you get the option to convert any spare bits of file or "lost clusters" into files of that type, so that you can try to recover any lost work. You can delete them.
Backchat
· Not spooky! A couple of dozen readers were kind enough to point out that the North American speaker saying "I can hear you!", mentioned by Jane Joy last week, came from a pop-up advert for Spy Hear, not from an intruder. Alan Pittwood from Loughborough University was first to provide the address of the sound file. Simon Briggs added that "Spyhear.com is a division of Lion's Pride Enterprises, which owns Twistedhumour.com from which you can download a humorous piece of spyware. Ironically, they also sell a pop-up stopping application." My ignorance was, in this case, the unforeseen consequence of blocking pop-ups and sound files with Proxomitron.
· Terry Bloomfield says he has got rid of the Freeserve branding of Internet Explorer "by deleting the source files from C:\Program Files\ Internet Explorer\Sign Up".
· The address for Henri Leboeuf's website was printed incorrectly last week because of a Mac font problem. The correct address is www.generation.net/~hleboeuf.
