Lost data
Twice in the past two years I have lost my hard drive due to it becoming corrupted. Happily, I had backed up most of my data files, but I have been unable to back up my address book in the Contacts folder in Microsoft Outlook. The reason is that I cannot find it! So I end up having to retype my address book which is, to say the least, quite a chore. Fred Brooks
fred@redgrave.screaming.net
Jack Schofield replies: Nowadays, Outlook keeps the addressbook in its .pst file, and if you search for *.pst files, you may find your address data in the same folder.
However, your question highlights the fact that just backing up disk drives is not enough for important data. You should also export it into a separate file, so that if you lose the use of Outlook, or whatever, you can load the same data into a different program.
Outlook's File|Export to a File|Personal Folder File wizard will export your addresses in a number of formats including Comma Separated Values (ie text), Excel, and the dBase and Access databases.
Getting addresses into another program can be tricky as you have to map the field names in the data file to the field names in the new program, and they never match. However, it is not as bad as having to retype everything.
Ideally, addresses should be held in the standard business card data format called vCard, in .vcf files (See www.imc.org/pdi/vcardoverview.html ), which are recognised by both PCs and Apple Macintoshes and are also used on the web (by Yahoo, for example). That removes the mapping problem. Unfortunately, I don't know of a program that will export a whole addressbook that way.
As a journalist I am justifiably paranoid about losing my addressbook data, so I also synchronise my Outlook Contacts database with two handheld computers and two websites, including Yahoo, for an "off site" back-up.
On the cards
I would like to print some visiting cards. Do you know of an application that would be useful or do I just work it out on my WP? Rosalind Pulver
ros.mart@tesco.net
JS: It is certainly possible to produce all kinds of cards in a word processor. And if you need lots, you may be able exploit your program's label printing facility (in Microsoft Word 200: Tools|Envelopes and Labels|Labels).
However, there are a lot of utilities designed for producing business cards, which may do what you want. Business Card Designer Plus http://camdevelopment.com/bcdp.htm and Visual Business Cards seem to be the most popular, and the alternatives include Paraben's Business Card Builder and Klick-N-View Business Cards. For a quick listing from a long search term, see http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/ hotfiles/mlt.html?link=1&Utext= dtp+windows+soho+cards+template+design+print+business.
Most utilities are available free for a 30-day trial period.
Background
Control/At/Delete will pop up a window showing current running programs, many of which are in the "background" and perhaps started automatically on startup. They all have incomprehensible names and it is difficult/impossible to tell which program they represent. Also, there seem to be many more of them than programs in the Startup folder. Is there any way of getting a plain English explanation of these programs or preventing them loading up in the first place? John Pendlebury
Johnpend@dialstart.net
JS: On a standalone PC running Windows, the task list should normally have only two programs: Systray and Explorer. Most, or all, of the others should be associated with utilities that have icons in the Systray, next to the clock on the right hand side of the Task Bar. These could include programs such as ICQ and ZoneAlarm.
If you right-click on the icons, these should allow you to configure them so they don't run when you start your machine.
If there are any background programs you can't identify, open Windows Explorer at the C:\ drive or My Computer. Press F3 for the search box (or use Tools|Find|Files and Folders) and enter the name shown in the task list (for example, sysmon). This should find the associated programs for you.
Some background programs are useful but if you have too many of them, they can consume a lot of valuable system resources. Go to Start| Programs|Accessories|System Tools|Resource Meter to find out how much: and yes, it will load and sit in your Systray!
Background programs may also clash with one another, making your PC less stable.
Extension
I am writing Java programs and saving them in Microsoft Notepad with the suffix "java". However, my problem is that by default it adds ".txt" on the end. When I try to run the program through the compiler, it reads "bad command or file name". Ashley Wright
ashe.wright@tinyworld.co.uk
JS: Go to the data directory where you keep your files (so the directory name is highlighted) and pull down the File|New|Text Document menu to create a new text document. Give it a new name, such as test.java
You will be asked if you want to change the extension: say yes.
Double-click your new file, and a pop-up box will ask you which application you would like to open the file. Scroll down the list and select Notepad (and keep the box ticked for "Always use this program to open this file").
Now type some Java code into the test.java file and save it (Alt-F Alt-S), and it will still be a .java file.
Disk saver
I would like to compress my 1 gigabyte C: drive as I'm running out of space. Is there a safe way of doing it? Andy Brodie
arbpc@yahoo.co.uk
JS: The disk compression software provided with Windows should be safe, but I would not use it myself. Huge hard drives are now so cheap (under £100) that compression is no longer worth the risk. If you can't justify a new drive, second hand ones are available for a few pounds. A drive that re-formats with no bad sectors can be added as drive D.
Reprise
Since I upgraded to Internet Explorer 5.5, all new windows in Outlook Express open up very small. How can I make them open up maximised as they always used to? Dr Kambiz Boomla
k.boomla@qmw.ac.uk
JS: Sorry, when I answered this question last time, my reply was too brief. So....
Windows programs usually try to remember how they were when you closed them, and then open up the same way. To make a window open differently, use your mouse to grab the bottom right hand corner and drag the window to the size and shape you want. Close the window and open it again: it should open the way you want.
If you really want a window maximized, then click on the middle button on the top right of window.
