Get back
Your comments on deleting files were very interesting (June 14), but I have the reverse problem: I want to bring a file back to life. Do you know if the usual utilities can recover a deleted file after the computer has been restored to the original factory settings?
Stephen Edwards
subnort38@hotmail.com

Jack Schofield replies: I don't know of any way to tell, in a specific case, except by trying it. However, I suspect there is relatively little chance of getting anything back from a Windows PC's C: drive.

Undelete (or unerase) utilities sometimes work because Windows does not delete files, it just tags the indexing information needed to access them. At that point a file can be recovered. However, the tag means that the disk sectors where the file is stored are no longer protected and can be used for other files.

So if you download a utility to undelete a file, it may well overwrite the file you want to recover. If not, the Windows swapfile may well overwrite it, which is why undelete programs are not as popular as they used to be when MS-DOS was the most common operating system. It is also a good reason for keeping data on a separate hard drive partition, not on the C: drive.

You can try Ontrack's EasyRecovery software, which can be downloaded from www. ontrack.com/easy recovery/ . There is a free version of the Personal Edition of this program, which shows you all the files you could recover if you actually bought a copy. If it can recover your file, you only have to decide if it is worth the price of the program: $179.

A cheaper alternative is DTI Data's Fast File Undelete, which costs $29 for Windows 95/98/Me. See www.dtidata.com/products_ff_undelete.asp

C to start
How can I set up my PC to read the C: drive first instead of the A: drive? I often leave floppy disks in the A: drive and next time I turn on the PC it tries to read them - unsuccessfully.
Lee Holland
lee@barton29.fsnet.co.uk

JS: You can change the seek order by going into Setup, as described by the on-screen message you get when your PC is starting up. Often it involves pressing the Del key. Changing the boot drive to C: helps avoid catching viruses from infected floppies accidentally left in the A: drive.

Slow time
The clock on my computer does not run when it is switched off so it gets rapidly out of date. How can I repair the situation?
Graham Booth jgb.alt@breathemail.net

JS: Try changing the CMOS battery on the motherboard. This battery powers the clock, and its lifetime is generally longer than that of the machine. Your motherboard manual should have details of the battery required, and where it is placed.

If a PC battery dies or is removed you can also expect to lose the settings in the BIOS chip. Before doing anything else, reboot your PC, choose to go into Startup (usually by pressing the Del key) and write down the settings for your PC.

There is a FAQ (file of Frequently Asked Questions) on PC batteries at www.resource800.com/ibmfaq.html

Sort Favorites
Is there a simple way of alphabetising your favourites list in Internet Explorer?
Mark Greaves
mg003a4614@blueyonder.co.uk

JS: Pull down the Favorites menu and find the pane you want to sort. Right-click on a grey area to get a pop-up menu, then select the next-bottom item, Sort By Name. You can also pick up individual entries with the mouse and drag and drop them where you want.

Office upgrade
I have been told that I can't upgrade my Office 95 to XP, but will have to buy the full version. I got the impression from your recent article that a simple upgrade would be possible. Please would you clarify.
Graham Rooth
roothfg@yahoo.co.uk

JS: Microsoft's strategy is to encourage upgrades by making Office cheaper for people who upgrade, and more expensive for people who don't. Office 95 users have now skipped two upgrades in a row and are therefore being asked to pay the full price for XP. This is not so unreasonable if XP replaces most of the code from 95, rather than upgrading a proportion of it. (An upgrade price implies you don't pay again for lots of code you have already bought.)

Save here
When I am ready to save a Word document and click on Save As, I am sent to some obscure part of my file manager, a long way from where I keep my documents. Can I change the default on this? It would save a lot of time!
Gerran Thomas
dgt@aber.ac.uk

JS: Yes, you can change the default using Tools|Options| File Locations by selecting the one you want to change and clicking the Modify button. You can also avoid the Save dialog box altogether by creating files in the directory where they will be stored (File|New|Microsoft Word Document). Double-click the file to load it (and load Word, if it is not running), then hit Ctrl-S to save it.

Think small
Responding to last week's quest for a small PC, Will Macdonald ( wfm@macscan. co.uk ) suggests one I have not heard of: the Microstar SFP. It has "a typical Pentium III spec but only measures 7.8 x 30.0 x 32.0cm". See www.dnuk.com/systems/microstar-sfp.html