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Byteback
Formatting system
QUESTION: My PC has a 1.8GHz processor with 256MB RAM. Recently, I installed WindowsXP on it. However, ten days after the installation, my Yahoo messenger, games and some other programmes stopped working. Every time I tried to launch a programme, the system would tell me that the programme is going to be closed down. What could be the problem?
Shahzad Amir
<asifa_danger@yahoo.com>
EDITOR’S REPLY: I suggest that you format your system completely and reinstall all the software. You should also install an anti-virus like McAfee or AVG from <www.download.com> and be sure to update it from the internet. Also, install a firewall like ZoneAlarm 6.0 from <www. zonealarm.com>. This will keep viruses and spams at bay. But if the problem continues, then get professional help.
Increasing speed
Sometimes, when surfing the internet on a dial-up connection, I am not able to send or receive bytes, which means I have to wait for hours to download even a small file. How do I solve this problem?
Shaikh Faisal
<shaikh.faysal@gmail.com>
There are many variables that result in the speed you are getting and some of them may be out of your control. For example, phone lines in some areas simply cannot support higher speeds.
However, here are a few factors you can look into:
1. Make sure that you and your internet service provider use the same 56K protocols. This requires that both ends have 56K modems and they both use the same kind of 56K technology (x2, K56flex or V.90). Coordinate with your server, and then either change ISPs or change the modems.
2. If there is a telephone plugged into the back of the modem, unplug it. The modem is supposed to ignore devices plugged into it when it is online, but that is not always the case. Also, try disconnecting additional telephonic devices (fax, phones, answering machines and alarm systems) from the phone line, even if they are in a different room.
3. Try running the phone line directly from the back of the modem, without passing through surge suppressors, splitters, phone lines or extenders.
4. Check the firmware page to see if there is a more recent firmware version available. Many people have experienced faster connections once they installed a new version of the firmware.
5. You can speed up a modem connection easily. For further details, check out
this website: <http://www. modemsite.com/56k/faster.asp>. You can also try third-party web-accelerators to increase speed.
If you have Windows98, Me, NT, 2000 or XP, the software will test and show you the results of changing the MTU
settings. You can download it from <http:// www.modemsite.com/56k/premiumc.asp>.
You can also try <http://www.freewareguide.com/dir/internet/dialup.html>.
Operating system
I have a P2 with 128MB RAM and a 10GB hard disk. The problem is that whenever I start my computer, it takes a long time to boot. How can I speed up my system? Secondly, how can I make partition on my hard disk while using my Operating System (WinXP)?
M. Sharif Gul
<sharifgul43@hotmail.com>
Your PC will not handle any OS beyond Win98 effectively. So if you are using anything beyond Win98, then delete the OS immediately and revert back to Win98. This may be the reason why your PC is slow.
I suggest that you do not use WinXP for partitioning. WinXP requires a minimum of PIII 700MHz, 32MB VGA RAM, 256MB RAM and at least 500MB space on your hard disk. Your system will not meet the requirements and you may inadvertently end up damaging it. Please use Win98 or upgrade your system.
‘The year of the cellphone’: PTA’s rejoinder
Apropos of the article “The year of the cellphone” (Sci-tech World, Dec 31, 2005), it is submitted that the points raised under its sub-head “Where is the regulator” do not reflect reality.Firstly, Mobile Number Portability (MNP), a system enabling a cellphone subscriber to change the operator without changing his/her number or prefix, has never been a controversial issue. All six mobile operators in Pakistan are members of the supervisory board responsible for its implementation. They are working jointly with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to bring in this pro-consumer system.
The Pakistan Mobile Number Portability Company Limited has already been registered with the SECP and its office has been established in Islamabad. Furthermore, regulations on MNP have been framed and notified.
A contract for the Central Database Administration equipment has also been awarded. The PTA hopes to implement the system during the second quarter of 2006.
Regarding the issue of infrastructure sharing, it is clarified that the Telecommunication Deregulation Policy 2003 was framed and announced by the ministry of IT&T. The PTA is only supposed to implement this policy.
However, the PTA sponsored a research study to determine the effects of telecom towers on human beings. The study revealed no ill effects on human lives. Still, the operators were directed to keep the number of towers to a minimum.
Also, the authority is trying its best to help improve the Quality of Service. A series of technical surveys was launched to ascertain the quality provided by operators. The PTA’s efforts have yielded results and the quality has improved significantly.
Lastly, no complications have been experienced with any operator having multiple prefixes. It is important to note that one Network Dialing Code can accommodate eight million subscribers, after which the operator would need another code. It is a common practice all over the world to have multiple codes (prefixes) to facilitate the growing family of consumers.
Khurram Ali Mehran
Deputy Director (PR)
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority
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