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Byteback
Damaged files
QUESTION: How can I recover or convert data from .chk and .swp files, which were damaged during a Windows XP installation on another hard disk of FAT 16?
Mohammed Zeeshan
zeeshan_421@yahoo.com
EDITOR’S REPLY: Try software like OnTrack Data Recovery Pro 6.0 (available at your local CD Shop) and use it to recover the data you mentioned.
Song converter
Which is the best, free song converter for converting an unlimited number of song types into an MP3 format? Where can I get it from?
Sidra Imteyaz
Karachi
You can use:
1. Smart CD Ripper 3.8 which rips audio CDs and converts music into MP3, WAV and OGG files.
2. Cute MP3 Converter 2 which can convert, extract and play audio files in different popular audio formats.
3. HiFi WMA WAV Converter 1.1 which can convert audio files between WMA and WAV formats.
All three can be downloaded from: http://www.download.com/ Rippers-Encoders/3150-2140_4-0.html?tag=dir
Multiple queries
1. Which is the best anti virus and anti spyware software in your opinion?
2. What is the difference between a graphics card and a 3D card? Which is the best graphics card available in Pakistan?
M. Ossama Siddiqui
ossamafriend@yahoo.com
1. Personally, I've always used McAfee, so I can recommend that wholly. This software you can buy from your nearest CD vendor. However, freeware like AVG and Avast are also highly recommended. They can be downloaded from www.download.com.
2. There is very little difference between graphics cards and accelerators. All 3D accelerators are graphics cards but not all graphics cards are accelerators. Accelerators are usually designed keeping the gaming community in mind. Therefore, they have extra features like Pixel Shaders, Renderers, etc., which usually help in processing the game's graphics faster and give it a photo-realistic quality. Graphics cards are now usually built in the motherboard and are usually missing these features.
The best accelerator in my opinion would be the Geforce 5900 Ultra card. That's amongst the best cards on a budget. However, for games like Doom 3, you will need a far more powerful card.
Bad sectors
I have a Pentium III, 400MHz and 176MB RAM. I also have both Windows XP and 98 on my system. Recently my system was affected by bad sectors. Please tell me what to do.
Mohammed Ali Jamali
Larkana
Bad Sectors mean that the hard disk will crash in the not too distant future. The best thing to do under such circumstances is to save all your important data and buy a new hard disk.
Dual boot
I have four partitions on my hard disk. Windows XP SP 2 is installed on the first partition. How can I install Windows 98 SE on the second partition since it is an older operating system and XP will not accept it? Secondly, if I need to remove Win 98 SE after installation along with XP, how do I do so and remove the choice to dual boot which comes at the beginning when you switch on the computer?
A Reader
Karachi
First of all, your boot partition needs to be FAT32 to multi-boot with anything below Windows 2000, so please make sure it is. Double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, right-click on your C drive and choose Properties. Look for the “file system” entry. Secondly, please make sure you have another partition which you can use to install Win 98. After this, boot the computer using a bootable Win 98 CD. Choose “start computer with network support.” At the command line, type “setup”. Let the Windows installation run until it reboots.
To remove the choice to dual boot, edit your “Boot.ini” file, found in your root folder usually C:\. Ensure that you can see all your hidden files (open any folder in XP, then go to folder options and then view system files). Then go to the root of the partition on which your Win98 is located (usually C:\). Here you’ll notice a file by the name of Boot.ini. Open it in Notepad, and where you'll see a line ending with \Microsoft Windows, delete the entire line. After deleting the line, save it. Now, you will not have options to choose from.
E-books
How can I open .lit files?? And from where can I download software to open these files?
Rabab Fatima
Karachi
You can open .lit format with “Microsoft Reader” which can be downloaded from www.microsoft.com/reader/download.asp.
Internet Explorer updates
1. My Internet Explorer keeps on opening old pages but does not open the freshly updated pages. For instance, the site www.hec.gov.pk/cuba was updated on September 12 while IE keeps on showing me the pre-updated site which I visited before September 12. How do I solve this problem?
2. Whenever I browse Windows, (that is, when I open anything in Windows like hard drives) a message appears “Runtime Error! Program: C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE” and everything just closes.
Miqdad Haider
miqdad14@yahoo.com
The first thing you should do is update your IE to the latest version from www.microsoft.com/downloads. After this, run a complete system scan from http://housecall.trendmicro.com as you may have viruses or spyware on your system. You can also download and use Mozilla's Firefox from www.mozilla.org or www.firefox.com.
Sound problem
I use Windows XP, 256MB RAM an 80GB hard disk and a Pentium IV processor. There is no sound coming from my speakers. I have reinstalled my sound driver twice and have bought new speakers. Please help.
Mudassir Amin
Islamabad
Go to settings/ control centre/ sound and audio devices/ volume tab and then hardware. Make sure it is enabled. Also, check your BIOS settings to see if the sound is enabled. As default, the sound is switched to off. Press F2 to enter the menu. If it is, then click on advanced and check to see if all volume levels are set to maximum.
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