q+a I get errors about certificates while surfing the Net. Please suggest some software that will keep me safe on the web.

  — Abhijeet Mohanta

I bet you are using some version of Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7. If you use Firefox as your browser, you will not get these errors. You also probably have Norton 360 or some other Symantec Security Suite installed in your PC or laptop which is the root cause of the problem. To get rid of the certificate error in IE go to Tools—Manage Add Ons—Enable or Disable Add Ons. From there, you can click “Publisher” to group the Symantec Add Ons together and then disable them. Close and Restart Internet Explorer.

As for being able to surf securely, I suggest you buy Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite or Kaspersky Internet Security 7. Zone Alarm has a good offer going where you can use the software on three PCs for just around Rs 2,000. Kaspersky is a little more expensive at Rs 2,395 for just one PC. Along with this it is also a good idea to get a free version of Ad-Aware 2007. This will catch spyware and malware that a security suite may sometimes miss.

Speed up

q+a I have a Nokia E51 with an Airtel post-paid connection. I want to connect to the Internet with my MacBook loaded with OS X Tiger at blazing speed. Please help.

— Dr S. Mondal

Whether you will get blazing speed with your E51 will depend on a lot of factors, the phone’s capability being the most important. Yours is a 3G phone with support for EDGE and HSDPA (high speed downlink protocol access). There is no question about the MacBook’s capability. But first you must ensure that you have subscribed to Airtel’s Mobile Office. This is what enables you to connect to the Net. A simple WAP connection will not do.

Second, you must have the right script for your phone for it to act as a modem. You will not find this script in Tiger. You will have to download it from http://www.taniwha.org.uk/. Look for Nokia 3G scripts on this page and download it. You will find three versions — CID1, CID2 and CID3. Now this is what you need to do:

Double click on the icon for your Mac hard disk on the desktop

Put the modem scripts into Library:Modem Scripts

Go to Finder and open Network Preferences and select the PPP tab

Select Show: Bluetooth Modem Port

Enter Airtel for Service Provider

For Telephone Number write airtelgprs.com

Leave the Account name and Password fields blank

Click the button for PPP Options. Ensure that ‘Send PPP echo packets’ is not selected. This is very important.

Next, you need to set up your phone as a modem. Select the Bluetooth Modem tab in Network Preferences. Select Nokia 3G and CID1. If this does not work try CID2 or CID3.

Now you are ready to connect. Open Internet Connect and select Bluetooth Modem Port. Click on Connect. You will be connected in a flash and then you can browse freely.

Buying a BlackBerry

q+a Can one get very high speeds on any BlackBerry model or it is available only on specific models? There are several models of the BlackBerry available in the market.

— Shounak Pal

You will get high speeds on most new BlackBerry models released after mid-2006, such as the 8100. These newer models have built-in modem capability, unlike the older ones that rely on the BlackBerry Windows software to handle modem commands. Another reason for such high speed is that the data are routed through BlackBerry’s own Gateway in the UK. This is one of the many reasons why a Blackberry is so special.

Film format

q+a I have a film saved as two different files in MPEG format. I want to join these two files and then convert the joined file into AVI format to reduce space. Please help.

 — Saugata Chowdhury

Look for a program called EZMerge from downloads.pcworld.com. You can get it from www.boilsoft.com too.

Send in your computer- related problems to askdoss@abpmail.com The solutions will appear soon