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q+a I use a GPRS-enabled Nokia 6681. What anti-virus would be best for my mobile and where can I get it for free? Also, what is the latest version of Opera Mini?
S.K. Das
The best anti-virus for your phone would be F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus. You can get it from www.s60.com. Trend Micro Mobile Security will also work on your phone. Click on the link for Downloads. Mobile viruses are usually transmitted through Bluetooth. You must never leave your Bluetooth on or you will get Bluejacked! I have seen many Nokia users leaving their Bluetooth enabled and they have mistakenly accepted malicious files. So be careful.
Opera Mini is available for free from www.opera.com. Your phone supports this browser.
Accessing Gmail
q+a I cannot access Gmail on my Samsung E370 mobile phone. I have a BSNL Excel prepaid connection and GPRS is activated. I can access Yahoo and Hotmail, but my phone shuts down and restarts every time I try to access my inbox on Gmail. I have downloaded the Gmail application from www.gmail.com/app, but just cannot get it to work. I tried it on the Samsung X160 too, but faced the same problem.
Debasis Bera
There are a few things you could try to access Gmail on your mobile. First, go the Gmail website from your computer and click on Settings. Here, change the language settings to English (US). This could solve your problem. The Gmail application requires a secure connection to get to the mail server. You need to check whether BSNL allows SSL connections. The third thing to try is to access the site https://www.verisign.com/cgi-bin/support/rootcert/getrootcert.cer with your phone browser. Make sure you save the certificate. Then once again try accessing Gmail on your mobile. One of these three options should solve your problem.
Downloading games
q+a I have a Motorola V3i mobile. I am unable to download Java games from my PC to my mobile. How can I download these to my phone?
Ashwini Bajaj
To download Java games to your mobile, all you need to do is go to mobile games sites like www.getjar.com and www.midlet.org on your computer. Save the .jar and .jad files for the games on you PC. Next, send them to your phone using either a cable, or infrared or Bluetooth. They will automatically install on your phone. Alternatively, these games sites will provide you with a WAP address from which you can directly download the games to your mobile. For the V3I, it is best to transfer the files to your mobile using Bluetooth.
Memory loss
q+a I have an AMD Athlon 2GHz processor running Windows XP SP2 on my PC. It has 256 MB RAM and a 40-GB hard disk. But my system is showing only 192 MB RAM. How can I utilise the full memory?
Debdas Kuila
Check whether the Virtual Device Driver is claiming a portion of your RAM. A virtual device driver has direct access to the central core of the operating system. Certain programs need direct access to run smoothly and effectively. Virtual drivers provide this direct access. To solve this problem, restart your computer without virtual device drivers. You can do this by clicking the Start button, Run, typing msconfig in the open box, and clicking OK. Select the General tab and click Selective start-up. Clear the Process System.ini file checkbox. Click OK and Yes when the computer prompts you to restart. If the System Properties dialog box still displays an incorrect amount of memory, repeat the procedure, but click Normal start-up on the General tab. This should return your system to its previous configuration. If it displays the correct RAM, you would know that the Virtual Device Driver is claiming a portion of your RAM. Other causes for memory mismatch could be incorrect CMOS settings or RAM incompatibility with the motherboard. Get your computer vendor to check this. This requires expert attention.
Viewing image file
q+a How can I view the contents of an image file (.nrg extension) created with Nero 6 without burning it on a CD ROM? I have Windows 98. Also, how can I view a .3gp video file on the same operating system?
Debashis Choudhury
Get something like Daemon Tools to check the image file. You can go to the site www.daemon-tools.cc. Its free virtual CD ROM emulator works with almost all image types.
To view .3gp files, download the VLC media player from www.videolan.org. The current version is 0.8.5. This media player is one of the best I have come across. This version will play all formats except Real Player’s. Despite this, the player will serve your purpose well.
Slow coach
q+a I have a genuine Windows XP (SP 2) in my HP Notebook, which has become very slow in just eight months. I thus need to format the hard disk. Will reinstalling XP maintain its authenticity? I have the original XP CD. Also, please suggest a solution for its low battery backup (half an hour, without media).
Rohit Saraf
Yes, you can reinstall XP and maintain its authenticity. To reinstall XP, insert your CD in the CD ROM drive; click on Install Windows XP on the welcome screen; on the Welcome to Windows Setup page select Upgrade in the Installation Type box and click Next. Now just follow the instructions on the screen and you will have successfully reinstalled XP. After you are through, visit www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com and download all the updates for the operating system.
Please use Battery check to see the health of your battery. You can do this by going to Start --> Control Panel --> HP Battery Check or by clicking Start --> Hewlett-Packard --> HP Battery Check. The Battery Check utility will indicate whether your battery needs to be replaced.
Removing Windows 98
Reader Santanu Ganguly has pointed out that there is, in fact, a way to remove Windows 98 from a dual-boot PC with Windows XP. He says, “You have to start your system using Win XP and remove the entry for Windows 98 from the Boot.ini file. This file is usually hidden. From your folder options, you have to enable the display of hidden files. Open the Boot.ini using Notepad to remove the Windows 98 settings. Also, delete the Windows 98 folder if you don’t want it. But be careful not to delete the boot.ini file or you may be in serious trouble.”
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