Bluetooth software

q+a I have a Bluetooth device and software. But the software is in evaluation version and only 5MB can be transferred. Can you tell me where I can get Bluetooth software on the Internet?

Sourav Purohit

Bluetooth is a radio technology that enables data to be transferred between mobile phones, computers, printers and other devices, like household appliances, without the use of cables. This works typically in the range of 10 metres. It is a better and more convenient way to transfer data compared to infra-red and cable.

Bluetooth devices in the market usually come with associated software that limits the transfer of data. Do not install the software that came with your device. Just plug in your Bluetooth dongle into the USB port of your computer and Windows XP will take care of the rest. Your Bluetooth device will not work properly if you install the drivers or the software from the CD.

Net settings changed

q+a For last couple of weeks I have been having a strange problem. From time to time (say at an interval of 10 minutes) a windows popup appears, saying ‘your current activeX setting doesn’t allow this page to show properly’, but no Web page opens. This happens every time, whether I am connected to the Internet or not. I used Spyware Stormer but it did not work out. How do I get rid of this? Secondly, I have 256MB RAM installed on both my desktop and laptop. But the laptop shows 248MB RAM installed, and the desktop shows 256MB RAM installed. Why this discrepancy?

Diana Klein

ActiveX controls and other Web browser add-ons are used extensively on the Internet. They can make browsing more enjoyable by providing toolbars, tickers, animation, and more. Your Internet Explorer settings have somehow got changed. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools-->Internet Options and click on the Security tab. Next click on Internet and then on Custom Level below. Reset this as Medium. Similarly, do the same for Local Intranet, Trusted Sites and Restricted Sites, resetting them to Medium-Low, Low and High respectively. This should help you get rid of the problem. For protection in the future from such irritants please install Ad-aware SE Personal. You will get it free from http://pack.google.com if you just follow the links.

Quite a few laptops use integrated graphics processors that share memory with the main system memory. This reduces the actual amount of memory available to the rest of your computer. There is no way to prevent this from happening other than installing a graphics card with dedicated memory. I would not bother too much about this.

Fake registry cleaner

q+a My Pentium 4 computer with 40 GB hard disk and 256MB RAM has been running very slow. When I checked for errors from www.regfixit.com it detected 460 of them in my PC! When I clicked to fix the errors the site demanded $39.95. Is there any other way to repair my computer for less money or for free?

Atreyee Biswas

It is a complete mistake to go to such sites and allow them to scan your PC. These programs typically use a popup to tell you that you have errors on your computer. They offer a free scan, which confirms the presence of errors. Many readers have complained to me that even after paying up, it continues to find the original errors. First get a firewall. The Jetico Personal Firewall Software is free and good. You can get it from ww.jetico.com. Second, get a good anti-spyware program and have it clean your PC. Finally, if the speed of your computer has not improved, get the registry cleaner from http:// www.worldstart.com/weekly-download/programs/regcleaner.exe. This will clean up your registry.

Fixed username

q+a I have taken a BSNL broadband connection. Can I change the username in the startup kit?

Samrendra Narayan

Unfortunately, you have no choice but to live with the username provided by BSNL. However, you are free to change your password and you should do so frequently.

Usage page error

q+a I cannot understand why lately my browser cannot display the Dataone usage page at http://10.240.43.216. It says “error in page” and displays nothing.

Dwaipayan Chatterjee

When you try to access the site, you probably get the error message that says your cookies are not enabled and that you should enable your cookies and try again. To solve this problem delete “nocookie.jsp” from the address bar and press Enter. Also, in Internet Explorer you should go to Tools-->Internet Options and click on the Advanced tab. Scroll down to “Microsoft VM”. Here, make sure that only the “JIT complier for virtual machine” is enabled. The other two should not have any tick mark beside them.

No system sound

q+a My computer does not produce any system sound. Is it a virus that is affecting my computer.

Preetam Chakraborty

Go to Start-->Settings-->Control Panel. Here open the icon for Sound and Audio devices. Click on the Sound tab. As you Sound Scheme choose Windows Default.

Unwanted websites

q+a Whenever I connect to the Internet several unwanted websites open up by itself. I have tried blocking them in Internet properties but to no avail. Please help.

Manish Gupta

Get an anti-spyware. Go to www.lavasoft.de and download the free version.

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