LIST Technologies

Please read the supplied documentation first as this can contain some quite useful information/diagrams.
Remove the case from the computer (Both sides or the whole thing if it a "U" shape)
Set the back of the burner/CD-Rom to master
Follow the cable from the hard disk and see if the CD-Rom is also connected to it. If it is then you need to find the other cable which comes from the mainboard. If the other cable already has a device on it then change that device to slave and make the burner master.
When plugging the burner in ensure that you align the pin 1 on the cable with pin 1 on the device. The device will say pin 1 on it. The cable will have a little trace color on it (usually red). This also goes for the motherboard end as well. Make sure these line up!
The power cable can only be connected one way.

That's all there is to it. It is not that hard and you can't do any damage by trying to install a burner (within reason). You may find that taking the cover off and on the hardest part of the operation. With a slow PC (Pentium 100 or similar) you will probably not be able to write at the maximum speed that your unit is capable. If there is any other services running in the background the computer will not be able to supply the data and you will get the dreaded "Buffer Underrun" error and end up with a coaster (a dead, unusable CD). The burning software will let you select a slower burning speed to prevent this from happening.

What is the best format for sending emails?

The quick answer to this question is plain text. Sending in plain text ensures that all of the emails recipients will be able read it. In saying that about 90% of e-mail readers (Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora) can handle HTML and by using this format you can have greater control over the way text appears and other effects. I personally use plain text thus ensuring that everybody can read the email correctly not just 90% of people.

Why does scan disk take so long?

If your scan is set to "thorough" checking this means that every sector on the hard disk is read and verified, despite if it contains data or not. With a very large HDD it takes a lot of time to read and verify. The bottom line is "thorough" checking should be used rarely or only used when you install a new HDD or if you believe there is a problem with your current HDD.

Why does my computer boot up with "Disk-Boot failure, please insert system disk"?

There may be several reasons why:

Leaving a floppy disk in the A drive. If this is the reason then remove the disk and press "Enter".
If there is no disk in the A drive then there may be a serious problem with the system files. If you have boot floppy use it and then type the command A:\sys c: to transfer the Operating System to the HDD.
Sorry, but a format is the last resort

"How do I re format my Hard Drive?"

The first way with very little HDD space available:

Boot up on a start-up disk
Type format c:
When the format is complete run x:\setup to install Windows (Where "x" is the drive letter associated with your CD-ROM).

The longer way, if you have approx 50 - 150Meg of disk space to spare:

Boot up on a start-up disk
Type format c:
Create a folder from DOS, from the "C" prompt type md\win98 and then cd\win98 to move to that sub directory. Now type copy x:\win98 (Where "x" is the drive letter associated with your CD-ROM).
When the copying is complete type x:\win98\setup. That's it

Multiple Printing

Open Microsoft Word
Click on File : Open and then highlight all the documents you wish to print. Do not open them now!
Right click the highlighted area : Print

Scanning an image takes so long, Why?

The most common mistake made by people when scanning is they set the scanning resolution too high. If you are going to print the image the limiting factor is your printer's DPI capabilities. If the pictures are just to be displayed on the screen/web then there is no need to go above 75 DPI. If you wish to print the image then there should be no need to scan above 200 DPI.

However after mentioning the above there may in some instances where you need to scan at a higher resolution ie when you are going to enlarge a certain portion of the picture.

How do I delete rows in Microsoft Excel?

The easiest way is to use the data filter if all of the cells containing the words you want filtered out are empty. If the cells are in fact actually blank then you have to make them not blank ie put a character in them.

To add a character automatically to a cell do the following:

Select the column
Click on Edit : Find. Leave the "Find What" field blank
Select the "Replace" tab and in the "Replace with" field input a character of your choice (ie just a space will do)
Click "Replace All"
Click "Close"
Click on "Data : Filter : Autofilter". Click on the "little black triangle" that appears in the column that you wish the autofilter to perform it's function on.
Now in the list select custom. Once selected in put in the field opposite to the "equals to" field the word/characters you are wishing to delete.
After finished and you click "OK" this will then be the data that you wish to delete. Select all the rows containing you data and then delete them.
Now click on the "little black triangle" again and select "all" this will leave you with the data you want.

Lets clean up your desktop

What phrase comes to mind when you think of a messy desk? Well the one that pops into my head is a messy desk is a messy mind, so going one step further lets think of your desktop on your computer as the same as you think of your desk at home/work. Is it cluttered with files/shortcuts? Lets clean them up.

Open up Windows Explorer (easiest way is Windows key + "e")
Now create a folder on your local disk "C" by first clicking on "C Drive" and then selecting File : New : Folder
Name this folder what ever is the closest to what is stored in it ie Work files would be stored in a "Work" folder. Hit "Enter"
Click on the "Desktop" icon and simply drag & drop the files you wish to store in the folder you just created
Repeat the process from creating the folders to match the files that you have on your desktop and then just drag them in also.

How do I copy all my email to my new computer?

Outlook stores all of it's data (Inbox, Sent Items and Deleted Items) in a file with a .PST extension. May I suggest you do a search for *.PST to find the location of your PST file and then simply copy it to the exact same folder location on the new computer. If you are using floppy disks for this process then I suggest you use a program called WinZip to compress the file as they can get quite large if you are storing a lot of mail. Don't forget the address book and this can be easily exported and imported into Outlook. To do this just click on "File : Import & Export" and follow the wizard from there.

Outlook Express Version 5 and higher have a .DBX extension (Version 4 and lower use .MBX). I suggest you do a search for *.DBX (or *.MBX if using version 4 or lower) and backup the whole directory as these files are created for every separate directory you have in your Outlook Express program (eg inbox.dbx, mystuff.dbx, outbox.dbx, sent items.dbx etc). The Address Book in Outlook Express is a .WAB extension. This can be backed up by doing a search for *.WAB and copying this file to the backup location.

Why does my ISP drop my modem connection?

There are a number of reasons why this could be happening.

Someone in your household is picking up the same phone line you are sing to connect to the ISP. Ask them not to pick up the phone whilst connected to the internet.
A phone that is connected to the same phone line you are using to dial the ISP is sending out a signal that is interfering with the modem you are using. The Telstra Touch Phone 2000 is a classic for doing this. If unsure unplug all other phones in the house.
There may be an inactivity timer at your ISP. If no data has been sent or received in the last 30 mins (30 minutes is the general setting the ISP would use) then you are disconnected. Make sure you stay active when you have a connection. Don't leave the PC idle otherwise your ISP will disconnect you.
"Call Waiting" will drop the modem if it is activated and you receive another call on that line. To disable call waiting (for the ISP call only) place *44, (Telstra) in front of the dial up number or #87, (Optus).
Line noise/interference on the phone line. Telstra can check for this and it is a free service.
Modem drivers. Go to the manufactures web site and download the latest drivers for the modem you are using.

It could possibly be a combination of all of the above things however if you try them one at a time and even swap the modem to a friends/relatives computer you will most likely end up with a more stable connection.

Windows 95/98 computer will not shut down

In Windows 98 it can be a problem if "Fast Shutdown" is enabled. To disable this click on Start : Run. Type msconfig. Go to the general tab, click advanced, and then check the "Disable fast shutdown" box. After this is done you will have to reboot for it to take effect.

For more information on the problem go to http://support.microsoft.com/directory and research "shutdown problem + win 98".

Once there type Q196008 for Windows 98 or Q145926 and select "How to troubleshoot Windows 95 shutdown problems"

Defrag takes forever (Win95/98/98SE)

If when you run the defrag program from within Windows and when it gets to 10% it keeps restarting it means that the software/programs running are still trying to write to the HDD. There a couple of fixes. These are:

Press Alt + Ctrl + Del and end all tasks with the exception of Explorer and Systray. Run defrag again when these programs have ended.
On bootup press the F8 key and when prompted boot the computer in safe mode. When booted into safe mode run defrag. When defrag has completed reboot the machine.

How can I stop unwanted mail in my inbox?

This is real concern. It is very hard to stop unwanted email (SPAM) from entering your inbox, however there are some steps to prevent it. If you receive a message from someone you don't know 1) don't execute any attachments and 2) do NOT click on any form of "unsubscribe" or "remove" link as this will just confirm to the spammer that your email address is valid and then will be sold on to other spammers. Your ISP will take little if no action as they can't confirm that some users may actually want some of the material that is being sold or viewed. There are filters available in several different software packages. To set them in Outlook Express click Tools : Message Rules and from there it is pretty straight forward, just follow the wizard. To set them in Eudora just click on Tools : Filters and then set the required filter.

These solutions are only going to fight some of the problem as spammers are clever. Everytime you receive a message they will change the address it was sent from and by doing this the message will get through because the filter will see it from another sender.

For more advice and help checkout CAUBE or Spam.Abuse.Net. Stop by and see how Joe McNicol is going with his case against T3 Direct.

What are these pop up windows and how do I stop them?

They are little windows that come up without the users consent or interaction. Generally used by sponsors and they they are sometimes necessary (I know banks have used them from time to time to pass on important information to users). However they are very annoying indeed. If you find they are really annoying and you don't want them any more then download Pop Up Buster, this is a small program that will block these unwanted little nasties.

How do I set up my Outlook/Outlook Express mail client when I am hosting my mail with LIST Technologies?

This is a relativeley simple task. If you have Microsoft Outlook then click here. If you are running Outlook Express then click here.