Computer questions answered – Courier Mail
Q: I own a Canon iP4600 printer and am angry with Canon's practice of denying the use of any ink other than its own brand. Do you know any comparable quality printers that don't have this restriction?
A: All brands of printers have restrictions. Some make it harder than others to refill ink or use third-party products. Each cartridge has a chip that monitors ink and once a cartridge is empty it is difficult to reset (even if you have refilled the ink). One forum suggests holding down the reset button until the flashing light stops.
Q: I have installed Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 and continually receive a message stating "BCM office add-in office application does not match" on opening. How do I remove this?
A: BCM stands for Business Contact Manager. Go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs and under Office remove BCM. This message is usually caused by having a previous version of Office installed.
Q: When I try to change my printing preferences, I see a preferences box that appears in a foreign language. My son has tried reinstalling the printer drivers in vain (even new ones downloaded from the internet). Other printer screens are in English, but not this one.
A: Contact the manufacturer. This usually means you are downloading a driver intended for another country.
Q: Each day I receive spam that looks like it has come from me. Is this being sent from my account and can I do anything about it? I run daily virus scans, clean out the cookies with CleanUp and run Spybot and SuperAntiSpyware regularly.
A: It's called spoofing and you can't do anything about it. Your name is on a spam list somewhere and being used to send emails.
Q: I seem to have downloaded Installshield Update Manager and it's difficult to get off my computer. I have looked on the web for solutions and have tried System Restore. That works for a short time, but it still seems to find its way back. Is there any way to get rid of it?
A: It's ironic that such a legitimate Update Manager does not have an entry in the Add/Remove Programs. They claim this is because some programs supply the Update Manager and removal could impact on those programs. There is a removal utility at http://support.installshield.com/kb/files/Q112918/SoftwareManager Uninstall.exe.
Q: Recently Kaspersky anti-virus programs were recommended to me as a good buy. I see that there are two options: Kaspersky Internet Security 2010, and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010. Do you have any information about these programs?
A: Kaspersky is a reputable developer. The difference is that the internet suite provides protection against more than just computer viruses. You can see the difference at www.kaspersky.com.au/content.aspx?pageid=132&menuid=6. You should also consider similar internet security suites like AVG 9 and Norton Internet Security.
Send questions to hitech@qnp.newsltd.com.au with Ray Shaw in the subject field or post to
The Editor, Connect, GPO Box 130, Brisbane, 4001
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