Your Questions Answered - 04/10/07

Welcome to the first batch of answers from our Help Request Service! Due to an overwelming amount of questions, we've decided to temporarily suspend answering questions every Wednesday and instead answer your queries as fast as possible, posting our findings in batches of ten. So if you submitted your query, please be patient. We are trying to get through all questions as soon as we can.

Today, we're looking at Sleep mode in Windows Vista, BIOS problems and getting sound to work in Internet Explorer 7. And if you have a question or need help, please drop us a line.

"Somehow I turned off the "Aero" or the ability to see open tasks. How do I get turned back on?"
D Rutherford

There could be two possible reasons why Aero has switched off. Firstly, go to Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Change color scheme. Make sure you've selected Windows Vista Aero.

If that doesn't solve your problem, go to Computer and select System properties from the menu. Go to Advanced system settings > Performance Settings and select 'Adjust for best appearance', which should enable all of Aero's effects.

"Just purchased Belkin Wireless router 54G and was told that this router is not yet compatible with Vista and I needed to download some software by goggling Belkin. I have tried this but all I get is options to buy Belkin items, nothing mentioning downloads. Can you please instruct me on the correct procedure to follow so that my laptop can become compatible with Vista so that I can proceed. many thanks. Confused"
Pauline Nurse

Fortunately, whoever told you that the Belkin 54G was not compatible with Windows Vista was clearly mistaken. See the Windows Vista support section on Belkin's web site for compatibility queries. For help setting up your router, take a look at Beklin's 54G support section which should solve any problems you have getting your router to work.

"How do I change the sleep option on the start bar?"
Scott

Simon Pickstock helpfully addressed this a couple of months back on our web site (his guide can be found here). This is what he had to say:

Press the Windows and R key on your keyboard and type ‘CMD’ to open up a command prompt. Now type in ‘powercfg.cpl,1’ to open up the advanced power settings. You’ll see an item called Power buttons and lid. Click on the ‘+’ sign to expand it then click on the ‘+’ sign next to the Start menu power button. It should say Sleep, so click on this and change it to Shutdown. Voila! You can now shut down with two less mouse clicks.

"I have Vista Home Basic Dell Dimension E520- 32 bit- 1GB RAM- 160 HD (know that I have enough for next Vista upgrade- can't afford) I have MS Office 2000 Pro(can't afford new Office) When I try to change Office Assistant told 'not enough memory' and also cant make Outlook default e-mail manager"
Madeliene

Some users will find there's a few compatibility issues with Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2000. To get Outlook set up as the default email manager, check out Scott's guide to getting Outlook 2000 working on Windows Vista. Unfortunately it can be a lengthy process, but it will solve the majority of problems encountered with Outlook.

The memory problem is due to some archaic technologies that the Office Assistant still requires. Small Business specialist David Overton has posted a handy walk-through to get it working on his blog. Have a look at it here.

"Why won't Vista recognise my Picture it 2001, or is there another photo package similar?"
Barry Lambert

This is a tough one, as Picture it 2001 is not directly compatible with Windows Vista. The best solution that's been presented so far is to download Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 and install it with Windows Vista as the host and Windows XP as the guest. After setting up the Windows XP machine, click on Actions and install VM additions. You should be able to now install Microsoft Picture it, although be aware this solution requires a lot of RAM to run Windows Vista and Microsoft Virtual PC 2007.

"Why can't I record sound bites from DVDs using the "What U Hear" option from my Creative sound card. I can do it with my Windows XP machine, but not with Vista. The only option I have with Vista is "Line In" or "Mic"
Stephen Meisel

To enable What U Hear, all you should need to do is the following: go to Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Manage audio devices.

Then click the Recording tab, right-click and select Show Disabled Devices. You should be able to enable What U Hear.

"On start up, i get 'floppy diskette seek failure strike f1 to continue f2 to run the setup utility'. I checked bios and of course floppy disc is disabled, because i do not have one. I am using windows vista business 32 bit. CAN YOU HELP?"
James Warren

This problem is not that unusual - in fact, I personally encountered it a couple of months ago. The solution definitely lies in your BIOS settings. I recommend reseting them to the factory default (unless you've got a specific reason not to) and then making sure that any mention of a floppy drive is disabled.

BIOS descriptions vary, but the things you should look out for should be named something like: Boot from floppy (turn off), Seek at bootup (turn off) and Floppy type (set to none). Save these settings and the message should disappear.

"I get sound in using MSN9 browser and in Yahoo browser - but NO sound in IE7? I am using Windows Vista Premium - for chat systems to what ever the sound works fine in every thing but IE7. I've been using Vista for 10 months now and it's been A OK = No bugs and No problems - just sound in IE7"
Ken

Without knowing specifics, there could be a variety of things causing this problem. First of all, it's worth checking to make sure the Play sounds in web pages check box is ticked in Internet Explorer. You can find it under Tools > Internet options > Advanced tab > Multimedia section. Also, click on your sound icon in the taskbar and select Open Volume Mixer to make sure Internet Explorer isn't muted for some reason.

If you're still having problems with sound, it sounds like there's a problem with a plug-in, especially given sounds are working in other browsers. Try running Internet Explorer with no add-ons (type in Internet Explorer into the start menu) and see disabling plug ins makes a difference.

Lastly, if you have more than one audio device (say, for instance, a PCI sound card and an on-board sound card, there could be a conflict. If you open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Manage Audio Devices and make sure that a disabled device hasn't got an active sound tab next to it.

"When I put my computer into sleep mode it stays asleep for about a minute then wakes up, what's the answer to this problem?"
Michael

Unfortunately, there are numerous programs that override sleep mode in Windows Vista, from screen savers to vibrating mice. Even worse is that each problem needs to be manually overridden. For example, if you use a network cable, it would be worth checking what its 'Wake Up Capability' is set to by going to Device Manager > Network Adapter > Advanced.

I would recommend unplugged everything apart from the basics and testing your computer to see if it will sleep in this configuration. If it can, gradually add your peripherals until it fails to remain sleeping. That way, you'll be able to pinpoint the cause of the problem.

"Lack of mouse control when opening and using 'Media Centre' - no arrow appears on screen; navigation via the keyboard is cumbersome and temperamental. Mouse operates perfectly in all other 'Vista' Home Premium applications and with the non-MS software that I've installed. Alternate mice have been tested with no effect. In a word: HELP!"
Don the Desperate

This a common problem with Windows Media Center and several people have presented a variety of solutions. Firstly, try turning Display Mouse Pointers and Shadow off in Mouse Properties > Pointer Options. If that doesn't work, try selecting a 3D version of the arrow by going to Mouse Properties > Pointers and customising the normal icon. This should reveal your icon in Media Center.