CAROL VORDERMAN'S INTERNET COLUMN: CAN YOU GIVE ME THE BOOT?

Q PLEASE can you tell me how to dual boot Windows NT from Windows 95? I have read many books telling me to install Windows NT in a different directory to Windows 95, but I do not know how to go about this. I have to convert from a FAT 32 to a FAT. Please can you explain how to do this?

Rashpal Singh

A FIRST, you can't easily convert from FAT32 back to FAT, you can only convert in the other direction.

You'll need a utility like Partition Magic to handle the conversion. You're right that you need to use the FAT file system for Windows NT, and if you can achieve that the rest should be straightforward.

From Windows 95, start the NT installation procedure.

Near the start of the process, it will suggest an installation directory - usually C:\WinNT.

You can change this to anything you like, but NOT the directory where Windows 95 was installed (usually C:\Windows).

After installation, you'll see NT's boot manager every time you start your PC, letting you choose which operating system to boot.

One final suggestion, though: Windows 2000 (aka Windows NT5) will be along soon.

It supports FAT32 and is far easier to set up, as well as being a lot more likely to work with your existing hardware and software.

At this stage, I'd recommend waiting the few remaining months to its release and ignoring NT4.

Q I USE ic24. I also have an account with talk21. To comply with ic24 rules that I have to use e-mail every month, I send myself an e-mail from ic24 to the talk21 account. But I have noticed that when I sign on to talk21 to look at the message there is an attachment containing the settings for HTML formats.

Les Woolley

A BY default, Outlook Express sends its e-mail messages in HTML (web page) format, allowing fonts, formatting, pictures and all kinds of other un-email-like things to be included.

However, not all e-mail programs can read HTML - it's a browser language after all - and the ones that can't just strip out those extras and put them in a useless attached file.

Unless you really feel that your messages must have that formatted look, regardless of size, choose Tools> Options> Send from the menus in Outlook Express and select Plain Text from the Mail Sending Format section.

Q I'M not sure exactly when or what has caused it to happen but my internal v90 modem tries to answer incoming calls after about two rings. I have checked my dial-up and modem properties but can't find an option to stop this happening.

John Richardson 

A IT'S almost certainly that you have Microsoft Fax (or another fax or networking program) set to auto-answer incoming calls.

Although that's not a bad thing in itself, you should be able to set the number of rings before pickup in that program's options, giving you the chance to grab the call first yourself if you need to.

Q WHEN I was connected to Microsoft Network, there was a small MSN icon next to the clock from which you could see if you had any messages, from whom, and how long you had been signed in etc.

Now I am using MSN Freeweb it has disappeared. Can it be restored?

Ray Thompson

A UNFORTUNATELY not. It was a feature of the MSN software you were using rather than of Windows itself.

There are utilities around that can replace those features though, and it may be possible to find a utility that includes them all.

The wonderful Tucows is the best place to start looking (http://tucows.cableinet.net), but the shareware sites like www.winsite.com and www.shareware.com are also worth a visit.

Q I RECENTLY set up an e-mail account with "Startrekmail.com" which is a web based email account. You can have your incoming mail forwarded to a POP e-mail address.

Can I set up my ic24 address to send email which bears my Startrekmail address and that causes the "Reply" icon to email my Startrekmail address?

Terence Miles

A YES, you can. In Outlook Express, go to Tools>Accounts> and choose the Mail tab and select your ic24 account.

Click the Properties button and type your Startrekmail address in the Reply Address box.

Q I HAVE recently started visiting chat sites, and I was wondering if you knew of any good Internet sites that would explain all the abbreviations that people use. I know a few basic ones like LOL but some of them still baffle me.

Dawn

A THEY'RE known as Three Letter Acronyms (TLAs), although they don't all contain three letters. You'll find a good list of the most common at www2.uic.edu/tbrann1/Gateway2000/Tla.html and more at www.at.drew.edu/docs/internet/netspeak.html.

Q A FEW weeks ago you said in The Mirror that we would soon be able to have an ic24 Icon on our desktop. Could you please let me know when this will be and how I install it?

John Kendall

A YOU can put an ic24 icon on the desktop very easily with no installation required at all.

Open My Computer, then Dial-Up Networking, and drag your ic24 icon to the desktop to create a shortcut.

You can rename it, change its icon by right-clicking it and choosing Properties, and set up a keystroke to start it from the Properties dialog.

For example, type an "i" in the Shortcut key box to be able to start it by pressing Ctrl+Alt+I.