Configuring mail

I am using Incredimail instead of Outlook Express to receive and send e-mails. I have a VSNL Account. I have to dial to Chennai once my account expires to get it renewed, so I am using my connection very carefully. I am based at Kannur, Kerala, and for the last so many months BSNL has not given any fresh connections. All the other connections are from Calicut which is also long-distance. Now I would like to receive my mails from Rediffmail also through this. Please tell me how I do this once I open the mail client (incredimail)/go to options/go to connections... -- Valsakumar

Sorry, Rediffmail does not provide POP3/SMTP access, so you cannot download your mails.

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Mail receipt

I am using Outlook Express to e-mail people in India and abroad. My doubt is as follows - Is there any option by which I can know if the recipient of my mail has gone through the message or not? Is there any alert system that can keep me informed as soon as the recipient opens the mail? -- Aravind Pathak

You can receive receipts from the user to whom you have sent mail. For this, please open Go To-Tools-Options-Receipts. Click the appropriate option.

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Mail account

I have three e-mail addresses in Rediff, Hotmail, and Dishnet. I configured these three addresses in Outlook Express by taking Rediff as default but mails to the Rediff account do not download into the inbox. The other two come into the inbox without any hitch. Please help me with the outgoing and incoming mail servers of Rediff so I can configure Outlook Express to the default mail account. -- K.V. Kishore

Sorry, Rediffmail does not provide POP3/SMTP access, so you cannot download your mails.

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English to Hindi

I would like to know of software which can translate English text into Hindi. I would be grateful for any guidance in this regard. -- Ishwar Lal Pareek

Please visit these sites http://www.psionarchives.com/translation--series--5--epoc.html and http://www.tranexp.com/win/content.html

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Driver problem

I am using Windows Millennium Edition. In safe, I went under My Computer- Properties- Performance Tab. There I discovered that Drive A: D: and C: are using MS-DOS compatibility file system as Windows is not able to recognise a real mode driver in the Autoexec.bat or/and config.sys file. As a result the system's performance is worsening inspite of a 450 Mhz and 256 MB RAM configuration. Please suggest a solution. -- Jehangir Elavia

To force Windows to attempt to reinitialise the protected-mode IDE driver, you'll have to remove the noIDE entry from the registry:

1.Start the Registry Editor

2.Go to HKEY--LOCAL--MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ VxD \ IOS

3.Delete the NoIDE entry

4.Search your registry for BAD--IDE (You can Search the registry by pressing F3 while working in the registry editor.

5.Delete any BAD--IDE values you find After you update the registry, restart Windows. Windows will then attempt to initialise the protected-mode driver for the controller.

If no problems are encountered, the file system and virtual memory will operate in 32-bit mode, and Device Manager will not display an exclamation point in a yellow circle for the IDE channels. If the protected-mode driver is not initialised properly, an error message will be displayed and the NoIDE registry entry will be re-created.

There are several reasons why your hard disks might be running in MS-DOS compatibility mode:

An ''unsafe'' device driver, memory-resident program, or virus hooked the INT21h or INT13h chain before Windows loaded.

The hard disk controller in your computer was not detected by Windows.

The hard disk controller was removed from the current configuration in Device Manager.

There is a resource conflict between the hard disk controller and another hardware device.

The Windows protected-mode driver is missing or damaged.

The Windows 95 32-bit protected-mode disk drivers detected an unsupportable configuration or incompatible hardware.

Microsoft recently released an update for Windows 95 OSR 2 & OSR 2.1, to fix a problem that would stop the computer from responding (hang) while the hard disk was being accessed, when using an IDE (ATA) hard disk and controller that support Ultra DMA mode.

To install this update, follow these steps: 1.Download the Remideup.exe 143KB0 file to an empty folder 2.In Windows Explorer, double-click the Remideup.exe file you downloaded in step 1 and 3.Follow the instructions on the screen.

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Hard disk data transfer

I would like to transfer some files from my friend's hard disk to mine. How can I accomplish this? After connecting both the hard disks, which of the two operating systems, mine or his?, should be booted to transfer data efficiently? Both are Windows 98. Will the presence of the two operating systems and anti-virus (PC-Cillin from his and Norton from mine) lead to any damage (both hardware and software)? Please explain the process. -- Navin Kumar

You should boot from your hard disk. Ensure that your hard disk is Primary Master. It will not matter if the other hard disk also has an O/S installed as when you boot, the system will look for the Primary Master HDD and when it finds it, it will boot up. The copying process is normal as it is from two partitions. It is just as if you have installed another hard disk to your system.

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Boot-up problems

I own a Compaq Presario. Of late, I've been facing the following problems. 1. Booting takes a long time. Earlier, I used to get the Internet connection very fast (Dishnet). But now it shows that it is initialising and takes a few seconds. When accessing any Web site/when I want to go to the links, it takes a considerable time. How do I boost my computer's speed?

2. The second problem is that everytime I switch on my PC, the Microsoft chat appears. How do I delete this? Please suggest solutions to these two problems. -- S. Vaasudevan

There can be a number of reasons why the system is slow to boot up. Probably there can be a number of applications that also boot up when the system starts. Also, it can be due to anti-virus software applications like Norton Antivirus that also start when the system boots.

You can change the default settings through the Options Menu in the Antivirus Application. Also, if you have some Utilities like Norton Utilities that also start up when the system boots, please check that also.

You might also require some hardware upgradation. As you haven't mentioned your system configuration, I would suggest you upgrade to Pentium III/IV, Ram 128 MB. The slow Net speed can also be due to line disturbance or there are several other factors out of your control.

The chat program that appears may be due to the fact that it appears in the startup applications. All the applications that you specify in Startup get started when the system boots up.

You can remove that entry from that Folder. For this, go to Start-Program Files-Start Up-Right. Click the application and delete it.

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Digital ID, encryption

I would like to know more about digital ID and encryption. How do I use these effectively? -- R. Srinivas Varma

Encryption is the conversion of data into a form, called a ciphertext, that cannot be easily understood by unauthorised people. Decryption is the process of converting encrypted data back into its original form, so it can be understood.

The use of encryption/decryption is as old as the art of communication. In wartime, a cipher, often incorrectly called a 'code,' can be employed to keep the enemy from obtaining the contents of transmissions. (Technically, a code is a means of representing a signal without the intent of keeping it secret; examples are Morse code and ASCII.) Simple ciphers include the substitution of letters for numbers, the rotation of letters in the alphabet, and the 'scrambling' of voice signals by inverting the sideband frequencies. More complex ciphers work according to sophisticated computer algorithms that rearrange the data bits in digital signals. In order to easily recover the contents of an encrypted signal, the correct decryption key is required. The key is an algorithm that 'undoes' the work of the encryption algorithm.

Alternatively, a computer can be used in an attempt to 'break' the cipher. The more complex the encryption algorithm, the more difficult it becomes to eavesdrop on the communications without access to the key. Encryption/decryption is especially important in wireless communications. This is because wireless circuits are easier to 'tap' than their hard-wired counterparts. Nevertheless, encryption/decryption is a good idea when carrying out any kind of sensitive transaction, such as a credit-card purchase online, or the discussion of a company secret between different departments in the organisation.

The stronger the cipher - that is, the harder it is for unauthorised people to break it - the better, in general. However, as the strength of encryption/decryption increases, so does the cost.

In recent years, a controversy has arisen over so-called strong encryption. This refers to ciphers that are essentially unbreakable without the decryption keys. While most companies and their customers view it as a means of keeping secrets and minimising fraud, some governments view strong encryption as a potential vehicle by which terrorists might evade authorities.

These governments, including that of the US, want to set up a key-escrow arrangement. This means everyone who uses a cipher would be required to provide the government with a copy of the key.

Decryption keys would be stored in a supposedly secure place, used only by authorities, and used only if backed up by a court order.

Opponents of this scheme argue that criminals could hack into the key-escrow database and illegally obtain, steal, or alter the keys. Supporters claim that while this is a possibility, implementing the key escrow scheme would be better than doing nothing to prevent criminals from freely using encryption/decryption.

Digital ID

Digital IDs are the electronic counterparts to driver licences, passports, and membership cards. You can present a Digital ID electronically to prove your identity or your right to access information or services online.

Digital IDs, also known as digital certificates, bind an identity to a pair of electronic keys that can be used to encrypt and sign digital information.

A Digital ID makes it possible to verify someone's claim that they have the right to use a given key, helping to prevent people from using phony keys to impersonate other users. Used in conjunction with encryption, Digital IDs provide a more complete security solution, assuring the identity of all parties involved in a transaction.

A Digital ID is issued by a Certification Authority (CA) and signed with the CA's private key. A Digital ID typically contains the: -- Owner's public key -- Owner's name -- Expiration date of the public key -- Name of the issuer (the CA that issued the Digital ID) -- Serial number of the Digital ID and the digital signature of the issuer.

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Please e-mail us at eworld@thehindu.co.in if you have queries on computer usage or if you find an interesting way of using the computer.