Q. How do I capture a screen shot?
A. In Windows 95 and later, you can just hit the Print Scrn button that is over by your number pad. This will capture the whole screen and copy it to the clipboard. In case you just want to print and capture the open application, you just hold the Alt key, and then hit Print Scrn. Then just open any image-manipulation program, preferably a Paint program, and paste it into it. In any Macintosh OS, press Command + Shift + 3. This will save your screen shot as a PICT file. These are created on the root level of your hard drive. The first one will be named Picture 1, the second Picture 2, and so on. Double-click on them to open them in SimpleText; then select Print from the File menu.
Q. Whenever a certain person sends me e-mail, it is delivered straight into the Deleted Items box, rather than the Inbox of Outlook Express 5. It doesn't matter if it comes in alone or with other e-mails--theirs goes directly to the deleted bin.
A. I believe that you may have inadvertently placed that person on a block list. There are ways in Outlook Express 5 to put mailers directly into the can, so to speak. Open Outlook Express 5, go to Tools, select Message Rules and Blocked Senders List, then check to see if that person's e-mail address is in there. (If only it were that easy in personal relationships.)
Q. I sent a Word document as an attachment, and the receiver's virus-detecting software stopped it. After much detective work we found that the virus is called W97m.marker. I'm wondering how harmful it is and if I can open it to recreate the document and send it again. It is the only copy I have.
A. Word Macro viruses are very common, and thankfully more of a pain in the butt than a threat. With almost all Word Macro viruses, just run an antivirus program with updated definitions to remove the virus from your system. Normally, this virus can be removed with no loss of data. Unfortunately, you can't just recreate the document, because the virus infects the file that creates all Word documents.
Q. I just purchased a used computer with Windows 95 installed. I made a startup disk, but I cannot start Windows from it. The error message reads: "VFAT Device Initialization. A device or resource required by VFAT is not present or is unavailable. VFAT cannot continue loading." What files are needed for this disk to boot properly?
A. As odd as it may seem, there is no problem with the floppy. Your system is probably not set up in the BIOS to boot from the floppy drive. That error you are getting is coming from your hard drive; there is some file corruption in Windows. To fix this, you should enter into your BIOS by restarting, hitting F8 on boot up, and typing F1 or Delete. Once in there look for a line that shows boot order; change this to A, C. This will cause it to boot from a floppy if one is in there. After that, you will probably need to reinstall Windows to get operational.
Q. The number pad on my keyboard doesn't work unless I hit the Num Lock key. How can I make this stay on all the time?
A. Restart the computer and type F8, enter your BIOS by typing F1 or Delete, then find the BIOS screen that has an option such as Num Lock Boot Status. Change this to On.
This month's questions were answered by Special Agent Tyler Shaw. The Geek Squad tech@geeksquad.com recently published "The Geek Squad Guide To Solving Any Computer Glitch" (Simon and Schuster).
