|
I
have a Question
Question:
Windows 98 had a useful utility called System File Checker. I upgraded
to Windows 2000, and it doesn’t appear on my Accessories menu
anymore. What’s the story? Does Win2000 have some other utility
that does what System File Checker used to do in Win98?
Ermias Wondimu
Addis Ababa
Answer:
We agree that System File Checker is sometimes useful, and we’re
glad to report that it is, in fact, included as part of Win2000.
SFC scans all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions
with correct ones and can occasionally repair annoying and inexplicable
behaviors, such as random system freezes. Keep in mind, however,
that whenever you replace a system file, there’s always a
chance that you’ll make matters worse. This may be why Microsoft
chose not to include SFC with WinMe. It may also explain why, although
the company included it in Win2000 and WinXP, it is hidden away
and not easy to launch. This way, only folks who know what it is
and are willing to incur the risks associated with it will find
and use it. As you mention, it is easy to launch SFC in Win98: click
Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and System Information,
then click the Tools menu in the window that appears and select
System File Checker. In Win2000, you’ll first need to open
a command prompt window (click Start, Programs, Accessories, and
Command Prompt). At the C> command prompt (where C: is your primary
hard drive), type sfc and press ENTER to bring up a list of SFC
commands and instructions for using them. For example, typing sfc/scannow
and pressing ENTER starts SFC in its most commonly used mode. We’d
recommend against using SFC unless you have good reason to do so,
as it is time-consuming and, as previously mentioned, presents some
risks unless you know exactly what you’re doing.
Question:
I can’t open the many files I downloaded from the Internet
that end in .PDF [Portable Document Format] file extensions. What
can I do?
Elsa Alemayehu
Dire Dawa
Answer: These are files in the Adobe Acrobat format.
One reason some folks distribute documents in Acrobat format (rather
than as word processor documents) is that Acrobat exactly preserves
their layouts and fonts. In contrast, if we send you a Microsoft
Word document containing an unusual font (one not installed on your
computer), your PC would likely substitute some other font, perhaps
one that is quite different. This way, we couldn’t predict
what our document would look like on your end, as font substitutions
can result in significant layout changes. For example, after a font
substitution, a one-page document may end up having two extra lines
that end up isolated on the document’s second page, leaving
our work looking sloppy and unprofessional. Another reason for distributing
files in PDF format is that users can’t modify your work (PDF
is a read-only format). This avoids the risk of having other modify
your material without your knowledge and passing it on.To open PDFfiles,
you’ll need to download and install a free utility called
Adobe Acrobat Reader. Once you’ve done so, double-click PDF
file icons as you would any other file. To download the latest version
of Acrobat Reader, visit http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
and follow a few simple instructions.
|
|
