InBox

By DON McALLISTER

Welcome to InBox, where we attempt to answer your internet questions.

Q. Jill asks Inbox if many Xtra users have been frustrated by the large influx of unsolicited spam mail. Even though she is using MailWasher, it's still frustrating dealing with it daily.

A. Jill, you are not alone. Spam is a problem with nearly all providers, not just Xtra. Spammers realise that a small percentage of contacts from these bulk mail-outs can result in substantial returns. For example, a million emails with a reply success rate of 1 per cent for a US$10 product will return US$100,000 - not bad, eh? With that sort of motivation the situation will probably get worse, not better. But there are signs that some internet providers have realised something has to be done. Ihug is offering an anti-spam service for $4 a month. We would be interested in users telling us how well it works.

Q. Sue found a web page that had colours so similar she couldn't read the text. "Can I change the colours, or should I just give up on viewing it?" she asks.

A. Try highlighting the text, Sue. Click your mouse at the page top and drag it to the bottom. The text shade will reverse, and in most cases can be read with ease.

Q. "What does he mean and how do I check this via the internet?" asks Len, who was told by a friend to use the internet to confirm a company is legitimate before dealing with it.

A. The New Zealand Companies Office search engine provides an excellent tool to identify registered companies, Luke. If a company or its directors can't be found there, they are not a registered trading company. Searches are free, but for more detailed information you pay $2 per item. Hint: click on Documents for more free information.

Q. Elaine's elderly eyes struggle to view the tiny text in Microsoft Messenger and she would like to make it bigger.

A. Change the font settings, Elaine. Go to Tools/Options/Personal/Change font. Under Size, select a larger number and hit OK.

Q. Maree's "tweaker" nephew visited recently, resulting in Internet Explorer refusing to behave. Unfortunately, she has no idea what he's changed.

A. Microsoft thought of this scenario, Maree, and provided a button to restore Internet Explorer's default settings. Go to Tools/Internet Options/Programs. Hit the Reset Web Settings button.



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