Unlock Pages for iOS’s new features
any effect, so we dug a little deeper and discovered that the problem might be linked to the Acer’s trackpad settings. Go to ‘Start > Settings > Devices > Mouse & touchpad’ and click ‘Additional Mouse Options’ to access the old Mouse Properties Control Panel. There should be a Device Settings tab on the right — switch to this and click the ‘Settings...’ button. Look for a Pinch Zoom setting, then untick Enable Pinch Zoom, click Apply followed by OK and this will hopefully disable the pointer’s ability to magnify the screen.
[ OFFICE APPS ]
Trouble with Mail configuration
I’m trying to use Mail in Windows 10 and cannot make the server alterations required to send mail through another account. Where can I find them please? [ COLIN TRAVIS ]
Rob Mead-Green replies: Sadly, it isn’t possible to configure an email account in Mail to send messages through a different mail server, so instead, we pointed Colin towards eM Client, which is available at www.emclient.com. To do this yourself, go through the eM Client setup wizard to configure your account and you should find that it will fail the sending mail test. At this point, you may be prompted to enter your outgoing account credentials, but if not, click the Menu button and choose ‘Tools > Accounts’. The next step is select your account and then switch to the SMTP tab to input the details of your outgoing server. Here choose ‘Use these credentials’ before inputting your new email account’s username and password. You’ll now be able to send your emails. [ WINDOWS ]
Personalise an old PC
I’ve been given a second-hand PC by my son, but I’m unable to set up my own user account. Can you help me? [ RON EDWARDS ]
Alex Cox replies: We would always advise restoring Windows to its factory settings. If the PC you’ve been given didn’t come with a recovery or installation disc, look for an option when you first boot to access recovery options, which should include an option for returning the PC to its defaults using recovery files stored on a small partition on the hard drive. Why do this? First of all, you remove all traces of the previous owner and return the PC to its initial state, ready for a new user. Second, it should remove any software installed on the machine that shouldn’t be there, namely commercial programs left behind for which you don’t have the original media or licence. Returning the PC to its factory settings also gives you a blank canvas to work with: you can then update the machine yourself, install security software on it, if applicable, and then customise it either for a generic user or for the specific someone who you intend passing on the PC to.
[ MAC ]
External drive trouble
When my iMac crashed today, its logs were full of messages about “Failed to composite image for descriptor” errors prior to forcing its shutdown. I also saw some repeated errors from the kernel about a “disk1s2: I/O error”. I’ve only recently upgraded to El Capitan: does this indicate an incompatibility with it? [ MARK SYDER ]
Howard Oakley replies: The upgrade process may have brought on your problem, but the more critical and worrying of those error messages are those relating to disk1s2, which is likely to be an external hard drive. Input/output errors like this are normally the result of a serious issue with a drive, possibly even complete drive failure or a defective electrical connection. Ensure both ends of the drive’s connecting cable are fully inserted into its ports, and that the cable is a good one. Check the drive using Disk Utility first, and perform any necessary repairs. If that reports a SMART status error or other hardware failure that can’t be fixed, eject the drive and shut it down immediately. Several utilities, such as the excellent DriveDx, can provide you with more details about SMART warnings, errors and other faults, but once your drive has failed, there is little point in holding a post mortem. If the drive hasn’t died, it might still be recoverable. When you have a replacement, you might be able to salvage the old drive’s contents and copy them over to your new one.
WE WOULD ALWAYS ADVISE RESTORING WINDOWS TO ITS FACTORY SETTINGS. YOU REMOVE ALL TRACES OF THE PREVIOUS OWNER AND RETURN THE PC TO ITS INITIAL STATE, READY FOR A NEW USER.