Rick Maybury: Houston, we have a problem...

Technical troubles? Our digital doctor, Rick Maybury has the cure

Bird's eye view

Q: I am building an owl nesting box into a barn conversion that I am undertaking, and would like to fit a small keyhole camera to record the activity onto my PC, without disturbing the owls. What software, preferably freeware, and perhaps hardware, do I require to do this effectively?

Kevin Cottrell, Buckland

A: Many webcams come with recording utilities, but lighting may be tricky if you use an ordinary camera. I'd try a security or door monitor webcam or network camera with infrared illuminators. These emit near-invisible infra-red light, which the camera is sensitive to and you will get a good, clear image (in black and white) in complete darkness. Owls and many nocturnal creatures are said to be relatively insensitive to the longer wavelengths of infra-red so it shouldn't worry them.

If the camera doesn't come with suitable recording software, try the Microsoft freebie Webcam Timershot, which records single images at preset intervals, from one per second to one every 999 days. There are more details and a link to the download at http://tinyurl.com/2jhuzt.

Transfer news

Q: Having previously run a Windows 98 PC and subsequently purchased a laptop with Windows Vista Home Premium, I would like to arrange for files to be copied from the old computer to the new machine. Is this possible?
Colin Morgan, by email

A: It can certainly be done and if your old PC had been a Windows XP model it would have been very simple indeed, as Vista has a facility called Easy Transfer for copying files and settings from one PC to another.

Since you have "skipped" a generation of operating systems, it is a little more complicated. One option is to buy an external hard-drive enclosure - about £15 from online sellers - into which you fit the hard drive from your old PC. You can then plug it into the USB socket on your laptop and copy files from one drive to the other.

If your old PC has a network connection, and you have a broadband/Wi-Fi router, you can connect your old PC to that and copy files across the network.

Otherwise there's the ever-reliable Laplink PC Mover, which works on all Windows PCs, back to Windows 95, and even Macs. It sells online for £40 (amazon.co.uk).

Banishing smallprint

Q: I want to print emails, especially ones that contain important details such as flight bookings. But the print is so tiny that it is virtually unreadable. I have to cut and paste into Word, enlarge the font size then print the page.
Dorothy Holmans, by email

A: On a general note it is always useful to know which version of Windows you are using, but assuming it is Windows XP and Outlook Express (or Vista and Windows Mail) then I should be able to help.

For convoluted historic reasons, the print facilities in Outlook Express and Windows Mail in Vista are controlled from Internet Explorer. The usual method to change the size is to open IE then go to View u Text Size and select Large or Largest. It should work at once. If not, exit both IE and OE (or Windows Mail) and reboot the PC for the change to take effect.

On some versions of OE you can increase the print size on a per-message basis by going to View u Text Size in the open message window.

Some printers also have an option to enlarge the size of a printout; if so, you should find this by opening the message you want to print, then going to File u Print and selecting Preferences, which should open your printer's Properties menu. If available it will probably be on the Layout tab: look for an Enlarge or Fit to Page mode.

Screen test

Q: Following your advice about CRT and LCD monitors, I am wondering whether my four-year-old Dell PC will automatically adjust its screen area to widescreen format. Maybe a BIOS update is required? An expansion slot is available on the motherboard, which will presumably accept a separate graphics card.
Peter Munson, by email

A: There's no need to fiddle with the BIOS or buy a new video card. Monitor display format is mainly determined by the resolution setting in Windows. Your PC is fairly new and probably supports several widescreen modes. To check, open Display Properties (right-click the desktop and select Properties u Settings tab) then move the screen resolution slider and you will see the screen icon change size and shape.