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Q: I run Windows XP, on a Dell.  I have little knowledge of systems, and need to up my volume.  The volume control is at max, but I barely hear any music or voices. I have tried several times via the Control Panel for ways to change it, but have not succeeded.

– George L.
Niceville,FL

 A: There are only a limited number of things that can affect your computer’s audio volume, George.  Do you have powered speakers?  If so, make sure they’re plugged into their power source, turned on, and that their volume is set to a reasonable level.  Second, be sure your speakers are plugged into the correct jack on your audio card.  Your computer can have two or more sets of audio output jacks, and if your speakers are hooked to the wrong one, you might get the symptoms you described.  On your Dell, the speakers should be plugged into the green jack.

 To get at audio options in Windows, you guessed right on the Control Panel.  Go there, and double-click on “Sounds and Audio Devices.”  On the “Volume” tab, be sure that “Mute” is not checked, and that the main volume slider is right of center.  If all these fail to get your audio up, try clicking the “Advanced…” button  This brings up a control that looks a lot like an audio engineer’s mixing board.  Locate the slider for “Wave” and be sure it’s not turned all the way down, or muted.

 If none of this fixes your problem, I’ll need to know more about your hardware before I can offer any other advice.

 Q: None of the recipients of my e-mail that have pictures attached receive the pictures; only the dreaded red Xs.

– Gene R.
DeFuniak Springs,FL

 A: I’m going to make a few guesses here, because you really didn’t give me much to go on, Gene.  Readers, please note, when you write, it helps me tremendously if you provide as much information as possible, for example, the name of the application, which version of Windows, your computer’s make and model, etc.

 I’m going to guess you’re using Outlook Express, and I’m going to guess that you’re sending messages in what is called HTML format.  If that looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen .html or .htm at the end of many internet addresses you type into your browser.

 The problem you described generally happens when OE is configured to send only a reference, or link to a picture, rather than the picture itself.  To force OE to send the actual picture, click on “Tools” then “Options…”  Select the “Send” tab, and under “Mail Sending Format” click “HTML Settings…”  Make sure the box labeled “Send pictures with messages” is checked.

 Next week, I’ll talk about what to do if you’re the RECIPIENT of e-mail where the pictures get replaced with the “dreaded red Xs.”