Ask Rick: tape transfers, sharing files, US TV, email signatures and editing icons

By Rick Maybury Published: 8:00AM GMT 06 March 2010

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Many computer modifying programs can assistance to iron out fuzz and sound on old cine movie when transferring footage to DVD

Transfer deadline I have eliminated the essence of a series of old VHS tapes to DVD-R disks utilizing my HDD DVD recorder. However, the strange footage suffers from a series of defects, such as blurring and flickering, and this additionally appears on the DVD versions. Is there anything I can do to urge the peculiarity of my recordings? Stuart S, by email

The complaint is that you cant put behind what is not there and majority of the problems you discuss are due to fundamental deficiencies in the equivalent term VHS recording system. That said, rounded off all DVD modifying and authoring packages even the simple ones directed at beginners -- let you tweak your recordings with options to revoke noise, enlarge ill temper and so on. There is customarily a traffic off and as well majority estimate can have a recording see assumed but the value experimenting and you can regularly clout out the unequivocally iffy pieces utilizing the modifying function.

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Exchange tyro I have customarily paid for a laptop utilizing Windows 7 as a backup for my Personal Computer utilizing Vista. Im certain I should be equates to to sell files in between the dual of them utilizing my Belkin Wireless Router but I crop up to be removing nowhere. Bert Seabrook, by email

Believe it or not, networking has essentially been removing simpler with each new recover of Windows but theres still copiousness of event for things to go wrong. Try this easy-to-follow essay on networking and a network tie troubleshooter on the Microsoft website.

US and them I am perplexing to find out if it is probable to entrance US TV around the internet from the UK? The sites are there to capacitate people to see past episodes but they do not concede people outward the US to watch them. Is there a equates to of you do this? Conrad Hobbs, by email

This is the flip-side of the complaint we looked at a couple of months ago, where ex-pats and tourists find that they cannot entrance programs on the BBC iPlayer, and alternative UK-based web TV, when abroad. The simple complaint is that these services the bona fide ones at slightest -- customarily have the rights to tide TV programs and movies in their own regions so they have to shorten entrance from alternative areas. It is probable to have have use of of substitute servers to dope a little web TV services in to desiring you are in the same country, but these companies know all the tricks and customarily retard entrance sincerely quickly. Nevertheless, a freeware module that hides your IP residence does crop up to have slipped by the net and at the time of essay Hot Spot Shield was still equates to to bond to the majority renouned US web TV service, Hulu.com. Incidentally, Hulu are anticipating to enlarge the have use of to embody UK users and this was approaching to occur late last year. It has been behind but an proclamation is approaching soon.

Signing off How can I set up an email signature on my Windows 7 computer? Audrey Town, West Yorkshire

As always, it is utilitarian to know that email module you are using, generally with Windows 7, since it doesnt come with one as standard. If you are utilizing the endorsed Windows Live Mail, the signature setup is rounded off the same as Outlook Express and Windows Mail. You will find it by going to Tools > Options and click the Signature tab. Click the New button, come in the text, email residence or web links that you wish to crop up at the bottom of your emails in to the Edit Signature box afterwards click Set As Default. If you have mixed accounts, click the Advanced add-on to set up apart signatures for each email address.

Icon woes I do a lot of copy and I customarily have have use of of the Print authority idol on the customary toolbar of Word. However I mostly inapplicable designation it for the circuitously email authority that looks really similar. Is there any approach of simply specifying their appearances? Franco Cavallini, by email

You can shift the colour of the Print idol some-more on that in a impulse -- but there are alternative things you can do to forestall mistakes and have it simpler to spot. For example, you could move the email idol out of the way, or reinstate the imitation idol with something some-more eye-catching. To do any of those things you initial have to initial right-click onto an dull piece of the toolbar and name Customize. You will right away find that if you click on a toolbar idol it will be surrounded by a black square; once highlighted in this approach it can be dragged and forsaken in to a new on all sides on the toolbar, so because not move it to the finish of the row? There are dual ways to shift the Print icon. The initial lets you barter it for something some-more noticeable. To do that put the toolbar in to Customize mode once again, right-click on the Print idol and on the menu that appears name Change Button Image and name something from the preference shown; how about the yellow Smiley Face? To utterly redesign the existent idol name Edit Button Image from the right-click menu to open the Icon Editor. Click on a colour (red) afterwards click on each pixel in spin to have the change. Better still, begin from blemish and emanate your own singular icon. Dont be concerned if you disaster it up, the strange idol can be easy at any time from the Customize discourse box; customarily draw towards it from the Commands box and dump it on to the toolbar.