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Press F1: Where's the power?

We answer your questions.

By PC World Staff / Wednesday, July 28 2010

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Synchronicity please
What software is available to synchronise data between two devices? I currently use Windows Briefcase and synch to a USB drive, but this creates orphan files.
Margh Brewer

The Sync Center was introduced with Vista as a replacement for Briefcase, which was never designed to manage the vast amounts of data we store on modern PCs. Find it in the Control Panel. If you’re using Windows XP, try Allway Sync (allwaysync.com) or GoodSync (goodsync.com).

Alien attachment
I have a file in My Documents that arrived when I saved an email attachment. The attachment itself has been deleted, but this file cannot be deleted, dragged or moved. It has zero content and no file suffix, and no information is given in the Properties box.
Joe Oldaker

Use Unlocker (tinyurl.com/aud7k) to get rid of the rogue file. This free program specialises in deleting files that have been locked through file system errors.

Hard drive out of bounds
Windows Explorer no longer displays the icon for my external USB drive. Device Manager tells me ‘This device is working normally’, but uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers hasn’t brought back my icon. I use Avast, Spysweeper, A-Squared Malwarebytes, Spybot and Windows Defender.
Keay Smith



First, I suggest you cut back on all the security software. They aren’t designed to work together and may actively conflict with each other and hamper PC performance.

The hard drive issue could be down to several things. Try reinitialising it in Disk Management. Go to Start, right-click Computer•Manage•Disk Management. If the drive is listed there but described as ‘Unallocated’, there may be a fault. Right-click the drive and select New Simple Volume. Follow the instructions given.

It’s also possible that the drive has stopped working. To establish this, try using a different external drive or taking the disk out of its chassis and connecting it to the machine internally.