Q My broadband is cut off whenever I receive an incoming call. What can I do?
Graham Wilson, Cambridgeshire
A It sounds as though your phones and broadband filters are set up incorrectly with the phone line. Every telephone extension socket in your home that has a phone attached and
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is connected to the same line as the incoming ADSL line should have a special filter plugged into it to ensure the phone and the broadband signal are kept apart. Add a filter to your satellite TV and security-alarm lines too, if they are installed. See tinyurl.com/9puwd for more advice.
BOX OF TRICKS
Q Can I buy two set-top boxes, feed an aerial signal into each, plug one into my television and one into my DVD recorder, then record one channel while watching another?
Peter Atcheson, via e-mail
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A The simple answer is yes, but why bother, when you can now buy an increasingly large selection of set-top boxes or PVRs with two tuners inside them to record and watch separate digital channels? See the Doors guide to time-shifting video recorders at tinyurl.com/b8geq.
MUCH ADOBE
Q Why do I need Adobe to open certain pages on the web?
Dian Fane, via e-mail
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A An Adobe Acrobat PDF (portable document format) is a specially formatted file, often used for storing information on the net. Download the free Adobe Reader software at tinyurl.com/6ip or try Foxit (tinyurl.com/4a4a6), which I find far easier. After installation, you will be able to open all PDF files.
ALL CHARGED UP
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QWhat is the best way to recharge batteries in mobile gadgets?
Mary Gracie, via e-mail
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A A rechargeable battery can only be charged a finite number of times before the chemical reaction stops working. Wait until the battery-level indicator shows only one bar left, or is in the red section, before putting your gadget in the charger. Don’t place these batteries in or near hot places, as you will shorten their life. Check out tinyurl.com/afnde.
dontpanic@sunday-times.co.uk