With Andrew Hardy Director of Brighton-based Rivendell Software

Help needed at the double Q: I just can't get the hang of 'Double Clicking' on programme icons. No matter how hard I try, I am unable to click fast enough to launch the programme. What can I do?

A: There are a number of options open to you. The first is not to double click at all but simply right click on the icon and select 'Open' - this has the same effect as double clicking. The second option is to change the double click speed of your mouse. Open the control panel found on the 'Settings' menu of the 'Start' button. When the control panel is visible, double click (or right click and select 'Open') on the Mouse icon. This will display a dialog that will let you adjust the double click speed. Finally, Windows 98 users can set their desktop to behave like a web page, allowing single clicks to activate programmes. See Windows Help for details on how to do this.

Q: I have accidentally deleted some very important files from my PC. Have they gone completely or is there something I can do to get them back?

A: The first thing to do is to make sure they are not in your 'Recycle Bin'. If they are, right click on the files and select 'Restore'. If they are not in the Recycle Bin, then the situation is a bit more serious. It's not hopeless though. When a file is deleted, it is not removed at all but marked as free space. For this reason it is essential that you do not save any more files on the machine until the attempt to recover your deleted files has been completed. If the files are very important it would probably be best to let someone qualified attempt the recovery of the files. Otherwise, you might try a utility called 'Recover 4 All' that can be downloaded from http://ourworld. compuserve.com/homepages/Kaus/ and costs $49.

Q: My mouse has started behaving erratically. Sometimes the pointer on the screen only moves a little, no matter how much I move the mouse. Is there anything I can do?

A: It is possible that your mouse has worn out. On the other hand, it is more likely that your mouse just needs cleaning. To do this, turn the mouse over and see if it is possible to remove the solid rubber ball (on Microsoft mice there is a frame around the ball that you turn counter-clockwise). Remove the ball and look at the small plastic wheels inside (there are usually two). If they look dirty, carefully clean them, ideally with an alcohol wipe but a slightly damp cloth will also do. Place the ball in a lint free cloth and remove any surface grease. Replace the ball and close the cover. You should see a big improvement!

Do you have any new media headaches that are in need of answers? Contact Net Solutions at evolution@argus-btn.co.uk