Q I have forgotten the Windows log-on password for my PC and so can currently log on only as a guest. How do I reset this?

SM from London

AThere are several means of recovering your password. One example is the www.loginrecovery.com service, which involves downloading some software to extract a file from your PC that contains the encrypted password and then uploading it. The service is free if you wait three days for a reply, or it charges £12.95 for a response within 10 minutes – handy if it’s an emergency. Another option is to buy software called Windows Key for £30.70 from www.lostpassword.com. Once installed, this will reset the main Windows log-on password on your computer.

In general, do note that it's good practice to log on and use your machine in guest-user mode, rather than as an admininistator, as it protects you more effectively against hackers. For further advice on password management, see InGear’s guide at tinyurl.com/3uttca.

Q I am about to inherit a Dell PC, which has the Windows Media Center operating system on it. Do I need a television licence?

NB from Reading

A Only if your new PC enables you to “watch or record television programmes as they are being shown on TV”, say the official TV licensing rules. Watching nonlive catchup TV shows via the internet using, say, the BBC iPlayer or YouTube is not covered. To render you liable to pay the licence fee, your PC must have a working television tuner, which is not always the case with a Windows Media Center PC, unless the machine has been sold as TV-enabled. Merely having the Media Center version of the Windows operating system on a PC does not necessarily mean that it can receive a TV signal.

That said, if you already have a TV licence for your home, your PC will be covered by this. See tinyurl.com/3shyww for details.

Q I was recently given two files to print out from a USB memory stick but I cannot get them to work. The files have a .lnk extension – what is the problem?

JJ from London

A Whoever gave you this USB memory-stick has – by mistake – not provided the actual files for you to print. Instead, they have copied only shortcuts to these files (also known as link files) onto the USB stick, as indicated by the .lnk file extension. You need to get back to the person who gave you the USB stick and ask them to copy and paste the actual files onto it, instead of sending over the shortcuts.

E-mail your technology-related problems, with your initials and home town, to dontpanic@ sunday-times.co.uk

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