Dr. J:  Visit http://atrpms.net/dist/rh9/mplayer/mplayer.spec.html and download "mplayer".  It's a movie player for Linux.

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Question:  I am seriously considering buying a laptop on a limited budget - up to 40,000 or even 50,000 pesos maybe. Are brands like Neo, Apex, Efio, ECS a good buy?   Another option I am looking at is buying a PDA and just connect the PDA to a flat monitor. Is it possible? Can I use my PDA as my computer and if I make a Powerpoint presentation, I will just connect it to a flat monitor? I hope you can advise this techie wannabe. Thank you. - Ivan.

Dr. J:  You should always consider warranty period and parts availability.  Check what they offer and decide from there.  With regards to whether you can use a PDA as your computer, in principle - YES you can do so.  But you have to remember that PDA's have limited capabilities compared to computers - computing power and memory. 

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Question:  I am an avid reader of TECHNEWS 101 especially your column "Ask Dr. J". Can you give me a programming help or topic about creating and integrating bar code with Visual Basic. Also, Can I possibly create and host a website using only my Windows XP Professional Operating System and its IIS connected to the Internet. Thanks, more power! - Jimmy Bantog.

Dr. J:  You can get a sample code at (http://www.idautomation.com/) and from (http://www.azalea.com/VisualBasic/).  You can also get Barcode ActiveX software for free at (http://www.tec-it.com/barcode/go/barcode_activex_1.htm).  For your next question, Yes it can be done but you need to have a fast dedicated Internet connection with high bandwidth to accomodate huge web traffic.

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Question:  Hey Doc ! My PC has a virus. It corrupts all my program beginning from letter Z - A (i.e. Yahoo-Adobe). I have tried scanning my PC several times but still to no avail I can't get it out. What must I do?  Also, how can I install Linux?  Can you help or tell me where I can get one free? Can Linux run on Pentium 3, 20GB? Can PortableOffice run on Linux?  Thanks. - Darr.

Dr. J:  Make sure you have an updated virus list before you scan your PC.  You can find a list of Linux Live CDs at (http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php).  For Linux documentations, visit (http://www.linux.org/ and http://www.linuxforum.com/).  PortableOffice runs only in Windows 98/Me/2000/XP. 

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Question:  I want to know what to do with my modem problem. Suddenly my computer said my modem has problems with an exclamation point on it.  I removed and reinstalled the drivers but it's still not working.  What is causing this? Could it be spyware? It can't be cause I already have Spybot. I don't know what to do.  Is there anything that I haven't done? Thanks a million. - Charles.

Dr. J:  Check if there are I/O conflicts.  Malwares can also cause it.  My best advice is for you  to bring your PC and modem to a reputable repair shop.

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For your questions, comments and suggestions, send your emails to : AskDrJ101@yahoo.com