Q. My camera can capture movie clips but saves them with a .mov suffix. The problem is that I cannot play these clips on my laptop. What’s the best way to convert them into a format that will run?
RC, Leeds

A. You don’t need to faff around with converting them. The .mov extension indicates that the files are in the QuickTime format, so all you need to do is download Apple’s QuickTime software, the basic version of which is free for Mac and PC owners at apple.com/quicktime. Once you have installed this software, your .mov files will automatically play whenever you click on them.

By the way, I should avoid selecting the option to “download with iTunes included” unless you have an iPod, as this merely adds unnecessary software to your computer.

Q. Most of the keys on the bottom line of my laptop keyboard have gradually ceased to function reliably. This, as you can imagine, is very frustrating. Can you help?
PG, via e-mail

A. It sounds as though the interior of your keyboard is dirty. Over time, the spaces between the keys on a laptop accumulate a surprising amount of dust, dirt and general detritus. The result is that the keys become sticky and operate erratically.

The solution often involves dismantling the keyboard — not a job for novices. One thing to try first, though, is a few blasts from a can of compressed air. Hold the computer upside down and ask somebody else to administer the compressed air as they depress keys in the problem area for better access.

Q. I recently upgraded from Windows XP to a Vista-based computer and now I cannot see any indication of the dates when each of my photos was taken. This is making it impossible for me to keep them properly backed up. What can I do about this?
KE, Hayes, North Yorkshire

A. By default, Vista presents your files in a peculiar manner in Windows Explorer, the main tool by which you navigate folders on a Windows computer. To see more information about your files, fire up Windows Explorer (Start-Programs-Accessories) and, on the main menu bar, click on the Views button repeatedly until it changes to the “details setting”. It will then show dates as well as file names.

Another good trick is to right-mouse-click on the lower tool bar (the one with the “name” and “date modified” information). From here, you can add categories for sorting your files. This is useful if you want to find, say, one type of file, or all files created on a certain date, in a hurry.

E-mail your tech queries to dontpanic@sunday-times.co.uk

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