Helpline

Quanta operates a helpline for its members. Those wishing to submit helpline requests via email or ‘snail mail’ can use the addresses printed inside the front cover of the magazine. Alternatively, just use the message form supplied below. Remember to include your email address for a reply.

We can’t guarantee to answer every query we receive, but we do our best! Where we have been unable to answer a query, we may print it as an open request in the Quanta Magazine to ask if any of our readers can come up with a solution. And, of course, if readers feel they have a better solution than we came up with, or would like to correct any mistakes we make, please let us know!

These days of course there are the QL Forum and QL-Users Mailing List whereby you can ask the pool of experts and users directly. In many cases this results in a quicker and more considered reply. Membership of both lists is free.

You can also browse Helpline columns from past issues of Quanta magazine. In many cases we will have covered the questions already. Here is an overview of what’s been covered and links to those articles.

Quanta Helpline Columns

[Q/A = Questions/Answers]

01 – Archive Programs, and Protection
Archive program save format
Protection – how to remove
Download Quanta Helpline 01

02 Abacus Export-to-CSV conversion (Exp2CSV)
Abacus Export to CSV conversion
Download Quanta Helpline 02

03 – Q/A
BASIC windows filling screen
Extensions in compiled programs
QPC2
Window Manager 2
High colour systems
Download Quanta Helpline 03

04 – Q/A
Fonts
Bitwise operators
QL-Users list, new email address
DATE errors on SMSQ/E
Euro symbol
Zip/Unzip problem
QPC2 keyboard layout
Numeric  INPUT
VGA monitor
QL network
USB floppy and printer
USB interface
Download Quanta Helpline 04

05 – My Black Box Q/A
Cleaning a QL case
Expanding the RAM
PC Networking
Toolkit 2
Noisy microdrives
Plastic feet
PC VGA Monitor
QL to TV SCART cable
Network cable length
Download Quanta Helpline 05

06 – Q/A
Iomega Zip drive
New fonts
Sernet
Adding a new keyboard
PRINT_USING
Rounding to nearest whole number
Menu Extension
Disc Interface replacement manual
Alt-Enter (last line recall)
Error loading and using extensions in same program
Small ads in Quanta
Download Quanta Helpline 06

07 – Q/A
Change case of BASIC name
Mouse scroll wheel
QemuLator mouse and MacMouse
Button_Sleep
Order of items in boot programs
F6-F12 function keys
Updating Easyptr extensions in Appendix Manager
Missing files in DIR DOS1_ list
TFT screens with Aurora
SMSQ/E software compatibility
QSAVEd files on SMSQ/E
Games running too fast on modern systems
Transferring software from floppy to hard disk
Differences between Trump Card and (Super) Gold Cards
PEEK and POKE on modern systems
Download Quanta Helpline 07

08 – Transferring files between QLs and emulators
Download Quanta Helpline 08 

09 – QL Website Favicon
Download Quanta Helpline 09

10 – QLAY, QLTools and QLAY
Download Quanta Helpline 10

11 – Floppy Disk File Transfer
Download Quanta Helpline 11

12 – IF VER$=
Download Quanta Helpline 12

13 – QL Users Mailing List
Download Quanta Helpline 13

14 – What Is SMSQ/E?
Download Quanta Helpline 14

15 – Q/A
Double sided printing
Email attachment filename extension
Hotkey definitions from within programs
Several lines of text on a hotkey
Colour themes
Pointer Environment terminology
PE Idiot’s Guide
Download Quanta Helpline 15

16 – Pointer Environment and Boot programs
Download Quanta Helpline 16

17 – Q/A
Drive/directory where QPC2 has been started from
QPC_EXEC
Floppy disk imaging
QXL.WIN system and QXL.WIN format
QLWA filing system
Download Quanta Helpline 17

18 – Creating a PDF from SBASIC
Download Quanta Helpline 18

19 – _SAV file format and decoding SAV files
Download Quanta Helpline 19

20 – Merge Sorting, Duplicates and Binary Searching
Download Quanta Helpline 20

21 – Zip and Unzip, part 1
Download Quanta Helpline 21

22 – USBprint and QemuLator
Download Quanta Helpline 22

23 – QPC2 Screen Resolution
Download Quanta Helpline 23

24 – Q/A
SuperBASIC, SBASIC and S*BASIC
Converting Word Files
Unzip, large files and  long filenames
QPC2 screen resolution
QPC2 program compatibility
FileInfo II and Xchange Quill files
Download Quanta Helpline 24

25 – Zip and Unzip, part 2
Archivers Control Panel
Unzip Librarian
Download Quanta Helpline 25

26 – Zip and Unzip, part 3
Zip Manager
Download Quanta Helpline 26

27 – Q/A
Order of items in a Boot file
Gold Card with 4 floppy disk drives
Flash memory cards
Alt-Enter problems
Download Quanta Helpline 27

28 – Q/A
Sorting whole numbers
USA QL serial ports
Preventing splitting long URL addresses
QL2K and Unzip, repairing executable file header
Download Quanta Helpline 28

29 – High Resolution and High Colour
Download Quanta Helpline 29

30 – Backups
Download Quanta Helpline 30

31 – Monitors
Scart leads
Simple Video Scalar
GBS-8220 RGB to VGA board
Download Quanta Helpline 31

32 – Job2Bas, converting executables to BASIC programs for transfer
Download Quanta Helpline 32

33 – Abacus files from DOS to QDOS
Download Quanta Helpline 33

34 – Atari Joysticks with QL
Download Quanta Helpline 34

35 – Toolkits and Extensions
DEA – extracting keywords
Joining toolkits – P-Link, Super Kit Merger
Download Quanta Helpline 35

36 – Assembler on QL
Download Quanta Helpline 36

37 – Q/A
RAMdiscs
Add-On Interfaces, replacement manuals
How much memory on an interface
Extensions on disk interfaces
Testing if an extension exists
Download Quanta Helpline 37

38 – Q/A
Reading material for returnees to QL
Download Quanta Helpline 38

39 – QemuLator Q/A
QXL.WIN files
Difference between QXL>WIN and QXL.WIN
Attaching QXL.WIN to drive slots
Transfer microdrive software to QemuLator
QLPAK
Zip and Unzip
How can software tell it’s running on QemuLator
256 colour mode and Gold Card SMSQ/E
qemulator.msi
Registered and unregistered versions
QemuLator on pen drive or CD
QemuLator executables
BEEP and QLSSS (Sampled Sound System)
Which QL ROM versions can be used with QemuLator
Games running too fast
Configuration ignored
Mouse not working
Time/date settings forgotten
Printing last page of a file
Download Quanta Helpline 39

40 – QLPAK files
Download Quanta Helpline 40

41 – Q60 graphics mode on QemuLator
QLPUI
Obtaining special SMSQ/E for QemuLator Q60-style 16-bit colour
SMSQ/E on Mac QemuLator
Download Quanta Helpline 41

42 – QemuLator, Minerva and Games
Download Quanta Helpline 42

43 – Q/A
Rename medium name of QXL.WIN file
WINDOS
Qwirc
Backups
Email
Download Quanta Helpline 43

44 – Problems with zip files derived from QemuLator
Download Quanta Helpline 44

45 – Compact Flash and SD Cards with Qubide
Download Quanta Helpline 45

46 – Synchronising
Download Quanta Helpline 46

47 – Quanta Library Online
Download Quanta Helpline 47

48 – Q/A
AUTO and ED CHAR_DEF and System Fonts New cursors Saving the screen Copy and Paste
Download Quanta Helpline 48

49 – Connect QL To LCD TV/Monitor Via HDMI
Connecting a QL to a modern flat screen TV or monitor with an HDMI input, using a SCART to HDMI converter box.
Download Quanta Helpline 49

If your query has not already been covered in the above articles, please use the form below to send us a message about your helpline query.