Sarasota PC Monitor
Review Chairmans Industry Comments (01/01)
Reviewing Software
by Herb Goldstein, Review Editor
E-mail comments, suggestions, etc. to Herb Goldstein at: revieweditor@spcug.org
BE PREPARED! It's more than the Boy Scout Motto. It should be yours as well if you own a computer. You need to be absolutely certain to make an emergency start-up disk for both Windows and for your antivirus software. If you have not already done so, do it today! The second requirement is an up-to-date backup of your system. Without both these items, your impending disaster is a matter of when, not if! Seldom does a week go by that at least one member calls for help when an errant computer won't start-up. Without these crutches, it's usually a hopeless cause. Of course, if you can afford to lose everything on your hard drive and don't mind reformatting it and then reinstalling all your software (if you still have the installation disks around), forget my advice. And don't forget all the updates, service packs, configurations, modifications and heaven knows what else you may have added and need to be reinstalled, if you even remember what they were and how you got them.
ANTIVIRUS ADVICE. Recently, a member called with a plea for help concerning a virus he had picked up on his wife's computer. Unfortunately, I was unable to offer a solution, but admonished him for failure to regularly update his antivirus software. Subsequently, I received the following e-mail message from him:
"Herb, It turned out she had a worm virus called TROJ_NAVIDAD. PC-cillin was installed but was about 3 weeks since last updating pattern files. I was able to access Trend's Website with my laptop, identified the virus (posted 11/10/00), downloaded their fix, which required deleting stuff in the registry and successfully got her PC running again. I remember your saying that a virus program not updated is the same as no virus program. You are so right. I have learned my lesson. Both computers are now current and I will insure that from now on every Friday we will update. Thanks for taking the time to help and thanks especially for the good advice you provide in the SPCUG monthly newsletter."PC-Cillin updates at least once and sometimes twice a week. All other antivirus programs also provide regular updates, but we have found PC-Cillin to be simply the very best there is and the very easiest to work with. It has our top recommendation. If you don't already own it, get it! If you own it, make sure you update it at least weekly!
SERVICE PACK 2 FOR MICROSOFT OFFICE 2000. Get past cures for Office 2000's ills in one convenient pill with Office 2000 SP2. Download the update here: http://cgi.zdnet.com/slink?/upd_pr/upd20001130/14350:683154
RUNNING SYSTEM FILE CHECKER. If you suspect that something is wrong with your copy of Windows 98, one of your first steps should be to run the System File Checker. This program examines your system files and notifies you if it finds something that may be corrupted. The checker is available at Start, Programs, Accessories, System, System Information. From there, choose Tools, System File Checker. To run the program, select Scan For Altered Files and click OK. If something is amiss, you're given the option of restoring the file from your Windows 98 disk, ignoring it, or updating its verification information. Keep in mind that if you choose to update the verification information, you are in effect telling the System File Checker that the file is OK, and it won't be flagged again on any future system checks.
NETSCAPE 6. Although it sports many new and welcome features, beta users report both bugs and bloat in the new Netscape product. Try it at your own risk. You can get it at http://home.netscape.com/download/1113100/10004--_qual.html. For a good rundown on the software, you might want to look at http://www.winmag.com/specialreports/news/netscape6_1114.htm?ls=wmp38. Another good rundown can be found at http://one.digital.cnet.com/cgi-bin1/flo?y=eBIc0Qbz20s0dLo4
As a point of interest, almost 90% of Internet browsers use Internet Explorer
INTERNET EXPLORER 6 will probably be worth your upgrade when it is released. It will be available both separately and as a component of the new Whistler operating system that will replace Windows, and that we told you about last month. IE 6 will be a worthwhile update to IE 5.5 whose currently available service pack bumps it up to 5.6.
INTERNET EXPLORER 5.5 SERVICE PACK. If you are using Internet Explorer 5.5, I recommend service pack 1 to IE5.5 currently available at Microsoft's update site (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/download/ie55sp1.htm). It offers some 14 bug fixes to 5.5. Based on my negative experience with IE 5.5, I previously suggested you avoid it. Having installed the service pack, I am pleased to report that it appears to have solved the problems. Provided you install the service pack, 5.5 gets the green light from me.
FOR EXPERIENCED USERS. Try www.speedguide.net. The site focuses on system performance, with areas including Broadband Internet connections, Windows, Overclocking, all targeted towards a technically aware audience. A large section of SpeedGuide.net is dedicated to Cable Modems and DSL technology, stressing on improving TCP/IP performance over high speed/latency networks.
THE AMOUNT OF SPAM GARBAGE you receive in your email is directly proportional to the number of times you have left your e-mail address at one nosy Web site or another. And once your e-mail address becomes known by them, they commonly share it with numerous other marketers. I make it a habit of rapidly exiting any Website that asks me for personal information, and I strongly recommend you do the same.
SPEED YOUR BROWSING WITH ADSUBTRACT. Keep AdSubtract in your system tray to make surfing the Web a much more pleasant experience. This free utility effectively prevents advertisements from loading in your Web browser, speeding things up considerably. This wonderful ad-blocking feature works for Internet Explorer, Netscape, America Online, and Opera (all version 3.0 and later). Web pages load more quickly and look better, providing just the information you were seeking. You can also use AdSubtract to block cookies and set up five custom sites that differ from your general settings. Other features include logging support, optional sound effects, and proxy support. For more, go to adsubtract.com, or zdnet.com/downloads.
ADJUSTING THE PRINTER TIMEOUT. If you send a job to your printer while it is still warming up, Windows lets you know that there's a problem and then says that it will try printing again after a specific period of time. This period is called the Timeout, and you can adjust it if Windows pesters you about this more frequently than you'd like. Go to Start, Settings, Printers, right-click your regular printer, and choose Properties. Click the Details tab, and you'll see two Timeout numbers at the bottom of the box. The one labeled Not Selected sets the period of time that Windows will wait before it stops trying to send the print job and notifies you. Transmission Retry is the amount of time (following notification) that Windows will wait before trying to print again. Change the settings as you'd like, then click OK.
SWAP FILE SPACE. Some users are disturbed by the space on their hard drive devoted to their swap file. Though it is possible to modify the size of the swap file, we don't recommend it. The swap file is the portion of your hard disk that Windows uses for virtual memory. Whenever your actual RAM is exceeded, Windows uses the swap file to move items in and out of RAM. This operation happens a lot more often than you think, and interfering with the size of the swap file could cause some of your memory-hogging programs to run poorly.
It is possible, however, to move the swap file to another disk or partition you may have, if that helps to free up disk space on your main drive. Right-click on the My Computer icon and choose Properties.
Select the Performance tab and click the Virtual Memory button. Click the Let Me Specify My Own Virtual Memory Settings box, and then select another disk from the Hard Disk list. (Of course, this technique won't be possible if you don't have more than one hard drive or partition). When you're done, click OK and then Close. You'll have to restart your computer before the settings take effect.
NEW PLUG AND PLAY DEVICES. Windows has several ways to detect new hardware. One of them, the 'Add New Hardware' wizard, leaves much to be desired and takes forever besides. As an alternative, go to the Control Panel and select 'System.' Now, select 'Device Manager' and press the 'Refresh' button. This will take a few seconds, but should come up with a nice list of newly installed items. If one is found, Windows will search for new drivers.
NEED A DRIVER, or perhaps a BIOS update. One of the best sites we've seen to find what you are looking for is at http://www.helpdrivers.com/. Not only is the collection exceptionally complete, the information is available in a variety of foreign languages.
SAVE A BUCK. Manufacturer refurbished items are listed at http://www.zdnet.com/computershopper/outlet/.
ANNOYED WITH PASSWORDS? For all kinds of help and shareware that will assist you in remembering and managing passwords, go to http://www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/2000/24.htm?ls=wmp38
THE NEW PENTIUM 4, running at speeds of 1400 and 1500MHz and sporting a 400MHz bus is here and available. Ranging in price from $2,500 to an astounding $4,167, these ultra high-end desktops are absolutely loaded with features, including 128MB system memory, hard drives up to 75GB, and the latest graphics cards with 64MB double data rate (DDR) memory. The main benefit will be realized by gamers, voice entry software users, and those dealing with CAD and other complex graphics applications. If you are a typical business user (word processing, spreadsheet, database), save your money. It won't save you any appreciable processing time over a Pentium 3. Its major advantage is to make Pentium 3 computers available at lower prices.
WINDOWS ME USER? For a wide variety of good tips in using the new operating system, go to http://www.winmag.com/windows/winme/tips/default.htm.
USING TASK SCHEDULER TO OPEN PROGRAMS AUTOMATICALLY. If you always open the same program every time you start Windows 98 (such as your email application), you can designate that program to open automatically every time Windows starts simply by using Microsoft's Task Scheduler. First, open Task Scheduler by going to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks. Then click the Add Scheduled Task icon. Click the Next button and select the application you want to open. Click Next and then choose When My Computer Starts. Click Next, then Finish, and your selected program will load every time you start Windows.
SURF WHILE YOU FLY. One of the more ambitious wireless plans at Comdex came from an unlikely source: Boeing. The airplane manufacturer used the show to demonstrate its plans to bring high- speed Internet access to the skies. Boeing promises to deliver Internet access, along with live television, via satellite to commercial jets beginning next year.
KEEP SHORTCUTS ON YOUR DESKTOP TO START YOUR FAVORITE PROGRAMS. Create a Shortcut: to executable (.exe) programs or data files associated with executables. Launch Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder holding the file you want. Right-click on the file and drag it to the desktop. When the menu pops up, choose Create Shortcut(s) Here. That's it. Now you can launch it much quicker.
PRTSC DOESN'T PRINT SCREEN? The PrtSc (or Print Scrn) key captures your screen image, but doesn't send it to the printer-how inconvenient. Windows copies the image to the Clipboard. So from the Clipboard, you paste it into a graphics program-like Windows Paint-and print from there.
SENDING FLOWERS? It's easy if you go to justflowers.com. Save a trip to a florist and perhaps a few bucks at the same time.
GENEALOGY FANS may want to visit the top site on the subject, ancestry.com
CREATE A SHORTCUT TO A FILE AND PLACE IT ON YOUR DESKTOP. Launch Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder holding the file you want. Right-click on the file and drag it to the desktop. When the menu pops up, choose Create Shortcut(s) Here. That's it. Now you can launch it much quicker.
GET RID OF THE ONLINE SERVICES FOLDER. Though the Online Services folder uses less than 1MB in Windows 98, it's still annoying. The best way to remove it in Win98 is to open Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel and click on the Windows Setup tab. Scroll down to the Online Services entry and remove the check mark. Click on OK. Then drag the Online Services folder from your Desktop to the Recycle Bin.
SPANNING LARGE FILES ON TO MULTIPLE FLOPPIES. Is there any way large files (over 1.44MB) can be broken up into smaller sections in order to save to multiple floppy diskettes? I realize there is alternative hardware available such as zip drives and CDR's, but for those of you not yet up to speed with these new devices, the easiest thing is to compress the file with something like WinZip- which also can span a compressed file across several floppies.
WinZip's "high compression" mode shrinks files a lot: Text files can shrink by half, and some highly-compressible formats (such as some spreadsheets) can compress to 1/10th their original size. That, by itself, may be enough to get a large file on a floppy. But, as the WinZip help file states: "To make a Zip file that spans multiple disks, simply create a Zip file on a removable disk, then add files to the Zip as you normally would. If the disk fills during Add operation, you will be prompted for another disk. Simply insert the next disk and click the OK button." That way, you can create floppy-based archives of arbitrary size. Your only limit is the number of floppies you have on hand. WinZip's home page is at: http://www.winzip.com/
SWITCHING TO WINDOWS ME? Before you upgrade to Windows Me, find out if your most important software will work with the new OS. (Your research may lead to you pass on this OS.) Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't posted a searchable database of compatible programs, but there are "known issues" with some software, as Microsoft puts it. For example, Microsoft's support site lists programs that could cause Windows Me to balk during setup. If you've already installed Windows Me, you can check the Programs.txt file tucked in the Windows folder for incompatibilities or check the list posted on Microsoft's site if you want the details before you install ME. With some software, you may need to dig deeply into a vendor's Web site or resort to calling tech support to unearth the truth about your software.
In some cases, you can fix broken software with a vendor patch, such as the Adobe Photoshop update to the Color Range feature. In other cases, you may simply need to reset some options in your software, as you do with Quicken's printer settings. But drastic measures are sometimes necessary and can include tossing the old program aside and shelling out the bucks for an upgrade.
HARDWARE PROBLEMS WITH ME? According to Windows Magazine's Fred Langa, you need to skim Microsoft's Hardware.txt file for known hardware problems in the \Add-ons\Document\Textfile folder on the Windows Me disc or check out the information online before you run out and buy Windows Me.
Next, check your hardware against the compatibility list on Microsoft's support site. If your hardware shows up by manufacturer or product name, you can assume it's been tested and should work under the new OS, but there are no guarantees. The hardware may be nominally supported, but that doesn't mean that the drivers on the Windows Me CD are the ones you'll need. So, troll vendor sites for Windows Me drivers for your video card, modem, network card, printer, scanner, digital camera, and other key hardware. Ideally, you'll find hardware drivers that the vendor explicitly says support Windows Me. If not, you may have to settle for beta drivers-not a comforting thought.
If you're not intimately familiar with your PC's innards, find out what's inside by opening the System control panel.
Click the Device Manager tab, then double-click each device to see the make and model. (Note: This isn't foolproof.)
Check the manuals that came with your hardware and, if need be, crack open your PC and look.) Your best bet is to download all the compatible drivers you can find before you upgrade to Windows Me so that they'll be ready to use if you need them.
Windows Me includes a digital signature feature that notifies you about hardware or software that's being added to the machine, and it may generate some scary dialog boxes when you install drivers that lack Windows Me signatures. Most Hewlett-Packard printers, for instance, work fine under Windows Me, even though their drivers are Windows 98-era code (and thus lack the Me signatures). If you encounter a Digital Signature Verification dialog box, just select Yes and click OK to continue the driver installation.
When all else fails and you can't locate a Windows Me driver for a failing device, check the Hardware.txt file or the Microsoft site noted earlier for configuration tips. For example, this site tells you that Diamond NetCommander ISDN modem users should disable Multilink PPP, which lets the modem connect at the ISDN's full 128Kbps, and instead step down to 64Kbps. Of course, there may not be any advice-or any drivers or patches-for your hardware. The final solution? Buy a replacement device or revert to an earlier version of Windows.
DISK SPACE AND ME. Windows ME's System Restore does pretty much what its name implies: it restores the machine to an earlier and hopefully stable state. It automatically takes periodic snapshots of your system every 24?hours, after 10 hours of continuous use, or whenever you install or uninstall software. Then, if there's a problem, you can manually return to a point when everything was working fine.
But System Restore is a secret disk space nightmare. According to Langa, when you install Windows Me, System Restore allocates about 12 percent of the disk for storing its snapshots. On a 10GB drive, that's 1.2GB. System Restore uses this space to record one to three weeks of rollback points, depending on how much space is available and the size of software that's installed or removed.
If you want to fly without a net and disable System Restore completely, you can. Open the System control panel and then click the Performance tab, the File System button, and the Troubleshooting tab. Uncheck the Disable System Restore box and confirm your changes. Windows will restart. That's it.
Want to keep a little safety net in place? Open the System control panel, and click the Performance tab and the File System button. In the Settings section, locate the "System Restore disk space use" slider and move it to the left toward Min. The amount of space System Restore consumes is displayed above the slider as you move it back and forth. Cut its appetite to something reasonable. Depending on the size of your drive, you may want to trim it all the way to 200MB, the lowest setting. Click OK, then click in the subsequent dialog box, and you're done.
SOME EMAIL ADVICE.. Misinterpreting email has become an ongoing and vexing problem for a great many people. It can get you into more trouble than you bargained for. There are many times when you may be better off picking up your phone rather than run the risk of your addressee finding meanings in your message that you did not intend. Perhaps it was something you said in humor, or maybe it was something that unintentionally struck a negative note with your recipient. I hear more and more of friendships that have become strained over people getting up tight about some of the messages in their email, often where the interpretation did not ascribe to the actual intentions or feelings of the writer. Email is a marvelous medium-instantaneous and free. All its benefits can become overshadowed and relationships strained by inadvertently offensive wording or content.
There is old advice that recommends avoiding discussion of religion or politics. One of the quickest ways to lose a friend or correspondent is to pass along the humor that is so common in email today on either of these topics to someone whose beliefs or viewpoints may differ from your own. Your intentions may be quite innocent, but you may be treading on someone's sensitivity. Handle with extreme care! :
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Copyright 2001. This article is from the January 2001 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/
The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,600+ members and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc., and we are members of the America Online Ambassador Program.
See http://www.spcug.org for all reviews from the Sarasota PC Monitor, go to the Newsletter Section.