Sarasota PC Monitor

Review Chairmans Industry Comments (04/02)

Reviewing Software

by Herb Goldstein, Review Editor

E-mail comments, suggestions, etc. to Herb Goldstein at: revieweditor@spcug.org

PLEASE HELP US! The $3 Bargain Table has turned out to be one of the star attractions at meetings. Members have been scooping up computer manuals, previous versions of a plethora of software, and more. Along with the Special Drawing, the proceeds from these activities goes toward paying the healthy rent we pay each month to the school for the use of its meeting facilities.

Donate the software, books, and other computer related items you no longer use. Please bring it to the software review table at the meeting. If it's in good condition and of relatively recent vintage, we will put it in the drawing. If it's older, we will put it on the $3 Bargain Table. Either way you will be helping your organization and making some other member very happy. Please pitch in. We need your help!

SOME XP TIPS. To begin with, please understand that I don't use XP myself. As I have been telling you for 4 months now, I object strongly to the arm-twisting Windows product activation feature that limits your installations to one computer. Even more so, too much of my peripherals and software is incompatible with it. It presents a writing problem for me in trying to keep those of you current XP users informed about an operating system with which I have no personal experience. Until and unless that somehow changes, please be aware that advice and information I give you on XP is from reliable sources, but not directly from me. Here are some useful tips gathered by the well-known writer, Scott Finnie:

1. Keep Your Favorite Programs at the Top of the Start Menu-Windows XP's Start Menu automatically populates with program icons based on the last programs you launched. But what if you want to make a program stay on Start permanently? You can make it permanent by pinning it to the top area of the Start Menu, ensuring the program will cannot be bumped by other programs, even if you use the others more frequently. It's easy to do. If the program isn't already on the lower area of the Start Menu, launch it to add it there. Then right-click the program icon and select "Pin to Start menu." The program will be moved permanently to the top part of Start. Change your mind? You can right-click it again and choose "Unpin from Start menu."

2. Customizing Explorer Folders-Every Windows XP folder provides a list of contextually-selected hyperlinked tasks to the left of the folder contents. For example, the "My Pictures" special folder offers a list of "Picture Tasks" that are unique to the folder. What you might now know is that you can use a folder type as a template for other folders. This feature also lets you change the icon of a specific folder, and Microsoft has added several new folder icons with descriptive images. And your changes can also affect all subfolders. Follow these steps to try it:

Now, when you open the new folder, it will contain a hyperlinked task list common to the type of folder you selected as the template.

Microsoft includes several folder types, including Documents, Pictures, Photo Albums, three types of Music folders, and Videos. One thing XP still doesn't offer is a way to make color-coded folder icons - something many people would like to do, and that the Mac has offered for years and years. Oh well. Maybe next time.

XP INSTALLATION ADVICE. If you have decided to overcome my objections and take the plunge into XP, don't make a move without looking at the super installation advice offered by PC World at http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,78043,tk,cxb,00.asphttp://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,78043,tk ,cxb,00.asp

BEWARE THE UPGRADE MONSTER. There has been a flurry of late to upgrade software applications to make them more compatible with XP. The problem with many is that in so doing they become less compatible with Windows 98/95/ME. Because it's newer does not necessarily mean it's better. Be vary wary of upgrades by ascertaining that the newer version contains something you really want and need or you stand a good chance of introducing more problems into your computer life. The infallible rule is that if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

DIGITAL IMAGING: Wide-Angle Tips and Tricks Eliminate distortion, remove fisheye effects, capture video from a VCR. http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,80884,tk,cxb,00.asp

GUESS WHO'S IN THE MIDDLE? By far the biggest complaint we have been getting about Windows XP is incompatibility with a user's hardware. Commonly used printers and especially scanners seem to boast the biggest problems. XP users have complained vehemently to Microsoft who in turn have advised them to complain to the manufacturers of the device. The manufacturers have countered by throwing the blame on Microsoft and in many instances providing (or not) drivers that either don't work or whose installation would confound Methuselah.

POWERPOINT 2002 USERS who are looking to create media-rich presentations will enjoy Microsoft Producer for Powerpoint 2002. As long as you have a registered copy of it on your system you can download and run Producer for free! It's a terrific package. Get it at microsoft.com/office/powerpoint/producer

YAHOO SENDS MAPQUEST PACKING. Yahoo said recently that it has stopped using AOL Time Warner online street-finder unit MapQuest and has instead created its own mapping service. Yahoo's service, which continues to look and operate like the one powered by MapQuest, is built on data providecnd by Navigation Technologies, Geographic Data Technology, and software application providers Telcontar and Sagent Technology

DIGITAL PHOTO TIPS. Special Effects With Text and Photos Paint with text, add borders, connect a camera and telescope. For these and a passel of additional imagery tips, see the enlightening article at http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,80905,tk,cxb,00.asp

PCMEDIK is a shareware tool for all which modifies your computer settings to prevent crashes and optimize performance. Works with all major computer and computer processor manufacturers. The software publisher claims it will increase your performance and prevent crashes. You can find it and a number of other interesting shareware tools at http://www.pgware.com/products.html

YOU GOTTA BE CRAZY to turn your computer on without having both an antivirus program and a firewall in place. We have said it so many times, I am amazed that some of our users keep asking about them, so it bars repeating .

An antivirus program is only as good as its last update. New Viruses come out daily and antivirus programs update at least weekly. Do you have the latest update to yours? Do you have one at all? Get cracking! The antivirus software we recommend it PC-Cillin. It simply does the job and offers better protection than any other.

We have had an unusually large number of our members who have not heeded this advice come down with virus infected, inoperative computers of late. Most of these viruses were contracted by opening infected e-mail attachments. I personally make it a point to NOT open any attachment unless I know who it's from and I am expecting it!

Hackers are easier to control. Just go to zonelabs.com, download and install Zonealarm. It's free and is the best anti-hacker tool you will find. Don't procrastinate. Do it today!

ZONE ALARM PRO VS. STANDARD. Many of you have been questioning whether to upgrade Zone Alarm from the standard free edition to the Pro $40 version. If you are a desktop user, the free version is more than all you will need. The Pro version contains business network features which desktop users don't need or have any use for.

SPEED UP YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION with the top-rated Tweakmaster shareware. It will appreciably shorten your download and Internet access times regardless of whether you are using DSL, cable, or telephone connection by tweaking and optimizing the various settings on your computer related to online performance. You will find it at tweakmaster.com. Try it for free. The tab is $20 if you like it and want to keep it.

BROWSER BLUES? Tired or fed up with Internet Explorer and Netscape. Here's a free browser that gets rave reviews. Opera is a fast, user-friendly, versatile Internet/intranet browser that also includes a newsreader. Opera features integrated search and instant messaging, support for new JavaScript versions, e-mail support, and more. This version has a new user interface with a new start-up dialog and new default buttons, skins, and panels in a blue and white color scheme that can be changed back to classic Opera look or another design. Opera's new looks are complemented with exciting features such as the Personal Bar and Pagebar, hotclick, improved window handling, bookmarks search, redesigned preferences, new shortcuts, extensive drag and drop, and support for Unicode and LiveConnect. Get it at opera.com

THIN FLATSCREEN LCD MONITORS are becoming the new sensation in desktop PC equipment as their cost spirals downward to less than a third of what they were as we predicted over a year ago. In fact they are becoming standard equipment among some PC manufacturers. They offer desktop users a passel of advantages. They take up very considerably less desk space, are much lighter than standard CRT monitors, and provide sharper, brighter text and graphic images.

The 15-inch varieties offer the lowest prices, while 17 and 18-inch models are becoming the most popular. The ViewSonic VG171 17-incher takes the top rating spot and will set you back approximately $769 street price. Among the 18-inch variety, the top spot goes to the ViewSonic VG181 selling for $949. Both of these offer the best price-performance ratio among their peers. Not too long ago a decent flat screen LCD would set you back some $3,000.To their credit, many models of these monitors permit you to swivel the screen either vertically or horizontally for your choice of portrait or landscape viewing.

On the downside, the display on these monitors will degrade as you increase your viewing distance and angle, so your location in front of your screen is of significant importance. Another disadvantage is momentary blurring as you scroll, and icons that leave trails as you move them. Among their few malfunctions are dead pixels from bad transistors which leave either a permanent dark or bright spot on your screen. Most models come with a 3 year warranty and are easier to physically put in their box to ship back to the vendor for repair.

For additional info on big flatscreen monitors, particularly the 17 and 18 inch varieties, go to http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,78066,tk,cxb,00.asp

For excellence in a more commonplace CRT monitor, look at NEC-Mitsubishi's MultiSync FE700+ It has a flat screen to cut down on glare, and at $209 it's priced about $40 less than most other 17-inch, flat-screen CRT monitors. What's more, it has top notch image quality on both text and graphics.

USER GROUP DISCOUNT on MS Press Titles All user group members are entitled to 20% off all Microsoft Press books. To receive your discount, place your orders by phone by calling 1-800-MSPRESS. Give them the code MCPC to identify yourself as a user group member and receive 20% off.

BUDDYPHONE. Call people free over the Internet, share files with them, and more, using this full-featured program. http://clickthru.online.com/Click?q=eb-HlzoQkDSIXOklrRBmVUJYZ2J

WINDOWS EXPLORER is the right arm of any user other than rank novices who don't yet know what to do with a file manager. If you are a Windows Explorer user, you need to go to ontrack.com and download its replacement, the free powerful PowerDesk 4 that puts Explorer to shame. In fact, you will in short order be sufficiently impressed to download the enhanced version, PowerDesk pro, at a cost of $18. Believe me- it will be the best $18 you'll ever spend. PowerDesk utility is unquestionably the most frequently used software on my computer where it handles a hundred and one vital jobs.

HOW SMALL? Video cameras are currently being developed that are no larger than a sugar cube and about the thickness of a pencil. Even smaller models will fit into a pair of glasses. Can computers be far behind?

TELEMARKETER PROBLEMS? If those annoying phone calls at the worst possible times get under your skin, take heart; you are not alone! Here's some interesting thoughts on telemarketers and some suggestions for fighting the problem. You will find them at http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,9055,tk,sbx,00.asp

WINTERCOOLER is a free utility to help you keep your system healthy and responsive by monitoring CPU usage, RAM consumption and Internet connection speed. It gives you a detailed overview of your hardware and software configuration. It frees memory so your applications will run faster and smoother. It can speed your Internet connection up to 350% faster. Now it fully supports Windows XP and it comes with a brand new memory defrag. zdnet.com/downloads

A QUICK DICTIONARY and thesaurus awaits your needs at yourdictionary.com. There's where you will also find links to a bevy of foreign language dictionaries, rhyming dictionaries, quotation collections, word games, translations, and a whole host of reference materials.

DIGITAL VIDEO CAMCORDER ENTHUSIASTS who edit their own videos will want to try Pinnacle Systems Studio 7 software. It is the top rated and most user friendly software for editing videos.

SO MUCH FOR PRIVILEGED PRIVACY! The New York Times' internal operations network was on the receiving end of an unauthorized visit recently by Adrian Lamo-the curious hacker who has hit such high-profile companies as Yahoo, Microsoft and Excite@Home. Lamo said he viewed employee records-including Social Security numbers-and accessed the contact information for the paper's sources and columnists, including such well-known contributors as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former Marine Col. Oliver North, and hip-hop artist Queen Latifah.

GOZILLA is a popular utility for enhancing Internet downloads, but be aware that it comes with a little-known fault, GoZilla also collects user demographics, keeps an eye on where you surf and tracks your online activity.

THEY KEEP ASKING. Regardless of how often we answer the question, folks still ask how to get rid of the annoying Windows (9x and ME) password logon dialogue box. So once again, here it is:

1. Click Start, Settings Control Panel.

2, Double-click the Network applet.

3. On the Configuration tab, select Windows Logon as the Primary Network Logon, then close the dialog box.

4. Delete any file in the \Windows folder with the extension .pwl.

5. Reboot.

The password prompt will appear one last time. Press Enter (don't press Escape) and you'll never see it again.

NEWS BUFFS should go to infogate.com to get constantly updated headlines from a variety of popular news sources. You can even have it forward them to your cell phone or pager.

PUREMAIL V3.0 This free utility is the ultimate spam solution. It only allows messages that have a specific password in the subject through to you. Everything else gets deleted. Does that sound a little tricky? Well, kinda. When it works, it WORKS.

If you'd like, you can allow certain senders to bypass this function (when was the last time you got spam from your grandmother, anyway)?

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/2098/pm-download.htm

GROUPS.GOOGLE.COM permits you to search over 700 million messages posted to Usenet groups over a period of many years. It's a great source for referencing just about anything on any topic.

ICQ A new update of the popular chat tool lets you chat, send files, play games, and surf the Web with friends. ICQ, of course, stands for "I seek you." It lets you do just that by entering your buddy's name, nickname, e-mail address, or ICQ number and also lets you set up buddy lists so you'll know when your friends are online. In addition, the program gives you a record of every communication sent or received, in case things turn sour and you end up in court (an unlikely occurrence, one would hope.) This program features ICQphone, which lets you make PC-to-PC or PC-to-phone calls. Other useful features include a quick-launch bar, ICQmail, and Web search. It also supports a variety of firewalls. Features new to this version include a spelling checker and the ability to share directories with friends in your ICQ Contact List. You can also pick and choose the features that you want, and the Contact List is now saved on ICQ's servers.

Version: 2001b 5.18 Build #3659 Price: Free Download ICQ now at:

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,5255,tk,hsx,00.asp

This update of the popular chat tool lets you chat, send files, play games, and surf the Web with friends. ICQ, of course, stands for "I seek you." It lets you do just that by entering your buddy's name, nickname, e-mail address, or ICQ number and also lets you set up buddy lists so you'll know when your friends are online. In addition, the program gives you a record of every communication sent or received, in case things turn sour and you end up in court (an unlikely occurrence, one would hope.)

This program features ICQphone, which lets you make PC-to-PC or PC-to-phone calls. Other useful features include a quick-launch bar, ICQmail, and Web search. It also supports a variety of firewalls.

Features new to this version include a spelling checker and the ability to share directories with friends in your ICQ Contact List.

You can also pick and choose the features that you want, and the Contact List is now saved on ICQ's servers.

Version: 2001b 5.18 Build #3659 Price: Free Download ICQ now at:

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,5255,tk,hsx,00.asp

SYSTEM INFORMATION. If you're interested in learning more about your system and its components, click the Start Button and select Run.

Type MSINFO32.EXE and Windows will run a program that gives you more information than you ever wanted to know about your system.

EFAX MESSENGER PLUS. Here's a freeware solution to a common problem. Have you ever sent a document to a friend only to find that they couldn't open it because they didn't have the application it was made in? This free utility lets you create a file that you can send to anyone by e-mail or fax. Simply go to the print menu and choose Messenger Plus from the list of printers to create the file. A printer and viewer feature built into the resulting file lets the recipient print the document exactly as you sent it. Free Download eFax Messenger Plus now at:

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,7313,tk,hsx,00.asp

REMOVE is a shareware program for removing applications from the Add/Remove Programs area of the Windows Control Panel. Remove allows you to select any program from the Add/Remove list and uninstall it, modify it, or remove it from the list altogether. Simply right-click the program you want to remove and select an option from the drop-down menu. http://www.webdesignsalonen.com/software/english/

CACHEMAN is a performance enhancement and memory recovery utility. By optimizing the Disk Cache and other system settings, it can prevent frequent swapping of data to the hard drive, resulting in improved performance, system reaction time, and system stability. Cacheman also corrects generic problems on systems with more than 512MB of RAM. Wizards are included to help new users learn more about tweaks and their effects. outertech.com

PHOTOGRAPHY HELP IS YOURS at photographytips.com. You will find valuable and interesting information here for taking and editing both still and video pictures. Megapixel.net is also a vauable source for digital camera enthusiasts.

UNCLE SAM will provide you entree to a whole host of federal government sites and information at firstgov.gov.

EMERGENCY RECOVERY SYSTEM. Computer crashes can do more than just destroy your applications and documents-they can also trash crucial Registry and system settings. Emergency Recovery System lets you schedule or manually execute backups of your files. This utility creates batch files that back up your Registry .dat files, profiles, and other important system files. If your system is corrupted after a crash or after a program is installed, you boot into DOS, run ERS, choose the backup settings that you want to restore, and ERS returns your computer to its healthy state. You can also schedule and compress your backups.

Version: 9x Price: Free trial; $20 to purchase Download Emergency Recovery System now at: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,2451,tk,hsx,00.asp

...Microsoft recently said it would deliver the first major update to Windows XP as early as the third quarter.

DEBUGGING XP. Microsoft recently said it would deliver the first major update to Windows XP as early as the third quarter. Microsoft plans to present some significant technology enhancements, along with the bug fixes that it typically includes in updates or service packs to operating systems such as Windows NT and 2000. A service pack is a cumulative collection of fixes and updates for a desktop operating system that otherwise would be available as separate downloads.

RESELLERRATINGS.COM is the place to go to see how the reseller you expect to order from is rated by their customers. This is an important tool you may want to take advantage of before you buy.

CAR TALK, the popular weekend National Public Radio show offers the same informative and entertaining info on all things automotive at cartalk.cars.com.

MUSIC OF THE 80'S will take you back in time at radiotower.com. It includes links to over 1300 online radio stations from more than 80 countries.

SHARPEN YOUR CULTURE at aldaily.com which offers fascinating articles daily culled from publications world-wide. It's a thinking person's cornucopia.

MAILWASHER is your free e-mail inbox solution. Not only does it allow you to preview multiple accounts and all aspects of your emails before you download them, it also allows you to delete, and bounce emails back to the originator as if you didn't exist - great for privacy as the sender will receive an email to say the address was unknown just like a bounced message. Using this you will see a large reduction in the amount of spam and unwanted email you receive over time. Another feature is heuristic checking, which helps identify and mark emails as normal, virus, possibly virus, possibly spam, probably spam, chain letter, and blacklisted so you can deal with the emails as you wish. Other features are blacklist (which you can add to manually or automatically, and never hear from that person or spammer again), comprehensive customisable filters, use of MAPS RBL to identify spammers, multiple accounts, visual and auditory notification of new emails, heuristic checking to detect viruses and spam, minimization to system tray and much more. Comprehensive online help is available on the Website.

Compatible with POP3 servers. This is a full version with no restrictions, but donations are gladly accepted. Check out the Website www.mailwasher.net if you need to know more and for a screenshot.

JIGSAW PUZZLES your cup of tea. You'll find all you can handle and then some at jigzone.com. You can even automatically solve those that befuddle you. Crossword puzzle fans need to go to puzzlechoice.com for their enjoyment.

MP3 CD ORGANIZER helps you get all your MP3 files organized for free. It has powerful functions to search for and create a database of your MP3 files. Organizer also front ends Winamp for easy playback of the songs that you have put on the playlist. To make your own favorite list of songs for fast playback later, Organizer can write playlist files, save and edit ID3 tags, and create HTML documents with your list of songs. Get it free at mp3cdorganizer.com

FRESH DOWNLOAD is an easy-to-use and very fast download manager software that turbo charges downloading files from the Internet, such as your favorite software, mp3 files, video files, picture collections, etc. Unlike any other similar utilities, this software is 100% free, no charges, no banners in the software (which steal your bandwidth) , no spyware.

Key features of Fresh Download:

Quite impressive, especially for free! www.freshdevices.com

3 MORE DOWNLOAD SPEEDUP APPS. Here are 3 more free apps that will appreciably cut your download speeds. Find them at zdnet.com/downloads:

1. FlashGet splits files you're downloading into parts, and then downloads all the parts simultaneously. This significantly reduces the time it takes for you to receive the program. FlashGet also resumes interrupted downloads, and helps you organize your downloaded files on your PC.

2. Download Accelerator connects to multiple servers and downloads different parts of the file from each server, greatly increasing download speeds. It also restarts interrupted downloads, and lets you automatically save files to different directories based on their extensions.

3. NetAnts accelerates the rate at which you can receive a file by downloading it from multiple sites simultaneously.

In addition, it integrates with your browser and lets you schedule your downloads.

SOME SITES FOR INQUISITIVE EYES - Stay tuned. More next month:

In addition, it integrates with your browser and lets you schedule your downloads.

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Copyright 2002. This article is from the April 2002 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 1,300+ 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.