Sarasota PC Monitor
Review Chairmans Industry Comments (06/02)
Reviewing Software
by Herb Goldstein, Review Editor
E-mail comments, suggestions, etc. to Herb Goldstein at: revieweditor@spcug.org
SSAVE YOUR MONEY! Many of you have asked my opinion on inkjet cartridge refill kits that have frequently been demonstrated at meetings. Consequently, I decided to see for myself. The net result of my investigation is, save your money! Attempting to refill cartridges by yourself is an object lesson varying from complete frustration, to impossibility, to abject obscenity.
Short of a Nebraska pipe bomb, there is no way in hell that you can get the glued cover off the ^#@&~ cartridge with less than a mallet and a blade. If you don't remove your fingers along with the cover, a distinct possibility, it will be so deformed that you will never get it back on again.
Were all this not enough, the next task devised by a sadistic and evil spirit is to fill the sucker with ink. There are two probabilities, too little or too much- probably the latter. Wherever the ink inadvertently goes, it's hell's own business to get it off. That includes your hands, your clothes, your countertop, and the innards of your printer where it will promptly void your warranty and result in a messy repair job whose cost exceeds the original purchase price of the printer.
In a word- DON'T! If you are annoyed, as well you should be, with the outrageous cost of inkjet cartridges, go to your favorite search app (like Google, Copernic, etc.) and look for inkjet cartridges. There are loads of vendors that provide re-manufactured, refilled or other low cost replacements at a fraction of the original price. A little time and effort on your part will save you a bundle.
As for refill kits, buy one and give to someone you hate!
CAVEAT EMPTOR PLEASE! I constantly hear so many tales of woe from users that are unhappy with a software or hardware product that is giving them grief, or a manufacturer that is difficult or impossible to reach for assistance. I've said it time and again.....the most important quality in what you buy is service and support! The complaints we get frequently involve a vendor or manufacturer that is either difficult to reach or unresponsive. So before you commit yourself to a hardware or software purchase that you will be very unhappy with if it turns out to be a clunker, investigate the manufacturer or vendor's service and support. It's not foolproof, but it goes a long way in preventing ulcers later.
Before you buy that new computer or other device, be doggone sure you know and are willing to accept how it will be fixed and who will fix it if you have a problem. What is the return policy? What are the terms of your warranty, and for how long? Will you need to deal with the vendor or the manufacturer? What are the return or repair policies precisely?
What if the software doesn't work properly or if you need help? Do they have a toll-free phone number? One of our members was recently very unhappy with software he purchased at one of our meetings following a presentation. The software publisher had no toll free number, was located in Canada, and had a $14 charge policy for calls to tech support. Would you or anyone else of sane mind have accepted such support policies if you inquired prior to purchase.
We have on occasion reviewed various hardware products in the Monitor. In every instance we ascertained beyond any doubt that the items were completely refundable, no questions asked, during a period of at least two weeks or more. Do they all have such a policy? Heck, no! You need to check carefully before you buy, not rely on protests afterward.
USE CAUTION OPENING ATTACHMENTS. We have been getting more and more complaints lately from members who haven gotten viruses or worms from the most common source...e-mail! You don't get a virus by just opening e-mail. They are not contained within the body of e-mail messages, but come in attachments to e-mail messages. Here's the rule to follow: Never open an e-mail attachment unless you are pretty darn sure you know who it came from, are expecting it, and you have a good idea of what's in it.
Even if you only know that the attachment is in a message from your best friend, you are not safe! For example, many viruses can enter your system and send themselves out in an attachment to all the addresses listed in your e-mail address book without your ever being aware of it. Now, your best friend gets it and thinks its safe to open because it's coming from you. Well, surprise, surprise! It may be coming not from you, but through you, and may contain a virus in its attachment that you are totally unaware of.
Recently, members have received e-mail messages in which the TO: line may or not contain their address, the FROM: line was usually blank or contained a disguised name, and the SUBJECT: line was either empty or had a few words that made little sense. All these messages contained attachments just waiting to be opened by the curious. If you opened it, the virus or worm it contained was yours. Curiosity kills not only cats, it kills computers. Don't be nosy- be safe!
ANOTHER COMMON RUSE. Here's the latest in e-mail "open me, sucker, and I gotcha." You receive an e-mail with an interesting curiosity-provoking subject line like, "here's the information you requested." As soon as you select it, a box appears asking you whether you want to open the message or save it to a disk. DO NEITHER!! Click on "cancel" and delete it immediately! If you either elect to open it or save it, you've been had. The advertisement and or the virus it contains is now yours.
XP PRODUCT ACTIVATION WORKAROUND. Here's a 100% Legit, Partial Workaround For Win XP's Product Activation passed on by noted columnist Fred Langa. It's not a crack or a malicious way to foil Windows Product Activation (WPA), but rather is how legitimate users of XP software can avoid having to reactivate the software after a full install:
The trick is to copy and re-use the c:\windows\system32\ wpa.dbl file. It's small- perhaps just 13K long- so it will easily fit on a floppy. Or, you can copy it to another safe location on your hard drive. Once that's done, go about your reinstallation task normally. After you've reinstalled XP, either boot to a DOS floppy or start in XP's Safe Mode/Command Prompt (i.e. hit the F8 key when your system "beeps" during the boot process). Then copy your original wpa.dbl from its safe location back into the c:\windows\system32 folder, and then reboot.
Because nothing on your system has changed- it's the same BIOS, CPU, RAM, etc., and because you're installing the same copy of XP that was previously installed, the "old" WPA key should be accepted as valid, saving you the hassle of re-activating the software. Note that this won't work if you try moving the file to a different machine, so it's not a way to pirate software. But if you want to simply reinstall a valid and already-activated copy of XP onto the same hardware in which it was originally installed, this may save you from having to re-activate the new installation.
SPELL CHECKER. In regard to my recent apology for misspelled words in my column recently, some of you have asked if I have a spell checker. Please accept my reply:
Eye halve a spelling chequer4.
It came with my pea sea.
It plainly marques four my revue
miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
and weight four it two say.
Weather eye am wrong oar write
it shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
it nose bee fore two long,
And eye can put the error rite.
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it,
I am shore your pleased two no.
Its letter perfect awl the weigh,
my chequer tolled me sew.
-Sauce unknown
PC-CILLIN USERS can download the latest upgrade, PC-Cillin 2002 at antivirus.com. This new version includes many new goodies, including a firewall. Registered users can update for $19.95. We have been touting PC-Cillin in our reviews as the very best anti-virus software available. It still is, as many of you can vouch for as well.
GET RID OF POP-UPS. Other than perhaps spam, few topics produce more annoyance than those irritating pop-up/pop-under ads. Here are some popular remedies:
- NoAds at http://www.southbaypc.com, NoAds allows adding pop-ups to a list to block them in future browsing sessions. It is free, requires no registration, adds no cookies, and doesn't muck up any browser configurations.
- PopupKiller is another recommended program at http://software.xfx.net/utilities/popupkiller/index.html and it closes pop-ups before they can be viewed.
- WebWasher at http://www.webwasher.com is free for personal use, $29 for business use.
There's a collection of several pop-up antidotes at http://technoerotica.net/mylog/optouts.html . Pow! by AnalogX at http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/pow.htm is yet another weapon against these ads.
CLEAR YOUR COOKIES. The good news is that cookies placed on your computer by various sites permit you rapid re-entry to those sites when you want to return there again. The bad news is that many sites use them to electronically check your wanderings and your interests on the Net for whatever nefarious purposes. In my estimation, the bad news well outweighs the good. The decision is yours!
Many cleanup utilities and cookie crushers will eliminate or prevent you from accumulating cookies. If you don't use one, here's how to clear cookies in the most recent versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer. But be advised, if you clear all of your cookies, you may no longer have instant access to sites for which you've registered.
On the IE 6 menu bar, select Tools > Internet Options, then click Delete Cookies, Delete Files, and Clear History. This should take care of all such files on your PC, but you may want to find your Temporary Internet Files folder to make sure no stray files remain. If you're running Windows 2000, you'll find this on your C: drive at Documents And Settings Default User (or Administrator) Local Settings Temporary Internet Files. To check cookie folders, go to Documents And Settings Default User (Administrator and all profile names).
In the Netscape 6.x menu, select Edit Preferences Privacy And Security Cookies. Click the "View stored cookies button," then choose Remove All Cookies. You'll find the Clear History option under Preferences Navigator History. It's also a good idea to clear your cache (Preferences Advanced Cache), which stores copies of sites that you have visited.
A FREE INTERNET EXPLORER ALTERNATIVE. The long-awaited release of Mozilla version 1.0 meets all the expectations for a modern browser, with many features not found in Microsoft Internet Explorer. Mozilla's interface employs the standard browsing paradigm with back, forward, and refresh buttons, but it is skinnable, meaning you can download new looks for it.
One feature that many surfers will find they can't live without is the ability to disable unrequested pop-up windows on Websites. Mozilla also lets you open multiple browser windows and display multiple Web pages in a single tabbed window at the same time.
A very few snags keep this from being a perfect browser, though some of these are acknowledged problems being addressed by developers. The most annoying bug is that scrolling is incompatible with many wheel mice.
Get a free virus check at Trend Micro's site (antivirus.com)
Also, only about six skins were available when we tested it, though we expect that number to increase as users create more. Mozilla performs well, loading pages quickly and making slightly less of an impact on system resources than Internet Explorer. During installation you can choose to install all, some, or none of Mozilla's associated components. These include a decent mail and news client, and a chat client for IRC. Finally, Mozilla is absolutely free, with no built-in ad display or bundled adware. It is compatible with all Windows versions including XP. www.mozilla.org
WINDOWS KEY REVISITED. Perhaps the most neglected key on the computer keyboard is the one with the Windows logo, but it packs a lot of usefulness. Used alone, it opens the Start menu. With R, it launches the Run dialog box, with D it minimizes all open windows or the combination used a second time restores the open applications. With E, the Windows key opens Windows Explorer, with F it searches for a file or folder, and with Tab it changes the focus to other programs open on the task bar. The Windows key with the Break key opens the System Properties dialog box. If you're using Windows XP the Windows key and U combination opens the Utility Manager or, with L, the Windows key locks the workstation for privacy. And lest you forget these or need more information regarding keyboard shortcuts, use the Windows key once more, this time with F1, and enter "keyboard shortcuts."
TWEAKING XP. Hop over to http://www.tweakxp.com/tweakxp/ for the latest version, 1.26, of Tweak XP. This handy program provides over 300 tweaks in six different categories, just about everything you'll need to custom design XP the way you want it. SUSPECT A VIRUS? Get a free virus check at Trend Micro's site (antivirus.com). Look for "HOUSE CALL." It will do a free virus scan for you using the latest version and virus pattern file of PC-Cillin.
AUDIO ENTHUSIASTS will love the latest version of the free and ever-popular Winamp. It plays MP2 and MP3 audio streams, and combines extensive functionality with an intuitive, customizable interface. It has a full-featured playlist editor and a 10-band graphic equalizer with user-definable presets that can automatically load specific files. It also features Windows Media Technology 4.0 input/output support and the industry-standard Fraunhofer MP3 decoder. The latest download no longer includes VIS/DSP plug-ins; you can download them separately on the Winamp site. Version 2.79 features upgraded unzip and decompress support, improved multiple instance detection code, and other minor performance enhancements.
GOOGLE MARCHES ON. A group of advanced Google features many people don't know about are the "Topic-Specific Searches." They're at the bottom of the Advanced Search page, and they offer pre-filtered searches of:
Google Catalog Search - Search and browse mail-order catalogs online Apple Macintosh - Search for all things Mac BSD Unix - Search Web pages about the BSD operating system Linux - Search all penguin-friendly pages Microsoft - Search Microsoft-related pages U.S. Government - Search all .gov and .mil sites Universities: Stanford, Brown, BYU, & more Google just gets better and better.
FREE "MICROSOFT BASELINE SECURITY ANALYZER" Recently, Microsoft released a new WinXP and 2K tool called the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA): ... to analyze Windows systems for common security misconfigurations. Version 1.0 of MBSA includes a graphical and command line interface that can perform local or remote scans of Windows systems. MBSA runs on Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems and will scan for missing hotfixes and vulnerabilities in the following products: Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Internet Information Server (IIS) 4.0 and 5.0, SQL Server 7.0 and 2000, Internet Explorer (IE) 5.01 and later, and Office 2000 and XP.
Even if you've been religious about applying security patches on your own or through the update service, grab a copy of the Security Analyzer to make sure something wasn't overlooked.
Download: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=37761
More info: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q320454
INKJET CARTRIDGE SAVINGS. If you are looking for them at a fraction of the manufacturers crazy prices, go to mrinkman.com
FLASH PLAYER FOR INTERNET EXPLORER. Flash plays small, fast multimedia buttons, as well as interactive animations, flying logos, and graphics created in Macromedia Flash. This player is very small, takes only a short time to download, and is a great starting point for experiencing multimedia on the Web. Flash also supports high-fidelity MP3 streaming audio, text entry fields, interactive interfaces, and more. All Flash formats can be viewed with this latest release.
Flash Player is practically an Internet standard when it comes to viewing multimedia content on the Web.
Animations and graphics created for the player are often engaging and well executed. The new features in the Flash 6.0 format promise to make these multimedia experiences more exciting than ever. Get it free at macromedia.com
INTERNET ORGANIZER PRO 2.0 is a free multi-functional utility for Internet Explorer 4.x or later. While the program is mostly intended to provide greater control over privacy, there are other features that'll enhance your Web browsing as well. For example, Internet Organizer Pro makes it easy to manage the cookies that are placed on your computer.
It displays all cookies and lets you add the unwanted files to a blacklist. Meanwhile, the program also allows you to repair your Start Page by having you define a 'fixed' URL. This eliminates a pesky problem of Websites redirecting you without your permission. Other features include the handy 'pop-up killer'. Like the cookie manager, you can select an open page (including pop-ups) and manually filter unwanted windows.
Internet Organizer Pro will also read your current Favorites folder. This feature enables you to easily clean up favorite shortcuts that wear out their welcome. Finally, Internet Organizer can automatically disable security warning messages and input forms. You can quickly close all IE windows, which is a great feature to use whenever you suffer a 'pop-up attack'. Internet Organizer Pro resides in the system tray and can optionally load whenever Windows starts up. Settings may be saved and exported, and even protected by a password. This program is freeware, though you must obtain a registration code from the author. www.sf.yucom.be
DRIVER DETECTIVE. Many hardware problems can be corrected by merely updating to the latest version of a driver. The problem is detecting which of your many hardware drivers are out of date. Driver Detective helps you with this seemingly impossible task by scanning your hard drive and displaying a list of all the drivers installed on your system. When you highlight an individual driver, you get information such as its version number and the vendor's name. You then have to do some sleuthing to find the site where you can download the latest driver. Version 2.0 Price: Free You can get the software from its creators at http://www.drivershq.com/dd/ddtechrepublic.html , or from any of several download sites, including PC World: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,20020,tk,hsx,00.asp
FRESH DIAGNOSE is a free utility designed to analyze and benchmark your computer system. It can analyze and benchmark many types of hardware, including CPU, hard disk, video system, and mainboard. Use this free software to learn more about your computer and its components, detect or diagnose problems, and increase performance. freshdevices.com
MOST POPULAR DOWNLOADS. Early in May, the following topped the hit parade. Most are free and can be found at cnet.com:
- KaZaA Media Desktop..... 2,643,537 downloads
- ICQ 2002a..... 2,105,430 downloads
- Morpheus Preview Edition..... 1,130,635 downloads
- DivX Pro Video Bundle..... 858,520 downloads
- WinZip..... 522,462 downloads
- iMesh..... 510,936 downloads
- DivX Video Bundle..... 493,968 downloads
- BearShare..... 414,228 downloads
- IncrediMail Xe..... 379,117 downloads
- ZoneAlarm 319,887..... downloads
XP PROBLEMS? Zdnet has a great message board that handles XP grief. See how others have solved the very same problems with XP that may be keeping you up nights. Go to: http://clickthru.online.com/Click?q=b6-llgUQCKwp1u28FHT_rWYXX2IPdRR
REGISTRY BACKUP. Install on your desk top a backup copy of that all-important Registry File. Click on Start and Run and enter "regedit" (without quotes) in the open field. Clicking OK will bring up the Registry Editor window. Click on Registry and from the drop-down menu, click on Export Registry File. In the File Name field, type "backup" (again without quotes), in the Save In field select Desktop, in the Export Range group box select all, and click on Save. A backup of your Registry now appears on your desktop and if you ever need to restore the registry, double click on it.
UNDERSTANDING VIDEO GRAPHICS. Our good friends locally at MicroMetric (micrometric.com) offer some excellent tips that go a long way in understanding and setting the video display on your monitor. With their kind permission, it bears repeating:
1. Get the Most From Your Display and Graphics Card When it comes to your PC's monitor, looks aren't everything-they're the only thing. Staring at fuzzy images and a flickering screen can lead to eyestrain, headaches, and general crankiness. Follow these steps to see the best your graphics card and monitor can show you.
To view your graphics card settings, right-click your Windows desktop and select Properties, or click Start, Settings, Control Panel and double-click the Display icon. In the Settings tab of the Display Properties box, 'Screen area' sets your monitor's resolution, and 'Colors' determines how many colors it shows (also known as color depth). 'Refresh rate' (reachable via the Advanced button and the Adapter tab) sets how often per second the monitor redraws the on-screen image. This tip, and the next four on Graphics, are from a recent PC World article.
2. Graphics Resolution Most PCs made in the past four years have a graphics card and graphics RAM that can support resolutions of at least 1024 by 768 pixels per inch; many graphics cards support resolutions up to 1600 by 1200. Budget systems often integrate their graphics processing onto the motherboard-a setup that provides less power than a dedicated graphics card. Some low-cost systems don't support resolutions higher than 800 by 600.
In the Settings tab, slide the 'Screen area' bar to the far right to see the highest resolution your system supports. If the maximum setting is too low to meet your needs, you may be able to eke out a higher resolution by lowering the color depth.
Follow these steps to see the best your graphics card and monitor can show you.
3. Graphics Color depth Click the pull-down list under Colors to see your color-depth options at the monitor's current resolution setting. High Color (16-bit) provides 65,536 colors, and True Color (24-bit) offers over 16 million. Newer systems have a True Color (32-bit) option that also displays 16 million colors; the additional 8 bits define opacity, or the amount of transparency when layers of color are combined. Color depth and resolution compete for the graphics adapter's screen memory, so lowering one may allow you to increase the other. But there's no hard-and-fast rule-you just have to experiment.
4. Graphics Refresh rate Some experts say your PC should redraw the screen no less than 72 times per second (or 72 Hz) to be comfortable, while others say the minimum rate is about 85 Hz. Try different refresh-rate settings and see what works for you. To set the refresh rate, click the Advanced button under the Settings tab of Display Properties, and then select the Adapter tab. If both your graphics card and your monitor support multiple refresh rates, you can select one from the drop-down list under 'Refresh rate'.
If the choice is set to Optimal, Windows has selected a refresh rate for you. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to know what that optimal rate is, and it may not be the highest setting available. If the Optimal setting doesn't produce a flicker-free screen, try your other choices Tip 416 Graphics Designate Your Driver Windows lets you choose only refresh rates that your graphics card and monitor support. If Windows can't detect your monitor-because Plug and Play isn't enabled or because the monitor doesn't support Plug and Play-it sets a safe but eye-exhausting refresh rate of 60Hz.
The name of your monitor is shown on the Settings tab in Display Properties under 'Display'. If it says 'Unknown Monitor', Windows couldn't find a driver for your monitor and likely set the refresh rate at 60 Hz. To correct this setting, click the Advanced button at the bottom of the Settings tab, select the Monitor tab, and make sure the Automatically detect Plug & Play monitors box is checked.
Make sure you've downloaded and installed the latest driver for your graphics card. Graphics drivers are updated frequently, and installing the latest revision is often the cure for all kinds of graphics-performance and display problems.
SOME BETTER WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR EMAIL (and they're free!)
1. ePROMPTER is a free e-mail notification program that automatically checks up to sixteen password-protected e-mail accounts for AOL, Hotmail, Juno, Netscape, USA.net, Rediffmail, Yahoo, POP3, AltaVista, Email.com, GO.com, iname, Lycos, Mail.com, MSN, and many other e-mail domains-simultaneously.
ePrompter features a primary message screen with a unique rotating tray icon, and the choice of four screensavers that let you know the number of new messages in each account. ePrompter also gives you the ability to read and/or delete each message online or offline with the click of an icon. An audio prompt also alerts you to new messages.
When your computer is online, ePrompter retrieves e-mail at an interval determined by you, updating the ePrompter screens and icon accordingly. Additionally, you can manually update all of your e-mail accounts or an individual account at any time. When your computer is offline, ePrompter's autodial feature can automatically dial an online connection to retrieve your e-mail and update the notifications.
The latest version introduces ePrompter's new mini e-mail client, which lets you forward and reply back through the account where your messages were received. You can also send original messages through any account that you have working on your ePrompter, and store your contact list in the included address book. Other changes include fixes for USA.net, Hotmail, and MSN; the ability to print messages; and the ability to read hyperlinks. epdownload.com
...you will see a large reduction in the amount of spam...
2. POP PEEPER is a free e-mail notification program that supports an unlimited number of accounts. It will inform you of new mail using audible and visible alerts. You can then view the entire message and even delete it from the server. By running in the system tray, it reduces the clutter of having to run your e-mail client all the time.
POP Peeper is very easy to setup, but powerful enough that it allows advanced users the ability to configure it to their needs. And with context-sensitive help, you can quickly learn and use even the more advanced options.
"V2.0 adds full compatibility to NT based Windows (NT/2000/XP). It also features HTML support, resizable windows, an enhanced Create New Account wizard, and much more. home.attbi.com3. MAILWASHER is your 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.
4. INCREDIMAIL. IncrediMail is a free advanced e-mail client that offers you an interactive experience. With IncrediMail you can personalize your e-mail according to your mood and personality. Choose from an assortment of e-mail backgrounds, animations, sounds, 3D effects, and e-cards. New features in IncrediMail Xe Build 660 include emoticons, dancing letters, random notifier selection, read receipts, and support for MSN and Hotmail e-mail accounts. Works in all versions of Windows. incredimail.com :
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Copyright 2002. This article is from the June 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.