Welcome to ShareWhere Archive 2002

Report SPAM to Spam Cop

Sign up at Spam Cop. Then when you get spam, forward the pertinant information to Spam Cop. Note this is not on the Club CD because it is an interactive online activity, and everyone must register with their own email address.
Spam Cop is free, but if you like it, you are encouraged to support it financially.
Submitted by Jim Dinkey

Find your route with Mapquest

The biggest nicety is that with Mapquest, one doesn't need anything except internet access and a computer. The information on this website is always up-to-date and doesn't require any user upgrading. Any map for which you plot driving directions can be downloaded to Mapquest's Palm Application on your hard drive, and then loaded onto your Palm Pilot via the Palm Hotsync. Another thing I like about the Mapquest website is that it isn't tied to anything Microsoft.
Submitted by Robert Mitchell

1,000 films up online

[excerpt from How the Wayback Machine [N.B. a five-year, 100-terabyte collection of Web pages] Works]
Brewster Kahle [Kahle, archive director and president of Alexa Internet, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon.com]: We've put 1,000 films up online for people to download and use in any way that they want. What we really want is for people to make their own movies. But these, they're pretty wild films; education films, government films, propoganda films, industrial films. They're all available for download in MPEG2, which is DVD-quality, for people to do anything they want. People have made some really terrific films, and some of them are on the site as well. I really recommend "The ABCs of Happiness" and "The Consequence of War." Awesome films.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Want to know about Batteries?

Read "Power trip: How to make the most of your batteries" by David Coursey,Executive Editor, AnchorDesk at www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2841291,00.html. There are also Related Links at the bottom of the article, and a lot of "Talkback" from satisfied and dissatisfied battery users.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Viewers for Microsoft Applications

In the article Troubleshooting - Examining Errors: is a discussion of how to use various viewers to open files that require an application you don't have. This is very useful information when you receive a file and cannot open it.
Linked with permission from Smart Computing Magazine
For subscription information, call (800) 733-3809 and use the SPAUG Source Code 8592.
Web site: www.smartcomputing.com

Protect your files with reliable PGP security

If you just want to make it a hassle for someone to look at your files, then using the security built into Word or Excel is fine. You could also try 'hiding' the file using the file properties. Just delaying someone is not strong security, though.If you want more reliable security, you should use PGP. It is free, reliable, and has good documention. The latest version is fairly easy to use. www.pgpi.org/products/pgp/versions/freeware/
Submitted by Michael de Beer

ExtremeTech's Digital Imaging section is a good resource for reviews of cameras, how-to articles, and discussions by users. You can join the mailing list and get periodic newsletters. There's also an article that says, "snagging video and audio for editing or playback is easy" using the new All-in-Wonder Radeon 7500 video card, at extreme.ziffdavis.com/cgi-bin10/flo?y=eOHN0CI1pq0FBV0eR40Al
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Special Training Offer

Virtual Training Company, Inc. (VTC) has a special opportunity for SPAUG members that would allow 20% off subscriptions to Online University. At the discounted rate of $20 a month or $200 a year, each member of the group who signs up using SPAUG's special link would have access to over 150 training titles in various categories including operating systems, graphics and page layout, internet and web design, multimedia and video, 3D and animation, business applications, and programming/databases. Each title is taught by an expert who takes the user smoothly from the basics through every single feature of the application using a series of QuickTime movies. If you'd like to sample the training, we offer free demos of the first three chapters of every title online at the following link: www.vtc.com/vtconlinetryfree.lasso. Here is the personalized link for SPAUG: www.vtc.com/membersignupug.lasso?usergroup=spaug
Submitted by Keith Provost of VTC/Stan Hutchings

What happens when a spammer targets the wrong person

You might enjoy reading what happens when a spammer targets the wrong person. Spammers often forge the domain name in the return address and headers of the junk they send. One time they did it to the "Man In The Wilderness," a guy who says he "makes my living providing Internet access, advanced TCP/IP network know-how, and Internet security." He's also an expert hacker. Read the story of how he made a spammer pay dearly. And get a remarkable view -- with explicit details -- into the world of spamming. (Thanks to Steve Gibson for this terrific site.) Go to the URL below and click the first link for an overview: belps.freewebsites.com/index2.htm
Submitted by Steve Bass of PC World.
Sign up to get your own copy by going to this Web page: www.pcworld.com/resource/newsletters/index.asp?sub_source=PCW_XD

Visit digitalart.org, a gallery ofmasterfully created works of computer generated art

You might find this digital imaging site interesting: digitalart.org. It's not just art, but there is an art selection of over 3,400 works there: Abstract (312) - Computer generated abstractions; Cartoons (174) - Cartoon style characters; Dark and Gothic (354) - Mysterious, crude, and possibly evil; Fan Art (186) - Artwork based on games, movies, TV shows, books, etc; Fantasy (676) - Fantastically ficticious artwork; Freaks and Beasts (162) - Monsters, weirdos, misfits, and strange looking creatures; Miscellaneous (321) - Artwork that does not quite fit into the other categories; Nature (342) - Nature scenes and animals; Photo Manipulation (239) - Photographs mixed with other creative elements; Portraits (322) - A gallery of digital portraits; Science Fiction (354) - Ficticious art related to speculative science, outer space, alien life, etc.
Submitted by Milt Kostner

Belarc Advisor

I downloaded a nice program called Belarc Advisor (www.belarc.com). I saw it demonstrated on TechTV the other day and thought it looked like quite a good program. This program runs as an Active X application within Internet Explorer, and it will display all the details of ones machine. All hardware, BIOS version, as well as all the software and serial numbers of all the software and so on are listed. I think this program is a good candidate for the next CD disk. This program is free for personal use.
Submitted by Robert F. Mitchell

Digital Photo Tips from PCWorld

Special Effects With Text and Photos: Paint with text, add borders, connect a camera and telescope.

Take Photos at Night: Learn the secrets of night photography and how to print a contact sheet.

How to Clear Up Red-Eye: Imaging tips for removing red eyes, plus how to download photos while on vacation.

See Current Prices for the Most Popular Digital Cameras

Submitted by Steve Bass (of PC World)
Subscribe to Steve's Newsletter

Six Ways to Move to Windows XP

One of SPAUG's periodic speakers has submitted an article Six Ways to Move to Windows XP , which is available as a RTF file. When you click the link, you should be able to open it in your word processor, or save it to your drive, from where you can open and print it. The XP Upgrade Advisor he mentions is on the club CD. Gene discussed the procedure in the article at a previous SPAUG general meeting, and the full presentation (with slides and handout) is at the User Group Relation site.
Submitted by Gene Barlow, PowerQuest Corporation

Spam Deputy, assistant to SpamCop

Spam Deputy is an application that makes it easy to report spam to SpamCop for users of Microsoft Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger, Eudora and other email clients. Simply drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste you spam messages onto Spam Deputy and click the "Report Spam" button. Spam Deputy will perform the following steps:

System Diagnostics Tools

These free app's will tell you what's in your PC and what's running:
WCPUID. Identifies CPU, chipset, and more. Tom's Hardware uses this in his CPU/overclocking reviews. Cancel the language download prompt. The site is in English. Click on "downloads" on the homepage:
SiSoftSandra Standard. With a control panel-type setup, will tell you more about your hardware than you probably want to know. Also does performance tests and shows RAM usage per app (note: this is on the club CD).
Belarc Advisor. Produces a one-page HTML document displaying all hardware and software on the PC.
Process Viewer. The abbreviations in Task Manager, and the tilde-laden file paths in msconfig, can be confusing. Process Viewer shows exact file name and path of everything running.
Submitted by Dan Short

Update Your Drivers

Read the article on how to bring your PC up to peak performance with the latest drivers, by Linda L. Grubbs, PC World. There is good advice and some useful links to major software and hardware vendors. Check out the Drivers category of FileWorld for the latest and greatest drivers. Also check catchup.com - update software, security, and adware detection service with free online service.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Eight New Year's Resolutions for PC Users

Get your PC safe, in shape, and tidy with Tom Spring and PCWorld.com's checklist of tips for better computing in 2002: Boost Security, Avoid Adware, Fix Broken Windows, Tune up your PC, Clean the Digital Basement, Tame Ads, Get Tough on Spam, learn proper workplace ergonomics. Lots of good advice and useful links.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Fight back against spammers

If you're tired of SPAM, Scott Spanbauer in the January 2001 issue of PC World magazine gives tips in his article. Read it and start taking proactive action against spammers.
Submitted by

File Formats Revealed

An article about the problem of how to view different file formats (and recommendations for viewers) by Preston Gralla of the ZDNet Software Library is at www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2819068,00.html. You can find out about the various file formats and their extensions at Google's Data Formats page.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

E-Mailing long URLs so they don't break

Read the whole article at www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,62265,pg,3,tk,sbx,00.asp. Several quick excerpts:
Netscape Messenger and Internet Explorer's subject lines can handle long URLs, but they are not "hot" (you can't click on them and link).
Ron Sommer suggests sending messages in Quoted Printable format as another way to preserve long URLs. This format inserts carriage returns at the end of paragraphs but not at the end of lines. To send Quoted Printable messages in Outlook Express, choose Tools, Options, click the Send tab, click the Plain Text Settings button in the Mail Sending Format section (see Figure 2), select Quoted Printable from the 'Encode text using' drop-down list, and then click OK twice. In Outlook 2000, choose Tools, Options, click the Mail Format tab, click the Settings button, select Quoted Printable from the 'Encode text using' drop-down list, and finish by clicking OK twice. (Outlook 97 does not seem to have this capability).
Dana Hunter notes that when you drag links from IE's Favorites list and drop them into an Outlook message window, you create a clickable link. There's a drawback to URL attachments, though: they work only in Windows.
Qualcomm's Eudora 5.0.2 e-mail programs formatted the URL to send, and no matter which e-mail program I received the message with, the URL came through 100 percent functional. Nothing fancy is going on -- the program simply identifies URLs and doesn't insert carriage returns in them.
Makeashorterlink turns long URLs into easy-to-click links. It's a no-brainer. Go to the Makeashorterlink Web site, cut and paste your long URL into its "Make it shorter" field, and get back a shorter link that will be re-directed to the long URL.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Surf the Web without leaving electronic tracks

Software tools such as cookies mean that not only can advertisers find out who you are, but they can also track the last 100 Web sites you visited. One of Lance Cottrell's first actions was to write Mixmaster, software that allows people to send e-mail anonymously, still used by a floating group of "remailer operators." Cottrell then went on to found Anonymizer.com, a company that provides software allowing people to surf the Web without leaving electronic tracks.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

For the truth, the whole truth, and often hidden truth...

Visit the Web site that has been an irritant to the powers that be since 1996. Documents that could embarrass or annoy the powerful are posted, usually without comment, on Cryptome. "Our goal is to be the most disreputable publisher on the Net," says John Young, "just after the world's governments and other highly reputable spin-masters." Cryptome's principal themes are "freedom of expression, privacy, cryptology, dual-use technologies, national security, and intelligence." Most Cryptome files come from public but easily overlooked sources such as the Federal Register or court filings. But some Cryptome postings come from more suspect places.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Troubled by Spam? Visit SpamCon Foundation

SpamCon Foundation 's Mission: Unsolicited email ("spam") forces unwanted and objectionable materials into our mailboxes, impairs our ability to communicate freely, and costs Internet users billions of dollars annually. The SpamCon Foundation protects email as a viable communication and commerce medium by supporting measures to reduce the amount of unsolicited email that crosses private networks, while ensuring that valid email reaches its destination.
Find out what you can do about Spam.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

STOP PAYING FOR E-MAIL SPAM | ZDNet Special Report

There is a lot of discussion of various aspects of Spam at techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2855964,00.html. There are several things individuals and companies can do to reduce the impact. But no real solution is in sight, and it will probably get worse before it gets better. Between $2-3 of a consumer's monthly Internet bill is for handling spam, according to the 1998 Washington State Commercial Electronic Messages Select Task Force Report. America Online estimated that between 5% and 30% of its email server time at any given moment was exclusively dedicated to handling spam.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Epson and Canon printer woes

While trying to set up my Epson Stylus Color 740i Ink Jet printer on my new PC (Win98se, USB port), I learned some important information about Ink Jet printers. The colored ink light was flashing, but I was still able to print some pages in black ink from my old computer before I transferred it to my new computer. On the new computer, nothing worked. I was sure that it was a hardware or software problem on the new computer, and fussed with it for a long, long time.
I finally disconnected the printer from the computer, and ran the print test on the printer alone. Nothing worked. It was going to cost $75 at a printer repair shop just to look at it. Since it is about a $150 printer, this did not seem worth it.
While asking questions at Datawise (from whom I bought the new computer) about USB ports, I learned that when just ONE of the ink cartridges on an Ink Jet Printer is empty, the printer will not work.
This information is NOT in the manual. Apparently the light starts flashing when the ink is very low, and the printer keeps working for awhile, but when the ink is totally empty in just ONE cartridge the printer stops working. Putting in a new colored ink cartridge "fixed" the printer.
Live and learn (usually the hard way in my case).
Submitted by Kendric C. Smith, Ph.D.

Here's a little more information on Epson Inkjets:
The ink cartridges in some Epson printers do not actually contain the ink nozzles, unlike those of some of Epson's competitors. This has the significant advantage that Epson ink refills are lower in cost than those which include electronics and nozzles in each cartridge. But there is a downside: Epson Inkjets should be exercised by printing at least one page (with both black and colors) twice a week. Otherwise the nozzles (in the Epson printer, not in the cartridge) have a tendency to dry up and clog. But the manual doesn't mention this. This happened to my Epson Inkjet, which resulting in its becoming unusable without major repair. But my 18 year old Epson dot matrix printer and my 15 year old Epson laser printer both keep chugging along without problems. This is the first Epson printer that has disappointed me.
Submitted by Dick Delp

...and Canon printers also have problems
I have a client who got and tried out a Canon S450 ink jet printer last July. He didn't get back to it until he tried it last month. It didn't work -- dried up ink problems. My favorite printer repair man said it would cost much more to fix than replace.
Submitted by CU Sid Owen

find all domains containing a specified string

Find a domain with the text anywhere in the domain name at www.domainsurfer.com. Enter the string you want to find (like "spaug") and press Enter.
Submitted by John Buck

Open Windows Explorer to any folder you like...

in fact, you can have more than one Windows Explorer shortcut, so you can go directly to different folders. Here's a shortcut that will reach the Budget folder in any recent version of Windows:

In addition, when you are in the Windows Explorer, often the right panel is spaced incorrectly to efficiently see the columns you want. From the same Kim Komando newsletter, is the hint: Hold CTRL and press the numeric pad's + and the columns will be realigned.
Submitted by Jim Dinkey, as obtained from Kim Komando's Newsletter (sign up for the Newsletter here)

Special Training Offer

Virtual Training Company, Inc.(VTC) has a special opportunity for SPAUG members that would allow 20% off subscriptions to Online University. At the discounted rate of $20 a month or $200 a year, each member of the group who signs up using SPAUG's special link would have access to over 150 training titles in various categories including operating systems, graphics and page layout, internet and web design, multimedia and video, 3D and animation, business applications, and programming/databases. Each title is taught by an expert who takes the user smoothly from the basics through every single feature of the application using a series of QuickTime movies. If you'd like to sample the training, we offer free demos of the first three chapters of every title online at the following link: www.vtc.com/vtconlinetryfree.lasso. Here is the personalized link for SPAUG: www.vtc.com/membersignupug.lasso?usergroup=spaug
Submitted by Keith Provost of VTC/Stan Hutchings

FTC Consumer Alert!

When Your Computer Calls Overseas... Without Your Okay - read the FTC bulletin. Some web sites do more than just change your Home and Search page without asking. They may stealthily add viruses to your PC, or install what appears to be a signed (therefore safe) ActiveX component called "Connect2Party" or "The Dialer." These sites can also add items to Run, Load, RunOnce, and RunServices Registry entries, while sticking apps in the Startup folders, both in HKLocalMachine and HKCurrentUser. This miserable combination of Web and software attacks doesn't have a name. It's not entirely a virus, nor is it a Trojan horse. It's not exactly spyware, either. And it's not easily removable. Use Zone Alarm, a free firewall, available on the Club CD, to block Connect2Party from making an outgoing call.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

DISIG Discussion in NeighborSpace

Mike Kahn has created DISIG as its own discussion in NeighborSpace, located in the Organization section of the Technology area- www.neighborspace.org/WebX?50@@.ee7c814. He also posted an invitation to the DISIG meetings in the digital photography discussion in Digital Media Arts-www.neighborspace.org/WebX?50@235.LoOvaNtqarT^5@.ee7bc0a. Please consider registering for NeighborSpace so that you can be subscribed to these discussions via email, keep abreast of these discussions, andanswer any questions about DISIG that people might have. Although you can view messages without registering, you do need to be a registered user of NeighborSpace in order to post messages. It's quite easy to register, and there's no cost. Your Webmaster is a member, you can read my posting near the top of the digital photography discussion.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Deploy Defenseware against Spyware

Read the advice by Nelson King of ComputerUser at www.computeruser.com/articles/2105,3,6,1,0501,02.html on how to defend your computer against spyware and malware. Read his recommendations for software to firewall your Internet connection, kill pop-ups, monitor and control cookies, and find and root out spyware. Read a review of ZoneAlarm Pro 3.0 at ZDNet, the firewall endorsed by SPAUG. Note that many of the recommended applications, or equivalent freeware, are available on the latest club disk. SPAUG President Jim Dinkey will cover these topics at our June 26 General Meeting.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Interested in seeing other PC Clubs' Websites?

The Westchester NY PCUG sends us their print newsletter. For the first time I looked up their web page. WOW. Try it: Westchester [NY] PC User Group.
Submitted by Mildred Kohn

Spring Cleaning - Improve your computer's performance

Things you can do to spiff up a home or small-office PC and maybe improve its performance should start with Stan Miastkowski's "Step-By-Step: Get a Free Tune-Up for Your Windows PC." The article's easy reading and if you use just half of Stan's recommendations, you'll be in good shape. Find the story here
Submitted by Stan Hutchings/Steve Bass
(You can get your own copy of Steve Bass's Newsletter by going to: www.pcworld.com/resource/newsletters/index.asp?sub_source=NL_XB. Did you miss a past issue? Fear not, he's saved them all for you at: www.pcworld.com/hereshow/locations/0,loc,54,tk,sbx,00.asp)

Do you Yahoo? Yahoo changes privacy policy...

... so if you're a registered user, you should read this and decide how to set your preferences.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings, based on a ComputerUser Newsbytes article by Michael Bartlett

Interested in the future? What's coming next?

You might want to scan The Next Sixty Years -- A Business Perspective, from The Harrow Report, Feb 2002 www.theharrowgroup.com/articles/20020304/TNSY.htm.
Samples:
2004: First global consumer boycott (consumers linked via Internet boycott brands on a global scale).
2006: Second economic crisis in Asia: Robotic production becomes cheaper than manual labor; Asia loses its advantage in the global economy.
2007: Advertising industry collapses: Most advertising in electronic media filtered out by intelligent agents; most private shopping done by bots based on product standards, price and ratings.
2010: VR inspires an "Authenticity Movement". Retail chains establish "authenticity policies". Info-fasting becomes global craze.
2025: Paper money taken out of circulation.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Got a complaint? Want to know what others are complaining about?

Complaints.com is a database of information about personal, first-hand, consumer experiences with products and services. This information is collected from Complaints.com site visitors, and published to the Complaints.com site for the benefit of other consumers to learn from these personal experiences.
Complaints.com helps consumers make better-informed purchase decisions; helps consumers help themselves get better customer service from product manufacturers and service providers; helps businesses provide better service to consumers, and help businesses improve products and services.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

The care and protection (and even resurrection) of CD and DVD disks

A very comprehensive article about how to destroy a CD or DVD. Advice and evaluation on two disk protector products (CDfender from Quest Marketing Group, 866-880-1146 www.questcdfender.com; and Quick Shield from CD Playright, 800-800-8879 www.cdplayright.com). Chances of recovering a damaged disk with these products. There is a new design for optical discs coming on the market that may make disk protecter products obsolete. Scratch-Less Disc Industries www.scratchlessdisc.com (888-333-0188), has come up with a way to prevent many scratches before they happen, and should start appearing on new recordable disks soon. Read the article here http://www.extremetech.com/print_article/0,3428,a=25264,00.asp.
Submitted by

See Better With Free Viewers

Here is a valuable tip from STEVE BASS'S HOME OFFICE www.pcworld.com (who requests, if I use this info: "Just make sure you eventually tell them about my newsletter. In fact, send them this URL right now while you're thinking about it: http://www.pcworld.com/resource/newsletters/index.asp?sub_source=NL_XB "
His newsletter is informative and entertaining, this is just an excerpt, because I've had this problem, too. Does anybody know if they work with the new Office XP formats?

As MS creates newer versions with different file formats, our older applications sometimes won't open a document. These viewers overcome that problem. Don't you hate it when someone sends you a file, something they say is hilariously funny, and you can't view it? The file's probably in a Microsoft format--likely PowerPoint, but maybe something in Word or Excel. If you know where to look, the half-dozen of you not using Office can grab free viewers. But seriously, the downloads are terrific and oughta be part of your tool kit.

For an Excel 97-2000 viewer

For a Word 97-2000 viewer

For a PowerPoint 97-2000 viewer

Submitted by Stan Hutchings

How to network Microsoft computers

Thinking about networking you multiple home computers? Having trouble? Searching Google on "network Microsoft computers peer-to-peer " turned up some helpful sites: www.hildrum.com/network2.html; and www.wown.info/j_helmig/Contact.htm, which seems very comprehensive and up-to-date. You might want to start at the site index www.wown.info/j_helmig/cookie.htm. (WOWN has been licensed and put onto the Club CD for ease of access, so you can avoid long slow downloads by buying the CD.)
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Stealth P2P network hides inside Kazaa

A California company, Brilliant Digital Entertainment, has quietly attached its software to millions of downloads of the popular Kazaa file-trading program and plans to remotely "turn on" people's PCs, welding them into a new network of its own. Read the whole article by John Borland at CNet's News.com. Go to zdnet.com.com/2100-11-875278.html to find out how to remove the software. And read this if you really want to install Kazaa, but without the spyware.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Capture Internet multimedia files after viewing --
.avi, .mpg, .mov, .swf, and others

Want to capture a multimedia file you viewed or heard online for offline viewing? It's easy to accomplish this task if the multimedia file runs from your hard disk. After browsing to the site containing the file you'd like to capture, choose Start, Find, Files or Folders ( Start, Search, For Files or Folders in Windows Me and 2000) and enter *.[ext] as your search criterion, where [ext] is the extension of the multimedia file you want. The file should appear in your browser's cache. You'll probably have to open several of the found files to figure out which one you want. Then either copy and paste or drag it into the folder of your choice. As long as the .[ext] file type is associated with your browser, you can play the multimedia simply by double-clicking it. Some file extensions to search: .swf, .avi, .mpg, .mov, .wav, and many others. Note some .gif files are animated, but many are just little spacers. Another way to search is go to the browser cache directory in Windows Explorer and sort by Type.
Submitted by Scott Spanbauer/Stan Hutchings

Steve Bass's Top Tips for Better Computing 05/29/2002

PCWorld.com's got a handy index that gets you right to the tip you need the most. Try it on for size at: www.pcworld.com/howto/ultimate/index/0,tk,sbx,00.asp.
Read 40 ways to make your PC trouble-free: How to Solve the Weirdest PC Mysteries
Newly installed program hijacked your old application? Read File Association Snatchers. It's the first tip on the Web page.
You're midway into a Microsoft Office installation and your system crashes. You might not be able to uninstall--or reinstall--Office. You need Eraser2k.exe, a Microsoft utility that removes Office files and Registry settings. Download it and read how to use it here.
Sidestepping PC problems starts with preventing them in the first place. Lincoln Spector's "How to Evade Data Disaster" supplies you with 25 ways to elude danger.
Read two of Lincoln Spector's recommendations for what files you ought to back up. The first's In his "How to Evade Data Disaster" story, and the second one is in his June 2002 "Answer Line" column.
Vanishing Windows: Have you ever had a Window you can't maximize or minimize? Click anywhere in the misbehaving window and hit Alt-Spacebar. Then you can choose Close and kill the window.
Here's the URL where you can get lots more tips and information: www.pcworld.com/resource/newsletters/index.asp?sub_source=NL_XB. If you are new to Home Office newsletters, back issues are available, free of charge.
If you're batch-averse, I recommend Outer Technologies' free Batchrun program, which makes automating multiprogram tasks easy. This nifty utility lets you create batches by dragging, dropping, and clicking. You can add commands for such common file manipulations as copying and deleting, and you can instruct the program to wait a preset number of milliseconds (I know, whole seconds would have made more sense) or until the last program is finished.
Here are a few more resources recommended by Steve if you're having PC problems:
Experts Exchange
Ask Me
Computing.Net, a technical support site
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Good Download sites for freeware and shareware on the Internet

Looking for free programs, I've come across a couple of sites that seem particularly good for providing leads to what I'm looking for -- and to tons of other software. 
Download.com -- Although we already mention this in at least one of our listings as a place to get shareware, I think we overlook some important points by not mentioning that it's CNet's download site, that it also provides links to freeware downloads, and that it provides user comments that can help you decide if you want to download or not. 
Webattack.com -- Well-organized site with well-written descriptions.
ComputerUser.com downloads.
PCWorld.com downloads
softwarevault.com downloads
Simtel.Net - A worldwide distribution network for Shareware, Freeware, and Public Domain software
ZDNet downloads
Submitted by John Buck and Stan Hutchings

The best photo-editing tool? Here are YOUR faves

David Morgenstern, Contributing Editor, AnchorDesk gives his favorites, and summarizes input from many users of image editing software - what they like and what they don't. If you're thinking about getting something, read this. If you're not happy with what you have, read this. Some free applications are mentioned (an linked).
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Start your troubleshooting with the Task Manager

To help you use the Windows 2000 Task Manager to its full potential, Carol Bailey MCSE+I has put together a list of 16 tips and tricks at techrepublic.com.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Preview of Google - our May meeting presentation

Some things you may want to check out in advance of SPAUG's visit from Google at next week's general meeting (5/29/02).
Found on Metafilter --  www.metafilter.com:
Google Labs is a public beta testing area for some pretty cool things they are currently working on: an amazing glossary, voice search by telephone, search results navigated without the mouse and finding additional items to sets defined by words you enter.
With every new feature, they seem to be getting even further beyond the competition. Even though Google is a very likable company: is a monopoly on web search a good thing?
While you're at it, check out Google's news service (in beta-test).
Submitted by John Buck

Ecleaner Kills the ">"s

Probably the most annoying thing about receiving forwarded messages is those darned ">"s that get inserted and few people take the effort to remove.
SPAUG's April 2002 general meeting speaker, Jan Altman, tossed out the info that a favorite program of hers is one that gets rid of those pesky ">", and can do more -- but she didn't remember the program's name. Google-searching for a possibility, I found ecleaner. Now, if you Google-search for "ecleaner", you'll find more than one program by that name, programs doing different things. The program I'm describing is available from sites listed here.
* I downloaded and installed ecleaner on my Win98SE machine with no problem.
* Now, when a program comes in with more ">"s than I want to deal with, I just --
* Select and the text I want to change in the message I'm reading.
* Click on the smiley-face icon in my Quick Start Toolbar (located next to the Start button).
* Paste the copied text in the ecleaner window.
* Click the ecleaner button corresponding to the cleaning I want to do.
* Do any other cleanup editing I want to make the text easier to read.
Ecleaner has some options you can select to make your use of it easier. It took only a few tries to get mine set up the way I wanted. The program is truly easy and fun to use.
If you hate those ">"s and your usual editor doesn't provide an easy way (such as a macro) to clean up messages that have them, you should seriously consider using this ecleaner program.
NOTE: In addition to using ecleaner to clean up messages you have received, you may also be able to set your email program so it doesn't add ">"s in your outgoing forwards or replies.
Submitted by John Buck

Backup Discussion on ZDNet

David Coursey, Executive Editor has a good discussion of backup philosophies and applications at ZDNet AnchorDesk. He asks, "Which backup app do YOU use? The readers speak" and in addition to his reviews, many backuppers have written in with their advice, experience (good and bad) and comments. If you're not backing up your data, you should read this. Even if you are currently doing backups, you should read the discussion to see if there is a more efficient way to weave your safety net. I got some good ideas. There are links to reviews, so you can find out even more about the applications that interest you.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Ben's Internet and Windows Tips

For some great shortcut keys, keystroke definitions, use of the Windows key, Windows Keyboard Shortcuts, visit the following links: Windows Tips, Netscape Navigator Tips, Links to more information.
Submitted by John Buck

Load programs faster with WinAlign - with caution

Here's one site that tells about WinAlign -- content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/win98/alignfaq.htm . This easy-to-read write-up includes descriptions of problems that can arise from using WinAlign. There is also a link to information on how to align your own programs and The Expert's Guide to Windows 98 WinAlign.
Submitted by John Buck

Earthquake information and where to report

Here's a place to get info about recent earthquakes --  
quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/
Here's a place to make a report when you feel an earthquake --
pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/shake/ca/
They're also still collecting info about the 1989 Loma Prieta quake:
pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/shake/STORE/XLoma_Prieta/ciim_form.html
Submitted by John Buck

PDF-generating software

In WebSIG we've been talking a bit about PDF-generating software. Today (5/13/02) Kendric sent a message about a PDF-generating class to be held Friday (5/17/02) at Stanford.
In Google-checking for information related to the class topic, I found a program (PDF995) that you/we may want to try. Other than reporting on the links I've found, I haven't checked out any of the software described in the sites below, including PDF995.
I'm sending this message to WebSIG members, figuring if we find something we like we can share it with the general SPAUG membership, and maybe put it on the next CD.
You can read about it here -- www.qcs.org/news/pdf995.html .  
CNet info starts here -- download.com.com/3000-2094-8851079.html?tag=lst-0-2 .
Here's another CNet listing for info about free pdf-related software, sorted by user rating.
Check here for more related CNet info. 
This link is for my original Google search.
Submitted by John Buck

Why do you get SPAM?
Read The Story of "Nadine" -- A Tale of Mailing Lists

This was found on Metafilter. It is somewhat long, but possibly interesting because of its details.  
The Story of "Nadine" -- A Tale of Mailing Lists
This is an account of what happened after an Internet user accidentally gave a wrong email address when she visited a web page and signed up for a sweepstakes. It is a story about how Internet email lists can go horribly wrong, and why you may continue to receive Spam from ever more sources, in greater numbers, without hope of opting out.
Submitted by John Buck

An interesting timepiece

Check out this clock at www.rci.rutgers.edu/~deis/Clock.htm. Watch what happens when you move your mouse over it.
Submitted by John Buck

Spam Information Sites and Spam Prevention Tools

Here are some spam information sites I found interesting:

Submitted by Denise DeLange

Printer Ink Cartridges on the Cheap

In Steve Bass' April "Home Office" column, he alluded to the razor blade marketing scam: Give 'em a free razor and they'll buy the blades. Ditto for cheap printers and outrageously expensive ink cartridges. One reader said he buys ink for his Epson 860 from an outfit called Klassic Specialties: www.klassicspecialties.com. He pays about $6 for black and $10 for color (with discounts for three or more), and hasn't had a problem yet. Another reader pays $12 for generic black ink cartridges for his Epson 880 at: inkinablink.com/". No matter where you buy your cartridges, you want to keep your ink-jet printer clean and happy. For details on how to do it, read the July 2000 Hardware Tips column. Now don't start kvetching because the article's old--this info's still valuable: www.pcworld.com/resource/article/0,aid,16740,tk,sbx,00.asp
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Managing images using AhaView 1.1

AhaView displays its information in a two-column three-pane window. The upper-left pane shows a Windows Explorer-type listing of the folders on your selected disk. The right pane shows thumbnails of the image file types AhaView handles that it finds in the directory you select. The lower-left pane displays a preview thumbnail of the image you select. By adjusting the dividers between the window's panes, you can create a fairly large preview pane. AhaView can do more than I've described here, but this is enough for me. To read more about it and download it, go to www.aha-soft.com/ahaview/.
Submitted by John Buck

Santa Clara County Roads traffic signal, street lights and roadways Problem Report

Here's a link (from SJMN's Gary Richards' "Mr. Roadshow" 6/28/02 column) that looks useful enough that it should be considered for inclusion in SPAUG's links page. You can get email, phone or FAX contact information to report a problem with traffic signals, county-maintained street lights and roadways.
Submitted by John Buck

Interested in Blogs and Blogging?

Read What We're Doing When We Blog by Meg Hourihan at the O'Reilly Network.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Control Spam with Anti-spam programs

I searched WebAttack for MailWasher and turned up quite a few more programs -- some of which WebAttack seemed to like even better than MailWasher.Here's the url for the page.
Thanx, Jim, for the junkmail@earthlink.net address. I'd not seen it before. I expect I'll be exercising it often. Other Earthlink users can help increase Spaminator's power by emailing junk mail to junkmail@earthlink.net.
If you are into researching the various ways of controlling spammers, this URL link will take you to about 30 possible answers.
Here are a couple of search links relating to Jim Dinkey's 6/26 presentation. I believe that some to much of the info found will be useful to a general audience, not just EarthLink subscribers.
First one is a search for "spam"; it found about 137 items.
Second one is a search for "junk"; it found about 49 items.
See the article "Want to stop spam? Here's how YOU do it", by David Morgenstern, Contributing Editor, AnchorDesk, for recommendations from readers/users. Many opinions and criticisms are presented for numerous spam-stopping programs.
this item is newVipul's Razor v2 released for public download. The software is comprised of two source packages, razor-agents and razor-agents-sdk that can be downloaded by following these links: razor-agents-sdk-2.03 and razor-agents-2.14. (Vipul's Razor is a distributed, collaborative, spam detection and filtering network. Through user contribution, Razor establishes a distributed and constantly updating catalogue of spam in propagation that is consulted by email clients to filter out known spam. Detection is done with statistical and randomized signatures that efficiently spot mutating spam content. User input is validated through reputation assignments based on consensus on report and revoke assertions which in turn is used for computing confidence values associated with individual signatures.)
Submitted by John Buck, Jim Dinkey & Stan Hutchings

PC World's 20th World Class Awards

Read the article at PC World.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

What all those programs in your Windows Startup really do

See the Greatis Startup Application Database to find out what are the necessary, the optional, the useless and the dangerous (virus, trojan, etc.).
Submitted by Stan Hutchings from an article by Steve Bass.

Control Spam with Cloudmark's SpamNet

If you use Windows 2000/XP with Microsoft Outlook 2000 or Outlook 2002/XP, read David Coursey's (Executive Editor of ZDNet's AnchorDesk) review of SpamNet Beta, which works only for those products (an Outlook Express version is reportedly in development). He swears it works really well, and personal copies are free. SpamNet allows you to report the spam that you receive to a global database which is then used to block those messages before they arrive in your Inbox. Read more in a Special to ZDNet News by Stefanie Olsen: SpamNet enlists you to fight spam
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

The Tech Republic White Paper (you must be a TechRepublic member - recommended by Hank Skawinski et al - to read it) shows some of the decisions that might be made to control outside intrusion detection on your PC. Note that the White Paper supports a program called SNORT. (Snort is an open source network intrusion detection system (IDS) that it is supported by a loyal band of volunteer programmers, which can expose what's missed in security logs.) While most of these are advanced topics, educate yourself about what you could do if your machine were being constantly PINGed by someone attempting to break into your machine.
Submitted by Jim Dinkey

Resources for the stubborn few who refuse to upgrade from Win98

The article here has links to Microsoft Windows 98 support page, Windows 98 Tips and Tricks, ZDNet's Windows 98 Product Guide, and Axcel216's Max Speed Original Windows Tricks and Secrets. There are also reviews of Shareware you can try/buy.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Need an Expert? Check Here

WIN9x/Me & PC SPEEDUP TWEAKS

Make your computer system & Windows 9x run faster and safer -
Computer system speed tweaks & Windows Me/98/95 optimizations!
All new 'tweakers' are urged to read the Top20 section.
Submitted by Milt Kostner

Speed up AOL

Here's an easy--and free--way to speed up AOL. Use AOL Speed, a small tool that patches AOL and lets it make better use of its own cache. Even if you have a fast PC, AOL spends lots of time accessing the hard drive because of unnecessary disk buffer flushing. With this handy little program you'll find AOL performs noticeably faster on most operations, and accesses the disk less--so it's quieter, too. This thing really works and it supports versions 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, or 7.0. Visit the company's web site for more info.
From Steve Bass's Top Tips for Better Computing, Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Digiportal's new ChoiceMail program gets rid of SPAM

Read how Hal Plotkin got rid of SPAM. The credit for cleaning up his inbox goes to ChoiceMail, an innovative new anti-spam software program released earlier this month by DigiPortal Software Inc., a small start-up based in Parsippany, New Jersey.
Submitted by John Buck

Netscape DevEdge brings webmasters tools, tips and valuable information

Netscape DevEdge brings you tools, tips and other information for designing and developing web sites and applications that work across standards-based browsers like Netscape 6 and MS Internet Explorer 6.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

CNET's antivirus guide 2002

To help familiarize you with the extremely wide world of virus blockers, CNet searched high and low for big-name and underdog apps alike. For its ease of use and unparalleled track record at stopping viruses that are in the wild, they like Norton AntiVirus 2002. Read CNET's antivirus guide 2002.
Submitted by John Buck 99753

Best of Today's Web: Greatest Hits and Hidden Gems

PCWorld's annual look at the Web's best destinations. The biggest change since last year is the increase in fee-based Web services. PC World editors had $50 to spend on their favorite pay sites. They report back on whether they found the services worthwhile. Finally, to see Web technology used to great effect, check out their three Web Wonders.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Compare Folder Contents Side-by-side

Here's a tool that can compare folder contents side-by-side and show you which files are identical, which are different, and how they differ. PCMagazine's WMatch 2 does it all.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Home Network Technologies and Strategies

Looking for a cost-effective way to share Internet access on your home PCs? Do you wonder which home network technology or mix of technologies is best for your needs? Extreme Tech's coverage of home networking technologies and strategies can help you decide whether you should install a power line or phone line network setup, set yourself totally free with a wireless components, or stick with tried and true wired Ethernet--or possibly install a combination of the technologies. If you want to be informed about the latest developments in home networks, here's the right place.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

How To Deal With RealNetworks' RealOne

The whole article is at pcworld.com. Here are some excerpts: When you visit Real's Web site at www.real.com, avoid all the large Download Now links and instead click the little blue Our Free Player link that's located midway down the page. Subsequent screens will try to lure you into one-month trial subscriptions and other attempts to separate you from your cash. Just keep clicking the links that lead to the free browser. After you give the company an e-mail address (it doesn't have to be yours), the downloading begins.
Real will first try to install the RealDownload Express 5 utility, an app that tracks the download process and forwards the information to RealNetworks. Just click No in the security dialog box that pops up asking you to allow the RealDownload installation. If the download process fails, you can find the tiny, tiny link on the download page that says 'click here'. Congratulations! You have managed the nearly impossible task of downloading the free RealOne Player Gold.
Now for taming RealOne's hunger for your media file associations. When you launch the installation file, RealOne gives you the choice of Express or Custom installs. If you choose Express, RealOne will make itself the king of all media on your PC--so choose Custom instead. During installation, RealOne will ask you to approve a long checklist of file types it knows how to play. Be sure to remove the check mark from file types that you want to continue playing on another program on your system, such as Windows Media Player or Winamp, and then finish the installation. If you assign RealOne a file type that already belongs to another program, or if you install another program and tell it to take control of one of RealOne's file types, RealOne will eventually pop up a dialog box telling you that it's reasserting its claim (most media players and Web browsers do the same thing, but just don't post an announcement).
To get all your multimedia applications in sync, open RealOne's Tools, Preferences dialog box , select Media Types, check only those types you want RealOne to play, and click OK. Finally, look for a similar settings screen in all your other media players and deselect the file types you assigned to the RealOne Player.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Find out where Spam comes from at the Clueless Mailers website

Hopefully, the Clueless Mailers website will illustrate some of the dangerous trends and policies, and will help educate and encourage mailers, marketers and ISPs to adopt and enforce the best practices for mailing list mangement.
The info on this site is compiled by the site owner, and represents the experience of just one spam recipient, so the data is anything but exhaustive. Your mileage may vary. The author has an excellent "blacklist" of UCE violators that could serve as the basis of a spam blocker rule set. Also see the Spamdemic Map, a detailed analysis of how spammers share your e-mail address.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Microsoft Service Pack 2 For Office XP and Superpatch for IE

Microsoft couldn't immediately provide details about the new Office XP patch beyond a link (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;%5bLN%5d;Q322382) to the download information.
In addition to bug and security fixes, Service Pack 2 contains the latest product updates designed to improve the stability and performance of Office XP, according to Simon Marks, a product manager on Microsoft's Office team.
The maximum download of Service Pack 2 is 15MB. Users can download Service Pack 2 from Microsoft's Web site (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q325671) or order a free CD and pay for the shipping charges. (Service Pack 1 for Office XP was released in December of last year.)

There is also a new super patch for Internet Explorer that fixes six new flaws and vulnerabilities.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Transfer your old files to Windows XP

If you're getting a new computer or upgrading to WinXP, Greg Shultz of ZDNet tells how to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard in his article at http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2820277,00.html. Another use for this utility is for backup: if all you're backing up is critical data, it can also be used to make occasional backups of your documents, mail, and important application settings. If you're still just thinking about upgrading, read what Greg has to say about the advantages at http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2760379,00.html (he gives the upgrade 2 thumbs up).
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Another backup philosophy, using removable hard drives

See the whole discussion at ZDNet's Anchor Desk

Use a crow's nest. It's a removable hard drive enclosure that accepts any 3-1/2" formfactor hard drive. The "nest" portion fits into any 5-1/4" external drive bay. The "crow" portion encloses the hard drive and slides into the nest. Lock it down with a key, and use Windows' built-in XCOPY command with the following switches to do your copy:
xcopy c:\*.* x:\backup /e/s/c/i/f/r/h/y
In this example the X: drive is the crow's nest. This method is cheap, the crow's nesting system is $25, and just add a hard drive- the absolute cheapest and most reliable storage medium MB for MB. We get 60GB 7200 rpm hard drives here locally for $99- so the whole cost for the system is $125. Want more of a multi-generational backup? $125 for each volume you invest in. I use three and rotate them, keeping one off-site at all times. Very secure, very affordable, and very fast.
Another solution is a USB 2.0 drive. You can get a 60 GB for about $150. The USB 2.0 interface is fast and can backup drive partitions directly without using compression or any other special features. Or a 40GB External Firewire Hard Drive will do the same job. Use the backup software of your choice - PowerQuest DriveImage, Norton Ghost, V-Com AutoSave, etc.
Submitted by Steven Stultz/Stan Hutchings

Sue telemarketers, junk faxers and email spammers for fun and profit.

Read Brian Livingston's article "Sue a spammer today". Then get the nitty-gritty on how to do it with Ben Livingston's Zen and the art of small claims guide, which is written for those who want to better the world and the self through lawsuits. It focuses on filing small claims against telemarketers who use recorded calls, junk faxers and a large percentage of email spammers. Read the antispam laws for California to get an idea of want is illegal that you can prosecute.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Web and shareware resources for Windows XP

There is an interesting and informative article by Joe DeRouen, published August 1, 2002 at www.computeruser.com/articles/2108,5,17,1,0801,02.html. For people who don't subscribe to computeruser.com, I thought this article might be useful. Happy Reading from ComputerUser.com!
Submitted by Kendric Smith

MailWasher: Spam's Stalwart Enemy

MailWasher has all the characteristics that I like in a spam blocker. It works like a charm--it's truly easy to set up and use, and it nails spam at the door by filtering, bouncing, blacklisting, and removing it. And if you want to be a cheapskate, it's absolutely free. MailWasher works on your incoming missives before you open your e-mail program. The program goes to the mail server, just as your e-mail program does, but retrieves only the header information and the first few lines of each message. From there, I take action: I mark messages I recognize as spam, or agree with MailWasher's suspicion that they're spam. One click and MailWasher spits the message back to the sender, camouflaging it with "address not found." Yep, it really looks like it's bounced mail. After a few days use, you'll find it a no-brainer to add e-mail buddies to a friends list and the junk that MailWasher's not sure of to a spam list. After you've used MailWasher for a while, it collects enough info--through heuristic checking and filtering--that most spam is automatically blocked without any intervention. Besides stopping spam, there's a side benefit: MailWasher prevents e-mail with viruses attached from infecting your computer. That's because attachments are actually part of the message, so when MailWasher deletes the message, the attachment is deleted too.
MailWasher works with any e-mail client except Web-based programs such as Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL. The author's promised an upgrade to handle that soon. The disadvantage? Because it's a stand-alone program, you need to run it before using your regular e-mail client. Grab a copy of MailWasher at: www.mailwasher.net/download/index.php BTW, you need to be aware that the author, Nick Bolton, gets paid by donations. Once you use MailWasher--and see its value for yourself--send the guy $10 or $20 bucks. It'll feel good and will encourage him to improve the program.
You can sign up to get your own copy of Steve Bass's newsletter by heading to: www.pcworld.com/resource/newsletters/index.asp?sub_source=PCW_XD
Extracted from STEVE BASS'S HOME OFFICE 08/14/2002 newsletter at PC World

Defeat Hacker attacks, Trojan Horses and Spyware with Pest Patrol

PestPatrol is a $30 powerful security tool that detects and eliminates:

These pests create "back doors" into your systems, compromising network security and exposing the organization to litigation. PestPatrol detects and disables or removes thousands of pests quickly and safely. Free trial is available.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Copy Your Music CDs Onto Your PC

Robert Proffitt suggests www.cdrfaq.org covers this topic very extensively.
You could use RealOne. Just open up the free application, insert a CD...it will prompt you (do you want to save the contents to your computer?) and it will rip the files, with artist, album, tracks to your hard drive. It also does a nice job of organizing all of your ripped CDs in your My Music folder...
Microsoft furnishes Windows Media Player with its newer operating systems, and it's also available on the club CD. It not only rips the CD music, but also creates a wonderful catalog of all of your music, sortable by album, track, artist, and genre. It can include all of your other audio and video files too.
By the way, if you want to "un-rip" MP3 files so you can play them on a regular CD player, use cdex or similar program to convert them to a .WAV file. In addition, some CD burning software will accept MP3 files as the source for audio CDs (MusicMatch Jukebox and Nero do, and possibly Roxio's Easy-CD Creator).
One caveat: MP3 compression will condense huge .WAV files to small files that don't take up much space; however, the tradeoff is it will create tracks that are lower fidelity, and have poor stereo reproduction. MP3 is good for non-critical recording, for background listening (while jogging or driving, for example). Use your CD for the "concert hall" experience with your home theater. If you store music in compressed format, Windows Media Player and its WMA compression is a superior format, with much improved stereo reproduction. A growing number of car stereos coming onto the market also support this standard.
...as to copying vinyl to CD, there are a few devices that accept analog and pass it on to the PC, Dazzle for example. Even better might be a turntable made by Denon with built-in DSP filters and such which would help with cleaning the sound up. Look in the Crutchfield or Musician's Friend catalogs.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Tips for creating the perfect Windows boot disk

Read the article at TechRepublic for advice on how to prepare for the inevitable disk crash. Find out how to make a bootable disk, add generic CD ROM support, create a Config.sys file, advice on the Autoexec.bat file, and which utility files to include in the limited floppy space.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Tips and tricks for Windows XP

View the three page by Joe DeRouen of ComputerUser Magazine article by Joe DeRouen of ComputerUser Magazine at www.computeruser.com/articles/2109,5,17,1,0901,02.html.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

generate PDF files with FinePrint pdfFactory

If you have documents created in various applications, such as Word, Excel, QuickBooks, and Corel Publisher, Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files are a common format to send them to others. The problem is you need Adobe Acrobat, at about $250, to do the conversion (the PDF reader is free). One cheaper alternative is FinePrint pdfFactory. Once installed, it works just like Adobe Acrobat: When you're ready to generate a PDF file from, say, Word, go to the File menu, choose pdfFactory, and select print. The utility isn't free; it runs $50. But if you want to create lots of PDFs, it's worth the bucks. Why? It's brimming with useful features, from being able to preview the PDF and changing URLs to PDF links, to creating a table of contents or sending the doc as an e-mail attachment. You can get it here: www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22328,tk,sbx,00.asp. For more information on converting between PDF and text, see the General Meeting Notes 30 January 2002 Crosstalk discussion.
Submitted by Steve Bass at PC World [tips@listproc.pcworld.com]

become a PDF publisher on the cheap - convert files to PDF format using these programs

If you're not strapped for cash, Adobe's Acrobat Distiller program, which converts your page-layout, HTML, or word processing files to .pdf format, is your best bet. However, it's pretty dear at $250. For more economical products, investigate the following:
First, Adobe's own Create Adobe PDF Online. This is normally a $10-per-month or $100-per-year service that allows customers to convert an unlimited number of files from dozens of popular formats to PDF, but a trial offer lets you convert five files gratis (with limits on the number of pages per document, total download/upload size, and processing time).
Pete Barba has successfully used the BCL Technologies product on Word documents, and it is free. There is more information in the February 2002 Newsletter. BCL Technologies offers a free service that you can reach at www.gobcl.com; it converts .rtf, .txt, .doc, .xls, and .ppt files under 500KB into .pdf format, and then e-mails them back to you. After signing up, you can mail files to a BCL address and receive the converted files by return mail.
If you are technically savvy, visit The ZipGuy's Free PDF site and download his Free PDF version 0.95 beta and the equally important Free PDF configuration instructions. The ZipGuy's tool acts as a front end to several other free programs that add PDF as a virtual printer in Windows programs.
For a novice-friendly solution, enlist EHelp's RoboPDF Home Edition. Free to home users, RoboPDF Home Edition lets you print documents in the .pdf file format, using the print dialog box of any Windows application. Unfortunately, it also inserts an ad for RoboPDF on each page.
There is a July 2003 article PDFing Cheap By Ben Z. Gottesman at PCMagazine. Favorites are Jaws PDF Creator 3.0 and FinePrint pdfFactory PRO 1.57. If you are on a really tight budget, take a look at Software995's pdf995, a full-featured PDF tool that is available as a free download.
If you just have some text you can copy/paste and only need limited character and layout formatting, Try this free PDF creator, based on txt2pdf by SANFACE Software. It will send the PDF file to an email address you provide.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

National Upgrade Day - get rid of those Klez e-mail message

If you really want to do something to get rid of those Klez e-mail messages, check your antivirus program's signature. If it isn't up to date (and for many of you, it probably isn't), it might be a good idea to update it. If nothing else, try a quick scan with either Command on Demand or Housecalls, both available free online. Command on Demand is at:
www.commandondemand.com
Housecalls is at:
housecall.antivirus.com/housecall/start_pcc.asp
Submitted by Steve Bass at PC World [tips@listproc.pcworld.com]

Adobe online user forums for Photoshop, Elements and other Adobe products

I just woke up to the fact that Adobe has user forums on the following site:
www.adobeforums.com
I registered, it was easy. Not much info is requested. You can keep your email address private or public. Once on you can select an Adobe product. I chose PSE. There are over 200 forums for that product. You can scan for individual selection or subscribe to continuing messages. If you use Photoshop or Elements (or any other Adobe product) it will pay for you to read these forum topics.
Submitted by Milt Kostner

How to Fix the Biggest PC Annoyances

Computing hassles driving you bonkers? We feel your pain. And we have solutions--for hardware, software, and the Web. Steve Bass gives 33 pages of help in the October 2002 issue of PC World magazine.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Hitting the books

Click your way to literary bliss with the links to various online literary sources in this article by Sara Aase at ComputerUser. If you think any of these links deserve permanent inclusion on SPAUG's web pages, let the Webmaster know.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Intel Developer Forum (IDF)

ExtremeTech will provide in-depth, running coverage of all the important advances, from Intel's official line to tidbits gleaned from back-room meetings and late-night briefings.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Review of Six High-End Pentium 4 Motherboards

ExtremeTech recently reviewed six high end Pentium 4 motherboards. These motherboards provide the additional bandwidth to feed the Intel CPU's hunger for data throughput. Of the six boards, four were based on the Intel 850E chipset. Read the article here and the technical details here.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

You Techno-Geeks may soon be able to "Roll Your Own" Digital Video Recorder

Video Disk Recorder, or VDR, is a user interface for building a digital satellite TV receiver and recorder box running under Linux. It is based mainly on the DVB-S digital satellite TV receiver card from Fujitsu Siemens, and upon drivers developed by the LinuxTV project. Though not yet available in the U.S., VDR is for people who like to program their set-top to do what they want, and not just what products like TiVo will let them do. www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/linux/2002/08/29/howardwen.html
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Support the consumer groups who want FTC to stop commercial spam

A Computer World article reports Three consumer groups (Telecommunications Research and Action Center (TRAC); National Consumers League; and Consumer Action) today angrily launched a petition drive to ask the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to stop deceptive and unsolicited commercial junk e-mail, or spam, from filling the in-boxes of Internet users. They unveiled banthespam.com, a Web site where consumers can log their comments and negative experiences about receiving unwanted spam. The comments will be sent to the FTC for review as part of a massive online petition the consumer groups hope to use to get the FTC to act. Do your part - log your comments now.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Architectural Principles of the World Wide Web

After nine months of public analysis and debate, the Web's leading standards organization, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), has outlined the core principles and practices behind the Web's technologies.
The World Wide Web is a networked information system. Web Architecture is the set of principles that all agents in the system follow to create the large-scale effect of a shared information space. Identification, data formats, and protocols are the main technical components of Web Architecture, but the large-scale effect depends on social behavior as well.
This document strives to establish a reference set of principles for Web architecture.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Reduce or eliminate phone spam from telemarketers

Read David Coursey's (Executive Editor, AnchorDesk) advice on how to discourage telemarketers by installing the TeleZapper. Note the Mid-2002 SPAUG CD has the same tone used by the TeleZapper to indicate the phone is disconnected in the file sit.wav. You just have to put it at the beginning of your phone answering message.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

ExtremeTech Windows XP SuperGuide

Find out how to tweak WinXP to get the ultimate performance possible visit Windows XP SuperGuide. Note you have to register with ExtremeTech, but there's lots of valuable information available there. Another article Optimize Windows XP is also interesting.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Mega-Hard Drive Reviews at Ziff-Davis Storage Supersite

Thinking about getting a 180-200 GB mega-drive? Read the reviews and check prices here. Here are the bottom-line recommendations for various usages:

In the end, we liked the IBM Deskstar 180GXP and Western Digital WD2000JB drives the best. They offer large capacities, solid performance across the spectrum and are relatively quiet even when working hard. However, we are concerned about the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Deskstar line under its new owner. While we have no doubt that warranties will be honored, we can only hope that Hitachi will be able to continue the incredible R&D efforts that have been a hallmark of IBM's storage division.

Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Holiday bargains: if used tech is good enough

An article by Patrick Houston at www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2898462,00.html suggests that if you don't need the latest and greatest, you can save lots of money buying used or refurbished equipment. Some of the sources are:
• MicroSeconds, a company that belongs to a sub-segment of the consumer electronics industry that specializes in reselling used, returned, and refurbished computers and other consumer electronics products.
• ReturnBuy Inc. represents a slightly new and different twist on the business. ReturnBuy takes a returned piece of equipment, from brand names like Olympus, Sony, HP, and Palm, tests it, and recertifies everything itself. While ReturnBuy doesn't offer factory warranties, it does have a 30-day return policy, no questions asked. Plus, you can buy an extended warranty, backed by Kemper Insurance Co., for anywhere from $15 to $50.
• RefurbDepot is another source of used, reconditioned equipment.
• And of course the major manufacturers like HP, Dell, Micron, Northgate, etc. have their own refurbished equipment sales. A Google search for refurbished computer used will give you many possibilities.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Encrypting data in e-mail and on hard drives is easier than you think

Interested in encryption? Read Maggie Biggs' article Scramble it!. Here's an excerpt: encrypting e-mail communication as well as data stored on your hard disks should be a fundamental part of your security practices--whether at home or at the office. But, adding encryption to your security arsenal doesn't mean that you need to become a cryptographer. E-mail and hard disk encryption tools available today are easy to get up and running, and, what's more, the cost won't get you down. Prices range from free to less than one hundred dollars.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Use Windows XP's power management features to lower energy bills

An article posted Nov 15, 2002 by Greg Shultz at www.techrepublic.com/article.jhtml?id=r00620021115shu01.htm&fromtm=e101-2 tells how users of Windows XP on a computer that is fully compliant with the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification can save up $150 or more per year in electricity by implementing XP's built-in power-saving state, Standby. If you qualify, read the article and save some money. (note: you may have to register with TechRepublic to acces their site, but registration is free, and there is lots of good information on their site).
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Submit and Track your Rebates online at RebatesHQ.com

I recently bought a product at Fry's that had a mail-in rebate promotion. Unfortunately, Fry's was out of rebate coupons, but fortunately I was not out of luck. There is a website, www.RebatesHQ.com, that handles rebate promotions for dozens of companies. I quickly found my product, followed the seven steps, printed the coupon, attached the required receipt & UPC code, and sent off for my rebate. I can even track the progress online with the tracking number they assigned. If you have bought something recently, check and see if you have a rebate coming!
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

California Coastal Records Project

Found on Metafilter. The large pic of the Golden Gate was nearly 6MB and took a long time to download. But if you're a California Coastline fan you should check this site out.
The California Coastal Records Project. A Rich guy with a helicopter and a digital camera is posting high-resolution pictures on the internet of every mile of the California coastline, 500 feet at a time. (Related Washington Post article.)
Submitted by John Buck

Keep Hackers Out

Read the article in PCMagazine by Konstantinos Karagiannis and Matthew D. Sarrel
As we rely more on our computers, the potential for hackers to hurt us through them likewise has grown, threatening to expose or destroy our private data and personal records. Current hacker tools are sophisticated, automated, and more difficult to spot. In addition, broadband connections have made us more vulnerable; always-connected computers, typically with static or rarely changing IP addresses (the addresses computers on the Internet use to find you), give would-be attackers unlimited time to discover and exploit system vulnerabilities. With a few tricks and tools, however, you can secure your home or small-office computer against the average hacker searching for the low-hanging fruit.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

Desktop Linux Reviews at ExtremeTech

Tired of Windows? Want to try Linux? See the review results at ExtremeTech: A Summary of our Desktop Linux Reviews. Which flavor of Linux is right for you? They look at 6 versions ( Lindows 2.0, Mandrake Linux 9.0, SuSE 8.1, Red Hat 8.0, Libranet 2.7 and Lycoris Desktop/LX), and provide real guidance, whether you're a newbie, old-hack or hobbyist. They focus more on what has changed in the distros, how the different versions distinguish themselves, and what we can look forward to seeing in the months that lie ahead. They'll also be discussing the latest improvements that have been made to further simplify and organize installations, improve performance, and increase the usability of the systems.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

'Sniffing' for wireless internet access - 'Warchalking' and 'war driving'

It is called "Warchalking" in the UK. I first read about it in a link from Metafilter: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2144279.stm. For More links.
The good guys are doing something similar. In an article by Bob Brewin at ComputerWorld, read how "The U.S. Secret Service has begun 'war driving' around Washington and other cities in an effort to sniff out unsecured wireless LANs." at computerworld.com/newsletter/0%2C4902%2C74806%2C0.html?nlid=AM.
Submitted by John Buck and Stan Hutchings

Learn software online or by CD-ROM

If you're interested in learning a software application, check out the Virtual Training Company www.vtc.com: flexible learning for computer-based training online and on CD. Free online demos, $25/month for full access. The whole list of CDs is here.
Submitted by Stan Hutchings

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