SPAUG has just been informed that the usage of 8592 on the Smart Computing subscriptions has caused Smart Computing to mail a check to SPAUG. This is our first, so we know that at least some of you are getting the correct scoop on a monthly basis. Smart Computing is an information magazine for those just starting out in computers.
This months topic is on "Where To Get HELP."
All of us have needs to get support, and here are some in addition to the usual set of manuals and calls to customer support.
When presented with an error message about which I know nothing, often the best solution is to go to www.google.com and put in the error message exactly as presented. The result are often gratifying.
Bob O'Donnell, of radio fame, has a site at www.everythingcomputers.com that seems to go on forever with topic after topic and leads to other sites with yet more information.The O'Reilly Utilities are ways to handle routine annoyances presented by Windows 98:
www.oreilly.com/catalog/utilwin98/features
If you are having troubles with anything to do with the Internet address, organizations behind it and whois functions try Sam Spade's site:
samspade.org/t/
If you can't find the printer cartridge you need or you want to start refilling your own, try this:
www.inksite.com
All of the privacy and security software you could ever want:
www.privacy.net/software
Full discussions of what software to put onto your machine and why to control viruses, intrusions, and other associated problems by Bill Gibson of Gibson Research:
grc.com
If you think your Internet connection is not up to the speed you would like and want to separate out whether it is your ISP or the location you are attempting to download, use this tool:
bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/index.html
Not a help site but gets rid of junk snail mail:
www.e-mps.org/en
To help get rid of your old PC - Computer Recycling Center:
www.crc.org/index.html
Need help determining if you are black to worms?:
www.earthlink.net/freescan
Microsoft TechNet problem solving:
www.microsoft.com/technet/default.asp
The Microsoft Knowledge Base composed of a compendium of all of the problems Microsoft has (and solutions) with its software.
search.microsoft.com/us/itresources
All of the above are from my bookmarks file from Netscape. I used to pass it out to my classes and found that there was a black market of the floppies. Send me a reservation memo and I will bring a copy to the September SPAUG meeting for you.
Regards,
Jim
Members present: Jim Dinkey, John Sleeman, Bev Altman, John Buck, Susan Mueller, Mildred Kohn, Stan Hutchings.
Bev Altman has the membership list, this is the basis for the address list that Susan Mueller gets. The Webmaster has the e-mail list on the website; Bev should send a copy of the name and e-mail address of new members to the Webmaster.
Elections are coming in November. John Sleeman was asked to run for vice president, he graciously volunteered. Other officers agreed to continue in their current positions.
The club URL and domain name, pa-spaug.org, has been renewed for five years.
The club laptop computer is back in the shop, it needs a new hard drive. This will cost about $100. Jim Dinkey offered to pick one up at Fry's, and install it in the laptop.
Our financial status is okay.
Our August speaker, Gilman Louie, needs to be hosted. Jim Dinkey will be out of town. We probably need a microphone and amplifier, and the doorbell. Kendrick Smith was contacted, and volunteered to act as host. John Buck will send the information about Gilman Louie to Kendrick.
The club officers have backups: Bev Altman's backup is Robert Page; John Sleeman is the backup for John Buck and Mildred Kohn; Yuko Maye is Susan Mueller's backup; John Sleeman and Stan Hutchings back each other up as Webmasters.
To coordinate refreshments the night of the meeting, especially if Jim Dinkey is out of town, the phone number to call is 493-4249. Call in the late afternoon the same day of the meeting, and also remind them to turn on the air-conditioner.
One of the conditions of us using the Elks Lodge is a requirement to fill out the sheet of guests (SPAUG members), who are guests of the member (Jim). We should make a special effort to ensure that this is done every meeting. This is equivalent to paying our rent.
Suggestions for future speakers included: McAfee, Norton/Symantec; VeriSign; E*Trade, or other online broker; Roxio; Intuit; Microsoft.
Bev Altman suggested that someone demonstrate programs on the CDOM, a 10 minute or so presentation, perhaps after the break, would be ideal. This will get members familiar with the CDOM's programs, and encourage them to buy it.
The meeting was adjourned.
The presentation was given by Jason Turk of Promise Technology, Inc. Promise Technology is the primary software company that makes RAID storage. RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Devices. Promise Technology uses ATA storage technology, with multiple IDE drives in a RAID environment. Using ATA IDE drives, costs are kept down; using advanced data-handling techniques allows speed as fast or faster than SCSI or other technologies. The most common uses are in video, graphics, and design applications; also, protecting data from loss. For more information visit the Promise Technology website at www.promise.com.
There are several levels of RAID (an excellent overview of RAID is at this location):
Jason provided the FastTrack 100 and also 100 to RAID cards as door prizes. SPAUG members get a special discount from Promise Technology [through 7/31/01]; contact Moses Escamilla at 408-452-0948 x216 or mosese@promise.com. The FastTrak 100 for $49 would be most appropriate for club members.
Question: how to get rid of the network password requirement at bootup. Answer: change the network settings from "Client for MS Network" to "Microsoft Family Logon".
Question: how do you read an e-mail message with MIME encoding? Answer: Netscape and Outlook Express both read MIME. Preferences may need to be adjusted to allow a MIME in some e-mail applications. By the way, messages to the SPAUG listserve should be text only; if desired also attach a Word file.
Comment: Eudora and ZoneAlarm are on our new CDOM. ZoneAlarm has a list of incompatibilities on their website. If you're worried, visit their site to confirm there are no incompatibilities with your software.
Question: is there a way to get rid of ZoneAlarm's toolbar? Answer: there should be a preference or setting that can be chosen.
You can report spam at the SpamCop website: www.spamcop.com. Copy the whole message into SpamCop, and submit it. Instructions are there for various e-mail programs. EarthLink has an application called Spaminator to prevent spam from being sent to you via their service.
Comment: It is not wise to keep the preview panel open in your e-mail application; close it, look at the message header before opening it, and decide whether you believe it's safe. Some viruses can be activated if the preview panel is open.
Comment: AdAware software finds "bots" left on your system. ZoneAlarm detected the bots' attempts to send their info back to their "owners" - usually an advertiser interested in what you are doing on the web.
URL for alternative operating systems.
http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart
Computer Literacy (Fatbrain) book stores:
http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart
Home networking
http://www.helmig.com/
JunkBusters and Privacy
http://www.junkbusters.com/cgi-bin/privacy
Where to get started on the ZDNet software library:
http://www5.zdnet.com/findit/guide.html
ZDNet top rated software:
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/
Talk to your computer - Dictate to it:
http://www.1stvoice.com/
How to get rid of SPAM:
http://www.abuse.net/tools.html
Alta Vista is an alternate to Google:
http://www.altavista.com/
Ask Jeeves - a multiple-engine search:
http://www.askjeeves.com/
BugNet will confirm that you might have a problem:
http://www.bugnet.com/
If your hardware isn't working right:
http://www.computeruser.com/archives/cc/cadv_index.html
CD Recordables FAQ - all you wanted to know:
http://optout.cdt.org/
CNET price comparison- pick cheapest for shipping to your door:
http://shopper.cnet.com/shopping/0-1257.html?tag=sb
DataWise - Hank Skawinski's Home Page:
http://www.datawise-pc.com/index.html
DeLorme - You own private map maker.
http://www.delorme.com/
CNET's Download.com - where to get the software:
http://download.cnet.com/
DSL resource- see if you can get DSL:
http://www.dslreports.com/
Jumbo - a download and computer news site:
http://www.jumbo.com/
JunkBusters - SPAM control:
http://www.jumbo.com/
Employment site for job searchers:
http://www.occ.com/
Opt Out of marketing lists:
http://optout.cdt.org/
Opt Out of marketing lists (additional entry point):
http://grc.com/optout.htm
Power Quest - Partition Magic, Drive Image, etc.:
http://www.powerquest.com/
Steve Smith's Auto Repair (recommended) Mt View:
http://www.smittylube.com/#
DarwinAwards - Ending the genetic chain of the stupid: http:
//www.darwinawards.com/
That's enough for a while.
Jim
Promise Technology, Inc. is the driving force behind the next generation of IDE storage controllers and subsystems that improve overall system performance - solutions powered by IDE RAID technology. The Promise vision rests on its already well-established base of industry advancement in low-cost IDE storage controllers, combining the most powerful technologies at the most affordable cost. The company has committed its entire research and development effort to storage solutions that yield faster performance, better reliability, and lower price points than competitive storage solutions.
Its lineup of IDE RAID products maintains many competitive advantages versus Ultra Wide SCSI and Ultra2 SCSI storage. Whatever the future of business computing holds, Promise Technology will have the next answer to your performance needs.
In its ten-year history, Promise Technology, Inc., has achieved distinction with its cutting-edge technologies and complete spectrum of products that enhance storage and system performance. The clear world leader in IDE controller technology, Promise Technology holds an impressive track record of design innovations and product introductions since its founding in 1988.
Early on, Promise Technology quickly developed engineering superiority in disk caching controller technology by pioneering products that dramatically reduce disk access times and maximize throughput. Promise pioneered disk controller caching for the older architecture, slower access MFM drives.
In 1990, Promise delivered the world's first IDE disk accelerator using the company's proprietary design and has continued that pattern of industry firsts through the decade. The tightly-focused research and development teams at Promise Technology produce controllers that create rapid response, zero bottleneck disk drive operation for PC users.
Unlike other companies, Promise Technology controls all the technology it creates. Promise designs, manufactures, services, and markets each of its products, giving the company an edge over the competition. The company maintains R&D and production facilities in the United States and Taiwan. Its engineering focus is comprehensive, with dedicated teams for ASIC design, firmware, software, IDE RAID, quality control, and quality assurance.
Such a structure has allowed Promise to be recognized as the leader in "time-to-market" IDE controller solutions, and, now, IDE RAID solutions. Promise maintains close working relationships with all major drive manufacturers to support and validate compatibility with new drive innovations before they come to market.
Key to spreading the Promise trademark and product concepts is an expanding sales presence throughout the globe. The company recently established a European sales office to support and expand distribution throughout Europe. In addition, a new Asian sales office has also been created to service the entire APAC region.
Promise is now represented worldwide through several prominent distributors in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. This includes major national and international distributors such as Ingram Micro, Tech Data, Synnex, D&H, ASI and others. The company has also expanded its OEM ties -- particularly with top tier namebrands like Gateway, and others.
Jason has been the National Sales Manager for Promise Technology for the past 3 years. Including USA and Canada, Jason handles South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and all of Latin America. Over the past 3 years he has accomplished 40+% annual compounded business growth with 2001 sales on track to achieve another 20+% growth. Prior to Promise Jason was a Product Manger at distributor Synnex Information Technologies in Fremont CA, handling over $4M of storage business per month. With over 8 years in the IT industry with an emphasis on storage, Jason's experience encompass all the various channels. Prior to Synnex he worked for Promise as a Channel Business development Manager and before that he helped run a family retail chain of 10+ stores throughout the bay area.