The PC Improvement News

Issue 55
October 27, 1999

ISSN 1488-3163
Published electronically by PC Improvements (c) 1999
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Welcome to the 55th edition of the PC Improvement News. In this newsletter,
I combine news, tips, thoughts, and contests. There is something for
everyone, and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there will be something
for you. I am willing to discuss any computer topics in this newsletter.
Email me at editor@pcin.net with your suggestions.

There are only 2 ways to get on the subscriber list. You have either been
subscribed by filling out a subscription form on any of the pages on my
site, or you have requested FreeHelp from me in the past.

Give me two or three issues, and I know that you will get something great
out of this!

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SOME OPENING THOUGHTS
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Happy Halloween!  I don't know how many countries around the world have this
tradition, but it can be a lot of fun. Obviously Lisa and I aren't going
out, but it's fun answering the door seeing the little kids dressed up. I
hope you all have fun.

The news section has to be the hardest section to write. Some weeks are good
and some weeks are bad. It seemed as if there was lots of good news this
week, so there are some interesting tidbits.

I'd like to add something to the subject line of this newsletter.  I will
keep the beginning as PCIN Issue 55, but would like to add something after
it.  Should I add the title of one of the news sections like I did this
week? Should I put the Thought of the Week there? Let me know.  Email me at
editor@pcin.net

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THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
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The best way to predict your future is to create it.
          - Unknown

Thought courtesy of http://www.HappyPublishing.com/

To subscribe to the FREE "Aspire to Something Higher" Thought-Of-The-Day
list, send a blank email to HappyQuotes-subscribe@listbot.com

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THE NEWS
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Only 2% of the world online
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In the October 4, 1999 issue of Computer Reseller News Canada, they
discussed a survey that was done by a New York-based technology research
firm (they didn't give the name of the firm). They raised some good points.
"Vendors believing all six billion people on earth will become their market
whey they launch an e-commerce Web site might be shocked to learn less than
half of the world's population has used a telephone. In addition, the report
states that only about 2.2 per cent of the people on earth will have
Internet access by the end of the year."


The Digital Signature
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Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura became the first US Governor to put his
digital signature on a document.  Minnesota has implemented a system where
government employees can sign online documents.  They are using
cryptographic smart cards designed by Burnsville, Minn.-based Datakey Inc.
to store the digital signatures. The new tools enable users to digitally
sign electronic forms and e-mail messages, and perform secure Internet or
Intranet transactions.

For more info:
http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9910/21/ventura.digital.signature.idg/index.ht
ml


Microsoft to compete with Sony, Nintendo, etc.
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There are rumours going around that Microsoft is going to venture into the
gaming business.  The rumour is that they are going to build a game console
to compete with Sony Playstation, Nintendo 64, and Sega Dreamcast. The
device would be called the X-box.


The Taiwan Earthquake
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I know this is a little old, but I'm just getting some solid news now.  A
few weeks ago there was a huge earthquake in Taiwan. I'm sure you all heard
of it. Well, most of the effects on the PC industry are being felt now. I
was recently in a computer store and memory was twice as much as it was just
a month ago.  I've been reading some articles lately as well and 80% of the
world's motherboards are produced in Taiwan. 80%!  They also produce 15% of
the DRAM (memory) in the world. The earthquake didn't directly affect the
Hsinchu Science Park, the main area where all of the manufacturing plants
are, but it was side effects that were damaging. Roads leading there were
damaged. Workers either couldn't drive there, or were busy at home worrying
about their own problems.  Analysts are expecting prices to return to normal
in early 2000.


Cyber Crime Squad in England
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A national police squad in England will be set up to look into such
cyber-crimes as money laundering, pornography, counterfeiting, hacking, and
fraud. A confidential police assessment shows that ``cyber-crime'' in
Britain is growing.

For more info:
http://199.97.97.16/contWriter/cnd7/1999/10/25/cndin/8263-1466-pat_nytimes.h
tml


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I NEED HELP
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As many of you know, I offer a free help service via email. If you have a
question, you can email me and I will try my best to answer them. I can
answer about half of them. Those are things that I do regularly or have
experience with. There are other things that I have never tired or
experienced so I don't have an answer. I hope to post those questions here
and see if any of the readers have any suggestions. I will include all
reasonable suggestions with credit to you. These are NOT my own questions
and they are NOT my answers. I will NOT check the validity of these
comments. That is up to you.

Previous Questions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q1) Have put in Win.98 on a p166, 2GB hard drive, Netscape4.5. I'm put off,
can't get 98 updates for y2k unless I download Internet Explorer and I like
my Netscape Browser. Is there another way to get the couple of files I would
need?
-----
A1) Silvan Kuipers said, "Just install the patch and not use the Internet
Explorer, but Netscape. Any file associations can be adjusted afterwards
(Windows Explorer, View, Options, File Types)."
-----
A1) John Hills said, "Ask a friend to get them who uses IE and then send
them on through email."

Q2) K, J & M on keyboard has to be pressed several times to get them to
work. The A will type twice when pressed once. Advanced Power Management
says I definitely have a problem but I can't figure out how to identify the
driver in Register. How do I identify it and how should it be set?
-----
A2) Silvan Kuipers said, "It sounds to me like your keyboard is dusty/dirty
inside. Did you perhaps by accident drop some soda on it? You could clean it
carefully, if you aren't too afraid to unscrew your keyboard."
-----
A2) Leeor Geva said, "I had the same problem with the U key on my Gateway
2000's keyboard. After calling Gateway up, they sent me a new keyboard and
the fixed it. I don't believe it's a 'driver' or 'register.' The problem
here looks like a worn out keyboard. Also a problem which many people
encounter is when pressing R, E, M, and such letters when you press the
"Windows Key" With them, brings up the respected applications (Run,
Explorer, Minimize All). This usually happens if the "Windows Key" is
thought of being pressed down by windows (this is a totally API problem from
what I've experienced). All you have to do to fix this is press both
"Windows Keys" a few times to let it recognize it's not pressed down
anymore.
-----
A2) John Hills said, "Ideally you should boot up in dos and see if the
keyboard behaves in the same way. If it still has the same problem, then a
new keyboard is needed. If it does behave in the same way, then I have not a
clue as I cannot see what connection there is between this keyboard problem
and APM. I would really like to know the outcome of this problem if it is
not a duff keyboard.
-----
A2) Chris Wheatley said, "These keys are grouped together - it looks like
either the membrane has failed in that area or a liquid may have infiltrated
the keyboard thereabouts. The price of keyboards (in the UK) is about £10.
Borrow a friends keyboard and if that works buy a new one. Its not worth the
cost and hassle trying to repair it - unless its super expensive. Membrane
repair kits do exist - try an electronic spares catalogue."

New Questions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q1) When I click on an Internet Shortcut that is on my desktop (not in my
Favorites), it always opens up in an IE window that I already have open. How
do I open this link in a new instance of IE (in a new window)?
Q2) Actually, it's not really a problem. I'm having a hard time finding web
pages that are specific to improving performance of my machine, particularly
just raw speed tips and tricks. I work for a very large corporation
(120,000+ employees) and our machines are not upgraded or replaced with very
often, so I'm sort of stuck with what I have for a while. Can you direct me
to a couple of sites that really do a good job in detailing out ways to
improve the speed of my machine as well as maybe troubleshooting techniques
(documented or undocumented) that I can use?

If you have an answer to these questions or have a question of your own,
please email me at freehelp@pcin.net

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A Question. Not answered
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Last week subscriber Charles Breeding asked this question:
"There seem to be more free ISP every day, have you had experience with any
of these?"

I asked for responses by those who have tried these, but apparently, no one
has anything to say about them.

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF
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Cheap Trick of the Week
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** No-scroll Programs menu**
This trick is for Windows 98 users who would like to pick up one useful
feature from Windows 95: In that older operating system when you had too
many programs to fit in one column on the Start/Programs menu, a second
column with the additional items appeared beside it. In Win98, however, you
have to scroll from the bottom of the column to see more items.
But you can make your Windows 98 Programs menu work like Windows 95's by
adding a line to your Registry. (Editing the Registry can be a bit tricky
and risky - for full instructions on safe Registry hacking, see
http://www.WE-Compute.com/registry.html).
Click on the Start button and on Run. Type regedit and click on OK to bring
up the Registry Editor.
In the Registry Editor, navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanc
ed. Right-click on Advanced and select New and String Value. Name the new
string that appears in the right pane StartMenuScrollPrograms without spaces
and with capitals as shown. Then right-click on the icon beside the name you
just created and select Modify.
An Edit String dialogue box appears. In the Data field, enter the word false
and click on OK. Close the Registry.
You may or may not have to reboot the computer first, but you'll see that
your Programs menu will now continue across the screen in as many columns as
it requires - no more scrolling.

Buy the Little Black Book of Cheap Tricks for only $9.95 Cdn
http://www.pcimprovements.com/help/books/cheaptricks.shtml


Find your Bookmarks from anywhere
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Subscriber Chris Empey sent this in:
I found a web site that you may want to pass along to your readers.
http://www.mybookmarks.com allows you to synchronize your favourites between
IE, Netscape and any remote location you may work at. This is great for
school, work, or other places you may use public terminals.


Cooking and Baking
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I know there are lots of sites online that have good recipes.  I just came
across these lately and I thought I'd pass them on.
http://www.chefpoint.com/
http://www.culinaria.com/cgi/culinariaHome.cgi

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Well, that's all for this week. Remember that if there is anything that you
want to learn about, let me know. You can also send in your comments and
suggestions.
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The PC Improvement News is brought to you by PC Improvements. The opinions
expressed are those of the editor, Graham Wing. PC Improvements and Graham
Wing accept no responsibility (either good or bad) for the results obtained
from trying the tips in this newsletter.
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Editor: Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Copyright 1999, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All rights reserved. This
publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the author is
notified and the newsletter is presented as is.

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