Issue 135 - May 09, 2001

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements ©2001
==== 1831 Subscribers in 52 Countries ====

Subscribe/Unsubscribe/View Archives at http://www.pcin.net/

Welcome to the 135th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN consists of 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 topic. Email me at mailto:editor@pcin.net with any suggestions. If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will come back for more!

Recommend PCIN in May and have the most referrals subscribe and you could win a copy of Microsoft Office 2000 Standard. Recommend PCIN now at http://www.pcin.net/recommend.shtml

OPENING THOUGHTS

Lisa and I just had new windows put in our house. Is it ever nice to finally be able to open our windows (their not painted shut anymore)!

Last week I asked, "Are there any PCIN subscribers in either Rumania or Hungry?" Yes, I realized after I sent it out that the words were spelled wrong. I had cut and paste directly from an email message. The question did have a purpose and it's for a good cause.
Subscriber John Hills is working with Wycombe Youth Action to send computers to needy countries. He mentioned there were a couple of reasons for doing this:
"1. To encourage young people to use computers with the express aim of helping other charities and other people in need on a voluntary basis.
2. For the youngsters to learn how to build PC's and construct them from donated parts for young people in Romania."
He continues, "Thus all old or unwanted parts, peripherals and software would be gratefully received. Also, to create additional interest for the youngsters, old games too would be handy."
John was asking about subscribers from Romania and Hungary so he could get some help with translation.
If you can help by donating anything, or with some translations, please email John at mailto:jhills@ukf.net
You could also see if there is anything in your own area where you can help with something like this.

Lastly don't forget to recommend PCIN in May. You're going to love the Recommend PCIN prize this month. I am giving away a copy of Microsoft Office 2000 Standard. You need to visit http://www.pcin.net/recommend.shtml and recommend PCIN to others. At the end of the month, the person who had the most people subscribe in May will win the software. This is a little different than normal. It is usually a random draw of anyone who recommended PCIN. No we need some action. These must be new subscribers to be eligible.

The NEWS

On-line Greeting Cards Cost Employees' Jobs

From the April 20, 2001 issue of Network World Canada magazine:
"The second-largest greeting card company in the U.S. has said it has been forced to lay off 1,500 employees due to competition from Internet greeting cards. American Greetings Corp., which has more than 11,600 full-time employees worldwide, has reportedly said its sales have been hampered by the continuing growth of the Internet as a means for people to communicate. The company has its own on-line company, AmericanGreetings.com, but this company has also been a drag on profit."

Yahoo! Removes Adult Content from Site - But Will Business Suffer?

"Can Yahoo! strip itself of porn without paying the price?
That's the question being posed by Internet observers as the Web's leading portal continues to distance itself from adult content.
In April, Yahoo! announced it would stop selling adult videos and DVDs as part of its e-commerce efforts. Last week, The Associated Press reported that the portal has made its adult-themed clubs and chats more difficult to track down on the site.
On the surface, such moves, while helping to ward off criticism from family values groups, might seem detrimental to the financial health of Yahoo!, which has suffered through lagging revenues, a falling stock price and an executive shakeup in recent months."

For more info:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/DailyNews/yahooporn010507.html

Google Restores Deja View

"The porn is back. The chronicles of many nasty flamewars are back, too. And everything you ever said in Usenet, back before you had a real job or kids to worry about, has now returned to haunt you.
Popular Internet search site Google has made more than 500-million archived Usenet messages -- an archive dating back to 1995 -- available online again."

For more info:
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,43392,00.html

Do You Find Messaging Technology Empowering?

From the May 4, 2001 issue of ComputerWorld Canada magazine, pg 35.
"Do you find messaging technology empowering, or does it bog you down?
66% I couldn't live without e-mail and the Internet - they allow me to get a hold of any one or any piece of information I need at a moment's notice.
27% It's made my life much more flexible, and I now have more time to spend with my family
7%  I never get a moment's peace because I'm constantly bombarded with e-mail messages and phone calls. It's a full time job just keeping up.
0%  My time with my family is no longer my own. Work is no longer the exclusive domain of the office - I carry it home with me everyday because too many people can reach me anytime, anywhere."

I NEED HELP

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 most of them, but there are things that I have never tried or experienced so I don't have an answer. I 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. If you do try one of these tips, please let me know how the suggestions worked out. Did they work or not? Please send in your questions or results to mailto:freehelp@pcin.net

Previous Questions

Q 134-01

I'm often asked how to record old albums, radio programs, and other multimedia-type questions. I have no interest in these sorts of things, so I don't even know where to refer people. Please email your favourite help sites for multimedia issues.

A 134-01

cnlson said, "The article [3-9] How do I put photographs onto CD-ROM at http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq03.html#S3-9 would probably be helpful."

Q 134-02

My hyperlinks in Outlook Express don't work. I receive a message with links, and I can't click on them.
(Intel C333, Win95)

A 134-02

** said, "I would say the two most likely problems may be an Outlook/Internet Explorer problem, in which case just reinstall them is easiest (all current data like emails and addresses should be kept). Or the emails contain invalid URLs (links) so either the web page browser is trying to go to a page that doesn't exist or the link wasn't typed in a format that outlook can recognise (maybe there are "'s around the link etc)."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John Hills said, "In the message box of the email, look at the Format menu and ensure that Rich Text HTML is selected and not Plain Text."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Holly Scott said, "Open up Internet Explorer.  On the Tools Menu, select Internet options.  Make sure that email selected is Outlook Express. That usually does the trick. If not, download an Upgrade to OE from http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/Default.asp under the "recommended updates" Microsoft Internet Explorer.
This site has all the updates for the Win 95 system, and it will allow you to save to disk, rather than the normal autoinstall."

New Questions

Q 135-01

I am just wondering how many parallel ports can a normal desktop computer have, and possibly, how to configure it.
(PIII 450, 128MB RAM, 20GB HD, Win98SE, Navigator 4.76)

Q 135-02

I'm having problems with the floppy drive on my pc. It wouldn't read or open anything, & upon having a look inside, one of the pins had broken off, a new floppy drive has been put in, but still the same problem.  It either won't open it because it says the disk has not been formatted, (but they are) or it cannot read it. Although, on some disks it will open, say a word doc. & on another (exactly the same type of disk it won't. Also, you cannot save on them.
(PII, 128MB RAM, 10GB HD, Win98, Navigator)

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

PCIN.net UPDATE

Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:

I've spent some time this week working on a message board. I have a sample set up at but I'm not too happy with it. Check it out at http://pcin.net/help/bboard/ and let me know what you think, or send me some suggestions for good message board scripts.

I'm working to set up a message/bulletin board script. If you have any suggestions, email me at mailto:editor@pcin.net

THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Cheap Trick of the Week

**Keep on running**
Want to keep your computer running without anyone else being able to shut it down?
Then disable the Shut Down command. Here's how:
Open your Registry Editor. (If you're new to editing the Registry, check www.WE-Compute.com/registry.html for instructions.)
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer.
Create a new value by clicking Edit and New DWORD value. Right-click the new value and select Rename. Type NoClose and press Enter. Double-click the new value and under Value data type 1 (one) to disable the Shut Down command.
If at a later time you wish to re-enable shutdown, change the Value data to 0 (zero).

Get your own copy of "The Little Black Book of Cheap Tricks: 2001" by visiting http://www.pcin.net/lbbct/

How Long Has Windows Been Running For?

To find out how long Windows 98 has been running for, go to Programs - Accessories - System - Tools menu and choose the System Information utility. In the right pane there will be a value called Uptime that tells you how long Windows 98 has been "up" for.

Adobe Photoshop 6 Easter Egg

Launch Photoshop 6 and then hold down [Ctrl][Alt][Shift] while choosing Help > About Photoshop in Windows). When you do, you'll find out where the belching cat of yesteryear made it to. You might also want to read through the credits.

DISCLAIMER and OTHER STUFF

PCIN 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 for the results obtained from trying the tips in this newsletter.

  1. If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you may have to cut and paste.
  2. You can only win one contest every 30 days.
  3. To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://www.pcin.net/ and follow the appropriate links.
  4. Recommend PCIN to others at http://www.pcin.net/recommend.shtml and be entered in a monthly draw.
  5. 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.
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Graham Wing can be reached at mailto:editor@pcin.net

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