Issue 122 - February 07, 2001
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements ©2001
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Welcome to the 122nd 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 to others and be entered in a monthly draw. Recommend
PCIN in February and win a copy of Serif 3Dplus and PrintMaster 7.2. The
more you recommend PCIN the more chances you have to win. Recommend PCIN
now at http://www.pcin.net/recommend.shtml
OPENING THOUGHTS
You may have noticed that the Cheap Trick returned last week. We Compute!
Magazine, the authors of the weekly Cheap Tricks, and the books have their
server running again and will provide weekly tips. They also have a new
version of their Cheap Tricks book, The Little Black Book of Cheap Tricks:
2001, which I will be reviewing soon. I am in their affiliate program,
so if you want to buy the book, make sure you click the link that is in
each issue of PCIN.
There is a new section this week that will be in every issue. Some of
you may remember a while ago a friend of mine (and subscriber) Shawn Bremner
was providing me with a Thought of the Week. Well, he works for one of
the largest telecommunications companies in Canada and he has quite an
interest in "mobile" computing. He will be providing the information
for the "Mobile Computing News and Notes" section.
Don't forget about the tentative PCIN summer. If you live close enough
and are interested, then please email me to let me know that you are interested.
I'd also like to hear what you'd be interested in doing/discussing/seeing
while here. Email me at mailto:editor@pcin.net
Lastly, congratulations to Gene Cote who recommended PCIN in January
and won a copy of the book "The Unauthorized Guide to Windows ME"
by Paul McFedries. Recommend PCIN in February and win a copy of Serif
3Dplus and PrintMaster 7.2. Recommend PCIN now at http://www.pcin.net/recommend.shtml
The NEWS
From Synagogue to Cyber-Cafe
A couple of weeks ago I shared a newsbyte about using church steeples
for cell phone towers. This kind of goes along with that line of thinking:
"Plagued by high maintenance costs, the small Jewish community
in Suriname (PARAMARIBO) has rented out one of the oldest synagogues
in the Western Hemisphere for a computer shop and an Internet cafe.
`We had to do this to save the synagogue,' Jewish community leader Dennis
Kopinsky said.
But some in this former Dutch colony in South America are unhappy about
the 265-year-old Sedekwe Shalom Synagogue's unlikely transformation.
Nathalie Brunings, an Adventist, compared it to the Bible story in which
Jesus drove merchants out of a Jewish temple because he found it disrespectful.
`If Jesus came here right now he would get real angry,' Brunings said.
The synagogue, a white wooden building erected by Sephardic Jews, is
a landmark in Paramaribo, the capital. It was built in 1736, Surinamese
historian Andre Loor said - a date that would make it four years younger
than the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue on the Dutch island of Curacao,
which claims to be the hemisphere's oldest continuously used synagogue."
For more info:
http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/
0,1643,500306044-500490778-503410093-0,00.html
Microsoft phasing out Windows 95
"For Windows 95, the end is here.
Microsoft has taken steps to ensure that Windows 95 will become an asterisk
in terms of sales. One of Microsoft's most popular products among both
consumers and businesses, the operating system is still in use at many
corporations today.
The licenses that let most computer makers incorporate the OS in new
computers expired Dec. 31. As a result, Dell Computer and other computer
makers no longer install the OS on new computers except under special
circumstances.
'Beginning January 01, 2001, Dell is no longer licensed to factory install
Windows 95,' states an 'end of life' notice on Dell's Web site.
In addition, Microsoft is not offering the OS under new volume licensing
agreements that it sells directly to medium-sized to large businesses,
according to company representatives."
For more info:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-4669756.html
"The Plant" Earns Half Million
"Stephen King, who temporarily closed the book on his serial novel
'The Plant,' has opened his ledger to show the world that the online
publishing venture was a financial success.
King shelved the project in December after turning out six installments.
He said on his Web site that the 'fascinating little adventure' netted
$463,832.27.
King's decision to pull the plug on the novel was viewed by some as
a setback for the kind of electronic publishing in which author and
reader deal directly, with no middleman. But King disagreed.
'In my view, 'The Plant' has been quite successful,' he said, inviting
readers to form their own opinion based on the story and on the financial
data."
For more info:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4740035.html
Mobile Computing News and Notes
Wireless phones in Japan can download a new color background, cartoon
character, and jingle everyday. Also, some users can type email without
looking, using one hand and walking down the street.
Brought to you by The Wireless Web ezine. Sign up by sending a blank
email to mailto:wirelessweb-subscribe@topica.com
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 121-01
I purchased some CDRWs. The problem with them is that if I put them
in any computer that has a CDRW or DVD, they cause the cd drive to
get an afl.vxd error. If I turn off auto run and format the disk then
this doesn't happen. I scanned the disk for viruses and nothing showed
up. If anyone could explain what has happened I would really appreciate
it. I had a really difficult time with this. I tried reinstalling
the disk drives and everything finally I figured out how to get the
drives working again. I would really like avoiding having this happen
again. I thought it was a problem with my computer but I gave some
people some disk that have never been in my computer and they ended
up having the same problem. I was not very popular for a while...lol.
I would really like to avoid having this happen again.
A 121-01
John Hills said, "I cannot think of anything other than the
disks you purchased we not formatted correctly or more likely, not
formatted at all."
Q 121-02
I have a problem with Outlook Express. All settings are as they should
be and font size is set to 10 points. I have uninstalled Outlook Express
and reinstalled it to make sure that default settings are set.
The problem is that the first character typed comes out, as it should,
in 10 point. But the moment the second character is typed it changes
to 12 point. In fact, just a space will cause the 10 point to visibly
click over to 12.
Pulling my hair out on this one.
A 121-02)
No Answers Given.
New Questions
Q 122-01
Is there any way to use a USB mouse in DOS?
Q 122-02
I am told I have bad sectors in my hard disk at the end of one partition.
What should I do to stop them increasing or affecting my data?
If you have an answer to these questions or have a question of your own,
please email me at mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF
Cheap Trick of the Week
** Numbing the NumLock **
Windows 95 and 98 have a nasty habit of starting your computer with
the NumLock key on.
If you want it off from the start, open the System Editor, which can
be found by pressing Start, and selecting Run. In the Open box, type
sysedit and click on OK. You will then find a program with a few cascading
windows. Select the window with the title C:\CONFIG.SYS in the title
bar.
In an open line at the bottom of this page type an extra line which
reads NUMLOCK=OFF and press the Enter key. Save the file, by selecting
Save from the File menu. Then select File and Exit. The next time you
start Windows your computer should have the Number Lock feature off.
If you later decide that you would like the NumLock back on, change
the line to read NUMLOCK=ON.
Get your own copy of "The Little Black Book of Cheap Tricks: 2001"
by visiting http://www.pcin.net/lbbct
Dragon Naturally Speaking 5
Subscriber John Hills sent me this:
"It does appear that Dragon NSP Version 5 is a massive improvement,
particularly when using Outlook Express. Accuracy is much improved and
Outlook Express can now be used properly instead of leaping around the
top menus. Also the learning time is greatly reduced. Using the Internet
and voicing links is a doddle.
So for those who have earlier versions, you should try and get hold
of Version 5. Those thinking about using voice can safely spend their
money on version 5 and get quite amazing results. At present, upgrade
versions seem difficult to get hold of but the full version is readily
available.
Note: It is still a good idea to buy a USB headset for using voice (if
you haven't already got one) as this does make a huge difference to
accuracy."
He then added, "I can say that yesterday, I trained a tetraplegic
(quadriplegic in USA) and in thirty minutes from scratch he was sending
emails, and surfing the web with nigh on 100% accuracy. I have seen
reports that say IBM via talk is better but I do not agree. You can
for example simply say, switch to mail and it goes straight to Outlook
Express with out having to climb the menus. I do think that it is important
to spend a few more pounds on a USB headset, as this is where the accuracy
is built. Also, I notice that in versions 3 and 4 they recommend a minimum
of a 220mhz processor and 64 MB of ram. I always recommend double this.
But for the latest version 5 is recommends 150meg of ram but I would
recommend 256meg for a seamless and wait free experience."
Microsoft Internet Explorer Kiosk Mode
This tip came from the Windows 2000 Tips & Tricks UPDATE, January
29, 2001 issue. It is kind of long, but very cool. It is really neat
the way Internet Explorer looks and if you do nothing but click on links
(you don't usually type in URLs), then you should definitely give it
a try.
"Internet Explorer (IE) has a full-screen mode that you access
by pressing F11; however, the screen still shows boxes to minimize,
resize, or close the window. The KIOSK mode, on the other hand, hides
all buttons. To start IE in Kiosk mode, from the Run prompt (Start,
Run), start IE with the following command:
iexplore -k [site]
where [site] is
- Blank -- Uses your default start page
- A URL (e.g., http://www.savilltech.com)--Uses
the page the URL specifies
- A local Web page (e.g., c:\folder\page.htm)--Uses the specified local
page
- A remote Web page (e.g., \\server\share\folder\page.htm)--Uses the
remote page
For example, to start IE in Kiosk mode with the Windows 2000 FAQ site
as the start page, type the following command:
iexplore -k http://www.windows2000faq.com
Within Kiosk mode, you can use the following commands:
- Ctrl+A--Select all (editing)
- Ctrl+B--Organize favorites
- Ctrl+C--Copy (editing)
- Ctrl+F--Find (on current page)
- Ctrl+H--View History folder
- Ctrl+L--Open Location dialog box (same as Ctrl+O)
- Ctrl+N--New window (opens in non-Kiosk mode)
- Ctrl+O--Open Location dialog box (same as Ctrl+L)
- Ctrl+P--Print
- Ctrl+R--Refresh
- Ctrl+S--Save
- Ctrl+V--Paste (editing)
- Ctrl+W--Close (same as ALT+F4)
- Ctrl+X--Cut (editing)
- Alt+F4--Close (same as Ctrl+W)
- Alt+Left Arrow--Back
- Alt+Right Arrow--Forward
- Esc--Stop
- F5-Refresh"
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.
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Copyright 1998-2000, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All rights reserved.
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