Issue 144 - July 18, 2001

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements ©2001
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Welcome to the 144th 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!

OPENING THOUGHTS

Last Thursday I went to Comdex Canada, but unfortunately I have nothing exciting to report. All of the big companies were there with their big displays and their big mouths. I usually find that the smaller booths can't afford to waste time or money, and so have more useful information.

I am expecting some new products soon to review. FrontX, the company that makes expansion ports that fit into a drive bay at the front of your computer, is sending me a complete set of their products. You can learn more about the FrontX products at http://FrontX.com/

Congratulations to Cindi Taylor and Joe Wilk for recommending PCIN in June and each winning of copy of Software602's 602 Pro Print Pack. You can see my review of the product at http://pcin.net/help/software/602proprintpack.shtml

The NEWS

Modern Criminals Go High-Tech

"Forget guns and knives. The modern criminal's arsenal, examples of which were displayed Tuesday by the U.S. Secret Service, looks more like something out of a James Bond movie.
There are seemingly ordinary pens that detect listening devices, modified answering machines that steal credit card numbers from people using pay phones, and an array of communications gadgets."

For more info:
http://www.extremetech.com/article/
0,3396,s%253D201%2526a%253D7367,00.asp

Forget the Quarters and Pocket Lint

From the July 13, 2001 issue of Network World Canada magazine, pg 30:
"Tired of having to save those coins all week long for the laundry machines?
Two companies recently announce they were teaming up to help eliminate that problem. IVI Checkmate Corp., based in Atlanta and Toronto, will supply Coinamatic laundry rooms across Canada with its wireless transaction terminal, which Coinamatic will be able to use to install a smart card re-value station, according to a press release issued by the companies. The contract between the two companies includes the sale of the terminals and communication bases, and the development of a software application. The application, according to the release, includes the ability to instantly transfer money from a customer's bank account or credit card onto their smart card, which is in then used to activate the laundry machines in Coinamatic locations across the country."

Adobe skipping Macworld Expo

"When Macworld Expo kicks off next week in New York, Adobe Systems will be conspicuously absent from the show floor.
However, the publishing software giant stressed in a series of interviews with media outlets this week that its absence at Macworld should not be seen as a slap at Apple Computer and denied any rift between the two companies."

For more info:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-6554774.html

PCIN POLL of the WEEK

Here are the responses from the last poll:

How often do you check your email?
2-5 times a day: 54.00%
Constantly: 20.00%
6-10 times a day: 15.00%
Once a day: 9.00%
Less than once a day: 2.00%

Total Votes: 100

Visit http://pcin.net/polls/ to participate in the new poll this week:

What speed is your primary connection to the Internet?

MOBILE COMPUTING NEWS and NOTES

As we near the jump from 2.5G to 3G, I've been hearing a lot of renewed talk about it, namely one technology called 1xRTT for CDMA.
The specs tout mobile speeds of 144 kbps (like in a car) and stationary speeds ranging from 384 kbps to 2 Mbps. We should see a disappointing "first phase" version of this in early 2002 at speeds of 40-80 kbps, which is more like 2.6G, if there is such a thing...

Brought to you by Shawn Bremner and The Wireless Web ezine. Sign up by sending a blank email to mailto:wirelessweb-subscribe@topica.com

FREEHELP FORUM

Visit the PCIN FreeHelp Forum to post your questions or answer others. Each week I highlight a question, and where to go to get the answer.

Question

I have a small informational website for my business and it is currently hosted by a free service which uses pop up ads, etc. I have decided that it is time to register my domain name and move to a more professional web hosting service. I am finding this to be much easier said than done. My problem is that it seems there are an infinite number of services available, and I've read mixed reviews about all that I've come across. I'm curious, which web hosts some of the readers may use and how satisfied they are with the service. Does anyone have any wonderful tips or information sources for choosing a good web hosting service??

Answer

I currently have 5 domains (including PCIN.net) and they are all hosted at Cedant.com. It isn't a very big hosting provider, but I am very satisfied with their service. The PCIN list hosting is with them as well (included in the account), and their prices are excellent.

Visit http://www.pcin.net/cgi-bin/forum/index.cgi and check out the Software Forum to post your suggestion, or to post a question of your own.

PCIN.net UPDATE

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

Some Useful Registry Tips (Now 41 Tips)
http://pcin.net/help/articles/registry.shtml

Support PCIN
http://pcin.net/donate.shtml

PCIN Poll of the Week
http://pcin.net/polls/

THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Cheap Trick of the Week

**Insulting message**
With a bit of fiddling in Windows' Registry, you can make an official looking message pop up on a computer screen as the user starts Windows.
To get into the Registry, hit Start and Run, type regedit and click on OK. (For more detailed instructions and precautions about editing the Registry, go to http://www.WE-Compute.com/registry.html )
In the Registry Editor, navigate through the following keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\WinLogon. Right-click on WinLogon and select New and String Value. Rename the string value that appears in the right-hand panel LegalNoticeCaption and then double-click on it. In the Edit String box that pops up, enter a short title for the logon message you want to create and click on OK.
Right-click again on WinLogon and make another new string value, named LegalNoticeText this time. Double-click on this string value and in the Edit String box enter the full message as you want it to appear. Click on OK. Close up the Registry Editor and reboot the computer. You should see the message.
This is a great way to play a prank on a friend, to give them an official-looking insulting message when they log on.

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

Post-It Notes on your Windows Desktop

Subscriber Chris Empey sent me this:
"If you are a fan of Post-it notes and have them stuck all over your monitor, you can achieve the same functionality on your windows desktop if you are an Outlook user. Simply create one in Outlook, and then drag it to the desktop. You can then either delete the note out of Outlook or leave it in there. Also works with other Outlook items such as Calendar events and mail messages."

Another Media Sharing Program

Subscriber Mike sent me this:
"WINMX is the best audio/video file sharing software that I have used, basically due to the lack of transfer blocking. The fact that most of the Napster kids have switched to the Morpheus p2p reader via musiccity.com means that a user is less likely to be plagued by hundreds of download attempts.
Also it's a little more complicated to use, which means that the less dedicated sharers will have less interest in it. I believe it has less blocking due to the fact that ALL audio and video files on your PC will be shared if you choose to use it. You can unshare any files at your convenience, but since the process of unsharing specific files is tedious at best a user is unlikely to go through the exclusionary process. I have found WINMX to be a very reliable p2p file-sharing program. It can be had through many of the various shareware sites. Highly recommended!"
Check it out at http://www.WinmMX.com/

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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Graham Wing can be reached at mailto:editor@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2001, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

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