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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