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Issue 163 - November 28, 2001
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2001
==== 2220 Subscribers in 59 Countries ====
Subscribe/Unsubscribe/View Archives at http://www.pcin.net/
Welcome to the 163rd issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN
consists mainly of news and tips. There is something for everyone,
and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there will be something
for you.
You can reach me at editor@pcin.net
with any suggestions or comments. If you give me two or three
issues, I know that you will come back for more!
Recommend PCIN at http://PCIN.net/recommend.shtml
Support PCIN at http://PCIN.net/donate.shtml
CONTENTS
OPENING THOUGHTS
Well, today was my first day back at work after my vacation.
It was nice being off, but it is also nice to get back in
to a regular routine. I was able to get quite a bit done around
the house. Now if only I could find the time to finish what
I've started!
Christmas is less than a month away. Lisa and I put up our
Christmas lights on Saturday, and on Monday my family came
over and helped us put up our tree and decorations around
the house. The decorations are very festive, and thankfully,
no snow. A white Christmas would be nice, but we don't need
the snow too early.
I'm selling a couple of things (computer-related) that I've
acquired over the years on eBay. If you're interested, visit:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1301209226
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1301214552
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1301259231
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1301436655
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1301577825
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1302772476
Lastly, a subscriber emailed me asking if I knew of any good
"power-on" password software? I didn't know of any.
If you do, send your suggestions to editor@pcin.net
Return to the top
The NEWS
Computer produced fake cash, U.S. says
"Secret Service agents seized more than half a million
dollars in counterfeit $100 bills from a Joliet man who
produced most of the bogus money on his computer at work
without his employer's knowledge, according to charges filed
Tuesday.
Aaron Sulwer was expecting to be paid tens of thousands
of dollars in real currency when he handed over about $450,000
in counterfeit bills to an undercover Secret Service agent
posing as an exotic animal trafficker, authorities said."
For more info:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0111210182nov21.story
CD copy protection sparks Imbruglia imbroglio
"Call it the Imbruglia imbroglio. The latest CD from
Natalie Imbruglia, the coquettish Australian pop star, won't
play in some CD and DVD players because of copy protection
technology included on the disc. That has prompted a spate
of complaints to Imbruglia's record label, Bertelsmann Music
Group, which has set up a toll-free phone hotline to deal
with the fallout over the CD White Lilies Island, released
Nov. 5 in Europe. The album has not yet been released in
the United States."
For more info:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001/11/20/cd-protection.htm
Red Hat Offers Option in Microsoft Suit Deal
"Red Hat has jumped into the Microsoft class-action
suits settlement fray, offering to provide open-source software
to every school district in the United States free of charge.
Red Hat encouraged Microsoft to redirect the money it plans
to spend on its own software--estimated at more than $500
million--into purchasing additional hardware.
Microsoft said on Tuesday that it had agreed to settle the
100-plus class action suits accusing it of using its desktop
operating system software monopoly to charge users inflated
prices. Under terms of the deal, Microsoft will supply computers
and its own software to thousands of the U.S.'s poorest
schools."
For more info:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,72724,00.asp
China shuts down over 17,000 Internet bars
"Chinese authorities have shut down more than 17,000
Internet bars for failing to block Web sites considered
subversive or pornographic, a state-run newspaper reported.
The closures came during a nationwide sweep of China's 94,000
Internet bars that was launched in April, the Shanghai-based
Wen Hui Bao reported Tuesday."
For more info:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/661393.asp
Microsoft's Top Lawyer Sets Retirement
"William H. Neukom, the legal field general in Microsoft
(news/quote)'s antitrust conflicts, said yesterday that
he would retire next year. His announcement came on the
heels of two major settlements engineered this month by
Mr. Neukom and his team - both regarded as victories for
Microsoft - and as the company's antitrust problems appear
to be finally receding.
Mr. Neukom - 60, tall, silver- haired and always appearing
in court in a well-tailored suit and a bow tie - started
doing legal work for Microsoft in 1979 when he was a partner
in a Seattle law firm headed by the father of William H.
Gates, co-founder of Microsoft. Mr. Neukom joined Microsoft
in 1985 to begin its in-house legal department with one
other lawyer and a paralegal. Today, the Microsoft law and
corporate affairs department has 600 people, including 200
lawyers."
For more info:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/22/technology/22SOFT.html
Return to the top
THOUGHTS on OS ALTERNATIVES
Recently subscriber Forest Brumagen emailed me about how
he set up a Mac at home. Instead of installing Windows XP
on their Windows computer, they decided to move to a Mac.
He asked, "Do others think that, with the advent of OSX,
a UNIX based platform, we might move away from Wintel-based
systems? I submit this as a proposition to your readers."
After asking you, "Has XP made you thing about switching",
here are some of the replies I received:
**
I dont think that for average user the introduction of the
Windows XP family introduces the need to change hardware.
Simply because I dont think anyone needs it. Personally I
wouldn't install such bloatware. The minimum requirements
of a 300Mhz CPU with 1.5GB of harddrive made me laugh.
Leaving the softare disadvantages of XP behind and focusing
on the hardware side of things I think it a shame that people
would leave the open Intel market for a much more closed Mac
market. In comparison the Intel market has a much greater
variety of both hardware and software available, and if not
at equal then lower costs. This not only increases the purchase
price of such computers but also their running costs.
To put it simply, just because I don't like a single model
of tyre won't make me buy an entire new car.
Not only are other other hardware platforms too restrictive
for most people to convert there is no reason to worry. There
are plenty of alternatives. There a few Microsoft alternatives,
and even better, other OS's. To start with there is OS/2 by
IBM, and more flavours of Linux are on the net than I've had
hot dinners. On a personal note I installed Linux Redhat 7.1
the other day and found it easier than any of the other dozens
of installs of Microsoft products that I've completed. Even
better is the fact that many if not most of the work that
can be done on a Microsoft OS can be done on Linux, and that
support grows every day. Heck with Linux you can run Linux
and Windows at the same time with softare like Wine.
In summary, although the introduction of XP will cause migrations
from 'Intel based' computers I dont think most people would
find it to their advantage. Other computing markets are more
niche markets, and too many alternatives exist in the current
IBM-compatible market to make the switch profitable for most.
Stephen Green
After many years of Win9X, I want to get away from Micro$oft.
Towards that goal, I've had a professional install of Linux
Mandrake done to an old wintel PC. With the intent to learn
a different OS.
Apple and its latest Unix based OS X is also on the agenda.
As I will switch to one of these two, sooner or later.......
Darryl McKay
I work with both Windows & Macintosh platforms, and believe
the day may come where all operating systems may be very close.
My experience with Windows XP and Mac OS X is nil, but I prefer
to use a Mac at home. I work with an NT 4.0 network in a school,
and find it very frustrating at times : I have a lot of network
issues that sometimes just can't be resolved. Much of it has
to do with the age of the PC's, reliability of components,
profile problems served over the network etc.
By comparison, I also run a small peer to peer network of
10 Macs, in one classroom. I have very little trouble with
them, and they are all over 6 years old.
I think I'll stick with Apple for a long time, because I believe
its a quality product.
George Kaposhilin
The stupid XP registration thing has certainly made me rethink
about upgrading or even buying an XP installed new machine.
Here is an example, which I would not normally worry about,
but now have to think twice about.
A friend, who is in the auto repair business wants to buy
a computer to help him run his shop. One of the Apps he needs
is a DVD based data base of auto repair info for all cars.
He also wants to run QuickBooks which he already has. And
he wants to network his existing Win98SE machine with a new
faster machine
The dilemma is this:
The new machine he is interested in, which has a very good
price, is
preloaded with XP Home edition. It has an CD-RW, but no DVD.
It has a 56K modem, but no network card. The vendor of the
auto data base says there is no guarantee that it will operate
on XP. It will, and does operate on Win98.
So. If he swaps out the CD-RW for a DVD and installs a network
card will he have to re-register the new machine? Since it
is preloaded with XP, he does not normally have to register
it.
Will the XP network with an 98SE?
If the machine crashes and he has to re-install the OS from
a vendor supplied CD will the restoration recognize the additions
of the DVD and the network card, or does he have to re-install
those?
Will an XP machine permit dual booting with a win98 OS? in
case the auto data base does not work with XP.
If his existing version of QuickBooks does not work with XP,
does he have to buy a new version, when it comes out?
Can he delete the XP OS on the new machine and install win98
instead, or does the XP do something special to the BIOS?
Needless to say, if the machine did not come pre-loaded with
the XP OS none of the above would be a concern.
Would anyone, in their right mind, advise this fellow to buy
an XP machine, AT THIS TIME?
Not I
Peter
Yes.
But I'm not sure to what. I've read a little about Lindows,
a Linux-based system that is supposed to run Wintel apps,
but don't know much about it. The activation process really
irritates me. I live and work in China, and I wipe my two
systems at least once a year and reinstall everything, partly
(maybe mostly) because of the accumulated space junk that
accumulates on my hard drive under Win982e and eventually
accelerates the frequency of crashes.
My son agrees with my assessment of the actvation process,
which is not unusual in itself, except that he happens work
for Microsoft.
Gary Bryant
Yep, I sure do think so. I, for one, will install Linux and/or
get a Mac before I buy XP. I'm not that concerned with the
WPA or whatever it is, but rather the fact that Micros**t
has already announced the time table to end support of WIN
9X. Now that they have succeeded in buying off the federal
government (opps, I mean making a large campaign contribution)
to get out of the monopoly suit, they are going to, among
other things implement forced upgrades. If no one else offered
a viable alternative it might work, but I think Slick Billy
just shot himself in the foot, with a cannon.
Gene Cote
From what little I've read about Windows XP, I feel the best
thing I can do is stay with Windows 98. I really don't like
big brother watching my every move and dictating when I have
to purchase another license because I've added or change components.
G. Perreault
There just isn't enough of a MAC "world" out there
to switch.
If you do graphics you MIGHT consider it. But, even that is
no longer a definite since so many good graphics programs
using Windows have been developed.
If your doing anything in the business "world" Windows
is the way to go.
Almost all the major companies develop software and hardware
with Windows in mind. While X is fast Windows with a newer
chip and the right amount of memory is still faster.
I am not considering switching.
THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF
Cheap Trick of the Week
Make your desktop dance
Your Windows desktop can shake, shimmy or do the lambada,
once you know how to use a video clip as your wallpaper.
You'll need an AVI file (ending in the .avi extension),
as well as Microsoft's FrontPage (though you could try it
with another HTML editor).
If you don't have an AVI file, you can always download one
for free from shareware sites on the Internet. A large file
with high resolution to cover your entire screen is preferable.
Once you've located a video file you want to use, open FrontPage
to a new FrontPage Editor window. In FrontPage Editor, look
for the command to insert video. In Frontpage 2000 you'll
find it by opening the Insert menu, and clicking on Picture
and Video. In FrontPage 97, look under Insert for Video.
You might also find it under Insert and Active Elements.
Insert your selected AVI file. When it's placed, right-click
on the image in FrontPage, select Image Properties or Picture
Properties from the pop-up menu and, in the window that
appears, select the Appearance tab. Put a check beside Specify
Size and fill in the figures to make the image fill your
screen (800 by 600 pixels for most 15-inch monitors).
If you want the video to play continually, click on the
Video tab and, after Loop, put a check beside Forever. Click
Okay to close the Properties window.
Save the file with an .html extension (for example, as desktop
video.html) and close FrontPage.
On a blank part of your desktop, right-click and select
Properties from the context menu. Go to the Background page
and use the Browse button there to locate the HTML file
you'd saved. When you find it, click Open and make it your
wallpaper.
Click Okay to close the Display Properties window.
To activate your desktop video if it is not already running,
right-click on the desktop and select Play. You may have
to reboot the computer to make it take effect. Then the
video should run automatically.
Get your own copy of "The Little Black Book
of Cheap Tricks: 2001" by visiting http://www.pcin.net/lbbct/
New FrontX Ports
I recently reviewed the FrontX Computer Port Extension.
This a device that fits in an empty drive bay, and brings
your ports from the back of the computer to the front. The
review can be found at http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/frontx.shtml
and all of the FrontX items can be seen/purchased at http://FrontX.com/
Well, I recently received the following from Susan Lee,
Sales Manager at FrontX:
"FRONTX - Extend Computer Ports to the Front
IEEE 1394 & RCA Video Released !!
Dear Editor,
Thank you for our product review article posted in your
site previously.
We take this opportunity to inform you that FRONTX IEEE
1394 & RCA Video Ports have been released as scheduled.
We will be much appreciated if you can kindly inform your
readers accordingly.
Online Price:
CPX105 IEEE 1394 6 Pin - USD12.90
CPX106 RCA Video - USD6.90"
Major PCIN.net Additions
Since I was on vacation, I had a lot of time to do some
work on the PCIN.net web site. The following are new/updated
pages/sections of the site:
Entire 2000 archive updated to new site format
http://PCIN.net/archive/2000/index.shtml
Hebus.com Wallpaper of the Day
http://pcin.net/help/tods/wod.shtml
View Thumbnails in Windows Explorer
http://pcin.net/help/articles/viewthumbnails.shtml
Windows Registry Help
http://pcin.net/help/articles/registryhelp.shtml
Windows File Extensions
http://pcin.net/help/articles/fileext.shtml
WE Compute Magazine's Cheap Tricks of the Week
http://pcin.net/help/articles/cheaptricks.shtml
(The entire collection is in Microsoft Word format and is
more than 30 pages long. You can download the file from
here)
Internet Backbone Speeds
http://pcin.net/help/articles/internetspeeds.shtml
BIOS Help
http://pcin.net/help/articles/bioshelp.shtml
See the PCIN test system
http://pcin.net/help/pcin_system.shtml
PCIN FreeHelp Downloads
http://pcin.net/help/download/
PC Industry News
http://pcin.net/news.shtml
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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 editor@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2001, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All
rights reserved.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part,
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