Issue 182 - April 10, 2002

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2002
==== 2301 Subscribers in 56 Countries ====

Welcome to the 182nd 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. If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will come back for more!

You can reach me at editor@pcin.net with any suggestions or comments.

Recommend PCIN at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php

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

CONTENTS

OPENING THOUGHTS

What a beautiful day today! I went for a walk at lunch along the parkway (many of you will remember that I work in Niagara Falls) and the flowers are finally starting to appear. The sky was blue, the grass is almost green, and the falls looked beautiful. I'll take some more pictures and post them on my personal site at http://GAWing.com/ when I have a chance.

For those who don't know, Chris is quite the photographer himself (in fact he is a real photographer, I just play with my digital camera). He is a member of the Niagara Falls Camera Club, and has some pictures on his web site that you can see. Visit http://www.forcedbeat.com/ and look at the flower pictures on the right-hand side. Very nice! You can also check out his pictures at photoSIG (a Photo Critique and Discussion Forum) at http://www.photosig.com/users.php?id=1997

Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net

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The NEWS

Overture Sues Google for Patent Infringement

"Internet advertising company Overture Services Inc. said Friday it sued search engine Google, alleging that Google's system for featuring paid advertisements infringes an Overture patent.
The action follows a lawsuit by Overture, formerly known as goto.com, earlier this year against a smaller search site called FindWhat.com over the same issue.
Overture pioneered the 'paid listings' advertising business model, in which companies buy certain search terms to assure their name will appear when a consumer enters that term in its search engine."

For more info:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-tech-overture.html
http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article/0,,12_1004831,00.html

Stolen 'Canes Playbook Found Online

"The playbook used by NCAA football champions Miami Hurricanes was stolen and sections were posted on the Internet but rival coaches hoping for a quick peek at the schemes were out of luck. The site was pulled down 'to avoid future prosecution by certain universities.'
According to a report in the Miami Herald, thieves stole the team's playbooks last month and returned most of the 150 pages in manila envelopes. But, once the school ran a search on the Web, it found scanned pages of the touted 'Sandman's 4-3 Defense On-Line' at the site."

For more info:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article/0,,3_1003951,00.html

'Rent-A-Hacker' Site Says It Offers Cracking For Hire

"A group of Chicago Web site operators say they will break into school, government and corporate computers and alter records, for fees starting at $850. But at least one security expert thinks the operation probably is a scam.
Among the services promised by Chicago-based 69 Hacking Services, is changing 'bad grades' and other records on elementary, high school or college computer systems. The site is co-owned by a 23-year-old identifying himself as Akbar 'Andy' Hooda."

For more info:
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/175667.html

Microsoft: AOL's stance hypocritical

"Microsoft on Thursday challenged America Online's commitment to open technological standards even as the nation's largest Internet provider urged a judge to force Microsoft to adhere to such standards. While questioning an AOL witness testifying for nine states seeking antitrust penalties against Microsoft, Microsoft lawyer Richard Pepperman produced an internal AOL e-mail suggesting that AOL joined a high-profile Internet standards group only after it seemed Microsoft would join first. The Liberty Alliance, created by Sun Microsystems, was founded to develop a common way for Internet users to identify themselves online for electronic commerce. The group includes General Motors, American Express and Nokia."

For more info:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/04/04/microsoft-antitrust.htm

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POLL of the WEEK

Here are the responses from the last poll:

Which auction site do your prefer?

I've never won  39.29 % (11)
$1 - $25         7.14 % (2)
$26 - $50        7.14 % (2)
$51 - $75        7.14 % (2)
$76 - $100       3.57 % (1)
> $100          35.71 % (10)

Total votes: 28

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

How do TV and the Internet come together for you?

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FREEHELP FORUM

Visit the new and improved PCIN FreeHelp Forum at http://www.pcin.net/cgi-bin/bb/YaBB.cgi to post your questions or answer others.

Question

I have Win XP Home edition and Win 98 on my Desktop. Well I am not using a hub or switch because I only have two computers and don't need to spend the extra money, instead I am using a Ethernet crossover cable and I know the connection is there because there is a multi-player game that me and my bro play and the link between them is there. I can't seem to share files and I can't even see the other computer in Network Neighborhood and vice versa. If I have to add a user for 98 on the XP I already did as administrator. I even ran the Network Wizard and still nothing. For some reason the connection is there but I can't see anything there could someone please help I have tried for a while now!!!

Answer

You need to have a common protocol on the two computers (TCP/IP, IPX, etc.) and they should be in the same workgroup.
Check out http://www.makeitsimple.com/how-to/simple.htm for some good instructions.

To post a different suggestion, visit http://www.pcin.net/cgi-bin/bb/YaBB.cgi?board=software and click on the "Help w/File Sharing on WinXP and 98" subject.

Visit http://www.pcin.net/cgi-bin/bb/YaBB.cgi to post a question of your own.

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PCIN.net UPDATE

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

Updated Registry Tips (now 124)
http://PCIN.net/help/articles/registry_tips.shtml

Annotis Mail 1.1 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/annotismail.shtml

Avocent SwitchView KVM Switch Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/switchview.shtml

Connectix Virtual PC 4.2 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/virtualpc4.shtml

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

New Version of 602Pro LAN SUITE 2002

A while ago I reviewed LAN Suite Lite by Software602. The program has been updated a couple of times since the review, and there is a new version out again. I haven't looked at it myself yet, but the following is from Joe Zajasensky of Software602:
"I would like to introduce you to the newest version of 602Pro LAN SUITE 2002.
This new network software suite provides secure e-mail services with anti-virus, spam-protection, fax support and controlled Internet sharing. The 5-user version of this popular server software is now FREE for commercial and non-commercial use.
602Pro LAN SUITE 2002 is an easy-to-install and manage all-in-one server application for Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP. Its standards-based SMTP/POP3 e-mail server provides effective e-mail communication without the risk of destructive virus infiltration and productivity robbing unsolicited e-mail. The fax service seamlessly integrates into user mailboxes to unify e-mail and fax message access. It supports a variety of access methods, from standard POP3 e-mail clients (i.e. Outlook Express) to built-in Web Mail access. The SSL SMTP/POP3 server provides secure encrypted transmission between the e-mail client and server. Shared Internet Access through LAN SUITE provides your network users with a secure connection to the Internet. LAN Administrators can have complete control of where and when network users can go online."

Upgrading to the Next Version (Husband)

Last week Marg Pinard sent in a funny "letter" about upgrading a girlfriend to a wife. Well, a couple of people emailed me a similar story about upgrading a boyfriend to a husband. Rather than putting it in here, I have put it on my GAWing.com site. You can read "Upgrading Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0" at http://www.gawing.com/fun/boyfriend_husband.php You can also still read "Upgrading Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0" at http://www.gawing.com/fun/girlfriend_wife.php

Benefits of Rebooting

More and more people are leaving their computers turned on when they are away from them. With today's applications and operating systems, they are generally quite stable. However, memory leaks do occur. Over a period of time you may notice a slow down in performance, odd things happening, possibly even have error messages occurring. A reboot can flush the memory in your system, restoring some stability and system responsiveness to your system. There is no set schedule telling you how often you should reboot. Some people may find a reboot every couple of hours is necessary, others may be able to go weeks without rebooting, for you, only your own judgment will tell you how often is necessary.

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DISCLAIMER and OTHER STUFF

PCIN is brought to you by Graham Wing. The opinions expressed are those of the Editor, Graham Wing and the Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Graham Wing and Chris Empey 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
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2002, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

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