ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2002
==== 2188 Subscribers in 57 Countries ====
Welcome to the 201st 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
Not much to say this week. Andrew is doing well at home. Both Lisa and I love being parents. It is awfully hard to get things done around the house (or on the PCIN.net web site) when you have such a cute little thing to look at all the time :-)
Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net
RIAA asks court to expose pirate
"In what may become a new legal front in its war against online copying, the Recording Industry Association of America has asked a federal court for help in tracing an alleged peer-to-peer pirate.
On Tuesday, the RIAA asked a federal judge in Washington, D.C., for an order compelling Verizon Communications to reveal the name of a customer accused of illegally trading hundreds of songs. Citing privacy concerns and potential legal liability, Verizon has refused to comply with a subpoena the RIAA sent last month.
'It's not that they don't want to turn over the name,' said Mitch Glazier, an RIAA senior vice president. 'It's that they don't want to be liable for turning over a subscriber's name.'For more info:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-954658.html
RealNetworks considers adult channel
"RealNetworks is considering adding adult programming to its multimedia subscription service.
The company is in discussions with several audio and video producers to expand the lineup on RealOne SuperPass, the company's fast-growing content subscription service, said Dave Richards, RealNetworks' vice president of consumer systems, in an interview this week.
Although Richards said there are no immediate plans to launch an adult channel on SuperPass, he added the possibility would not be ruled out."For more info:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-950053.html
E-mail a treasure trove for cops
"Not since the glory days of letter-writing, before the advent of the telephone, have people committed so much revealing stuff to written form as they do in the age of computers. All those e-mail messages and electronic files are a treasure trove of evidence for law enforcement officers, whether they are targeting terrorists, crooked CEOs or local drug dealers.
The challenge for police and prosecutors is learning how to dig up and preserve these electronic gems.
'Any agent can come in and look through papers, but not every agent can do a thorough computer search,' said David Green, deputy chief of the Justice Department's computer crime section, which helps train federal and state investigators."For more info:
http://msnbc.com/news/794606.asp
Windows hack attacks on the rise
"Just when it looked like hack attacks on Microsoft systems might be falling, new figures have been published showing the number of successfully compromised Windows boxes is actually on the rise at an alarming rate.
Although the number of successful attacks on Windows machines fell broadly through the first quarter of this year, June saw an increase of five per cent in compromised systems compared to the previous month, while successful hacks in July rose by a further 12 per cent."For more info:
http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134436
Apple will nudge users to Mac OS X
From the August 5, 2002 issue of eWeek Magazine, pg 9:
"Apple plans to nudge users and developers to move to Mac OS X by making it impossible for new models in its Macintosh line of desktop and portable computers to boot into Mac OS 9, leaving the Unix-based Mac OS X as the sole operating system, according to sources.
The Mac OS X-only policy probably will be enforced via a software feature in Pinot, the next major Mac OS X update after Mac OS Version 10.2, which will most likely make the move by January's Macworld Conference& Expo in San Francisco."
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Here are the responses from the last poll:
Should schools require students to have a laptop?
Yes 10.00 % (6)
No 83.33 % (50)
No Opinion 6.67 % (4)Total votes: 60
Visit http://pcin.net/polls/ to participate in the new poll this week:
Do you have a digital camera?
| Return to the top | Recommend PCIN Poll of the Week |
Visit the new and improved PCIN FreeHelp Forum at http://www.pcin.net/help/forum/index.php to post your questions or answer others.
Question
My PC at home runs on Windows 98. When I go to any search engine (Google, Clickey, etc.) the "auto complete" function is on. For those that aren't sure of what I mean when I say auto complete I will give an example. If I am typing in the text "Mississippi" and have done so in the past, it will prompt me to select that as a choice after typing in the first few letters. How do I delete my History of auto completes?
Response
When in IE, go to Tools, Internet Options, Content, AutoComplete and choose to clear passwords or forms or both.
To post a response, visit the Software How-To forum at http://www.pcin.net/help/forum/index.php?board=6 and click on the "Clearing History of Auto Complete in IE" subject.
Visit http://www.pcin.net/help/forum/index.php to post a question of your own.
| Return to the top | Recommend PCIN FreeHelp Forum |
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum Update
(I've updated the forum and there is a new calendar feature. If you go and edit your profile to add your birthday, it will show up on a public calendar. Kind of neat!)
http://PCIN.net/help/forum/Outback Plus 3.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/outbackplus3.phpMicrosoft Office Keyboard Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/msok.phpVMWare Workstation 3.1 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/vmware31.phpMicrosoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/mswie.php
| Return to the top | Recommend PCIN.net Update |
Top 10 Questions About Excel
"Have you got questions about how to use Microsoft Excel? Bob Umlas probably has the answers. He's an Excel expert, author of more than 300 articles about Excel, and a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) since 1995. The Office Web Team has asked him to answer some of the most frequently asked questions he's encountered in Excel newsgroups."
Read this Microsoft web site article at http://www.microsoft.com/office/using/column03.asp
The Top 10 Digital Photography Mistakes
"As you plunge head first into digital photography with Window XP, take comfort in the fact that others have gone before you. They made mistakes and learned from them. That doesn't mean you won't make a few unique missteps of your own. But you can avoid common mistakes that tripped up digital photography's early enthusiasts. To help, here are the 10 most common mistakes that you should avoid."
Read this Microsoft web site article at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/digitalphotography/getstarted/bigpicture/top10.asp
Outlook 2000 Keyboard Shortcuts
This is from a recent Element K tips newsletter:
Here are a few shortcuts to use while working in your Inbox.
Switch to the Inbox folder -- Press [Ctrl][Shift]I
Check for new mail -- Press [F5]
Create a new message -- Press [Ctrl][Shift]M
Delete the selected message -- Press [Ctrl]D
Mark a message as read -- Press [Ctrl]Q
Open the Address Book -- Press [Ctrl][Shift]B
Select all messages -- Press [Ctrl]A
Select the next message -- Press [Down Arrow]
Select the previous message -- Press [Up Arrow]
Open the selected message -- Press [Enter]
To close an open message -- Press [Esc]
To reply to a selected message -- Press [Ctrl]R
Create a Reply To All message -- Press [Ctrl][Shift]R
To flag a message for follow-up -- Press [Ctrl][Shift]G
With a message open, to open the next message -- Press [Ctrl]+. ([Ctrl], plus, period)
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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.netCopyright 1998-2002, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.
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Support PCIN by visiting http://www.pcin.net/donate.shtml