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Issue 239 - May 14, 2003
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2003
==== 2213 Subscribers in 61 Countries ====
Welcome to the 239th 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.php
CONTENTS
Opening Thoughts
Happy Mother's Day wishes go out to all of the mother's who take the time
to read PCIN. This was Lisa's first Mother's Day and Andrew got her a nice
card and some earrings that she asked for. We had hoped to go on a picnic,
but it rained all morning, so we had a picnic in our living room with my parents,
my sisters, and my grandmother. Then later on in the afternoon the sun came
out so we went for a walk where we had hoped to go on the picnic. It was a
nice day.
Chris has finished the review of Executive Software Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition.
Diskeeper has been around for years, and is been the "standard" for
disk defragmenting software. In fact, they are the ones who built the disk
defragmenting software that comes with Windows 2000 and XP. Check out The
Tips and Other Stuff section for part of the review and a link to the full
review.
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
The NEWS
Microsoft Tries To Close the Lid on iLoo
It seems Microsoft cannot flush away the iLoo controversy. After a press
release from MSN UK announced the launch of an Internet-enabled portable
toilet to debut in Britain this summer, Microsoft reversed itself and said
the announcement was a hoax.
Now the software giant has reversed itself again, explaining that the so-called "iLoo" was
indeed a real project planned by its British MSN online service. But after
the idea was met with howls of derision, the company decided to scuttle it.
'The MSN iLoo was not false or a hoax,' reads a statement from MSN UK. 'It
follows a UK strategy to bring the Internet to as many people in Britain
as possible and encourage debate about how the Internet can affect our lives
now and in the future.' The sober tone of the official explanation so far
has failed to stem the tide of ridicule from Microsoft critics -- or quell
the potty humor in the industry press.
'I have a feeling the [MSN] guys in England are being roasted over a slow
fire,' Aberdeen Group analyst Russ Craig told NewsFactor.
For more info:
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21510.html
Is M-Commerce Dead and Buried?
"Back in early 2000, mobile commerce seemed to have sky-high potential.
A global survey found that 61 percent of respondents imagined they soon would
be using wireless devices as universal payment tools, and the analysts who
compiled the survey predicted that overall revenue generated by m-commerce
would total US$100 billion in 2003.
'The hype came in a big way, and then it died in an even bigger way, because
the hype was never really justified to begin with,' Yankee Group analyst
Adam Zawel told the E-Commerce Times. 'But m-commerce is not dead on the
vine; it's just a much longer growing season than we expected.'"
For more info:
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/21464.html
Is There Any Reason To Buy Microsoft Anymore?
"The development and growth of the Linux operating system has brought
a new question to the lips of IT managers: Why should I buy Microsoft? Five
years ago, the answer would have been easy. With the dominant development
tools, client operating system and client applications, Microsoft owned a
certain portion of the enterprise.
But now that the Linux OS is rapidly maturing and companies are looking to
shrink IT budgets, the choice is not so easy. Almost everything enterprises
once found unique to Microsoft they can now find somewhere else -- without
some of the baggage that comes with Microsoft purchases, like ongoing security
concerns and mystifying licensing practices. Enterprises finally have a real
choice, and that spells big problems for Microsoft."
For more info:
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21478.html
Spam saturation tops 40 percent
"The latest figures show that more than 40 per cent of all e-mail traffic
is spam--unsolicited mails offering the recipient everything from 'Natural
Viagra' or 'low interest loans' to a share in an unclaimed Nigerian fortune.
Out of 25 million e-mails scanned during a one week period by U.S. anti-spam
firm Brightmail, more than 11 million were classed as spam."
For more info:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-1000497.html
POLL of the WEEK
Last Week's Poll
How often do you purchase things on the Internet?
| Daily |
 |
0.69 % (1) |
| Every few days |
|
3.47 % (5) |
| Weekly |
|
3.47 % (5) |
| A few times a month |
|
17.36 % (25) |
| Monthly |
|
6.25 % (9) |
| Every few months |
|
40.97 % (59) |
| Almost never |
|
13.19 % (19) |
| Never |
|
14.58 % (21) |
| Total votes: 144 |
This Week's Poll
You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/
PCIN.net FREEHELP
FORUM
Visit the PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to
post your questions or answer others.
Question
We've decided to upgrade the whole system, so I'll be transferring files
by cable.
I've contacted Symantec, and they say to uninstall NAV from the old computer
and redownload/install on the new.
So now I wonder what else I can't simply "bring over".
I can't think of anything else of importance I've downloaded on this computer.
Response
Most programs (those that require installation) aren't portable.
The BEST way to do this is with Windows XP's "Files and Settings Transfer
Wizard" You can get a copy off the Windows XP Setup disc, or have the
version in Windows XP (already loaded) make you an install disk.
You can use this to create one big file that XP can read and use to copy
Documents, e-mail, files in the root folder, settings and preferences all
over to XP and import them!
Don't use the cable at first. Allow the Wizard to run on the Windows 98 machine
and save it to the hard disk. Then connect the two computers with the cable
and manually copy the big file it makes over to the XP machine and then run
the wizard on XP and point the wizard to the file you just copied over to
the XP machine (locally).
To post a response, visit the General Software Help forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/index.php?board=3 and
click on the "Transferring files to new computer" topic.
Visit http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to
post a question of your own.
PCIN.net UPDATE
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Executive Software Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/diskeeper7se.php
Logitech Cordless Freedom Optical Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/lcfo.php
Some Useful Registry Tips - Now 171 Tips!
http://PCIN.net/help/articles/registry_tips.php
Paragon Hard Disk Manager 5.5 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/paragonhdm55.php
THE TIPS and OTHER
STUFF
Executive Software Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition Software Review
Hard drive fragmentation can cause serious performance degradation. Executive
Software has released Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition. Diskeeper will quickly
and efficiently restore your hard drive to a defragmented state and increase
the performance of your computer. With Smart Scheduling, you will not have
to take time out of your busy schedule in order to manually run a defragmentation
on your hard drive, and you will find that Diskeeper 7.0 SE is faster than
your current, built in defragmentation utility.
Read Chris' full review of Executive Software Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition
at http://PCIN.net/help/software/diskeeper7se.php
Defragmentation White Paper
Speaking of defragmentation, Executive Software also provides a nice 13-page
PDF file by IDC that explains how fragmentation happens, and how defragmenting
a drive can save you money. Check it out at http://www.diskeeper.com/cgi-bin/MakeHit.asp?Link=/diskeeper/IDC-White-Paper.pdf
Office 2000 Tips & Tricks
"The Office 2000 tips and tricks were submitted by Office users just
like you.
- Increase or Decrease Text Size
- Get an Office 2000 Tip a Day
- Quickly Zoom In and Out of Your Office Documents
- Add Custom Buttons to Your Access Toolbox
- Send an Office Document Without Opening Outlook
- Copy and Paste up to 12 Pieces of Information at Once
- Fine-Tune Your Fonts in Word
- Copy Formatting Using Format Painter
- Use Format Painter to Copy Formatting Multiple Times
- Show Shortcut Keys in ScreenTips
- Show All Menu Commands in Office 2000
- Change the Font or Size of Text Using Keyboard Shortcuts
- Repeat Your Most Recent Action
- Add a Screen Shot to an Office Document
Check them at http://www.microsoft.com/office/previous/tips/office2000.asp
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.
- If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you may have to cut
and paste.
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- To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://PCIN.net/ and
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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2003, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the author
is notified and the newsletter is presented as is.
Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php
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