PCIN, The PC Improvement News logo

Issue 290 - May 5, 2004

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2004
==== 1929 Subscribers in 58 Countries ====

Welcome to the 290th 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

Thanks for all who wrote in to comfort me and affirm that I'm not lame. Tracey emailed me and conceded that I'm not lame, but cute :-) Phew!

Speaking of cute... Lisa keeps getting bigger. We have less than 8 weeks to go until baby #2 comes along. Andrew is keeping us busy, but we can't wait for another! The doctor has told us that it is a boy, but you never know. If you've been a subscriber long enough, you know that I ran a Guessing Game when Andrew was born where you could guess gender, size and date of arrival. I've set this up for Baby #2 (to be named Matthew Joseph James Wing if it's a boy, or Christine Lisa Wing if it's a girl) and you can start guessing at http://wingfamily.ca/lisagraham/baby2/

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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

The NEWS

Net more important than morning coffee?

Given the choice at work between personal use of the Net or a morning cup of coffee, employees say the coffee can go, according to a survey released Wednesday by Websense, which makes software designed to let companies control employee Net access.
The study also looked at security issues such as workers accessing online hacking tools, surfing Web sites that contain spyware and using instant-messaging tools that aren't sanctioned by their company. These issues are becoming more of a problem, as companies fold the Net into the fabric of their operations.

For more info:
http://news.com.com/2100-7355_3-5201726.html

Internet2: File Swapping Haven?

"Students may not find Internet2 to be as hospitable to unauthorized swapping as it appears. According to Internet2's Greg Wood, the network infrastructure of many universities would allow them to apply restrictions at a campus level to Internet2 as well as the commercial Internet.
Confounding efforts to combat campus file swapping, university students have begun trading copyrighted files using Internet2 , the ultra-fast network developed by tech companies and universities.
College campuses are the front lines of the recording industry's anti-peer-to-peer (P2P) crusade, and many schools have placed technical restrictions on student downloading. However, 'students often find a workaround,' Chris Hoofnagle, deputy counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told NewsFactor. And Internet2, known as i2hub, may prove to be that work around."

For more info:
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=23903

PayPal, The Fifth Credit Card?

"With its popularity growing among online shoppers, online payment play PayPal is positioning itself as the "fifth credit card" for online transactions as it rolls out its latest beta.
The e-commerce transaction company has released three application program interfaces (define) that developers can use in order to plug PayPal into e-commerce sites, and help sites deploy Web services.
As a result of the latest beta releases, online customers paying for online purchases by Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards might in the future be paying for their purchases using the San Jose, Calif., company's service -- even though it's not a bank."

For more info:
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3348451

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POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

Which chat client software do you use?

AOL 7.44 % (9)
Yahoo Messenger 12.40 % (15)
MSN Messenger 9.92 % (12)
ICQ 7.44 % (9)
Trillian 3.31 % (4)
Other 4.96 % (6)
I don't chat 54.55 % (66)
Total votes: 121

This Week's Poll

Did you get the Sasser worm?

Yes, I got it
I didn't get it, but I know someone who did
No one I know got it
What is the Sasser worm?

You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/

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PCIN.net UPDATE

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

Updated Windows Registry Tips and Tweaks Article
http://PCIN.net/help/articles/registry_tips.php

MySlideShow 2.3 by Anix Software Software Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/myslideshow.php

Anyplace Control by Anyplace Control Software Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/anyplacecontrol.php

Inboxer 1.1 by Audiotrieve, LLC Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/inboxer.php

Microsoft Outlook Add-Ins by MAPILab Ltd. Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/mapilab.php

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Free Antivirus Software continued...

Last week I shared a couple of links to free AntiVirus software. I said one of the free titles was from McAfee and subscriber Lar pointed out this to be false. The second link was actually for Computer Associates' eTrust. Also, subscriber Leeor reminded me of AVG Anti-Virus, which has been free for years. So here is a revised list:
AVG Anti-Virus
http://www.grisoft.com/
Panda Platinum 7 Antivirus
http://www.pandasecurity.com/survey/
Computer Associates eTrust (antivirus and firewall)
http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft/index.cfm
Symantec Security Check
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/
McAfee FreeScan
http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/
TrendMicro HouseCall
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
Search for yourself for either free online antivirus scan or free antivirus software

Free CD and DVD Burning software

I saw this in the 2004-05-03 issue of LanagaList:
http://www.deepburner.com/
"DeepBurner - Powerful CD and DVD Burning Package Absolutely for FREE
DeepBurner is a powerful CD and DVD burning package that utilizes power and efficiency. It takes away the hassle of making CDs, DVDs, autoruns, creating and printing labels and booklets. The program supports a very wide range of internal and external (USB 2.0 and FireWire) CD and DVD writers. Burn audio, data and ISO CDs and DVDs with just one FREE program called DeepBurner."

Monitor the Event Logs

Windows 9x-based operating systems didn't have a very good way to log system events. These sorts of events range from hardware problems, to services loaded and unloaded; from security events to system uptime. Windows NT, 2000, and XP all have several different logs, and can be used by starting the Event Viewer. In Windows 2000 and XP this tool can be found at Start - Settings - Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Event Viewer. Here are some helpful sites that explain what the Event Viewer is and what some of the information means:
Diagnose System Problems with Event Viewer in Microsoft Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=302542
EventID.net
http://www.eventid.net/
Accessing the the Windows Event Viewer Application Log
http://www.rsinc.com/services/techtip.asp?ttid=3469

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PCIN.net AFFILIATED SITES

Both of us have other sites other than PCIN.net. These are all sites that we are actively involved in (they aren't client sites). Don't forget to check them out from time to time for updates:

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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 1998-2004, 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.

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