Issue 327 - January 19, 2005
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2005
==== 2022 Subscribers in 60 Countries ====
Welcome to the 327th 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
Obviously I wasn't thinking enough to have any opening thoughts last week!
I had the newsletter done early than I expected, and sent it off because I
had some other things to do. Sorry!
I was off work Monday (although I mistakenly went in thinking I was supposed
to be there!) so I had the time to put up a bunch of galleries on the family
web site:
20041103-20050113
- Various Matthew
20041109-20050113
- Various Andrew
20041127
- Primary Christmas Party
20041201
- Lisa's Allergy Tests
20041221
- HOCO Christmas Party
20041224
- Christmas Eve 2004
20041225
- Christmas Day 2004
20041231
- New Year's Eve 2004
20050108
- Niagara Falls Aviary - You've got to see the pictures of my Mom with
a bunch of birds on her!
Graham editor@pcin.net and
Chris chris@pcin.net
The NEWS
Experts: Cyber-crime bigger threat than cyber-terror
"As David Perry left a cyber-security conference in Luxembourg in
2004, an airport terminal handling international flights was in chaos.
A network worm known as Sasser was scorching the world's computer systems
and had knocked out the airport's reservation desk, stranding delegates in
the terminal.
In a fable for the information age, conference attendees, among them some
of the world's foremost computer security experts, flipped open their laptops
and reopened the terminal in a matter of minutes."
For more info:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/01/18/cyber.security/index.html
Dell's Rollins dismisses iPod as a 'fad'
"Dell Chief Executive Kevin Rollins is dismissing the iPod as a 'fad'
and a 'one-product wonder' and claiming the new Mac Mini won't dent the PC
market.
In an interview with Silicon.com at Dell's headquarters here last week, Rollins
said that the number of headlines Apple grabs does not worry him and that
the company isn't 'in the same league' as Dell."
For more info:
http://news.com.com/2100-1042_3-5540063.html
Global digital music market boomed in 2004
"The market for digital music on the Internet and mobile phones boomed
in 2004, according to a report released Wednesday that showed the global
recording industry collecting significant revenues from the segment for the
first time.
However, the report from the International Federation of the Phonographic
Industry, or IFPI, also warned that rampant piracy continued to erode legitimate
profits."
For more info:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6842965/
Behold the $55,000 PC
"An Amish PC might sound like a contradiction in terms, but Truvia
can make one for you--provided you have $55,000 to spare.
The Redmond, Wash.-based start-up specializes in building high-end PCs into
handcrafted furniture, everything from simple Amish and Shaker cabinets to
ornate Louis XV creations."
For more info:
http://news.com.com/2100-1042_3-5533708.html
POLL of the WEEK
Last Week's Poll
How much do you rely on the Internet to receive your non-technical news?
I only use the Internet for my news |
|
14 % (12) |
I use the Internet in addition to traditional news sources |
|
69 % (60) |
I do not use the Internet for news coverage |
|
17 % (15) |
Total votes: 87 |
This Week's Poll
You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/
PCIN.net UPDATE
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
VMware Inc. VMware Workstation 4.5 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/vmware45.php
PCIN.net Update Blog
http://PCIN.net/update/
Sunbelt Software iHateSpam 4.0 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ihatespam4.php
Micro Solutions RoadStor Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/roadstor.php
Album Creator by FirmTools Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/albumcreator.php
THE TIPS and OTHER
STUFF
OutlookPower Magazine
"Each issue of OutlookPower offers great ideas and helpful techniques
for getting the most out of Microsoft Outlook and Exchange. When you read
OutlookPower, you'll also be able to view the latest news about Outlook and
Exchange, read product reviews, and interact with other users of Outlook
and Exchange as well as with vendors of Outlook and Exchange-related software
and hardware products. So visit OutlookPower Magazine and get Outlook Powered!"
If you use Outlook either at work or at home, then you should definitely
check out the OutlookPower Magazine web site at http://www.outlookpower.com/ The
site doesn't have all the contents of the magazine, but there are several
tips that are very handy, and they seem to change regularly.
Show Hidden Devices in Device Manager
This is a great from from the latest issue of the LangaList newsletter.
If you aren't a subscriber to either the free newsletter or the paid one,
I would highly recommend you get moving!
"Ghostbusting In Device Manager
Hi Fred, Really enjoy the newsletter. I searched the archives and didn't
see any mention of this, so thought I might actually have something to
contribute.
Windows keeps a Device Manager entry for every piece of hardware that's
ever been recognized by the system, regardless of whether it is currently
present in the machine or was even set up correctly in the first place. The "View
Hidden Devices" option in Device Manager won't show you these "residual" drivers.
You can force it to show you everything by going to My Computer Properties,
the Advanced tab, Environment Variables, and adding a new system variable
with the name "DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES" and a value of 1.
Now opening Device Manager and choosing "Show Hidden Devices" really
will show you everything. Standard practice at the factory is to use a single
image and just move it from model to model, letting it plug and play all
the new hardware along the way. This leaves you with an impressive list of
hardware still in the Device Manager, but no longer in the system. You also
see this to a lesser degree when you restore a system from an image you created
for backup purposes. These "residual" drivers can sometimes cause
all kinds of weirdness and are best removed by right-clicking on their entry
in the Device Manager and choosing "uninstall".
This works on Windows 2000/XP (and I assume Server 2003, though I haven't
tried it). Anyone running a factory loaded Compaq or Dell will be amazed
at the amount of junk left over from this process.
Best Regards, Jon Pickle
Thanks, Jon. Indeed, Windows has a thing about hanging on to ghost entries
in Device Manager and also in the Registry. (This is one of the reasons why
Registries inflate so much over time.) A little judicious ghostbusting lets
your PC run cleaner and leaner!"
Google releases Picasa 2
Google has released the next version of Picasa. The software allows you
to find, edit and share your photos. It automatically creates categories
based upon the folders images are stored in, as well as by date. Create web
galleries, photo CD's; order prints online and posting images to a blog are
only some of the features in this new version. You can also create your own
categories (labels) to help you catalog and sort your images the way that
you want.
Check it out at http://www.picasa.com/
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:
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 1998-2005, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the author
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