C C C C N E W S L E T T E R
CENTRAL COAST COMPUTER CLUB
Santa Maria, California
VOLUME XVII: NUMBER 8 AUGUST, 2002
NEXT MEETING: August 20, 2002 7:00PM KNOLLWOOD VILLAGE 4012 S. BRADLEY
PRESENTATION: Robert Thompson from the
Central Coast Assistive Technology Center on the subject:
"Computer Technologies for the Visually Impaired".
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| CONTENTS |
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(A) MEMBER PROFILE SURVEY
(B) MEMBER PROFILE SURVEY HELP
(1) Officers, Helplines, S.I.G.s
(2) President's Corner Charles Barney
(3) Editor's Comments Dick Trissel
(4) July System S.I.G. Dick Trissel
(5) Web Wanderings Gil Smith
(6) Dot-name Frenzy? No, Dot-calm Joanna Glasner
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MEMBER PROFILE SURVEY
User name _________________________________________________ August 2002
Computer Make and Model __________________________________________________
CPU and Speed ____________________________________________________________
Memory Size ______________________________________________________________
Hard Drive Size and Speed ________________________________________________
Floppy Drive 1 ___________________________________________________________
Floppy Drive 2 ___________________________________________________________
ZIP Drive and Size _______________________________________________________
USB Ports--No. and Type __________________________________________________
CD-ROM (player) and Speed ________________________________________________
CD-RW (burner) and Speeds ________________________________________________
Monitor Make and Size ____________________________________________________
Modem Type and Speed _____________________________________________________
Printer Make and Model ___________________________________________________
Scanner Make and Model ___________________________________________________
Digital Camera Make and Model ____________________________________________
Operating System _________________________________________________________
CD-Burner Software _______________________________________________________
Internet Service Provider ________________________________________________
Web Browser Program ______________________________________________________
E-mail Program ___________________________________________________________
Word Processor Program ___________________________________________________
Spreadsheet Program ______________________________________________________
Database Program _________________________________________________________
Graphics Program _________________________________________________________
Computer Activity 1 ______________________________________________________
Computer Activity 2 ______________________________________________________
Computer Activity 3 ______________________________________________________
Computer Activity 4 ______________________________________________________
Computer Activity 5 ______________________________________________________
Computer Activity 6 ______________________________________________________
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MEMBER PROFILE SURVEY HELP
User name Names of primary computer users.
If you don't have the documentation for the hardware items, much of the
information can be obtained from the computer. Here are the locations:
My Computer / Properties / General
My Computer / Properties / Device Manager
Start / Run / and type "hwinfo /ui" without the quotes.
Some information is displayed every time you start your computer. Watch
closely. You can pause the screen display by pressing the PAUSE button on
the keyboard. Then continue by pressing any key.
Here is an example of a filled form to give you an idea of the item
meanings.
Computer Make and Model E-machine etower 333k
CPU and Speed AMD-K6-2 333Mhz with 3DNow
Memory Size 256MB SyncDRAM/512KB L2 PB Cache
Hard Drive Size and Speed 8.2GB /5400rpm
Floppy Drive 1 3.5 inch
Floppy Drive 2 ___________________________________________________________
ZIP Drive and Size _______________________________________________________
USB Ports--No. and Type 2 USB1.1
CD-ROM (player) and Speed ATAPI 24X Max
CD-RW (burner) and Speeds TEAC CD-W54E 8X/4X/32X
Monitor Make and Size AMBRA 17inch
Modem Type and Speed Internal 56K Voice Fax
Printer Make and Model HP 600C, EPSON LX-800
Scanner Make and Model EPSON ActionScanner II
Digital Camera Make and Model ____________________________________________
Operating System Windows 98SE
CD-Burner Software Adaptec/Roxio Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum
Internet Service Provider Juno Gold, Netzero free
Web Browser Program Internet Explorer 5
E-mail Program Juno Gold, Juno free, Netzero free, Hotmail free, Netscape
Word Processor Program MSWord97
Spreadsheet Program MSExcel95
Database Program _________________________________________________________
Graphics Program PaintShopPro, Adobe PhotoDeluxe, MSPaint,
Computer Activity 1 E-mail
Computer Activity 2 Web browsing
Computer Activity 3 Word processing
Computer Activity 4 System modifications
Computer Activity 5 Play FreeCell Plus
Computer Activity 6 ______________________________________________________
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OFFICERS HELPLINES
President Juno
Charles Barney 937-1240 Gilbert Smith 925-3743
cbarney@lightspeed.net Gs5081@aol.com
Vice President Windows 95/98/ME/XP & VoiceControl
Amy Malicki 925-5780 Amy Malicki 925-5780
amymal@juno.com amymal@juno.com
Secretary and Book Librarian Hardware & DOS
Barbara Godwin 934-9885 Ray Isenson 937-6938
yung.bag@verizon.net risenson@juno.com
Treasurer AOL
Gerry Miller 934-1396 Frank Maciel 922-2318
2741 Banyan Way frm8198@aol.com
Santa Maria CA 93455
Gmiller@pronet.net
Disk Librarian Help With Any Problem
Sharon Allen 928-2209 Dick Savage 928-4932
sallen4060@aol.com rsavage65@hotmail.com
Publicity Help With Any Problem
Bill Corning 934-0775 Fred Adams 934-1128
foster95@juno.com wd64acj@netzero.net
Newsletter Editor Visual Basic
Dick Trissel 937-7572 Gerald Miller 934-1396
rtrissel@juno.com Gmiller@pronet.net
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (S.I.G.s)
Windows 95/98/ME/XP (6:00pm) Systems (5:45pm)
Amy Malicki Dick Trissel
amymal@juno.com rtrissel@juno.com
CCCC Membership is $15 for twelve months ($20 family). For this you
receive:
Monthly newsletter
EXTRA4C E-mail Messages
Access to the clubs software library
Disk of the month (usually for $1)
Helpline support
Monthly presentation
Valuable door prizes
Question and answer sessions
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CCCC Page 2 August 2002
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
by Charles Barney
A nice crowd of 60 folks turned out for the July 16th meeting, including new
member Sylvia Fischer. We are delighted to have you join us Sylvia and it is
our sincere wish that you will find your time spent with the 4Cs to be most
rewarding. Our members may possess various levels of computer skills, but
all have one thing in common - the camaraderie, shared learning experience
and just plain fun of participation in our friendly user group.
In the absence of vacationing Amy Malicki, the Windows and System SIGs were
consolidated in the main room and presided over by our own inimitable Dick
Trissel. He did a very good job considering the large size of the assembly!
A smaller group of Win XP enthusiasts met in the library under the direction
of Ray Isenson. As far as I know, the August SIGs will return to their
regular format.
A thank you goes out to ex-treasurer Howard Williams who did an able job of
filling-in for vacationing Jerry Miller
(another one). It's ok Jerry, I'm just a little jealous!
Our guest speaker for the evening was Mr. Jon Jaqua who is the owner and
operator of Computer Solutions Inc. His specialty service is going into the
client's home or business for on-site consulting, repairs, and upgrades. Jon
told us that he has been working with computers since the early 1960's and
related some of his personal experiences with the phenomenal growth of
computer technologies and the Internet in just a few short decades. A self-
proclaimed advocate of Windows XP, the latest operating system offered up
from Microsoft, Jon discussed the evolution of Windows over the years and
how things have (for the better or worse) changed. A question and answer
period rounded out the talk with a good response and feedback from the
members.
Missing out on the opportunity to pick up a door prize were the following
no-shows: Fred Adams (yet another vacationer!), George Keys, Frank Peeples,
Ben Middleton, Bob Allington, Barbara Tucker, Marjorie Hoogenbosh and Bob
Meldau. Sorry to bug you folks, but you know the drill.
Rewarded for their attendance were the following door prize winners: Spencer
Stimler and Sharon Allen each won a free one-hour consult donated by our
speaker Jon Jaqua (thanks Jon!); Allen Alderson - Hoyle's Card Games; Cheri
Holmes - 50 pack of CD-R media; Sylvia Conners - Kensington disk storage
tray; Vic McLaughlin - Stomp Inc.'s Click'N Design 3D CD labeling program;
Stanley Voris - Hasbro Interactive's Trivial Pursuit Millennium Edition; and
finally, Bill Corning who took home a patriotic Stars and Stripes mouse pad.
Thank you to all who recently participated in the online survey conducted by
Market Trends Inc. for the Microsoft corporation. Our user group was
selected from just a handful nationally to take part in the program. I'm
pleased to announce that you have successfully completed the requisite
number of web-based questionnaires and we should soon be receiving some
valuable software as our reward! As I have indicated before, there will be a
special drawing for those who took the survey. The three prizes that will be
given away include copies of Windows XP Professional, Windows Office XP
Professional, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002. The drawing will be held
at the upcoming meeting if we get the software by then. Otherwise, we'll do
it in September. Also note that the randomly chosen persons need not be
present (unlike our door prize drawings) to be eligible to win.
Speaking of surveys, you will find a Member Profile Survey attached to this
newsletter. We would like for ALL members to complete this to the best of
their ability and bring it with them to the next meeting. Please read the
"Editor's Comments" for a number of very good reasons for YOU to do so.
At the upcoming meeting on August 20th, our invited speaker is Robert
Thompson - a specialist in computer technologies to assist persons who are
visually impaired. Working for a local non-profit agency, Robert has set up
specialized equipment and trained users (primarily seniors) in a number of
area locations. He will be bringing along hardware to demonstrate how it all
works. Should be fascinating! I'll see you there. - Charles
______________________________________________________________________
| COMPUTER CONSULTING |
| |
| Amy Malicki has started an "In-House" computer consulting service.|
| She charges $35 per hour in your home at your computer. |
| She can be contacted at 925-5780 or amymal@juno.com. |
______________________________________________________________________
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CCCC Page 3 August 2002
EDITOR’S COMMENTS
By Dick Trissel
MEMBER PROFILE SURVEY
As I'm sure you've noticed, this month's newsletter has a tear-out labeled
MEMBER PROFILE SURVEY. The purpose of this survey is threefold:
1) By gathering sufficient information, the staff can better serve the
members by knowing what they are using. This way the staff members can
concentrate on the areas most club members are interested.
2) When you call a club help line (see the HELPLINES on the first page of
the newsletter), the person providing help will know what your system is and
can better assist you.
3) In gathering the information needed to fill out the survey, you will also
benefit by becoming more knowledgeable about your system.
The information on the survey will be confidential and only made available
to the club's staff (officers and assistants).
You don't have to fill out each line of you don't want to. However, the
more complete the information, the better the staff can serve you. After
all, that's what they are there for.
The back side of the survey is a brief description (example) of what is
expected for each line. And, hopefully, some hints as to how to obtain the
data from your computer.
I can speak from experience—the many times I have had members call with a
problem, and when I ask questions about their system configuration, we spend
a lot of time trying to get the answers. It's amazing how many times what
seems unrelated to solving a problem turns out to be significant.
So, please remove the survey page from the newsletter, fill out the form,
and give it to a club officer.
If you need another copy of the form, a modified survey form page will be in
the newsletter on the club's Web site:
http://member.apcug.org
Click on the Newsletter link, then the August issue. Select and copy the
page to a folder on your hard drive, and print it from an editor.
I will also send the modified survey form by EXTRA4C e-mail so that you can
print it out, if you wish.
Thank you.
__________________________________________________________________________
Did you realize that electrical devices run on smoke? Yep, it's obviously
so. As soon as the smoke escapes the device quits running.
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CCCC Page 4 August 2002
JULY SYSTEMS S.I.G.
by Dick Trissel
Surprise! We failed to announce in advance that due to Amy Malicki's
planned absence, the Windows S.I.G. and the Systems S.I.G. were combined.
And, we were attended by this month's guest speaker, Jon Jaqua.
As usual for the Systems S.I.G. we concentrated on answering questions,
which were not very many considering our attendance was twice what we
usually have in the Poolroom.
One member commented that the use of the Windows ME defrag program
noticeably reduced his defrag time. Know that the time for the defrag
operation is mostly depended on the amount of fragmentation, not just on the
size of the hard drive or the amount of content on the drive. So, defrag
often--once a week under normal usage is not too often. Your hard drive
will appreciate it.
Someone said he did the ME defrag and then the 98 defrag, and the 98 was
slower even on a defragged disk. So, I tested this idea. Yep, he's right.
If you watch what is happening (use the details option) you can see the ME
defrag does work faster.
One member mentioned a problem with what sounded like an "out of resources"
problem at startup. We demonstrated the use of MSCONFIG in the Start / Run
window and then clicking the Startup tab to uncheck the programs being
started at system boot. This was covered in the EXTRA4C Tune Up articles.
The 6 part series is in EXTRA4C 21/03/02 through EXTRA4C 04/04/02 (8
messages in all with the Part 5 correction). If you want the articles, I
will put them on a floppy or resend them to you.
Another person was having a problem getting his printout of Works
spreadsheet in the landscape mode instead of the portrait mode. Another
wanted to know how to make his print options the default for future
reference. All this may be settable in the application File / Page Setup
windows. MSWORD has a default button to make permanent the settings.
However, WORKS doesn't have a single default button. It appears you have to
set each parameter's default value--bummer! Maybe Amy knows the answer to
WORKS default settings.
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AUGUST COOKIES
Thanks in advance to the August "Cookies" volunteers:
Richard & Cheri Holmes and Joseph Gatwis.
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CCCC Page 5 August 2002
WEB WANDERINGS
by Gil Smith
PLANNING TO TRAVEL?
Click on the Travel Tips section for information on all countries. Here you
can find information on everything including etiquette and world cuisine.
Although the index is all-inclusive, you will find that several items are
listed as "coming soon". The ones which have information will help prepare
you for travel to countries outside the United States.
Note: If you are unable to connect using the web address, go to
Google and type the web address for a search and you will be taken right to
it.
http://www.a-zoftourism.com/home.htm
CIVIC GUIDE
An excellent gateway to a host of useful government and civic sites. Check
your Social Security benefits, find out how much your neighbor paid for that
house five years ago. Learn how to change your name (I don't know why
anyone would want to do that). Also to remove yourself from junk mail lists
and to E-file your taxes among other things.
http://www.govspot.com
EPINIONS
Magazine reviews are fine, but sometimes it's helpful to read the opinions
of everyday people who have dealt with the products every day. Epinions'
buyer reviews offer you just that - from the mouths of complete strangers.
http://www.epinions.com
DOING GOOD
Finding a way to be of service can be a full-time job, but thanks to
this site's Volunteer Search, you can easily connect with a nonprofit that's
near you and needs your skills. A special section highlights timely crisis-
relief efforts.
http://www.networkforgood.org
FIRSTGOV FOR KIDS
Most of us are past the age of needing some of the information which this
site provides but I'll bet that we have some grandkids that can use it. In
a world where kids' sites are dominated by entertainment, FirstGov for Kids
is refreshingly educational. A portal to kid-tailored government and other
sites, including the perennial fascinating ones of the FBI, CIA and White
House, FirstGov for Kids also links to the Smithsonian Institution, NASA
space photos and special collections at the Library of Congress (including
rough drafts of the Declaration of Independence). And there's lots of
information for kids and parents on how to protect kids' privacy online.
http://www.kids.gov
WINDOWS TIP OF THE DAY
This web site has some very good and some mediocre computer tips plus lots
of other tips. Before you sign on to receive the Windows Tip of the Day,
you
may want to just log onto the site several times and check it out. When you
see the Home Page, and read the Windows Tip, click on Technology to see tips
on various other items: Download of the Day; Internet Tip of the Day; Linux
Tip of the Day; Office 2000 Tip of the Day; Web Site of the Day, and more.
It's worth a look.
http://www.emazing.com/windows.jsp
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CCCC Page 6 August 2002
DOT-NAME FRENZY? NO, DOT-CALM
By Joanna Glasner
Dated 15 January, 2002
Dot-name -- a new Internet domain devoted to people's names -- got off to a
slow but relatively untroubled start Tuesday as it released its first batch
of domains live on the Internet.
As of mid-January, officials at Global Name Registry, the company in charge
of the rollout, said more than 60,000 people had signed up for websites or
e-mail addresses ending in the dot-name.
The numbers are somewhat below initial figures for dot-info and dot-biz,
which each had upwards of 200,000 domains registered when they went public
in October and November, 2001.
However, dot-name administrators say they expect the pace of registrations
to pick up significantly in the next several weeks as a massive publicity
campaign unfolds.
Andrew Tsai, Global Name's CEO, says comparisons to other domains are
inaccurate because this week's release of names marked only the first of
several batches of domains to be taken live over the next several months. He
said the registry plans to begin real-time registrations in May.
Judging by early results, however, Tsai said the people who are registering
dot-name sites are displaying rather different motives from the folks who
snapped up dot-biz and dot-info addresses in the past several months, often
with an eye to protecting trademarked names.
"People who buy dot-names are not buying dot-names to protect their names.
They're buying it because they want to actually use it," Tsai said.
Even so, he said it will take at least a few days or weeks from the official
launch date for site owners to begin posting original content on their dot-
name domains.
Unlike other domains, dot-name Web addresses consist of two parts, a first
name and last name separated by a period.
Dot-name sites are intended for use by individuals, although a search of
early registrations in Global Name's Whois database, included names like
"donald.duck.name" and "mickey.mouse.name" along with real-word names like
"michael.bloomberg.name" and "steve.smith.name."
Of the first batch of names, about half came from the United States, with
the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan coming next.
Over the next several months, Tsai said domain administrators also plan to
add security features to dot-name addresses that will allow users, among
others things, to limit who has access to their sites.
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