C C C C N E W S L E T T E R
CENTRAL COAST COMPUTER CLUB
Santa Maria, California
VOLUME XIX: NUMBER 12 DECEMBER, 2004
Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at the Knollwood
Village Clubhouse 4012 S. Bradley Dr., Santa Maria.
General meeting at 7:00 PM. Special Interest Groups sessions are at
5:45pm and 6:00pm. Guests are welcome.
Check out our web site: http//member.apcug.org/fourseas for the latest
program schedule information.
Membership is $15 for twelve months for individuals, $20 for families.
For this you receive: Monthly newsletters, EXTRA4C E-mail Messages,
Access to the clubs software library, Disk of the month (usually for $1),
Help-line support, Monthly presentations, Valuable door prizes, Question
and answer sessions.
NEXT MEETING: December 21, 2004 KNOLLWOOD VILLAGE 4012 S. BRADLEY
PRESENTATION: There will be no presentation--CHRISTMAS PARTY
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| CONTENTS |
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(1) OFFICERS, HELPLINES, S.I.G.S
(2) PRESIDENT'S CORNER Spence Stimler
(3) EDITOR'S COMMENTS Dick Trissel
(4) WEB WANDERINGS
(5) SYSTEMS S.I.G. Dick Trissel
(6) FREE DISK WIPE Dick Trissel
(7) FIVE IDEAS FOR AVOIDING VIRUSES Michael Caruso
(8) PROCESSOR CHIP SPEEDS Kim Komando
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OFFICERS HELPLINES
President Juno
Spence Stimler 938-0217 Gilbert Smith 925-3743
SPENCE923@msn.com colgil1@juno.com
Vice President Windows 95/98/ME/XP & VoiceControl
Bill Corning 934-0775 Amy Malicki 925-5780
foster95@juno.com savvyforseniors@juno.com
Secretary and Book Librarian Hardware and Windows XP
Barbara Godwin 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
gandamiller@verizon.net
Disk Librarian Visual Basic and Genealogy
Sharon Allen 928-2209 Gerald Miller 934-1396
sallen4060@aol.com gandamiller@verizon.net
Publicity Help With Any Problem
Bill Corning 934-0775 Fred Adams 934-1128
foster95@juno.com fredeadams@verizon.net
Newsletter Editor Digital Imaging
Dick Trissel 937-7572 Charles Barney 937-1240
rtrissel@juno.com Cbarney@lightspeed.net
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (S.I.G.s)
Systems (5:45pm) Word & Windows (6:00pm)
Dick Trissel Amy Malicki
rtrissel@juno.com savvyforseniors@juno.com
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CCCC Page 2 December 2004
PRESIDENT'S CORNER by Spence Stimler
Our annual Christmas party, which will take place on Dec. 21, 2004, will be
the culmination of our club's activities for the year. Kickoff time is
6:00pm. Visitors are welcome. Bring enough finger food to feed your
group. We usually have more than enough food, so if you find that what you
brought hasn't been consumed, be sure that you take the excess with you.
The only solution to left-over food is the trash barrel.
The club will furnish coffee and a cold drink like sparkling cider or
something similar. Also we have plenty of paper plates, napkins, plastic
silverware, hot and cold cups and the like. If your selection requires a
serving utensil, you might consider bringing that as well.
Name badges will be out and when you retrieve yours, be sure you pick up
your ticket for the drawing of prizes. Each member will receive one
ticket. We will have a few postings of the prizes available. Look it over
so that you can be ready to pick up your prize without a lot of delay.
Also, when you pick up your ticket, there will be Microsoft pens available.
This is strictly a social event and an excellent time for us to become
better acquainted.
Dues for 2005 are due Jan.1, 2005. If you haven't already done so, this
might be a good time to get it taken care of.
Winners of the door prizes for Nov. were: Howard Williams, Microsoft Money
2003; Duane Peterson, Oxford Dictionary; John McCurdy, Advanced Photo
editor; Homer Sanchez, 25 Slim Jewel Cases; Laudel Ludwig, 25 Slim Jewel
Cases; and Win Campbell, Best of Slots II.
I've had a problem dumped in my lap that I'm going to pass along to the
membership. As most of you know, Barbara Flood, retired from her coffee
making job for the club. Aldean Voris took the duty for Sept. and I was
saddled with the chore for the Oct. and Nov. meetings. That's the end of
it for me. We need somebody to assume the task on a regular basis. This
will be the only request for a volunteer(s). I don't intend to beg or try
to coerce somebody into taking over. The short and sweet of it is: No
volunteer-No coffee. If you choose to volunteer for the duty, please
contact me at 938-0217 or spence923@msn.com. Dick Jones is scheduled to
bring cookies for the Jan meeting. If we don't have somebody ready to take
on the task by Jan 4, 2005, I will instruct Dick to forget the cookies and
we won't bother with coffee. The choice is yours.
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CCCC Page 3 December 2004
EDITOR'S COMMENTS by Dick Trissel
It's that time of the year again. No, I don't mean Christmas. It's dues
time. Your CCCC membership dues are due by the end of the January meeting.
You can pay at the meeting or, if you can't make the meeting, send a check
to Treasurer Gerry Miller, 2741 Banyan Way, Santa Maria CA 93455.
It is very important to me that you ALL pay on time. Here's why...
As newsletter editor I need to know who is to get a newsletter. Because
the newsletter is sent by e-mail, I must maintain an addressbook group list
of all the paid members (a special format of nearly 100 members). And, I
maintain the club's official member roster (a spreadsheet format). And, I
keep the door prize selection data list up to date (a special program data
file). Every time a late paying member finally pays, I have to edit all
the files supporting these activities. Ideally, I should only have to do
this one time after the January meeting.
PLEASE PAY ON TIME!!!
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CCCC Page 4 December 2004
WEB WANDERINGS
WHERE'S YOUR MONEY?
Have a love/hate relationship with rebates? Sometimes you can
get software, electronic goods and other things for a significantly
cheaper price, or even free!
But rebate offers are so convoluted and fraught with paperwork that
the slightest mistake can cost you $50, $100 or more. Plus, it usually
takes a month or two to receive the check.
RebatesHQ helps walk you through the process of recovering a rebate. It
also allows you to apply for a rebate online. Although you still have
to mail in the necessary paperwork, this speeds up the process greatly.
http://www.rebateshq.com/clients/parago/rebates/index.jsp
CROSSWORD FUN
Love crossword puzzles? Sundays are perfect for sitting down
with a cup of coffee, a crossword puzzle and a lot of time.
USA Today posts a crossword puzzle each day. You can choose either
regular or master skill level. Regular level players can get hints
for words. Incorrect letters are marked in a different color.
http://puzzles.usatoday.com/
STOP HACKER ATTACKS
HackerWatch collects data from users regarding hacker attacks and
other unwanted traffic. Their main goal is to decrease the number of
hackers. But they also help computer users protect themselves.
HackerWatch has a test that will probe your computer to test how
well it can defend itself from hackers. If you are behind a firewall
and it is set up properly, you should pass with flying colors.
http://www.hackerwatch.org/probe
GROCERY COUPONS
Here's a new twist to shopping--receiving coupons after you shop
based on what you bought.
Enter your ZIP code and choose your favorite grocery store. Print out
the ValuePage and hand it to the cashier as you check out. Your cashier
will then give you coupons to use on your next visit.
http://www.valupage.com/Entry.pst
DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER
Have you ever picked up a book and became hooked as soon as you
read the opening lines?
This site is a collection of really good opening lines. Each entry
has one or more lines of a book, the book's name and author. You can
vote on each one.
You can search for specific books by author and genre. Perhaps your
favorite writers are listed. If not, you can submit them yourself.
Some of the writing is extremely clever. A couple of the entries
had me logging into my local library to see if I could get a copy.
http://www.openinghooks.us
CHEAPER ONLINE
How many times have you passed on something at the store because
you weren't sure if you could get it cheaper elsewhere? It's difficult
to know if you're getting a good deal on things if you can't compare.
Now you can. Pricegrabber is an online comparison site. They've set
up another site expressly for wireless phones.
The next time you're in a store, you can see if you can get it cheaper
online. If you find a cheaper price, Pricegrabber will connect you to
that Web site's customer service number. Or you can wait until you get
home and log onto the Net.
Of course, if it's only a few bucks difference just buy it in the
store--then you won't have to wait.
http://www.pricegrabber.com/home_wireless.php/
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CCCC Page 5 December 2004
SYSTEMS S.I.G. by Dick Trissel
We had over 30 members in attendance for the November Systems S.I.G. And I
think we covered some interesting territory.
We started off with a question about finding PowerPoint in Windows XP. It
was decided that XP should already have PowerPoint installed. It was
suggested the user do a search in the C partition for the word "power".
There should be a file named Powerpoint.exe.
Another problem was a user's computer would dial out whenever the computer
was first turned on. My guess is that a program got installed that put a
reference in the startup list to connect to the Internet at startup. Anti-
virus programs are famous for this to get updates automatically.
Hopefully, the reference is in the Start / Run / msconfig / Startup list
and can be unchecked.
We talked about the new service for free Juno--eliminating the direct-dial
capability by December 1. It isn't clear whether you can retain this
feature by subscribing to the $10/year MegaMail option. By the time you
read this, maybe we will know.
I related a recent experience I had with the different quality of CD-R
discs. With six different CD devices (CD-ROMs and CD-RWs), I can only
read some discs in some devices, and vice-versa. Then I noticed a
pattern of which discs of particular brand and color worked in which
device. This situation has been publicized over the years. The
recommendations have been to buy quality discs (whatever that means).
And the color preferences are gold, silver, light blue or green, in that
order. The problem is you can't see the color in a closed package in the
store. The other recommendation is if you find a brand that works for you,
stay with it. That doesn't work for me because I have too many devices.
The usual warning was made about opening e-mail attachments that might
contain a virus or worm. A possible solution is to try to get the
information that is in an attachment without opening it. First, save the
attachment to a folder, and then read the file with a text editor (not Word
or Works). Use Notepad or Wordpad. I use a free editor called Editpad.
It has many more features than Notepad.
I discussed my latest experience with Wi-Fi networking. Several others
present are using this technology. And several others showed an interest.
Maybe we will have a demonstration in the near future.
We closed the session with the showing of a few entertainment programs--the
pictures of a helicopter in Irag painted like an eagle, a recorded
communication between a motorist and Blondestar, and a "piano" being played
with tennis balls.
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CCCC Page 6 December 2004
FREE DISK WIPE by Dick Trissel
Got a hard drive or a computer with a hard drive that you want to dispose
of, but don't want to leave personal information files on the drive? Well,
one method of eliminating the personal files is to purchase a commercial
program designed for the job for around $40. That's a lot for just a one
time use. And, I think they wipe entire partitions, not just files and
folders.
Let's define "delete" and "wipe". In Windows, a simple Delete puts the
file in the Recycle Bin--not deleted at all. Emptying the Recycle Bin (or
doing a Shift-Delete on the file) is a full delete. But that only tags the
file or folder for overwriting. That frees up the space on the disk, but
the information is still in those sectors until they are overwritten with
new information. Wipe means to overwrite the sectors, usually with ones
and zeros. However, the use of any character or characters is equally
effective.
Actually, in most incidences you are probably pretty safe just deleting
your personal files because most receivers of old drives don't know how to
retrieve deleted files. But we can't really rely on that, as who knows
where that drive will end up.
There are free disk wipe programs downloadable from the Web. Go to Google
and type "free disk wipe". However, like the commercial programs, they
also look like they do entire partitions, not just files and folders.
I've come up with a procedure that is free, will let you decide what gets
wiped, leaves the operating system intact, and works for all files systems.
It does require an operating system--preferably Windows. But, it could be
used from a DOS boot if you know how to use DOS. This would let you wipe
even the Windows operating system. And, it is effective for all files
systems--FAT, FAT32 or NTFS.
This procedure to "wipe" a hard drive only costs you time and effort.
However, even for Windows users, it does require you to have a working
knowledge of file management--like Windows Explorer, folder creation, file
copying and deletion, clearing History and Temporary Internet Files, etc.
If this sounds too scary, read on anyway--you may find it isn't that bad.
Here's the plan. We know that just deleting a file or folder only modifies
the FAT (File Alocation Table), but leaves the contents of the file on the
drive to be overwritten with a new file. And that's exactly what we're
going to do--overwrite deleted files with garbage and then delete the
garbage. Of course, the garbage is still there--only the FAT was changed,
but who cares--it's garbage. When I say "delete", I don't mean into the
Recycle Bin. To do a delete that is the equivalent of deleting to the
Recycle Bin and then emptying the bin, select the items to be deleted, hold
down the shift key, and press the delete key, and click "Yes".
STEP 1. Deleting Personal Data
Using Windows, delete all the files and folders you don't want to retain.
If the drive doesn't have an operating system on it, you will need to use
DOS (boot from a startup disk), or put the drive in a computer as a second
drive. For now, let's assume you have a usable Windows operating system on
the drive. Also, let's assume you have only one partition--although this
procedure can be done an all partitions. If you are not sure where
sensitive data is hiding, use Windows Search (Find) and choose to search
for "Containing text". Also, search for Temp folders and Recent folders.
Don't forget all those My Documents, etc.
There are three areas where it is difficult to delete unwanted data. One
is the Virtual Memory file (Pagefile in XP, Win386.swp in 9X). If the
system has enough RAM, the Virtual Memory (VM) can be effectively set to
zero. Without enough RAM the operating system won't bootup normally after
setting VM to zero. If this happens you can use Safe Mode long enough to
set VM back to system control, and just manually set a small VM size--
around 10 or 20 megabytes.
Another area difficult to totally delete is the Temporary Internet Files
(TIF) folder. The TIF folder is a system folder and can't be deleted in
Windows. In Windows 98 it can be effectively deleted by deleting the
Content.IE5 folder into the Recycle Bin. Then reboot the system so it will
make a new Content.IE5 folder. Now, empty the Recycle Bin. If there is no
Content.IE5 folder, delete the folders directly under the TIF folder. I
don't know how to delete the files in the individual TIF folders in Windows
XP (and, there's more than one TIF).
The most difficult area is the Registry. First, get rid of all the
registry backups. In Windows 98, go to C:\Windows\Sysbckup and delete all
folders and files that the system will let you delete. In Windows XP and
ME, turn off the Restore checkpoints.
Now, for the active registry, do a Start / Run / Regedit. Search for key
words that relate to personal data (such as your name, SSN, ISP ID, etc.)
and delete the respective registry key data.
STEP 2. Overwrite With Garbage
Run the defrag utility. This isn't mandatory, but it will make the
procedure a little faster. The purpose of this step is to write garbage on
all the unused sectors of the drive by creating folders and filling them
with files. One source of files is a CD. Pick a nearly full commercial
CD, like a music CD. Create a new folder on the C: partition (Folder1) and
four subfolders (Folder1a,b,c,d) and copy the CD to each of the subfolders.
Create a second main folder (Folder2) and four subfolders (Folder2a,b,c,d)
and copy Folder1 to each of the subfolders.
Create a third main folder (Folder3) and four subfolders (Folder3a,b,c,d)
and copy Folder2 to each of the subfolders.
Create a fourth main folder (Folder4) and four subfolders (Folder4a,b,c,d)
and copy Folder3 to each of the subfolders.
Just keep doing this until the drive is full.
Let's see how this builds up with three main folders. Assume the CD
contains 0.5 Gigabytes.
Content GB Total GB
Folder1
Folder1a 0.5 0.5
Folder1b 0.5 1.0
Folder1c 0.5 1.5
Folder1d 0.5 2.0
Folder2
Folder2a (Folder1) 2.0 4.0
Folder2b (Folder1) 2.0 6.0
Folder2c (Folder1) 2.0 8.0
Folder2d (Folder1) 2.0 10.0
Folder3
Folder3a (Folder2) 10.0 20.0
Folder3b (Folder2) 10.0 30.0
Folder3c (Folder2) 10.0 40.0
Folder3d (Folder2) 10.0 50.0
If you don't have CD capability, then you will need to build manually a
large file of garbage on the drive and use it in place of the CD.
STEP THREE. Recover The Disk Space
After you've filled the drive, delete all the main folders
(Folder1,2,3,etc.) to make the disk space usable. If you reduced the
virtual memory, put it back under system control.
That's it. Now, aren't you glad you don't have to do this every day?
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CCCC Page 7 December 2004
FIVE IDEAS FOR AVOIDING VIRUSES by Michael Angelo Caruso
Contributed by Richard Holmes
Computers are designed to help us be more effective and efficient. Yet, a
computer virus can ruin your day and put a good size dent in your week. A
recent study by the Homeland Security Agency reported that 75% of the
people surveyed feel safe from on-line threats. The agency also discovered
that most of these same people have no firewall protection, outdated anti-
virus software and dozens of unauthorized spyware programs running on their
computers. Mike Mohan, President of Aboavista, USA is an expert at
improving website visitor conversion rates and he knows a lot about how to
keep your computer healthy. Mike helped me generate these 5 Cool Ideas to
avoid computer viruses and other maladies.
1. What you don't know about the "opt-in" process can hurt you.
Avoid "opting in" with your primary e-mail address when signing up for on-
line publications or when purchasing on-line. Instead, opt-in using a free
webmail address and have all e-mail forwarded to your primary e-mail
address. If the free webmail service attracts too much spam, you can
simply change that e-mail address and break the link to the saboteurs
without compromising connectivity to co-workers and friends.
2. You may not be clicking what you think you're clicking.
Be careful not to click on fake graphics that present themselves in a
familiar format, font or even logo. Such "innocuous" clicking often
launches spyware or other troublesome programs on your PC. Always close
suspicious dialogue boxes or pop up windows by clicking the "X" icon in
the upper-right corner of the titlebar. If you try to close the box and a
window asks "are you sure you want to close?" Remember that clicking "no"
could mean that you're accepting spyware or some other piece of bad news.
Instead, try deleting the program from your task manager by simultaneously
pressing Control/Alt/Delete one time. Then, end the task. You can navigate
to a suspicious website a little more safely by keystroking the address
into your browser manually.
3. Why unsubscribing can work against you.
The very act of unsubscribing to unsolicited e-mail shows the spammer that
your e-mail address is active and current. You don't really think that
dishonest people will honor their word, do you? Report suspicious e-mail
to your Internet service provider.
4. Beware of attachments from friends.
Even if you know the sender, an unexpected or unfamiliar attachment can be
a virus. It's always best to err on the side of caution. Call the sender
and ask them to verify the e-mail. Never, ever, ever -- that's one "never"
and two "evers" -- open an attachment without saving it to your hard drive,
which gives your up-to-date anti-virus software more opportunity to protect
you.
5. Face it, the Internet is a giant petri dish. Don't expect a total
solution from the major industry players anytime soon.
Spam, viruses, worms and spyware are formidable and complicated problems.
Try using an alternative browser. According to most experts, Firefox is
safer and more stable than the most popular browsers. Migrate away from
free or almost free address books. Try upgrading to a more professional
contact management software program. I use Goldmine. Mike uses ACT!
Both of these programs add a level of protection.
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CCCC Page 8 December 2004
PROCESSOR CHIP SPEEDS from Komando newsletter
Q. I am confused about how to compare the clock speeds of various
processors. There are Pentium 4s with clock speeds between 2.0 and 3.6
gigahertz. Intel has a Centrino mobile chip at approximately 1.5 GHz.
AMD Athlon chips use a different rating system. And then there is
Apple, which just came out with the iMac featuring a G-5 chip. That is
supposed to be 1.5 to 1.8 GHz. The Mac and Centrino chips appear to be
a lot slower than the others, but probably aren't. Could you shed some
light on this issue and eliminate my confusion?
A. You're in a very non-exclusive club! Legions of people are confused
by chip speeds. I'm going to break it down first for desktops. Let's
start at the very beginning.
Intel has two classes of chips for desktop computers--the Pentium 4 and
the Celeron. Pentium 4 is the premium brand; Celeron, the economy name.
Pentium 4s, as you said, run up to 3.6 GHz. That means the chip can
cycle 3.6 billion times per second. The 3.6 GHz version performs less
work per cycle than some other, slower chips. Its Level 2, or L2, memory
cache ranges from 256 kilobytes to 1 megabyte. This memory contains
common commands that the chip can call upon. If the command the chip
needs is in L2 cache, it speeds up the computing process. If it is not,
then the chip must go to system Rapid Access Memory (RAM). That slows
things. So more L2 cache is better.
Celeron processors are geared-down Pentiums. Celerons have 128 or 256
kilobytes of L2 cache--less than most Pentium 4s. Their clock speeds
are also slower. Maximum Celeron speed is 2.8 GHz. That's still plenty
fast. The reduced L2 cache is a bigger deal.
All Intel consumer chips are 32-bit. That means they can handle 32 bits
of data at a time. That's OK, because consumer software today is 32-
bit. Intel's Itanium, a business chip, is 64-bit. That is an advantage
with some business programs, but is unsuited to consumer applications.
Advanced Micro Devices also makes consumer chips. Its topline chips are
called Athlons. AMD has been producing 64-bit chips for consumer
computers for about a year. They also run today's 32-bit programs.
That's a good thing, because, as I said, there aren't any mainstream
64-bit consumer programs available for it. These chips have a lower
clock speed.
Although an AMD 64-bit 3800+ running at 2.4 GHz clock speed is relatively
slow, the chip is actually very fast. AMD and Apple focus on improving the
number of instructions a chip can handle per cycle, rather than pure
clock speed. That is why slower chips often defeat chips with higher
clock speeds in tests.
AMD's nomenclature carries such numbers as 3000+. You can use them as
a comparison with Pentium 4s. A 3000+ has roughly the same capabilities
as a Pentium 4 3.0 GHz. The 64-bit Athlon has either 512 KB or 1 MB of
L2 cache. The Athlon XP, a 32-bit chip, has 512 KB of L2 cache.
AMD also makes an economy chip, the Sempron. It competes with the
Celeron. It has 256 KB of L2 cache, and is a 32-bit chip.
Both Power Macs and iMacs use the G5 chip made by IBM. Some run at
speeds well under 2 GHz. But as with AMD, Apple focuses its efforts on
the number of instructions that can be completed per cycle. All G5 chips
have 512 KB of L2 cache.
So, what's the bottom line? For a good combination of speed and power,
I'd look at Windows machines with Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon chips.
Buy three or four steps down from the fastest chip. That means a 2.8
or 3.0 GHz Pentium chip, or a 2800+ or 3000+ AMD Athlon. The AMD 64-bit
chips are fine, but there's currently no software that can take advantage
of their advanced technology.
Apple's Power Macs are very powerful, but they're also costly. If you
want to pay the money, you won't go wrong. The iMacs also are probably
OK, but I'd check them in the store first. Again, the 64-bit technology
is wasted on today's programs.
The Celeron and Sempron chips also are acceptable. They may be
noticeably slower than the Pentium 4 and Athlon chips, though.
Now, let's look at laptops.
Intel offers a slew of chips in laptops. There are the Pentium 4, the
Pentium 4-M, the Pentium III-M and the Pentium M chips. Need more?
There are also the mobile Celeron and the Celeron-M. Intel chips support
power-saving features, which extend battery life. There are a huge number
of clock speeds among these chips.
Here's a quick and dirty rundown: The Pentium 4 variants are quick,
but relatively hard on batteries. The Pentium III-M is significantly
slower and obsolete. The Celerons run from pretty doggone slow to
relatively quick. In every case, the clock speed is a good indicator
of the chip's abilities.
The exception is the Pentium M. This chip has a relatively low clock
speed, but is nonetheless pretty capable. It is a component of the
Centrino technology. Centrino is not a chip. It is a technology,
including the Pentium M chip, the 855 chipset and wireless capabilities.
Intel has always marketed the Centrino as a wireless wonder. But wireless
is common in laptops, regardless of whether they have Centrino technology.
Where Centrino really shines is battery life. Laptops typically will
run about three hours. But Centrinos will run much longer, up to six
or seven hours. That could be a big deal for road warriors.
If I were buying Intel, and excellent battery life were important,
I would go with the Centrino setup. I would not worry about clock
speed. If I were a power user, and I wanted a desktop replacement,
I'd buy a higher-end Pentium 4. Just keep in mind the Pentium 4 runs
too hot for "laptop" use. For low price, look at Celeron.
AMD is not big in laptops, but is starting to change that. Clock speed
is not a big deal with AMD chips. Any Athlon should do well. Don't pay
up for AMD's 64-bit chip; there is no software to run on it at this time.
Apple's PowerBook laptops use the G4 microprocessor, not the newer
G5. Clock speeds run up to 1.5 GHz. Again, Apple's chip situation is
similar to AMD's--it emphasizes the number of operations per cycle,
not just speed. Because Apple uses the older G4 chip, check it in the
store for satisfactory speed.
Copyright C 2004 WestStar TalkRadio Network. Reprinted with permission.
No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the written
consent of WestStar TalkRadio Network. Visit Kim Komando and sign up for
her free e-mail newsletters at: www.komando.com
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