C C C C N E W S L E T T E R
CENTRAL COAST COMPUTER CLUB
Santa Maria, California
VOLUME XVI: NUMBER 1 JANUARY, 2001
NEXT MEETING: JANUARY 16, 2001 7:00PM KNOLLWOOD VILLAGE 4012 S. BRADLEY
PRESENTATION: Pres. Charles Barney on the APCUG
Freeware/Shareware Program CD Disk
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| CONTENTS |
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(1) Officers, Helplines, S.I.G.s
(2) President's Corner (Party) Charles Barney
(3) Windows Easter Egg Dick Trissel
(4) Editor's Comments (Benefits) Dick Trissel
(5) Web Wanderings Gil Smith
(6) Windows98 Startup Dick Trissel
(7) BCC Dick Trissel
(8) TaxAct 2000 Dick Trissel
(9) Review: InoculateIT Ray Isenson
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Officers Helplines
President Juno
Charles Barney 937-1240 Gilbert Smith 925-3743
cbarney@lightspeed.net colgil1@juno.com
Vice President Windows 95
Phil Grycel 937-1805 Amy Malicki 925-5780
feliksy@juno.com amymal@juno.com
Secretary Hardware & DOS
Barbara Godwin 934-9885 Ray Isenson 937-6938
yungbag@best1.net risenson@juno.com
Treasurer Voice control & Input/Output
Gerald Miller 934-1396 Amy Malicki 925-5780
2741 Banyan Way amymal@juno.com
Santa Maria CA 93455
gmiller33@excite.com
Librarian Desktop Publishing & scanners
Sharon Allen 928-2209 Don Harelson 934-3926
sallen4060@aol.com qef1@juno.com
Publicity Software User Identification
Bill Corning 934-0775 Fred Adams 934-1128
foster95@juno.com fred421@juno.com
Newsletter Editor Visual Basic
Dick Trissel 937-7572 Gerald Miller
rtrissel@juno.com Gmiller33@excite.com
Program Chairman AOL
Ray Isenson 937-6938 Frank Maciel 922-2318
risenson@juno.com frm8198@aol.com
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Windows 95/98 Internet
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
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 January 2001
President's Corner
by Charles Barney
The 4C's annual Christmas party held at the December 19th meeting was a
great success. The 65 or so folks who turned out enjoyed an incredible
spread of delicious foods and great holiday merriment. Also, Gilbert
Smith's wife Doris treated us to some lovely seasonal piano music which
added a very nice atmosphere to the gathering.
Our own Amy Malicki gave a fascinating talk on the history of computers and
the history of our computer club. She called upon some of the charter
members in attendance who offered their recollections about the early days
of the group and how things have evolved over the years. Hardware and
software have undergone radical changes over the last two decades the club
has been in existence, but the one thing that has remained constant is that
we are a group of people helping people. The technological challenges of
these complex machines we have invited into our homes become much more
manageable and their use more enjoyable with the support and camaraderie of
others.
A lot of anticipation preceded the evening's door prize drawing due to the
quality of the merchandise that was available for giveaway. I decided to
give the club computer (and myself) a break, so with the help of Vic
McLaughlin, we did the drawing with raffle tickets. Members were allowed
take their pick among the prizes and you can bet the best stuff went first!
The lucky winners and their chosen prizes were, in order: Carter Jones,
Memorex USB color flatbed scanner; Dick Jones, Microsoft Internet keyboard;
Al Alderson, SurgeMaster under monitor power center; Eldean Voris,
Microsoft optical wheel mouse; Hank Eales, Canon Video home edition; Mary
Allington, Quicken 2001 Deluxe suite; George Keys, MGI Photovista 2.0.
Did you know that our club has a library of computer books available for
use to all members? Secretary Barbara Godwin maintains the collection and
brings the books to each meeting.
Just ask her if you are interested in checking out for a month any of the
following titles:
Windows Millennium - The Missing Manual.
The Computer Resource Guide: San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria.
The Secret Guide to Computers - 24th Edition.
Windows 98 Simplified.
Windows 98 for Busy People.
Bill Gates - The Road Ahead.
Modems for Dummies.
America Online for Windows - 2.0.
Introducing MS Windows 95.
MS Windows 98 - Getting Started.
Windows 98 in a Nutshell.
Windows 95 Secrets - 4th Edition
We will be kicking off a new year, and some would even argue, a new
millennium for the Central Coast Computer Club at the upcoming meeting on
January 16th. I'm looking forward to serving again as your President and
with your continued support, anticipate another great year for the 4C's!
I'll be giving a presentation on the Association of Personal Computer User
Groups (APCUG) first edition shareware/freeware CD during the meeting.
This baby has over 200 useful programs on it and will be available for
purchase during the meeting for only $3.00 to interested members. I'll see
you at the clubhouse. - Charles.
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CCCC Page 3 January 2001
Windows98 Easter Egg:
By Dick Trissel
This is a bit complicated, but I found it worth the effort and entertaining
(audio/video).
Open Windows Explorer and go to the Windows folder
(probably will be C:\Windows).
Select Application Data.
Select Microsoft.
Select Welcome.
Right-click the file Weldata.exe and select Create Shortcut.
Right-click the Weldata shortcut and select Properties.
Locate the Target edit box and at the end of the existing text type:
(space)You_are_a_real_rascal (include the underscores).
You should have:
"C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\WELCOME\
WELDATA.EXE" You_are_a_real_rascal
In the Run box, select Minimized and click OK.
Double-click the new Weldata shortcut, watch and listen!
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CCCC Page 4 January 2001
Editor's Comments
by Dick Trissel
F I N A L N O T I C E
Alright, this is the last time you are going to be notified. If you
haven't paid your club membership dues for all of the year 2001--DO IT!
Check your mailing label on this newsletter. If in the upper right corner
of the label there is an arrow pointing to a number, that is the amount in
dollars and cents that you owe.
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CCCC BENEFITS
If you've been a member of the Central Coast Computer Club for awhile you
probably already know all the benefits of being a member. But, just in
case you've forgotten, or if you are a relatively new member, here's list
of what is available for you.
There are monthly meetings structured to share assistance for using your
computer and provide exchanges of information, advice and help with other
members, many of whom are very knowledgeable and willing to assist.
Regular monthly Special interest groups (S.I.G.s) are available for using
your computer's operating system and for Internet operations.
At the meetings we have presentations by speakers, both local and national.
There are 50/50 drawings for the brave at heart, and door prize drawings
for the lucky members.
And, of course, there is the social aspect of the meetings where you get to
meet new and old friends with like interests.
Obviously, there is a monthly newsletter you are now reading with the list
of officers, support personnel, and consultants for specific computer
problems. It also contains any important announcements, dates, and
suggestions to improve the usage of your computer.
The club maintains a Web site that has pages of important announcements,
copies of past newsletters and past newsletter contents listings, and an
extensive categorized bookmark listing of Web sites. The Web site is at
http://member.apcug.org/fourseas (fourseas-CCCC, get it?)
At nearly every monthly meeting there is a disk-of-the-month (DOM) made
available with interesting new programs.
There is a disk library of the past DOMs and a publication library, both
available to all members. The disks are maintained by the disk librarian,
and the publications are available from the librarian, currently the
secretary.
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CCCC Page 5 January 2001
Web Wanderings
by Gil Smith
Getting Enough Sleep? If you are not sure that you are
getting enough sleep, take the first steps in finding out by taking this
test online.
http://www.drkoop.com/tools/
calculator/sleep.asp
Class Action Lawsuits. These bring together a group of plaintiffs who all
share a similar injury, to form a class. A class action can only be formed
when all the members of the class (the plaintiffs) share a common grievance
and the number of class members is great. Find out if you are a part of
the "class" at this site. http://thelawplus.com/class.html
Campaign Contributions. Are you wondering how much someone gave to a
Federal Campaign Committee, then type in a 5 digit zip code and find
everyone from that geographical area who has contributed during the
election cycle back to 1980. http://www.tray.com/fecinfo/
_zip.htm
Whisper Numbers. The unofficial market expectations of a company's future
earnings are called whisper numbers. Join the thousands of individual
investors that combine their research efforts at this site and benefit from
access to a predictor of stock price movement. http://whispernumber.com
Dumb Laws. Did you know that in Pocatello, Idaho, a person may not be seen
in public without a smile on their face? Or, that you may not swear in
front of women and children in the state of Michigan? Get a kick out of
Dumb Laws. http://www.dumblaws.com
Satellites & Other Astronomics. Satellites, the Space Shuttle, MIR, and
the International Space Station plus many other places of interest in outer
space, are available at this web site. It has easy to follow directions on
the home page. http://www.heavens-above.com
Pandas in Motion. Pandas don't move very fast but you can watch them when
they are awake at the National Zoo. At the home page, click on Links, then
Panda Cam. http://pandas.si.edu/
Patient Advocate Foundation. A national non-profit organization that
serves as an active liaison between the patient and their insurer,
employer, and/or creditors, to resolve insurance, job discrimination and/or
crisis matters. It includes information on current legislation concerning
Prescription Drug Benefits for the Elderly plus much more.
http://www.patientadvocate.org
Rewritable CDs. Learn more about burning Cds with Windows 2000. You still
will need a recordable & rewritable CD drive but this site by Microsoft
will help you decide.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techenthusiast/features/
cdr.asp
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CCCC Page 6 January 2001
Windows98 Startup
by Dick Trissel
Over the past few years I've had the opportunity to observe many computers
startup. It seems like some take an inordinately long time--several
minutes. In comparison, my four Windows98 systems take one minute from
cold start, and 45 seconds from restart. Now, why is this?
It's all in the wrist. No, it's in the startup list of programs to be
loaded and run at system bootup time. The more programs loaded and run,
the longer it takes to get the final desktop. I'll bet that most systems
have stuff loaded that is not needed at startup. I've seen as many as 20
items loaded. When the user was asked what those items were and if they
needed them, most were "I don't know" responses. And some answers were "I
use that program occasionally". If so, don't load it everytime you
startup, just load and run it when you need it.
If you wonder how these many programs got in the startup list, probably
most were put there by the computer manufacturer. Sometimes installing a
program will result in it being put in the list deliberately by the program
developer. I installed an MSOffice suite and elected to have it start with
a taskbar on the desktop. It not only slowed down my startup, it hogged a
bunch of memory. And all I really use day-to-day is MSWord. So, I took
MSOffice off the startup list. WHEW!
I have chosen only three programs to load at startup-Scanregw, SysTray and
LoadPowerProfile. Scanregw backs up my registry. The Systray is for my
convenience and the other affects my power management capability. There is
a fourth that the system loads--Explorer. It is essential and doesn't show
on the startup lists-only as running as shown with CTRL-ALT-DELETE.
Now to the hard part--how do you determine what you have in your startup
list, and how do you manage it? The first step is to start your system and
immediately do a "three finger salute"--CTRL-ALT-DELETE simultaneous key
presses. This will show what is running (you can do this anytime to see
what's running). Be careful--don't click any button but the Cancel button,
after you have noted what is listed. The minimum for this list is Explorer
and SysTray (if you have SysTray installed). However, this list is not
necessarily the complete startup complement. Some programs get loaded,
run, and stopped; so you won't see them there. One example is Scandisk.
There's another place to look for startup programs and where the selection
can be changed:
Start/Program/Accessories/System Tools/System Information/Tools/
System Configuration Utility/
Startup.
The check boxes show what is selected, and they can be changed. Also, in
the System Information window, you can select:
Software Environment/
Startup Programs.
This shows the location in the Registry that the checked items list is
stored and the command.
Which brings up another method of looking at and changing the startup
items--the Registry. For those brave souls, look in:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. The Run- (with a hyphen) will list
programs you have removed. Also, look in RunOnce, RunServices, and
RunServicesOnce.
One final place to look for a program that will be run at startup is:
C\Windows\Win.ini. In the section (Windows) there are two lines, Load= and
Run=. These are editable lines, so be careful. Changes made in the
Win.ini file and then saved will be effective at the next startup.
I know this sounds horribly complicated--and it is. But, with the above
information, you should be able to better manage your startup procedure.
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CCCC Page 7 January 2001
BCC
by Dick Trissel
There are two options in most
e-mail readers that some users are not either aware of, or are confused
about. They are the CC and BCC options. In the old typewriter days
(what's a typewriter?), you could make carbon copies while you typed the
original. To let all recipients of a correspondence know there were copies
made, the typist would put a CC (Carbon Copy) list at the bottom of the
letter.
With the advent of the computer and e-mail, the CC means Courtesy Copy and
is the means by which e-mail programs send duplicates to many recipients.
This is fine, but what if you want to send multiple copies without each
recipient knowing who the other recipients are? Thus was born the Blind
Courtesy Copy (BCC). Everyone gets an
e-mail just as if they were the only addressee.
Most e-mail programs have BCC capability, but it may not be obvious. For
example, in Juno e-mail you use the CC box, but put parenthesis around the
addresses. In Outlook Express there is a BCC address box. So, you may
have to ask for "Help" to find the BCC (or even CC) in your e-mail program.
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CCCC Page 8 January 2001
TaxAct 2000
by Dick Trissel
It's soon going to be that time again that we all love so much. No, not
Easter--TAX TIME! Every year the club informs you of the deal offered by
TaxAct. The following article is their standard ad. There is a special
deal for the club. The particulars are on our Web site in the Notes
section at http://member.apcug.org/fourseas. Here is an excerpt from the
Web article followed by their regular ad.
--------------------------------
Every member is entitled to receive the Ultimate TaxACT 2000 Bundle, which
includes Deluxe and State, for only $16 via download (regular price is
$19.95). Or, if the majority of your members live in a state without state
income tax, they can receive the Deluxe version for just $7.95 (regular
price is $9.95). Please pass this special offer to all of your User Group
Members.
You can print certificates offering the Ultimate TaxACT Bundle special and
distribute them to your user group by going to
http://www.taxact.com/images/usergroupcertificate.gif OR You can direct
your members to the special offer page for the Ultimate TaxACT Bundle at
http://www.taxact.com/offers/
email/usergroups.asp?sc=0060601
--------------------------------
Order The ULTIMATE TaxACT Bundle today! Now Only $19.95! Includes
TaxACT 2000 Deluxe and one TaxACT 2000 State Edition. *Also includes one
FREE federal electronic filing. Order your copy today and you'll be
notified by email when the 2000 version is ready for download! (Register
and download now!) FREE!! TaxACT 2000 Standard Edition. Complete your
federal income tax return for free! Includes most commonly used forms and
schedules. TaxACT Standard completes one return and allows you to print
your return. Electronic filing available for $7.95. TaxACT States
integrate with TaxACT Standard.
TaxACT 2000 Deluxe Edition. Only $9.95! TaxACT Deluxe offers you the
same great accuracy and power as the Standard Edition PLUS, additional
help, features and forms to make completing your taxes even easier! Also
includes one complimentary federal electronic filing. Order TaxACT 2000
Deluxe today!
____________________________________________________
Keyboard Witticisms
Error: Keyboard not attached. Press F1 to continue
Press any key to continue or any other key to quit
Press any key...... no, No, NO!! Not THAT one!
All wiyht. Rho sritched mg kegtops awound?
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CCCC Page 9 January 2001
Review: InoculateIT
by Ray Isenson
The Internet giveth and the INTERNET taketh away. Had you been monitoring
the status of the "free" ISPs (Internet Service Providers) during the past
several months you'd know that many of them have gone broke; no longer
there. Others have changed their policies so that; for example, NetZero is
free for only the first 40 hours per month and Juno and BlueLight (KMart),
one understands, will give you 25 hours before applying a charge.
Seniorsinfree isn't free at all anymore and so it goes.
Still available but no one knows for how long is that very valuable, free
download, Computer Associate's antiviral program, InoculateIT.
If you're not familiar with this program, it's one of the highest rated
antivirals you can get. It's updated frequently in a so-far successful
attempt to stay ahead of the nastiest of the nasty virals flooding the
computer world. And again, it is free to the non business user; that
means, most of us. If you don't have a current antiviral program with an
effective update program, by all means, download and install InoculateIT.
The last update to be produced for Version 5.1.x of InoculateIT is
currently available for download from Compute Associate's WEB page,
http://www.cai.com. All future updates will be for Version 5.2.x, which
also is available for download. If you're using the older version, it'd be
wise to get the update as soon as practical.
The following paragraphs apply whether you're a long time user of
InoculateIT or are about to join that virus free society.
While on the Internet, go to http://www.cai.com. Frankly, the path to the
final download button isn't made self evident by Computer Associates. It
isn't really difficult, just a bit laborious! Along the top of the opening
page you'll find a menu bar of links to other pages, including "PRODUCTS",
"SOLUTIONS", etc. and "DOWNLOADS". Click on the latter to open the next
page. Scan down along the left edge of that page until you see "Free
Downloads" in bold print. Just below that you'll see "download InoculateIT
Personal Edition", underlined. Click on the underline. That will take you
to another page where you'll be asked again to select InoculateIT.
Now, if you previously registered with Computer Associates, you'll see a
request to reregister and you'll see your registration number. If you see
the number, ignore the request to reregister! If there's no number,
register! It will assure you that update information will be sent to you.
Just below that you'll be given the opportunity to learn more about
downloading and installing the program and, when you've absorbed all of
that, the opportunity to initiate a 3.8 MByte download, IPE.exe (the
installation program for InoculateIT).
After downloading the program and before double clicking on the
Installation Icon for InoculateIT Ver. 5.2.x, remove any older version of
it or any other antiviral programs. Locate the IPE icon, double click on
it and relax. That's all there is to it!
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