C C C C N E W S L E T T E R
CENTRAL COAST COMPUTER CLUB
Santa Maria, California
VOLUME XXII: NUMBER 7 JULY, 2007
Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at the Knollwood
Village Clubhouse 4012 S. Bradley Dr., Santa Maria.
General meeting at 7:00PM. System Special Interest Group session is at
5:45PM. 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,
Help-line support, Monthly presentations, Valuable door prizes, Question
and answer sessions.
NEXT MEETING: July 17, 2007 KNOLLWOOD VILLAGE 4012 S. BRADLEY
PRESENTATION: The July meeting will be: Marian Maltagliati on Computer
Generated Greeting Cards
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*********** July COOKIE PROVIDER IS DICK JONES ************
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| CONTENTS |
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(1) OFFICERS, HELPLINES, S.I.G.S
(2) PRESIDENT'S CORNER Ted Tucker
(3) EDITOR'S COMMENTS Dick Trissel
(4) WEB WANDERINGS
(5) SYSTEMS S.I.G. Dick Trissel
(6) UNDERSTANDING NETWORK EQUIPMENT Kim Komando
(7) WHY DO I STILL GET INFECTED? Ken Colburn
(8) REPAIRING AND REINSTALLING WINDOWS
(9) SVCHOST.EXE GETS WORSE Scott Dunn
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OFFICERS HELPLINES
President Juno
Ted Tucker 937-2374 Dick Trissel 937-7572
genmail@verizon.net rtrissel@juno.com
Vice President Windows 95/98/ME/XP & VoiceControl
Vic McLaughlin 937-8326 Amy Malicki 925-5780
vnmclaughlin2448@msn.com msamym5@verizon.net
Secretary Hardware, Windows XP, Vista
John McCurdy 925-1825 Ray Isenson 937-6938
jmccurdy.1@verizon.net risenson@juno.com
Treasurer Custom Computer Design and Assembly
Gerry Miller 934-1396 Digital Imagery and Video
2741 Banyan Way Command Line Operations and Batch Files
Santa Maria CA 93455 Jim Tonge 937-0187
gandamiller@verizon.net jtonge1@msn.com
Publicity Help With Any Problem
Bill Corning 934-0775 Ray Isenson 937-6938
foster95@impulse.net risenson@juno.com
Newsletter Editor Visual Basic and Genealogy
Dick Trissel 937-7572 Gerald Miller 934-1396
rtrissel@juno.com gandamiller@verizon.net
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (S.I.G.) AOL
Systems (5:45pm) Frank Maciel 922-2318
Dick Trissel frm8198@aol.com
rtrissel@juno.com
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CCCC Page 2 July 2007
PRESIDENT'S CORNER by Ted Tucker
Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen. I wish you all well.
Now, I address the gentlemen especially, because they so outnumber the
ladies in our club, and many have ladies of their own at home who do not
normally come to a meeting. The subject of the July meeting presentation
will be home-PC making of greeting cards. I ask the guys to invite for me
their stay-at-home ladies for this presentation, as card making may be
something they would like to do.
It impresses me as being somewhat of a craft. But even amateurs can produce
very fine work. The maker can create personalized yet very classy-looking
cards, and of course the homemade card says exactly what the maker wants it
to say.
This is an opportunity to get started another fun activity, I bet can be
done alone or with others.
Thank you, Ladies of the club, for your patience; you are partakers. And
thank you, Gentlemen, for your assistance. I wish much success and joy to
the new crafters.
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CCCC Page 3 July 2007
EDITOR'S COMMENTS by Dick Trissel
You may not have noticed but there have been some changes made to the
newsletter HELPLINES section on the second page. Ray Isenson is now the
Vista consultant. And, Jim Tonge has volunteered his services in the areas
of Custom Computer Design and Assembly, Digital Imagery and Video, and
Command Line Operations and Batch Files.
Another club change is that Barbara Godwin is now the Membership
Chairperson. If you bring in a person that wants to become a member, go to
Barbara. Her services will greatly relieve some of the work for the
Treasurer and myself.
July Program.
contributed by Amy Malicki
Marian Maltagliati will be the speaker for this month's program. She is the
daughter of our member Frank Maciel. She has been making greeting cards for
more years than she can remember. She began working with Print Shop Version
#7 and is planning to use the latest version #21 to show us how much fun it
is to create and print your own cards. She works at Allan Hancock College,
in the Administration Building, and occasionally uses the program to make
cards, invitations and flyers for them. She will bring us some samples of
cards she has made. She also uses the program to keep track of her
addresses, and will show us how easy it is to create and print either a
single label, or group of labels.
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CCCC Page 4 July 2007
WEB WANDERINGS
EAT RIGHT
Few things are as important to your health as the food you eat.
Unfortunately, many Americans are overweight.
Are you eating right? If not, you can find an abundance of help online.
The American Dietetic Association has created a site to help you manage your
diet. You'll find tips, nutrition facts and even recipes.
Of course, not everyone's nutritional needs are the same. For a diet
customized to your size, age and activity level, click on MyPyramid. It's a
great tool!
www.eatright.org
VISUALIZE THE INTERNET
Maybe you've wondered what the Internet looks like. No, not just the
hardware that makes up the Internet.
This is about the traffic traveling over the Internet. Well, at this site,
you can watch Internet traffic in real time.
You can see how many people are shopping, reading news or downloading music.
The results are broken down by region.
The site also shows where Internet traffic is slow. And you can see which
areas are currently experiencing the most attacks. Geeky, but cool.
www.akamai.com
STAR WARS CENTRAL
It's been 20 years since the first Star Wars movie debuted. But Star Wars
remains one of the most popular series in movie history.
Fans around the world have flocked to celebrations commemorating the
anniversary of Star Wars.
And the Lucasfilm has revamped the Star Wars Web site. You can learn more
about the movies. Or you can read about upcoming books and animated films.
But the site's real draw is the video collection. There are funny videos and
old school clips. Once you register, you can even create your own short
videos using some of the video clips.
This site is a must for any Star Wars fan!
www.starwars.com
PICK THE PERFECT COLOR SCHEME
Hopefully you have lots of fun activities planned for the summer. But you
probably also have some chores you need to work in to your summer schedule.
Summer is a great time for working on home improvement projects. For
example, it's the perfect time for painting the exterior of your house.
With a major project like that, it helps to do some planning. You want to
make sure that you get the colors right.
You could pay a designer to select paint colors. But why pay someone when
you can get free expert advice?
Sherwin-Williams offers a great tool for picking out paint colors. You can
select your house style and try on different color schemes. It will even
help you pick out colors for the inside of your house!
www.sherwin-williams.com
SEE AND LISTEN TO THE EARTH
There are countless programs on the market. Many of them cost an arm and a
leg, while others are free for the taking. Few programs are really, truly
exciting. But there is one piece of software that is simply phenomenal:
Google Earth. It lets you see satellite photos from around the world.
Google Earth also supports add-ons. The program can be expanded with layers
of information. And Wild Sanctuary has come up with the most interesting
layers. Or perhaps it's one of the most interesting layers you've heard.
That's right! It adds sounds to the program. You can hear habitats from
around the world, some of which are now extinct. And watch for more sounds
to be added.
www.google.com
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CCCC Page 5 July 2007
SYSTEMS S.I.G. by Dick Trissel
At the June meeting we effectively had an extended S.I.G. with the addition
of the Q & A session following the business meeting. Altogether, including
announcements, we covered over 20 topics. Using a five-minute limit on any
one subject greatly expedited the use of the hour and 45 minutes total time.
Some of the items covered were:
Put a SHORTCUTS folder in your computer to contain seldom used desktop icons
and a SHORTCUT icon to that folder to point to the SHORTCUTS folder.
Have a shortcut to the handy XP Computer Management screen by making a
shortcut to C:\Windows\System32\Compmgmt.msc
A request for door prize winners of the Smart Computing magazine to recycle
it at the meetings. It's an excellent magazine.
A demonstration of hotkeys using the Windows key and the Alt key:
Alt-F4 to close a window, or to shutdown the system.
Alt-Tab to cycle through open windows
Windows key - E Windows Explorer
- R Run window
- M Minimize a window
- Pause System Properties window
Recommended subscribing to Komando free Weekly and Daily Newsletters, Tip of
the Day, and Site of the Day; as well as listen on Saturdays from 7:00-
10:00AM on KSMA radio.
Recommended frequent disk defragmentation to increase computer speed and
efficiency.
It was unanimous that it is cheaper to have photos made at COSTCO (or other
services) than doing it yourself.
In general only data files and graphic files can be copied from one hard
drive to another--not applications. Total system copies can copy
everything, but an XP system cannot be copied to a disk for another
computer--activation violation.
Any file that you think you want to delete but are not certain if it is
critical should be either put in the Recycle Bin or copied to a new folder.
Use the computer for a few weeks to determine if it is safe to delete them
completely. On the other hand, a file or folder can be deleted without
passing through the Recycle Bin by holding down the Shift key when pressing
the Delete key.
The question as to whether a file on a CD can be changed from Read only. If
the CD is a packet written CD-R that has been closed, then it is a read
only. If it is a CD-R that has not been closed or is multi-session, then it
can be changed. CD-RWs can be changed.
An unsuccessful attempt to take a picture of a monitor screen (jerky display
or black picture) was probably because the camera shutter was too fast.
The use of PrintScreen was demonstrated where the total window is put in the
system Clipboard as a graphic and can be "pasted" into Paint. ALT-
PrintScreen captures just the program window into the Clipboard.
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CCCC Page 6 July 2007
UNDERSTANDING NETWORK EQUIPMENT
from Komando newsletter
Q. I wanted to know the difference between a print server, router and a hub.
Which would be the best choice when setting up a network?
A. All three of these things can be used in a network. Since we're on the
subject, I'll throw in switches, too. Let's look at hubs, switches and
routers first. There is overlap among those three. Then I'll explain print
servers.
Hubs-These guys are very basic. A hub receives data from network computers,
usually via cables. It then distributes the data to all the network's other
computers. The fact that the data is addressed to a specific computer on the
network is immaterial. It is shared with all of them. Sending all data to
every computer stretches the network's resources. So, if your network runs
at 100 megabits, and the hub has 10 ports, each port runs at 10 megabits. If
only one computer is sending data, there should be no problem. But if the
network is busy, things can slow down. That's why switches are better than
hubs.
Switches-These are more sophisticated than hubs. They do essentially the
same job, but are much more discriminating. When computer A sends data to
computer B, only B gets it. The data is not also sent to computers C, D and
E. Furthermore, lots of traffic does not diminish network resources. On your
100 megabit network, each of the switch's ports runs at 100 megabits. Every
bit of data gets the network's full speed. So a switch is much faster and
more efficient than a hub.
Routers-At their most basic, routers connect networks to networks. So, say
you want Internet access with your home network. The Internet is a giant
network-really, a network of networks. You need a router to connect your
network to the Internet. The router does that through the modem.
Theoretically, you need a switch or hub, in addition to a router. You might
want to send information from one computer to another. But in the real
world, routers include switches. Routers are multi-talented. They can direct
data between the network's computers. And they can send data over the
Internet.
Print servers-These machines are fundamentally different. They are middlemen
on the network. On one side, a print server connects to a printer. On the
other, it connects to a router/switch. It makes communication between the
computers and printer possible. A print server is handy, but not essential.
A printer can also be connected to a computer. Through that computer, other
network computers can access the printer. However, if that computer is
turned off, the printer is inaccessible. Sometimes printers are connected
directly to the router. In that case, too, a print server is not necessary.
So, let's address your last question. What is best for your network? Well,
if you want Internet access, you need a router. Assuming you have multiple
computers, you also need a hub or switch. Your best bet is a router that
includes a switch.
That's assuming they're located near one another. And they need compatible
connections. Routers take Ethernet and USB connections. Most printers have
USB, and some Ethernet. If you're buying new equipment, double-check.
If you cannot connect to the router, you can use a network computer. That
means you have to establish printer sharing in the computer. My first choice
would be a connection to the router. If that were out, I'd go for a print
server. The network computer would be my last choice. That arrangement works
well, but the computer has to be on.
Copyright 2007, WestStar TalkRadio Network. All rights reserved.
Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about computers and
the Internet. To get the podcast or find the station nearest you, visit:
http://www.komando.com/listen . To subscribe to Kim's free e-mail
newsletters, sign-up at: http://www.komando.com/newsletters.
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CCCC Page 7 July 2007
WHY DO I STILL GET INFECTED?
by Ken Colburn
President of Data Doctors Computer Services
from Lockergnome newsletter
Q: If I installed anti-virus and anti-spyware software, have kept Windows
updated and have a firewall, why am I still getting infections?
A: There are two aspects of this problem that no amount of security software
can overcome: reverse engineering and social engineering.
Security software often gives users a false sense that they are protected
and can do just about anything they want on the Internet. No matter which
security software you install or even how many, the bad guys have the upper
hand on figuring out how to get around them (this is why security software
needs to be constantly updated).
Reverse engineering security software to figure out how it detects security
threats has always been around but hackers have found an even easier way to
gain access to your computer: trick you into doing something that they want
you to do.
Social engineering is a way for hackers to exploit humans through cleverly
crafted e-mails, attachments that pretend to be something really important,
free offers that have hidden programs in them or Web sites that silently try
to sneak software onto your machine (called "drive-by downloads") while you
are clicking on an intriguing link.
If a hacker can convince you to open an attachment, click on a link, or
download a free program, they can instantly bypass your security software
(and often times disable it at the same time). Once this happens, your
security software looks like it's running, but it's actually been given a
"frontal lobotomy."
Of all of the computers on the Internet, a residential computer attached to
a high-speed Internet connection is the most targeted and most infected
computer type on the planet and if you have "screen-agers" in your
household, you are in a very high risk group for infections. Tech savvy
teens are not afraid of anything and will click on, download or visit any
Web site especially if they think they are getting something for nothing.
Teens are the primary users of file swapping software (Limewire, KaZaa,
BitTorrent, etc.), frequent visitors to crack sites (to avoid paying for
software) and live on social networking systems, which are all targeted by
the bad guys.
Residential computers tend to have exponentially higher levels of infections
primarily because of the way that they are used. The average business
computer is in a controlled environment, with specific restrictions in place
that limit the exposure to common ailments (but still at risk if users
engage in risky behavior). Employees are usually given very specific usage
guidelines and in most cases, someone is constantly watching over the entire
network. The average residential network is actually the same as a small
business network was a couple of years ago, but no one is proactively
watching over it. Instead, most residential networks are developed in an ad
hoc manner, with no proactive measures and no one restricting what any of
the users are doing.
Hackers understand their victims and always go after the weakest ones; in
this case, it's the average residential user.
You have taken all of the right technology steps to protect your system, so
if you are continually getting re-infected, you have a "liveware" problem.
Someone that's using your computer is engaging in questionable activities,
visiting "fringe content" Web sites that are loaded with exploits or is
downloading software that has hidden code in it. If you can stop the
behavior, you can stop the infections. Any seasoned computer person can take
a look at the programs you have installed and determine if you have a user
abuse problem if you can't.
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CCCC Page 8 July 2007
REPAIRING AND REINSTALLING WINDOWS
Author unknown
WINDOWS SETUP REPAIR
When all attempts to repair your system fail, you may be able to repair your
Windows XP installation using the Windows Setup program. As a last resort,
you can reinstall Windows over an existing installation and hope that the
new installation will recover enough of your old settings to allow you to
retrieve your data files.
The repair option is quick and painless and typically does not adversely
affect user settings. To exercise this option, start from the Windows CD as
if you were going to do a clean install. It's easy to become confused during
this process, because the word repair appears in two different places when
you start your computer using the Windows CD. At the Welcome To Setup
screen, do not choose the option to repair your installation using the
Recovery Console. Instead, press Enter, which starts the Windows Setup
program. After you accept the license agreement, Windows searches your
system for existing Windows installations. When you reach the screen that
lists your current Windows installation, select it from the list and press R
to start the repair process. The remainder of this procedure requires the
same steps as if you were performing a clean installation; when Setup
finishes, your system files should be refreshed and your existing data and
settings should be accessible again.
In cases of severe disk damage or registry corruption, a repair installation
will not be effective; the only alternative is to reformat the disk and
install a clean copy of Windows.
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MAKING REPAIRS FROM THE RECOVERY CONSOLE
What do you do if you can't start Windows in normal or Safe Mode? Don't give
up hope. You may be able to get back to work by using the Recovery Console,
a stripped-down command-line environment that provides a limited set of
tools you can use to diagnose and repair problems. The Recovery Console is
not for the faint of heart. But if you're experienced with working outside a
graphical environment, it can be tremendously useful.
The chief advantage of the Recovery Console over Safe Mode is that it works
even when your Windows system files are corrupted. Using the Recovery
Console, you can perform any of the following tasks:
Use, copy, rename, or replace Windows system files and folders
Enable or disable services or devices (these changes take effect the next
time you start Windows)
Repair the file system boot sector or the Master Boot Record (MBR)
Rebuild or repair the Windows boot menu
Create and format drives
To start the Recovery Console from the Windows CD, follow these steps:
Insert the Windows CD and restart your computer. Follow your computer's
prompts to start from the CD. (You may need to adjust settings in the
computer's BIOS to enable the option to start from a CD.)
Follow the setup prompts to load the basic Windows startup files. At the
Welcome To Setup screen, press R to start the Recovery Console.
If you have multiple options on the Windows startup menu, enter the number
of the Windows installation you want to access from the Recovery Console.
Caution
If you have only a single Windows installation to choose from, you might be
tempted to just press Enter here. Don't do it. You must type the number of
the Windows installation to start the Recovery Console. If you press Enter,
Windows restarts. Also, resist the temptation to select the entry for
another Windows version from this menu. Although the Recovery Console
automatically detects Windows 2000 and Windows NT installations on multiboot
systems, logging on to one of these operating systems is not recommended,
because you risk damaging the earlier operating system's core files if you
perform any repairs. To repair installations of Windows 2000, use the
Recovery Console from that operating system version. To repair a Windows NT
installation, use the Windows NT Emergency Repair Disk.
When prompted, type the Administrator password. If you're using the Recovery
Console on a system running Windows XP Home Edition, this password is blank
by default, so just press Enter.
At the command prompt, enter Recovery Console commands directly.
To quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer, use the Exit command.
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CCCC Page 9 July 2007
SVCHOST.EXE GETS WORSE
By Scott Dunn -- Windows Secrets newsletter
Problems with an important Windows component, svchost.exe, can consume up to
100% of CPU time. Now, a beta release of Windows Live Messenger threatens to
spread the problem to even more users, unless their systems are patched
soon. The svchost.exe saga has persisted for months
Windows Secrets editorial director Brian Livingston first reported the issue
nearly a year ago, on July 27, 2006. Contributing editor Susan Bradley has
documented Microsoft's attempts to solve it in the Jan. 18, Apr. 19, May 10,
and May 24 issues this year. The problem has risen to a such a degree that
we feel all Windows users should be aware of it.
Microsoft has long known of issues with svchost.exe - the process that runs
services of DLLs (dynamic link libraries). There are many symptoms
associated with the problem. Among the most common is a drastic slowdown of
computer performance as svchost.exe consumes memory and CPU cycles. The
cause of the issue turned out to be the service that provides Automatic
Updates. In response, many users began disabling Microsoft Update, an
enhanced version of the more-limited Windows Update.
Recently, users who installed the beta 8.5 version of Microsoft's Windows
Live Messenger found that Microsoft Update is automatically turned on, with
no choice for opting out. If you don't read the initial installer dialog
carefully, you might not even notice what has happened. The practice
potentially exposes an even wider number of users to the svchost.exe bug.
Diagnosing the problem on your own system
How do you know if you have this problem? If your system is experiencing a
dramatic slowdown, try launching Windows Task Manager to see. To do this,
right-click the Task Bar, the area to the right of the Start button, (or
press Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and choose Task Manager. Make sure the Processes tab
is active, and click Image Name to sort the list. You'll see one or more
instances of svchost.exe. If the CPU column shows 100%, or the memory usage
seems extraordinarily high, you may be experiencing this bug.
Microsoft has detailed other symptoms in Knowledge Base article 927891.
These include an access violation error in svchost.exe and unresponsive
systems during update scans by Windows Update or Microsoft Update.
Some users respond by selecting the memory-hogging svchost.exe in Task
Manager's Processes tab and clicking End Process. Unfortunately, doing so
can kill other services your system needs, such as audio. And, it won't
prevent the problem from returning later.
The bug affects users of XP (all versions, including XP Media Center),
Windows Server 2003, and Windows 2000.
What to do if you're affected
To solve this problem, Microsoft is offering a two-part fix. The first part
has been offered to those who use Automatic Updates since May 22, according
to a source at Microsoft who asked not to be named. Microsoft has been
rolling out the second patch to users gradually, beginning in early May, and
expects to complete delivery by the end of June, according to my source.
Those who don't use Automatic Updates - or who haven't received both fixes
and want them sooner - can follow the steps below:
Step 1. Patch msi.dll. Users need to replace the msi.dll file (the Microsoft
Installer DLL) that svchost.exe controls. To do this, download and install
the patch from Knowledge Base article 927891.
Step 2. Update Windows Update. Users also need to get the latest Windows
Update client, which is version 3.0. Links to the 32- and 64-bit versions
can be found at the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Product Team blog.
Although previous Microsoft fixes to svchost.exe - nearly a half-dozen in
the last 10 months - addressed specific issues for some users (such as
patching memory leaks or eliminating svchost.exe crashes, according to my
source), none have solved all the problems once and for all. Even the
patches Microsoft currently offers will not stop svchost.exe from
registering 100% CPU usage in Task Manager's Processes tab at times. But,
the company claims, your system should still be responsive and svchost.exe
will share CPU cycles with other processes after both patches have been
installed.
Unfortunately, Microsoft did not wait for these patches to be delivered to
everyone before issuing a Windows Live Messenger beta that switches users
from Windows Update to Microsoft Update. This introduced the problem to some
users who had not experienced it before.
Microsoft is confident that it has developed an effective solution to this
problem. Hopefully, this time the company's right.
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