C C C C N E W S L E T T E R
CENTRAL COAST COMPUTER CLUB
Santa Maria, California
VOLUME XV: NUMBER 6 JUNE, 2000
NEXT MEETING: JUNE 20, '00 7:00PM KNOLLWOOD VILLAGE 4012 S. BRADLEY
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| CONTENTS |
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(1) Officers, Helplines, S.I.G.s
(2) President's Corner Charles Barney
(3) Editor's Comments Dick Trissel
(4) Windows Tips Gil Smith
(5) May Internet S.I.G. Dick Trissel
(6) The Best Antiviral Program Ray Isenson
(7) Delete, Delete, OH! NO! Dick Trissel
(8) Web Wonders Mal Plambeck
(9) Exploring Windows Explorer PT1 Dick Trissel
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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
Frank Maciel 922-2318 Amy Malicki 925-5780
frm8198@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
gmiller33@excite.com amymal@juno.com
Librarian Desktop Publishing & scanners
Sharon Allen 928-2209 Don Harelson 934-3926
sallen4060@aol.com qef1@juno.com
Program Chairman Software User Identification
Ray Isenson 937-6938 Fred Adams 934-1128
risenson@juno.com fred421@juno.com
Newsletter Editor Visual Basic
Dick Trissel 937-7572 Gerald Miller
rtrissel@slonet.org Gmiller33@excite.com
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Windows 95/98 Internet
Amy Malicki Dick Trissel
amymal@juno.com rtrissel@slonet.org
CCCC Membership is $15 for twelve months. 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 June 2000
President's Corner
By Pres. Charles Barney
May's meeting of the 4C's saw a lighter than usual turnout of just about 60
persons as folks are, no doubt, starting to get into other Summer
activities. At least parking was not a problem at the clubhouse. Hey,
when do I get a vacation?
Mark Arnet, an agent of the FBI, gave us a most informative and timely
presentation on the subject of computer crimes at the May meeting. It
seems to be an almost weekly occurrence these days that the media reports
another sensational story of some new type of computer shenanigan.
From the recent "Love Bug" virus that infected millions of computers
worldwide to the "denial of service" attacks that crippled several major
commercial web sites in February, it is glaringly apparent that serious
vulnerabilities continue to exist. Mark told us that while it is nearly
impossible to keep up with the "technology curve" in law enforcement's
battle against hackers, the FBI is training more agents to deal with
cybercrime, to develop specialty skills and try to get inside the minds of
cyber crooks. And that, ironically, "technology is both the problem and
the solution."
As computer users, we should be aware of what we can do to minimize our
risk. There are several lines of defense we can employ such as not being
taken in by the various scams that are circulating on the internet, keeping
our antivirus software regularly updated, and being very cautious about
opening suspicious email attachments.
There were some web sites mentioned that provide current information and
advisories. Point your browser to
http://www.nipc.gov/
or http://www.cert.org.
Also, Mark encouraged anyone to contact him if they suspect a crime or have
a question at:
E-mail: marnet@leo.gov
Phone: 934-2444
Address: 2400 Professional Pkwy,
Suite 200
In picking winners for the evening's door prizes, the club's computer was
especially benevolent. All winners were present, with only one exception.
Ira Irwin was called first and he selected a brand new ream of printer
paper as his prize (practical guy).
Next up were Frank Nagy who picked Microsoft Golf; Donald Rowe, choosing
Lotus Organizer; Gilbert Smith who snagged Microsoft Flight Simulator; then
finally Paul Highfill, who walked away somewhat puzzled, with the remaining
prize - a copy of Chessmaster 5500. The only member who was called and not
present was Wanda Stiffler, making her eligible for the infamous Order of
the Crying Towel.
I'd like to extend a hearty 4C's welcome to new member John Simko who
joined us at the last meeting. We are pleased to have you with us and hope
that you find the club to be a continuing source of learning and fun. Our
purpose is to help one another attain a degree of skill and find enjoyment
in computing. It needn't be a daunting task, with the support and
encouragement of others.
Our Special Interest Groups at the meetings have declined in number during
recent months to just two - Windows and Internet. While these SIGs
continue to be quite popular, there may be other subjects that you, the
members, would like to see covered. I'd like to hear from you on any ideas
that you may have. More importantly, I'd like to hear from someone who
would be willing to lead a SIG. You do not have to be an expert to lead a
group, just have some particular knowledge that you have acquired and be
willing to share it with others.
Also needed, is a new publicity person for the club. Duties for this
position are actually very light. You would simply provide brief
information about the club meetings to local free publications or other
sources of community event news on a monthly basis.
If you can give back something to our user's group by filing one of these
positions, please let me or another officer know. You might be surprised
how rewarding a little volunteerism can be!
Our upcoming meeting on June 20th happens to fall on the Summer Solstice,
the longest day of the year. What's the significance of that you ask? I
don't know, but one thing's for sure - it'll still be light out when the
meeting's over! I'll see you at the clubhouse. - Charles
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CCCC Page 3 June 2000
Editor's Comments
by Dick Trissel
CCCC Web Site
I'm not sure everyone knows about or remembers that the CCCC (us'ens) has a
Web site. It is located at:
http://member.apcug.org/fourseas
Besides all the usual information about the club, there's the month-to-
month new info, and mid-month updates and notices.
The pages available from the homepage (sometimes referred to as the
frontpage) are:
Notes and Comments--current notices of bargains, warnings, and advice.
Bookmarks--recommended Web sites by category.
CCCC newsletter contents listings--January 1998 to present.
CCCC newsletters--all pages from February 2000 to present.
Free Internet Service Providers (ISPs)--over 60 listed.
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CCCC Page 4 June 2000
Windows Tips
by Gil Smith
What are ".DLL" Files?
DLL files (Dynamic Link Library), are basically "support" files for some
types of software. They are generally (but not always) found in your
Windows System directory.
They work like this. Let's say a program needs to perform an operation.
Rather than all the coding being built into the program, it uses a
particular DLL file that, with a simple call, can perform the operation for
it. Saves lots of programming time, especially since many of the common
DLL files are installed with Windows.
Got a Corrupt File?
(For Win98 users only)
Did you ever have the suspicion that one of your Windows system files was
corrupt? Normally, this problem causes lots of frustration while you try
to hunt down the impaired file or do a complete re-install of Windows.
Well, hold your Install Disks! There's another way.
If you're using Win98 you have a way to repair these files. Here's how:
1. Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Information.
2. Once the System Info utility is running, click the Tools menu, System
File Checker.
3. You will be presented with a screen that allows you to "scan all" to
hunt for any altered files or to specify the problem file. Since you
probably don't know which file is giving you the headaches, scan for
altered files.
That's it. If there's something wrong, you'll be given instructions for
repair.
One more thing, if the System Information program is not there, you'll need
to insert your Win98 install disk, select Add/Remove, and select System
Information from the System Tools section.
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CCCC Page 5 June 2000
May Internet S.I.G.
by Dick Trissel
NOTICE: The June Internet S.I.G. will be in the main room with computer,
projector, and Internet access. So, bring your online problems.
We had a whopping 34 member attendance which overflowed the "Poolroom", and
it made for a lively meeting.
I showed a unique picture I had received by e-mail and had converted to a
JPEG format of an F-18 plane breaking the sound barrier, which created a
vapor cone around the body. If anyone wants a copy, send me an e-mail
requesting the picture and I will send it as an e-mail attachment.
A query was made about the free Web-to-phone service called DIALPAD. The
features were discussed briefly, especially the ability to make free long
distance phone calls to anyone, not just other computers. More information
is available at www.dialpad.com.
When asked if anyone had been hit by the ILOVEYOU virus, no one responded
(smart bunch).
A reminder was made of the Web search portals available--Google, AskJeeves,
Raging, GoTo, Dogpile, and the Internet application WebFerret.
There was a lengthy discussion about the free phone voice-mail services,
www.evoice.com and www.callwave.com. Several of us have had good
experiences with evoice as it doesn't require any additional cost to the
user. One person who has CallWave, has a $1.25 monthly charge on their
phone bill for "Call busy forwarding". However, CallWave provides an
active notification of a message received if you are on your computer (at
least as I understand it). And, there is little or no advertising.
Whereas, evoice requires deliberate inquiry either by phone, e-mail
notification (with the message as an audio attachment), or at evoice's Web
site. There is a 15 second commercial with the phone retrieval, and a
small ad on their Web site. This sure beats the $5 per month for GTE voice
mail.
One person said they were receiving a "Winsock" warning when sending e-mail
to one particular server (not anywhere else). It was decided it was a
problem with the recipients server, not the sender's server.
Another problem was the inability to retain the Edit/Find word in Internet
Explorer when going from one Web page to another. I was able to duplicate
the problem with Windows98, I.E.4. It seems to be intermittent whether you
"Cancel" or "close" the find window.
It was suggested that we each call the Calif. State Controller to check for
possible money due us. The URL is:
https://www.sco.ca.gov/scoucp/
inquiry (which is a secure Web site)
A 3-4Mb free program was described that allows direct searches directly
from your computer. It's at: www.flyswat.com
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CCCC Page 6 June 2000
THE BEST ANTIVIRAL PROGRAM
by Ray Isenson
Just another friendly reminder about a matter that most of us are pretty
well up on. But, just in case you're one of our "newbies", a caution to be
observed! Remember, a computer virus is nothing more than a computer
program that someone wrote with the purpose of causing mischief or
destruction.
Unfortunately, the Internet allows these "programs" to be spread around the
world in a matter of hours via e-mail. It is up to each of us who use the
Internet to learn what we can do to protect ourselves and limit the spread
of these programs.
The mischief makers who write viruses have an advantage because they can
test their new creations with the latest anti-virus programs to make sure
that they can't be detected. Then they prey on the gullibility and
curiosity of millions of users.
The rampage of the "Love Bug" and its many variants could have been
prevented, not a single one of the millions of computers would have been
infected if the one simple rule that has been repeated so many times at our
Internet S.I.G. meeting and in our newsletter had been followed. "Don't
open file attachments to an e-mail message, even if it is from someone you
know, unless you know exactly what the attached file contains."
Computer viruses can be sent as executable files (*.exe), buried in
Microsoft Word (filename.doc) or Excel (filename.xms) files as Macros or,
as in the case of the current strain, as Visual Basic Scripting files,
(filename.vbs). When your mail server notes that there is an attachment to
an incoming e-mail, it will give you the file name and the three letter
extension. If it's one of these three be on your guard.
If it's a .doc or .xms extension, holding the Shift key down while opening
the Microsoft Word and Excel file attachments will disable any macro
viruses that may be lurking inside. Removing the Windows Scripting Host
from Windows 95/98 will remove the programs necessary for a VBScript to
run.
If you have read the "notes and comments" attached to our WEB page
recently, you've learned how to lock out the scripting host. For those who
may have missed that advice, it's repeated here:
Click on Start/Settings/Control Panel and double-click on the Add/Remove
Programs icon. Click on the Windows Setup tab then double-click on the
Accessories group. When the accessories box opens, scroll to the bottom
and remove the checkmark from the Windows Scripting Host box, then click on
"OK" at the bottom. If you find you need this feature installed for a
program, check with Ray Isenson with regard to a Microsoft patch that will
provide equivalent protection.
If you are using Microsoft Outlook (most e-mail viruses are written for
it), check Microsoft's WEB site monthly for security updates at
http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/
Again, before opening any attachments, e-mail the sender asking about the
contents and if they sent it on purpose. Many viruses automatically send
themselves to everyone in your address book so it appears to the recipient
as a "friendly" message.
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CCCC Page 7 June 2000
Delete, Delete, OH! NO!
by Dick Trissel
It only takes one time, and you wish you could undo that dumb move--
deleting a file from the Recycle Bin. It may have been in there for weeks,
but as soon as you permanently delete it, you'll need it. Sure, if you
just delete a file, it goes into the Recycle Bin and you can easily recover
it. Just double-click the Recycle Bin icon, select the file, go to File,
and Recover.
Now, what if you had deleted the file from the Recycle Bin (select and
delete, or Empty, or did a shift-delete originally)? It's gone, right?
Wrong, provided you move quickly--not in time, in sequence. Before you
write anything else to your hard drive, you can undelete that file
successfully. However, it is a bit complicated. But what's a little
complication when it means recovering that precious file.
When you delete a file permanently (not just to the Recycle Bin), it
doesn't really disappear--it's still there, but the pointer to it has been
marked as available space for some more writing. That's why you need to do
the undelete as soon as possible. Even if you have written something since
the delete, it still might be recoverable--depends on how much space was
available ahead of that particular file space.
Here's where it gets tricky. First, you have to have the DOS6.22
undelete.exe program on your system. If you still have DOS somewhere on
your disk, great. If not, then you'll have to get it from someone (like
me). Do a find on all your partitions for the word undelete--you may have
it. Mine is 26,416 bytes in size dated 5/31/94. I've put mine directly
under my c:\ drive. You'll see why in a minute.
To use undelete, you must be in real DOS, not DOS under Windows. That
means you must either Start/Shutdown/Re-start in MSDOS Mode, or, do a Ctrl-
Alt-Delete and after the restart commences, hold down the Ctrl key. This
will give you a menu of options. Choose the Prompt-Only option number
(that's the DOS prompt).
At the DOS prompt type the command lock. That's right, just lock. You'll
get a warning, just OK it. Now, type c:\undelete space and the path to the
folder where the file was when you deleted it. You can see why I put
undelete.exe in my c:\ folder--to save typing. I'll give you an example of
an undelete operation. I had done a shift-delete on my Inbox.mbx file. I
was playing around with trying to fool Outlook Express. So, my command
after the DOS prompt (all on one line) was:
c:\undelete c:\Windows\
Applic~1\Micros~1\Outloo~1\Mail. The only space is after the word
undelete. DOS can't see those long folder and file names, so you have to
use the first six letters, tilde, number one for the long folder names.
Or, if there is ambiguity, you can put the long names in quotation marks.
If you are lucky, you'll get a file name with the question whether you want
to undelete it (y/n). If that's not the file you want, type n. When you
get to the file you want, type y. You'll then be asked for the first
letter of the file name. It doesn't have to be the actual first letter
the file name had. It's just that in the delete process, the first letter
is lost. So, DOS wants something to put in there. If you are really
lucky, you'll get a message that the undelete was successful. If the file
is not intact, it will be unsuccessful--sorry.
If you don't want to see more files, press the Esc key. Before you leave
DOS, type unlock to remove the lock. To get back to Windows, do the Ctrl-
Alt-Delete, again.
If you are really, really lucky, your file will be intact and useable.
Let's face it, how many things have you thrown away in your home and were
able to get them back later?
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CCCC Page 8 June 2000
Web Wonders
by Mal Plambeck
[mal6@ix.netcom.com]
Freebies
What was that old saying about you can't get something for nothing? Oh
yes, your can. Just go on the web and you will find more free stuff than
you'll know what to do with. Below are just a few sites you can surf for
free goodies.
[www.100percentfreestuff.com] More freebies than I can tell you about
without using a whole page. Magazines, vitamins, over-the-counter-
medicines, catalogs, contests, games, and software.
[www.free.com] Check out the different categories like stuff for kids,
software, merchandise. There is so much to see, plan on spending lots of
time here.
[www.freeshop.com] Trial household products, samples and magazines.
[www.thingamabob.com] Catalogs, clothing items, food, household needs.
Stuff, stuff and more stuff.
[www.freestuffcenter.com] Sites to go to, services and products
[www.free321.com] Freebies for days. Go there and find out for yourself.
Plan on spending some time here.
[www.totallyfreestuff] There is so much to see on this website I can't
begin to explain it all. Go there and see for yourself. It really is a
fun site.
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CCCC Page 9 June 2000
Exploring Windows Explorer Part 1
by Dick Trissel
Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer) is probably
the must important tool you have in your computer for solving computer
problems. However, in my experience over the past few years it appears to
be the least used tool. Some people don't even know they have it. Others
get it confused with Internet Explorer.
Explorer is patterned after the old File Manager of Windows 3.x. Explorer
really is an HTML based program like I.E. In fact, if you have I.E. 4/5
and Windows PowerToys installed, you can make it look like a Web page,
which I think decreases its functionality.
Why learn to use Explorer? For my everyday manipulation of computer files
(copying, deleting, renaming, running applications on files, etc.), I
haven't found a more useful tool.
Windows Explorer is located in the Windows folder as Explorer.exe. There
are several ways to run Explorer and I use most of them. Here are a few:
1) Right-click Start/Explore
2) Start/Programs/Windows Explorer.
3) Right-click My Computer and choose Explore.
4) Put a Windows Explorer shortcut icon on the desktop.
5) Put a QuickLaunch icon in the taskbar (my favorite).
I recommend Explorer be run in the Maximum display mode.
Many of the items in this and following articles require a basic knowledge
of Windows and I will assume you have that.
To make Explorer completely effective requires some adjustments:
1) Under the Toolbar View option menu, unclick the as Web page option.
2) Under the Toolbar View option menu, click Details.
3) Under the Toolbar View option menu. Choose Folder Options.
a) General tab choose Classic.
b) Files and Folders. Only check the following:
* Remember each folder's view settings.
* Display the full path in title bar.
* Show file attributes in Detail View.
* Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items.
* Allow all uppercase names.
c) Hidden files. Only check Show all files
d) Leave all the other choices unchecked.
e) PRESS APPLY
Now your Explorer window should have folders and sub-folders listed in the
left pane, and, in the right pane, the sub-folders and files for any folder
selected in the left pane. Adjust the pane sizes by clicking the separator
bar and dragging.
In subsequent articles I'll go into all the information that can be
garnered and the neat tricks that can be performed.
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