C C C C N E W S L E T T E R
CENTRAL COAST COMPUTER CLUB
Santa Maria, California
VOLUME XXI: NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER, 2006
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: NOVEMBER 21, 2006 KNOLLWOOD VILLAGE 4012 S. BRADLEY
PRESENTATION: The November meeting presentation will be: Dick Trissel
Demonstrating Acronis Disk Director Suite 10.
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*********** NOVEMBER COOKIE PROVIDER IS ED SAGE ***********
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The November meeting is the annual election meeting.
Nominations and voting will be done by the attending members.
Here is the list of candidates.
President: Miles Dennis, Ted Tucker
Vice-President: Vic McLaughlin
Secretary: Open
Treasurer: Gerry Miller
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| CONTENTS |
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(1) OFFICERS, HELPLINES, S.I.G.S
(2) PRESIDENT'S CORNER Ray Isenson
(3) EDITOR'S COMMENTS Dick Trissel
(4) WEB WANDERINGS
(5) SYSTEMS S.I.G. Dick Trissel
(6) REVIEW: ACRONIS DISKDIRECTOR STE 10 Dick Trissel
(7) WHEN SHOULD I UPGRADE TO VISTA? Kim Komando
(8) FREE UP MEGABYTES OF DISK SPACE Fred Langa
(9) SAVE SLIDE SHOW VIDEO AS AN AVI Kim Komando
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OFFICERS HELPLINES
President Juno
Ray Isenson 937-6938 Dick Trissel 937-7572
risenson@juno.com rtrissel@juno.com
Vice President Windows 95/98/ME/XP & VoiceControl
Spence Stimler 938-0217 Amy Malicki 925-5780
SPENCE923@msn.com msamym5@verizon.net
Secretary Hardware and Windows XP
Barbara Godwin 934-9885 Ray Isenson 937-6938
yung.bag@verizon.net risenson@juno.com
Treasurer AOL
Gerry Miller 934-1396 Frank Maciel 922-2318
2741 Banyan Way frm8198@aol.com
Santa Maria CA 93455
gandamiller@verizon.net
Publicity Visual Basic and Genealogy
Bill Corning 934-0775 Gerald Miller 934-1396
foster95@impulse.net gandamiller@verizon.net
Newsletter Editor Help With Any Problem
Dick Trissel 937-7572 Ray Isenson 937-6938
rtrissel@juno.com risenson@juno.com
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (S.I.G.)
Systems (5:45pm)
Dick Trissel
rtrissel@juno.com
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CCCC Page 2 November 2006
PRESIDENT'S CORNER by Ray Isenson
At the October meeting, during the review of Vista Beta 2 and Office
Beta 2, those present will recall the inability to save files that
were written in Office Word, 2003. Investigation after the meeting
disclosed that the problem was an incompatibility between the two Beta
programs. The soon to come version of Microsoft Office 2007 worked
flawlessly when operating in a Windows XP environment.
That aside, the program to be discussed at the November general
meeting is Acronis Disk Director Suite 10. The capabilities offered by
this new program are truly indispensable for continued smooth
functioning of your hard drive. It was discussed in a 4 Cs Extra a few
weeks back but, in my opinion, can't be fully appreciated until one
actually sees them in use.
Before we know it the Christmas season will be upon us, along with our
Annual party. Be advised, our general rule for door prizes will
obtain. In order to claim a prize, including the new laptop, the one
whose name is drawn from the coupon box or output by the Pick Win
computer program must be present in person; no exceptions. So, the
third Tuesday in December should be marked in brilliant red on your
schedule.
See you at the November meeting. There'll be some great prizes.
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CCCC Page 3 November 2006
EDITOR'S COMMENTS by Dick Trissel
As part of my preparation for the November CCCC presentation (Demonstrating
Acronis DiskDirector Suite 10), I installed Windows Vista Beta2 in a
computer with Windows XP. The computer has a 1.8GHZ processor, 60GB HD,
256MB RAM. The RAM is adequate for BETA2, but not for RC1 (512MB required).
When I started this job, the main OS was Windows ME in partition 1, with XP
in partition 2 in an XP multi-boot configuration.
There was no problem with the installation as an upgrade to XP after I
converted the target partition (partition 3) to NTFS. Most of my data files
and utilities were retained, but none of my application installations.
Because I have DiskDirector Suite 10 with OSS (Operating System Selector)
installed in ME (partition 1), I now have multi-boot on my multi-boot!
When I turn on the computer the DiskDirector Operating System Selector gives
me four choices--
ME (partition 1), XP (partition 2), Vista (partition 3), Floppy
If I choose Vista, I get the two Vista multi-boot choices:
XP, or Vista.
If I boot up in ME (FAT32), the Vista partition is not recognized in Windows
Explorer, and no partition letter displayed in PartitionMagic or
DiskDirector.
I don't have sound or modem access in Vista--spent two days trying, which
gave me a lot of experience investigating a lot of the Vista utilities and
management. Vista doesn't seem to have the Plug-n-Play capability that made
XP so handy in that area.
Vista is very bloated. For example, the Temporary Internet Files folder is
eight levels down (it is three in 98SE and ME, five in XP).
I had a lot of trouble using Windows Explorer to look into various folders.
I had to get into Security and give permission--the default was "Deny".
This is in addition to the dumb message requesting permission every time I
run something.
I can only hope that the final version is vastly improved over the Beta2
version. If someone has had no experience with Windows, Vista may seem OK.
But almost everyone has used 98SE-XP, and I think they will find Vista
confusing and awkward.
I would strongly advise people that if they want Vista, to get a computer
that has it already installed--to not consider installing Vista in their
computer--much the same as the advice was for XP. That goes for the coupon
deal, also.
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CCCC Page 4 November 2006
WEB WANDERINGS
NOT YOUR AVERAGE MAP SITE
Fall is just about here. That means many of you will probably be taking
scenic drives. I remember watching the leaves change as a kid. I loved it!
You probably have a favorite route for your scenic drives. Well, maybe this
year it is time to shake things up a bit.
You can find new scenic drives on MilebyMile. Click on your state and then
click on the scenic drives link. There are also photos for you to browse and
guides to national parks.
You may also want to check out the road map guides. It lists all the exits
on the selected highway. This is handy if you don't know which exit you need
for a particular attraction.
www.milebymile.com
NOT YOUR AVERAGE MAP SITE
Fall is just about here. That means many of you will probably be taking
scenic drives. I remember watching the leaves change as a kid. I loved it!
You probably have a favorite route for your scenic drives. Well, maybe this
year it is time to shake things up a bit.
You can find new scenic drives on MilebyMile. Click on your state and then
click on the scenic drives link. There are also photos for you to browse and
guides to national parks.
You may also want to check out the road map guides. It lists all the exits
on the selected highway. This is handy if you don't know which exit you need
for a particular attraction.
www.milebymile.com
DUMB AND DUMBER LAWS
Have you ever read a news item about an arrest that had you
thinking, "Huh?"
Yes, we do have some silly laws in this country. Right here in my
home state of Arizona, it is illegal to hunt camels. No danger there.
If you want to find out why camel hunting is forbidden, check out this
site. Your own state may have a gem of its own.
Some laws are funny, some laws are tragic but all of them at Dumb Laws
are fascinating.
http://www.dumblaws.com/laws.php?site=laws&cid=184
GREETINGS, BIENVENIDO, KONNICHIWA
This site starts by posing a series of funny questions. Don't expect
to find answers to them, though!
But you will learn how to greet people from different cultures. It's a
must if you're planning to travel overseas, particularly for business.
This site will show you how to make a great first impression.
Even if you aren't traveling anytime soon, it's still a fun site.
The animation is great and the lighthearted approach is delightful.
http://www.businessoftouch.com
TIRED OF VOICE JAIL?
We've all been there before. You know, when you call a
company and get menu after menu of options. And all you
want is to speak with a human being.
Well, now you can find the voice mail codes to reach an
operator. This database lists major companies and the
codes they use.
The database is still growing users are urged to make
updates. You can also download the database as a
spreadsheet or e-mail it. It is sure to save you time!
Note: Registration is required for some of the
site's features.
https://www.quickbase.com/db/85vqhz4a?a=q&qid=5
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CCCC Page 5 November 2006
SYSTEMS S.I.G. by Dick Trissel
The October S.I.G. was mostly demonstrations and discussions of some useful
free utility programs. The following is a brief description of each
program.
FREE UTILITY PROGRAMS
CCLEANER.EXE (Clutter Cleaner)
WWW.CCLEANER.COM
1.4MB ALL INSTALL
Selectively removes unneeded files, folders, and registry key items.
DISKDEFRAG.EXE (Disk Defragmenter)
WWW.AUSLOGICS.COM/DISK-DEFRAG/DOWNLOAD
1.5MB ALL INSTALL
A better defrag program for Windows XP (the Windows ME defrag application is
still best for all other systems).
VISUALTASKTIPS (Task Previewer)
WWW.VISUALTASKTIPS.COM
91KB XP INSTALL
Displays thumbnail views of taskbar items.
DIRLISTER.EXE (Directory Lister)
HTTP://HOME.AUTOCOM.PL/MROWKA/FREEWARE/DF.HTML
387KB ALL NO INSTALL
Provides a printable list of files and folders from any directory.
SASETUP.EXE (McAfee Internet Site Advisor)
HTTP://WWW.SITEADVISOR.COM/DOWNLOAD/IE.HTML
532KB IE5.5 AND UP INSTALL
Ranks Internet site links for probable malware.
Also demonstrated was how to turn on the taskbar button for Desktop icon
display in all Windows systems. To do that, right-click in a clear area of
the taskbar, go to Toolbars, and click Desktop (check mark it).
Another demonstration was how to control the "grouping" of taskbar items in
XP. To do that, right-click in a clear area of the taskbar, choose
Properties, and uncheck Group Taskbar Buttons.
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CCCC Page 6 November 2006
REVIEW: ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE 10 by Dick Trissel
I very seldom recommend programs other than freeware and shareware.
However, this program has so much power for the price, I highly recommend
it. It comes with a "Training" disc to help you prepare for the coming
Windows VISTA operating system.
You can purchase the Suite CD (retail $50) (62MB download) and the "Getting
Ready for Windows Vista" training presentation CD (retail $10) (51MB
download) both for only $29 total (plus $5 shipping if you request the CDs)
from Gene Barlow's www.UserGroupStore.com by using the user group code
UGOCT06 (for CCCC members only). For comparison, PartitionMagic retails for
$70 (download), plus $10 for the CD. Also, for those that chose the
download option, there is a free 4.1MB PDF user's manual available at
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/download/docs/
The manual comes on the purchased CD.
I installed the Suite and exercised most of the features with no problem.
If you are familiar with PartitionMagic, it has all its features and a lot
more. In fact, except for system imaging and a few other things, it does
most of the DriveImage (Ghost) program tasks, also.
Acronis recommends getting the TrueImage 9 program (equivalent to
DriveImage) to complement the Suite ($29 for download--$34 on CD). However,
I was able to perform all the actions outlined in the Training CD with just
the Disk Director Suite.
One very powerful feature is the Boot Disc that you make from the installed
program. This 28MB disc will run a version of ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE
10 that seemed to have all the features of the installed version--great for
recovering from "dumb" mistakes.
Here are the features of ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE 10.
PARTITION MANAGEMENT
Split partitions Split one partition into two and leave your data intact.
Simply move the selected folders into a new partition. The software
automatically calculates how much space is required for the new partition
and allows you to allocate the unused free space.
Merge partitions Merge two partitions into one and leave your data
untouched, even if the file systems on the partitions are different.
Explore partitions Explore content in partitions before performing any
operations. You can also create new folders, copy and past files/folders,
and delete files/folders on the selected partition
Recover lost or deleted partitions Undo your mistakes and recover data on
lost partitions.
Modify, copy, move partitions Enhance PC performance with a partition
management utility without losing data.
-------------------
ACRONIS OS SELECTOR (OSS)(included in Suite)
Boot from an additional hard disk drive Increased flexibility as you can
select the hard disk drive you want to boot from. Acronis OS Selector
enables you to set the disk order so you can boot from any hard drive you
select.
Boot from CD/DVD Facilitates trying a new operating system. You can insert
a bootable CD/DVD and it will automatically be detected and displayed as a
boot option by Acronis OS Selector.
Automatic operating system detection Find inadvertently deleted operating
systems.
Try new operating systems without impacting your current system.
Install multiple operating systems on one PC.
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OTHER FEATURES
View logs Troubleshoot issues and view reasons for failed operations. Two
usage options - wizard-driven or manual.
Novice users are walked through each task by wizards. Advanced users can
use the manual mode to fine tune operations Modify, copy, move partitions.
Enhance PC performance with a partition management utility without losing
data.
Edit a hard disk drive. Correct issues with a hard disk drive to ensure
your PC returns to a working state.
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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
A PC-compatible computer with a Pentium or similar CPU
32 MB RAM
A floppy or a CD-RW drive
A mouse (recommended)
Microsoft Windows Professional x64 Edition/XP/2000/NT/Me/98
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SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS FOR MULTI-BOOTING
MS DOS
Microsoft Windows Professional x64 Edition/XP/2000/NT/Me/98
Any Linux distribution
Special sector-by-sector support for copying and moving partitions of
any other type
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CCCC Page 7 November 2006
WHEN SHOULD I UPGRADE TO VISTA? by Kim Komando
When would be the best time to upgrade to Windows Vista?
Vista is the new Microsoft operating system. It is scheduled to debut in
January. Then, we will all have to decide whether to upgrade.
This question is more complicated than it sounds. For some peopleme, for
instancethe answer is easy: immediately, if not sooner! But not everyone
has to have the latest thing right away.
For some people, Vista will be an economic issue. Not everyone has $200-$400
to burn. Most probably have Windows XP, which is a very good operating
system. I see no compelling reason to move to Vista. Microsoft will imply
that only losers stick with XP. But that is just advertising.
Furthermore, Vista might demand a new computer. Vista's technology
requirements are much greater than those for XP. Theoretically, you can
update an older computer. But the costs of parts and labor can devour you.
That's especially true if someone else does the work. And your power supply,
microprocessor, motherboard, etc. will still be old. They could fail at any
time.
Run Microsoft's upgrade advisor to see where your hardware stands.
So, I'd say most people can stick with XP. Again, it works well. And it's
secure, especially if you use Firefox, not Internet Explorer.
There are things that will force a change. A few are:
You might have something new that you want to try.
It will run on Vista only.
Microsoft will stop supporting XP eventually. It did just that recently
with Windows 98 and ME. That will mean no more security updates. For your
safety, you should then upgrade. But that's still a ways down the road.
Your computer will stagger to the grave. Your new computer will have Vista
on it.
So, again, if you have the money, upgrade. I will. My machines are powerful
and won't require extensive updates. But if you're on a budget, stick with
XP. It works fine, and will for several years more.
Copyright 2006, WestStar TalkRadio Network. All rights reserved.
Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about computers and
the Internet. To get the podcast or find the station nearest you, visit:
http://www.komando.com/listen . To subscribe to Kim's free e-mail
newsletters, sign-up at: http://www.komando.com/newsletters.
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CCCC Page 8 November 2006
FREE UP MEGABYTES OF DISK SPACE by Fred Langa (LangaList Newsletter)
Q. I've got almost a gig of "$NtUninstall..." files in my Windows
directory. They all appear to be related to various patches,
updates and service packs for Windows. I've got XP Pro SP2
installed. Some of these folders are a couple of years old and they
are all flagged as hidden and read only. I'm getting low on disk
space, can I safely delete all these folders since I have no plans
to uninstall any of the related patches, etc.? As updates and
patches accumulate in the future, will this these types of folders
continue to grow and take more unnecessary disk space? Aren't even
the old patches and stuff dated before SP2, at the very least
obsolete?
A. These files enable Windows' Add/Remove applet to uninstall the service
packs,
patches and updates that have been installed on your system over the months
and years. If you have no plans to uninstall these updates, you can safely
delete the "$NTUninstall" folders and their space-consuming contents.
A quick and reliable way to protect yourself, however, is to delete only the
older files--- say, those six months old or older. Chances are, if you
haven't uninstalled a six-month-old update by now, you're not going to.
Alternatively, once you've made a backup or disk image of any "$NTUninstall"
files, you can delete the files from the hard drive immediately, because you
can always restore them from backups, if need be.
A reader posted this helpful word of warning on the Langa Blog
(http://langa.com/blog ):
If you delete the folder for the IE7 beta install you will be
unable to uninstall it (at least in beta 2) Last word was that
FORMAT was the only fix.
Find "$NTUninstall" folders by opening your C:\WINDOWS folder. Make sure
hidden folders are viewable (Select Folder Options from the Tools menu,
select the View tab and choose "Show hidden files and folders").
Follow the links below to get more info on all this.
http://langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-01-30.htm#2
http://langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-01-16.htm#7
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;290402
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CCCC Page 9 November 2006
SAVE SLIDE SHOW VIDEO AS AN AVI by Kim Komando
Q. I need a way to do a decent slide show with JPEGs. I want to save the
slide show as a video in AVI format.
A. You can create an AVI file from a slide show in Windows XP without any
additional software.
Windows Movie Maker is designed to create videos. But you can use it to
create a slide show that is played back as a video. Windows Movie Maker
should be installed on your PC. If it isn't, you can download it through my
site (www.komando.com/kimsclub).
To create a slide show, open the program. Import your photos by clicking
File>>Import into Collections. In the Import File box, navigate to the
location of your photos. If you don't see the photos, use the "Files of
type" dropdown box to select All Media Files. You can also select Picture
Files.
Highlight the photos to import and click Import. The photos will appear in
Windows Movie Maker. Drag the photos down to the storyboard at the bottom of
the window. If you don't see the storyboard, click Show Storyboard.
Put the photos in the order you would like them to appear. You can rearrange
the photos on the storyboard by dragging and dropping them. You will notice
small boxes between the photos. This is where you can add transitions. Movie
Maker includes a number of installed transitions. To view them, make sure
the Collections pane is open by clicking View>>Collections. Then, click
Video Transitions. To insert a transition, drag and drop it on the
storyboard.
There are also a number of effects you can add. View them by clicking Video
Effects in the Collections pane. To insert an effect, drag and drop it onto
a photo. You can add more than one to a given photo.
You can preview your slide show by clicking play on the right side of the
screen. You may want the photos to be displayed longer. In that case, click
Show Timeline above the storyboard. In the timeline, you can adjust the
timing. Just click the edge of a photo and drag it. Use the zoom tools,
which look like magnifying glasses, if necessary. Transitions can be
extended in the same way. You'll see their names in blocks below the photos.
Once you're done editing the slide show, you can create your movie file.
Click File>>Save Movie File. In the Save Movie Wizard, click My Computer>>
Next. Name your movie. Select the location where you want to save it. Click
Next.
Select Other Settings. If you don't have this option, click "Show more
choices" to display it. Click the dropdown box and select DV-AVI (NTSC).
Click next. The program will create your movie file.
Copyright 2006, 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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