It seems, for many, their enthusiasm for the Internet has been frustrated by their inability to find "exactly" what they are looking for.

For instance. If you type "golf' in just about any search engine, you'll be overwhelmed by the number of Web sites presented. This is because your search engine will look for the word "golf" on every Web page in its data base of Web sites. In this case, those sites might include golf courses, golf equipment, or a novel with the word golf in it. It then becomes your task to focus your search by adding additional descriptive words, a process that for the novice can be frustrating and often unproductive.

IE has a variety of search engines available for different types of searches. It's a good way for novices to begin their surfing adventure, but may I suggest you consider adding Google to your surfing repertoire.

Not only is Google an excellent search engine, you can add it prominently to your IE Tool Bar. Go to www.google.com and download Google Tool Bar. If nothing else, the name Google will start your daily surfing adventure with a smile.

And for those of you who are fighting eyestrain because of a Web site's small font size, you can make IE's fonts bigger and easier to read. Go to View > Text Size and select a larger font size. However, you may find that many Web sites (particularly those using Cascading Web pages) prevent changing the text size using this IE feature. If this is the case, try this: Go to Tools > Internet Options and on the General tab, select the Accessibility button. Then check the box that says Ignore font sizes specified on Web pages and click OK twice. Now you can go back and change the font size to your liking.

Last week Larry Mennitt, our treasurer, suggested I remind snowbird journal subscribers to send their change of address to him.  Bulk mail isn't forwarded. This isn't a happy task as it means all too soon many Good Booters will be among the missing, and I'm not one of those curmudgeons who looks forward to the snowbird exodus. I'll truly miss their phone calls and emails.

But I have glad tidings for all Good Boot snowbirds. Particularly those who'll need something to read while huddled close to their fireplaces waiting for the Fourth of July thaw.

I've published a book

Last year, a friend, who knew I attend a dozen user group and chapter meetings a month, suggested I collect the most often asked questions by computer novices and publish the answers in a book.  Although at the time I had no intention of writing a book, the idea of collecting the questions asked by all novices intrigued me.

Would you believe that after visiting with literally thousands of computer novices over the past year, I found there were only about 350 to 400 questions that I could bet the farm would be asked by every novice! All preceded, of course, by "I have a quick question!".  Defined as any question that takes less than an hour to ask.

Most Good Booters know I have little use for the computer books that cost an arm and a leg and require a computer dictionary to translate. They also know I've reached a point in life when I must no longer tolerate abuse (except from she who must be obeyed). Abuse like having to purchase a computer book that proclaims to the world that I'm a dummy or an idiot.

So for all of you long suffering Beleaguered Novices who are trying to tame "the beast that sits on your desktop," there's now a book that respects your novice status.

It answers questions as basic as: Should I leave my computer on all night?  Can I be arrested for an Illegal Operation?  What's a defrag?

What's the difference between a virus and a Trojan Horse?  What's Safe Mode?  And because of the popularity of Good Boot, I added articles that generated 300plus e-mail responses, like: How to Buy a Computer; What, No Chocolate Chip Cookies?;  Keller's Law of Safe Computing, What and how to backup; Your modem phone line needs protection.

And you know, the book has sold well. Probably because it's written in English and I'm experiencing my philanthropic period and charge only what it cost to publish.

Here's wishing you a Good Boot.   [index]

UPS delivered our new user group laptop. When it arrived I took advantage of the fact that (She Who Must Be Obeyed) was preoccupied watching Judge Judy and opened the packing boxes on the dining room table. A capital offense in my house. It's always escaped me why Lida doesn't understand my enthusiasm over a new computer. After all, I understood hers when the grandchildren were born.

Anyway, as I opened the boxes and sorted through the many thingamajigs and doohickeys, I was reminded of the tales of woe told by so many novices when they experienced this exciting but often confusing activity - an appropriate subject for a Good Boot.

When you receive your new computer, make sure you keep all the boxes just in case it must be returned. Carefully look through the pile of papers you threw on the floor in your haste to get to the good stuff.

Retrieve warranties, receipts and, yes, even manuals (they're great to boost-up your grandchild at the dinner table).

Now call your technician! Why? Because the new beast that sits on your desktop is far more powerful than the onboard computers on Apollo 1 when it went to the moon (and that's the truth). So unless you're an astronaut, I suggest that guessing where to (plug and play) may lead to an unhappy experience.

Many of you know my rather unconventional suggestions for purchasing a computer.  One of which is that you set aside $100 of your computer budget to hire a qualified tech.

What will your tech do besides share your joy? He or she will: Ensure all those thingamajigs and doohickeys are attached properly; tweak your modem to phone line connection (or DSL\Cable connection); install your printer, scanner etc.; ensure your antivirus program is installed correctly and up-to-date; if needed, download current hardware drivers; talk the talk with technical support should there be a problem; transfer data from your old computer to your new computer; ensure your phone line and computer is surge protected and, most important, will do all this in your home in the environment your new computer resides.

Keep in mind Winchell's New Computer Survival Philosophy. Never allow Muck It Up Mac (your friend or neighbor) or your Son (daughter or grandchild) the Computer Genius to tinker with your new computer. Never be tempted to Discover What's Under the Cover. My tech seals the screws on my computer with paraffin to discourage any such temptation on my part. Why? Because any of these transgressions could prevent a Good Boot and void warranties.

And please, be suspicious of technicians who charge less than $40 to $50 per hour - trust me.

Here's wishing you a Good Boot.   [index]

At 5:30 AM last Friday, I received the first of several calls from Good Booters who questioned my suggestion that one needs a qualified technician to set-up a new computer or to offer advice on what brand or model to purchase. He apparently had no trouble doing so with his. To make a long story short, after our chat he decided that discretion was the better part of valor and would call a tech.

Look, I'm not saying that if one doesn't employ a tech, their computer will necessarily self-destruct. What I am saying is that if you're a novice and want to begin your computing adventure on a happy note, the services of a qualified technician should be a consideration.

What is my definition of a qualified tech? As I have so often said, one who can "Walk the Talk." Hey, even I can read a technical manual and "Talk the Talk" well enough to impress a novice, but you sure wouldn't want me muckin' around "under your cover."

And you have to be careful when choosing a tech.  There are self-proclaimed technicians out there who master the technical jargon, but can't seem to get it right when it comes to attitude and service.

I'm sure there are qualified techs that I'm unaware of, but let me tell you about ours. Our consulting technicians must stand before 200 to 250 user group members each month and periodically, before our chapter members, answer any and all of their questions.

They do so on a pro bono basis and let members decide their technical qualifications. Why is this important? Because they must face the same users they gave advice to the previous month. And when they offer advice on our bulletin board they use their real names and appropriate e-mail addresses. Not all techs do so.

There are a few other considerations that I believe to be important. Qualified technicians will: discuss in depth your problem before they arrive at your home and the clock starts ticking, suggest that because for whatever reason — e.g., obsolescent equipment — their services would be a waste of time and money; if your problem is not hardware, will not charge you if they cannot fix your problem and always — if you don't perform a post-service-call muck-up — guarantee their work by providing free follow-up visits. 

Here's wishing you a Good Boot.   [index]

Last week's Good Boot generated an extraordinary number of horror stories from Good Booters concerning their experiences with technicians who misrepresented themselves or were downright dishonest.  "Ellies" are what they're referred to by honest techs.  So many, I decided to provide what I consider to be an example of what one can and should expect from a "qualified," honest technician.

Our User Group recently purchased a new laptop. Before introducing it to our members, I wanted to be sure the system was tweaked and XP had all Current "Critical Updates." So I asked one of our technical consultants to tweak it as he would a client's computer.

The first thing our consultant did was to ensure that the system was as it was when XP was installed (using systems Restore). In other words, exorcising any changes to XP I might have made intentionally or unintentionally. By doing so, the system, was, in effect, ready to receive all current "critical updates." These are free from Microsoft.

However, for those who don't have high-speed Internet access the download can take hours. And, keep in mind - a tech's meter is always running. But rather than having to download the "critical updates," the consultant had them all on a CD. In just minutes, rather than hours, XP was up to date.

Also from the CD, he installed the latest Norton Antivirus definitions without having to run LiveUpdate online - ensuring he could expeditiously connect to our ISP and tweak the modem connection and Outlook Express without fear of a virus attack. He also updated the light version of Roxio's Easy CD Creator included in XP to version 5.1.

I estimated the CD installations saved us well over $100.

Next, he downloaded any needed XP hardware drivers. When he completed the nuts and bolts updates, he went to work on tweaking default XP and installed program settings. I was absolutely fascinated. Why? Because I had no idea of the number of default, visual XP and program razzle dazzle settings - settings that are unnecessary, unproductive and can actually be counterproductive.

When he finally surrendered our laptop, it was a marvel of technical tweak. By making the new System Restore date his tweak date, I would always have a fall-back should I do a "Muck-It-Up Mac".

If you would like to obtain our consultant's XP CD, e-mail me at fmbigal@embarqmail.com By the way, the CD also has all Windows ME updates and fixes and, of course, complete directions.

And for those who are XP, DSL and cable subscribers, the CD includes ZoneAlarm - an excellent freeware Firewall. ZoneAlarm prevents hackers and unauthorized transmissions from your computer to the Internet by "trojan" or "spyware" programs.

Here's wishing you a Good Boot.  [index]

A common concern for the novice is the File Association panel that pops-up when Windows cannot open a file or view a graphic.

Often one that arrives as an email attachment. And like so many other Windows "Intimidating Requests," the beleaguered novice assumes that it is because they've boo-booed and surely if Windows is asking them to do something, they must do it!

Please! Trust me! Ignore this request by Windowsl Your chance of making a correct File Association choice is about the same as winning the lottery! Why? Because what Windows is really telling you is that it cannot find any program on your computer that can open the file or graphic you received. Now, do you really believe you are capable of doing what Windows cannot?

If you look at any file or graphic, you will see after the name of the file a dot (.) followed by three letters, e.g., .doc (a Word document), or .wpd (a WordPerfect Document). These three letters identify a file as belonging to a particular program.  If you do not have the program with which the file is associated and it cannot be reformatted to be accepted by an alternative program, you will not be able to open it.

What do I mean by reformatted? Many programs like Word can open a file created by another word processing program by converting it to its format, i.e., .wpd to .doc.

The point is, if Windows cannot find a program on your computer to open the file, please do not take it upon yourself to guess at a program when the File Association panel appears. If you do, you do so at significant risk! Why? Because I am telling you so.

So what should you do? Let's say you receive an e-mail with an attached document that Windows cannot open. Reply to the sender and ask what program they used to create the file. If the response is that the file was created by a program you don't have or cannot be reformatted by a program you have, then ask the sender to send the attachment as a text file (.txt).  A text file can be opened by any PC.

Or better yet, have them do a "copy and paste" of the file (in text format) into the body of their e-mail. You can then do a copy and paste from their e-mail into your word processor or WordPad if you do not have a third party word processing program.

Everyone has WordPad.  Start >Programs > Accessories > WordPad.  WordPad is an excellent basic word processing program.

As for a graphic, have the sender convert it to a JPEG (.jpg). Just about every PC can open a .jpg.

Here's wishing you a Good Boot.   [index]

As for receiving any unwanted e-mail solicitations, it's not your fault. Selling e-mail addresses is a cash cow for e-mail providers. Although most providers try to be responsible when determining to whom to sell their e-mail addresses, the bad guys can slip though the cracks.

It will be your fault, however, if you respond to a solicitation requesting to be unsubscribed. By doing so, you confirm that your email address is active. You may be unsubscribed, but your confirmed address will bring top dollar when it's sold to someone else. Complaining to your e-mail provider is only a temporary solution. It's best to ignore solicitations. In most cases they'll go away.

If you don't have a graphic browser to easily view all the graphics in your Temporary Internet folders, e-mail me at fmbigal@embarqmail.com and I'll tell you how to get one.

Here's wishing you a Good Boot.  [index]

You say it's time to buy your first computer? Or, perhaps, a new one?

Well what do you want?

A laptop or desktop? A white box or brand name? An Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athelon processor? A hard drive with 20 or more gigabytes? A 5400 or 7200 RPM; IDE Hard Drive or perhaps, a SCSI. Is 128Mb of memory enough?

What's EPROM or SDRAM? A DVD player and/or a CD burner. And how fast a burner - is 8X by 8X by 24X fast enough? A 17-inch or larger CRT or flat panel monitor? And what's best current price for what you want?

If you're confused, it's not your fault. But if you don't get advice before you buy a computer, it is your fault. And I don't mean from your son the computer expert, the neighborhood muck-it-up-Mac or a local Ellie! I mean advice from a qualified technician!

Most of us were conditioned to research a major purchase and then lie in ambush until we saw what we considered the best "Have-I-got-a-deal-for-you" ad in The News-Press. But then along came ads for computers. We discovered to our dismay that one, we must learn a new language — computer speak.  And two, that there was a third absolute in life to add to death and taxes. If you buy a computer this week, next week there'll be an ad for one that's more powerful and less expensive.

In my book, I describe Winchell's philosophy on buying a computer.

However, it assumes you're in no hurry and are willing to do a bit of shopping. So where can you get help if you haven't mastered computer-speak, need a new computer now and do not have a computer technician you can rely on for advice?

How about this? I've prevailed upon our consulting technicians to offer free of charge to Good Booters what they offer to our User Group members.

Based on your requirements and their experience in the field, they'll search the Web sites of those manufactures they believe, offer the best product and deals. And because they know where to get the information and do so using high speed Internet access they can expeditiously download the information as you discuss your needs with them on the phone. If appropriate, they will even e-mail you a summary of what you decide might be what you are looking for.

Yes, they'd like you to consider them if you need assistance setting up your new system. And you should always get help setting up a new computer!  But I guarantee there's no obligation to do so!  If you decide to use another technician — so be it.

E-mail me for information at fmbigal@embarqmail.com.  Here's wishing you a Good Boot.  [index]

                                                        [ Home ]

09/11/2007