Al's page 2

Windows can be mastered with patience (4/4/00)

If you are willing to invested two hours a week, I can almost guarantee that in two months you can master Windows 95/98. I’ll bet that statement captured your attention!

A common excuse offered by former computer Users who chose involuntary computer early retirement is: “I could never master Windows 95/98.”

In the past I have responded sympathetically. Of late, less sympathetically. Why? Because of my growing disdain for retired computer Users who: Without having made any concerted effort to learn Windows 95/98. Threw-up their hands in disgusted. And proclaimed they were defeated by the beast that sits on their desktop.

A Computer is not intuitive. To become a proficient user, one must invest at least a modicum of time and effort. So for those who have surrendered to technology, all I can say is - it is your fault!

Being the philanthropic guy I am, however, I will offer the computer-challenged an opportunity to benefit from my millennium quest. And that is to provide all Southwest Florida novices the means by which they can become computer literate. And to be able to do so inexpensively, at home in front of their computer, using only a workbook.

Folks, there is a workbook available that defies all the preconceived ideas of what a workbook should be. It is edited to teach Windows 95/98 to school children - ages 8 to 14. Now do not chuckle. Think about it. How better for a novice to learn than from a workbook, written in English to teach school children.

Unlike those expensive computer tomes one finds in bookstores. This one covers only what a User needs to master the essentials of Windows 95/98. Hey, once you become an expert, you can always purchase a workbook that explains how to reset your modem or tinker with your interrupts.

It lies flat, in front of your computer with pictures that correspond to what appears on your monitor. It costs half as much as those bookstore tomes. Its title does not announce to the world that you are a dummy or an idiot. And there is no supercilious humor.

I guarantee (cross my heart and hope to die) that: If you are at least a grade school graduate (remember the workbook is written for 8 to 14 year olds). If you invest two hours a week. You can master Windows 95/98 in two months. And when you master 95/98, you will have mastered the techniques used by other software programs. Cutting, copying and pasting is the same in e-mail as it is in a word processing program.

If you would like additional information, e-mail me. However, to receive information you must promise me you will: Start on page one. Master what is on page one before you go on to page two. And, if you just must peek at a subject further on in the workbook, promise me you will return to where you left off and continue from there.

Here’s wishing you a good boot. [Hotlink Index]

Virus Siren (4/11/00)

At every User Group and Chapter meeting I attend, there is at least one member who has succumbed to the siren song of a virus infected e-mail attachment. In fact, I am using this article to announce an "E-mail Attachment Virus State of Emergency".

This alert applies only to e-mail attachments. Currently, downloading and reading an e-mail cannot initiate a virus.

The three most significant factors that precipitate an e-mail attachment virus infection are: Misplaced trust. Curiosity. And failure to regularly update ones antivirus program's data files. Even more insidious is the deadly Trojan horse. Immune to antivirus inoculation, it requires only a User's misplaced trust and curiosity.

I will not editorialize on why someone would enjoy infecting your computer. Except to say that there is no lack of perverted minds in cyberspace who are ready, willing and able to take advantage of a User's trust and naiveté.

What I will editorialize is the perfect defense against the chaos virus infected e-mail attachments can cause. A defense recommended to me by my personal Compu Doctor, Dave Keller. A defense I have adopted as part of my e-mail attachment protocol and etiquette. And because of its common sense and simplicity, a defense I recommend to all.

I am not implying that this defense is in lieu of an antivirus program. Antivirus programs are an absolute necessity. Their value, however, is limited by their inability to detect a Trojan horse and by the frequency a User up-dates his or her antivirus data files. New viruses appear daily. Perhaps even more important, an antivirus program's e-mail attachment protection launches only after you have committed an "Act of Naiveté‚".

The best solution to prevent a virus or Trojan horse disaster is: Not to place yourself in harm's way in the first place.

When you receive an e-mail attachment and before you open it, ask yourself these four questions.

Do you know who the e-mail is from?
Do you know what the attachment is?
Do you know what the attachment does?
Does the attachment originate from the person who is sending you the e-mail?

If you can answer "yes" to ALL four questions, you can be assured that you may open the e-mail attachment with impunity.

And if you are a subscriber to Winchell's philosophy of e-mail etiquette. When you send an e-mail attachment, you will include in the body of the e-mail: What the attachment is. What it does. And that it is from you and is not a Forward from someone else.

Example.

Dear Cyberspace Sue, I am attaching a picture I personally scanned from a picture of Vickie, my fabulous, female, feline, friend. I am sending it directly from me to you.

This example may seem a bit trite and overly simplistic. But be assured that a cautious e-mailer will appreciate your concern for their well being. In my case, it will prevent your e-mail attachment from experiencing an enthusiastic, preemptive deletion.

Here's wishing you a good boot. [index]

CD-RW drive best toy to add to computer (4/18/00)

Of all the toys I recommend adding to your computer, a CD-RW drive heads the list. This relatively new, inexpensive hardware is, without a doubt, as useful as a printer or scanner. And much more practical than a zip, jaz or tape drive.

There are two types of drives: CD-R and CD-RW. CD-R stands for CD readable. A CD-R drive lets you write to a CD-R disc and then read the information you have stored. You cannot, however, erase the information once it's written. CD-RW stands for CD rewritable. As its name implies, CD-RW technology allows you to rewrite data to a CD-ROM disc. Just as you would to your hard drive or a floppy disc.

Anything you put on a hard drive or floppy disc can be saved to either a CD-R or CD-RW disc. Programs, images and text files are all candidates. You can even create audio CDs.

Please be aware that you need CD-R discs for a CD-R drive and CD-RW discs for a CD-RW drive. A CD-RW drive, however, allows you use either a CD-R or a CD-RW disc. All state-of-the-art CD-ROM drives will read CD-R and CD-RW discs. And to sweeten the pot, audio CD-R discs will play on your stereo.

Storage capacity varies slightly from brand to brand. A rule of thumb is that you will be able to store between 600 and 650 Megabytes. Audio CD capacity is about 74 minutes.

I recommend you purchase an internal drive. If you are a novice, I also recommend you have it installed by a professional technician and preferable at home with all your other peripherals attached to your computer. A professional technician will insure that the device is installed correctly and the software and the hardware are working in harmony.

One of the most popular features of a CD-RW is its ability to create audio discs. You can copy your audio directly from another CD if your CD-ROM drive supports digital audio extraction. If not, you can have your CD-RW drive transfer the desired tracks to your hard drive as WAV files and then copy the WAV files to a CD.

CD-R speed is represented by two numbers. 2x6 indicates the player writes to a CD-R disc at 2x (about 300 Kilobytes) and reads from the CD-ROM player at 6x. CD-RW speed is represented by three numbers. 4x4x24 indicates the player writes and rewrites to a CD-RW disk 4x and reads from the CD-ROM player at 24x.

Today's CD-RW players should not be a substitute for a high speed CD-ROM player. It should be your second CD-ROM. In fact, one of the features of a CD-RW device is its ability to copy from an alternative CD-ROM or from a music CD.

I highly recommend the HP 8200 series CD Writer. And for software, I recommend Adaptec's Easy CD Creator 4 Deluxe. It is extraordinarily user-friendly and excellent for transcribing music.

Here's wishing you a good boot [index]

CD-RW, Part II (4/25/00)

I love my CD-RW Drive. Why? Because it is almost the Beulah Land of Backup.

Some of you may remember the days of DOS when all you had to do was have a pile of floppies handy and patience to backup your computer system. If you had to restore a file, directory or hard drive, it took only that pile of backup floppies and more patience.

Then along came Windows 95/98 and a rascal called the Registry. Your Registry is a data base with a perfect memory. Whether it be: A task as simple as adding or deleting a desktop icon. A complete installation of a state-of-the-art software program. Or the addition of new hardware.

Your Registry makes note of your every move.

Have you ever wondered about what that blue and white line that moves across your monitor during the Windows boot indicates? It is Windows entertaining you while it checks your Registry against what it finds on your system during the boot. Should it discover that there is a difference, you may find yourself experiencing: At the very least, a mild reprimand with a warning. At the most, the Windows Blue Screen of Death.

I think you can begin to see the dilemma. In order for you to be sure any given full system backup is a perfect match with your Registry, you must backup every time any change is made to your system. This would require you to backup at the conclusion of just about every computing session. If you have a hard drive with a gaggle of gigabytes, you will be faced with a monumental, time consuming task.

From a practical standpoint, the only "stuff" you really need to backup is the "stuff" you have created. Stuff that cannot be replaced by reinstalling Windows or a software program. Your documents, photographs, data files, et cetera.

For a computer user, a good night's sleep comes only with the knowledge that all his or her "stuff" is safely backed-up to an off-computer storage device. Key words - Off System. Until recently: a floppy, a Zip/Jaz drive or tape drive. Unfortunately, these devices can be: Fraught with danger. Easily damaged. Extraordinarily expensive. And have limited, practical storage capacity.

A CD-RW drive, on the other hand, can store six hundred Megabytes of backup on a disk that costs less than a dollar. And can store so permanently and indestructibly, your backups will be restorable in Y3K.

Think about it. Your hard drive ceases to exist. Instead of panic, you have a new hard drive installed. You reinstall Windows 95/98 and then your software. From your backup CD's you restore your "stuff" back onto the new hard drive. Your system will become - as it was.

If you choose to backup "on the fly" to a CD-RW, you can do so as you create new files. It will respond just like your hard drive. Adding new files or overwriting old files.

Here's wishing you a good boot. [index]

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