Organizing hard drive makes backing up simple task (3/14/05)
I've covered about all novices need to know
concerning CD-Rs and CD-RWs. I'll now dedicate my "Burning Issues" series to
ensuring all your irreplaceable "Stuff" is sorted and safe in your "My
Documents," ready to be burned to a backup CD.
I suggest you begin this adventure by doing an inventory on your "My Documents."
When you open "My Documents," its subfolders will be listed first, followed by
your files, which I call orphan files. Your task will be to make homes folders
for your orphans.
To facilitate your inventory, click View >
Details. To alphabetize your orphan files, click on "Name" — to sort them by
like files, click on "Type."
Now you want to identify the parents of your orphan files. There are two quick
ways to do this. Either left click on a file which will open it in the program
that created it or right click on it and select "Properties."
When you've completed your inventory, you're
ready to begin constructing homes for your orphan files. For every "parent"
you've identified, create a folder. Click Files and Folder Tasks > New Folder or
File > New > Folder. I suggest creating a "Miscellaneous Folder" for
unidentified orphans.
When you've finished creating subfolders, click View > Thumbnails. Thumbnails
view will make it easy for you place your pointer on a file and then, holding
down your left mouse button, drag it over and drop it onto one of your new
subfolders. Or in the case of photographs, onto your "My Pictures" folder.
Once you've relocated all your orphan files to their parent folders you can at
your leisure further organize your "Stuff" by creating as many subfolders as you
wish.
I suggest, however, digital photo enthusiasts
who want to prevent their "My Pictures" folder from becoming as disorganized as
their closet collection of photo-filled shoe boxes, make it a priority to
subfolder organize their "My Pictures" folder.
For example, a "My Pictures" subfolder, "My Family," which in turn has
subfolders — "In-laws" and "Out-laws."
If "Thumbnails" view doesn't present a
thumbnail large enough for you to recognize a photo's content, click on it to
enlarge it. Then return to "Thumbnails" view to continue sorting.
Once you're organized — stay organized. When you "Save As" any new file or
receive a photo and Windows suggests you save them in "My Documents," use the
little down triangle to the right of "Save In" to place them in the appropriate
subfolder.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Create central homes for your 'irreplaceables' (3/21/05)
Last week I discussed how to create
subfolders to organizing your My Documents. This week I'll discuss how to use
subfolders you create to store important data files. Data files you may have
overlooked when determining what you should consider as your "Irreplaceable
Stuff."
If you use Outlook Express, Quicken and/or collect Internet Explorer Favorites,
open My Documents and create the following subfolders:
• Favorites
• Address Book
• Quicken
• Important e-mail
Now to relocate:
Internet Explorer Favorites
• Click File > Import and Export
• Click Export Favorites from the Import/Export Wizard
• Highlight Favorites Folder and click Next
• Click Export to File or Address and use "Browse" find the My Documents,
"Favorites" subfolder you created
• Click your Favorites Folder to "Open" it and click Save (bookmark.htm)
• Click Finish
Outlook Express Address Book
• Click "Addresses" to open your Address Book
• Click File > Export > Address Book (WAB). By default you'll be taken to My
Documents.
• Click the My Documents, "Address Book" subfolder you created to "Open" it
• Type in a file name and save it
Important E-Mail in Outlook Express
• Open the e-mail
• Click File > Save As
• Click the My Documents, "Important E-mail" subfolder you created to "Open" it
• Either accept the File name presented or give it an alternative name
• Click Save as a (Mail *.eml) file
• Quicken
• Click File > Backup
• In #2 (Where do you want to save your backup file), click "On My Computer"
• Using Browse go to the My Documents, "Quicken" subfolder you created
• Click on it to "Open" it
• Click OK. The "Path" will appear in the "Select the Disk drive and Path to the
Backup Folder" window
• Click OK to Backup
If you're not planning on a daily My
Documents backup to a CD, I advise you to continue backing up Quicken as you do
now.
Last week I suggested you organize your My Documents. This week I'm "beseeching
thee" to begin a regimen that'll insure all your "Irreplaceable Stuff" is safely
stored in your My Documents ready to be backed up to an off-computer media. So
if you're in doubt on how to save the data files of a particular program you use
to your My Documents — e-mail me.
If I've convinced you "Burning Is Better," I
suggest in preparation for next week's Burning Issues article, you consider
purchasing and installing Roxio or Nero. I'll be using Roxio, but Nero is
certainly an option.
The reason I'm recommending you purchase a third-party software program is in my
opinion XP's burning features are so limited they're not worth discussing.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Burning onto a CD keeps your important stuff safe (3/28/05)
If I've been able to convince you to become a
disciple of my "Burning is Better" philosophy of backing up your irreplaceable
stuff to a CD, you should be ready for your first "Big Burn" because you:
• Understand the differences between a CD-R and a CD-RW
• Have all your irreplaceable stuff organized in your My Documents
• Have installed Roxio or Nero.
And because the purpose of my Burning Issues series is to assist novices, I'm
assuming your My Documents doesn't exceed 550 megabytes — the approximate
capacity of a single CD-RW.
To determine how much data you've stored in
your My Documents, right click on your My Documents Folder and left click
"Properties" > "General Tab.
You'll probably be surprised to discover unless you've an extraordinary
collection of photos, your My Documents will not exceed 550 Megabytes.
To prepare your CD-RW for your first "Big Burn" you must format it.
Roxio and Nero will offer you the choice of a
"Quick Format" (allows you to start copying before the CD is completely
formatted) or full format.
I recommend you take the time to full format.
Once your CD-RW is formatted, you're ready to
perform an expeditious, no frills, novice-friendly My Documents backup.
Open My Documents and Click Edit > Select All. This will highlight all the
content of your My Documents.
If you're an XPer click "Copy the Selected Items." For all other Windows users,
click "Edit" and "Copy"
Then:
• Click "Folders" in your My Documents menu
• Scroll down to your CD ROM Drive — usually "D" Drive
• Left-click on it to highlight it
Now either:
• Left-click "Edit" and "Paste"
• Or Right-click on your CD Drive and left click "Paste"
Sit back, relax and watch your My Documents
copied to the safety of a CD-RW.
Your first backup may take a while. Subsequent backups won't take as long as
only files you've added to or changed in your My Documents will need to be
copied to your CD-RW.
You may notice after a few backups your CD-RW is accumulating a few files that
were copied to it in previous "Copy and Paste" backups but are files you've
subsequently deleted from your current My Documents.
The reason is a "Copy and Paste" is a "Simple
Copy" rather than an "Exact Copy." An "Exact Copy" first scans the files on the
destination media (CD-RW) and deletes them if they're no longer in your current
My Documents.
I'll discuss "Exact Copy" in a future Good Boot.
For now a Simple Copy will suffice.
Next week we'll burn to a CD-R.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
How to perform permanent file backup (4/4/05)
When your 'stuff' is irreplaceable, use dual burn regimen
Last week I discussed a daily backup of your
My Documents to a CD-RW.
This week I'll discuss a permanent backup of your My Documents to a CD-R using
Windows XP's CD-R burning feature.
If my Burning Issues series has persuaded you that "burning is better," I hope
you're now familiar with the differences between CD-Rs and CD-RWs and that
you've organized all (well, at least most) of your "Irreplaceable Stuff" in your
My Documents.
And because the purpose of my Burning Issues
series is to assist novices, I'm going to assume your My Documents doesn't
exceed 550 megabytes — the approximate capacity of a single CD-R.
To discover your My Documents volume, click on My Computer > right click on your
Documents File Folder > click Properties.
To copy My Documents to a CD-R:
1. Insert a blank, writable CD-R into your CD recorder.
2. Open your My Documents.
3. Click Edit > Select All
4. Click Edit > Copy to Folder or on the "Files and Folders Tasks" menu, click
"Copy the Selected Items."
5. A "You have Files waiting to be written to
the CD" balloon will open. To see these files, click on the balloon.
6. On the CD Writing Task menu click "Copy these files to CD."
7. Follow the instructions in the CD Writing Wizard
I suggest the day you believe your "Stuff"
has become "Irreplaceable Stuff" you begin a "dual burn" regimen. Keep one
backup copy close at hand for convenient reference and a second copy stored in a
safe, off-premise location, perhaps your safe deposit box. And because CDs are
no longer "forever" storage media, I recommend refreshing them every few years.
I also suggest you only use non-indelible, felt-tip pens or commercial CD labels
to label your CDs.
I'll also warn you that even a seemingly
insignificant scratch on the label side of a CD can result in the unrecoverable
loss of all the data on the CD.
During my Burning Issues series I've received many e-mails from Good Booters
experiencing a multitude of individual problems organizing their "Stuff" and
burning their My Documents to a CD. I've got so many e-mails I'll be
hard-pressed to expeditiously answer them all.
If you're one of these Beleaguered Burning Novices using any version of Windows,
I'm extending an invitation to you to attend my April 14 Southwest Florida PC
User Group "Bundle, Backup and Burn" presentation. It'll be a novice-friendly,
multimedia demonstration of all the techniques I've discussed in my Burning
Issues series.
There's no cost, obligation or need to
register. E-mail me for information.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
'Simple,' 'exact' copies of files two different things (4/11/05)
By now most Good Booters are either
"Significant Burners" or sick to death of my nagging them about backing up. But
I do have one more "Burning Issues" subject, one I promised to discuss. The
difference between a "simple" copy and an "exact" copy.
The "Copy and Paste" method I described for copying your My Documents to a CD-RW
was targeted at the novice with the intention of encouraging novices to
expeditiously begin a backup regime, one that wouldn't require them to purchase
third-party backup software.
However, should a novice's intent be to insure their My Documents will not
exceed the capacity of one CD-RW, a "simple copy" (copying and pasting) may
become a problem.
Why? Because though they may periodically
delete unnecessary files to insure their "Source" My Documents doesn't exceed
the capacity of a CD-RW (approximately 550 to 600 megabytes), if they don't
delete the same files from their CD-RW "Destination" My Documents their CD-RW
may become full. And if it does, a "simple copy" will cease to be a viable
backup option.
So if your intent is to keep your My Documents to a size that can be
conveniently copied to one CD-RW or you just want your "Destination" My
Documents to always be the same as your "Source" My Documents, you must perform
an "exact" copy.
An "exact" copy will compare your "Source" My
Documents with your "Destination" My Documents. When it finds files in your
"Destination" My Documents not in your "Source" My Documents, an "Exact" copy
will "remove" them.
"Removing" them rather than deleting them is important. A quality backup program
offering an "exact" copy feature should be one that allows you to relocate
"removed" files to a designated folder. This insures you can check the "removed"
files before you permanently delete them.
If you're in the market for a user-friendly, inexpensive ($30) backup program, I
recommend Second Copy (www.centered.com). I've been using it for years and
assure you it includes just about every backup feature most novices will ever
need.
Caution. Second Copy doesn't copy to CD-Rs.
If, however, the day comes when you may need an extraordinary third-party
software backup program, I recommend Backup My PC 6.0, a StompSoft (www.stompsoft.com)
software program powered by Sonic Software. It has all the bells and whistles,
among them the ability to back up to CDs and DVDs, and has an XP Disaster
Recovery.
And you may be interested to know because
Sonic Corp. recently purchased Roxio, Roxio's latest version 7.5 (a premier CD
burning program) now includes Backup MyPC.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Picasa2 manages digital imaging free (4/18/05)
Would you believe me if I told you there was
a free digital imaging management program that rivals ACDSee ($50), CompuPic
($40) and Ulead Photo Explorer ($30)?
Well there is! Picasa2, a product of Google's technical genius, is now available
as a free download at www.picasa.com. And
it's better organized with more features than Picasa1.
When you access Picasa2 for the first time, it'll offer to index either your
entire hard drive or a selected folder. Of course, the time it takes to index
your images will depend on the number of images you've stored on your computer.
However, unlike other applications, Picasa2 will entertain you during your wait
by allowing you to observe its remarkable search for and indexing of your
images.
When the indexing is complete, Picasa2 will
sort them by date and make them accessible via a user- friendly side bar.
A few "best of" Picasa2 features:
• Images can be custom labeled
• Custom labels can be assigned from the interface
• It'll keep track of custom labeled images for future display
• It provides an opportunity to assign a Gold
Star rating to selected photos in various folders.
• Gold Star ratings can be used as labels so images can be viewed together (as
in Gmail).
• Its "Picture Grid" and "Picture Pile"
effects can make unusual collages.
• Picasa2 and Google's Gmail have been integrated. Users can now use their Gmail
accounts to share their images with friends and relatives.
And my favorite feature — Picasa2 will store images in multiple "virtual
libraries" without actually duplicating them on a hard drive — an extraordinary
way to duplicate a photo in multiple albums without having to squander valuable
hard drive space.
One of the more interesting features of
Picasa2 is its image-enhancing effects. Google has added technology to provide a
one-click fix for lighting and color!
Experienced photographers will appreciate Picasa2's use of the EXIF information
stored in an image. EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format and is a
standard for storing interchange information in image files, especially those
using JPEG compression. Most digital cameras now use the EXIF format.
If you're concerned about downloading from
the Internet, e-mail me and I'll send you Picasa2 as an e-mail attachment.
I suggest, if you've not done so already, you create a "My Downloads, My
Documents" subfolder to store your downloaded Picasa2 installation file or, for
that matter, any downloaded program installation file. By doing so, when you
back up your My Documents folder to a CD you'll also back up your downloaded
program installation files.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Windows XP makes posting photo a snap (4/25/05)
Operating system quickly resizes digital images
Most Good Booters know XP has a feature that
will ensure a photo is the appropriate size to send as an Outlook Express e-mail
attachment. But I'll wager many are unaware they can use the same feature to
ensure a photo posted to their Web site for downloading is the most appropriate
size.
To access this XP Feature:
• Open your My Pictures Folder
• Click View > Details to view the size of
your photos
• Hold down your Ctrl key and click on (highlight) a dozen or so photos of
varying size. Preferably those of over 60 Kbs and definitely any more than 100
Kbs.
• Click "E-mail this file" in the Picture
Task menu
• When the "Send Pictures via E-mail" panel opens, click "Make all my pictures
smaller"
• Click "Okay."
• When the Outlook Express e-mail opens note
the size of each of the "Attached" photos.
Some may be smaller than the original, some the same size, some may even be
larger. But be assured all will be the most appropriate for e-mailing.
Now right click on your Desktop and click New
> Folder and if you wish, right click on the Folder and rename it.
Next.
• Move your pointer over the Outlook Express E-mail Attachments (your Pointer
will become an "I").
• Right click and then left click "Select
All" to highlight all the attachments
• Right click again and left click "Copy"
• Move your pointer over your new Desktop
Folder and left click to highlight the folder
• Then right click and left click "Paste"
When you open your Desktop Folder the photos will not only be the appropriate
size to e-mail, they'll also be the appropriate size to post to your Web site.
If you'd rather accumulate your resized
photos in your My Pictures folder so they can be expeditiously backed up when
you back up your My Documents folder:
• Open My Documents
• Left click on My Pictures to open it
• Click "Make a new Folder" and name it
• Open your new folder and "Paste" your resized photos
So many Good Booters e-mailed me they were
disappointed at not being able to attend my "Skinny on Scanning" presentation
that I've asked our webmaster to post on our Web site my May Computing Journal
dedicated to a "Good Boot Guide to Scanning."
Go to www.swfpcug.org and click on "Complimentary Computing Journal." You'll
receive a complete PDF version of the journal. You can read it, save it, even
print all or part of the tutorial in color.
Keep in mind the time the PDF file takes to
download will depend on the speed your computer accesses the Internet.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Mastering tasks lets you tame Desktop Beast (5/2/05)
Windows skills apply to most programs
Every spring I archive my e-mail, but before
I do I scan my Good Boot e-mail to determine if I might have missed a question
or concern worthy of a future column.
Although this year's spring cleaning produced no potential Good Boot columns, it
did provide a source of frustration when after reviewing e-mail questions and
concerns, I discovered how many Good Booters continue to ignore my recipe for
successful computing: That to master the "Beast that sits on your Desktop," a
novice must learn the basic features of their operating system (Windows).
Why? Because Windows has decreed software programs cannot add a computing
feature, they can only access those features Windows offers to all programs.
Thus, once a novice masters a Windows feature, that feature can be used not only
to accomplish a Windows task but also to accomplish that task in any software
program — great or small.
For example: Open Internet Explorer and place
your pointer anywhere over the text of a Web page. Hold down your left mouse
button and drag it over several words or sentences. Release your mouse button
and Right click on the area you've highlighted and click Copy.
Now open a new e-mail in Outlook Express and right click Paste in the body of
the e-mail. Then open your word processor if you have one (WordPad if you don't)
and right click Paste in the body of the document.
Next, return to your Web page and right click
on an image (graphic or photo) and left click Copy. Return to your Outlook
Express e-mail and right click and Paste in the body of the e-mail. Then right
click and Paste in the body of your word processor.
Another example: Left click on either of the images you pasted into your e-mail
and word processor. Note the little "Handles" that appear at the top, bottom and
corners of your image. Place your pointer over any one of the "Handles." Your
pointer will change to a horizontal, vertical or kitty-cornered arrow. Hold down
your left mouse button and drag the arrow in any direction to resize your image.
These exercises demonstrate two basic Windows features — copying and pasting
text and images and resizing images. I've used them in three programs (a Web
page, a word processor and an e-mail), but like all Windows features they're
universal features available to all software programs.
If you would appreciate my suggestions on how
best to begin a successful adventure mastering Windows XP's features, e-mail me.
I'll send you my personal recipe for successful computing.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Never underestimate power of right-clicking (5/9/05)
My comment last week that I was disappointed
with Good Booters who had not taken to heart my Recipe for Successful Computing
must have struck a nerve. The e-mail from those who either had questions
concerning my demonstration exercises or who wanted my complete recipe was
extraordinary.
But of all the questions I received, the one most often asked was what did I
mean when I referred to a Windows feature that could be used not only to
accomplish a Windows task, but also to accomplish that task in any software
program.
Perhaps the best way to respond is to demonstrate "Right Click
Prestidigitation," always a highlight of my XP seminars for novices. It
generates more oohs and aahs than Fourth of July fireworks, and rightfully so as
it's Windows way of expeditiously providing information and opportunities to do
stuff.
I'm sure most Good Booters who don't have or
perhaps want anti-spam software are aware of my "Good Boot Spam Salute" — a
quick right click on spam and left click to delete.
But perhaps there are some Good Booters unaware this right-click activity is but
one offered when they press the button on the right side of their mouse. To wit,
the instant access to a menu of opportunities available anywhere they may find
themselves, doing whatever they may be doing.
Try this:
• Right-click anywhere on your desktop. You'll be presented with a menu of
desktop formatting opportunities — like organizing your icons. On the same menu
click Properties (Windows' word for Information). You'll open a panel providing
access to all your Display Property options.
• Right-click on your Start Menu Taskbar and click on Properties. The Taskbar
and Start Menu panel provides a multitude of configuring opportunities.
• Open My Documents and right-click on a file
or folder. You'll discover everything you can do with that file or folder. And
if you click on Properties you'll discover everything about that file or folder.
• Click Start > Programs and then right-click on any program. A menu will offer
many options from "Pinning the program to your Start Menu" to "Sending a
Shortcut to your Desktop."
So far you've been right-clicking for a menu
of Windows program options and information.
Now try this:
• Open your word processor and right click in the body of a Document and on its
Menu Bars.
• Open Quicken or any program you have and
right-click anywhere and everywhere.
These two exercises demonstrate how a right-click provides a menu of a program's
most useful and commonly used formatting options.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Buy smart - be sure to protect purchase (5/16/05)
Some PC makers are cutting corners these days
A recent article in The News-Press Business &
Money section offered valuable, general advice on how to evaluate and exploit a
product warrantee. I'm going to be a bit more specific and offer advice
concerning PC and PC peripheral warranties.
But before I do, let me remind you that gone are the days when the extraordinary
growth of PC sales and manufacturing efficiencies provided the profits the
industry needed to ensure the day after you purchased your new PC you'd see an
ad in The News-Press for a more powerful PC for less money.
However, in an attempt to keep this myth alive without jeopardizing their
profits, many PC manufacturers are resorting to what I call "surreptitious
subtraction" tactics that include:
• The exclusion of traditional hardware such
as a floppy drive, a reset button or a printer port in the hopes if this is your
first PC, you'll not need or miss what they've excluded.
• Significantly reducing the quality and quantity of the materials used to
construct and protect your PC.
• The substitution of unsophisticated,
non-user-friendly software for state-of-the-art software.
But it's the failure to read the fine print describing a manufacturer's
warrantee obligations that has the greatest potential of costing you dearly.
Today, many national brand computer manufacturers in an attempt to save a dollar
have significantly devalued their warranties by covering less for less time. I
recently discovered a national brand computer manufacture offering only a 90-day
warranty on its low-end PCs.
Whether it's a PC or a PC peripheral
warrantee:
• Study the fine print before you make a purchase. You may discover some
interesting stuff — like using a refilled printer cartridge may void your
printer's warrantee.
• Extend your manufacturer's factory warranty
for as many years as the manufacturer offers. In most cases the additional cost
will be marginal. I do not recommend the non-factory extended service contracts
offered by PC and PC peripheral retailers.
• Insure your manufacturer's warranty and retailer's purchase agreement provide
a reasonable time for you to exchange or get your money back without having to
pay a penalty or restocking fee.
I also suggest:
• Having a qualified technician set up your
PC. You'll have a much better chance of discovering significant problems within
an exchange or money-back grace period.
• Determining if your credit card company offers a free, extended factory
warranty. For example: if you purchase your PC with an American Express card, at
no cost to you American Express will match the length of a manufacturer's
factory warranty.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Microsoft earns praise for offerings (5/23/05)
Every so often I receive an e-mail
characterizing me as a Microsoft zealot and my software recommendations as
misleading.
One such e-mail was from a Good Booter who, after requesting and receiving my
recommendation for a state-of-the-art office suite, apparently went into
"sticker rage" when he discovered he'd have to pay more than $400 for Microsoft
Office Suite.
His comment: "Microsoft is the poster boy for cyberspace robber barons."
Well, I beg to differ. Besides, if you don't
need all the programs Microsoft Office Suite offers, you can buy them
separately. Microsoft also offers two quality alternatives — Works and Works
Suite.
For about $50, Works provides an excellent entry-level word processor,
spreadsheet, calendar, address book and database. And for about $50 more, Works
Suite will add Microsoft Word plus PictureIt, Money, Encarta and Streets and
Trips.
As for being a Microsoft zealot, I'd say I'm
a pragmatist willing to extol the virtues of a company that provides:
• A magnificent operating system (Windows XP) able to remain stable even when
experiencing the onslaught of my many computing transgressions.
• A supportive and informative Web site (www.microsoft.com.). My first stop when
I need information, an explanation or a tutorial.
• Windows Marketplace (www.windowsmarketplace.com).
A site offering information and pricing on thousands of Windows-compatible
software and hardware.
• A Web site I believe deserves accolades for the extraordinary no-cost
or-obligation support, services and information it has provided my user group —
Mindshare (www.microsoft.com/mindshare/ default.aspx).
If you belong to a user group (large or
small), I suggest you have a club officer associate it with Mindshare. Your user
group may be eligible to receive Microsoft software programs — yours to keep for
nothing more than an appropriate product review.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Customize your Web-site printing (5/30/05)
Some tips to controlling what you copy on paper
Have you ever visited a Web page you'd like
to print only to discover the printout was less than satisfactory? Perhaps it
was filled with cut-off text, disconnected graphics or just odd looking pages.
If you have, know there's a user-friendly solution for this problem.
But before you try the solution, ask yourself this: Do I really want or need to
print the Web page's background in color? For if you do it'll drain your color
cartridges.
If you decide not to print a Web site's background in color, click Internet
Explorer's Tools > Internet Option > Advanced. Scroll down to Printing. If the
box to the left of "Print Background and Images in Color" is checked — uncheck
it by clicking on it. Then click OK. Your new format will only eliminate
background colors.
Now return to the Web page you want to print
and click File > Print Preview. You may have to click the "Next Page" button to
view a Web site's entire default opening page.
If the layout or the information in the header or footer is not suitable for
printing, click the Page Setup icon in the Print Preview menu or Alt+U. Page
Setup allows you to:
• Specify page size
• Change the contents of the header or footer
• Adjust margins
• Print the page in Portrait (longer than
wide) or Landscape (wider than long)
When the presentation in your Print Preview window is satisfactory — click Print
The codes to change the content of a header
or footer:
• Code: &b any text. Result: Right aligns text
• Code: &b any text &b. Result: Centers text
• Code: &d or &D. Result: Inserts short date
or long date
• Code: &p. Result: Inserts page number
• Code: &P. Result: Inserts total number of
pages
• Code: &t or &T. Result: Inserts time in 12-hour or 24-hour format
• Code: &u. Result: Inserts Web page address
• Code: &w. Result: Inserts window title
If, rather than printing a Web page, you'd like to just have the Web page's
default opening page available off-line, click Favorites > Make available
off-line.
If you'd prefer to create a virtual Web site
(the entire Web site available off-line), click Favorites > Make available
off-line > Customize. You'll access the "Offline Favorite Wizard."
This wizard allows you to select the number of the Web site's pages to save and
if the Web site should be synchronized (updated) every time you go online.
To access Web sites offline, click File > Work Offline. And if necessary close
and reopen Internet Explorer.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Regulate user rights to ensure Windows XP security (6/6/05)
One of the most effective ways to maintain
Windows XP security is to assign specific rights to each user of your computer.
These rights can range from simply being allowed to use your computer all the
way up to having permission to make changes to your entire system.
You assign user rights by assigning individual users to appropriate groups. What
a user is allowed to do on your computer depends on the group they're assigned
to — the Administrators group, the Limited group or the Guest group.
Administrators have full control of a computer and can make any changes to the
system, including adding or removing software, changing user accounts and
modifying the configuration of Windows XP. Administrators should be only those
you can trust to use and modify your computer and your programs without putting
them in harms way.
Note: If when you boot your computer it
doesn't pause before you arrive at your Desktop and display an Administrator
icon with a request for a Password, be aware that everyone who has access to
your computer will be considered an Administrator with all the rights and
privileges of an Administrator.
I recommend Administrator privileges not be given to novice "Gamers" who might
naively install an unsophisticated or poorly written game. Many games make
system configuration modifications. Poorly written games may not restore
necessary pre-installation configurations when they're uninstalled.
Although Limited users cannot add or remove
users or make significant changes to the overall setup and configuration of your
computer, they can run programs you installed as "programs available to all
users," access and create files and install programs that do not alter the
Windows Registry.
Guest users are those who do not have a user account on your computer. By
logging on as a member of the Guest group, a user can work on your computer
without being able to modify another user's settings. Guest users are limited in
what they can do. They can run existing programs but can't install new programs
or make changes to Windows. By default, the Guest account is inactive and must
be activated before it can be used. There can be only one Guest account.
Keep in mind, however, if the purpose of establishing User Accounts is to insure
the security and integrity of your system, you must assign yourself and each
member of each Group a specific Password! And need I remind you to remember your
Password?
To set up accounts click Start > Control
Panel > User Accounts and select what you want to do:
• Change an Account
• Create a New Account
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Address Book on Outlook Express user-friendly (6/13/05)
With features such as a preview pane, the
ability to organize your contacts and e-mail messages and access to Web-based
e-mail, Outlook Express provides just about everything a novice needs to insure
a productive e-mail adventure.
But of all its features, its ability to populate your Address Book is perhaps
the most user-friendly. Four of the most important are:
• Adding contacts to your Address Book when you receive e-mail. You can add the
sender's name and e-mail address to your Address Book from within Outlook
Express.
1. Open the e-mail.
2. On the Tools menu, point to "Add to Address Book" and select the user you
want to add.
• Setting up Outlook Express so that people
whose messages you reply to are automatically added to your Address Book.
1. On the Outlook Express Tool menu, click Options
2. On the Send tab, select "Automatically put people I reply to in my Address
Book" check box.
• Adding a contact's address yourself.
1. Open the Address Book and click the Addresses button.
2. Click the New button and then click New
Contact.
3. Type the person's name — typically, the name a recipient of your e-mail
messages will see.
4. Type the e-mail address with no spaces.
5. Click each of the other tabs to add any
information you want to keep on hand such as home address, phone number or
birthday and then click OK.
6. Close the Address Book.
• Creating one name for a group of people.
If there's a group of people you e-mail frequently, you can gather all their
names together under one entry (and name) and then send e-mail to everyone in
the group by typing the group name in the "To" box when you write a message.
Outlook Express will automatically send the message to everyone on the list.
1. In the Address Book, click the New button and then click New Group.
2. Type a name for the group.
3. To add a person from your address book, click Select Members.
To add a person to the group without adding
the name to your address book, type the name and e-mail address and then click
the Add button.
4. Click the name of the person you want to add.
5. Click the Select button to add the name to the Members list.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you've added every
name you want.
6. When you've finished, click OK twice and close your Address Book.
Oh, and by the way, always back up your
Address Book after adding addresses!
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Service Pack 2 helps protect PC, improves privacy (6/20/05)
For those of you who haven't installed
Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), perhaps it's time you considered doing so.
However, before I provide my reasons for suggesting that you install SP2, a word
of caution.
If you do not have Broadband (Comcast, Roadrunner or DSL), I recommend you order
an SP2 CD from Microsoft (www.microsoft.com). It's free of charge. DO NOT
attempt to download and install it if you have a dial-up Internet connection.
And please, if you have any concerns about your ability to install SP2, contact
a qualified technician. If you need a recommendation for a qualified,
"no-charge-to-chat" technician — e-mail me.
Why install SP2? My experience suggests it
will:
• Help protect your PC from harmful attachments. By alerting you to potentially
unsafe attachments, SP2 will help protect your computer from Internet viruses,
spyware and malware that can infect Internet Explorer, Outlook Express and
Windows Messenger.
• Improve your privacy when you're on the
Web. SP2 will help protect your personal information by applying the security
settings that will guard your PC when files and content are downloaded using
Internet Explorer.
• Avoid potentially unsafe downloads. Internet Explorer download monitoring and
the Internet Explorer Information Bar will warn you about potentially harmful
downloads. They also provide an option to block potentially malicious files.
• Reduce annoying pop-ups. Internet Explorer Pop-Up Blocker makes your Internet
adventures more enjoyable by reducing unwanted ads and content that pop up when
you're browsing the Web.
• Provide firewall protection from startup to
shutdown. The powerful, built-in Windows Firewall is now turned on by default.
This helps protect Windows XP against viruses and worms that are spread via the
Internet.
• Allow you to control your security settings from one convenient location. The
new Windows Security Center provides one-stop access to your current security
status and key security management settings.
• Expeditiously provide critical XP updates.
Enhancements to Windows XP's Automatic Updates feature now makes it even easier
to access Windows updates. And new technology has been added to help dial-up
customers download updates more efficiently.
• Help protect your e-mail address. Improvements to Outlook Express help reduce
unwanted e-mail by limiting the possibility of your e-mail address being
validated by potential Spammers.
• Help protect against crashes caused by browser add-ons. The new Internet
Explorer Add-On Manager provides a more trouble-free browsing experience by
allowing you to easily view and control potentially dangerous add-ons.
• Provide hassle-free wireless support. SP2
improves wireless support as well as simplifying the process of discovering and
connecting to wireless networks in your home or on the road.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
XP has big variety of imaging facets (6/27/05)
Fantastic features can help pros and novices
With the summer vacation season upon us, I
thought it was an appropriate time to remind new XPers and digital photographers
of XP's extraordinary array of almost intuitive digital imaging support
features.
There are features that include wizards to assist the novice if they decide to
e-mail or print their vacation photos.
But before I discuss these features, let me remind everyone that unless you're
sure that the recipient of your attached photos can receive multiple photo
attachments, you should only e-mail one photo attachment at a time.
And always e-mail only one photo attachment
if your ISP is other than AOL and you're e-mailing it to an AOL address.
To send a photo attachment via Outlook or Outlook Express:
• Click Start > My Pictures and, if
necessary, open a specific sub Folder.
• Click View > Thumbnails to help you find the photo you wish to send.
• Highlight the photo and click "E-mail this File" on the Picture Task menu.
Or right click on the photo and left click
Send to > Mail recipient.
• Select "Make all my pictures smaller" for photos to be viewed only on a
computer monitor or for an average quality DeskJet print.
• Select "Keep the original size" if you want
to send a photo as is without resizing.
But be aware if you e-mail a large photo file, particularly a bitmap photo, if
the recipient doesn't have broadband then the extraordinary download time could
result in an extraordinarily testy recipient.
To print a photo:
• Click Start > My Pictures and, if
necessary, open a specific Folder.
• Click View > Thumbnails to help you find the photo(s) you wish to print.
• Highlight the photo(s) and click "Print
this picture" on the Picture Task menu
• Then, by using XP's Photo Printing Wizard you'll be guided though the steps
required to select the photo(s) you want to print, how many of each to print and
the size of the photo(s) to be printed.
By the way, if you receive a photo that for whatever reason is too large to
view, XP provides an expeditious way to size it for appropriate viewing.
And it will do so whether or not you have a
third party photo editing program.
First, save the e-mail photo attachment to your My Pictures Folder by right
clicking on it and left clicking "Save As."
Then either:
• Highlight the photo and click File > Open With > Windows Picture and Fax
Viewer.
• Or right click on the photo and select Open With > Windows Picture and Fax
Viewer.
The photo will be appropriately resized.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
It's always wise to have a technician near (7/4/05)
Installation of Microsoft's SP2 could easily affect other programs
I wasn't surprised my recommendation that it
was time you considered installing XP Service Pack 2 (Good Boot, June 20)
generated as much e-mail as it did.
But the volume of e-mail questioning my recommendation that if you're a novice
or have any insecurities about your technical prowess that you should chat with
a qualified technician before installing SP2 did surprise me.
Why would Microsoft offer novices an update as significant as SP2 without a
warning or, at least, a recommendation it might require a qualified technician
to install it? That was the challenge from many Good Booters.
Believe me. There was no negligence on
Microsoft's part. It's simply a matter of numbers.
The more programs and the quality of those programs installed on a computer, the
more opportunity there can be for installation problems and potential software
incompatibility.
Try this. On your keyboard do a Ctrl > Alt >
Delete to open your Windows Task Manger. Click the Processes Tab and note the
number of Owner, System, Local Services and Network Services that are currently
running. Pay particular attention to the Owner Processes.
Owner Processes (programs) are running in the background because when you
installed a program you either on purpose or inadvertently allowed them to be
installed as "run in the background" programs.
Please don't panic. My point is not to encourage you to rush to judgment as to
what Processes (programs) should or should not be running in the background —
many of these programs, such as your antivirus program, must be running in the
background to be effective.
It's rather to suggest that because when you
install SP2 there's always an outside chance it might conflict with programs you
have installed (particularly your security programs that run in the background).
If you're a novice, it's best you chat with your technician prior to
installation. Or at least have a technician you can expeditiously contact if you
should experience a problem.
I also recommend after installing SP2 that you go to your Control Panel and
click on Security Center. Check each of the categories to ensure Automatic
Updates and Windows Firewall are activated and your Internet Options are set to
default to your desired security settings.
Believe me when I suggest it's prudent to
have a qualified technician at your beckoned call. My SP2 installation went
awry. And only having a technician at my beckoned call saved the day and my
sanity!
For those planning to attend my July 9 seminar, know I'll be discussing in
detail all Control Panel settings to include Security Center settings.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Best defense against identity theft is common sense (7/11/05)
With all the publicity of late concerning
identity theft, I thought it appropriate to remind Good Booters that successful
identity theft via the Internet and e-mail isn't a matter of what you receive,
but what you give.
I'll wager most Good Booters have installed an array of anti-virus, spam,
spyware and malware software. And most assuredly, they've activated their
firewall. But know, as necessary as these precautions are, they'll not protect
you from identity theft if your computing habits do not include a healthy dose
of common sense.
Why? Because identity theft requires information that most of us do not have
readily available on our computer or, if we do, is not encrypted. Information
such as PIN numbers, savings account and checking account numbers with complete
check routing information or credit card numbers with their security IDs. Nor
does the average user leave their computer on and connected to the Internet day
and night.
Identity thieves who lurk on the Internet,
unlike the bad guys who just want to destroy your system or discover your
Internet browsing habits, do not have the time nor inclination to attempt to
harvest information from your computer if it requires them to sit around waiting
for you to fire up your computer and connect to the Internet. They would much
rather have you voluntarily provide the information they need to steal your
identity either by an irresistible Internet offering that requires you to
provide personal information or by phishing.
In either case, your best defense is common sense.
Your parents warned you if something seems
too good to be true, it probably is. And if what seems to be too good to be true
is offered by an Internet company with which you're unfamiliar, particularly
when the offer requires you to provide personal information, best you use the
convenience and power of an Internet search to research the credibility of that
company or organization.
And if you receive a Phishing e-mail as most of us have from Princess Grace,
daughter of HRH King Solomon Abonime, the king of Ogoni Kingdom offering you a
portion of her country's treasury with which she absconded or from the
Cheerfulgate Lottery International, Madrid, Spain, announcing you've won their
lottery, simple respond with a Good Boot Salute — right click and delete.
If fact, whether it be your bank, credit card company or utility company, if
you're asked to update personal information — don't! And never be tempted to
click a hyperlink that'll connect you to their Web site.
Always keep in mind it's more dangerous to
give than it is to receive!
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Make sure XP Service Pack 2 installed, secure (7/18/05)
At my last XP Seminar I was surprised to
discover how many Good Booters were unsure whether XP Service Pack 2 was
installed on their computer. There were also some who were unsure if they had
confirmed SP2's default security settings.
There are three easy-to-access locations to discover if SP2 has been installed.
1. Start > Control Panel and look for the Security Center icon
2. Start > Control Panel > System
3. Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Software
Once you've determined SP2 has been
installed, go to and click the Security Center icon. The three settings you
should check:
1. Automatic Updates. By default and because Windows recommends it, Automatic
Updates may be checked as "Automatically download recommended updates for my
computer and install them."
I personally recommend changing this setting to "Download updates for me, but
let me choose when to install them." The reason is, by selecting this setting
you can complete any tasks you're involved in and, if appropriate, back up your
data before you install the downloaded Critical Updates. You'll also be prepared
for an expeditious reboot if it's requested when the updates have been
installed.
And if you're as curious as I am about what
the Critical Updates are, this setting also allows you to select "Custom," which
provides a synopsis of the update(s). Not that I'll not install them. I install
all Critical Updates and so should you! I just like to know what Microsoft is
installing on my computer.
2. Windows Firewall. If you don't have a third-party Firewall program, make sure
your Windows XP Firewall is set.
3. Internet Options. I suggest you check all
the default settings.
I recommend setting:
• "Security" at "Medium." Click the "Default Level" button. If you must, you can
make changes by clicking "Custom Level." But please be sure you understand the
consequences of any change you make to the default settings!
• "Privacy" also at "Medium."
There's no harm experimenting with these two settings, but read the descriptions
Windows provides when you increase or decrease security levels. Too high and you
may be nagged to death when the "Good Cookies" necessary to access a legitimate
Web site are rejected by Internet Explorer. Too low and you might be placing
your computer in harm's way.
A suggestion for those of you who are
"Significant Surfers," go to: www.zonelabs.com and the Zone Alarm Feature
Comparison Chart. Take a look at Zone Alarm Pro's features. Recently I received
a copy and found it so intuitive, I'm using it instead of Window's XP Firewall.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Soul mate better back up his backup (7/25/05)
It was only recently that I finally met a
Good Booter who was as paranoid about his data as I am — one who, like myself,
backs up their backup with a backup every time they add important "Stuff" to
their My Documents.
And I'll bet you can guess where I met my new soul mate. Where else but in the
"new toys" aisle of a local computer store. When Jonathan recognized me, he
hailed me with a, "Hey Al, I'm one of your avid Good Boot readers," followed by
the inevitable, "Do you mind if I ask you a 'quick' question?"
His quick question was the brand of jump drive he should purchase. But, as most
know, the definition of a quick computer question is one that precedes a
lengthy, enthusiastic and often animated discussion of one's computer
experiences. In Jonathan's case, it was his rationale for purchasing a jump
drive. It went something like this:
"Al, I'm a digital photography enthusiast
and, like you, I back up my backup with a backup. I have a second hard drive and
an external hard drive. I store all my data to include my digital photos on my
second hard drive and then copy all my data and photos to my external hard
drive.
However, when I saw the ad for a special price on a gigabyte jump drive, I just
couldn't resist the temptation to maximize my data security by adding one to my
array of alternate storage drives."
Not wanting to rain on Jonathan's parade and
half hoping he would mention it himself, I waited a few moments after he
finished his pontificating before I asked him if he included backing up to a CD
or DVD in his backup regimen.
His answer was no. His said with his redundant hard drives soon to include a
jump drive and the ability to expeditiously copy data from one to another, he
would not need to waste time burning data to CDs or DVDs.
With an all-knowing smile I handed him an umbrella and asked him if he was aware
there were viruses capable of deleting, corrupting or attaching viruses to his
data files — some that specifically target digital photo files. And they're
capable of infecting the data on multiple internal hard drives and external hard
drives connected to a computer. Only data burned to CDs and DVDs are immune from
their infection.
My paranoid soul mate's backup regimen now
includes burning his data and photos to a CD. I hope yours does too!
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Phone Phishing latest technique to get your info. (8/1/05)
E-mails prompt calls to customer support
My July 11 Good Boot was dedicated to
exposing Phishing and how to guard against this insidious method of enticing you
to voluntarily offer personal information.
If you recall I specifically warned against what until recently was considered
traditional Phishing scams — using e-mail to request personal information or to
direct potential victims to spoofed Web sites to steal their identities.
Unfortunately, either because awareness of traditional Phishing has reduced
successful ID harvesting or because in fact Phishing has been so successful, the
bad guys have added a new Phishing technique.
For many of the most sophisticated Phishers,
telephone Phishing has become the method of choice for harvesting personal
information. Instead of directing you to a spoofed Web site, you'll receive an
e-mail prompting you to call a customer support number. If you make the call,
you'll be connected to a real person or receive an audio response requesting
your account number, personal identification number and/or password — the
personal data needed to initiate a successful identity theft.
Whether it be traditional or telephone Phishing — always:
• Treat all unsolicited e-mail with
skepticism. Trust your instincts. If an e-mail message seems suspicious, delete
it.
• Confirm customer support phone numbers by checking the organization's Web
site. However, never follow a link in an e-mail. Always type in a Web site URL
address yourself.
• Refer to hard-copy records of past invoices or statements to determine if a
contact phone number is legitimate.
• Scrutinize your e-mail for telltale signs
of Phishing such as poor grammar, typos and strange Web addresses.
Be suspicious of phrases such as:
• "Verify your account": Legitimate
businesses will not ask that passwords, Social Security numbers or other
personal information be sent via e-mail.
• "If you don't respond immediately your account will be closed": Phishing
e-mail may be polite and seem accommodating. However, these messages will often
encourage you to respond immediately without considering the consequences by
threatening to close or suspend your account or by insinuating your account may
have been compromised
• "Dear Valued Customer": Phishing e-mail messages are usually sent out in bulk
and more often than not, do not contain your first or last name. Most legitimate
companies (but not all) will address you by your first and last name.
• "Click the link below to gain access to
your account": The link you're urged to click may contain all or part of a real
company's name but is "masked," meaning the link takes you to a spoofed Web site
rather than a legitimate site.
Always keep in mind it's more dangerous to give than it is to receive!
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Firewall purpose can be explained in simple terms (8/8/05)
Unprotected system much like open window
I often receive e-mail from
computer geeks accusing me of over-simplifying explanations for computer
"happenings," e-mail I promptly dispatch to my e-mail "Deleted" folder.
This is not an act of disrespect, it's just that I assume many Good Booters like
myself are technically challenged and would prefer my explanations be presented
with a KISS (keep it simple, stupid).
So for those who are a bit confused about how a firewall protects their
computer, I'm going to once again present my firewall KISS explanation.
The confusion seems to be how
uninvited "bad stuff," particularly malicious spyware — spyware that attacks
Windows operating systems — can wander the Internet randomly attacking
individual personal computers.
Picture this. It's November in Southwest Florida. Many residents along McGregor
Boulevard have opened their windows to take advantage of the first cool breezes
of fall. Unfortunately, however, this rite of fall provides a local "Infamous
Ellie" with an opportunity to commit one of his most notorious nefarious deeds.
Standing in the middle of
McGregor Boulevard, Infamous Ellie fires his shotgun down the middle of the road
hoping as the shotgun pellets spread out that at least one of them will fly
through an open window and ding a valuable vase.
Malicious spyware is sent the same way. Infamous Ellies shotgun it via the
Internet in hopes it will find a computer, any computer, logged on to the
Internet. When it finds one it slithers in and infects the computer.
Although our Internet Ellie would prefer the logged-on computer's operating
system was XP with always-connected broadband (cable or DSL), as his successes
have multiplied, so too has his ambition. Now his goal is to infect all
computers logged on to the Internet by whatever means.
OK, back to McGregor Boulevard.
When the residents discovered what Ellie was doing, how did they protect
themselves? They simply closed their windows facing McGregor Boulevard.
A firewall does something
similar.
Although it doesn't close your connection to the Internet, it does disguise it.
When Internet Ellie shotguns his malicious spyware out over the Internet, it
cannot find your Internet connection and passes you by.
Obviously, this explanation is a technical over-simplification. But I hope it
demonstrates why it's important everyone consider firewalling their computer.
However, be aware that a
firewall is not a substitute for an updated anti-virus program and installed XP
Critical Updates.
And please — use a bit of old-fashioned common sense. Keep away from
inappropriate Web sites and refrain from indiscriminate downloading of free
programs.
If you swim with sharks,
eventually you're going to get bitten!
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
'Free' software usually means 'Free to Download' (8/15/05)
There seems to be a bit
of confusion about what "free" implies when it's used to describe an Internet
software download.
I suggest "Free to Download" would be a better description.
There are many types of "Free to Download" software programs available on the
Internet to include Shareware and Evaluation Software, but only a "Freeware"
software program is "Free to Download" and "Free of Charge."
The three most popular
types of Free to Download software programs are Shareware, Evaluation Software
and Freeware:
• Shareware programs allow you to run an application for free to determine if
it's of value. However, you're required to pay the author if you decide you want
to continue using the application. When you do pay, you may receive additional
benefits.
• Evaluation software (demoware)
programs allow you to download a version of the software that lacks all the
features of the full application or expires after a period of time.
• Freeware is any software that can be legally downloaded and installed without
requiring payment.
There are Web sites that organize and review Freeware. I recommend Download.Com
and Tucows. Although not all the products offered on these sites are free
(Freeware), what is offered is cataloged as Freeware, Shareware or commercial
applications.
Microsoft
(www.microsoft.com and go to Download Center) offers some of the best and safest
Windows XP add-on Freeware downloads to include PowerToys, Movie Maker 2 and
Windows Media Player.
Freeware Home, Freeware Guide and WinSite are excellent sites for just Freeware.
I can almost assure you if it's available, you'll find what you're looking for
on one of these sites.
There are precautions
you should take:
• Do an Internet search of the software to see if there are any negative
comments
• Before downloading, thoroughly read disclaimers and disclosures
• Be sure the software
is compatible with your version of Windows
• Create a System Restore Point before an installation
Should you decide to
begin a Download adventure, I suggest you:
• Create a special Download Folder for your software downloads and the e-mails
that include software registration numbers.
• Burn your Download Folder to a CD each time you add a software download.
Here's wishing you a
Good Boot.
Programs going in background can sap resources (8/22/05)
Some applications should be turned off
Beware! This is one of my "nag a novice" Good
Boots.
If you're a novice, please do the following:
• Move your mouse pointer over each of the icons displayed in your Taskbar
Notification Area (the area of your Taskbar displaying date and time) and jot
down the programs with which they're associated.
• Now click Start > All Programs > Startup
and jot down the programs in your Startup Folder.
• Next click Start > Run and type in MSCONFIG. Click OK. When MSCONFIG opens
click the Startup tab. Scroll through the list and jot down the Startup programs
that have a check in their checkbox. But please, if you're a novice do not
change the status of any of these Startup programs.
Now total up the number of these "always
running in the background" programs.
I believe many of you will discover even after eliminating startup programs
duplicated in one or more of the three locations, you'll still have a
significant number of programs that are always running in the background.
Finally, right click on your Toolbar and select "Task Manager" and click the
Processes tab. Scroll though the Processes and note that in addition to the
Startup programs displayed in your Notification Area, Startup Folder and
MSCONFIG, there are many more Processes running with User Names such as System,
Network Services and Local Services.
If you add the number of applications
(programs) you may have opened (click the Task Manager Applications tab) to the
number of Task Manager active Processes, I'll wager some of you would not be
surprised if I told you you're putting a significant burden on your computer's
resources.
I'll also wager some of you will be surprised to learn that many of the programs
that are always running in the background are doing so because you inadvertently
allowed them to be installed that way and not because they necessarily should be
installed that way.
The decision as to what programs should or
should not be installed as always running in the background is best left to a
qualified technician. This is particularly important today when so many have
become so paranoid they're installing too many always running in the background
anti-spam, spyware and malware software. Often so many, they become
counterproductive.
I know I nag you to death about consulting a qualified technician. But please
believe me when I suggest a chat with your technician about what programs should
or should not always be running in the background may prevent a multitude of
problems — perhaps even the blue screen of death.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Here, in detail, are steps you need for download adventure (8/29/05)
My Aug. 15 Good Boot concluded with the
suggestion that if you decide to begin a download adventure, you should create a
unique download folder to store your software downloads and their e-mailed
registrations if the software was purchased online.
However, it became apparent from the e-mail I received that I should have
explained in detail the steps necessary to accomplish a successful download
adventure. So for those who would like to know but did not e-mail me:
• Click on Start > My Documents.
• Under "File and Folder Task" click "Make a
New Folder." Name it "My Downloads."
Now, as a practical demonstration, let's download Picasa — a free software
program from Google that helps you find, edit and share all the pictures on your
PC.
• Open My Documents and click on your "My
Downloads" folder
• Under "File and Folder Tasks," click "Make a New Folder." Name it "Picasa"
• Open Internet Explorer and type in: www.picasa.com.
• Click the "Download" button
• When the "Download" panel opens click the "Save" button and save "picasa2-
setup-1884.exe" to your My Documents > My Downloads >Picasa folder
When the download is complete, your choices
will be to:
• "Run" (install it)
• "Open Folder" and click "picasa2-setup-1884.exe" to install it
• "Close" the panel.
Close the panel for now.
For the purpose of this tutorial let's
pretend Picasa is a program you purchased online.
• Open any e-mail in your in box and pretend it's the e-mail you received
containing Picasa's registration number
• Click File > Save As and save it as either HTML (.htm, .html) or Text (.txt)
in your My Documents > My Downloads > Picasa folder
Now you have a My Documents > My Downloads >
Picasa folder containing both Picasa's installation file and the e-mail
confirming Picasa's Registration number.
But wait, you're not finished yet!
Each time you download a software program,
particularly one purchased online — back up your My Documents, My Downloads
folder to a CD-R! And treat the CD-R with the same care as you would a software
CD purchased from a local retailer.
By the way, if you discover a useful, free software program like Picasa and
would like to send it to a friend as an e-mail attachment but want to be sure
because it has an .exe extension it will not be blocked by an anti virus or
malware program — try this:
• Copy the installation file into a separate folder
• Delete its .EXE extension
• Open an e-mail and attach the file without the .EXE
• Instruct the addressee to add .exe to the
file when they receive it
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Thumbs file helps digital photo enthusiasts (9/5/05)
Explore possibilities of Thumbs.db program
Have you ever wondered about the file "Thumbs.db"
and how it arrived in your My Pictures folder? Or why when you're backing up or
copying your digital photos to another location, Windows may pause and ask if
you really want to back up or copy the Thumbs.db file?
If you haven't — you're either not a digital photo enthusiast or you're one of
those who knows XP has extraordinary support for digital photography but just
hasn't had the time or, perhaps, the inclination to explore the possibilities.
When you open a My Pictures folder or My Pictures subfolder containing digital
photos and click View > Thumbnails, Windows provides a way to view all your
photos in a mass display of miniatures (thumbnails). This allows you to work
more efficiently with multiple photos because you don't need to open each photo
to view it.
The first time you use the thumbnail view,
Windows creates a Thumbs.db file. Thumbs.db is best described as a database file
that accesses a cache of all the digital photo miniatures Windows creates when
you click View > Thumbnails. Its purpose is to provide an expeditious
presentation of your digital photo miniatures.
Thumbs.db will also update the first time you view your photos as thumbnails
after adding photos to your My Pictures folder or subfolder.
Note: Because it's a Windows system file,
when you attempt to copy or back it up you may be asked to confirm your wish to
do so.
I don't know why you'd want to delete a Thumbs.db file or prevent Windows from
creating one unless it's because it's interfering with your particular backup
software — but if you do:
• You can delete a Thumbs.db file. But unless you permanently prevent Windows
from creating the file, Thumbs.db will reappear the next time you View >
Thumbnails.
• If you want Thumbs.db to continue doing its
job but want to hide it from view, click Start > Control Panel > Folder Options.
On the View tab select "Do not show hidden files and folders" and click Apply >
OK.
• If you want to prevent Windows from creating a Thumbs.db file, click Start >
Control Panel > Folder Options. On the View tab select "Do not cache thumbnails"
and click Apply > OK.
Thumbs.db is only one of the many ways XP
supports digital photography.
For those considering becoming involved in digital photography, Windows XP
adventure or have procrastinated discovering XP's extraordinary digital support,
I'll be presenting my "Windows XP — Digital" seminar at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday
at the Lee Memorial Hospital auditorium on Cleveland Avenue. E-mail me for
information.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Anti-virus software offers no protection from Trojan Horses (9/12/05)
Too many novices assume their anti-virus
software will protect them from a Trojan Horse virus. And I can understand why
as when asked for a definition those who are supposed to be in the know will
often simply define a Trojan Horse as "a virus known to create a backdoor on
your computer allowing malicious users access to your system."
I'm not disputing their definition or that there may be anti-virus programs that
can detect the type of Trojan Horse they're defining. But I am concerned that
their definition doesn't include the original definition of what I'll call a
Traditional Trojan — "something that at first glance will appear to be useful
software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer."
Most Traditional Trojans are delivered via e-mail attachments and have a modus
operandi similar to their mythological namesake. They seduce the receiver into
opening and executing the attached file by implying it's a legitimate software
program or a file from a legitimate source.
When a Traditional Trojan is executed, the
results can vary. Some are designed to just be annoying (like adding silly
desktop icons) but more than likely the Traditional Trojan will cause serious
damage by deleting files and/or destroying information on your system.
The definition of a Traditional Trojan includes two warnings. That's because
it's often a legitimate system (DOS) command:
• It cannot be detected by an anti-virus
program
• It executes too fast for you to stop it.
Several holiday seasons ago there was a Traditional Trojan that arrived as an
e-mail attachment with the following announcement in the body of the e-mail:
"This is a cute little screen saver of Santa Clause sliding down your chimney
delivering holiday gifts."
When you clicked on the attachment, instead
of saving the screen saver, your computer executed a legitimate computer command
— Delete *.doc. Instantly, all (* = All) your documents ending in .doc (Word
Documents) were deleted, often never to reappear in your Recycle Bin.
There is, however, a way to ensure you'll not become infected by a Traditional
Trojan e-mail attachment.
Before you open any e-mail attachment always
be able to answer "Yes" to all four of these questions:
• I know who the attachment is from
• I know what the attachment is
• I know what the attachment does
• I know the attachment came directly from the sender — it wasn't forwarded.
By following Compu-Doctor's rules for safe
computing, you'll not have to worry about Trojans of any kind or for that matter
any e-mailed virus attachment.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
System restore doesn't cure all, but it's better than nothing (9/19/05)
Many Good Booters have asked whether they
should back up their registry before tweaking their Windows system or installing
software and hardware.
The registry is defined as a database where Windows stores configuration
information. It contains profiles for each user and information about system
hardware, installed programs and property settings. Windows continually
references this information during its operation.
My response has been, if you're a novice, it's best you use XP's "system
restore" utility to back up your registry and other critical Windows system
files.
System restore is configured to restore your
system to a previous state, such as the one that existed before you damaged your
registry during installation of a program.
Although system restore won't restore your entire system, it will keep track of
crucial system files, to include your registry, by creating "restore points" at
logical intervals. But most important, you can set restore points manually
before tweaking your Windows environment.
To insure your system restore is turned on:
• Click Start > Control Panel > System > System Restore
Or
• Click Start > All Programs > Accessories >
System Tools > System Restore > System Restore Settings
• Make sure your C Drive is set to "Monitoring"
• Click "Settings" and move the slider to
"MAX"
To launch system restore:
• Click Start > Control Panel > System > System Restore
Or
• Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore
• Select Create A Restore Point > Next and
then type a name for your restore point in the "Restore Point Description
field."
Don't bother including a date and time in your name. System restore
automatically adds this information to your restore point name.
• Click "Create" to create the restore point.
To restore your computer to a previous state:
• Click Start > Control Panel > System > System Restore
Or
• Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore
• Select Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time > Next
The wizard will present a calendar with
restore choices.
• Once you've chosen a restore point, click Next to implement it.
System restore is not a panacea for all
beleaguered novice indiscretions. Nor is it a reliable fix for a virus-infected
system. And as it doesn't back up all the "stuff" in your My Documents, it's
definitely not a substitute for an off-computer backup regimen.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Don't put your valuables in harm's way (9/26/05)
It wasn't more than a couple of years ago
Good Booters used film when photographing their adventures and purchased a
computer to discover all the potential opportunities it provided.
Today I suggest that many Good Booters purchase their computers only for e-mail,
the Internet and as a super peripheral for their digital camera — a super
peripheral that provides a place to download their photos and a short-term
residence for the photos they may want to sort, edit, print, e-mail and then
burn to a CD/DVD.
Although purchasing a computer as a super peripheral for one's digital camera
isn't by itself necessarily a bad thing, I believe the fact it's producing a
unique generation of naive computer novices who are unwittingly placing their
"Stuff" to include their irreplaceable photos in harm's way — is a bad thing.
This new generation of naive novices can best
be described as digital photography enthusiasts who because they obviously
considered their computer nothing more than a digital camera peripheral, have
made little or no effort to master or even become familiar with their XP
operating system. Nor have they taken more than a casual interest in protecting
themselves from the bad guys — viruses, spyware and malware.
The bad news is because XP is so stable and so forgiving of novice
transgressions, many of these naive digital photo enthusiasts first experience
with a computer problem or virus infestation has been a catastrophic experience.
A catastrophic experience that corrupted everything on their hard drive to
include expunging their hard drive of all their irreplaceable digital photos.
However, the good news is the leadership of
many small computer clubs throughout Southwest Florida have also recognized this
recent phenomenon and the need their members have for quality Windows "how to's"
and XP seminars. I know because of the extraordinary number of requests I've
received of late from people asking if I'd be willing to visit with them and
present one or more of my Good Boot seminars.
So extraordinary are the number of requests that I've decided that beginning in
October and continuing through the 2005-06 season, I'll be offering four Windows
"how to's" and four XP seminars that can be cherry-picked by any computer club
or nonprofit organization in Southwest Florida.
I'll provide the presentation equipment, e-books and tutorials. A club need only
provide an appropriate meeting facility.
If your computer club or non-profit
organization is interested in scheduling a Good Boot presentation, e-mail me or
call me at 433-0549 for information. I'll be offering what is required to
schedule a presentation.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Security reason to leave registry alone (10/03/05)
Many Good Booters responded to my Sept. 19
article, "System restore doesn't cure all, but it's better than nothing" with
e-mail asking why I suggested novices use System Restore to back up their
registry rather than Windows Backup or a third-party backup program.
My policy has always been never to discuss in Good Boot religion, politics or
the Windows Registry. However, because of your interest I'll make an exception
and answer the question.
The Windows Registry is a dynamic database that from the time Windows is
installed on a computer records everything (and I emphasize everything) that
Windows experiences. It could be something as extraordinary as adding a second
hard drive or installing a state-of-the-art software program or as innocuous as
deleting a Desktop shortcut.
And because Windows refers to the information
in the registry for instructions on how to do everything, should it be corrupted
(even the least bit corrupted) the consequences can be catastrophic.
One would think a database of this importance would be well protected from and
programmed to resist novice tinkering transgressions.
Unfortunately, except for its anonymity, it
enjoys no more security or protection than one of your Access or Paradox
databases.
This lack of security and protection is the reason I suggest a novice should not
become involved in a personal relationship with their registry!
As for backing up your registry:
Your registry is a dynamic database that
records any and all changes you make to your Windows system regardless of how
important or complex they may be. And it's not unreasonable to expect your
registry will receive information about changes to your Windows system almost
every time you do any significant computing.
Obviously, you can see where I'm going. Even if you're a novice who accesses
your computer for only a limited number of adventures, if you backed up your
registry today it wouldn't take too many days for you to make enough changes to
your registry to cause your backup to become obsolete. And an obsolete registry
is just as dangerous as a corrupted registry.
If you're a novice, my advice is that
restoring your registry should only be a function of a Windows System Restore
executed immediately after you experience a problem such as installing a program
or after a Windows tweak goes awry.
I'm assuming, of course, you created a System Restore Point before a program
installation or a Windows system tweak.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot
Safeguard combo can be last chance to save system (10/17/05)
In past Good Boots I've discussed how, if used expeditiously, both System Restore and Safe Mode are Windows features that may provide an opportunity for a novice to restore their Windows system should a Windows tinkering transgression or anything else for that matter corrupt a Windows system file(s).
I have, however, never discussed how, when
used in combination, they can potentially be your last chance to recover from a
Windows system failure that prevents you from booting to your desktop — at least
your last chance without the assistance of a professional technician.
Let's assume you created a Restore Point before installing your new software
program "My Cheap and Shoddy Database" by clicking Start > All Programs >
Accessories > System Tools > System Restore and typing in a Restore Point >Cheap
and Shoddy.
And because you did, you click yes at the end of the installation when you were
asked if you wanted to reboot your computer in order to complete the
installation.
And why not? Though you were intentionally
installing a cheap and shoddy program, you were confident should anything go
awry, your System Restore Point would restore your Windows system to a
pre-installation last-known good configuration.
But alas, Windows experiences a serious problem with your cheap and shoddy
software installation.
It's so serious that Windows boots to the
Blue Screen of Death rather than your desktop, where you may have had a chance
to restore your system via System Restore.
However, because you're familiar with Safe Mode, you know that all may not be
lost.
You reboot again, but this time as soon as the reboot begins you tap, tap your
F8 key. A menu appears.
Using your keyboard arrow keys you highlight
Safe Mode and press Enter.
Safe Mode loads an uncorrupted generic version of Windows that takes you to a
Safe Mode Desktop.
Note: Because Safe Mode loads a generic
monitor driver, your desktop icons may be unusually large and your Start Menu so
large it requires scrolling to view it all.
When you arrive at your Safe Mode Desktop, you click Start > All Programs >
Accessories > System Tools > System Restore > Restore my computer to and earlier
time > Next > click >Cheap and Shoddy > Next > and follow instructions.
That's all there is to it.
With hope, Windows will be able to blow off
your current corrupt system settings, reload the uncorrupted pre-cheap and
shoddy database program installation settings and reboot to your everyday
desktop.
And if you wish, after creating a new restore point (just in case) you can
delete the Program Files Folder — My Cheap and Shoddy database.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Novices: Don't disable your security features (10/17/05)
Before I discuss two security-related
Internet Explorer and Outlook Express FAQs — if you're a novice please take to
heart this absolute axiom.
Never be tempted to disable a feature of your security software or a security
feature of a Windows program just because you're annoyed with it or it doesn't
function as you'd like it to.
It's always best to keep a program's security features protecting you until you
discover a configuration setting that allows you to change the program's
behavior to suit you. Most security software and Windows programs are flexible
enough to provide the security you require without compromising convenience.
Two Internet Explorer and Outlook Express
security FAQs:
Question: How do I prevent Internet Explorer from blocking cookies necessary to
access a "desired" Web site?
Answer: Your Internet Explorer Privacy
settings might be blocking you from Web sites that require cookies to retain
registration information and other settings. You can, however, ensure Internet
Explorer will not block cookies you do not want it to block, and do so without
compromising your overall privacy settings.
• Open Internet Explorer and click Tools > Internet Options > Privacy tab
• Your security cookie slider should be set to medium
• Higher "only" if you have an extraordinary
security issue
However, these settings may be blocking cookies that you want Internet Explorer
to allow.
To maintain a safe level of security but
allow individual cookies to be accepted:
• Click Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > Sites
• In the "Per Site Privacy Actions" widow type in the URL in the Address of Web
Site field
• Click Allow and click OK
To remove a site from the list of allowed sites, simply select the site in the
Managed Web Sites list, click Remove and click OK.
By the way, I suggest whether or not you're
planning on using this Internet Explorer feature you check your "Per Site
Privacy Actions" window and see if, without your permission, a rascal site has
authorized its cookie to be accepted.
Question: I think Outlook Express is blocking some of my e-mail with
attachments.
Answer: Your Outlook Express may have a default setting that's deciding whether
an e-mailed attachment is secure. When it deems it a threat Outlook Express will
block the e-mail.
• Open Outlook Express
• Click Tools > Options > Security
• Be sure "Do Not allow attachments to be
saved or opened that could potentially be a virus" is not checked.
• Click the check box to uncheck.
If you have an anti-virus program there's no need for Outlook Express to decide
what e-mailed attachments you should or shouldn't receive.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
What all those disc storage letters stand for (10/31/05)
It can be confusing, and there's more yet to come
Today's optical storage drives can handle an
alphabet soup of recordable/rewriteable disc technologies. Unfortunately,
however, many novices are a bit confused about the differences between CD, DVD
and RAM discs in general and specifically those little pluses and minuses before
their Rs or RWs.
All recordable/rewriteable disc drives support one or more of the seven basic
disc recording/rewriting standards: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
and DVD-RAM. Their various formats account for the differences in how they work
and what they can do.
• CD-R (CD-recordable) is a universal format recognized by the majority of
optical drives. It's a write-once technology. You can write data to the disc in
multiple sessions, but once it's recorded you can't erase it.
• CD-RW (CD-rewriteable) is perhaps the most
popular optical drive format. Its rewriteable recording technology allows users
to write, erase and rewrite data to a single CD.
• DVD-R (DVD-recordable) is a write-once recording standard endorsed by the ADVD
Forum that can store 4.7GB of data on a single DVD. DVD-R also supports a DL
(dual-layer) technology that allows the storage of 8.5GB of data.
• DVD-RW (DVD-rewriteable) provides an
opportunity to write and rewrite 4.7GB of data to a single DVD. However it
doesn't support DL (dual-layer) technology and is incompatible with most
early-model DVD optical storage drives.
Ah, but there's more.
In response to the DVD-R/RW format developed by the ADVD Forum, Philips, Sony
and HP formed the ADVD+R/RW Alliance and developed a competing optical recording
format.
• DVD+R. (DVD+recordable) like DVD-R is
compatible with most existing DVD players and can store as much as 4.7GB of data
on a single layer or 8.5GB of data on a DL (dual-layer) disc.
• DVD+RW. (DVD+rewriteable) was also developed by the ADVD+RW Alliance as an
alternative rewriteable DVD format. Unfortunately, like other rewriteable media,
it isn't recognized by all optical storage drives.
• DVD-RAM. Like DVD-RW and DVD+RW it can
write as much as 4.7GB of data to each disc side for a total of 9.4 GB of data.
However, DVD-RAM is expensive, has compatibility issues with all other optical
storage drive formats and requires a special disc cartridge.
And guess what. Blu-ray is on the way. For a mere $2,000 for the recorder and
$25 for a disc you'll be able to burn 54 GBs of data.
But I suggest if you cannot wait for Blu-ray and you're still confused (as most
novices are) about CD and DVD terminology, your best bet is to just go out and
invest in a multipurpose DVD-RW drive that supports the CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW and
DVD+R/RW formats.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Don't let your computer 'Stuff' guard down; protect it (11/7/05)
With a horrendous hurricane season almost
over, the timing of my semiannual Good Boot article warning that November can be
the beginning of a potentially disastrous season of computer complacency may
seem inappropriate.
Although it's not as bad as weathering a hurricane, many novices may become a
bit too cavalier about protecting their "Stuff."
In fact, I'll wager that beginning this month and until next year's hurricane
season begins, more Good Booters will lose data they're working on because of
electrical brownouts and power outages caused by construction and road upgrading
than lost data as a result of Hurricane Wilma.
If you're a serious user who creates serious
"Stuff," I suggest you:
• Purchase a surge protector with a battery backup.
Should you experience a power outage your
battery backup will keep your computer running long enough for you to save all
the "Stuff" you've been working on and then initiate a normal, safe computer
shutdown. A battery backup also will insure brownouts are non-events.
• Determine if your software programs have an automatic, timed backup option.
Example: You can set an automatic timed backup in Microsoft Word by clicking
Tools > Options > Save. Note: Don't confuse a program's "timed backup" with a
backup of all your My Documents "Stuff" to a CD. A timed document backup is an
automatic updated "Save" of the document you're working on as you're working on
it.
If one of your software programs doesn't have
a timed backup option (and even if it does), I suggest you develop what I call a
"File >Save Manual Mouse Pointer Reflex." Every time you add something
significant to a document or pause to do a "think about," you click File > Save.
Oh, and one other suggestion for those who'll be shutting down their computers
during an extended holiday trip.
Although I'm sure you all have your XP,
anti-virus and anti-spyware programs set to "automatic update," I suggest when
you return home and before you access your e-mail and/or surf the Web, you do a
"Just in Case" manual check for any uninstalled XP updates as well as updates
for your anti-virus/spyware programs.
If you have a couple of hours to spare at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, consider
attending my semiannual "How to protect yourself from viruses, spyware and other
Internet Bad Fellows" seminar at the Lee Memorial Hospital auditorium. I'll be
covering how to avoid all the new and dangerous threats to your computer's
safety and your computing sanity.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Take care when accessing system file folders on PC
(11/14/05)
There's a reason Microsoft hid them from users
Many moons ago David Keller, a.k.a. Compu-Doctor, suggested that
the first law of Windows should be that novices must never be tempted to delete,
rename or move any file they did not:
• Put on their hard drive themselves with a program's "Save" or "Save As"
command
• Download from their digital camera
• Receive as e-mail
I can't confirm it was because Microsoft was so impressed with Keller's first
law of Windows and his warning, "if one violates this law, Windows will not work
properly or may stop working altogether" that when Windows XP was released, many
of its folders containing key Windows system files were by default hidden from
view.
However, I can confirm that Microsoft intentionally hid
Windows XP system folders containing system files because of the catastrophic
experiences of novices who either accidentally or naively deleted, moved or
renamed Windows 95, 98 and ME system files.
Note: Windows system files are files that constitute part of the operating
system. At the very least, deleting, moving or renaming system files for
whatever reason will produce error messages and the possibility that certain
features of Windows will not operate properly. At worst, you may not even be
able to boot to Windows.
However, there may come a day when even a novice may need to access a system
file. But to do so he or she will be required to make their Windows system file
folders visible.
If it's absolutely necessary (and I emphasize absolutely
necessary) for you to see what the Windows XP programmers intended you not to
see:
• Click My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > View
Or
• Press Windows Key-E > Tools > Folder Options > View
Or
• Click Start > Control Panel > Folder Options > View
To change the setting that will allow you to view the content of Windows system
folders:
• Put a check mark in the check box next to "Display The
Contents Of System Folders"
• Select (click on) the radio (o) button next to "Show Hidden Files and Folders"
• Remove the check marks from the boxes next to "Hide Extensions For Known File
Types"
• Remove the check mark from "Hide Protected Operating System
Files"
Note: After clearing "Hide Protected Operating System Files" you'll be prompted
to confirm this action. Click Yes > OK to save your changes.
To view all your system folders and files, click My Computer >
Folders > C: > Windows. But please keep in mind deleting, moving or renaming any
one of your Windows system files can result in a "Windows Blue Screen of Death."
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Backing up still causes loads of confusion (11/21/05)
If I had to select one computer subject that confuses more
Good Booters than any other, it would be backing up to CD-Rs and CD-RWs.
Even at my seminars, when I discuss in detail and physically demonstrate how to
back up to a CD-R and CD-RW, I can be assured the formal Q&A session will go on
for almost as long as the seminar itself.
Why is there so much confusion? Perhaps the following scenario will demonstrate
why.
A Good Booter, who has just purchased his first XP computer
and has taken to heart my nagging about backing up irreplaceable "stuff," calls
me. He asks me to guide him through his first permanent weekly backup to a CD-R.
As his "My Documents" doesn't exceed 600 megabytes, I tell him to:
1. Insert a blank, writable CD-R into his CD recorder.
2. Open his My Documents
3. Click Edit > Select All
4. Click Edit > Copy to Folder or on the Files and Folders
Tasks menu, click "Copy the Selected Items."
5. A "You have Files waiting to be written to the CD" balloon will open. To see
these files, click on the balloon.
6. On the CD Writing Task menu click "Copy these files to CD."
7. Follow the instructions in the CD Writing Wizard.
When the copy to the CD-R is complete, our elated and enthusiastic Good Booter
asks if I'd mind guiding him through a daily backup of his irreplaceable "Stuff"
to a CD-RW.
Once again, because his "My Documents" doesn't exceed 600
megabytes, I tell him to:
1. Insert a blank CD-RW into his CD recorder.
2. Open his third-party burning software program (Roxio or
Nero) and format the CD-RW.
Unfortunately, Step 2 is as far as I get because our Good Booter doesn't have
Roxio or Nero installed, and XP doesn't have a CD-RW formatting or rewrite
feature.
Is it any wonder why novices who have heard about the extraordinary value of a
CD-RW's rewrite features and who presume XP must have a CD-RW formatting and
rewrite feature become confused?
If you're one of the confused and would appreciate an
alternative to backing up your "Stuff" to a CD-RW, I suggest you consider a
Flash Drive.
They're inexpensive. A 1 gigabyte Flash Drive costs just a bit more than Nero
and Roxio software. They're safe because they've got no moving parts. And
they're fast because they're USB.
Even Quicken can be backed up directly to a Flash Drive.
I suggest a CD-R for your permanent backups and a Flash Drive for your daily
rewrite backups.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
'Budget' PCs
enough for some users (11/28/05)
Systems work well for use with cameras
For those of us who purchased our first computer systems for
$2,000 or more, the very thought that there are computer systems worthy of
consideration for less than $500 is almost inconceivable.
But after researching many of the under-$500 "budget" PCs being offered this
holiday season, I must admit many of them are appropriate for novices and even
experienced users with specific computer interests.
When I and many of my peers became interested in computers, it was out of
curiosity rather than a definite need. We never lost that curiosity or
uncontrollable compulsion to own the most powerful computer available.
But times have changed. Today more than 60 percent (a
conservative estimate) of the new users I meet purchased their computer as a
peripheral for their digital camera.
So it does seem logical that new users do not need to purchase an expensive
computer system if all they plan on using it for is e-mail, the Internet and as
a temporary domicile for their digital photos. Photos are downloaded from their
cameras or received as e-mail attachments.
For these activities, all that's needed is a high-speed
Internet connection and a digital photo boarding house where one can do a bit of
photo editing before e-mailing photos to friends and relatives, upload them to a
Web site and/or offload them to CDs for slide shows and storage.
And be assured you can be far more confident purchasing an inexpensive computer
system this holiday season than you could in the past.
One of the reasons you can be confident is that rather than the cheap parts,
shoddy manufacturing and unreliable warranties many computer manufacturers
relied on in the past to be able to offer inexpensive computers systems, today
many responsible manufacturers are eliminating expensive software bundles to
subsidize such systems.
This marketing philosophy seems to have become extraordinarily
effective on those who wanted to begin a digital photography adventure but were
reluctant to purchase an expensive mega system.
Now they can purchase a quality computer capable of providing all the power and
storage they'll probably ever need and then go out and:
• Purchase a photo-editing program of their choice. Perhaps
Adobe Photoshop Elements or Corel's Paint Shop Pro. Both are relatively
inexpensive and capable of providing all the photo-editing features they'll ever
need.
• Download free quality digital photo programs such as: Microsoft's Movie Maker,
Photo Story and XP Power Tools, Google's Picassa and IrfanView.
• Surf the Internet for digital editing software bargains.
I do, however, suggest novices consult with their technician
before purchasing any computer system.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot
Frugal users benefit from XP expertise (12/05/05)
Last week I suggested there are quality computer systems for
less than $500 that will do everything many users will ever need or want them to
do.
This is particularly true for novices who plan on using their computer only for
e-mail, the Internet and one or two other computing disciplines such as photo
editing and authorship.
However, whether you purchase an expensive system or an inexpensive system there
are two rules you must follow if you expect to enjoy a successful and satisfying
computing adventure.
1. Always have a qualified technician set up and configure
your computer in your home with all your peripherals (printer, scanner, digital
camera) and Internet access (cable, DSL or dial-up) connected to your computer.
2. Make time to master at least the basic features of Windows XP.
A basic knowledge of XP's features is absolutely necessary for
both the expensive and inexpensive computer user. But if you're a frugal Good
Booter, a basic knowledge of XP's features can add to the savings you've already
realized by purchasing a quality inexpensive computer system.
Keep in mind that third-party software programs do not add features to XP. They
can only access and integrate features XP provides to them. Thus, if a frugal
user becomes familiar with XP's features he or she may be able to directly
access a particular XP feature to accomplish a desired task rather than
purchasing a third-party software program to accomplish that task.
Examples:
• Other than an anti-virus program, novices do not need to and
should not install a third-party utility program. XP has all the utilities
they'll ever need.
• XP can resize photos to be e-mailed as attachments to ensure they're an
appropriate size.
• XP can help you select the best paper on which to print your
photos and then organize them for printing to insure you do not waste expensive
photo paper.
If you're a novice, and because discovering XP's basic features is so important,
I recommend you encourage your computer club to dedicate this season to
discussing and demonstrating them. I'll guarantee you'll thank me next April or
May. Or you can contact me for information about my Mastering XP seminar series,
beginning Dec. 10 at 9:30 a.m. at the Lee Memorial Hospital auditorium.
My first seminar will demonstrate and explain in non-technical terms how to
gather all your irreplaceable "Stuff" (photos, Favorites, e-mail and documents)
into "My Documents" and then how to burn your irreplaceable "Stuff" to CD-Rs and
CD-RWs.
Here's wishing you a Good Boot.
Make safe Web
holiday purchase (12/12/05)
I know I do not have to remind Good Booters that making a purchase on the Web
requires the same safety precautions as any other Internet surfing adventure.
Sa