ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2001
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Welcome to the 161st issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN consists mainly of news and tips. There is something for everyone, and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there will be something for you.
You can reach me at editor@pcin.net with any suggestions or comments. If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will come back for more!
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I'm finally getting caught up on some of the reviews I've had to do. There are 3 in this issue (with links to full reviews on the web site) and I have 2 more for next week. I've also got some more titles on the way to review. Some of them should be very good.
Tomorrow at 2:00 I start my first vacation in years. I've had my share of time off, but it has been a long time since I had actual vacation time. It works out that I will be off for 12 days. I have no plans at all other than relaxing. Lisa still has to work, so I should be able to get some more done around the house, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to rest as well.
Lastly, Lisa and Mom are almost ready for their craft show on Saturday. Hopefully they will sell all of their dresses.
French Nazi item ruling nixed by U.S. court
"In an important Internet policy case, a federal judge ruled Wednesday that Yahoo does not have to comply with a French order that it keep users in France from seeing Nazi-related content on the Web site. U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel ruled that the First Amendment protects content generated in the United States by American companies from being regulated by authorities in countries that have more restrictive laws on freedom of expression."
For more info:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001/11/08/yahoo-nazi-items.htm
Mouse inventor strives for more
"If you had invented something that was used every day by millions of people and had changed the way we all interacted with computers, you would feel pleased that you had achieved something in your lifetime. Not so if you are the man who created the computer mouse, Dr Douglas Engelbart."
For more info:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1633000/1633972.stm
Where's Harry Potter? Probably not online
Pirated copies of the much-anticipated Harry Potter movie have been reported online ahead of its U.S. release Friday, but impatient viewers will likely find it faster to wait in line at the theater rather than find an illicit version.
Searches on peer-to-peer exchanges such as LimeWire and Morpheus this week returned long lists of files whose titles incorporate "Harry Potter," the hero of the expected movie blockbuster based on the best-selling novels by J.K. Rowling. Few of those files, if any, represent the genuine article, however.
A random sampling of peer-to-peer sites taken by CNET News.com this week turned up many trailers for the movie as well as a handful of mistitled movies, but no working full-length versions of the film.
Here are the responses from the last poll:
Now that Napster is virtually gone, do you still download MP3s?
Yes, I use a different program: 38.46%
No, it doesn't interest me: 36.92%
No, it isn't worth the trouble: 15.38%
Yes, I just get them from my friends: 3.08%
Yes, I get them off web sites: 3.08%
Yes, I get them off usenet groups: 3.08%Total Votes: 65
Visit http://pcin.net/polls/ to participate in the new poll this week:
Have you ever downloaded an entire feature-length movie from the Internet?
Visit the PCIN FreeHelp Forum to post your questions or answer others. Each week I highlight a question, and where to go to get the answer.
Question
Where can I find an explanation of the contents in BOOTLOG.TXT. I have two items that continually show a failed load and would like to find out what it means.
Answer
Do you know the answer or have a suggestion? Visit http://www.pcin.net/cgi-bin/forum/index.cgi and check out the Software Forum. Post your answer or post a question of your own.
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Software602 602Pro PC Suite 2001 Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/602propcsuite2001.shtmlSoftware602 602Pro PC Suite Plus 2001
http://PCIN.net/help/software/602propcsuiteplus2001.shtmlPowerQuest Drive Image 4.0
http://PCIN.net/help/software/pqdriveimage4.shtmlSupport PCIN
http://pcin.net/donate.shtml
Software602 602Pro PC Suite 2001 (reviewed by Graham Wing)
"About a year ago I reviewed Software602's 602Pro PC Suite. This was a $50 US Microsoft Office Standard alternative. Although not as feature-rich as Microsoft Office, it certainly was an adequate solution for a home user, and much cheaper.
Since then, the product is now offered for free, and a new version has been released, Software602's 602Pro PC Suite 2001. I stand by my review of the older version. The basic functionality of the program is still the same.
In my previous review, I stated 'If you are looking for a reliable yet inexpensive Office Suite, then 602Pro PC Suite is the one for you.' Well, now that the software is free, it is an even better alternative. If you do not need a database (like Access) or presentation program (like PowerPoint), then 602Pro PC Suite will do just fine."Read the full review at
http://PCIN.net/help/software/602propcsuite2001.shtml
Software602 602Pro PC Suite Plus 2001 (reviewed by Graham Wing)
"The free Microsoft Office Standard alternative, Software602's 602Pro PC Suite 2001, is becoming ever more popular. It is a reliable program that performs many of the same functions that the MS suite can, and of course the price can't be beat.
There are, however, many things that it can't do. Software602 has released a product called 602Pro PC Suite Plus 2001 for $29.95 that adds many useful features. The basic suite is adequate, and the Plus suite adds much more for only 1/10 the cost of Microsoft Office."Read the full review at
http://PCIN.net/help/software/602propcsuiteplus2001.shtml
PowerQuest Drive Image 4.0 (reviewed by Chris Empey)
"I was recently given the task of reviewing Drive Image 4.0 by PowerQuest. Going through frequent rebuilds on my systems this seemed like the ideal utility for me.
My intention was to create an image of the smaller (also my boot) partition on the larger partition. I would then make a change in Windows, exit back to Drive Image and restore the original image."
Chris ran into a few problems along the way, but was finally able to complete the review. Version 4 is out-of-date already, but the review is still work reading. We're hoping to get version 5 to review soon.Read the full review at
http://PCIN.net/help/software/pqdriveimage4.shtml
CD-ROM Drive Tweak
Subscriber J. Crowe sent me this:
"I found the following CD-ROM drive tweak in the October 2001 issue of Maximum PC magazine.
Windows allows the user to select Quad Speed or higher speed by selecting START/SETTINGS/CONTROL PANEL/SYSTEM/PERFORMANCE/FILE SYSTEM/CD-ROM but doesn't allow for a higher setting for faster modern CD-ROM drives. This tweak will optimize the access pattern. The SUPPLEMENTAL CACHE SIZE should be set to LARGE.
Open regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\FILESYSTEM\CDFS\.
Depending on the version of WIN95/98/ME edit in DECIMAL or HEXADECIMAL. You can increase the CACHESIZE from the default of decimal 619 (hex 26B) to decimal 2476 (hex 9AC). To increase the buffer size from the default QUAD-SPEED change the PREFETCH line from its default of decimal 228 (hex E4) to decimal 1792 (hex 700). This will tell windows to optimize for a 32x CD-Rom drive instead of a 4x CD-Rom drive. (This tweak doesn't affect DVD-ROM drives, but will assist CD-ROM reads in DVD-ROM drives).
This has worked for me. My cd-rom drive use to speed up and then slow down continuously while accessing data on a cd-rom but after applying this registry tweak my cd-rom drive doesn't do that any more."
PCIN is brought to you by PC Improvements. The opinions expressed are those of the editor, Graham Wing. PC Improvements and Graham Wing accept no responsibility for the results obtained from trying the tips in this newsletter.
Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2001, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All rights reserved.
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