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Issue 129 - March 29, 2001
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements ©2001
==== 1545 Subscribers in 50 Countries ====
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Welcome to the 129th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN
consists of news, tips, thoughts, and contests. There is something
for everyone, and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there
will be something for you. I am willing to discuss any computer
topic. Email me at mailto:editor@pcin.net with any suggestions.
If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will come
back for more!
Recommend PCIN to others and be entered in a monthly draw.
Recommend PCIN in March and win a Snappy! 4.0. The more you
recommend PCIN, the more chances you have to win. Recommend
PCIN now at http://www.pcin.net/recommend.shtml
OPENING THOUGHTS
This is your last chance to recommend PCIN in March. The
prize is a Snappy! 4.0. This is a device that will let you
capture video on your computer. If you don't have a graphics
card that has TV or other video in, then this is a great device
to have. Recommend PCIN now at http://www.pcin.net/recommend.shtml
The NEWS
Microsoft Posts Warning on Downloads
"Downloaders beware -- someone out there could be
masquerading as Microsoft, the software company warned yesterday.
VeriSign, the company that issues the digital certificates
used to authenticate the sources of software on the Internet,
accidentally issued two certificates to someone who fraudulently
claimed to be a Microsoft employee, according to a security
bulletin issued by Microsoft. That unknown person could
now post viruses or other malicious programs on the Web
disguised as Microsoft software."
For more info:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/23/BU103543.DTL
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5079987,00.html
http://www.verisign.com/developer/notice/authenticode/index.html
Eight Options for Amazon
"From partnering with Barnes & Noble to bringing
in Jack Welch, here are some ideas that could help the e-tailer
become profitable
At this point, just about everyone can agree: Amazon.com's
business model just isn't working. The company lost $1.4
billion on revenues of $2.8 billion in 2000, or $1 for every
$2 of goods sold. Its plan has always been to lose a lot
up front, grow really fast, and eventually start making
money on sales volume."
For more info:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2001/tc20010322_039.htm
First 'Napster-proof' CD set to burn
"If all goes as planned, Charley Pride will make music
history in April. After selling more than 70 million records,
Pride - one of the last great figures from the pre-Garth,
twang-box radio glory days of country music - is set to
release America's first copy-protected compact disk. A tribute
to singer Jim Reeves, who died in a plane crash in 1964,
Pride's CD will incorporate technology that, in theory,
will stop listeners from ripping its tracks into MP3s. If
it works - a hotly disputed question - copy protection will
change the terms of the battle over online music."
For more info:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/550565.asp
MOBILE COMPUTING NEWS and NOTES
I love surfing the web using the Sanyo 4500 phone. The larger
screen is nice, and I like accessing my company directory.
Why? Because I can log in to find the contact information
for everyone where I work, as well as see their picture. It's
just kind of cool to be able to look at your own picture...on
a phone...over the Internet.
Brought to you by Shawn Bremner and The Wireless Web ezine.
Sign up by sending a blank email to mailto:wirelessweb-subscribe@topica.com
I NEED HELP
I offer a free help service via email. If you have a question,
you can email me and I will try my best to answer them. I
can answer about most of them, but there are things that I
have never tried or experienced so I don't have an answer.
I post those questions here and see if any of the readers
have any suggestions. I will include all reasonable suggestions
with credit to you.
These are NOT my own questions and they are NOT my answers.
I will NOT check the validity of these comments. That is up
to you. If you do try one of these tips, please let me know
how the suggestions worked out. Did they work or not? Please
send in your questions or results to mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
Previous Questions
Q 128-01
Occasionally when online, my computer suddenly comes
up with the closing screen "it is now safe to turn
your computer off". This is a new machine and has
been checked by the supplier.
(AMD 800, 128MB RAM, 20GB HD, Windows 98 SE, IE5)
A 128-01
John Hills said, "I think your supplier should re
check the machine as assuming it is not a virus, it sounds
like a hard ware issue possibly caused by over heating
of one or more components or a power supply that is not
up to the standard required by an Athlon. (300 watts PSU)
However, try disabling all power saving options in the
BIOS."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken Berry said, "You may have corrupted files in
either IExplorer java or Visual Basic Runtimes that send
the command to shut down. Try a reinstall of IExplorer
and/or the most recent runtime files.
Other possibilities are a virus, code at a particular
website, or hacker sending the command to your computer.
In the last case BlackIce Defender from www.networkice.com or PortICE would stop
those attacks."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** said, "If you still get it they should too. Your
best bet is to take it back and don't leave till they
have found (ok maybe leave cos you probably cant sleep
there). But a more convenient solution may be to download
a virus scanner and check your computer thoroughly first.
Actually the first thing that came to my mind is that
you may be infected with "back orifice". There
are many web sites and dedicated programs for removing
such things."
Q 128-02
When I launch JPG files in MSPAINT.EXE, it gives a Dr.
Watson error.
Is there any way to rectify this?
A 128-02
John Hills said, "Get rid of Doctor Watson is one
way."
Ken Berry said, "It sounds like your file associations
for images aren't registered correctly. TweakUI can repair
these for standard file extensions. It's available at
almost all freeware/shareware sites out there. You can
go into windows setup and remove the paint application
then reboot your computer and reinstall, or you can reinstall
windows."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** said, "Last I looked MSPaint didn't support jpeg
files (thus the error). Try another program, ACDSee for
viewing is good and I like Paint Shop Pro for editing
pictures, both should be available in the Internet for
trial and support a wide variety of file types, especially
jpeg."
New Questions
Q 129-01
Problem driving me crazy is that I suddenly cannot download
any file attachment when I receive an email in my Hotmail
inbox. No matter what the attached file name or type (.doc,
.exe, .pdf) I can "view it from its current location,"
but if I click "download now" that attachment's
name changes to "getmsg" and what downloads
is a tiny file that when double-clicked just brings me
back to the Net and the view-or-download dialogue box.
I think I have proved that the problem is specific to
my home computer, because the problem does not exist when
I access the email from my office computer. Since I'm
guessing that it's some setting causing the problem, I've
made sure that my Internet settings in IE 5.5 are all
at "default." Just don't know what else to do.
(PIII 800, 128MB RAM, 6 GB HD, Win98SE, IE5.5)
Q 129-02
Is it possible to "piggyback" 2 graphics cards?
I am using a Monster4 and an Intel i740. Even if these
can't work together, any information on piggybacking would
be appreciated.
(AMD 800, 128MB RAM, 6GB HD, WinME, IE5.0)
If you have an answer to these questions or have a question
of your own, please email me at mailto:freehelp@pcin.net
THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF
Cheap Trick of the Week
**Stalling technique**
Ever been downloading one of those really important files
from the Internet and you've got about two minutes left
when you get a message saying your download timed out?
With the help of a little Registry edit, you can tell your
computer to wait longer before giving up on a download.
(If you are unfamiliar with editing the Registry, check
out the instructions and precautions at www.WE-Compute.com/registry.html
before attempting this.)
In your Registry Editor go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Services\Class\Modem\(number of your modem, most likely
0000)\Settings.
Click on the string value titled Inactivity Timeout and
change the numbers in the brackets. For example, if you
want your computer to wait 20 minutes for the stall to recommence,
type a 20 into the brackets like this: S19=<20>.
Get your own copy of "The Little Black Book of Cheap
Tricks: 2001" by visiting http://www.pcin.net/lbbct
New PCIN.net Features
I'm finally finding some time to work on the site. Here
are some of the latest additions:
Book Review of The Little Black Book of Cheap Tricks:
2001
http://pcin.net/help/books/reviewed/lbbct2001.shtml
Each week We-Compute! Magazine provides me with a "Cheap
Trick" to include in the newsletter. They have combined
hundreds more tip into a small book. The link above is for
the review of the book that I did.
More Registry Tips (now 22)
http://pcin.net/help/articles/registry.shtml
Anytime I see a tip or tweak for the registry, I add it
to this list. I add several new ones each week.
Lockergnome Tip of the Day
http://pcin.net/help/articles/lgtod.shtml
Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome has syndicated his daily tip.
This page has it.
Nerdy Books Tip of the Day
http://pcin.net/help/articles/nbtod.shtml
This is another interesting syndicated tip. It is in the
form of a cartoon (kind of) and has daily tips for Microsoft
Office. There is a corresponding book, which I will be reviewing
in the next couple of weeks.
Cheap Tricks Page
http://pcin.net/help/articles/cheaptricks.shtml
The "Cheap Tricks" mentioned above have been appearing
in PCIN for over a year. I have put them all together on
one web page. There is a printable version that is about
20 pages worth of tips. I will break it up into smaller
pieces in the future, but for now, they are all there in
one place for you. Since it is a big page, and it is in
a table, it may take a few extra seconds to load.
Microsoft's Tips for Using the Internet
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsme/using/internet/tips/default.asp
This is a collection of 32 tips that have to do with the
Internet. The links on the left side of the page also take
you to some other interesting articles on the Microsoft
site. It is in the Windows ME section of the site, but is
applicable to virtually all of their desktop operating systems.
Unfreezing a Computer
I came across this at work the other day and thought it
might be worth sharing. I was helping a co-worker (Cindi
Stranges who is also a subscriber) try and unfreeze her
computer. The computer was a Compaq Presario that has one
of those power buttons that if you press it quickly, it
tries to put the computer into standby mode. If you hold
it in for 5 seconds, it powers the computer off.
Well, Cindi went to turn it off, but didn't hold the button
in long enough. A message came up on the screen from Windows
saying that there was a program running that wouldn't allow
the computer to go into sleep mode. The computer wasn't
frozen any more, and all of the programs were working.
I don't know why this fixed it, but if you are experiencing
a total freeze on your system and you have no choice but
to restart, try and see if the hibernation/standby feature
works. It may "unfreeze" your computer in a similar
way.
DISCLAIMER and OTHER STUFF
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.
- If any of the links are too long to fit on one line,
you may have to cut and paste.
- You can only win one contest every 30 days.
- To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit
http://www.pcin.net/
and follow the appropriate links.
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and be entered in a monthly draw.
- There are only 2 ways to get on the subscriber list.
You have either been subscribed by filling out a subscription
form on any of the pages on my site, or you have requested
FreeHelp from me in the past.
- If you have a web site or run your own newsletter, please
email me at mailto:editor@pcin.net
and I will add it to the subscriber web pages that I have
on my site.
Graham Wing can be reached at mailto:editor@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2000, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All
rights reserved.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part,
as long as the author is notified and the newsletter is presented
as is.
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