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Issue 157 - October 17, 2001
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2001
==== 2263 Subscribers in 60 Countries ====
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Welcome to the 157th 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!
Recommend PCIN at http://PCIN.net/recommend.shtml
Support PCIN at http://PCIN.net/donate.shtml
CONTENTS
OPENING THOUGHTS
Yesterday I attended the Microsoft Windows XP System Builder
Roadshow in Toronto. I don't build systems, but I find that
the shows for the builders contain better information than
the shows for the end-user. Windows XP truly does look impressive.
Probably not impressive enough to make me upgrade to Windows
2000 (I'm a pretty simple computer user), but I can see how
many people would benefit from the new features. Microsoft
says that there will be over $1 Billion spent on advertising
for Windows XP ($300 million from MS, $300 million from Intel,
and $400 from major computer vendors).
Of course the Microsoft Product Activation was a hot topic.
The presenter was hit with all sorts of questions about it.
The presenter was a "preinstallation specialist",
and so didn't have all the answers, but people kept asking
anyway. If those who spoke up represented the crowd, it certainly
doesn't look like people are willing to go along with this.
The presenter thought that you were allowed to swap out 7
different classes of hardware before you had to reactivate
your copy of Windows. I've had my computer for 2+ years and
I've only added a hard drive, swapped out a CD-ROM drive for
a DVD-ROM drive and added more memory. According to my understanding,
I wouldn't have to reactivate Windows after any of these changes.
Chris, a subscriber and co-worker, heard someone say that
in the last month, they've swapped out 20 pieces of hardware
(are there even 20 separate classes of devices in a computer?).
They've either got too much time, or too much money.
I don't really see what the big fuss is about, and you either
agree or disagree. I'd like as many of you as possible to
email me at editor@pcin.net
with your thoughts on Product Activation. Are you for it or
against it? Will this stop you from purchasing Microsoft Products?
Are you worried about your privacy? Email me and I will have
a special section in next week's PCIN with all of the comments.
Return to the top
The NEWS
RIAA Wants to Hack Your PC
"Look out, music pirates: The recording industry wants
the right to hack into your computer and delete your stolen
MP3s.
It's no joke. Lobbyists for the Recording Industry Association
of America (RIAA) tried to glue this hacking-authorization
amendment onto a mammoth anti-terrorism bill that Congress
approved last week.
An RIAA-drafted amendment according to a draft obtained
by Wired News would immunize all copyright holders -- including
the movie and e-book industry -- for any data losses caused
by their hacking efforts or other computer intrusions "that
are reasonably intended to impede or prevent" electronic
piracy."
For more info:
http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47552,00.html
Napster trial judge lambasts music biz
"Now here's a thing. Judge Marilyn Hall Patel, who
presides over the music industry's attempt to beat Napster
into line and who has, in the past, displayed strong anti-Napster
zeal, has now turned around and given the music biz a tongue-lashing.
At the centre of the complaint is the apparent attempt by
MusicNet, one of the two industry-sponsored digital music
distribution companies, to tie Napster into an exclusive
deal. This, reckons Patel, smacks of anti-trust behaviour.
Her feeling is, she said, that MusicNet has used its control
of the distribution of copyright material to limit Napster's
access to other content. That, in essence, is a misuse of
copyright which, if proven, would eliminate copyright holders'
scope to enforce their copyrights."
For more info:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/22176.html
New net domain 'fiasco'
"Up to a quarter of the early registrations for the
new .info domain name could be bogus.
A study of 11,000 registrations has shown a failure of the
steps taken to stop people winning control of domains they
do not have the right to run.
Legal experts have called the whole process a fiasco, and
said the company administering the .info domain could face
legal challenges from those denied a chance to apply for
some generic .info domains."
For more info:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1593000/1593396.stm
Return to the top
POLL of the WEEK
Here are the responses from the last poll:
What category would your Internet usage match?
Just Surfing: 30.68%
Email: 20.45%
Research: 20.45%
Other: 18.18%
Business: 7.95%
Gaming: 2.27%
Total Votes: 88
Visit http://pcin.net/polls/
to participate in the new poll this week:
Are you concerned that Microsoft Product Activation infringes
on your privacy?
Return to the top
FREEHELP FORUM
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 in Win 98 System can I check for amount of Ram I
have left? When I go to System Display it only tells me
% of resources left which of course changes all the time,
with downloads and cleanups.
Answer
No answers yet.
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.
Return to the top
PCIN.net UPDATE
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Creating Cascading Start Menu Items
http://PCIN.net/help/articles/cascadingmenus.shtml
PCIN Poll of the week
http://PCIN.net/polls/
Support PCIN
http://PCIN.net/donate.shtml
Return to the top
THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF
Windows 9x Setup Problems
Have you ever tried to install Windows from scratch and
received and error that starts with SU and then has some
number after it? I have... many times. I've never been able
to understand the problem. I just try reinstalling again,
and it works. I know some people, however, who have had
a very hard time getting past this error.
If you are having these errors, visit the Microsoft support
document entitled: "SU" Error Message List for
Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me Setup which you can
find at http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q129/9/71.ASP
Free Microsoft Office Alternatives
I've written in PCIN several times about the free Microsoft
Office alternative, Software602's 602Pro PC Suite. It is
an excellent product that is free to download, or $9.95
to download. There is a new version out as of the end of
September. I haven't tried it yet, but am hoping to soon.
They also have an add-in that costs $29.95 that adds a lot
of other features, but the basic suite is still free. You
can find out more at http://www.software602.com/products/pcs/
Sun also has released the latest version of their product,
StarOffice. Version 6 is still in beta (not completed yet),
but a lot of people are trying it out. I haven't, so I don't
have any particular opinions on it, but you can find out
more yourself at http://www.sun.com/staroffice/6.0beta/
Both of these products are comparable to Microsoft Office
Standard. The contain word processing and spreadsheet software,
but no database software.
PC Magazine Top 100 sites
Check out the Fall version of the PC Magazine Top 100 sites
at http://www.pcmag.com/top100websites
A Positive Customer Service Experience
We often hear about terrible support experiences. Subscriber
Thomas Patrick Brennan emailed me this, and I thought it
would be good to share:
"I'm not sure if you're interested in this kind of
information, but I've had a rather pleasant outcome from
a usually disappointing process.
I owned an Uninterruptible Power Supply unit, CyberPower
model 320SL, good for about 6-9 minutes of power, during
a power interruption. I bought this UPS, almost a year and
a half ago. There were several power interruptions over
the period mentioned and the unit performed as advertised;
however, the unit died on me during a power failure on Sept
25, 2001. I followed all troubleshooting instructions to
no avail. I sent an E-mail explaining my troubles to CyberPower,
requesting help, on Sept 26, 2001 at 1 AM.
I received on Sept 26,2001 at 9:43 AM an answer, to return
my unit using their RMA document.
Their address is in the States...I live in Canada.... The
UPS weighs several pounds. I never checked, but my mind
says big bucks to ship and a delay in delivery times.
I found my sales slip, called Future Shop in Canada, where
I purchased the unit originally. Because I had a RMA document,
(Return Authorization) from CyberPower, and my sales slip,
(over a year and three months old) the manager of the Future
Shop store made a straight exchange, old for brand new.
He even honoured the original purchase price; the unit was
on sale for half price when I bought it and that's what
enticed me to purchase in the first place.
I don't know if this interests you but I am not used to
such fast efficient customer service, and I had to tell
someone. (To me this is like a man biting a dog... Real
"NEWS"...Different isn't it?)"
Return to the top
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.
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- To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit
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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
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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2001, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All
rights reserved.
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