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Issue 178 - March 13, 2002
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2002
==== 2310 Subscribers in 60 Countries ====
Welcome to the 178th 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. If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will
come back for more!
You can reach me at editor@pcin.net
with any suggestions or comments.
Recommend PCIN at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php
Support PCIN at http://PCIN.net/donate.shtml
CONTENTS
OPENING
THOUGHTS
Don't forget about the next special issue. For the next several
weeks, I will be asking people for their "success" stories
that only happened because of the Internet. Did you meet your
true love online? Have you left your "regular" job behind
and made money online? Did you find that long-lost relative? Have
you been able to learn more about a hobby then you ever dreamed
possible? Send your thoughts and comments to editor@pcin.net.
As always, there were some more updates to the site this week.
Check back often, and be sure to recommend PCIN to others :-)
Graham editor@pcin.net
and Chris chris@pcin.net
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The NEWS
AOL embraces Linux and Mozilla, plans to drop MS Explorer
"Sources inside AOL and Red Hat say AOL is making a major
internal switch to Linux, and the long-rumored AOL default browser
switch from Microsoft's Internet Explorer to Mozilla -- or at
least Mozilla's Gecko rendering engine -- is well under way,
but AOL will probably not offer an AOL client for Linux in the
foreseeable future.
According to several Red Hat and AOL employees who spoke to
NewsForge but asked us not to use their names, recent negotiations
between AOL and Red Hat that led to rumors about AOL considering
a Red Hat acquisition were really negotiations for support contracts
that will help AOL use Linux more effectively."
For more info:
http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=02/03/08/1957252
One Settlement Over One-Click
"Online retailing giant Amazon.com and rival bookseller
Barnes & Noble.com Inc. have settled a patent infringement
lawsuit over the technology behind the one-click checkout system
for Internet shoppers.
The action was begun back in 1999 when Seattle-based Amazon
sued B&N, alleging that its checkout technology, which allows
customers store their credit card and shipping information for
faster purchasing, had been infringed."
For more info:
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article/0,,4_987061,00.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1017-854105.html
Hacking with a Pringles tube
"Empty cans of Pringles crisps could be helping malicious
hackers spot wireless networks that are open to attack.
Security company i-sec has demonstrated that a directional antenna
made with a Pringles can significantly improves the chances
of finding the wireless computer networks being used in London's
financial district."
For more info:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1860000/1860241.stm
Napster judge to labels: Prove it
"A federal judge gave the record labels suing Napster
until Thursday to produce documents proving they own the copyrights
to 213 songs that once traded for free over the song-swap service.
U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ordered the labels to
provide certificates of copyright registration, or applications
for such proof, for top-selling artists such as the Beatles
and Elvis Presley."
For more info:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/03/07/napster.htm
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POLL of
the WEEK
Here are the responses from the last poll:
When at work how much of your Internet access is for personal
use?
0% 24.07
% (13)
10% 22.22 % (12)
20% 9.26 % (5)
30% 3.70 % (2)
40% 1.85 % (1)
50% 3.70 % (2)
60% 5.56 % (3)
70% 1.85 % (1)
80% 3.70 % (2)
90% 9.26 % (5)
100% 14.81 % (8)
Total votes: 54
Visit http://pcin.net/polls/
to participate in the new poll this week:
How comfortable are you buying items online?
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FREEHELP
FORUM
Visit the new and improved PCIN FreeHelp Forum at http://www.pcin.net/cgi-bin/bb/YaBB.cgi
to post your questions or answer others.
Question
Recently installed Win XP upgrade. Now, for some reason, when
I boot up with everything displayed on screen, I then try to
connect to my ISP and have no success. Most of the time, I can't
get the start to open. Everything seems to be locked. Then if
I do a CTRL-ALT-DEL, and I can get it to work. Right after I
installed XP, it worked fine - now this problem.
Answer
Have you installed any new software or hardware recently? It
is possible that something is starting and not properly releasing
control of the interface. Maybe something loading then minimizing
itself to the system tray?
If you have a suggestion, visit the General Discussion forum
at http://www.pcin.net/cgi-bin/bb/YaBB.cgi?board=general
and click on the "Win XP - After boot up, can't connect to
ISP" subject.
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PCIN.net
UPDATE
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Avocent SwitchView KVM Switch Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/switchview.shtml
Connectix Virtual PC 4.2 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/virtualpc4.shtml
PurgeIE 4.04 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/purgeie4.shtml
Recommend PCIN
http://PCIN.net/recommend.php
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THE TIPS
and OTHER STUFF
Windows File Associations
There are many sites out there that help you determine which
program is used to open which file type. I've had a listing
available on the web site for a while now at http://PCIN.net/help/articles/fileext.shtml
that lists several of these sites. With Windows XP, Microsoft
started to introduce some .NET features, and one of these is
a file type lookup. Visit http://shell.windows.com/fileassoc/0409/xml/redir.asp?ext=DAT
and you will find out about a program that may open a DAT file.
You can replace the DAT with the file extension of your choice.
Optical Illusions
Visit http://www.optillusions.com/
to view some interesting optical illusions
Connectix Virtual PC 4.2 Review
Virtual PC 4.2 by Connectix
enables you to run more than a single operating system on
one computer simultaneously. This is a great way to test new
software, determine how a website looks on other platforms or
give you a way to experiment without worrying about messing
up your main operating system. With Virtual PC, you can easily
make a copy of your guest OS, make changes to the operating
system or software installed in the guest OS, and not have to
worry about a complete rebuild if something goes wrong.
Connectix released and update for Virtual PC just after this
review was complete. Virtual PC 4.3 can be downloaded as an
update or trial from http://www.connectix.com/products/vpc4w.html.
Check out the full review online at http://www.pcin.net/help/software/virtualpc4.shtml
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DISCLAIMER
and OTHER STUFF
PCIN is brought to you by Graham Wing. The opinions expressed
are those of the Editor, Graham Wing and the Assistant Editor,
Chris Empey. Graham Wing and Chris Empey 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.
- Recommend PCIN to others at http://www.pcin.net/recommend.php
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
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- If you have a web site or run your own newsletter, please
email me at editor@pcin.net
and I will add it to the subscriber web pages that I have on
my site.
- Support PCIN by visiting http://www.pcin.net/donate.shtml
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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2002, 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.
Support PCIN by visiting http://www.pcin.net/donate.shtml
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