Issue 223 - January 22, 2003

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2003
==== 2047 Subscribers in 56 Countries ====

Welcome to the 223rd 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.php

CONTENTS

OPENING THOUGHTS

Sorry about sending 2 issues last week. I'm using a Majordomo mailing list server and there is not a web-based interface for it. All of the commands are sent through email and I made a mistake in the first one (the yellow one). I've done that twice now, and I hope not to do it again.

I keep complaining about this... but I wish something new and exciting would happen in the IT industry. The news is always the same, and the software being released looks prettier, but still doesn't do anything new. Hopefully some day soon there'll be something good to write about !

Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net

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The NEWS

MIT Conference Takes Aim at Spam E-mails

It's going to take the best and the brightest to slam the spammers.
Hundreds of programmers gathered Friday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to apply their collective brainpower to a problem that has evolved from annoyance to menace: the rising flood of unsolicited e-mail.

For more info:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Ending-Spam.html

IT in schools fails to raise standards

Government efforts to equip schools with computers and connect them to the Internet has done little, if anything, to push up standards, according to a new report commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills.
The study took place between 1999 and 2002 and involved 60 schools in England.

For more info:
http://www.vnunet.com/News/1138036

Web accessibility hits the mainstream

Despite the ubiquitous nature of the Internet and wholesale advances in technology, the World Wide Web still represents a barrier for people with disabilities.
Numerous studies have shown that at least 10 percent of the online community uses assistive technologies to access the Internet, while at the same time 95 to 99 percent of all Web sites are functionally inaccessible to the visually, hearing, and/or mobility impaired.

From a business perspective, the statistics are even more compelling: consumers with disabilities have an estimated US$175 billion in discretionary income. This is a chronically under-served online audience with immense buying power.

For more info:
http://www.canadacomputes.com/printer_friendly.asp?item=9826

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POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

Do you think software vendors should stay out of the hardware business?

Yes Poll results 41.33 % (31)
No Poll results 14.67 % (11)
I don't care Poll results 44.00 % (33)
Total votes: 75

This Week's Poll

How often do you download MP3s or similar music?

Constantly
Daily
Every couple of days
Once a week
Only when I feel like it
Almost never
Never

You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/

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PCIN.net FREEHELP FORUM

Visit the PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post your questions or answer others.

Question

When I run the installation CD on my Win98SE machine it brings a "preparing to install" box up and then stops. No message. No explanation.

Response

Installations can be stopped if there is a problem with your temp directory. Empty this out and try again.

To post a response, visit the General Software Help forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/index.php?board=3 and click on the "Windows installer terminates abruptly" topic.

Visit http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post a question of your own.

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PCIN.net UPDATE

Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:

Paragon Hard Disk Manager 5.5 Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/paragonhdm55.php

Object Desktop Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/objectdesktop.php

LG GCE-8400B 40x 12x 40x CD-RW Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/lggce8400b.php

Some Useful Registry Tips
http://PCIN.net/help/articles/registry_tips.php

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

The last tip about Outlook 2000 Holidays (I promise)

It looks like Microsoft has finally fixed the file used to update the Holidays in Outlook 2000. For those of you who have missed it, Outlook 2000 doesn't have holidays past 2002. Microsoft had released a couple of different versions of a fix, but the some of the holidays were on wrong days of the week. The final fix is at http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/OutlHol.aspx

A real Microsoft ad?

Chris sent this link along to me. Apparently this is a real commercial for Microsoft Office XP that ran in Switzerland for a short time. It is quite funny. Check it out at http://www.wopr.com/html/MSOfficeAd.shtml

"A Bunch Of Cool Tips and Tricks"

The title says it all - "A Bunch Of Cool Tips and Tricks". Check it out at http://www.geocities.com/~budallen/cooltips.html

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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.

  1. If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you may have to cut and paste.
  2. You can only win one contest every 30 days.
  3. To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit http://PCIN.net/ and follow the appropriate links.
  4. Recommend PCIN to others at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php and be entered in a monthly draw.
  5. 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.
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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.

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