Issue 239 - May 14, 2003

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2003
==== 2213 Subscribers in 61 Countries ====

Welcome to the 239th 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

Happy Mother's Day wishes go out to all of the mother's who take the time to read PCIN. This was Lisa's first Mother's Day and Andrew got her a nice card and some earrings that she asked for. We had hoped to go on a picnic, but it rained all morning, so we had a picnic in our living room with my parents, my sisters, and my grandmother. Then later on in the afternoon the sun came out so we went for a walk where we had hoped to go on the picnic. It was a nice day.

Chris has finished the review of Executive Software Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition. Diskeeper has been around for years, and is been the "standard" for disk defragmenting software. In fact, they are the ones who built the disk defragmenting software that comes with Windows 2000 and XP. Check out The Tips and Other Stuff section for part of the review and a link to the full review.

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

The NEWS

Microsoft Tries To Close the Lid on iLoo

It seems Microsoft cannot flush away the iLoo controversy. After a press release from MSN UK announced the launch of an Internet-enabled portable toilet to debut in Britain this summer, Microsoft reversed itself and said the announcement was a hoax.
Now the software giant has reversed itself again, explaining that the so-called "iLoo" was indeed a real project planned by its British MSN online service. But after the idea was met with howls of derision, the company decided to scuttle it.
'The MSN iLoo was not false or a hoax,' reads a statement from MSN UK. 'It follows a UK strategy to bring the Internet to as many people in Britain as possible and encourage debate about how the Internet can affect our lives now and in the future.' The sober tone of the official explanation so far has failed to stem the tide of ridicule from Microsoft critics -- or quell the potty humor in the industry press.
'I have a feeling the [MSN] guys in England are being roasted over a slow fire,' Aberdeen Group analyst Russ Craig told NewsFactor.

For more info:
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21510.html

Is M-Commerce Dead and Buried?

"Back in early 2000, mobile commerce seemed to have sky-high potential. A global survey found that 61 percent of respondents imagined they soon would be using wireless devices as universal payment tools, and the analysts who compiled the survey predicted that overall revenue generated by m-commerce would total US$100 billion in 2003.
'The hype came in a big way, and then it died in an even bigger way, because the hype was never really justified to begin with,' Yankee Group analyst Adam Zawel told the E-Commerce Times. 'But m-commerce is not dead on the vine; it's just a much longer growing season than we expected.'"

For more info:
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/21464.html

Is There Any Reason To Buy Microsoft Anymore?

"The development and growth of the Linux operating system has brought a new question to the lips of IT managers: Why should I buy Microsoft? Five years ago, the answer would have been easy. With the dominant development tools, client operating system and client applications, Microsoft owned a certain portion of the enterprise.
But now that the Linux OS is rapidly maturing and companies are looking to shrink IT budgets, the choice is not so easy. Almost everything enterprises once found unique to Microsoft they can now find somewhere else -- without some of the baggage that comes with Microsoft purchases, like ongoing security concerns and mystifying licensing practices. Enterprises finally have a real choice, and that spells big problems for Microsoft."

For more info:
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21478.html

Spam saturation tops 40 percent

"The latest figures show that more than 40 per cent of all e-mail traffic is spam--unsolicited mails offering the recipient everything from 'Natural Viagra' or 'low interest loans' to a share in an unclaimed Nigerian fortune.
Out of 25 million e-mails scanned during a one week period by U.S. anti-spam firm Brightmail, more than 11 million were classed as spam."

For more info:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-1000497.html

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POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

How often do you purchase things on the Internet?

Daily 0.69 % (1)
Every few days 3.47 % (5)
Weekly 3.47 % (5)
A few times a month 17.36 % (25)
Monthly 6.25 % (9)
Every few months 40.97 % (59)
Almost never 13.19 % (19)
Never 14.58 % (21)
Total votes: 144

This Week's Poll

Do you defrag your hard drive(s) regularly?

Yes, I use the built-in Windows defrag utility
Yes, I use a freeware defrag utility
Yes, I've purchased a defrag utility
No, I've never been able to get it to work right
No, I did, but it didn't help
No, I don't think I need to
What does defrag mean?

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

We've decided to upgrade the whole system, so I'll be transferring files by cable.
I've contacted Symantec, and they say to uninstall NAV from the old computer and redownload/install on the new.
So now I wonder what else I can't simply "bring over".
I can't think of anything else of importance I've downloaded on this computer.

Response

Most programs (those that require installation) aren't portable.
The BEST way to do this is with Windows XP's "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" You can get a copy off the Windows XP Setup disc, or have the version in Windows XP (already loaded) make you an install disk.
You can use this to create one big file that XP can read and use to copy Documents, e-mail, files in the root folder, settings and preferences all over to XP and import them!
Don't use the cable at first. Allow the Wizard to run on the Windows 98 machine and save it to the hard disk. Then connect the two computers with the cable and manually copy the big file it makes over to the XP machine and then run the wizard on XP and point the wizard to the file you just copied over to the XP machine (locally).

To post a response, visit the General Software Help forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/index.php?board=3 and click on the "Transferring files to new computer" 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:

Executive Software Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/diskeeper7se.php

Logitech Cordless Freedom Optical Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/lcfo.php

Some Useful Registry Tips - Now 171 Tips!
http://PCIN.net/help/articles/registry_tips.php

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

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Executive Software Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition Software Review

Hard drive fragmentation can cause serious performance degradation. Executive Software has released Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition. Diskeeper will quickly and efficiently restore your hard drive to a defragmented state and increase the performance of your computer. With Smart Scheduling, you will not have to take time out of your busy schedule in order to manually run a defragmentation on your hard drive, and you will find that Diskeeper 7.0 SE is faster than your current, built in defragmentation utility.
Read Chris' full review of Executive Software Diskeeper 7.0 Second Edition at http://PCIN.net/help/software/diskeeper7se.php

Defragmentation White Paper

Speaking of defragmentation, Executive Software also provides a nice 13-page PDF file by IDC that explains how fragmentation happens, and how defragmenting a drive can save you money. Check it out at http://www.diskeeper.com/cgi-bin/MakeHit.asp?Link=/diskeeper/IDC-White-Paper.pdf

Office 2000 Tips & Tricks

"The Office 2000 tips and tricks were submitted by Office users just like you.

  1. Increase or Decrease Text Size
  2. Get an Office 2000 Tip a Day
  3. Quickly Zoom In and Out of Your Office Documents
  4. Add Custom Buttons to Your Access Toolbox
  5. Send an Office Document Without Opening Outlook
  6. Copy and Paste up to 12 Pieces of Information at Once
  7. Fine-Tune Your Fonts in Word
  8. Copy Formatting Using Format Painter
  9. Use Format Painter to Copy Formatting Multiple Times
  10. Show Shortcut Keys in ScreenTips
  11. Show All Menu Commands in Office 2000
  12. Change the Font or Size of Text Using Keyboard Shortcuts
  13. Repeat Your Most Recent Action
  14. Add a Screen Shot to an Office Document

Check them at http://www.microsoft.com/office/previous/tips/office2000.asp

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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 3 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, you have requested FreeHelp from me in the past, or you have registered with the FreeHelp Forum.
  6. 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.
  7. Support PCIN by visiting http://PCIN.net/donate.php

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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2003, 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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