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Page updated: Dec 11, 2007 Information on some items discussed: 1. Upgrading Trend Micro PC-cillin 2006 - Registered users of Trend Micro Internet Security PC-cillin 2006 can upgrade to the 2007 version for no cost or loss of subscription time. NOTE: The 2007 version does not work with Win 98SE, etc. Download the upgrade file, about 67.6 MB, (click here). On that page is a link to download the Getting Started Guide. Before proceeding with the upgrade, suggest that you record your registration code number in case something goes wrong. When the registration period ends, you can extend it 1 year by entering a valid, unused registration code from an unused 2007 install package. CAUTION: If you do this before the current registration expiration date, the new registration will only be 1 year from the date you entered the new registration code.
2. Uninstalling AVG - After un-installing the AVG AntiVirus program, one member continues to get AVG pop-up messages. If a re-install/un-install cycle does not fix things, one way is to search the hard drive for "AVG" and "Grisoft" and delete any files and directories found. Do the for the Registry. When editing the registry, it's a good idea to do a backup first. 3. Throwaway Email Address - There are services which provide free forwarding addresses to shield your main email address from getting spammed. For an earlier discussion, (click here). |
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Information on some items discussed: 1. System File Checker - When a member ran into a DVD file association problem, he tried several things without success. Restoring from two Ghost backup images was also unsuccessful. Finally fixed the problem by using the original restore disks. Why?
Only
one idea was offered, a System file may have been corrupted. This
can be checked by running SFC (System File Checker). For information
on SFC, (click
here).
How-to info: Left click on Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services. Under Services (Local), drill down to Themes and left click - set Startup Type to Disabled. |
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Information on some items discussed: 1. PDF File Creation - A question was asked about "creating" PDF files. There are several programs ranging from Freeware to pricey software from Adobe. One popular Freeware program is (PDF Creator); the current version uses AFPL Ghostwriter 8.53. 2. Software Firewalls - After installing a security suite, e.g. Trend Micro PC-cillin 2007, on an XP system, some users have found that Internet speed was reduced substantially. One common cause is having two software firewall in operation. Solution: Disable one, namely the Windows Internal firewall. 3. Botnets & Spam - Botnets are a major Internet evil. Among other things they are often used to send out spam from a network of infected PCs. Following is an excerpt from (Wikipedia) about Botnets: "Botnet is a jargon term for a collection of software robots, or bots, which run autonomously. This can also refer to the network of computers using distributed computing software. While
the term "botnet" can be used to refer to any group of bots, such as IRC
bots, the word is generally used to refer to a collection of compromised
machines running programs, usually referred to as worms, Trojan horses,
or backdoors, under a common command and control infrastructure."
Microsoft has a page where you can get patches for Operating Systems and applications which they currently support (click here). For Operating Systems which Microsoft no longer supports, e.g. Win 95/98, you can patch-it-yourself using free programs: 1. Time Zone Editor (TZEDIT) - (click here)
2. Zone Manager - (click
here)
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Information on some items discussed: 1. Acronis' True Image - When asked for a recommendation for a system backup application, the merits of Acronis' True Image were discussed briefly. For write ups from someone who has presented the application at LACS, (#1) and (#2). The street price for the current release,10.0, is around $30.00 downloaded, i.e. no CD, (#1) and (#2). 2. AOL Free - AOL is now providing free e-mail accounts, much like Google and Yahoo. For details (click here). |
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Notes on items discussed were lost. :-( |
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Information on some items discussed: 1. PDF Viewers - It was mentioned that Adobe recently released v8.1.0 of their Acrobat Reader. The discussion continued regarding the size and the memory resources required by the Adobe Reader. Following are two utilities which permit you to disable plug-ins you don't need which results in faster operation and reduced memory usage, (#1) and (#2). Many
users like the (Foxit)
PDF reader since it's smaller and faster than the Adobe Reader.
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Information on some items discussed: 1. Move Favorites - How do you move Favorites from one PC to another PC? For Internet Explorer, left clicking on File | Import and Export takes you to a Wizard for this purpose. 2. Alphabetizing in Word - Someone asked how to alphabetize a list in MS Word. Some ways are presented (here). 3. PDF Forms - If you use the free Adobe Reader to fill in a PDF form, e.g. (DMV Bill of Sale), you'll be able to print the form but you won't be able to save the filled in file. If you use the Foxit PDF reader with the appropriate add-ons, not only can you print the filled in form but you can also save the associated file: 1. (PDF Reader) 2. (Add-Ons) GDI+ Module and Javascript Support 4. OCR Programs - A member briefly compared two OCR (Optical Character Recognition) programs, PaperPort and OmniPage distributed by (Nuance). - PaperPort seems to do OCR very well for search purposes even for very small fonts, but it is not editable. - OmniPage includes an option "retain paragraphs" which adds formatting codes for each paragraph; if you don't use these codes everything is run together. |
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Information on some items discussed: 1. PDF Files - PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format developed by Adobe Systems as a part of their Acrobat family of applications. This format is commonly used on the World Wide Web for material that needs to be printed out in a specific format (such as order forms and tax forms). Two free PDF readers are (Adobe) and (Foxit). For information on speeding up the Adobe Reader, (click here). 2. Phishing - Discussed in detail at the Jan 2005 Forum. 3. Reboot - Someone brought a laptop which was unable to read a camera memory card. Suggestion was made to reboot. It worked! This simple operation often fixes a variety of computer ailments. :-) |
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Information on some items discussed: 1. Shutdown Problem - Shutdown in XP which normally requires a single click now requires two clicks. While no one had any suggestions on possible causes/solutions, an article (here) may be useful. 2. Wallpaper - On an XP system the desktop wallpaper with patterns changed from being displayed normally to where the patterns were distorted; all applications displayed normally. Suggestions: Assuming that the PC has a video card rather than on-board video, reseat the card; run system in Safe Mode to get additional information. To
change the wallpaper you can use files with a variety of extensions.
To take a look, right click on an empty spot on your Desktop, left click
on Properties, left click on Desktop. There you can see what is currently
installed. There's a Browse button so you can search for others easily.
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Information on some items discussed: 1. Secunia Software Inspector - Feature Overview: * Detects insecure versions of applications installed * Verifies that all Microsoft patches are applied * Assists you in updating your system and applications * Runs through your browser. No installation or download is required. (click
here)
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Because of the holiday party, there was no Computer Forum this month. |