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Front Range PC Users Group Newsletter k-Byte |
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| v. 20, n. 1/2 January/February 2003 | Users Helping Users |
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Contents 1 State of the Group - Rick Mattingly 2 About k-Byte 3 December/January Meeting Reports - Rick Mattingly 3 Buying a DVD Recorder - Bob Elgines 6 Shopping Tips For Internet Shopaholics - Steve Bass 8 Installing USB On An Older PC - Cass Lewart 9 Microsoft Troubleshooters 9 The Work Virus - Humor 10 The Windows Registry - Joan Bard 14 Calendar of Events 16 February/March Calendars 18 Membership Application 21 Weather Online 21 Virus Warning 22 Backing Up Your Email - Char Pickering 22 Common Sense Obituary 24 So, Your Computer Has A Virus? - Ira Wilsker 26 Cable Vs. DSL - Bruce Pechman 30 Trading Post 31 FRPCUG Contacts State of the Group by Rick Mattingly I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Meyer, outgoing Secretary, for the excellent job he has done for the group over the past years. Mike is not going anywhere and intends to remain active with the club. Mike recently retired and he and his wife are now heavily involved with foster children, taking up much of his spare time. Feeling that his time was spread too thin, Mike had to set some priorities. Thank you Mike for all you and your wife have done for the club and for your community! Now, with that said, we are in desperate need of a member to come forward and pick up the slack as Secretary. This position involves taking notes at the monthly Club Meeting and recording the minutes of the monthly Board Meeting. The Secretary also maintains the hardcopy records for the club. Our State non-profit incorporation requires that we maintain a person in this position. If you can assist your club with this function please let one of the club officers know. We need you! Published bi-monthly, k-Byte is the official newsletter of the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group (FRPCUG): our mailing address is PMB 152, 305 W. Magnolia, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521. Opinions expressed in k-Byte are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the group or its members. Publication of information in k-Byte constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use of any information found in this publication is at the sole risk of the user. Neither k-Byte, nor its officers, nor k-Byte, nor its editors or contributors assume any liability for damages resulting from use of information in this publication. Submissions Articles, letters and short items of interest on computer-related topics are welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for publication are subject to editing. Send your contribution to the editor via e-mail attachment or submit on disk. If you have questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information. Copyright k-Byte is copyrighted ©2003 by the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group. Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit users groups may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in k-Byte without prior permission, provided that proper author and publication credits are given and that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to k-Byte at the above mailing address. User groups wishing to exchange newsletters with FRPCUG are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request. IBM PC, OS/2, Compaq, MS-DOS, UNIX, Windows and other trademarks occasionally mentioned in k-Byte are registered trademarks of International Business Machines, Inc., Compaq Corporation, Microsoft, Digital Research, AT&T or their owners respectively. Neither FRPCUG nor its newsletter k-Byte are connected in any way with any manufacturer or seller. We, however, gratefully acknowledge sponsorship of our group by Data Service Center, Jim Becker, owner. Advertising Classified advertising is free to members for non-business ads. See “Trading Post” for pricing for camera-ready display ads. Charges for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request. Deadline for camera-ready and classified ads is listed in the Calendar of Upcoming Events. Deadline for ad-makeup is the same as for articles. About FRPCUG FRPCUG is an independent nonprofit computer society, so incorporated with the State of Colorado and open to anyone interested in MS-DOS, OS/2, or UNIX microcomputers. Its purpose is to provide an educational and scientific forum of mutual benefit for members of the micro-computer community. FRPCUG holds a monthly meeting and conducts various special interest groups (SIGS) and seminars. Members have voting privileges, subscription to k-Byte newsletter, SIGs and selected seminars. Annual dues are $25 for individual/family membership and $50 for corporate/group membership. Scribe's Corner December Meeting Report by Rick Mattingly At the December Meeting Rick Mattingly provided a presentation with group input on the topic of safely shopping on the Internet. January Meeting Report by Rick Mattingly The January Meeting featured an excellent presentation on the subject of MP3 music coordinated by Dennis Nimetz. Dennis passed around his personal MP3 player and described how he arranges his favorites on his PC and uploads to the player. Dennis also brought along his neighbor, Mark McKenzie, who is employed with Hewlett Packard. Also in attendance was Mark's son, Bret. Together they put on an excellent demonstration of accessing and playing MP3 music. Thank Dennis, Mark and Bret for a good show! The Meeting Reports column is very brief this issue. That is because we need a Secretary! If you can assist your club with this task please contact one of the officers. We need you! by Bob Elgines Well the prices are coming down, now under $300 and as low as $220, for a DVD recorder. The blank disks are now under $2.50 each in lots of ten or more. But beware, the great decision as to which format is still under debate, DVD-R or DVD+R! If you just wish to make videos either one should work in most DVD players made after the year 2000, but not all. Cheaper DVDR disks and players will not work. Support out there is very weak to almost NONE! Much time is needed to be invested like 4 to 10 hours to make a 2 hour video DVD, of which several programs require you to sit in front of your computer. Most of the software is over priced and does not work without many problems and no support like "Video Studio 6" by Cyber. The best so far has been "MyDVD" by Sonic. Some of the suggestions listed below came from them. The best input devices are: "USB Instant DVD" by ADS ($160), "Bungee DVD" by Pinnacle ($150), "DCS 100" ($170) and "DCS 200" by Dazzle ($230). They all come with software that have individual problems, and advertise "Fast, Easy & Fun", boy that is a huge JOKE! It's Slow, Hard, & Will drive you nuts. If you can not provide all of the suggestions (really necessary evils) below then don't get involved. I became one of their guinea pig and I am about to throw it all in the circle file and call it a lost. My ASUS computer is an Intel P3 @ 866MHz, 256MB RAM @ 133MHz, 60GB Hard Drive @ 7200rpm ATA100, ATI Radeon 32MB video card, with the "USB Instant DVD" input device (I tried out the DAZZLE equipment, but it had big noise problems and they had NO support at all), VIVASTAR (LF311) DVD-R recorder. I have tried two operating systems such as Win '98SE and Win'ME and saw no difference, went back to Win'98SE. For Windows 98-XP users start off with these suggestions on getting ready to record a DVD: Install at least 256 MB of RAM Disable the Screen Saver Disable the Turn off Hard Disks option Disable the Hibernation option Disable the Network Time Server (Win'XP) Disable Text to Speech (Win'XP) Disable any scheduled tasks (for example, virus scan) Do not increase Virtual Memory beyond Windows' recommended setting Close any other running applications Do not copy any large files while capturing Do not allow any remote activities, such as PC Anywhere or Timbuktu connections Your hard drives are formatted to NTFS (which has no files size limitations Win'XP) You have at least 21 gigs available on a single drive You have the latest drivers for the following: DVD Rom, burner, CD-ROM and burner. Your hard drives have been defragmented. In particular, while capturing video, do not use your PC for any other activity. Video capture requires all your PC's processing power, and any action such as inserting a disc or receiving e-mail may cause errors in the captured video files. Your monitor resolution must be set to 1024x768 16 or 32 bit color You are running ASPI driver 4.6. No higher, no lower. If you are unsure, you can go here to find out and/or download the appropriate driver: http://aspi.radified.com You are not running you machine/session of a network/RAID configuration Make sure you have the latest version DirectX (a must), WMP (a must): If your "Input digital device" is on USB, then remove all other USB external equipment. You may also find it beneficial to enable DMA for all your drives. There are DVD-RAM and DVD+RAM which allows you to save up to 9.6GB of Data, but hard drives are much cheaper, like 20GB for $69.00 or lower. It is just not FAST and EASY as they have stated in their advertising! From the December 2002 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter Willard Solfermoser - In Remembrance It is our sad duty to report that Willard Solfermoser passed away January 13, 2003 in Fort Collins. Willard was a long standing FRPCUG member and served a term as Vice President. Willard was truly one of the good guys and will be sorely missed. Our condolences to the Solfermoser family. "The United States is the only country where it takes more brains to figure your tax than to earn the money to pay it." - Edward J. Gurney Airline Traveler Warning Transportation officials are advising airline travelers to carry all camera film in their carry-on baggage, as recently installed equipment used to screen checked baggage WILL damage undeveloped camera film. by Steve Bass, Pasadena IBM Users Group Source: SWIPCC Throughput, El Paso, TX, March 2002 Last month I described my experience spending over $150 to save about $4 on vitamins I bought on the Internet. This column takes care of the other side of the story: Tips on tackling the problems of Internet buying. Fighting the Free Syndrome How much do you make an hour? If you're clocking more than say, $5 an hour, don't waste your time hunting for discounts that come and go. The worst ones to try finding are free shipping or $10 off with your first order. A better strategy? If you bump into an offer from Half.com, say, and you're in the market for a bunch of used books, it's a slam dunk. Otherwise, don't bother tracking them down. Factor in Shipping Paying attention to shipping costs may seem obvious, but there are variables to consider. You might think you'll save on shipping by choosing a site that charges a flat fee for shipping no matter how many items you purchase. That's likely true unless the site's products are inflated to cover the shipping costs. With some items - vitamins, for instance - that's not such a big deal as most sites charge a flat $4.95 for standard shipping. (One exception though is AdvanceRX; they charge a flat fee of $3 for the entire order and the product pricing is lower than other drug sites. Listen to Users The wealth of opinions on the Net is overwhelming and you need to tap into it before making any major purchase. There are two spots I listen in on which are useful in their own way. First try the newsgroups and do it using the Google.com search engine. When I was interested in a camcorder, I typed “Panasonic Camcorder” into the Google search field and clicked on Groups. Google will provide a list of groups that contain the two words. It's a little daunting from here because you'll face at least 10 groups. Choose the one that's closest to your search. For in-stance, “Humanities” (fine art, literature, philosophy) and “Misc” (employment, health) won't fit, while “Comp” (hardware, software, consumer info) will. You'll then see a dozen or more subgroups belonging to Comp, each with a green bar showing the likely hits in the groups. Type “Panasonic Camcorder into the field again and choose “Search only in Comp.” The dilemma, as you'll soon find out, is that there's a lot to sort through in order to find the recommendations and discussion you're looking to read. The other spot I really like is Epinions.com. It's filled with people like us providing their observations and experienc-es with products. Don't be put off by thinking these are just willy-filly opinions. Granted, some are, but most people are careful and thorough in their reports. Few seem to have ulterior motives and those that do are easy to spot. Try Epinions by typing “Choosing an air conditioner” into the search field. Scroll down to “Member Advice” and you'll get a sense of what Epinions offers. Better, search for an item you're very familiar with and see what others have to say. Make Those Comparisons You're crazy if you shop on the Internet without using a price comparison site. There are many available, and here's a sampling: Mysimon.com Dealtime.com Pricingcentral.com Bizrate.com Smartshop.com BuyBuddy.com If you're wondering which sites I use regularly, take a gander at some of my favorites: Pricescan.com: A neat site with an assortment of ways to search for products and spots to purchase the item. The site does an exemplary job at digging up pricing for a myriad of products including books, computers, office equipment, home and garden, and other categories. DestinationRX.com: Does a remarkable job at neatly displaying a grid with product, vendor, price, estimated shipping, and total cost. Great: sorting by column - cost or price - is easy and getting details about the vendor is a click away. Not so hot: “total cost field” doesn't take into account price per unit, so comparing a bottle of 100- 50 mg vitamins with the same bottle of 100mg vitamins isn't accurate. Canada.rx: A member of another user group told me about Canada.rx. She said, “I thought you might be interested in this solution for prescription drugs. A friend is diabetic and has who knows what else. His doctor faxes his prescriptions and he receives a package a few days later with no hassle from the Post Office. (His only real difficulty lay in convincing his doctor to send the fax and that only had to be done once). His credit card is charged approximately one-third the price he'd pay locally. I asked him for the URL and this is his response:” “It's CanadaRx. No www, no .com, nothing but CanadaRx. They keep changing the entry screens, making it some-times difficult to find the screen one wants. But it's all there. All that's needed is patience. Persistence helps some too.” I checked and the prices really are substantially lower than most discount pharmacies. Pricewatch.com: This site has been around the longest and provides a fast, convenient way to find the best prices on computing hardware. Addall.com: Think Amazon has the best prices in town? Nope. Half.com, BooksAMillion.com and others often beat Amazon. The savings are enough that it makes using Addall.com a must every time you shop for books. PCworld.pricegrabber.com: I'm a little biased here, so pardon my conflict of interest for a minute, and try PCWorI-d's Product Finder. Primarily hardware, software, and electronics, it gives you a way to find products, and check and compare their prices. Three things I like better here than the other sites: I can easily track a product, watching for price changes, just by supplying my e-mail address. Next, if the product's been reviewed by PCWorld, one click gets me to the article. Finally, the site gives me access to the full spec sheet of the product, something I find invalu-able. Cnet's shopper.cnet.com: Does a decent job with hardware and software but only so-so for consumer electronics. It's sometimes difficult separating ads from product reviews. by Cass Lewart With so many peripherals now coming with a USB interface, I decided to upgrade my 4-year old 200 MHz Pentium class computer. At a recent Ken Gordon computer show, I noticed several vendors selling PCI/USB adapter cards priced between $15 and $20. Following my old maxim - the cheaper, the better - I sprang for a $15 Mod. KW-580 PCI to USB Controller card from Koutech Systems (http://www.koutech.com). The card has no jumpers or switches and is Windows plug-and-play compatible. I plugged the card into a free PCI slot in my computer and rebooted. Windows 98 came up (oh yes, you need either Windows 98 or Windows 95 with a service pack for USB to work!). I was prompted to insert the Windows 98 CD, the computer extracted the required USB drivers, and this was it! When I looked into the Device Manager in the Control Panel, I now had a new entry: Universal Serial Bus Controller. I now have two USB jacks in back of my computer. I already used one jack to connect an Intel camera a friend gave me for my birthday. It works great. Copyright Brookdale Computer Users Group With the Windows 98, ME and 2000 Microsoft operating systems users have a powerful support tool at their fingertips. This support tool are called Troubleshooters. From the Start Menu open Help. At the bottom of the Contents Menu you will find a choice called Troubleshooting. Left-click on Troubleshooting to expand the menu and you will be presented with a number of options, including Troubleshooters. The Troubleshooters option provides "follow-the-bouncing-ball" style assistance to resolve most common issues. Also, note that expanded Troubleshooters are available on the Microsoft Web site at: http://support.microsoft.com/support/tshoot/default.asp?TSL=1 There is a new virus going around called WORK. If you receive any sort of work, whether via e-mail, Internet, or simply handed to you by a colleague, do not open it. Those who have opened work have found that their social life is deleted and their brain ceases to function properly. If you do encounter work via e-mail or are faced with any work at all, then to purge the virus send an e-mail to your boss with the words This is too much for me. I'm going out for a while. This better not be here when I get back. Your brain should automatically delete the work. If you receive work in paper document form, simply lift the document and drag the work to your trash can. Send this message to all your friends in your address book. If you do not have anyone in your address book, then the WORK virus has already corrupted your life. by Joan Bard Few things can strike fear into the hearts of even seasoned veterans like the mere mention of the Registry. But with a good understanding of what the registry is and a firm grasp of several helpful registry tools, you'll be well on your way to alleviating those unfounded fears. First, let's take a look at just what the registry is and what function it provides. In much of Microsoft's documentation, the Microsoft® Windows® Registry is considered a central repository for configuration data. Just what does this mean? Well, I can't think of any better way to put it than by stating that it's simply a database for configuration files. The structure is hierarchical, meaning that configuration data is stored in order-much like a simple outline would be structured. Furthermore, each piece of data is stored in the outline as an order pair-that is, it has an associated name and a value assigned to it. It's very much the way all of your online transactions are conducted. You're assigned an account number (the name), and when you order, you've created a balance (the value). The Registry serves dozens of innovative purposes, allowing features that were difficult, at best, to implement in previous versions of Windows. It keeps track of the software you install on the computer and how each program relates to the others. With few exceptions, all 32-bit Windows programs store their configuration data, as well as your preferences, in the Registry, while most 16-bit Windows programs and MS-DOS® programs don't-they favor the outdated INI files (text files that 16-bit Windows use to store configuration data) instead. The Registry contains the computer's hardware configuration, which includes Plug and Play devices with their automatic configurations and legacy devices. It allows the operating system to keep multiple hardware configurations and multiple users with individual preferences. It allows programs to extend the desktop with such items as shortcut menus and property sheets. It supports remote administration via the network. Of course, there's more. But this serves as a good introduction to what the registry does. Registry Files on Disk: .dat Windows stores the entire contents of the Registry in two files: System.dat and User.dat. These are binary files that you can't view using a text editor, as you can with INI files. Windows also turns on the read-only, system, and hidden attributes of System.dat and User.dat so you won't accidentally replace, change, or delete them. System.dat contains computer-specific configuration data, and User.dat contains user-specific data. Take a look-both files are in C:\Windows. You must show hidden and system files in order to see them. To do this from Windows Explorer, choose View, then Folder Options and then choose Show All Files on the View tab. The location of User.dat is different on a computer that has user profiles enabled. When you enable user profiles, Windows creates a new system folder called C:\Windows\Profiles, under which you'll find a folder for each user who logs on to the machine. Each user's profile folder contains an individual copy of User.dat (and many other files and folders). You'll still find a User.dat file in C:\Windows, which Windows uses as the default for new users. Just remember that you'll see C:\Windows\Profiles\Name for each user who logs on to that computer. Profiles enable multiple users to log on to a single computer with their own familiar settings in place (Start menu, desktop, and so on). You enable profiles using the Enable Multiusers Settings Wizard, which you access by opening Users in Control Panel. Alternatively, you can open the Passwords icon in the Control Panel and use the Passwords Properties dialog box. Another file, Config.pol, affects the settings that you see in the Registry, but it's not actually part of the Registry. Unlike System.dat and User.dat, Config.pol is an optional part of the Windows configuration. Open a policy template in the System Policy editor, choose the settings that you want to enforce, save the results to Config.pol, and place this file on the network. When a user logs on to a Windows computer, the operating system applies any settings it finds in Config.pol to the user's Registry. There's little a user can do to circumvent the settings you put in this file, as long as he or she logs on to the network, so it's a good way to enforce restrictions throughout the network. The following list summarizes the files that comprise the Registry: User.dat-The following methods describe how Windows determines the folder from which it loads User.dat: C:\Windows-Windows always loads User.dat into the Registry from this folder and uses it for the default user, even if profiles are enabled. This means that the operating system loads two different User.dat files simultaneously if you use profiles. C:\Windows\Profiles\Name-Windows loads User.dat from this folder if profiles are enabled and the operating system doesn't find a more recent User.dat file in the user's network home folder. \\Server\Home or \\Server\Mailfolder-Windows loads User.dat from the network server if the user has a home folder and a profile in it that's more current than the files in C:\Windows\Profiles\Name. System.dat-For the most part, Windows usually loads System.dat from C:\Windows. If you're using a diskless workstation, the operating system might load System.dat from the network, but this situation is extremely rare. Config.pol-Windows loads Config.pol from two different places, depending on which network server is designated as the primary network logon: the Client for Microsoft Networks looks for Config.pol in \\Server\Netlogon, and the Client for NetWare Networks looks for Config.pol in SYS:PUBLIC. Two files that existed in Windows 95 are not part of Windows 98. System.da0 and User.da0 were backup copies of the Registry that Windows 95 made every time the operating system started successfully. Since Windows 98 uses Registry Checker to make backup copies in CAB files, these DA0 files are no longer necessary. Registry Terminology The following Registry terminology will come in handy: Registry-Physically, the Registry is the two files System.dat and User.dat. Logically, the Registry is the configuration data that you see in the Registry Editor. Registry Editor-The program you use to edit the Registry. It shows the Registry as a single unit, even though Windows stores the Registry in two files. HKEY-Windows divides the Registry into six sections called HKEY_Name. Programmers know that HKEY means handle to a key. Another name for these is root key. In an outline, these six sections are the very top levels. Key-Similar to a folder in Windows Explorer. It can contain additional folders and one or more values. Think of a key as sections within an outline. Subkey-A child that appears under another key (the parent). This concept is similar to folders and subfolders in Windows Explorer. Subkeys are similar to subsections in an outline. Branch-Represents a particular subkey and everything it contains. A branch can start at the very top of the Registry, but it usually describes a key and all of its contents. In an outline, a branch is a section and everything that appears below it. Value entry-An order pair with a name and a value. Value entries are analogous to files in Windows Explorer. Default value-Every key has a default value that may or may not contain data. The default value in each key is called [Default] in the Registry Editor. Now that you know which files the Registry contains, let's take a look at some of the tools you can use to manipulate it. Your Choice of Registry Tools You use a variety of tools to work with the Registry. Some types of tools are required, and others are just niceties. A registry editor is a must-have. You use it to change values in the Registry. You can use the Registry Editor that comes with Windows, or you can use a third-party registry editor such as the Norton Registry Editor or the ShellWizard Registry Editor. Tools of the non-required variety include customization utilities and troubleshooting tools. Customization utilities are programs that help you make changes to the Registry via a well-defined user interface, which typically uses check boxes to enable or disable options. There are also dozens of other programs. Troubleshooting tools include programs that help you fix the Registry after it gets messed up. These include programs such as Norton WinDoctor, which fixes a whole host of common Registry problems, and REGCLEAN, which fixes problems specific to several Microsoft products. A huge variety of Registry tools are available. The ones I've listed below, while not all-inclusive, are some of the more important ones that you'll want to include in your toolbox. ConfigSafe-Has a good reputation. It locks your configuration in a safe place so that you can restore any portion of it if things go wrong. Norton Utilities-Comes with two really great Registry programs: Norton Registry Editor and Norton WinDoctor. It also has one average program called Norton Registry Tracker. Registry Monitor-Enables you to watch what's going on in the Registry in real time. In other words, you can observe changes to the Registry as they occur. The best part is that Registry Monitor is free. Registry Checker-Comes with Windows 98. It's the best program to use for automatically backing up and restoring the Registry and for fixing the most common problems with the Registry. Often, the best tools for the job aren't programs at all; they're scripts, INF files, and REG files. You use these files to specify changes to the Registry. When you run, install, or import these files, the operating system implements the changes that you describe in the file. These are particularly hard-working tools for administrators because they enable you to distribute changes to users across the network. Registry Editor The Registry Editor comes with Windows. This program enables you to make the usual types of changes-you can add and remove keys and values, change values, or export entire branches of the Registry to a REG file and then import that REG file later. The Registry Editor is powerful enough to tackle most jobs and it's relatively bug-free, but it lacks the advanced features that power users require. My biggest problem with the Registry Editor is that opening the Registry to the same key repeatedly is inconvenient. You must navigate to that same location by opening each parent key and click, click, click, until you finally reach the target. Other Registry Editors, such as Norton Registry Editor, solve this problem by enabling you to bookmark keys and then return to them by choosing the name from a menu. Other features that are missing include the capability to undo changes you make, to search and replace values, to make shortcuts to branches within the Registry, and to back up the Registry from within the editor. The Norton Registry Editor includes all of these capabilities. Norton Utilities If you intend to become a certified Registry guru, you must have Norton Utilities. It fills all the voids left by the Registry tools that come with Windows. You read about Norton Registry Editor in the preceding section and now know that it provides all the advanced features that a guru-in-training needs. It also contains a few other Registry programs that make the entire suite megabyte-worthy. Norton Rescue helps you start the computer in the event of system failure. It can even help you recover from startup problems that are caused by Registry errors. Registry Tracker isn't the sharpest program in the suite, but it does help you track changes to the Registry. Other programs, such as ConfigSafe, are better at this task. One of the most useful programs in the Norton suite is Norton WinDoctor, which helps you fix a host of Registry problems, including orphans. Finally, Norton Optimization Wizard helps you optimize the Registry, both logically and physically, with the aim of improving your computer's performance. You can purchase Norton Utilities from any computer retailer. You can even get it from most consumer electronics stores, such as Best Buy and Circuit City. If you want more immediate gratification, download an evaluation copy http://www.symantec.com/ or order a copy http://www.software.net/ . Registry Monitor Registry Monitor is a freeware program that you can use to monitor changes to the Registry as they occur. It gives you insight into how the operating system and other programs use the Registry. You can monitor Windows Explorer's Registry access as you open the Folder Options dialog box to see where the program stores each option in the Registry. If you're curious about the changes that a setup program makes to the Registry, monitor the setup program and filter Registry Monitor's output so that it displays only changes. Registry Checker Registry Checker comes with Windows 98. Finally, Microsoft ships a useful Registry program with the operating system! This program fulfills the following purposes: Backs up and restores the Registry Scans and fixes a variety of Registry errors Optimizes unused space in the Registry The best part about Registry Checker is that it largely does its own thing. Windows 98 starts Registry Checker every time you boot the operating system. Registry Checker then backs up the Registry to CAB files (compressed archive files) that you find in C:\Windows\Sysbckup. It also scans the Registry for errors. If it finds any, Windows 98 restarts the computer in MS-DOS mode and runs Registry Checker to restore a good backup copy of the Registry automatically or to fix those errors. ConfigSafe ConfigSafe periodically makes a backup copy of your configuration. Each backup is called a snapshot and each snapshot contains any portion of your configuration that you specify. You can compare any two snapshots, and ConfigSafe neatly displays the differences. Did you install a program on Wednesday? Compare snapshots taken on Tuesday and Thursday to figure out what changed. You can also compare any snapshot to your current configuration. If you find a change that doesn't sit well with you or if your computer isn't working correctly, compare your current configuration to the most recent snapshot and restore the original settings to fix the problem. ConfigSafe isn't a substitute for Registry Checker, and vice versa. ConfigSafe is more like a version control system for your configuration, enabling you to undo individual changes to your configuration. Registry Checker can restore an entire backup of the Registry but not individual settings. ConfigSafe can't repair a broken Registry, but Registry Checker can fix common problems. REGCLEAN REGCLEAN is a freeware utility from Microsoft that repairs a number of problems that are common to Microsoft products. This utility isn't nearly as useful as Norton WinDoctor, but it serves the needs of many users. Tweak UI The one customization utility you need to install is Microsoft Tweak UI. Microsoft developers built this tool to help users run the most popular customizations without actually having to edit the Registry. This program didn't come with Windows 95; instead, you had to download it from the Internet. Now, however, it is included with Windows 98. Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit The Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit, published by Microsoft, comes with three MS-DOS Registry utilities that aren't available on the Windows 98 CD-ROM. Look in \Reskit\Registry. The Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit, also published by Microsoft, provides similar utilities. Compreg.exe enables you to compare branches from two different Registries and list the differences. For example, you can compare a branch in the local Registry to the same branch in a remote Registry, and you can locate differences that might help you solve a problem. Reg.exe provides a plethora of functions in a neatly wrapped MS-DOS program. You can query, add, update, delete, copy, save, back up, restore, load, and unload keys and values. Srchreg.exe enables you to search for keys, value names, and value data in the Registry. It displays each item it finds, but it doesn't allow you to replace values. Other Files and Programs There are literally dozens of shareware Registry programs you can use to edit, customize, and troubleshoot the Registry. Some of them are terrific programs, but others aren't worth the money the author is asking. One good example of a shareware Registry program is ShellWizard's Registry Editor. If you don't already own Norton Utilities, ShellWizard's editor is close competition for Norton's Registry Editor. It has most of the same features and then some. (For example, you can record notes for each Registry key.) I prefer Norton Registry Editor because ShellWizard's editor is a bit buggy, but if you don't already have the utilities, ShellWizard's Registry Editor is a good alternative. One shareware Registry program deserves special mention for administrators. It's called Multi-Remote Registry Change, and it doesn't get enough notice, which is too bad. This is a great product that enables an administrator to change a Registry value across any number of computers on the network. You can't beat convenience like this when you need a quick fix. Three important types of files you need to add to your arsenal aren't programs; they're scripts, INF files, and REG files. Windows 98 includes the Windows Scripting Host, an interpreter that understands JavaScript and Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript) script files and allows those scripts to access the object model exposed by the Windows operating system. Internet Explorer 4 (or later) adds the Windows Scripting Host to Windows 95. INF and REG files are very similar-they enable you to script changes to the Registry. You can use INF files to add, remove, and change values. The notation is simple and easy to write. REG files enable you only to add and change values, not remove them. They're also not as clean to write as INF files, but you can easily create them by exporting branches from within the Registry Editor. All three types of files have the benefit of being easy to distribute via the network. You can post them to a Web site and enable users to launch them. You can e-mail them to a user for the same purpose. You can also put them in the user's login script so that the operating system automatically launches them. Conclusion So there you have it. You've been given a brief overview of the Windows Registry-what its function is and what files the Registry contains. And you've been given some important tools to include in your troubleshooting arsenal. With a little more understanding of the files included in your registry, you'll be well on your way to solving any Windows Registry problems that may occur on your own system or on network clients. Joan Bard has been a developmental programmer for the past 13 years. During that time, she has spent many hours pursuing the art of Zen and PC maintenance. She holds degrees in computer science and in business administration from the University of Louisville. The above article is courtesy of TechRepublic http://www.techrepublic.com . - IMPORTANT NOTICE - FRPCUG meetings are held at the Fort Collins Senior Center. Check below for directions to the Senior Center. February General Forum Meeting We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, February 4 at 7:00 pm. Meeting Agenda 7:00 - 7:15 Announcements 7:15 - 8:30 Alpha 5-Allen Klimeck will provide a live demonstration of latest release of Alpha 5, an excellent database application. 8:30 - 8:45 Break 8:45 - 9:30 Open Forum March General Forum Meeting We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, March 4 at 7:00 pm. Meeting Agenda 7:00 - 7:15 Announcements 7:15 - 8:30 Batteries Plus-A presentation by Warren Ptacek on what is new in battery technology. This is your chance to get answers to your battery questions. 8:30 - 8:45 Break 8:45 - 9:30 Open Forum See you at the meetings! Directions The Fort Collins Senior Center is located at 1200 Raintree Drive. This site is situated at the northwest corner of the Shields and West Drake intersection, on the north side of the Raintree Shopping Center. Check the marquee at the main entrance for directions to the specific meeting room. Up-Coming SIG's, Seminars and Meetings Board Meeting FRPCUG's executive board meets on Wednesday of the week following the General Forum Meeting at 7:00 p.m. All members are welcome and are encouraged to attend. These meetings are held at the offices of JYM Information Systems: 311 S College Avenue in Fort Collins. New Directions SIG The LINUX SIG and the Telecommunications SIG have been combined to form the New Directions SIG. This SIG provides advanced support for all PC-related operating system and telecommunication issues. The meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month at the offices of JYM Information Systems: 311 S College Avenue in Fort Collins. For more information contact Chuck McJilton at 493-2987 or email telecomsig@jymis.com. Northern Front Range Netware Users Group NFRNUG meets at 5:30 pm on the second Wednesday of each month at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife building, 2101 Oakridge Drive in Fort Collins. NFRNUG meetings are open to any users that are involved with Novell networking products and integration of other networking products into the Novell environment (Unix, NT, Mac, etc.). Contact Jim Stephens at 303-541-3376 or jcsteph@concentric.net or contact Chuck Kluko at 970-663-4770 or c.kluko@ix.netcom.com for further membership information. Yearly dues are $000.00 (yes, FREE) with pizza and pop served at 5:00 pm prior to meeting. Saturday labs and training sessions open to NRFNUG members only, space is limited. Rocky Mountain Internet Users Group Meets on the second Tuesday of 'odd' months at NCAR in Boulder. Meetings start at 7:00 pm, but members are encouraged to arrive at 6:30 pm for informal networking and refreshments. NCAR is located in Boulder at 1850 Table Mesa Drive. For more information see the RMIUG Web site at: http://www.rmiug.org/. Web Design SIG If you're an HTML author/WEB page designer, or would like to learn, contact SIG coordinator Doug Boicourt at 495-6949 or e-mail db@jymis.com for the date and location of the next SIG meeting. Upcoming FRPCUG Meetings Along with presentations of new hardware and software, we will certainly continue to present tips, hints, solutions, as well as what is new with Public Domain and Shareware offerings. If you have ideas for presentations which you would like to see at future General Forum meetings or seminars, please let us know. We would appreciate the input and opportunity to improve your meetings. Know of a another computer-related meeting in our area? Please let us know so we can post it here. 4 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00PM 12 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00PM NRFNUG Meeting 5:00PM 14 Valentine's Day 17 President's Day 20 New Directions SIG 7:00PMMarch 2003 4 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00PM 12 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00PM NRFNUG Meeting 5:00PM 17 St. Patrick's Day 20 New Directions SIG 7:00PM Want to know whether it's raining in Raratonga or snowing in Saskatchewan? No problem -- the Web is overflowing with weather sites to meet all your needs: Old Farmer's Almanac Long-Range Forecast gives you a folksy, traditional take on the forecast. http://www.almanac.com/weather/weather.html The National Weather Service gives you the scientific, detailed take. http://www.nws.noaa.gov Other popular weather sites include: AccuWeather http://www1.accuweather.com/adcbin/index.asp?partner=accuweather Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/ WxUSA http://www.wxusa.com Weather Underground http://www.wunderground.com/ Dummies Daily http://www.dummiesdaily.com/change.asp The worldwide Internet community continues to be bombarded with one virus after another, with no relief in sight. Protect your computer system now! Install and maintain current any one of the numerous anti-virus software utilities. Most definitely do not open email file attachments from strangers and use extreme caution with email file attachments from persons that you know. Verify with the person who has supposedly sent the email with file attachment prior to opening the attachment. Remember - Curiosity killed the cat! If the relatively low cost of one of the commercial anti-virus software utilities is of concern, consider the Free Edition of AVG Antivirus, available online from GrisSoft at: http://www.dummiesdaily.com/change.asp Button up now! by Char Pickering, TC/PCUG The information contained herein is for use with either Internet Explorer or Netscape. It does not apply to AOL or any other kind of email service. You will want to copy the designated folders/files to floppy disk or equivalent, or add this information to your regular backup routine. Internet Explorer Your email is stored in several .dbx files. They are located in the following path: c:\windows\application data\identities Copy the whole folder. The Address Book is a file with the filename extension .wab. In the Start menu, Find *wab and you will get all that type of files you have on your hard disk. If you have more than one, choose the largest one or the one with the latest file date. Copy that file. Favorites are in a folder: c:\windows\favorites Copy the whole folder. Netscape For email the path is: c:\program Files\netscape\users\username>\mail Copy the whole folder. Bookmarks are stored in a file called "Bookmarks.htm." Look for it in the Start Menu: Find bookmarks.htm, and copy the whole file. The only way I know of to preserve your address book in Netscape is to Export it. Bring up your address book and do File/Export. Save it as a .csv file, which can be opened in Excel or the spreadsheet in Microsoft Works. Note: If you are new to computers and the term "path" is confusing, it means a list of the folders you have to go through to find the one of interest. Hope this is helpful to you. From The Digital Viking newsletter, November, 2002 ShipleyDDS@aol.com wrote: Today we mourn the passing of an old friend, by the name of Common Sense. Common Sense lived a long life but died in the United States from heart failure on the brink of the new millennium. No one really knows how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. For decades, petty rules, silly laws, and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, and that life isn't always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids), and it's okay to come in second. A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including body piercing, whole language, and "new math." But his health declined when he became infected with the "If-it-only-helps-one-person-it's-worth-it" virus. In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of well intentioned but overbearing regulations. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers. His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but could not inform the parent when a female student was pregnant or wanted an abortion. Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from the Boy Scouts to professional sports. Finally, when a woman, too stupid to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, was awarded a huge settlement, Common Sense threw in the towel. As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding questionable regulations such as those for low flow toilets, rocking chairs, and stepladders. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by two stepbrothers: My Rights, and Ima Whiner. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. by Ira Wilsker With the recent proliferation of computer viruses infecting more computers than ever before, cleaning computers of viruses has become a more common activity. As with any virus, biological or digital, prevention is the best defense. Many times in this column, I have preached about the importance of having antivirus software installed, properly configured, and frequently updated. I have been on my soapbox warning computer users to “practice safe hex” when opening email, using floppy discs, installing software, and visiting websites. I have pleaded to the users of Microsoft products, especially Outlook and Outlook Express, to frequently use the “Windows Update” feature, integral with all recent versions of Windows, to download and install the “critical updates” that Microsoft frequently releases. These patches contain updates intended to close some of the many security holes found in Microsoft software. In this column a few weeks ago, I recommended to readers that they should strongly consider using email software other than the virus targeted Outlook and Outlook Express. Also, in several recent columns, I emphasized the utter importance of keeping current backups of all critical software and files, repeating the ubiquitous three most important words in computing, “backup, backup, and backup”. If, despite following the above rules, your computer were to become infected with a virus, worm, or Trojan, there still may be hope of restoring your computer to its prior condition. Reiterating the message above, as computer viruses become more virulent, and often carry deadlier payloads than many of their predecessors, as well as propagate themselves at geometric speeds and frequency, the best defense is still good antivirus software, installed, properly configured, and updated very frequently. Almost all antivirus software has the capability to create a bootable rescue or emergency disc. Virtually every antivirus title I have installed on computers over the past several years offers the user the chance to create a rescue disc at the time of installation. Many products also periodically remind the user to create an updated rescue disc. These warnings should not be ignored, as a bootable antivirus recovery disc is often the only quick and easy way to recover from many types of viruses, such as the very common boot sector viruses. If you do not have a bootable antivirus disc, create one now! Not later; now! On most antivirus software, the creation of the rescue disc is listed under “tools” or “options” on the menu bar. While most antivirus software automates the process, it still takes the user to insert the floppy into the drive so the software can create the rescue disc. One warning; be sure to move the little tab on the disc to write protect it, so viruses on a hard drive cannot infect the floppy. By booting off of the rescue disc, cleaning utilities can be run, often making the computer at least bootable from the hard drive, and allowing Windows to load. Just as the antivirus software itself needs very frequent, if not daily, updating in order to provide maximum protection, rescue discs also need to be recreated or updated periodically, to include the latest appropriate data or virus signature file information. Some software publishers, such as McAfee, offer online rescue updates to their software users. McAfee's EMDATS.ZIP or EMSCAN.ZIP files, available on the same web page as their DAT file updates, contain the critical files necessary to detect and kill boot sector viruses that may prevent a computer from booting off of the hard drive. Norton, and other publishers, offers similar utilities. An updated rescue or emergency disc may make it quick and easy to get some infected computers back in service. If infected, but still capable of getting online, the free online virus scans are an excellent way of removing most computer viruses. As has been written here several times before, housecall.antivirus.com and www.pandasoftware.com web sites both offer an excellent and free online scan. While Panda requires that only recent versions of Internet Explorer be used to run the scan, the house call site allows either recent version of Internet Explorer or Netscape to be used. Please remember that while the online scans may be very good at removing existing viruses, they offer no continuing protection against future infections, and should not be relied on to protect from anything. If the virus infection can be positively identified, then one of the many free virus-specific utilities available may be able to kill the infection. Companies such as Symantec, publisher of Norton Antivirus, have a variety of free “virus removal tools” available on their website at www.symantec.com/downloads. Similar free tools are available from Panda's “Repair Utilities” link at www.pandasoftware.com. Most of these utilities are designed to be run from a bootable floppy, and not from within Windows. Many of the most nefarious viruses literally destroy critical files. While some destroy data files, the most common targets are critical system files, which, if destroyed, render the computer unusable until restored. Contrary to popular belief, it is not always necessary to reformat the hard drive, destroying both the good and bad files. If the virus infection can be removed using the free standing utilities or a rescue disc, then damaged system files can be restored from either the operating system CD, the computer manufacturer's recovery CD, or the backup set that should have been created before disaster struck. Destroyed data files are a different story, as their only hope of recovery is from the often-mentioned backup set. All too many of us know the grief and hardship created by computer viruses. What is especially sad is the economic damage done to businesses by these high-tech vandals. One recent report states that domestic businesses spent an estimated $12 billion repairing virus damage last year, and that many critical but unrecoverable data files were lost. Imagine what cost and hardship may have been avoided if antivirus software had been properly installed and updated, and if current backups had been available. From the October 2002 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter, Golden Triangle PC Club by Bruce Pechman Decisions, Decisions What a conundrum; she loves me she loves me not, caffeinated or decaffeinated, paper or plastic, and now Cable or DSL. For many of you, the choice of DSL may be determined by the proximity of your residence to your ISP's telephone junction switch. The rule of thumb is if you live more than five miles from your telephone company's junction switch, DSL probably won't be available to you. Based upon your address, ISP providers of your area will determine the availability of Cable, DSL, or maybe both. To get a brief idea of what broadband services are available in your specific area, I have provided some links at the end of this article under the Resources section. I would still recommend checking the major players in the Atlanta metro area by consulting the "Personal Technology" section in the AJC. The Many Flavors of DSL Let's get into DSL first. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a high-speed Internet connection through the telephone line. What many of you might not know is that there are eight subtly different types of DSL permutations. I created the table below for easy explanations: DSL TYPE SPEED RANKINGS RECOMMENDED USES ADSL 8 Mbps download 1.5 Mbps upload Home and small business; this is the type I recommend for most G.lite 1.5 Mbps download 384 Kbps upload Same as ADSL except for speed; bad for voice and multimedia applications RADSL 7 Mbps download 1.5 Mbps upload Same as ADSL but can adjust bandwidth during transmission based on line quality HDSL 1.5 Mbps both ways Requires two wire pairs; used by businesses as an alternative to T1 HDSL II 1.5 Mbps both ways Same as HDSL, but over a single phone line SDSL 1.5 Mbps both ways Forerunner to HDSL II; same performance but available only within 10,000 feet of a central office IDSL 144 Kbps both ways A hybrid of DSL and ISDN technologies with no call setup delay VDSL 52 Mbps download 2.3 Mbps upload The fastest DSL service; available only within 4,500 feet of a central office Depending on the age of the telephony equipment in your home, it may need to be updated. Remember when you contact various ISPs to inquire about the specific type of DSL for which you are being quoted. Just a little advice--avoid IDSL like the plague. It will cost as much as ADSL per month, but will be a poor performer. ADSL is what you want in the DSL game and represents the best value on average (for the record, the "A" in ADSL stands for asynchronous). The ABCs of DSL DSL utilizes digital technology to send heaps of compressed data over traditional phone lines. How do they do that? This little trick involves using special modems at both ends to encode the data, and then transmit it over an unused frequency on the line. On your end you will need an Ethernet network card in your PC that in turn is connected to your DSL modem. Don't worry if you're unsure about this, your provider will take care of the whole ball of wax. The Fable of Cable Despite that I spent more time explaining and sorting out DSL technology, don't overlook the power of Cable. The fact is Cable modem and DSL services are not only very close competitors, but also share similar elements. You will need a similar Ethernet network card, Cable modem (instead of DSL modem), and a professional to do the initial installation. Cable modems do have one distinct advantage over DSL in that Cable service is very accessible. If you have Cable TV, chances are high you can subscribe to the Cable modem service or it will be available in your area shortly. In terms of speed and cost both DSL and Cable are similar. I use Cable and can tell you first-hand that the speed of downloads is awesome. I download 10MB files in one minute (that equates to downloading a 100MB file in about 10 min)! My average download speed is about 100KB to 177KB. By the way, AT&T Broadband took over MediaOne and they are the dominant Cable provider here in the Atlanta area. Wrapping up and Pros and Cons First let me state this: whatever services you choose make sure you get a money-back guarantee from the provider. Most will give you a 30-day MBG. This way you not only protect yourself, but if you are fortunate enough to have both DSL and Cable service available, you can sample each then decide for yourself. Some providers also have minimal standards of speed they will guarantee; ask about this up-front or get it in writing. Yes, both are considered "always-on" connections so security is always an issue. Do these two things if you are a concerned home user. Obtain a good grade personal software firewall such as ZoneAlarm (Free at www.zonealarm.com). Second, disable "File & Print Sharing" from your Network control applet. Note that Cable is a shared bandwidth, so in theory you will receive diminished performance over time as more users are added to your node. I find this to be greatly over-exaggerated. In my subdivision, for example, we have over 500 homes. I did a survey talking with neighbors over the year on the prospect of getting Cable. The bottom line is 10 out of 100 would want to shell out the extra $40 to $50 per month to receive a broadband connection. Remember, unless your company will pay for it, or you are a true enthusiast, you will probably pass until the prices get much lower. Resources Broadband availability guide - http://www.speed411.com/updateisp3.asp Broadband availability guide - http://www.zdnet.com/special/isp/simplesearch/ DSL availability guide - http://www.2wire.com/dsllookup/finddsl.asp Cable Modem Resources - http://www.catv.org/index.html Cable/DSL tweaks & patches - http://www.speedguide.net/Cable_modems/cable_patches.shtml From the August 2002 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter, Atlanta PC Users Group FOR SALE: Gateway 800C Desktop w/Monitor, 20GB Hard Drive plus Epson Stylus Color 777 printer. Less than one year old. Only $600 complete. Contact Frances in Fort Collins at (970) 224-0776. FOR SALE: FUJI MX-1700 Zoom digital camera. 1.5 MP with 3X digital zoom and 2" LCD monitor. Like-new condition in box with manual, cables, software and two Smartmedia cards. This subcompact digital camera has it all and takes gorgeous vivid color photos - $250. Contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 223-6618 or email rmatt@jymis.com. About Trading Post Members: Place your FREE ad here! k-Byte runs classified ads in Trading Post for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads up to 10 lines (or 70 words) long are free to FRPCUG members: $5 for non-members. To place an ad in Trading Post contact Will Horton at 223-2154 or email whorton@willsigns.com. Commercial Advertising Specifications (Monthly rate) Full Page (8 1/2” X 7”) $30 Half Page (3 1/4” X 7”) $20 One Third Page (3” X 4”) $15 Business Card (2 3/4” X 1 1/2”) $ 5 We offer a substantial discount for repeat ads and continuing contracts. For additional charge, we will design your ad for you. Contact Will Horton for information on this service at 223-2154 or email whorton@willsigns.com. |