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Front Range PC Users Group Newsletter k-Byte |
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| v. 22, n. 1/2 January/February 2005 | Users Helping Users |
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Contents 1 Backing Up Your Computer - Mike Morris 2 About k-Byte 3 Simple But Powerful Tools Find Misplaced PC Files - Gabe Goldberg 4 What Time Is It - Ira Wilsker 6 Hide Folders XP 8 Keep Your Cool - Ira Wilsker 11 Which Office Suite - George McGinnis 12 E-mail Warning 13 Online Information For The Elderly & The Disabled - Steve Rosenthal 14 Calendar of Events 16 February/March Calendars 18 Membership Application 22 Chip Speeds - Kim Komando 24 Quarters Add Up - Rick Mattingly 27 Get Rid Of Spyware And Popups - Ira Wilsker 30 Trading Post 31 FRPCUG Contacts Backing Up Your Computer by Mike Morris, Fort Collins PC Users Group Do the words "back up" stimulate memories of excruciatingly slow tape back up systems with very limited capacity? Perhaps not. A June 2004 article in one of the computer magazines referred to a recent survey in that magazine. In that survey, less than half of the respondents said they back up as often as weekly. More than a third said they either never back up or do it only when they think about it. Many said they don't remember, and several complained that backing up interferes with normal use of their PC. Is it that most computer users do not worry about losing data? If that is true, consider the situation described in that same computer magazine article. The author was attempting to reinstall Windows (why he was making this attempt is another story). Unfortunately, the author ran into problems. He had established one partition on his hard drive for programs and another for data. After finally getting Windows to launch, he found that his data had disappeared. To quote his sad lament: "Years of data, gone! Meeting notes, gone! Articles, gone! All his data, gone, gone, gone!" Today, even the most unsophisticated computer user probably has data on the computer that needs to be backed up: tax (or tax related) information; other financial information; or, perhaps medical information. Even the one-person business has crucial customer and financial data on the computer. Since the key element of that storage is the computer's hard drive, it is worthwhile to remember at least some of the things that can go wrong with that hard drive: * Software problems, such as described above * Software problems that corrupt data * Mechanical or electrical failure of the hard drive * Virus infections that corrupt the data and/or the operating system * Natural disasters: flood, fire, earthquake * Personal disasters: theft, or perhaps something as simple (and expensive) as a roof leak, or a friend or family member inadvertently causing data loss. With the options now available, it is difficult to find excuses for not backing up your data (or the entire contents of your hard drive). It is important, however, to evaluate your needs. It doesn't really matter what kind of backup system you choose, as long as you stick to it. These days, you have two general categories of backup options: online or on-site backup. If you choose to perform onsite backup using a local tape drive or hard disk, you also need to decide whether to back up everything-including all your applications-or just your data. Here are some thoughts on the various back up options: * ONLINE2 There are many companies offering online back up services. You connect and transfer files to their computers. They charge a regular service fee based on file sizes and frequency of backup. To do this you would need an Internet connection-preferably a fast one, beyond the normal modem speed of 56K. This method solves the problem of offsite storage, but you need to evaluate the ability of the service to protect confidential information, and it is definitely not the least expensive option for most users. It is not a method likely to be of interest to the average computer user or small business. * ONSITE * TAPE BACK UP Historically, disk technology has been orders of magnitude more expensive than tape media. Tape has therefore been used for data intensive applications such as back up and archiving. In fact, for individual users and small businesses, tape back up was essentially the only choice for many years. The tapes were, and are, expensive. Prices for tapes for some systems are still in the $30 range. Tape back up operations are generally very slow, and the tapes have limited capacity compared to newer options. To be fair, there are tape back up systems that have greater capacity and higher speed, but the drives are expensive ($750 plus). Another factor that affects tape back up is the accuracy of the restore operation. A June 2003 article in a computer magazine referred to a recent study that found that while tape backups are used extensively, restoring data from a tape backup system fails an astounding 70 percent of the time. The reasons for such an alarming rate of failure range significantly-and may vary from bad tapes or tape drives to the inability to find the backup tapes or careless processing by IT staff. Again in the interest of objectivity, that study was probably directed at large organizations. Nevertheless, tape back up even for a small business requires multiple tapes and a schedule for rotating the tapes and the level of back up. Because of speed and capacity considerations, tape back ups are usually scheduled on a calendar and/or quantity basis. The first backup, and usually weekly thereafter, is a complete backup. Throughout the week, you may want to run differential or incremental backups. A differential backup stores all the files that have changed since the last full backup. Therefore, the differential set grows each time but leaves you with only two sets of tapes to restore when the need arises. An incremental backup includes only the files that have been modified since any previous full or partial backup; this potentially leaves you with many tapes to restore in case of an emergency. Controlling all those tapes is not a trivial task. * OPTICAL MEDIA5 CD-RECORDABLE OR CD-REWRITABLE-A CD-R can be written to once, whereas a CD-RW can be written to many times. You can add another drive to your computer, internal or external, that can write or burn files to a CD. Again, the files may be copied or backed up to this media. The drives cost approximately $250 to $500. Optical media is cheap, and since it's removable, you can store backup sets in safe places away from your PC. If you back up to optical media, though, it's especially important that you use your software's Verify command to ensure that the data was written properly. A CD's capacity is around 800MB. One of the advantages of using a CD is that the file, once backed up, may be restored or copied to most PCs with a CD-ROM drive. This is a good method for backing up digital photos to share with others. The capacity, although large, is still not big enough to back up your entire PC, which today is easily 20GB (or more). On the horizon is the DVD-Write, which will have a much greater capacity. * DISK TECHNOLOGIES For users with minimal data storage needs (if there are any left), the floppy disk or ZIP disk (if you have a ZIP drive) may be inexpensive options. However, with the explosive growth of digital imaging, these options are rapidly diminishing in usefulness, because of the file size of the images. Over the last ten years, the cost of a hard disk has plummeted; it is highly cost-effective now, and its cost advantages over tape will continue to grow rapidly. When it comes to the basic cost of media, tape has lost its edge. Without even taking the cost of a tape drive into account, it is interesting to compare the costs of disk versus tape media. Only ten years ago, the hard disk cost $1,000 per GB and tape media cost $10 per GB. A recent visit by this writer to local computer retailers discovered a 300 GB hard drive for $300-or $1 per GB. Declining disk drive costs and improved speed are key motivations for adoption of disk-to-disk backup. Related benefits include improved response times (due to faster restore rates) and decreased demand on administrative resources because a second disk (or disk arrays-an option for larger organizations) does not require operator intervention. Improved reliability of disk drives-and the fact that disk-to-disk backup makes it easier to do more frequent backups which ultimately increases data protection-are also critical factors allowing improved backups and restores. Disk-to-disk back up also offers sufficient capacity for complete system back up operations-that is, with the correct software, you can back up not only your data, but the operating system and applications programs as well. Therefore, if a hard drive fails, it is possible to restore a complete system to a new hard drive without re-installing the operating system and the application programs. Image backups copy an entire drive, sector by sector, catching certain kinds of files-like hidden and system files-that traditional backup software can miss. Image utilities were originally created for corporate offices to deploy scores of identically configured PCs, but up-to-date images also make it easy for an individual user to transfer files to a new hard disk quickly and (relatively) painlessly. However, if you are using an external hard drive as your back up device, be sure to verify that the image backup software will work with your selected interface. There are at least two products on the market for individual computers that provide "image" backups. Reviews of these products are available from the online versions of various computer magazines. Today, the many options for backing up the data and programs on your computer offer capacity, speed, and ease of use that were not available even two years ago. This capability is available in very affordable packages. Remember to evaluate your needs to select the correct method for your use. And once the hardware and software are installed, use them! Credits: 1. Ben Gottesman, PC Magazine, June 8, 2004 2. Jill Will, Office Solutions, December, 2001 3. Andy Newborn, Computer Technology Review, June, 2003 4. Andy Newborn, Computer Technology Review, June, 2003 5. Jill Will, Office Solutions, December, 2001 6. Andy Newborn, Computer Technology Review, June, 2003 7. Dave Johnson, Home Office Computing, October, 1999 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 ©2005 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, Windows, or UNIX/LINUX 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. by Gabe Goldberg (gabe(at)gabegold.com) As PCs have gotten more powerful in every dimension - faster processors, larger memories, and (especially) giant hard drives -- software developers have kept pace by bloating their applications. Where PCs once ran happily with 10 megabyte (not gigabyte!) disk drives, now most applications are many times that size, containing hundreds or thousands of files. As applications proliferate and users create their own blizzards of data files (documents, pictures, sound and video files, etc.) PC files become needles in a haystack. Or, more annoyingly accurate, PCs are like gigantic haystacks hiding needles, since a PC's pile of files is always much more visible than the one file that's missing. Windows versions include a built-in tool for locating files. It's sometimes called Search and sometimes called Find; I guess that Finding sounds more optimistic than Searching. But they share problems: they don't search inside all filetypes (files' types are the second part of their names, what follows the dot, such as "doc" for Microsoft Word files), they don't always find all copies of files, they may completely skip files, and they run slowly. Picking a file search tool is like choosing a Web browser or your favorite ice cream flavor: a matter of very personal taste. The search tool (or browser or ice cream) you favor matters less than your knowing about choices. Sometimes it's hard to escape an already-made choice, to try the unfamiliar -- though the pleasure of discovering a new favorite flavor helps the process along. This article describes two powerful utilities that can be your PC's lost-and-found. But remember that many other choices are available on software download sites such as http://www.tucows.com/. Agent Ransack (a free download) and FileLocator Pro ($25), near-twin-brother file-find utilities, greatly surpass Windows' native tools: they're faster, friendlier, more flexible, and more accurate. Both programs are easy downloads (less than two megabytes) and install by simply executing the downloaded .exe file. They offer many tasty features. For example... 1) They display file lines containing your search string with their filenames: an overdue facility, and much more useful than displaying only filenames! 2) They can search multiple unrelated (non-nested) folders: what a concept, and so much better than having to repeat searches! 3) They can save and reuse search criteria. So if you ever repeat file searches -- for example, to find all files containing your family name -- you'll save time. 4) They allow saving and printing lists of files found: very helpful if a file search is the first step in a larger process which manipulates found files. 5) Both programs provide basic and expert interfaces. This choice allows using only simple search functions or enabling more detailed search criteria. 6) The programmer's tool "regular expressions" provide a more powerful wildcard notation than "*" for specifying matching search strings and filenames. Nearly everyone gets along just fine without using these, but people who like them *really* like them. You'll be encouraged to register Agent Ransack. This is optional but a friendly gesture towards the developer who makes the program available. Big brother FileLocator Pro -- whose registration cost includes a year of updates -- adds several features: it searches additional filetypes (PDF, ZIP, etc.); it displays found file lines as they appear in the file, with customizable numbers of lines above and below each one; it allows immediate inspection of found files with a built-in viewer or tailorable external editor; it provides a detailed status line with found-file statistics; and it's programmable via scripting and plug-ins. While it's perhaps a little unfashionable, I appreciate the 24-page FileLocator Pro manual. Full of screenshots illustrating basic and advanced facilities, it's a quick read revealing tips and nuggets that might otherwise be missed. After paying for and downloading FileLocator Pro, you'll be given a registration key that enables using the program past the free evaluation period. You'll apply the key by executing a small registry update file or by copying a string from an e-mail into a dialogue box. Note that while you're safe executing the registry update file from a trusted vendor, caution is required with such files and they should *not* be accepted and executed from strangers. A minor oddity is that invoking either product via right-clicking a folder in Windows Explorer -- a handy facility -- starts a new copy of the search tool rather than making an open copy the active window. Until PCs can read our minds and do what we want without detailed instructions, tools like Agent Ransack and FileLocator Pro are great productivity enhancers. And don't neglect options available in Windows built-in search tools: they can tailor and refine searches to be more effective. Specifications Company: Mythic Software Programs: Agent Ransack, FileLocator Pro URL: www.mythicsoft.com Price: Free (Agent Ransack); $25 (FileLocator Pro) OS: Windows 95 or newer This article appeared originally on AARP's Computers and Technology Web site, <www.aarp.org/computers>. (c) AARP 2004. Permission is granted for reprinting and distribution by non-profit organizations with text reproduced unchanged and this paragraph included. by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Board of Directors and columnist for The Examiner, Beaumont, TX I get a lot of emails that have an incorrect time stamp on them, placed their by their computers that have an incorrect time and date. I was asked on my radio show, "So what's the big deal about having a wrong time and date on my computer?" There are several reasons for having a correct time and date on your computer. One reason is that if your computer has an incorrect date and time, and you send email with that incorrect time, it may not be noticed by the recipient and remain unread, or it may be filtered out by some spam filters. I sort my incoming email by date so I will always see the newest messages first. If the sender has a clock that is set "slow", then that email will not be near the top of my list, and if the clock is too slow, then I may not see the message at all because it may show up as an old, out of date message. Since many spammers purposely set the date and time either far in advance, or far in the past, so that their spam email always appears first or last on an email list, many of the spam filters delete emails that are extremely off in their dates and times. Another reason to have a correct date and time is to better enable searches on your own computer. Almost all versions of Windows have had as a search function "date and time" to find files created, accessed, or modified in a specific time frame. If downloaded or shared files are received with a correct time, and the computer clock is significantly off, there may be discrepancies making some file searches difficult. Many professionals bill their clients based on time, and those that use their computers to bill the time need an accurate time on their computers in order to bill accurately. There may also be legal ramifications in having a correct or incorrect time on the computer. I recently did a forensic analysis on a computer involved in a legal case, and there was a question explicitly about when certain things were done with the computer. The defendant in the case was a professional engineer, and billed clients for his computer time, using a utility expressly for that purpose. He used a program that frequently checked his computer clock against the official government time (www.time.gov), and logged any differences, which were slight. Since his computer clock was accurate, always within a second during the period in question, there was evidence so strong in his favor that the case was dropped. If his computer clock had been significantly off, there may have been a strong case against him, as a key piece of defense evidence would have been missing. There are several reasons for computer clocks not having the correct time. Some computer users never set their computer clock, similar to the flashing "12:00" on many VCRs. I have worked on computers that had the wrong time zone set, simply because the user never reset the time zone and clock after it was purchased, and still had the default time zone set by the manufacturer. Many computers lose time on their computer clocks due to a well documented interference with the clock from some "soft modems", "controlerless" modems, or "WinModems" that sap processing power from the CPU chip while online. A symptom of this is sometimes a "jerky" cursor that does not move across the screen smoothly while online. Another reason for loosing time on a computer clock is a weak battery in the computer. Most users are unaware that there is a small battery in their computers, often a watch or calculator battery, which powers the CMOS chip while the computer is turned off. While some newer computers use a small rechargeable battery, which has a longer but still limited life, the typical computer battery may only last for a few years until it must be replaced. One necessary proviso is that the user should use one of several utilities to back up the CMOS data before replacing the battery, or the system defaults will be used. After replacing the battery it is almost always necessary to reset the clock. There are several utilities that will automatically reset the clock with little or no user intervention. These range from integral Windows XP utilities, to freeware, and commercial software. XP has a free built-in time check utility that can transparently reset the computer clock. It can be found by clicking on control panel - date and time - internet time. Additional information is available by clicking on start - help - and entering the search term "time synchronization". I recommend using the nist.time.gov link which will set the time to "official" time. The XP time utility may not function properly or give an incorrect time if the utility is blocked by a firewall, or if it is set to a local network time, which may also be inaccurate. The clock can also be set manually by double clicking on the clock and entering the time; just be sure that the time zone and daylight savings time are set correctly from the "time zone" tab. I also use an excellent free utility to check my computer clock, AboutTime 4.8. It is available for download at www.arachnoid.com/abouttime, along with detailed instructions and trouble shooting. Personally, I have it set to the U.S. Naval Observatory time at tick.usno.navy.mil. I have found the Navy time server to be the most reliable connection. Now you have no excuse for an incorrect computer clock. Hide folders to prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive data stored in Windows XP and Windows 2000 computers. Hide Folders XP is a simple but ingenious program for Windows XP and 2000 users. In the days when almost all computers are tied in one or another type of network, protecting personal, sensitive data is critical. After installing Hide Folders XP, you can make invisible (hide) folders with important information to others, including people who access your computer directly or via a network. This means these files will be visible only to you. Network search, browsing, even removing an upper-level folder will not have any effect. Hide Folders XP is very easy in use - all hiding and "unhiding" is done with one mouse click. Up to 64 folders can be made invisible simultaneously. Importantly, Hide Folders XP comes with a password protection option, meaning even if the program is discovered on a workstation, accessing the protected folders is impossible. Hide Folders XP protects files from being accessed, edited and deleted and comes with NTFS, FAT32 and FAT volumes support. No file system structure modifications occurs during hiding. The program can run in a stealth mode (cannot be detected with Windows Task Manager), requires a password in order to be uninstalled and comes with a wealth of other options - such as "dummy protection" (does not allow system folders to be hidden, in order to avoid computer crash), and capability to delete files stored in the hidden folders from the recent documents list and recycle bin. The program offers multilingual support, hotkey option, is extremely easy to set up and run and has a very pleasant straightforward interface. Hide Folders XP is distributed electronically over the Internet; free demo version is available at http://www.fspro.net/ for evaluation. The price of a single copy is 24.95 US Dollars. There is a similar version of the program called Hide Folders for Windows 95, 98 and ME users. FSPro Labs is a small independent shareware company specializing in personal protection and corporate security products. Founded in 2000, it has already released several popular products - Hide Folders and Hide Folders XP, Lock My PC, Secure Credit Card and Access Boss. If you have any questions, would like to request editor's copy, want to inquire about special prices for volume buyers/software resellers, or have a business proposal, please contact Michael Karsyan at mike@fspro.net Company Website: http://www.fspro.net Product Page: http://www.fspro.net/hfxp/ Screenshots: http://www.fspro.net/img/hfxp/main.gif Download: http://www.fspro.net/download/hfxp.zip Buy Link: http://www.fspro.net/hfxp/purchase.html Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either. by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Heat is one of the primary causes of premature computer and component failure. Today's microprocessors, video cards, hard drives, CD and DVD burners, memory, and other components produce much more heat than their earlier brethren. One simple indication of the amount of heat generated in today's newer computers is the power supply; older computers could run well with a 150 watt power supply, while many newer models utilize a 400 watt or larger power supply. While it is uncommon for computers to use all of the power capacity of the power supply, the immutable laws of physics state that much of the power used will be turned into heat, and heat can kill computer components. Many newer motherboards and computers now come with some form of thermal monitor to inform the user of potentially damaging or dangerous overheating, and a device may even shutdown a computer unexpectedly if temperatures inside the computer get too high. If there is too much heat buildup, and the internal temperatures get too high, parts degrade or fail at a rapid rate. Expensive CPU chips, hard drives, memory, and video cards that fail are often the result of overheating. Sudden lockups and computer errors may be due to an overheated CPU chip. Our critical data may be lost forever if our hard drives overheat and fail. If our computers can be protected from overheating, not just will they last longer, but they may perform better. 
Intel provides a free temperature monitoring utility for its motherboards and chipsets that support this feature. According to Intel, desktop Pentium IV chips work best when below 130 degrees F, may have problems at 150 degrees F, and may start to degrade or fail at that temperature or higher. AMD chips, such as the Athlon may suffer a similar fate from overheating. For this reason almost all modern CPU chips have an attached heat sink and fan. In order to improve thermal conductivity between the surface of the chip and the heat sink, a thermal grease substance is used between them. The purpose of a heat sink is to provide a greater surface area to enable the dissipation of heat into the surrounding air. Most CPU chip heat sinks are topped with a small fan to blow air through and around the heat sink to better cool the chip. While simple in concept, and inexpensive to produce, this is also a common cause of overheating that is easy to rectify. The same dust and debris that can clog our household furnace filters can accumulate and clog the passages in the heat sink, and obstruct the blades of the chip fan. It is good practice to periodically unplug the computer, practice safe electrical safety, and remove the "dust bunnies" from the fan and heat sink with a small vacuum, canned air, or a cotton swab. You may also want to read the label on the chip fan to see if it is a "sleeve" or "ball" bearing. Sleeve bearings tend to have a shorter life before they fail, and can lead to premature chip failure due to overheating. Ball bearing fans are slightly more expensive, but tend to last much longer, providing for more reliable chip cooling.The power supply also has a fan, which for many computers, is the primary cooling component that exhausts the hot air from inside the computer. If this fan fails, or becomes obstructed with dust and other debris, the computer will overheat. This fan must also be frequently inspected, and cleaned as necessary with a small vacuum, or canned air. If the fan starts to squeal, or otherwise appears to fail, it is imperative that either the fan or the entire power supply be promptly replaced. Many computer cases have a space and mounting for an additional fan; if available, the additional fan should be installed. They are readily available, and inexpensive. Supplemental cooling is also available, and can be easily self installed. One of the simplest to install is an exhaust fan that sits in a vacant PCI slot, which almost all desktop computers have. These fans which typically exhaust air from the computer can either be powered by the PCI slot, or by a power cord connected to a plug inside the case. These are especially effective at cooling video cards which generate a lot of heat; Intel recommends that the video cards be kept below 105 degrees F. Again, the slightly more expensive ball bearing fans are considered superior to the less expensive sleeve bearing fans. I installed one of these in my computer, and internal temperatures are consistently about 20 degrees F cooler than before. Other formats of supplemental cooling are available, such as fans that can be mounted in the front of the computer in a vacant drive bay, also common on most computers. These can be simple propeller fans, or powerful turbine fans, and can either push cool outside air into the box, or exhaust hot air from the box. Other fans can be mounted on a hard or CD/DVD drive to cool those hot running devices. Some powerful computers, such as the popular gaming machines may now utilize a water cooled device, similar to an automobile radiator, complete with antifreeze. Notebook computers, which are often especially subject to overheating may be cooled by mounting them such that air can circulate all around the case (some people sit their notebooks on a cake rack), or on a notebook cooling pad that contains its own fans. One pundit has been recommending those black painted aluminum sheets from a dollar store that are advertised to quick defrost frozen foods, as they are an excellent heat sink. Whatever you do, keep your cool - your computer cool, that is. by George McGinnis, Chautauqua Cyber Club, Inc. GPMcGinnis@mchsi.com Word processors, and office suites, as used in the modern computer, have an interesting background and history. In the beginning the word processor was the most sought after of all the programs. The heyday of the word processor was in the late 1970's-early 1980's when serious home computing was first getting started. Word processors were the first thing most people wanted to use on the home computer for the simple reason that they viewed the home computer as a replacement for the typewriter. If you wanted to write a letter, you needed a word processor. It wasn't very long before we were inundated with a plethora of the pesky things, each claiming to be the best. How many can you recall? I recall PC Write, Rite Writer, Volkswriter, Word Star, Peachtree Text, and Perfect Writer. There were numerous others. The first one I used was PC Rite. It came with the computer a local computer guru built for me in 1982. The word processor was an extra and cost $20.00 as I recall. I had the first edition. At first it worked very well for me but I gradually discovered several bugs and problems. For example, it did not have an automatic "save" feature. I recall once I had typed several pages of a story which was somehow deleted. It was gone! I complained to the program's author that he needed to add the automatic "save" feature. He added it to the next version and gave me a free copy because I had made the suggestion. I suspect other word processors of the time had similar problems. Then along came Word Perfect. It was the most mature of them all, and also the most expensive. Word Perfect became the default word processor for business throughout the United States and its fame spread very rapidly. I can recall as recently as 15 years ago when our local University decided that Word Perfect was to be the only word processor to be used for administrative purposes by the University. At the time I warned them that Word Perfect was soon to be supplanted by Microsoft WORD but my warning was ignored. I wonder how much that blunder cost the University. In the late 1970's, the addition of a spreadsheet and database made their appearance. I recall that Lotus 1-2-3 and VisiCalc as spread sheets and Dbase 3 as a database were popular early on. Now to the question: Which suite should you be using today? The answer is to continue using the present one if you are pleased with it and if it handles all your situations. But is that really the answer? At present we have three champions in the field. Two are well known, Word Perfect Office and Microsoft Office. The third is hardly known at all, but it is out there and it should become known. I am referring to Open Office.org, V. 1.1.1. This latter suite is available as a free download, or can be purchased on a CD. It contains a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, a draw program and a presentation program. Recently the Ziff Davis publication e-WEEK participated in a test to try to determine if, for example, Microsoft Office could be replaced by OpenOffice.org for use at a large business. One of the reasons for the test was potentially to save money; for example Word Perfect Office costs about $199.00, and Microsoft Office 2003 Professional is about $359.00. A business must purchase a license for a certain number of copies, and 100 licenses are not unusual. The cost becomes critical when the business decides it must upgrade. The test they made is impressive. e-WEEK obtained as volunteers several large businesses, and also obtained volunteers from the same businesses who regularly used Microsoft Office. The information about the test and its results is contained in the e-WEEK April 26, 2004 edition. My interpretation of the results is that for ordinary work the free download is quite adequate. However, for more complicated functions, Microsoft Office is preferred. How about the ordinary home user, like you and me? I think it boils down to money. If you have lots of it, use Microsoft Office, and upgrade it as needed. Depending on the version, you can have a word processor, database, spreadsheet, presentation program, and various other features, all at a price. Next on the list would be Word Perfect Office which is less costly but still a full featured suite. It contains a word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation program, and Dragon Naturally Speaking, a voice recognition program. If you want a word processor with the look and feel of Microsoft Word, and a not too complicated spreadsheet and database, the free Open Office.org will fill the bill and the price is right. Try it. You might like it. Go to www.openoffice.org and get the free download or purchase the CD. Give it a try. Your results will make an interesting story for this publication. We would like to hear from you. Email Warning It should come as no great surprise that the Internet Email system is on the verge of being broken due to the volume of SPAM being thrust upon us by a relative few no-class individuals. Drastic measures are being instituted throughout the system in an attempt to reduce the incredible load of trash messages. One issue that we all need to be aware of is that numerous Internet Service Providers, as well as individuals, are now filtering email. As a baseline, much of this filtering begins by dumping all email without a header. If you send legitimate email without a header it will probably never be read by the recipient! You will receive no bounced message or error message as the email was actually delivered - directly to a trash bin. Get into the habit of adding a short, descriptive header to all email now! by Steve Rosenthal, Secretary, Space Coast PC Users Group, Cocoa, Florida On Tuesday, July 22,2003, Kim Komando (www.komando.com) had a link to a site that is of major interest to EVERYONE approaching retirement, Social Security, and/or who is permanently disabled for any reason. The site is sponsored by the National Council on the Aging, and hosted by AOL's GovernmentGuide.com. It is called http://benefitscheckup.org (do not add 'www'), and is a comprehensive guide and list of any and all programs that are available to the "older generation," i.e. adults who are ready for Social Security or on permanent disability. This is a "must see" site for anyone with questions of importance about their benefits at or near 65. The opening page has several choices: 1) How to Use the Site, 2) Tips, 3) Sponsors, 4) Support for N.C.O.A. (National Council On Aging). The first place to go on the site would be the "Benefits CheckUp" button, which will take the reader to several pages that ask important and pertinent questions about the individual, spouse and any dependents living in the household. There is a second button that takes the reader to a page for prescription drug information and savings. I would suggest starting with the Check Up button, and going through the questionnaire, filling out ALL the questions as accurately as possible. The reader will need information on: A) State & Zip Code, B) Dates of birth for individual and spouse, C) Type of residence, D) Length of time living there, E) Veteran status, F) Employment History as it refers to governmental employment, G) Prescription Medication List (very important), H) Current income and their sources, I) Current Expenses. Get this information together BEFORE entering the site, as it will speed the process of "filling in the blanks." The reader has only 20 minutes to answer all the questions, before the site 'times out,' meaning the reader will have to start all over from the beginning. Once the reader has started the questionnaire (Click the 'Click Here' button), there are about 35 or so questions, on approximately 10 different pages, some of which will require detailed information on medications, household income, work status, marital status, and the like. A detailed questionnaire on current medications will probably take the longest, so it is advisable that a current list of edications be written out and by the computer when answering this part of the questionnaire. Not all drugs are listed; some are listed as generic meds. After filling in all the information, the site will then take a minute or so to assess the input, and select a list of sites and contact addresses/phone numbers for applications for various programs that would be valuable to the individual, assist limited income individuals who need help with their bills and even suggest further research for available programs for the retired and limited income families. The federal government offers tax breaks and some private companies offer reduced price medicines for individuals and families on fixed incomes, which help retirees and the disabled cope with month-to-month living expenses and 'survival.' As far as I can tell, none of the information is stored - it is erased after the 20-minute time period has elapsed. It doesn't appear to be 'collected,' and if it is, it would only be for statistical purposes, since the site does not ask for a name, address, phone number, Social Security Number, or any other personal identifying information directly traceable back to the individual. Answering the questions honestly simply retrieves information for the reader. In total, there are about 40 questions, and the most comprehensive is the one about prescription meds. With ALL of your personal information at hand, it should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete the survey, and another minute or two for the site to retrieve the pertinent information for your specific situation. The results will vary according to each individual's input and can list a few or several sources for further printing out the final results, as names, addresses, phone numbers and web sites can be extensive and comprehensive, depending on the individual's answers to the questionnaire. Examples of the results may include: 1) Golden Access Passport, 2) Food Stamp Program, 3) Medicare Counseling through the SHINE organization, 4) Real Property Tax & Other Exemptions, 5) Homestead Property Tax Deferral (for FLA residences in particular), 6) Earned Income Tax Credit, and other qualifying programs, depending on income status. These are by no means the total list; you will get a list that applies directly to YOUR specific needs and income level. Anyone with a computer can access this information, and if you don't have a computer at home, your local library (or even a neighbor, friend or family relative) can access the site, fill in the required information, retrieve the results, and print out the information for you to follow up via letter or phone call. The Internet is chock full of, and a FANTASTIC source of information if you know where and how to look for it. This particular information might take an individual months to collect separately, but on the Internet, it took only 20- 30 minutes to gather, print, and store in a file that can be referred to over and over again. I was able to download the PDF file with ALL the information in text form, which I can then read at my leisure or constantly go back to as a reference source. Anyone who is interested in available benefits should access this site, and do the questionnaire for themselves. Again, the name of the site is http://benefitscheckup.org and is available 24/7. Take advantage of what the Internet has to offer; you'd be surprised at the wealth of information available. If you need further information, my Email address is stever43@bellsouth.net. Feel free to contact me, and I will do my best to help you find the information you are seeking. Good luck with your search, and use the Internet to its fullest capacity, you'll be pleasantly surprised at what it has to offer. Connecticut Personal Computer User's Group, February, 2004 - 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 1 at 7:00 pm. Meeting Agenda 7:00 - 7:15 Announcements 7:15 - 8:00 Printer Technology - A presentation on what is new in printer models, as well as related tips. 8:00 - 8:15 Break 8:15 - 9:00 Open Forum March General Forum Meeting We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, March 1 at 7:00 pm. Meeting Agenda 7:00 - 7:15 Announcements 7:15 - 8:00 Internet Search Engines - Overview of available search engines and tips on using them. 8:00 - 8:15 Break 8:15 - 9:00 Open Forum See you at the meetings! 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: 1630 S College Avenue in Fort Collins. New Technology SIG The LINUX SIG and the Telecommunications SIG have been combined to form the new Advanced Systems Support 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: 1630 S College Avenue in Fort Collins. For more information contact Chuck McJilton at 493-2987 or email telecomsig@jymis.com. 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/. 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. 1 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00PM 9 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00PM 14 Valentine's Day 21 President's Day 24 New Technology SIG 7:00PMMarch 2005 1 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00PM 9 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00PM 17 St. Patrick's Day 24 New Technology SIG 7:00PM 25 Good Friday 27 Easter by Kim Komando http://www.komando.com Question: I am confused about how to compare the clock speeds of various processors. There are Pentium 4s with clock speeds between 2.0 and 3.6 gigahertz. Intel has a Centrino mobile chip at approximately 1.5 GHz. AMD Athlon chips use a different rating system. And then there is Apple, which just came out with the iMac featuring a G-5 chip. That is supposed to be 1.5 to 1.8 GHz. Could you shed some light on this issue and eliminate my confusion? Answer: You're in a very non-exclusive club! Legions of people are confused by chip speeds. I'm going to break it down first for desktops. There's a ton of information here, so I'll split it over two days. We'll do laptops on Monday. Let's start at the very beginning. Intel has two classes of chips for desktop computers--the Pentium 4 and the Celeron. Pentium 4 is the premium brand; Celeron, the economy name. Pentium 4s, as you said, run up to 3.6 GHz. That means the chip can cycle 3.6 billion times per second. The 3.6 GHz version performs less work per cycle than some other, slower chips. Its Level 2, or L2, memory cache ranges from 256 kilobytes to 1 megabyte. This memory contains common commands that the chip can call upon. If the command the chip needs is in L2 cache, it speeds up the computing process. If it is not, then the chip must go to system memory (RAM). That slows things. So more L2 cache is better. See, it's all pretty easy stuff. Celeron processors are geared-down Pentiums. Celerons have 128 or 256 kilobytes of L2 cache--less than most Pentium 4s. Their clock speeds are also slower. Maximum Celeron speed is 2.8 GHz. That's still plenty fast. The reduced L2 cache is a bigger deal. All Intel consumer chips are 32-bit. That means they can handle 32 bits of data at a time. That's OK, because consumer software today is 32-bit. Intel's Itanium, a business chip, is 64-bit. That is an advantage with some business programs, but is unsuited to consumer applications. Advanced Micro Devices also makes consumer chips. Its topline chips are called Athlons. AMD has been producing 64-bit chips for consumer computers for about a year. They also run today's 32-bit programs. That's a good thing, because, as I said, there aren't any mainstream 64-bit consumer programs available for it. These chips have a lower clock speed. My computer has a cutting-edge AMD 64-bit 3800+. (That's a mouthful!) It runs at 2.4 GHz. Although its clock speed is relatively slow, the chip is actually very fast. AMD (and Apple, which I'll get to in a minute) focuses on improving the number of instructions a chip can handle per cycle, rather than pure clock speed. That is why slower chips often defeat chips with higher clock speeds in tests. AMD's nomenclature carries such numbers as 3000+. You can use them as a comparison with Pentium 4s. A 3000+ has roughly the same capabilities as a Pentium 4 3.0 GHz. The 64-bit Athlon has either 512 KB or 1 MB of L2 cache. The Athlon XP, a 32-bit chip, has 512 KB of L2 cache. AMD also makes an economy chip, the Sempron. It competes with the Celeron. It has 256 KB of L2 cache, and is a 32-bit chip. Hope you don't have a headache! We still have to look at Apple's G5 chips. These guys are made by IBM. Both Power Macs and iMacs use the G5 chip. Some run at speeds well under 2 GHz. But as with AMD, Apple focuses its efforts on the number of instructions that can be completed per cycle. If you're interested in the iMac, test it in the store for speed. The iMac's big brothers, the Power Macs, all have dual processors. They're likely to be plenty fast. The cheapest is $2000 without a monitor, so they're plenty expensive, too. All G5 chips have 512 KB of L2 cache. So, what's the bottom line? I thought we'd never get here! For a good combination of speed and power, I'd look at Windows machines with Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon chips. Buy three or four steps down from the fastest chip. That means a 2.8 or 3.0 GHz Pentium chip, or a 2800+ or 3000+ AMD Athlon. The AMD 64-bit chips are fine, but there's currently no software that can take advantage of their advanced technology. Apple's Power Macs are very powerful, but they're also costly. If you want to pay the money, you won't go wrong. The iMacs also are probably OK, but I'd check them in the store first. Again, the 64-bit technology is wasted on today's programs. The Celeron and Sempron chips also are acceptable. They may be noticeably slower than the Pentium 4 and Athlon chips, though. Chip speeds vary widely - Intel offers a slew of chips in laptops. There are the Pentium 4, the Pentium 4-M, the Pentium III-M and the Pentium M chips. Need more? There are also the mobile Celeron and the Celeron-M. Intel chips support power-saving features, which extend battery life. There are a huge number of clock speeds among these chips. Here's a quick and dirty rundown: The Pentium 4 variants are quick, but relatively hard on batteries. The Pentium III-M is significantly slower and obsolete. The Celerons run from pretty doggone slow to relatively quick. In every case, the clock speed is a good indicator of the chip's abilities. The exception is the Pentium M. This chip has a relatively low clock speed, but is nonetheless pretty capable. It is a component of the Centrino technology, which you mentioned in your question. Centrino is not a chip. It is a technology, including the Pentium M chip, the 855 chipset and wireless capabilities. Intel has always marketed the Centrino as a wireless wonder. But wireless is common in laptops, regardless of whether they have Centrino technology. Where Centrino really shines is battery life. Laptops typically will run about three hours. But Centrino will run much longer. I've seen tests in which a Centrino ran six or seven hours. That could be a big deal for road warriors. If I were buying Intel, and excellent battery life were important, I would go with the Centrino setup. I would not worry about clock speed. If I were a power user, and I wanted a desktop replacement, I'd buy a higher-end Pentium 4. Just keep in mind the Pentium 4 is hotsy-totsy. I have a laptop with one of these chips and I can never put it on my lap. My legs get hot! For low price, I'd look at Celeron. AMD is not big in laptops, but is starting to change that. Clock speed is not a big deal with AMD chips. Any Athlon should do well. See my tip from Friday for comparisons to Intel Pentium chips. Don't pay up for AMD's 64-bit chip; there is no software to run on it at this time. Apple's PowerBook laptops use the G4 microprocessor, not the newer G5. Clock speeds run up to 1.5 GHz. Again, Apple's chip situation is similar to AMD's--it emphasizes the number of operations per cycle, not just speed. Because Apple uses the older G4 chip, I would check it in the store for satisfactory speed. by Rick Mattingly Henrietta Holsman Fore, director of the U.S. Mint, recently stated that release of the ongoing state quarter series has resulted in "the most successful coin program in United States history." This statement was made because the state quarter series program has resulted in a profit to the U.S. Mint of about $4 billion dollars from the 1999 inception through Fall, 2004! How you ask? Because the American public has rushed to collect the new quarters as fast as they are minted, taking large numbers of them out of circulation. The profit margin on each state quarter coin (material plus labor vs. coin value of twenty five cents) has resulted in big bucks for the Mint's budget. The Mint has estimated that the state quarter series is now being collected by no less than 140 million people. The Mint has been rolling out five of the state quarters every year since 1999, in the order the states joined the union. At this rate the Mint stands to make a lot more profit yet.  California State Quarter, to be released early in 2005. Computer Advertising Terms Defined NEW - Different color from previous design. ALL NEW - Parts are not interchangeable with previous design. EXCLUSIVE - Imported product. UNMATCHED - Almost as good as the competition. FOOLPROOF OPERATION - No provision for adjustments. ADVANCED DESIGN - The advertising agency doesn't understand it. IT'S HERE AT LAST - Rush job. Nobody knew it was coming. FIELD TESTED - Manufacturer lacks test equipment. HIGH ACCURACY - Unit on which all parts fit. FUTURISTIC - No other reason why it looks the way it does. REDESIGNED - Previous flaws fixed - we hope. DIRECT SALES ONLY - Factory had a big argument with distributor. YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT - We finally got one to work. BREAKTHROUGH - We finally figured out a use for it. MAINTENANCE FREE - Impossible to fix. MEETS ALL STANDARDS - Ours, not yours. SOLID-STATE - Heavy as anything! HIGH RELIABILITY - We made it work long enough to ship it. Always use a credit card for Internet purchases. Using a credit card affords the optimum protection against fraud or theft. Using a debit card or check provides the least protection. Once the debit has been made or check cashed you have no refund recourse. Automatic Windows Updates The Microsoft Web site has provided a "Windows Update" feature for some time. This feature compares the component versions of your installed Windows operating system with the latest versions available. If newer component versions are available a notice is given allowing the user to download and install the new components. In addition to operating system components this feature also provides critical updates pertaining to system security, as well as non-critical but desirable components and/or applications. Using the Windows Update feature insures that your operating system is performing as well as possible and is more secure. by Ira Wilsker, APCUG BOD; Columnist for The Examiner, Texas; Radio Show Host and Police Officer Next to spam mail and viruses, one of the most irritating facets of web surfing is the annoying popup ads that so many of us receive. What many may not be aware of is that about 80% of the popups that we get while online, and many that may also appear if we are offline, are generated by spyware that is unknowingly installed on our computers. Spyware are software programs that typically install without our knowledge or informed consent, and may also be a part of a program that we purposely installed. Spyware, as its name connotes, is software that often gathers information on our surfing habits and may send that information to third parties. At its worst, spyware may also be used to gather personal information from our computers, including passwords, user names, and other information, and send it to persons unknown who may illicitly use that information to empty our bank accounts, charge goods in our name, and commit other various forms of identity theft. Spyware can get on our computers by visiting some unethical websites, or by installing some downloaded or commercial software. Several forms of spyware can infect our computers via viruses and Trojans. Among the most notorious sources of spyware are popular file sharing utilities such as Morpheus and KaZaA. Some of the "cookies" or small text files placed on our computers by some websites can also be used to create personal profiles on us, and distribute that information to third parties. It should be noted that some software titles will no longer function if their attached spyware is deleted, as the spyware is intended to provide a continuing revenue stream for the software publisher. Fortunately, it is generally easy to detect and kill spyware, or otherwise render it inert. It should be understood at this point that as a general rule, even the best antivirus programs, while effective at detecting and preventing virus and Trojan infestations, are generally ineffective at dealing with spyware. Firewalls, if properly installed and configured, can prevent many spyware types from sending information from the computer, but many spyware programs utilize known security weaknesses, and other vulnerabilities in our operating systems. Contemporary thought is that we all need a good anti-spyware program properly installed, configured, and updated, every bit as much as we need updated antivirus software and a firewall on our computers. One of the top rated anti-spyware programs is the recently updated "Spybot Search and Destroy", version 1.3, available for free (donations encouraged) at www.safer-networking.org and other major download sites. Spybot can detect and destroy over 13,000 spyware products, and immunize our computers from future infection by almost 1800 types of spyware. Spybot can also prevent some pesky websites from changing our "home" or browser startup pages, and make it difficult for spyware to write itself into our Windows registry. An integral utility makes it easy for Spybot to check for, and install the periodic updates necessary to detect and kill the latest types of spyware. Another popular anti-spyware utility is "Ad-Aware", available for download at www.lavasoftusa.com. The free version of Ad-Aware, the "Standard Edition", is possibly the most widely used anti-spyware program, with over 42 million copies downloaded since July, 2003. Ad-Aware comes in several versions ranging from the "free for personal use" Standard Edition, the $27 "Plus" edition, and the $40 "Pro" version. Ad-Aware frequently releases updated "reference files" which contain lists of newly created or revised spyware information. A popular commercial program, which is a "Swiss army knife" type of program comprising many different utilities, including an excellent spyware (parasite) detector and killer is the "SpyHunter" included with System Mechanic, version 4. System mechanic is available locally at retail (about $49), and for download at www.iolo.com. A fully functional 30 day free trial version is available for download. As does its free standing competitors, System Mechanic's SpyHunter also checks for updated spyware listings, and installs them seamlessly. SpyHunter has been proven to be an effective spyware detector and killer, and the other utilities included in System mechanic make this a most useful program. While not directly marketed as an anti-spyware product, "STOPzilla" is a very effective spyware remover that specializes in those spyware products that produce about 80% of the annoying popup ads that we may get while surfing the web. A recent update to STOPzilla also includes an integral utility that can detect and kill most other forms of spyware, including tracking cookies. With almost daily automated updates, and excellent 24/7 free tech support, including toll-free numbers, STOPzilla is available for $30 at www.stopzilla.com. One of the most comprehensive spyware detecting and killing programs on the market is PestPatrol ($40), available at www.pestpatrol.com. This is an excellent program that can both detect spyware, and block many types of infection. PestPatrol has an integrated utility that enables all parts of PestPatrol to be updated on a regular basis in order to maximize the detection and removal functions. PestPatrol offers a free online scan that will detect, but not eliminate, almost all known forms of spyware. While there are several other decent anti-spyware programs available, one caveat is appropriate here. There are some unethical purveyors of some anti-spyware programs that use spam emails, popup ads, and deceptive sales practices, including telling you that your computer is infested with spyware, and charging a fee to remove it. Any of the titles referenced above will do a reasonable job of reducing popups, and securing your computer from spyware, provided they are frequently updated and run. Getting Older: First you forget names, then you forget faces, next you forget to pull your fly up, and then you forget to pull your fly down. Wow, the weather sure was on a rampage the night of the January 4 meeting. The roads were just too bad for me to make it from work all the way home and then back to Fort Collins in time for the meeting. Thinking back over the past 22 years of club activity I just don't recall the weather affecting meeting date travel to the point that I couldn't get there. In any event, hope to see you all at the February 1 meeting -- with Mother Nature's blessing of course! Rick Mattingly FOR SALE: Viewsonic 17GA 17" monitor with speakers in bezel. Must see/hear this monitor to appreciate how wonderful it is. $100 or best offer. Paul, 484-7680 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. About Trading Post 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 Rick Mattingly at 970-613-8968 or email rmatt@jymis.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 Rick Mattingly for information on this service at 970-613-8968 or email rmatt@jymis.com. |
