k-Byte, March/April 2000
v. 17, n. 3/4
Contents
 1 State of the Group - Rick Mattingly
2 About k-Byte
3 February/March Meeting Reports - Mike Meyer
4 Amazing Internet Facts
5 Thank You!
5 Windows 98 Update
6 US West MegaBit DSL Services - Lowell Shatraw
8 Why I'm Tried - Humor
9 ClickBook 2000 Update
9 Windows 98 Help Resource
10 Recycled Computer Facts
10 MS Flight Simulator 98 - Ray Majeski
11 Email Attachments & File Type Associations - Lowell Shatraw
12 Tape Drive Backup Tips
13 Using Your Calculator
14 Calendar of Events
16 April/May Calendars
18 Membership Application
19 WINDOWS 98 SAFE MODE UNSAFE FOR USB
20 Digital Images - John Langill
21 FREE Internet Discussion Group
24 Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 Repair
25 Routine Computer Maintenance You Can Do - Susan Easter
29 Net Use Factoids
31 FRPCUG Contacts

"I cannot give you the formula for success, but here's the formula for failure:
Try to please everybody." - Benjamin Franklin

State of the Group
by Rick Mattingly

It was very heartening for me to see the spate of new members who have recently joined the group. Welcome new members!

Don Anderson, FRPCUG Vice President, will be calling each new member in the near future to welcome you and to answer any questions about the group you may have. In the interim, should you have any issues which you need assistance with please be aware of the Open Forum sessions at the monthly meetings, the FRPCUG Web Chat BBS and the meetings at Data Service Center in Fort Collins each Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. All of these resources are available to assist you with your questions. Also, you may call any of the members listed in the FRPCUG Contact Roster at the rear of this newsletter with your questions and comments. Let us know what you need help with

See you at the meetings!

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About k-Byte

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 © 2000 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, 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.

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Scribe's Corner
February Meeting Report
By Mike Meyer

43 people attended this month's meeting. During the Announcements Period, President Rick Mattingly stated the FortNet Y2k Internet Festival was very successful, and he introduced some of the new members who had joined because of it. Doug Boicourt mentioned that some broken links on the club's web page had been fixed.

During the Open Forum Session, many issues were discussed. Rick Mattingly reiterated the importance of a routine maintenance program for your computer (e.g., regular hard disk care), as well as data backup protection. He also reiterated the need to carefully document in written form any steps taken when diagnosing problems and taking possible corrective action (i.e., AVOID FRANTIC JUMPING AROUND). Other matters discussed included the proper use of the Defrag program, problems with the Scheduler program and Outlook Express, problems with certain File Manager programs, and modifying the Windows Startup Menu. Additional issues covered were up-dating anti-virus program files and repairing HP printers.

The Main Program this month was a panel discussion with very interesting presentations by some of our own members. The topics included 1999 Tax Year software programs (Dennis Nimitz), Personal (Don Anderson) and Business (Will Horton) software programs, the FRPCUG web-site Discussion Board (Doug Boicourt), and certain Windows system problems (Rick Mattingly). Tax software covered included "Tax Cut", "Tax Saver", and "TurboTax". Dennis discussed the pros and cons of each and fielded some general questions about them. Don discussed the benefits of Quicken's personal software (e.g., on-line banking), and Will covered the many benefits of "Quick Books" for the small business owner. These areas were of obvious interest to a number of our members. Doug presented an informative picture of how to use the club's Discussion Board properly, including the posting of messages, editing messages, accessing them, and then deleting them. He also covered e-mail notifications, regarding earlier posted messages. Rick once again emphasized the need to monitor the Windows System Temp File directory for the presence of "orphan" files that may interfere later with normal operations. These files should be removed, if present; however, they must be removed from within DOS, not Windows. Don't use DOS from within Windows via the Shutdown menu. Rick then explained how to properly access DOS during a reboot of the computer.


March Meeting Report
By Mike Meyer

49 people attended this month's meeting. During the Announcements Period, President Rick Mattingly once again mentioned the benefits of being an instructor for certain computer classes at the Ft. Collins Senior Center. Both our club and the instructor realize these benefits. The club gets the meeting room for free, and 8 hours of instruction earn a free club membership for the current year. Rick also mentioned that the latest club roster was available from Jack Linder, our Membership Chairman. Doug Boicourt and Rick then discussed the latest progress made with the club's web page.

During the Open Forum Session, Rick presented a very interesting discussion of some of the newest digital cameras. He had recently purchased a new pocket-sized model FUJI with a zoom lens. He discussed its many handy features and its comparatively low price. He took a couple of pictures of members to illustrate the camera's versatility. He acquired it on the Internet for about one-third the original asking price. Methods of storing and retrieving digital camera images were discussed in some detail. Problems discussed during the session included a difficulty with accessing a new high capacity disk drive, using an older Pentium 90 motherboard (BIOS?); use of Microsoft's Help Workshop for HTML Hyperlink programming; re-directing DOS commands and executed output to the printer; and WIN98 USB interfacing.

The Main Program this month was presented by two representatives of Merrill Lynch (The Baker Group). It was a good discussion of "On-Line Investing". "Tack" Baker, a Financial Consultant and Certified Financial Manager, covered Merrill's regular program for on-line investors, including asset and money management, research capabilities, and financial advice. His brother, Scott Baker, also a Financial Consultant for Merrill, gave a very interesting discussion of electronic day trading. This as we all know is a "hot topic" these days. Scott provided some statistics on day trading that cause you to pause and think carefully, before jumping right in to it (e.g., about 70% of all day traders eventually will "lose it all", rather than becoming a successful investor). He stated that day traders currently account for approximately 15% of the NASDAQ trading. All in all, it was a very entertaining session. The Baker Group can be reached locally at (970)266-4820, or through their free number for longer distance calls at (888)200-8221 [Tack Baker], or (877)280-6701 [Scott Baker].

Thanks go to those of our members who arranged for this very timely presentation.

Internet Chamber of Commerce - Northern Colorado Chapter
Contact Matt Tracer at 970.484.8102 or http://www.ulltra.com/icc
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Amazing Internet Facts

Web sites don't just want you to visit. They want you to hang around. The longer you're there, the happier they are, either because it gives them a warm glow in their hearts knowing that you love their creations, or because it gives them more time to sell you things and show you ads. The Nielsen//NetRatings measure--among other things--how long people stay at sites. The longer you stay, the "stickier" the site is -- in web lingo. The December 1999 results showed these as the stickiest big sites (those with audiences of 300,000 or more):

eBay.com at an average of 103 minutes per visit.
Gamesville.com at 83 minutes per visit.
Mplayer.com at 79 minutes
Waterhouse.com at 74 minutes
Etrade.com at 70 minutes
Rivals.com at 66 minutes
Ragingbull.com at 65 minutes
Yahoo.com at 59 minutes
Datek.com at 50 minutes
Sandbox.net at 49 minutes.

Dummies Daily
http://www.dummiesdaily.com

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The following FRPCUG members get a hearty well-done for assisting with the Computer Training Program at the Fort Collins Senior Center. And, they also receive credit toward their annual membership dues!

One-year membership dues extensions have been credited for the following members:

Howard Norland
Brandt Irion
Alice Bienvenu
Larry Quitmeyer
Barbara Hain
Don Anderson
Dennis Nimetz

If you assisted with this training program within calendar year 1999, but your name does not appear above, please contact Rick Mattingly with your information to receive your dues credit.

This deal is good for everyone involved. It is good for the Fort Collins Senior Center because it provides much needed instructors for their computer lab. It is a good deal for FRPCUG because it helps us meet our charter goals to the community as a Colorado non-profit educational corporation and - it provides our great meeting facilities at the Senior Center at no cost to the club. That is a savings of $75-$100 per month!

Sign up as a volunteer for this program to benefit your community, your club - and yourself!

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WINDOWS 98 UPDATE

As any Windows user knows, Microsoft is forever releasing downloads for Windows 98--bug fixes, patches, add-ons, and so on. There are so many that it can be impossible to keep track of what you do and don't have. Fortunately, there's Windows Update to help you make sense of it all. (Actually, you have no choice--Windows Update is the only way to download updates to Windows 98.) This "online extension of Windows 98" will check your system and let you know what you need to install.

Select Start, Windows Update, and complete the steps necessary to go online, if you aren't already. Alternatively, point your Web browser at

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

Click the Product Updates link, and after a few minutes, you'll see a list of all components not yet installed on your system. (To view installed items as well, click the Show Installed Updates button.)

Look through the list--particularly the Critical updates, which appear first. Select those you'd like to install, click the blue download arrow at the top or bottom of the screen, then click the Start Download button.

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US West MegaBit DSL Services
by Lowell Shatraw

I recently added the US West DSL MegaBit service to my computer system. As some of you know, I've waited since Oct 1998 for this capa-bility. At that time I was TWO BLOCKS short of the 15,000 feet maximum distance required for the service. US West have made some changes to the service limitations and now I am within their service area. I now have MegaBit service!

And I am impressed with it. BM, that's BE-FORE MEGABIT, accessed the Internet using my 56 K modem. I could connect at 40,000 to 50,000 bps. I was able to download at approxi-mately 3 - 4 KBPS; now I can download at 19 -25 KBPS. That's an approximate increase of 8 times faster. The larger the file, the higher the download speed-the time of day also comes into play.

The equipment I got was as follows: 1-inter-nal 3COM network card for the PCI slot in the computer, 1-external CISCO model 675 'mo-dem', some 'microfilters' in case I had other phones on the same line - I don't -, and of course the installation manual. The installation took me about 1/2 hour from start to finish. I elected to use the EXTERNAL CISCO 'modem' rather than the single internal card-which would make it lots easier for the novice to in-stall. OK, I may be a bit more apt at installing hardware than some of you readers. But it's really not that difficult. If you don't feel confi-dent you can have them do the inside installa-tion-see the cost figures below. The only part of the install I “almost” forgot was to set how I access the INTERNET. In CONTROL PANEL, se-lect the INTERNET icon, then select the CON-NECTION tab, next select “Connect to the internet using a local network” instead of the previous selection “Connect to the Internet using a modem.” The new hardware connects to the internet DIRECTLY. No dial-up ever needed again. You're online whenever the com-puter is powered up and your Browser or Mail program is active. I use IE 4.0 for my Browser and Outlook Express for my email program- Outlook is set to check for mail every 3 minutes on my PC.

Now I can download a 7 MB file in about 5 minutes. My connections are very stable and I've not had ANY issues since the installation.

Here's the US West blurb I copied from their website on November 5 on some of the DSL services they offer:

Surf. Talk. Same Line. Same Time. Order by De-cember 78 and get a $75 rebate upon activation! Add high speed MegaBit Services to your exist-ing phone line and you can fly from web site to web site at 256 Kbs — 9 times faster than a 28.8 Kbs dial-up connection.

With MegaBit 256 Select, you can turn your cur-rent phone line into an ultra-fast Internet con-nection. You'll be able to talk on the phone and surf the Web on a single phone line. Better yet, your MegaBit 256 Select service connection will be several times faster than the fastest dial-up modem available.

No matter what you're into on the Internet, you'll get more out of it than ever before. Better yet, you won't have to pay for an extra line. And you can choose from one of many Internet Service Providers, 'Including America Online ®. Or, combine MegaBit 256 Select with U S WEST.net Internet Access and pay just $37.90 a month.

Order Megabit 256 Select now and you'll receive a $75 rebate upon activation, plus a free internal modem ($245 value *). OR you can choose to get this service -

Now a 256 Kbs MegaBit Deluxe Connection Is Only $29.95 a Month! Order by December 18 and receive a $100 rebate upon activation. Now a 256 Kbs MegaBit Deluxe Connection Is Only $29.95 a Month! Order by December 18 and receive a $100 rebate upon activation. With MegaBit Deluxe, you'll never experience busy sig-nals or hang-ups, because you re connected to the Internet 24 hours a day. No more logging on and off.

MegaBit Deluxe turns your current phone line into an ultra-fast Internet connection. You'll be able to talk on the phone and surf the Web on a single phone line, saving you the need to pay for additional phone lines.

You can get a MegaBit Deluxe connection for just $29.95 a month. Combine MegaBit Deluxe with unlimited Internet access from US WEST net and pay just $47.90 a month — a 20% savings over standard pricing.

Plus, you can save money and the need to wait for a technician by installing MegaBit Deluxe yourself. Or, if you prefer to have a U S WEST technician install MegaBit Deluxe, you'll pay only $99 (a savings of over $50) during this promo-tional period.

U S WEST also offers blazing connection speeds of 512 Kbs, 768 Kbs and higher.

Their service representative has this to say in an email I received from them in August:

Below are the charges and outline of the ser-vice. You may order by going to our website http:/ /www.uswest.com/pcat/for home/product/0,1084,43_1_3,00.html or contacting our cus-tomer service department at the number listed below.

Thank you for inquiring about MegaBit Services from US WEST MegaBit Services pricing structure is as follows: There are five components to the pricing: 1. The monthly charge for the high-speed line. 2. The one time activation charge. 3. The high-speed modem purchase price. 4. The optional on-site installation. 5. The Internet Service Provider monthly charge.

All pricing reflects retail price.

Check out our current pricing and special pro-motions on our web site
www.megaspeed.com.

1. Monthly high-speed service charge: The MegaBit 256 Deluxe monthly charge is $29.95. This provides you with a dedicated. bi-directional, high-speed connection to your Internet Service Provider Other faster speeds are offered as well: MegaBit Service Monthly Price 5 12kbps bi-directional $65.00 768kbps bi-directional $80.00 1Mb bi-directional $125.00 4Mb downstream 1Mb upstream $500.00 7 Mb downstream 1 Mb upstream $875.00
2. The one time activation charge is $69.00. (This charge is currently being waived)
3. The high-speed modem price depends on which modem you get. The decision on which mo-dem you are capable of having depends on you PC configuration. A U S WEST Sales Con-sultant can help you determine which modem is right for you. Cisco 605 Internal modem $. 00 Cisco 675 External modem (router) $50.00 The modem kit also contains all of the additional equipment, cables and manu-als needed to operate.
4. The optional on-site installation charge is $149.00. This will be scheduled with you in advance. Or, you can elect to self install the service. It only takes a few minutes to install, and we provide a 24x7 Help Desk to talk you through any complications that you may encounter In fact, if our Help Desk can't talk you through the installation, U S WEST will dispatch a technician to your home, for free,
within four business days to finish the instal-lation for you.
The Internet Service Provider charge.

This is the activation and monthly charge from your preferred ISP If U S WEST net is your prefer-ence, then the monthly charge for Internet Access is $17.95, plus a $5.00 one-time acti-vation. If you have a different ISP preference, you would be billed directly by that ISP.

Summary: Depending on your speed of ser-vice, configuration and ISP, pricing may vary. MegaBit Service monthly charge does not in-clude you normal telephone line charge or any additional features that you may have installed.

If you need further assistance, feel free to email us -anytime or call 1-800-244-1111 from to 7:00 PM. Monday through Friday.


January, 2000 issue of CUGG Random Access newsletter

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Why I'm Tired

For a couple years I've been blaming it on iron poor blood, lack of vitamins, dieting and a dozen other maladies. But now I found out the real reason. I'm tired because I'm overworked.

The population of this country is 237 million. 104 million are retired.

That leaves 133 million to do the work.

There are 85 million in school, which leave 48 million to do the work. Of this there are 29 million employed by the federal government. This leaves 19 million to do the work.

Four million are in the Armed Forces, which leaves 15 million to do the work.

Take from the total the 14,800,000 people who work for State and City Government and that leaves 200,000 to do the work.

There are 188,000 in hospitals, so that leaves 12,000 to do the work.

Now, there are 11,998 people in Prisons. That leaves just two people to do the work.

You and me.

And you're sitting there screwin' around on e-mail!

Thanks to Brad Kell

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ClickBook 2000 Update

ClickBook, one of the premier printing solution tools for Windows, is now available in a major new version, ClickBook 2000. ClickBook allows the Windows user to print data from any Windows application to numerous hard copy formats, including booklets. ClickBook is a product of Blue Squirrel Software. Contact them at 800-403-0925 or visit the Blue Squirrel ClickBook website at http://www.clickbook.com/.

 Windows 98 Help Resource

Are you ready for more advanced information and help with Windows 98? How about a thick manual chock-full of detailed information? Better yet, wouldn't it handy if that manual could be searched for keywords of interest to speed up assistance with question. Well, guess what? You already have this manual but are probably not aware of it.

The title of this reference manual is the Windows 98 Resource Kit and it has been hiding on your Windows 98 installation CD all along! Insert your Windows 98 installation CD into the CD-ROM drive. When the installation CD activates choose Browse. Navigate to the tools\reskit\help folder, then double-click rk98book.chm. Everything you ever wanted to know about using Windows 98 at your fingertips!

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Recycled Computer Facts

PC plastic is now used to fill potholes on city streets and to make industrial-grade flooring.

Old computer chips are salvaged and resold for use inside handheld games and electronic plush dolls.

Metal shavings are often spread on top of solid waste in landfills.

An estimate 16 million PCs were disposed of in 1999. Of those, 10 percent went to landfills.
Another 10 percent will find second lives in schools or senior centers. Only 10 percent will be recycled. The remaining 70 percent of old computers ended up in attics or basements.

Some 150 million computers are projected to be recycled in 2005, and another 55 million will end up in landfills.

A dead 486-class computer is worth about $30 in spare parts and scrap metal.

A ton of circuit boards yields approximately 10 ounces of gold.

The average PC contains about 1 gram of gold. Other metals recovered from computers are platinum, silver, copper, steel, and aluminum.

In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency banned cathode ray tubes from landfills because of their high amounts of lead. An average computer monitor contains about 8 pounds of lead.

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MS Flight Simulator 98
By Ray Majeski, CIACUG

“As Real As It Gets”

Now, with eight aircraft to choose from, you can fly almost anywhere in the world, at any time, and under any simu-lated weather conditions. The new ver-sion includes-for the first time-a Bell 206B Jet Ranger Ill helicopter. I've heard from people who fly that piloting a heli-copter is harder than flying a fixed-wing aircraft. If this is true, then Flight Simulator is right on track. The two new fixed-wing aircraft since last year are the Cessna Skylane 1825 and the Learjet 45.

Not only is it easier than ever to pick from over 3,000 airports around the world, but you can also start your flight from any one of several locations that are pre-programmed in the menus. For ex-ample, I flew over Hoover Dam, around the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and through New York City and Central Park. I even flew over and around the 1983 eruption of Mount Kilauea in Hawaii. I could watch the lava shooting into the air and flowing into the ocean with the steam rising. Pretty neat stuff...

Microsoft Flight Simulator supports force feed joystick like the Microsoft SideWinder Force Feed Pro Joystick. For details, see the January 1998 issue of Throughput. Using the Microsoft Force Feed Joystick, you feel the vibration of the airplane as you taxi, takeoff, and be-come airborne. If you accidentally crash into buildings or crash to the ground, the stick shakes all over the place. With the feel of the force feedback joystick in my hand, and a good sound system reflecting the airborne environment, I was in Heaven as I flew down the Las Vegas strip at night, buzzing past the Luxor, MGM Grand, and the Mirage

If your computer has a 3-D accelera-tor card and you install DirectX to your system. You will get even more of a thrill when you fly past the details of the scen-ery and the ground below. Microsoft has added more details of the scenery and the ground below. More detail of build-ings and other sights have been added to many of the world's major cities.

One of the nice things about using a flight simulator like this is that you can practice specific aspects of your flying skills. For example, you can go to the Select A Flight section and practice flying and landing your aircraft in crosswinds, or try setting down your aircraft on an air-craft carrier. What do you do when you're out of fuel at 40,000 feet and you've lost your cabin pressure? Yikes!! You can find out the answers to these and many emergency situations right here on the ground where it is safe. Try it! After you've attained a level of confidence, you can go play against other pilots computer-to-computer or on the Net Gaming Zone.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 is really quite an amazing program. Even though it's classified as a game, it was interesting to me to discover how much fun I had with this ''game in which no guns or missiles and nobody dies (except maybe in a crash), there is no score, and I can't lose. I did “win,” however, because of all the fun I had flying around the world in my own aircraft. Happy Anniversary Microsoft Flight Simulator 98!

It's been a long time since I had the chance to experience Microsoft Flight Simulator. I noticed that the hardware and software have both improved over the years. After using the new version of this program for some time now, it's easy to understand how it's been around for fif-teen years.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 is manufactured by the Microsoft Corpora-tion. System requirements are:
a multimedia PC 486DX66MHz (Pentium recommended) Windows 95, 98, or NT 4/0. 8MB of ram on the motherboard up to 100MB space on the hard disk a CD ROM
Super VGA monitor

If you shop around you can find MS Flight Simulator for as low as $29.00 street price. For more information, point your browser to http://www.microsoft.com/games/fsim.

[If you really like this program, there is a “Computer Pilot Magazine” available that will be a big help to you. It is pub-lished on a regular basis. This Web site also displays a comprehensive source of much more detailed sets of beautiful scenery and buildings which you can pur-chase to add to your Flight Simulator setup. You can see the details for yourself if you go to . I invite you to check it out and see what is available. DJ]

Reprinted from The Central Iowa
Computer User, May 1999.
Contributed by Dan Jerome.

November 1999 Digital Viking newsletter

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E-mail Attachments & File Type Associations
by Lowell Shatraw

How many times have you been in your email program and tried to open an attachment, but couldn't. Frustrating isn't it? So what did you do? Did you send a message to the person who sent you the attachment asking they provide another file type so you can read it? Did you get a copy of QUICKVIEW, WORD VIEWER, or EXCEL VIEWER so you can read it? Did you make a new file type association in your computer so you could read it?

There are two methods of correcting this situation. One is to change which program starts up when you try to open a file. The other involves digging a little deeper. Since this note is applicable for WINDOWS 95, 98 and NT, a few of the items you select might be named a little differently; just be aware of this when you try it on your PC.

To change which program starts when you open a file ;
1 In My Computer or Windows Explorer, click the View menu, and then click Options.
2 Click the File Types tab.
3 In the list of file types, click the one you want to change. The settings for that file type are shown in the File Type Details box.
4 Click Edit.
5 In the Actions box, click Open.
6 Click Edit, and then specify the program you want to use to open files that have this extension.

Tip
For Help on an item, click at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item. The second method is more involved and my suggestion is to either [1] get screen shots (ALT PRINTSCREEN, paste it into PAINT and then print it out or use a screen capture program like SNAGIT) of each dialog box of an existing association, or [2] review the existing associations to familiarize yourself with what is there, what is used, and how it is used. OK, now you're ready.

To create or modify a file type;
1 Double-click the My Computer icon.
2 On the View menu, click Options, and then click the File Types tab.
3 To create a new file type, click New Type. To modify the settings for an existing file type, click the type, and then click Edit.
4 Specify a description for the file type and the filename extension associated with this type of file.
5 Click New to define an action for this file type. If you are modifying an existing type, you can click the command in the Action box that you want to modify, and then click Edit.
6 Specify the action that you want to define, such as Open or Print, and the command that should run to complete this action.
7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 for as many actions as you want to define for this file type.

Tips
For Help on an item, click at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item. Creating a file type is similar to associating a file, but you can specify actions for more than just opening the file, such as the program to be used for printing the document. ?

October, 1999 issue of CUGG Random Access newsletter

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Tape Drive Backup Tips
by Rick Mattingly

Here are several tips to consider when using a tape drive to backup your system. Close all active applications before starting the backup process. When closing active applications be sure to check in the Task Bar for minimized applications which may be active as well. Applications which remain open during a backup operation are using system resources which the tape operation could be putting to better use to complete the backup as quickly as possible. Open applications also generate dynamic temporary files which will be reported as potential errors during tape verify operations. And, open applications may even cause the backup operation to hang the system.

Also, deactivate virus software which may be running. Virus software very often causes backup operations to hang. Check the Task Bar for your virus software icon, right-click and choose to either exit, close or deactivate, depending on the options available with the virus software being used. Rebooting your system upon completion of the backup process will result in the virus software automatically reloading and reactivating.

The final tip has to do with compression options available with most tape backup software. Compression allows the user to copy more data to the tape, at the cost of slower backup processing. Compression of data to tape is a valuable asset but be aware that vendors of various backup software applications do not always utilize the same method of compression. This can result in an unreadable tape if accessed by a different brand of tape drive or software. If you need to generate a tape to be read by someone else, who may be using a different brand of tape drive, do not use compression.

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Using Your Calculator

Windows comes with a calculator that can do both regular and scientific calculations. To bring up the calculator, click on Start, Programs, Accessories and then Calculator. Click on View and select Scientific to use the scientific calculator.

Right-click on any of the buttons and click on "What's This?" for an explanation of what a particular button does and the key strokes you can use instead of clicking on the button with your mouse.

When you have completed a calculation and want to use the result in another calculation, store the results of the first calculation in memory by clicking the MS (Memory Store) button. You'll see an M in the gray box above all the "M" buttons when something is stored in memory. When you are ready to insert the result of your last calculation into a new one, click on the MR (Memory Retrieve) button. Clicking the M+ (Memory Plus) button and then on the MR button will add the currently displayed value to the value stored in memory. The MC (Memory Clear) button clears anything stored in memory, and clicking on the MS button overwrites anything stored in memory.

To create a Desktop shortcut to the calculator, right-click on the Desktop, select New and click on Shortcut. In the "Command Line" box type "CALC.EXE" (without the quotes) and click on Next.

Type "Calc" (without the quotes) and click on Finish. You can drag the Calc shortcut onto the Quick Launch bar just to the right of the Start button.

When you have more than one icon displayed on the task bar, switching between them is easy. Just press the Alt key, and while holding it down, press the Esc key. Each time you press the Esc key, a different item will appear highlighted on the task bar. When you let go of both keys, the task bar item you highlighted appears. Pressing and holding the Alt key, and then pressing the Tab key, will also let you rotate between open applications. Releasing both buttons will open the application displayed on the screen.

See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?

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Calendar of Events

- IMPORTANT NOTICE -
FRPCUG meetings are held at the Fort Collins Senior Center. Check below for directions to the Senior Center.

April General Forum Meeting

We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, April 4 at 7:00 pm.

Meeting Agenda
7:00 - 7:15 Announcements
7:15 - 7:45 Open Forum
7:45 - 8:00 Break
8:00 - 9:30 Rick Mattingly will give presentation on GPS and GIS -computerized mapping, featuring DeLorme Street Atlas software.

May General Forum Meeting

We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, May 2 at 7:00 pm.

Meeting Agenda
7:00 - 7:15 Announcements
7:15 - 7:45 Open Forum
7:45 - 8:00 Break
8:00 - 9:30 Glenn York and Chuck McJilton will give presentation on the LINUX operating system and the free Star Office integrated software application by Sun, available for multiple software platforms.

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 the Thursday immediately following the General Forum Meeting at 7:00 p.m. All members are welcome and are encouraged to attend. These meetings are held in the Poudre Fire Authority administrative meeting room which is located in the parking garage building, at the corner of Remington and Mountain in Fort Collins.

LINUX SIG
This SIG, supporting the LINUX implementation of the UNIX operating system, meets at 7:00 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month. Participants have adopted the LINUX manual titled "RUNNING LINUX" by Matt Welsh and Lar Kaufman as their learning tool and will be reviewing a section of the manual at each meeting. Meetings are held in the basement meeting room of the Friends Church, 601 S. Whitcomb Street in Fort Collins. Coordinators: Glenn York (224-5266) and Chuck McJilton (493-2987) or e-mail at linuxsig@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. Contact Chuck McJilton for information (493-2987) or e-mail rmiug@rmiug.org.

Telecommuncation SIG
Telecommunication SIG meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Topics usually discussed include modem hardware, communication software, internet resources, and solutions to any communication problems and questions brought up at the meeting. Please contact coordinator Chuck McJilton (493-2987) for confirmation of the meeting place or e-mail Telecomsig@jymis.com.

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.

RIBUG Meeting
The Regional Internet Business Users Group (RIBUG) deals with issues of business utilization of the Internet. This group meets the last Wednesday of each month. Contact Will Horton in Fort Collins at 223-0330 or e-mail whorton@jymis.com for details.

Internet Safari
Free Internet discussion group meets first Monday at Stone Lion Book Store in Fort Collins. Meetings start at 7:00 pm. Sponsored by Stone Lion and JYM Information Systems. Coordinators: Glenn York (224-5266) and Chuck McJilton (493-2987).

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.

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April 2000

4 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00PM
10 HTML SIG Meeting 7:00PM
12 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00PM
NRFNUG Meeting 5:00PM
20 Telcomm SIG 7:00PM
26 RIBUG Meeting 7:00PM
27 LINUX SIG 7:00PM


May 2000

2 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00PM
8 HTML SIG Meeting 7:00PM
10 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00PM
NRFNUG Meeting 5:00PM
14 Mothers Day
18 Telcomm SIG 7:00PM
24 RIBUG Meeting 7:00PM
25 LINUX SIG 7:00PM
29 Memorial Day

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WARNING: WINDOWS 98 SAFE MODE UNSAFE FOR USB

When Windows 98 thinks you have a conflict with an IRQ or driver, it boots up in safe mode, a restricted running mode with a reduced number of device drivers and options. Unfortunately, no USB device works under safe mode, either. This means your USB mouse and keyboard won't work, and you might be stuck with no way to use your system. The solution: Keep a legacy keyboard and mouse around, so that you can still run in safe mode.

PCWorld TipWorld

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Digital Images
By John Langill, Editor Rare Bits
EndiCott IBM PC Users Club Newsletter

Digital cameras are growing in Popularity as prices fall and image quality improves. But is the new technol-ogy best for you ?

When you go to Europe next spring, will you take a tradi-tional camera and 20 rolls of film, or will you sport a newfangled, high-tech digital camera?

Some will maintain that it's just more practical to use film, which saves time and money and produces better pictures. However, in increasing numbers consumers in-terested hi photography are going digital as equipment prices fall, quality improves and more people send photos by e-mail and post them on personal Web pages.

Sales of digital cameras grew about 45 percent in De-cember of 1998 compared with a year earlier, according to market research firm PC Data (www.pcdata.com). It said about 40 percent of the digital market was being sold for home use.

About 350,000 digital cameras (costing $1,200 or less) were sold in 1996. According to the Digital Imaging Mar-keting Association, part of the Photo Marketing Associa-tion International (www.pma.org). That number grew to about 750,000 in 1997, and reached about 1.1 million last year. By comparison, 10.6 million 35mm cameras were sold in 1996, 9.6 million were sold in '97, and near the same number sold in '98.

Consumers intrigued by filmless photography have new terms to learn and a wide range of products from which to choose. But you shouldn't let that intimidate you.

“If people have a little comfort level with the technol-ogy, getting images is not that big a deal” reports Digital Focus newsletter (www.digfocus.com). Nevertheless, if you're thinking of going digital with your home photogra-phy, you should consider the following points.

How much camera to buy?

As with many things, it all depends on how it will be used. If you only want photos that you're going to share online or view on TV, then you could go with a lower-resolution, less expensive camera. On the other hand, if you want to print images, you will want a higher-end camera.

Resolution for a digital camera is measured by the number of picmre elements, called pixels, in an image. The greater the number of pixels, the sharper the picture. But the number of pixels does not track directly with the cost of the camera. For example, the Agfa ePhoto 780e costs about $300 and has a resolution of 307,200 pixels. For only $100 more, the HP PhotoSmart C30, has more than one million pixels, known as megapixel resolution. The Kodak DC265 (demonstrated by Gordon Brown at the October meeting) supports 1.6 million pixels (Megapixel Plus) for yet only a bit more. Some cameras surpass the 2-megapixel mark.

In megapixel cameras, consumers have plenty of choices for less than $1,000, some for less than $500. If those prices intimidate you, wait a bit. They'll go down. According to a report from Prudential Securities, digital camera prices are decreasing at an average rate of 30 per-cent a year.

Many companies, including Nikon, Kodak, Epson, Canon, and Olympus, have models that produce high-quality images. The manufacturers' Web sites provide a wealth of detailed information on individual cameras in their product line.


Costs don't stop at the camera

Digital cameras devour batteries. Photo-quality paper for a printer can cost 35 cents to $1 a sheet. And special photo quality ink cartridges for printers add still more to the cost.

On the other hand, digital photographers don't have to pay for film or wasted pictures.

You might think that the economics of a digital camera would work just fine when you're close to home and likely to shoot no more than a few dozen pictures over several weeks. But would the costs soar if you went digital on your European trip?

You might spend about $300 on film, and developing and printing of your European vacation pictures. A cou-ple of 48-megabyte compact flash memory cards would store a similar number of high quality digital images for about the same cost - and they would he reusable]. Most likely, you would find facilities during your travels that could download the images to other media - Zip disk or CD - or even send them to your Internet ac-count so that they would be available to you when you arrived back at home. This would it possible for you to reuse the flash memory cards over and over.

The number of images that can be stored in a flash memory card depends first of all on the size of the card - some have a capacity to store up to 128 mega-bytes (up to several hundred images) - and, secondly, on the desired quality of the images. Image quality in-volves trading off between the resolution of the digital images (i.e., the number of pixels) and the ability to fit more images in the camera's memory media.

Many hobbyists are more willing to cull images as they go to save storage space, and they are willing to compress the images they do keep. (Some cameras come with compression capabilities.)

Many computer software programs use JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) compression. It can reduce a family photo from 100k bytes to 10k bytes with little sacrifice to image quality.

Getting from camera to computer

One of the best-selling digital cameras is the Sony Mavica, which retails for $5OO to $1,000 depending on model. One of its attractions is ease of use. The Mavica uses a standard floppy disk to store the photos. Take the pictures, take the floppy out of the camera, and pop the floppy into your computer.

A shortcoming of this method is the relatively low capacity of the floppy disk. That is, each disk can hold only a few high-quality images. While floppy disks are cheap, you would probably need to carry a backpack-full to keep the camera adequately fed.

However, tech being tech, all cameras don't work the same way.

Some cameras download directly from their internal memory to the PC through a cable, though that can be slow. More significantly, it puts a tight limit on the num-ber of images that can be saved between downloads.

Other cameras use CompactFlash or SmartMedia disks, which require adapters (costing $80 and up). Take the memory media out of the camera, put it in the adapter that connects to your computer, and download the images. Not all that much different from floppy disks, but.... the media is physically a whole lot smaller, and each can hold many more high-quality images.

So... What will it be? Film or Digital?

Despite choices that may confuse you now, experts see the growth of digital photography continuing. The combi-nation of improving quality and falling prices will con-tinue to make digital photography more of a competitor in the overall consumer market in the years ahead. It's just a natural evolution - wedding the major technology movement of today with something that's been a popular staple of consumer life for a 100 years.

OTHER DIGITAL OPTIONS

You've got a perfectly good camera, rolls and rolls of film, and a reliable computer. Do you need a digital camera to get family photos into the computer? Despite the increasing popularity of digital cameras, there are other ways to take that leap from Kodachrome to mega-bytes.

Scanners

One of the most popular methods is to have your pic-ture printed the old fashioned way, then place it on the glass of a flatbed scanner that will transfer a digital image into your computer. A lot of good scanners are available, some for less than $100.

What you give up is the “immediacy and fun” of a digital camera. Instead of seeing your photo immedi-ately on the digital camera's LCD (liquid crystal display), you have to wait for a print and then scan it. But, with “one-hour” photo services, the wait doesn't have to be that long.

Deciding whether to start with a scanner depends on how the photos will be used. Businesses such as real es-tate, auto dealers, and insurance agencies may need to keep a photo for only a short lime, so using a digital cam-era makes sense. On the other hand, photo hobbyists may find that a scanner and digital imaging software is a better way to go.

Newcomers can crop and adjust their scanned photos with the software that is bundled with most scanners. Those who graduate to more advanced tools may invest in programs such as Pegasus' JPEG Wizard or Adobe's PhotoShop.

The best way to become expert is just to do it! Get the images and fool around with the settings.

Printers

In the old days (a year or two ago), printing a digital photo meant ending up with an image not much bigger than a postage stamp, with so-so quality. Along with im-provements in cameras have come advances in printers.

Just about every color inkjet on the market has the capabil-ity of giving prints people will be happy with. Quality has im-proved to the point that 5x7-inch prints are excellent so long as they are printed on special glossy paper.

Some specialty printers allow the user to transfer the photos directly from the camera or memory disk into the printer, avoiding the PC completely. These printers tend to be pricier than inkjets, with prices around $400 to $500.

Picture CD

Kodak's Picture CD is available across the country, and in many places worldwide. It is a simple, affordable way to turn 35mm and Advanced Photo System (APS) film into digital images.

Starting the process is easy: When you drop off a roll of film, you cheek the “Picture CD” box that's on the processing envelope. Your prints and negatives come back accompanied by a CD-ROM containing high-resolution digital versions of your pictures. The CD adds $9 to $11 to processing costs.

Kodak's Picture CD was designed with support from Intel Corp. and software from Adobe Systems Inc. (Kodak also uses Pegasus software in its digital efforts,)

For more information, check Kodak's Web site at http://www.kodak.com/go/picturecd

'You've Got Pictures'

With Kodak, America Online has launched a service called 'You've Got Pictures.”

Here is how the service works:

AOL members are urged to check an AOL box on the processing envelope when dropping off film. The mem-bers get back prints and negatives as usual; and, for an extra fee, the images are also scanned into AOL's com-puters.

A few days after dropping off the film, the same cheery male voice that announces 'You've got mail!” will declare 'You've got pictures!” AOL members can view thumbnail-size pictures from their roll of film. By clicking with the mouse, they can display the images full size. The images can also be embedded in their e-mail messages.

AOL members can download a high-resolution image suitable for printing. Reprints by mail from Kodak can also be ordered

'Smart' kiosks

One of the stumbling blocks for digital cameras is that buyers also must have a PC for downloading and sharing pictures. But a new generation of kiosks in photo shops, pharmacies and similar locations - such as Wal-Mart make it possible to use a digital camera without a computer

Fuji, Kodak's rival in the film business, introduced one such kiosk called FujiFilm Aladdin Digital Picture Center. Aladdin, which has slots for memory cards from most types of digital cameras, prints images from the memory cards. The kiosk also is connected to the Inter-net, so pictures can be e-mailed to friends and family.

On the Web

People who want to share photos also have some Web-based options.

Kodak's PhotoNet (http://www.photonet.com) works through the film processing: Check a box when you drop off your film. When you pick it up, you get an access code for a Web site, where photos are stored for 30 days. Choices for the photos' use includes download-ing, sending as e-mail attachments, or having gifts made with the images.
Nov/Dec 1999 issue of PC User's Group of Colorado "The Peacock" newsletter

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FREE Internet Discussion Group

JYM Information Systems and the Stone Lion Book Store are sponsoring a monthly "Internet Safari" discussion group. This group meets at 7 PM in the Stone Lion the first Monday of each month. This is an open discussion and we examine current issues involving the Internet, how to use the Internet and subjects raised by those present. This group is open to the public without cost or obligation. This is a good chance learn how others are using the Internet.

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Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 Repair

Having problems with your IE 5 installation? Try the self-healing feature. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Button. Click on the Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 entry and from resulting menu choose Repair Internet Explorer. IE 5 performs a self-analysis and will then attempt to repair itself by reinstalling corrupted or missing files.

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Routine Computer Maintenance You Can Do
by Susan Easter, HAL-PC

Whether you've been using a computer for years or you are just getting your first computer, there are some important things that must be done regularly to keep it in excellent working order.

I call this “routine maintenance.” This article will deal with the hardware aspect of basic maintenance.

Routine maintenance is something that generally isn't talked about much, and even in the best of environments it might not be done often enough. If done regularly, it will keep your machine from developing some of those quirky, random problems that seem to come and go at will.

Why routine maintenance?

Loose circuit cards, cables with one wire that is broken and connects inter-mittently, loose connectors, or even dust balls that accumulate and cause a short circuit between different components can cause you to “lose your mind” while looking for the “obvious” source of a prob-lem. These sorts of things tend to happen right after you install new software, hard-ware, or just change something minor, leading you to rightfully assume that it has something to do with what you just did.

Must-haves

There are several things I consider to be 'must halves” for keeping my com-puter clean and running well. The first is “canned [a.k.a. compressed] air” This product is used for getting dust out of your electronics. Generally it comes with some sort of static remover -- perfect for using in the computer It usually comes with a thin, straw-like nozzle to enable you to blow air into the tiniest of spaces.

“Canned air” is good for opening the back of the computer and blasting out the dust. It is also good to use the nozzle end to give your keyboard a good dusting. All those key openings are really good traps for dust and crumbs.

The next item I consider essential is the wipes that clean off your monitor screen. Made especially for using on com-puter monitors and on TV screens, they will clean the glass without scratching it.

They contain an anti-static ingredient as well. Over a period of weeks you can accumulate a lot of grime on the screen. [In a pinch, do not use paper wipes such as Kleenex, as they will scratch your glass. It's better to use old t-shirt or a clean car wip-ing rag. dj]

The main tool

Another tool to keep near the com-puter is a screwdriver Generally, most screws used in a computer are going to be Phillips-head screws. A medium-sized (#2) screwdriver will do the job on most screws used in your system..

There are times that you may need to use a flat-headed screwdriver When you do, chances are it will be smaller than the Phillips-head screws. If there is a need to do any work inside the computer or to do a little interior dusting, the Phillips-head screwdriver is essential to remove the computer case.

Be a clean freak!

There are several things that can be bought at a computer store [such as Radio Shack. dj] that also will be necessary to keep your computer in working order One is a disk drive cleaner. If you use floppy disks for sharing files or storing important data, the heads of the disk drive will get a little dirty over time. Blasting out the dust with a can of compressed air is helpful, but hardware such as a backup tape drive, VCR. CD-ROM, floppy disks and the like have heads that need polish-ing every now and then. There are kits at computer stores that have everything you need to clean a disk drive, CD-ROM, backup tapes, etc.

Your mouse is another item that needs regular checking and cleaning. Kits are available to help you keep the ball rolling and the contact points clean. [If you'd prefer to clean your tape heads and such with materials you may already have at home, do not use standard alcohol, as it will leave a film on the heads. Instead, use Q-Tips and 100% isopropyl alcohol or a special cleaning chemical such as “Rawn Video Tape and Head Cleaner - safe for plastics, rubbers, painted surfaces, and elastomers.” Address: Rawn Company. Inc. Spooner Wis-consin, 54801. An equivalent chemical will work okay too. dj]

Tape drives are probably the most important of all the types of drives that need regular cleaning. If you do any amount of work that you consider important enough to store, then of all the cleaning kits this is the one to have. Tapes are notorious for going bad over time, stretching with constant use, and for hav-ing data that doesn't get copied correctly because of dirty heads. If your data is important, you must keep the heads cleaned very regularly

The CD unit can get a bit grimy over time and use as well. If you have CDs that you use on a regular basis, there are kits available that will clean the finger-prints and dust off and have an anti-static ingredient as well. This routine mainte-nance will enable the CD laser to read the data correctly every time. [One more thing that doesn't get much notice is that you must store your CD's in a vertical posi-tion, just as we stored our music records in bygone days. The importance of this is that CDs need to be stored vertically so that they will not warp. dj]

Preventive maintenance

As you would do with your personal vehicle, there are routine checks for your computer to keep something from going wrong at exactly the most inopportune time. Checking your wiring and connec-tors will help to ensure that your com-puter stays up and running properly

When you have had a computer for longer than a year, you will be facing the normal deterioration of items such as the ribbon cables that connect your hard drive, floppy drives, and CD drives to their power and signal sources. These cables tend to go bad after a few years use and from being inside a very warm and dry cabinet. Wires that get a little brittle can break easily but still give you a fairly good connection most of the time, fooling you with a random “symptom” that doesn't show up every time.

Checking the connections of things like speakers, keyboards, monitors, print-ers, and other hardware items will give you a good idea of the condition of the wiring. If you see that one or more of these connectors is in bad shape, replace it. Regular checking will ensure that prob-lems of wiring getting a bit worn wont generally affect your computer system negatively. Getting into the habit of doing this will avoid a nasty surprise later

Shields up!

Last of all, I keep a very excellent surge suppressor between my wall outlet and my computer equipment. I have a surge suppressor with eight plugs and I keep all my equipment plugged into it at all times. This is probably one of the most important things you can buy to keep your computer system healthy. Spending the kind of money it takes to have a com-plete system makes no sense if you don't spend as much as you can afford to pro-tect it from electric spikes and surges.

Surge suppressors come in all sizes and styles. One factor to keep in mind is the number of Joules specification. The higher the Joules rating is, the better the protection. You are putting a surge sup-pressor in between the wall outlet and your computer equipment to prevent harm to be introduced into your com-puter system's circuits via the large spikes or surges of electricity mostly from the electric company when they change gen-erators, etc.

There are different types of suppres-sors on the market, but if you look for one that offers insurance protection and has a high Joules rating, you should be able to keep your computer from ever getting zapped.

Common tips regarding surge suppres-sors: The active electronics that makes a suppressor work is called a Mavistor The device itself looks like a circular flat capacitor and is about the size of a man's thumb-nail. These units do not last forever In fact, within three years the Movistor will die and then your suppressor will become like a straight wire running in and out through the suppressor chassis. Then you need to either replace the Movistor or purchase a new surge protector to restore reliability to your computer.

Another point is that surge suppressors cannot prevent lightning from harming your computer The only thing that you can do about lightning is to unplug all of the com-puter system's power cords before you ex-pect a lightning storm is coming.

Also unplug the telephone line that goes to your modem, as I have known people who got zapped when lightning current came into their computer through the telephone line.

A better idea that has just recently come to my attention is the “Brick Wall.” This unit is about the same size as a large UPS unit and is connected in series with your UPS (a.k.a. Uninterruptible Power Sup-ply). It costs about the same amount as the good quality surge protectors, but pro-vides much better protection. I invite you to get into the Web and check out from the Price Wheeler Corporation. This type of a device will last as long as you own your computer and it supplants the Surge Protector. Once you connect it you can forget about it be-cause it is utterly reliable. dj]

Reprinted from The Central Iowa
Computer User. May 1998.
Contributed by Dan Jerome.

November, 1999 Digital Viking newsletter
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Net Use Factoids

1. Home is where you hang your @.
2. The e-mail of the species is more deadly than the mail.
3. A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click.
4. You can't teach a new mouse old clicks.
5. Great groups from little icons grow.
6. Speak softly and carry a cellular phone.
7. C:\ is the root of all directories.
8. Oh, what a tangled website we weave when we first practice.
9. Pentium wise, pen and paper foolish.
10. The modem is the message.
11. Too many clicks spoil the browse.
12. The geek shall inherit the earth.
13. There's no place like http://www.home.com
14. Don't byte off more than you can view.
15. Fax is stronger than fiction.
16. What boots up must come down.
17. Windows will never cease.
18. Virtual reality is its own reward.
19. Modulation in all things.
20. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to use the Net and he won't bother you for weeks.

Thanks to Don Anderson

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FRPCUG CONTACTS
Telephone Area Code 970


          FRPCUG Officers         Name            Work        Home      e-Mail 

          President               Rick Mattingly              223-6618  rmatt(at)jymis.com 

          Vice President          Don Anderson    498-3534    482-0943  dona(at)jymis.com

          Treasurer               Dennis Nimetz               686-2212  nimetz(at)ibm.net

          Secretary	          Mike Meyer      482-5600    223-0919  mmeyer(at)holnam.com




          k-Byte Staff

          Editor-in-Chief         Open - We need a volunteer!  Contact Rick Mattingly in interim.

          Features Editor         Open - We need a volunteer! 

          Calendar Editor         Rick Mattingly	      223-6618  rmatt(at)jymis.com

          Review Editor

          Advertising Coordinator Will Horton     223-0330    223-2154  whorton(at)will-design.com

          Team Member OS/2 Column Brad Kell	              495-1184  bkell(at)jymis.com

          Nuts & Bolts Column     Chuck McJilton  416-9286    493-2987  cdmcj(at)jymis.com

          On the Web Column       R. Glenn York   493-1895    224-5266  rgyork(at)jymis.com




          Other Contacts

          Membership Coordinator  Jack Linder                 663-2151  jack(at)frpcug.org

          Telecommunication SIG	

             and RMIUG	          Chuck McJilton  416-9286    493-2987  cdmcj(at)jymis.com  

          NRFNUG		  Chuck Kluko     663-4770 x224         c.kluko(at)ix.netcom.com

          Door Prize Coordinator  Will Horton     223-0330    223-2154  whorton(at)will-design.com

          HTML SIG		  Doug Boicourt   495-6949    495-6949  db(at)wwwdata.com

          Programmers SIG	    

          FRPCUG Fax Line	                  493-1408

          FRPCUG Home Page w/E-Mail               http://www.frpcug.org

          FRPCUG Officer E-Mail		          frpcug-offer(at)frpcug.org




          k-Byte

          Front Range PC Users Group

          PMB 152

          305 W. Magnolia

          Fort Collins, CO  80521-2804
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