1.0 Crash Recovery, Installation Protection
2.0 Make Your PC Run Faster: Part I
3.0 Book: Upgrading And Repairing PCs (12th Ed)
4.0 A Quick Guide To Workstation Ergonomics
5.0 Time Stamp: Track And Bill Your Time
6.0 Navigating The File Extension Jungle
7.0 pcAnywhere: Operate Your PC From Anywhere
8.0 Humor: Wacky Signs From Merry Olde Englande
9.0 Jigsaw Puzzle: Majestic Mount Viso, Italy
10.0 Subscribe/Unsubscribe/Suggest/Search/Etc.
The PC News Digest is published weekly on Tuesday. Use CTRL+D (CTRL+T for Opera) to bookmark this page and read it on the web, or subscribe to the text version delivered by email.
MCAFEE FOR UNPARALLELED PC SYSTEM PROTECTION
True PC viruses are programs that require skill (and cunning) to write. Today's trojan horse and worm viruses are easily imitated macros and scripts. Is it any wonder that PC viruses are multiplying exponentially?
Make sure your system is fully protected with McAfee, the first name in system protection.
 
1.0 CRASH RECOVERY, INSTALLATION PROTECTION
You're working on a project due tomorrow when your PC crashes. On reboot, it complains about a missing or corrupt file, and refuses to load Windows. Now what?
RESTORE THE REGISTRY. For Windows 98 users (most of our readers), there may be a quick solution. Boot to a C:> prompt (more on this later), type SCANREG, then hit Enter. Follow the instructions to view the five backed-up System Registry files. Restore the most recent one, bow twice toward Redmond, and reboot. In most cases, your PC will restart without a problem.
WHY IT WORKS. What makes this quick fix work is that the Windows Registry Checker automatically backs up the Registry -- your system's configuration files -- every time you start your Windows 98 PC. (The backups, designated RB001.CAB, RB002.CAB, etc. are stored in the \Windows\Sysbckup folder.) You can use the same facility to ensure trouble-free software installations.
INSTALLATION PROTECTION. Before installing a new program, run SCANREG within Windows (Start > Run > SCANREG). After a quick integrity check, you'll be prompted to make a fresh backup of the Registry. Do it, then install the software. If the new application causes problems, restore the backup from the C:>.
STARTUP MENU. To get to the C:> prompt, tap the F8 key during bootup just before the system accesses the hard drive (listen for the grind and whirr). A Windows Start Menu will be displayed, including option 5, Command Prompt. That's the C:> prompt.
TWEAK UI. The Start Menu contains other options that we'll explore in future articles. Among them are a Logged startup and the troubleshooting Safe Mode. Both can help you recover from a Windows mishap. To display the menu automatically at bootup, install Microsoft's Power Toy, Tweak UI, which we described earlier in "Trick or Tweak -- Take Control of Your PC."
Microsoft Tweak UI 1.33 webpage
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22tweakui
Trick or Tweak -- Take Control of Your PC
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22trick
THE PC CLINIC AT INSTALLATIONS PLUS+
PC PROBLEMS? Help is just a mouse-click away! PC News Digest subscribers get priority treatment at the FREE personal computer clinic at Installations Plus+.
2.0 MAKE YOUR PC RUN FASTER: PART I
Is your PC running slower than it used to? Most likely it is. Part of the slowdown is perception. You're more adept these days, so the PC seems slower. But part of it is bloat. New and upgraded software delivers more power, at the price of reduced speed.
SOFTWARE TWEAKS. You can control part of the slowdown cheaply and easily by tweaking your system. We'll tell you how this week. Next week we'll talk about hardware upgrades that enhance PC performance.
CHECK FOR VIRUSES. Boot sector viruses (the most common type) diminish performance by 50% or more. You should be running anti-virus software daily, but don't set it to examine each file you open. That's a cure worse than the sickness, slowing performance by more than 100%. (Reminder: You can get FREE antivirus software from Computer Associates.)
OPTIMIZE YOUR HARD DRIVE. Set up your PC to optimize its hard drive, using ScanDisk and the Disk Defragmenter. This can boost performance by as much as 30%. Use Task Scheduler, bundled with Internet Explorer 4.1 and later, to run these programs daily at times when you're not likely to be using your PC. If your anti-virus software doesn't include its own scheduler, Task Scheduler can handle that too.
OPTIMIZE YOUR DISK CACHE. Tweaking the disk cache prevents frequent swapping of active programs to the hard drive, enhancing performance and stability. Cacheman, a FREE utility, optimizes the cache settings stored in the Windows registry, then exits. Performance increases up to 25% are possible.
CLOSE UNNEEDED PROGRAMS. This should go without saying, but sometimes we forget that Windows runs faster when there is only one program open. Check your status bar, and close applications you're not using.
SCRUB YOUR RAM. Restart Windows every few hours. That flushes the active memory (RAM) of bits and pieces left over by sloppy applications that closed, but didn't return allocated memory. You might want to try ResMan, a tiny System Tray program that tells you when your system resources are getting low, lets you terminate unneeded processes, and compacts RAM.
UNLOAD STARTUP TRIGGERS. Another way to buy back lost performance is to reconfigure programs that load at Windows startup, or run in the System Tray. For example, it's not necessary to have an AOL tray icon, to start Instant Messenger when you start Windows, to always load Napster, to load "instant access" triggers for your scanner, your CD-burner, and others, to run the Microsoft Office QuickStart bar, etc. These quick-start helpers make it quick and easy for their associated programs to load, but chew up RAM to the detriment of other programs.
Windows 98/ME includes the System Configuration Utility that you can use to prune the starting lineup. From Start go to Run, type MSCONFIG in the field, and press OK. The utility provides access to the Startup Group, the CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI files, and the Windows Registry. Make a backup before you tweak (the utility will do it for you), and be careful not to change settings you don't understand or recognize. (Windows 95 users can achieve the same results using the System Configuration Editor -- run SYSEDIT -- along with Startup CPL, a FREE Control Panel applet that provides access to the Windows Registry.)
DISABLE DISK-INDEXING SOFTWARE. A less obvious way to speed up your PC is to disable programs or options that create disk indexes. For example, Microsoft FastFind (an Office feature) may speed up searches, but it constantly indexes your hard drive, reducing its performance. Some anti-virus software "inoculates" files -- a function that requires indexing. Some Norton anti-crash software and the Go-Back program also perform constant drive indexing. Of course, you shouldn't disable protection you feel you need, or disable an acceleration feature that has real value for you.
REDUCE OPEN FILES. Another way to speed up Windows is to reduce the size and quantity of the files it must keep open, by removing unused fonts and organizing the Start Menu.
A font manager, like Moon Software's FREE Font Explorer will let you uninstall fonts you aren't using and re-install them later.
To organize the Start Menu, go to Settings from Start, then Taskbar & Start Menu, then Start Menu Programs, then Advanced. Drag and drop menu items to slim the Start Menu into a small number of folders each containing several programs. It'll be faster and easier to use.
VIDEO SETTINGS. This tweak is for PCs with slower processors (less than 400 mHz) and video cards with less than 8 mB of RAM. Right click on the desktop, select Properties from the context menu, and go to Settings. Reduce the number of Colors to 16 bit. More than that is only necessary for fancy photo editing, outrageous games, etc. (You can always switch back quickly.) Then hop over to the Effects tab and uncheck show windows while dragging, use all possible icon colors, and animate windows menus and lists.
A final hint. Don't buy a program that promises increased Windows performance. If it existed, it would already have been built into Windows. Really!
Computer Associates' InoculateIt
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22cavirus
ResMan
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22resman
Cacheman
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22cache
Startup CPL
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22startup
FontExplorer
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22font
3.0 BOOK: UPGRADING AND REPAIRING PCS (12TH ED)
In every field there is one must have book. In PC hardware, it's Scott Mueller's unparalleled guide, Upgrading and Repairing PCs, published by Que.
 A new edition of this best-seller comes out each year, adding valuable new material but keeping the old. The hot topic for the 2000 (12th) edition is broadband and networking. This year there's also a bonus CD-ROM of Scott performing PC surgery.
This is NOT a book for feel-goods and yuppies. It's aimed at hands-on people who want step-by- step illustrated instruction, and to understand what they're doing. It's perfect for the student preparing for a career in building and repairing PCs, and invaluable to the veteran techie.
The book covers processors, memory, video chips, network cards, CD-ROM players and recorders, DVD players and recorders, modems, and all sorts of specialized components. It also has instructions on building a PC, and insightful troubleshooting strategies.
If you're serious about building and repairing PCs, run to your nearest bookstore for a copy of Upgrading and Repairing PCs. Or better yet, click on the link below to order it from Amazon.com for $39.99. (Need more information? Read in-depth reviews and reader reactions on the Amazon site.)
Upgrading and Repairing PCs
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22pcrepair
4.0 A QUICK GUIDE TO WORKSTATION ERGONOMICS
Some things you just have to take into your own hands, no pun intended. If you use a computer for more than a few minutes a day, workstation ergonomics is one of them. Students, homeworkers, road warriors, small business owners -- all of us not working for a company with a strong OSHA department -- need to make it our business.
REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURIES. Workstation ergonomics is the science of fitting the PC and its environment to the worker. Getting it right reduces the risk of Repetitive Strain Injuries (sometimes called Cumulative Trauma Disorders) such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and back pain. Getting it wrong can really hurt and create permanent disabilities.
CONFIGURING CHAIR, KEYBOARD, MONITOR. Many factors go into configuring a workstation for comfort and support. Take a look at the diagram produced by The National Institute of Health's (NIH) Division of Safety. It covers the chair, footrest, keyboard, and monitor. These factors are animated in a FREE screensaver offered by the WorkStation Ergonomics company.
THE FULL TREATMENT. Comprehensive information is available on the web. Visual learners will like IBM's interactive website. You can use it online, or download an animated version (3.2 mb) to use offline. Cornell University's Ergonomics Web has well-written and extensive information on hardware, furniture, work scheduling, and environmental factors.
SPECIALTY DEVICES. Most workstations can be properly configured using furniture and equipment purchased locally. But some situations call for specialty ergonomic devices (left-handed mice, footrests, keyboard trays, monitor arms). They are readily available from online stores like Ergonomics Resources. Their relatively small cost should be balanced against the high price of pain, downtime, and often irreversible physical damage.
Take a few minutes to survey and adjust your workplace. It's not hard, doesn't cost much, and can make a real difference to your health.
NIH Div of Safety Workstation Ergonomics Chart
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22nihchart
WorkStation Ergonomics Screensaver
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22screensaver
IBM's Workstation Ergonomics
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22ibmergo
Cornell Guidelines for a Computer Workstation
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22cornell
Ergonomic Resources
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22ergopdts
THE LOOK-UP CENTER AT INSTALLATIONS PLUS+
Scouring the web for basic information? Find what you need in one place for FREE! The Look-Up Center has telephone numbers by name, by address and reverse. Weather, stock quotes, dictionaries, quotations, package tracking, calories, currency conversion, maps, metric conversions, books, music, and more.
The FREE Look-Up Center at Installations Plus+
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22lookup
5.0 TIME STAMP: TRACK AND BILL YOUR TIME
Several years ago an attorney asked me to create software for an electronic clock to log and bill his time. Ideally, it would track tasks within projects, calculate costs based on adjustable hourly rates, and provide client-ready reports.
BEST CHOICE WINNER. The clock project stopped dead when we reckoned its cost. Since then I've had my eye out for time-keeping software that wasn't too simple, costly, difficult to learn, or bloated with extraneous features and functions. Time Stamp by William Rouck of Syntap Software, our Best Choice Award winner this week, meets those needs and more.
Time Stamp installs (and uninstalls) easily, uses very little memory, and doesn't interfere with other software. Those are admirable traits for a program that needs to run continuously while you work. Also admirable is its ease of use.
EASY TO USE INTERFACE. Time Stamp's interface is largely intuitive, using icons and mouse-over notes to guide the user who prefers to ignore the well-written help section. The program runs in the System Tray, starting (red icon), and stopping (black) task timing with a click of the mouse.
EASY TO CUSTOMIZE. A right-click menu offers Help, Start, Stop and Slack Timing (yellow icon), and Restores the full interface for adding notes, setting hourly rates, exporting files (XML or delimited ASCII), and printing reports.
Want more? It's there. But go try Time Stamp for yourself. Download and enjoy. It's FREE!
Time Stamp
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22timestamp
PUT IT IN WRITING: HOW TO WRITE A MEMO
In another life and time, I was asked to teach my company's salesmanagers to write a memo. I wrote them a memo.
"How to write a memo" applies to anyone who needs to learn to communicate in writing, not just folks who sell for a living.
It's a fun read. Give it a try.
6.0 NAVIGATING THE FILE EXTENSION JUNGLE
Almost all the files (documents, images, sounds, databases, spreadsheets, etc.) on your hard drive have a first name, usually descriptive, followed after a period by a last name, or file extension, typically three or four letters long. For example, magellanreport.doc might be a homework report on the explorer Magellan produced in Microsoft Word, which saves its documents by default with the doc extension. Clubbingo.xls might be the spreadsheet made in Microsoft Excel for the proceeds of your club's charity bingo.
FILE EXTENSIONS IDENTIFY TYPE. A file's extension provides clues about its content and usage, and about the programs that made it and might open it. For example, parrot.exe is an executable file, perhaps a game or puzzle featuring the tropical bird. Double-clicking on the file will open and run it. Parrot.jpg is most likely a photo or graphic portraying the zygodactyl beast. It will open in photo-editing software or in your browser. And parrot.txt is a text file, probably about the hooked bill mimic, which can be opened in any text editor or word processor.
JUST CURIOUS. But what about parrot.vbs? Perhaps you tripped over this innocently-named file while on hard drive safari in Windows Explorer. Or maybe you've received it attached to an email, apparently from a friend. Will this parrot fight, delight, or trigger a blight?
CAUTION. It's not a good idea to open or delete ANY file that you didn't create, or ANY attached email file you've haven't vetted with antivirus software. Remember Pandora's Box? Of course, you're still curious.
RESEARCH IT. A quick lookup at ExtSearch, the file extension search engine, reveals that vbs identifies a script file produced by Microsoft's Visual Basic program and used by Windows. Techencyclopedia, usually good for a readable explanation, is silent on the vbs extension, but appropriately suggests the Visual Basic Script entry. That makes it clear our parrot.vbs file could be hyperactive.
CHECK SEVERAL SOURCES. The payoff comes from whatis?com, the information technology encyclopedia, which takes us to the entry for VBS.SST: "The Anna Kournikova VBS.SST computer virus ... is a viral worm that uses Visual Basic to infect Windows systems ...."
IT PAYS TO CHECK. Our hypothetical parrot.vbs file might be a harmless script which played a sound and expired. But it might be a virus that echoed every sound played on your PC, and sent itself to all your email correspondents. The moral: It's better to check than peck! (Smart checkers will use the FREE Look-Up Center at Installations Plus+, which has entry fields for ExtSearch, TechEncyclopedia, and whatis?com.)
P.S. If your PC isn't showing file extensions, open My Computer, select Folder Options from the View menu, select View (again) and uncheck Hide File Extensions.
ExtSearch
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22extsearch
TechEncyclopedia
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22techency
whatis?com -- IT-specific encyclopedia
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22whatis
The FREE Look-Up Center at Installations Plus+
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22lookup
FEATURED FORUM: REAL ESTATE FORUM OF NEW YORK
The Real Estate Forum is the place to discuss issues that concern you as a homeowner or potential homeowner in New York. The Forum provides two vehicles -- a message or bulletin board Forum and a live Chat Room.
The REAL ESTATE FORUM for buyers, sellers.
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22reforum
7.0 PCANYWHERE: OPERATE YOUR PC FROM ANYWHERE
REAL ESTATE. Real estate brokers Mark and Andrea keep their property inventory and contact database on a PC in their office. The partners use pcAnywhere remote control software to access and update the lists from their home PCs, and from laptops when they're on the road.
PC CONSULTING. Tom installs new software on his clients' PCs, troubleshoots their problems, and teaches how-to classes in Windows software. Thanks to pcAnywhere, Tom never has to leave his office.
MEDICINE. Dr. Hardwick takes a late-night call at home from a patient. During the call, she looks up the patient's records at her office via a pcAnywhere session. Before logging off, she annotates the record and checks the next day's schedule.
 PCANYWHERE FROM SYMANTEC/NORTON. The names are fictitious, but the situations are real, and represent just a few of the many uses of Symantec's pcAnywhere remote control software. Made by the same inventive folks who produce Norton SystemWorks and Norton AntiVirus, pcAnywhere defines the remote control category.
Unlike most of the software we review and recommend, pcAnywhere is not new, not inexpensive, and not shareware. However, if you want to transfer files or control another PC via direct cable, modem, or network, there is only one other product available -- Carbon Copy from Compaq Computer -- and it doesn't even come close in flexibility or reliability.
VERSATILE AND EASY. pcAnywhere needs only a 486/25 or better processor, works with all versions of Windows, and can even control a PC running DOS. It's easy to install and use. When you connect to a remote PC, its display fills your screen, and you use your keyboard and mouse to run its software.
ROAD WARRIOR'S DELIGHT. pcAnywhere is perfect for the telecommuter, the road warrior who needs to stay connected to the company's resources, and for the professional burning the midnight oil at home instead of at the office. Beginning and intermediate PC users will want to get a copy of Jill S. Gilbert's pcAnywhere for Dummies to help with the properly technical configuration settings and the overly technical manual.
You can buy your copy of pcAnywhere at office supply and electronics outlets, or here from Amazon.com for $159.99, a savings of $20 (11%). You can purchase it on CD-ROM or by download. pcAnywhere for Dummies is at your bookstore and electronics outlets, and here for $15.99 (a $4.00, 20% savings).
pcAnywhere Host & Remote
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22pcaw
pcAnywhere for Dummies
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22pcawbook
WEBSITES FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
Ready to join the Internet explosion? Let our experts build a website for your club, church, society, community or charitable organization.
Want to see a sample of our work? Check out the site we built and maintain for the Oyster Bay Historical Society.
8.0 HUMOR: WACKY SIGNS FROM MERRY OLDE ENGLANDE
IN A LAUNDROMAT. Automatic washing machines. Please remove all your clothes when the light goes out.
IN A DEPARTMENT STORE. Bargain Basement Upstairs.
IN AN OFFICE. Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday kindly bring it back or further steps will be taken.
IN ANOTHER OFFICE. After the tea break, staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board.
ON A CHURCH DOOR. This is the gate of Heaven. Enter ye all by this door. (This door is kept locked because of the draft. Please use side entrance.)
OUTSIDE A SECOND-HAND SHOP. We exchange anything -- bicycles, washing machines etc. Why not bring your spouse along and get a wonderful bargain?
QUICKSAND WARNING. Quicksand. Any person passing this point will be drowned. By order of the District Council.
IN A DRY CLEANER'S WINDOW. Anyone leaving their garments here for more than 30 days will be disposed of.
IN A HEALTH FOOD SHOP WINDOW. Closed due to illness.
POSTED DURING A CONFERENCE. For anyone who has children and doesn't know it, there is a day care on the first floor.
NOTICE IN A FIELD. The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges.
ON A LEAFLET. If you cannot read, this leaflet will tell you how to get lessons.
ON A REPAIR SHOP DOOR. We can repair anything. (Please knock hard on the door -- the bell doesn't work.)
ON AN OFFICE TOILET DOOR. Toilet out of order. Please use floor below.
HEAVY SMOKER? WANT TO QUIT? HERE'S HOW!
No cost, no gimmicks, no drugs. Just a proven behavioral method that helps the heavy smoker quit and not want to smoke again. Written by an ex-smoker and based on sound psychophysiological principles, How to Stop Smoking is a WannaLearn.com Selected Instructional Site.
9.0 JIGSAW PUZZLE: MAJESTIC MOUNT VISO, ITALY
Gianpaolo Bottin, who created the gPhotoShow slide-show screensaver we recommended last week, is also a gifted photographer. His breath-taking shot of Monviso (Mount Viso) in Italy's Apennine mountains was used to make this week's puzzle of 30 rotated pieces. We used Tibo Software's Jigs@w Puzzle
program to make the puzzle, which downloads in 45 seconds at 56.6 kb, and plays in 7-15 minutes on Windows 95 or later PCs.
TIP. To rotate a puzzle piece 90 degrees: select, then right-click it.
P.S. You can download puzzles from earlier editions of the PC News Digest from our Puzzle Archive. You can also get a list of past puzzles with download links by sending an email to library@pcnewsdigest.com with the subject "send file puzzles" (no quotes).
Mt Viso Puzzle
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22mtviso
Gianpaolo Bottin's Photo Gallery
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22bottin
Jigs@w Puzzle
http://servenet.com/go/to.cgi?l=22tibo
10.0 SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE/SUGGEST/SEARCH/ETC.
PAST ISSUES.09/19/2000 09/26/2000 10/03/2000 10/10/2000 10/17/2000 10/24/2000 10/31/2000 11/07/2000 11/14/2000 11/21/2000 11/28/2000 12/05/2000 12/12/2000 12/19/20 00 12/26/2000 01/09/2001 01/16/2001 01/23/2001 02/06/2001 02/13/2001
SUGGESTIONS. Your thoughts about our newsletter and our website are always welcome. Tell us. We're listening!
RECOMMEND US. Tell a friend about our website and newsletter.
LINK TO US.  Grab our button. Write for HTML help.
Copyright © 2000 Louis J. Bruno, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.
Written by Louis J. Bruno Edited by Judith Reinfeld
ICQ:101670502 AIM:LouisBruno
Produced in the WebShop at SERVENET.COM. Please report bad or changed links to the WebMaster. Last update: 2/27/2001.
|
