PC NEWS DIGEST: November 28, 2000 PC computing, hardware, software, searching, news, books, websites, web design, humor. The PC News Digest is published by SERVENET.COM PLEASE NOTE:
FREEWARE VS SHAREWARE.More than a few readers have asked why we recommended a shareware program instead of "a perfectly good" freeware program "that does the same thing." Several wondered if our recommendations were paid advertisements. No dear friends, no payola here. However, this newsletter is FREE to you. If you like it, please recommend it! And please support our sponsors -- listed in Section 12.0 below -- by visiting their websites. We always prefer freeware over shareware when all other things are equal. But freeware that crashes a standard Windows 95/98 system isn't equal. Well- behaved shareware at a modest price is the hands- down winner in our book. Freeware that is advertiser-supported isn't equal. Any program that uses an Internet connection to push ads in your face has the potential for snooping on you and rewarding you with a Trojan horse or virus. Not equal, even if you like Greek gifts. And freeware that takes the Swiss army knife approach to programming isn't equal. Swiss army knives were designed for emergencies. They do a lot of things, none of them well. Not equal again. Freeware that makes you think hard to use it violates our first rule of computing. Computers should work for us, not we for them. Lincoln abolished slavery, didn't he? Not equal on this score too. And freeware that's difficult to install, or worse, difficult to uninstall is not equal. As the watchmaker said, time is money. Freeware that chews up your time is not equal. That said, it happens that most of our recommendations in this edition are freeware. That's because they work as well or better than comparable shareware or retail software. Go figure! 0.0 Holiday Shopping Online: Part 1 Of 2 0.0 HOLIDAY SHOPPING ONLINE: PART 1 OF 2
This year close to 10% of Americans will do some holiday shopping online. Selection and price are two reasons. The primary one is convenience. UPS delivery to your doorstep beats traffic jams, long checkout lines, pushy shoppers, and rude clerks hands down. Online shopping often is a natural extension of previous habits and allegiances. Folks who bought from Lands End, Sears, or Victoria's Secret by mail order will (and should) feel comfortable ordering online. Similarly, Toys R Us and Barnes and Noble customers will feel right at home in their online stores. (You'll have to make your own java!) To see if your favorite mail order or bricks and mortar merchant has an online store, search the name on Yahoo!/Google. Don't assume your merchant's URL matches the street name. It usually does, but scam artists love to trade on legitimate merchants' names and misspellings of them, so beware! To add to the confusion, major merchants own multiple URLs that all take you to the same spot, e.g. Barnes and Noble has barnesandnoble.com and bn.com, among others. To help you decide whether you've landed in the right virtual storefront, look up the URL in Allwhois.com. (If the URL isn't showing in your address window, you can find it by right clicking on the home page. From the pop-up context menu, select Properties in Internet Explorer or View Info in Netscape.) An Allwhois.com search returns the name, address, and often the phone and fax numbers for the owner of the URL in question. Here are some other indicators of legitimacy and the way a merchant does business: 1. The BBBOnLine Reliability Seal.The Better Business Bureau's online service permits its seal to be used by qualified merchants who are members of their local BBB, have been in business at least one year, and handle complaints satisfactorily. Legitimate seals are linked to confirming pages hosted on the BBBOnLine website. 2. A fair and frank Privacy Policy.Every online merchant collects and needs some personal information, such as your name, email address, phone number, street address, and credit card number. Legitimate merchants typically publish a Privacy Policy that tells you in plain English what they collect and what they plan to do with it. Many submit their policies for verification, allowing them to display TRUSTe or BBBOnLine's Privacy Seal. 3. Legitimate merchants don't ask for sensitive private information.Unless you're opening a brokerage account or setting up online banking, there's no need to provide your social security number or your mother's maiden name. 4. Merchants who plan to be around next year offer clear and sensible merchandise return policies.Merchants who have local stores often allow them their to refund or exchange goods bought online. Otherwise, expect to pay for return shipping. Read the return policies for electronics, software, and CD-ROMs with special care. Many online stores, like their offline counterparts, impose 5-15% restocking charges or provide exchanges for defective goods but no refunds. 5. Look for evidence of secure transactions.Whether you're buying software by download through DigitalRiver or ordering a computer from Dell, when you begin the payment process, look for your browser to show the closed padlock -- secure transmission -- symbol on the status bar. There's another simple way to identify secure transactions. Examine the URL. Normally, it starts with http://. In secure mode, the prefix is https://. That extra "s" designates a secure server. (Browsers optionally request approval when switching between secure and insecure modes. Most users disable the feature, which uses an annoying pop-up alert.) To take full advantage of secure transaction technology, make sure you have the latest 128-bit encryption version of your browser. (We've provided update links for Internet Explorer and Netscape below.) Buying from a known merchant with secure technology is just as safe and reliable as buying from your favorite local merchant, mail order house, or department store. Often a lot safer! Next week we'll look at some Internet merchants and examine the advantages of buying online. Allwhois.com BBBOnLine Microsoft Internet Explorer Netscape Navigator/Communicator 1.0 NEED HELP SELLING IT ON EBAY? LOOK HERE!The WebShop at SERVENET.COM builds websites for commercial, professional, and non-profit clients.. But did you know we can build one for you to sell your car, your house, or your mink on the web and on eBay? The WebShop at SERVENET.COM for websites that work! Check out the site we built to sell a Man Ray chess set. Man Ray Chess Set For Sale And here's the site we created to sell a frozen yogurt machine. It was on the web and on eBay. Taylor Freezemaster 339 Frozen Yogurt Machine The WebShop at SERVENET.COM Call 1-212-567-3705 mailto:info@servenet.com 2.0 CINEMA FANS: FIND MORE FILM FUN FASTERCinema buffs have been known to spend entire days browsing the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), the authoritative source for 200,000 movies and TV shows since the early 1990's. Its photo galleries, trailers, movie showtimes, news, and message boards make this a popular Internet destination. Purchased by Amazon.com in 1998, it's become quicker and easier to use in recent months. Competing with IMDb and also recently overhauled is the glitzy, upbeat Movies.com produced by Walt Disney's Internet Group. A new alliance with Fact City (they power ESPN.com, iWon.com, and FoxSports.com) adds powerful search capabilities to Movies.com's rich collection of cinematic facts. Try it for yourself. Click on the Movie Trivia button in the lower right corner of Movies.com's home page. Or use the link below to go there directly. Caveat: although there's oodles of noodles here, you won't get them out of the pot if your spelling's weak or you can't remember exact titles. P.S. We must confess. Our favorite cinematic site is not a searchable database but a website about a movie. Making Cherry, produced by writer Peter Kreutzer, takes the film Cherry from conception to distribution in the form of a daily diary. This is not a slick studio promo or the dribbling of a fanzine, but the intelligent and comprehensive product of an insider. Kreutzer details the chronology of Cherry from cast to crew, from props to publicity, from stills to storyboard. This tasty slice of life uses the web with wit, charm, and good journalism to educate and inform. More cherries please! Internet Movie Database Amazon.com Movies.com (search page) Walt Disney Fact City Making Cherry 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+. The FREE PC Clinic at Installations Plus+ 3.0 ASK THE PC DOCTOR: INSTALLING A PRINTERQUESTION: ANSWER: To get the latest driver, visit the manufacturer's website, which you can locate with ZDNet's Company Finder. For hard to find drivers, try (in order of usefulness): Help Drivers, DriverGuide.com or WinDrivers.com. To install the driver, follow the manufacturer's instructions, or use Windows' guide, by selecting Start/Help/Contents/Printing. P.S. It's a good idea to replace the cable when you replace the printer. Printer cables cause over half of all printer problems. Bent or twisted cables may look OK but be damaged internally. And old cables often don't work with newer printers, which require IEE-1284 compliant bi-directional cables. ZDNet Company Finder Help Drivers DriverGuide.com WindDrivers.com 4.0 CUSTOMIZE WINDOWS WITH KEYBOARD SHORTCUTSWindows is like a car with an automatic stick shift. You can operate it automatically with your mouse, or manually with your keyboard. Novices think keyboard commands should be reserved for emergencies; power users see them as fast and efficient shortcuts. Most users know that there are generalized shortcut keys that work throughout Windows: CTRL+C to copy, CTRL+V to paste, F1 to access Help, etc. (For the full list, search the Windows Help Index for keyboard shortcuts.) But did you know that you can assign keyboard shortcuts to programs on your Desktop and in the Start Menu? Why bother? Because a shortcut key works anywhere, anytime. You can open a new program directly without minimizing the one you're working in, and without drilling down through your Start Menu. Reading Rolling Stone online and want to make a note? Hit your shortcut key for Notepad and it springs to your service. To assign a shortcut key, right click on the program (or hyperlink) on your Desktop or in the Start Menu. From the pop-up context menu, select Properties and enter the desired keystroke combination into the Shortcut Key field. In order to avoid confusion with existing shortcuts, you'll be limited to combinations like CTRL+ALT+W, CTRL+SHIFT+W and NUM+*, etc. An easy way to examine existing shortcut keys and assign new ones is Shortcuts Map by Hai Li of Zeal SoftStudio. This Windows 95/98/NT program examines your system and returns a table listing each program, its location, and the corresponding shortcut key, if any. Click on a heading to sort the table by category. Double-click on a program to change the shortcut key assignment. Nice help and you can get it FREE. (It's postcardware: the author requests a postcard with suggestions and usage.) Shortcuts Map 5.0 WANT TO TALK? WE'VE GOT A FORUM FOR YOU!As a public service, SERVENET.COM hosts and moderates four online forums. You are welcome to participate in any or all of them. • The PC FORUM for help with computer problems. • The REAL ESTATE FORUM for buyers, sellers. • The OYSTER BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY FORUM. • The SHOP-TALK FORUM for things automotive. 6.0 BOOK: THE INTERNET FOR DUMMIESThe best-selling "For Dummies" series from IDG Books relies on clever marketing -- a non- threatening title and school-days covers -- to get your attention. Solid content keeps you reading and coming back for more. The Internet for Dummies (IFD) by John R. Levine, Carol Baroudi, and Margaret Levine Young is no exception. Now in its 7th edition (February 2000), IFD tells you how to connect to the Internet with America Online, CompuServe, Microsoft Network and WebTV. It explores websites, chat rooms, email, and file transfers. IFD covers the popular browsers (Internet Explorer and Netscape) and email software (Outlook Express and Eudora). The companion CD has copies of the major software reviewed. After IFD gets you online and comfortable, it'll stay on your reference shelf for its lucid tips about online shopping, managing email, building a website, and more. Amazon.com has additional information and reviews, and sells The Internet for Dummies for $13.99. The Internet for Dummies 7.0 LEARN U.S. GEOGRAPHY THE EASY WAYOne good thing about Presidential elections --they serve as refresher courses in U.S. geography. Between elections, United States Geography Tutor (USGT) from AHA! Software Inc. will teach you and the kids to locate and identify the contiguous forty-eight. USGT has three modes built around a cross-linked map and alphabetic list. In the Explore mode, the states are highlighted both on the map and in the list as you select them with the mouse. In the Find mode, the names on the list are presented in random order and your job is to find them on the map. In the Identify mode, the states are selected on the map and you are asked to identify them in the list. In the two test modes, the program tracks your score and provides feedback about wrong answers. When you've mastered U.S. geography, head back to AHA! Software Inc. for their similar African and European Geography Tutors, or to load up on their games. All are FREE and run on a 486 or better PC; many run under any version of Windows. (USGT and African Geography need Windows 95 or later.) P.S. The Tutors and the games make great stocking stuffers for Santas on a budget. United States Geography Tutor 8.0 HEWLETT PACKARD DESKJET 660CSE -- $29These lightly-used printers were replaced in service with a high-speed network printer. With plenty of useful life remaining, they're just right for the kids, for your second setup, or for light office duty. In economy mode, the HP DeskJet 660Cse prints 4 ppm in black and white, 1 ppm in color. When set for best quality, it prints at 600 dpi black and white and 300 dpi color. It has a print cache of 512 kB RAM. The 660Cse has a 100-sheet feeder (50-sheet catcher) and prints up to 20 envelopes automatically. Current drivers for DOS and all versions of Windows (3.1 through 2000) are available from the manufacturer's website, as are full specifications. The printer uses readily available black (#51629A) and color (#51649A) cartridges simultaneously -- no swapping. The machine is shipped with used cartridges, separately packaged, and with a new 6 foot IBM compatible printer cable. MSRP for the DeskJet 660Cse at its debut was $489, but you can buy one today AS IS for $29, plus shipping, and tax where applicable. PayPal, M/C, Visa. Limited time offer. U.S. orders only please.
Call 1-212-567-3705 mailto:specials@servenet.com 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+ 9.0 PASSWORDS REVISITED: BACKUP AND UNCOVERLast week we recommended Gregory Braun's Password Keeper as a convenient and safe way to store Windows passwords and launch protected websites. Several readers took us to task for not mentioning that the password file should be backed up regularly to a floppy or other external drive. Mea culpa. Any file you create -- letters, spreadsheets, images, webpages, etc. -- should be tagged for regular backup. And critical files like passwords need frequent backup, daily for most users. (In Password Keeper, use Save A Copy As from the File menu to back up the encrypted password file.) Other readers apparently followed our suggestion to organize their passwords, then wrote for helping recovering them. Like phone numbers forgotten because of speed-dialers, passwords get "lost" when applications routinely supply them for us. Fortunately, most lost passwords can be "found" again. Iopus Software put their James Bond team to work and developed 007 Password Recovery. This FREE utility works with most Windows 95/98/ME/NT password screens but not with Windows 2000. To use it, drag the cursor to the password field and the asterisks disappear revealing the lost password. 007 Password Recovery also works for webpage passwords stored by Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later.
P.S. For webpage passwords in older browsers, try Password Revealer from Rekenwonder Software. This is a well-written application that hasn't been updated to handle Internet Explorer 5.0 and later. Password Keeper 007 Password Recovery Password Revealer 10.0 HUMOR: ANOTHER FROG STORYA frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that the teller's name is Patricia Whack. So he says, "Ms. Whack, I'd like to get a loan to buy a boat and go on a long vacation." Patti looks at the frog in disbelief and asks how much he wants to borrow. The frog says $30,000. The teller asks his name and the frog says that his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's OK, he knows the bank manager. Patti explains that $30,000 is a substantial amount of money and that he will need to provide some collateral to secure the loan. She asks if he has anything he can use as collateral. The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny pink porcelain elephant, about half an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed. Very confused, Patti explains that she'll have to consult with the manager and disappears into a back office. She finds the manager and says: "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000. And he wants to use this as collateral." She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what the heck is this?" The bank manager looks back at her and says: "It's a knick knack, Patti Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone". 11.0 JIGSAW PUZZLE: DUNDERBERG IN AUTUMNJoseph Brennan's Dunderberg Spiral Railway is a fascinating web-essay about the 1890 theme park begun but not completed in a lovely, wooded area on the west shore of the Hudson River opposite Peekskill, NY. This week's puzzle uses Brennan's frontispiece photograph of the Dunderberg woods in autumn. We used Tibo Software's Jigs@w Puzzle program to make the puzzle, which downloads in 48 seconds at 56.6 kb and plays in 4-5 minutes on Windows 95 or later PCs. P.S. Previous puzzles are still available. Maypole is a black and white cityscape by Edward Steichen. Trains is Gregory V. Swisher's photo of a pair of locomotives passing historic Union Depot in Durand, Michigan. Dunderberg Spiral Railway Jigs@w Puzzle Dunderberg Puzzle Trains Puzzle Maypole Puzzle 12.0 HELP KEEP US FREE: VISIT OUR SPONSORSAmerica Online -- Up to 700 hrs FREE! Amazon.com -- A lot more than books and music! Dell Computer -- Let Dell build a computer for you. eBay -- Auctioning eveything imaginable! McAfee -- PC system protection. MemTurbo -- For that just booted feeling!. StoreRunner -- Shop your favorites stores. 13.0 SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE/SUGGEST/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 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. Written by Louis J. Bruno Edited by Judith Reinfeld |
007 Password Recovery gets our Best Choice Award this week for a job well done. This well-written, utility meets a real need in an imaginative and professional way without wasting system resources. Kudos to Iopus!