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Dave "Bytes"
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Dave "Bytes"
Please remember to
use your thinker, before you tinker! |
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A Periodic Newsletter for the Members of the Sarasota PC User Group and the World!!
Click here to subscribe to Dave "Bytes"
(Please provide your full name
and email address)
Here's A Microsoft Office Tip
Password-protect MS Office files
Keep all the snoops around your
home or office out of your MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
From within Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, click on the Tools menu and
select Options.
Click on the Security tab. Under "File encryption options for this document," type in a password.
Click OK.
When you try to open the document, you will need to enter that password.
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BITS |
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BYTES |
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Every |
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WLSS Radio |
Clicking on Dave will take you to the
"Bits & Bytes"
site where you can listen to the most recent broadcast
Here's A New (FREE) Product from Trend Micro
"Anti-Spam 1.1 Pilot"
Computer Term
Computer /nm./: a device designed to speed and automate errors.
At the February, 2005, General Meeting the PC Refurbishing Project will be offering a new, unopened eView 17f3 (17 inch) color monitor as a drawing item. Details concerning this monitor can be seen by clicking the wheel.
Tickets will be for sale for $1 each or 6 for $5.
An extra monitor is always good to have on hand or you can have a full-sized monitor for your laptop.
Here's A FireFox Tip
Fix a memory leak
in Firefox 1.0
Firefox is supposed to dynamically release memory from its RAM cache to
other Windows applications as needed. Unfortunately, Firefox 1.0 seems to
consume more memory than it should, which hurts performance, when set to
the default of 51200 KB (51 MB).
To solve this, Firefox power users recommend limiting the memory cache
using the Configuration Console. This frees up memory for other apps,
speeding up everything to a greater or a lesser extent, depending on your
machine and the applications you run. Here's how the trick works:
Step 1. Type about:config into Firefox's Address Bar and press
Enter.
Step 2. Right-click any row, then click New, Integer. Type or paste the
following preference name into the dialog box that appears (this is a
hidden preference that doesn't exist in the Configuration Console until
you create it):
browser.cache.memory.capacity
Step 3. Click OK, then enter the following integer number into the next
dialog box, representing 16 MB of RAM for the cache:
16000
Step 4. Click OK to close the dialog box, then close all instances of
Firefox and restart it.
The "Bytes" Beg, Bargain & Barter Basement
Got
something "computer related" to sell? Looking for that rare peripheral? If
it's computer related you can submit a short classified ad for exposure in
Dave "Bytes". Be sure to include your name and e-mail address in the ad.
You can also include a picture of the item. Now some would suggest that
there be a charge for this feature but alas, since my bookkeeping skills
leave much to be desired I've determined that this will be a free service
to all SPCUG members in good standing. "Bytes" is currently sent to
almost 1500 homes in the area. Ad requests will be included as
soon as possible. I assume absolutely no responsibility as to the accuracy
or completeness of supplied info. All transactions are between consulting
adults which leaves me entirely off the hook. Please let me know by
clicking
HERE when your merchandise is sold so that I can remove it from the
listing. I will try to run each ad for a month.
Click Here To Submit Your Ad
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Nikon D-100 Digital SLR Camera and complete set of accessories. Includes 2 Zoom Lenses (28-105mm and 70-300mm) Nikon Speedlight Flash Multi-Function Battery Pack/Vertical Grip 4 Lithium-Ion Batteries Battery Charger AC Adapter Electronic Remote Cord 2 UV Haze Filters Wide Angle Polarizing Filter
If purchased new today on-line from B&H in NYC cost would be $2738. Asking Price: $1699 |
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Here's A Microsoft Outlook/Outlook Express Tip
Unless you like spam, it's important that you make sure you set Outlook
to display messages as text-only.
When Outlook downloads an HTML
message with embedded images, it often needs to send a request to grab the
image data from the originating server. So even if you delete a message
right away, you've let the sender know there's a real person
on the end of your address.
In Outlook 2003- Tools/Options/Email Options Tab/check "read all standard
mail in plain-text"
In Outlook Express- Tools/Options/Read tab/check "read all messages in
plain-text"
And Now
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Dave's Cool Downloads |
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FolderPrint
A "Freeware" utility that allows you to save the listing of directories
(folders) and files on a hard drive or any removable media (local or
networked) into the text file (comma delimited option for importing into
database).
Listing can be printed out in Standard Letter size ( 11 x 8 ) or in ZIP, CD, Jet, Jaz, etc... case layout; sorted by name, size, date, etc.
Win95 ,Win98 , NT4.
Size 360 Kb (180 Kb compressed.)
Note: There are known issue with 'Browse' button under Windows ME and
Windows 2000. A new release will have fix.
Thanks to SPCUG member Ed Schultz for passing this along !!!
Who Says There's No Humor In Computing?
Windows Longhorn To Make Graphic Cards Important
THE majority of users don't care about a graphics card because this
majority uses only 2D operations, or should I say they need it just to
draw and show picture on displays. Some will use the graphics card to
accelerate video files or help decode DVD content. but that's about it.
The big mass of users don't care about 3D games.
This is about to change with Longhorn.
Longhorn will feature a graphics subset called WGF (Windows Graphic
Foundation). Its goal is to unify 2D and 3D graphics operation in one
and will bring 2D Windows drawing and 3D operations together. Nowadays,
3D is done using a Direct X subset with the current version 9.0c.
Longhorn will also use 3D menus and 3D interfaces and will require at
least Shader 2.0 compliant cards, so it will make the graphics card an
important part of your PC. Nowadays, Windows doesn’t care much about
graphics until you play your DVD or start a 3D game. In such cases,
Windows actually benefits from graphic card acceleration whether we
talk about video or 3D acceleration.
Believe it or not, your Windows performance will depend on the quality
of graphics card you have. A faster card might draw something faster
than a slower mainstream or entry level card, meaning that even some
Office software might perform better if you have a faster 3D card.
Still, you don’t have to worry much as Longhorn is not expected until
late 2006 anyway, so take your time. I bet that graphic vendors adore
Longhorn and cannot wait to see it.
Why not give the gift that keeps on giving all year round? I'm referring to a subscription to either Smart Computing, PC Today, CE Tips or CPU Magazines. If you are a current subscriber and order a gift subscription, the folks at Smart Computing will add 2 additional issues to your current subscription at no charge. And remember that even gift subscriptions will be credited to the SPCUG account so that we can accumulate free subscriptions to give away to our membership. If you aren't a subscriber you should be. These publications are geared towards the very same thing that caused you to join a PC User Group which is easy to read and understand computer information for folks at any level. If you already subscribe, be sure to use the appropriate SPCUG code when you renew !!!
To order call
1-800-733-3809 and be sure to give the following Code Numbers so that
SPCUG gets proper credit.
Smart Computing (11607) CPU Magazine (272)
PC Today (146) CE Tips (219)
Free Tech Support
Please Sign The Dave "Bytes" Guestbook
Click Image to Sign
While Wandering The Web If you like superstitions, or
are superstitious, this site is fabulous, fascinating, and full of old
superstitions. With many categories, such as: Good Luck, Bad Luck,
Animal, General, Card, Acting and Stage, Baby, Christmas, New Year,
New Home, Wedding, Hair, Halloween, and Death superstitions. And each
section is chocked full of superstitions, a lot of which I had never
even heard of. *Saying "God Bless You" when somebody sneezes: When the
great plague swept Europe, sufferers began sneezing violently which
was a sign of death.
Here's An Outlook
Express Tip Share Outlook Express Do several people check their e-mail on your
computer? Adding others' mail accounts to your Outlook Express Inbox
means everybody gets to read everybody else's mail and makes finding
new messages more difficult. You can solve both problems by
segregating users via Identities. To create a new mail user, select
File, Identities, Add New Identity, choose OK to switch to the new
identity when prompted, and complete the account configuration. To
switch to or log off of an identity, choose File, Switch Identities.
Pause
For Thought
"If we don't change
direction soon, we'll end up where we're going."
Here's A WORD Tip You already know that it is
important to periodically save your documents. This helps protect your
work in case of catastrophic power failure or inadvertent massive edits
(such as those imposed by an errant macro). When your document is small,
saving to disk can be done very quickly. As your document grows, or as you
start saving your document to storage devices that aren't that speedy,
saving can take quite a bit longer to do.
Want to Join SPCUG or Renew Your Membership?
Click the SPCUG Logo for an online
Click here
for the Dave "Bytes" Archives
P.S. Don't forget to say "Hi" at the meeting!!
Sarasota Personal Computer User Group, Inc
Sign the "Bytes" Book Mentioned In
The LangaList Newsletter As Seen In
Website:
http://www.spcug.org
Last Updated
SPCUG Home Page
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Join NOW! |
Many people view “free” as one of the nicest words in the English
language. “Tech Support,” however, may not be such a positive term to
computer users, especially if it evokes memories of the hours they’ve
spent on the phone trying to get help for various computer problems.
The thing is, there’s a lot of troubleshooting we can do ourselves without
relying on tech support reps, but we just need a
little nudge in the right
direction. Well, that’s what SmartComputing.com’s Tech Support Center
tries to do: help people fix their own problems.
On SmartComputing.com’s Search Options page, combining a phrase and a
category search can produce more targeted results.
For instance, if you keep seeing an error message appear on-screen that
doesn’t make sense, you can take advantage of the Tech Support Center’s
alphabetized, searchable list of error messages to get both a translation
of the error and a possible resolution.
The Security & Privacy area and the daily Weblog keep you current on the
latest malware (software created for malicious purposes) news. The
Preventative & Regular Maintenance section should be required reading for
all computer owners, and the Driver Education area helps you find device
drivers online. But don’t go anywhere yet; the Tech Support Center offers
much more. Need a list of file extensions? Trying to find info about
eliminating viruses? Want to know more about stopping spam? Tech Support
Center addresses all of these questions and more.
Plus, it’s not just a resource for solving problems; you can use it on an
ongoing basis to learn more about preventing computing problems.
Spend 10 minutes a day at the center for a few months, and you won’t have
to call your brother for help again; heck, he may even start calling you.
Ready for the best news? If you’ve exhausted all of the site’s
resources, including the Q&A Board (see the next section), you can call
the Web Services staff at (800) 368-8304, and someone will try to help
you with your problem. And it’s still—there’s that nice word again—free.
The Pope therefore passed a law requiring people to bless the sneezer.
At the same time, it was expected that anybody sneezing would cover
their mouth with a cloth or their hand. This was obviously to stop the
spreading of the disease, but many believed that it was to keep the
soul intact. Sneezing into the air would allow the soul to escape and
death would be imminent. Up until this time, the opposite was true.
Those who sneezed were congratulated, as it was believed that a
violent sneeze would expel evil from their bodies. And if there is
something you want to know if there is a superstition about you can
just type in your query in the search engine and click "Go" and it
will search the database for you! Like say you had a question about a
superstition involving a dog. Just type the word dog and then click
go.
You will come up with a whole list of superstitions like: *At one time
a dog that had bitten someone was immediately destroyed to protect the
person from rabies (even if the dog was healthy). *Meeting a dog =good
luck (especially Dalmatians) There are tons of superstitions for you
to check out on this site, in a lot of different categories, so there
is a little something for everyone.
http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/
--
Professor Irwin Corey
To overcome the delay normally associated with saving a document, Word
uses what is known as "background saving." This simply means that Word
allows you to continue working as it actually writes your document to
disk. The benefit is that you can keep right on working as Word does its
housekeeping. You can tell when a background save is taking place because
an animated disk appears on the status bar. When the disk disappears, the
save is complete.
You can control whether Word utilizes background saving in the following
manner:
1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Word displays the Options dialog
box.
2. Make sure the Save tab is displayed
3. If the Allow Background Saves check box is selected, Word will use the
background saving feature.
4. Click on OK to dismiss the Options dialog box.
Membership Application that you can
type into and print
Phone: 877-SPCUG-HI
© 2005. All Rights Reserved
04/13/2007 06:41 AM
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