April - 2004

We will close April 2nd afternoon and be closed all day the 3rd for the Annandale Area Expo.  

See you there!  Need a map?  Click here.

Old cell-phones, Eyeglasses, Ink Cartridges and now
Laser Cartridges.

If you have any of these, please do not throw them away.  We collect them at the store for specific charities.    Thank you...

Looking to buy a new computer?  

Here are some ideas that may help you decide: http://www.bergesch.com/bcs/newcomputer.htm

Windows XP Service Pack 2

Due for release sometime this summer, this service pack will include:

• Turning on the built-in firewall.
  Although a weaker firewall than a hardware device, Zonealarm or other third party firewall, this is better than nothing.  
• Turning off the system messenger service (this is not the MSM/Windows Messenger.)
  This is an internal messenger service that most people do not use.  
• Recompile the "core" to resist "malware."
• More security for Outlook Express and the Windows Messenger.
  Does this mean no more attachments (again?)  We do not know...
• Improvements in the Internet Explorer to block Active X, scripts and spyware.
• Restrictions for the RPC to reduce worm proliferation.
• Close more unnecessary ports!
  This is way overdue.  Most computers have ports open that simply do not need to be open.  If you want to see this on your machine, try this: From the Start menu > Run, type cmd then click OK.  At the prompt, type netstat -an and press enter.
• Many other repairs and security updates.  For a detailed article click here

This will likely be another huge download.  If it's available as an administrative download, we will  make it available to you on CD.

Antivirus just isn't enough anymore.  

These days viruses are but part of the security risk, hackers/crackers is the other part.  An antivirus application will not protect your computer from intruders.  You should consider a firewall and/or an Internet Security application.  There are many good products out there, both hardware and software.  

We suggest a hardware firewall for DSL users and software solutions for dialup users.  For more information, read our June newsletter. 

Using Outlook?

Outlook is the application that comes with Microsoft Office (or can be purchased separately.)  It not only handles your email but also your contacts, calendar items, tasks and more.

Except under special situations, Outlook stores all data; contacts, sent, received messages, etc in a "pst" file somewhere on your disk.  This file can quickly grow to an enormous size and will hamper Outlook's performance; especially when you search deleted/sent messages.  You can reduce the size of the main data file by archiving old information; here's how:

Right click the folder of interest (sent, deleted, etc), select Properties then click to the Archive tab. Don't just accept the default settings.  Change the location by clicking the browse button to make the archive file easy to find.  We suggest creating a folder called PST Archive under My Documents.

Also do a separate archive file for each Outlook folder, e.g., sentarchive, deletedarchive, etc.  

If you ever need to review the archived information, use the File menu's Open Personal Folders File then select the desired archive.

Journal

An interesting idea but the Journal can greatly impede the Microsoft Office performance.  Journal can keep track of which Office applications you use, for how long you use them, what files you edit and so on.  If the Journal is active, you can improve system performance by turning it off.  In Outlook's Tools menu > options, look for Journal options and uncheck clear the check mark on items it is tracking.

Outlook Express too!

Both Outlook and "OE" allow you to make your own folders, so don't let the inbox become too crowded.  Right click the Inbox folder and select New Folder.  Create categorized folders and move messages you want to save in the new folder.

Getting to be a dangerous place?

Perhaps but it all depends on what you do and more specifically, what you allow!  When surfing the net, if you come across and site that wants to load or install something, think about it before accepting!  If you're not sure what is being loaded or why, don't accept.

Toolbars, searchbars and the like may be handy but in the words of a now educated customer; "they are not worth the aggravation for the little convenience offered."  Many of these add-ins will allow popup ads or worse, tracking software.  Some add-ins greatly reduce your computer's performance.  

Look in the Control Panel's Add/Remove programs for these add-ins and uninstall them.  During this process you can get a good idea of just how terrible the add-in is if, the uninstall process makes you go on-line to a web site or it plays games with many different "are you sure" messages. 

Some don't even offer a remove option but may be uninstalled via other processes.  Explore your computer, move the the Windows folder (sometimes WinNT folder.)

In the Windows folder, locate the Downloaded Program Files folder and review each item carefully.  Look at the items status and if it indicates "damaged", right click and uninstall it. If you see something suspicious or the status indicates "unknown", right click it and look at the properties.

Click to the version tab and check the company name and if it is listed as "unknown" or, you have never heard of them, do a little research.  Look up that company using Google and if you are leery, right click and remove it! 

But unfortunately there are other ad-ins that simply cannot be uninstalled or removed.  So unless you can find an uninstaller someplace on the web, other than putting up with the ad-in, the only other option may be formatting the drive and reinstalling everything.

Windows XP

Have an older computer running XP?  It's probably a little sluggish.  Here are some settings that may improve the performance. 

1. Click the Start menu.
2. Select Control Panel.
3. Click the link to "Switch to Classic View." 
4. Select System.
5. Select Advanced Tab.
6. Under Performance, select the Settings button.
7. Select the Visual Effects tab.
8. Select "Adjust for best performance."
9. Click OK.

Disk Space / Memory

Want to check the amount of available disk space; open My Computer, right click the C: drive and select properties. A minimum of 15% is recommended for proper operation.  If you have less than this, look in the Control Panel's Add/Remove programs and uninstall applications no longer used.   Turn off System Restore by right clicking the My Computer Icon, select Manage then the System Restore tab.
. Check the amount of memory in your computer, Right click My Computer then select Properties.