This Month:

What's New

  • This Newsletter

  • Microsoft Office 12

  • Chip Art

  • At the Shop

  • Iraq

    •

    Warnings

  • Security Update Problems?

  • Update Validation

  • Norton Version 2006

  • Instant Messenger Threat

    •

    Internet

  • Icon Wars (cute)

  • Saving PDF Files

  • EULA

    •

    FYI

  • Virtual Memory

  • Low on Virtual Memory?

    •

    Laugh a Little

    We are PC correct but not necessarily when it comes to humor.. :-)
     

    Any suggestions, recommendations or ideas found on this site are applied at your own risk.

     


    November - 2005

    11th year in business

    8th year of newsletters

    Have problems or ideas you would like to have us address?  Let us know!
    Like most sites, this one is designed for an 800x600 screen resolution.
    For previous newsletters click here.  (Web Printing Hints)

    A Few Reminders...

    If you have a new computer: Save your orignal CDs!
    No Operating System Restore CD?  See our July 05 newsletter

    • Be sure to activate the antivirus application immediately! 
       
    • If your new computer is more than *90 days old, or
      if you have not paid for a subscription within the last year,
      your antivirus application is out-of-date and you are not protected.       More details on this issue in the 0302 newsletter.

    * Many new computers come with a 90-day free trial version, but after that period you must pay to renew the subscription.  Wonder if your antivirus is up-to-date?  Click here

    Looking to buy a new computer: 

    Click here for some ideas that may help your decision.

    --top

     

     

      How many shopping days left? 

    This Newsletter

    We forgot to point this out last month; if you see this style font hover the mouse over it.

    Microsoft Office 12

    While many changes to this newest version such as collaboration are lost on individuals and small businesses, Office 12 will apparently have the built-in capability to create Adobe PDF files.  This new feature is likely due in part to the Massachusetts decision on open documents. 

    We have read only a few articles on Office 12 and so far, have not seen many changes useful to the average user.  Apparently the "look" is quite different and menus have changed to "ribbons" but mostly the changes appear to be geared toward large enterprises.  As we discover changes more useful to individuals we will inform you here.

    The beta version will be available yet this year from office.microsoft.com. 
    The retail version fall of '06.

    Chip Art

    Ever had the chance to tear open and inspect silicon chips?  Neither have we but doing so may bring an interesting surprise!  The article.

    Chip designers are building in some artwork at the microscopic level.  The Waldo image from the above article is about half the diameter of a human hair. Click here for some examples and here for even more.

    At the Shop

    Printer ink is now available at the Ben Franklin store on Oak Street (just around the corner from our shop).  We still have laser cartridges, paper, labels, cables and other computer hardware.

    Are we doing any good in Iraq?

    If you ask this question, we challenge you to visit:  www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil/ The site is a little slow but well worth the load time! 

    --top

    Security Update Problems

    Microsoft recently released 8 new updates which may cause problems under (very) unique circumstances whereas if certain registry folders had their permissions changed, the computer may become inaccessible. 

    The problem is apparently rare but if you have problems after installing these latest updates, this article explains how to correct the problem.

    Update Validation

    Before XP users can obtain updates they must validate their copy of Windows.  This is a simple and automated process at the Windows update site.  The validation tool must download and install a little application but the validation download is a one-time occurrence.  If the validation tool cannot confirm your XP copy is legitimate you will not be allowed to continue with the updates. 

    Norton Version 2006

    Time to renew Norton?  If you have Norton version 2005, you could renew it.  Older versions should be replaced but hold on!  Unless you have Windows XP or Windows 2000, forget about upgrading your Norton antivirus.  Norton no longer offers an antivirus application for Windows 98 or ME.  

    It is unbelievable to us they would simply drop this many customers but like Microsoft and other software providers, they will no longer make "backward compatible" software for these older operating systems.

    So if you have an older computer and you are not planning to replace it, check these antivirus providers' products.  Grisoft, TrendMicro, McAfee

    You could consider updating your computer to Windows XP; however, be sure it meets the minimum requirements.  Click here for that information.

    We do not recommend updating any machine older than four years as it would probably be too slow to run Windows XP. 

    A New IM Threat

    If you use AIM or other "Instant Messenger" services, be aware there is a new threat.  As with most threats, a message will appear coming from someone you know and will contain a link.

    If clicked it will attempt to load the Sdbot virus, and several spyware/adware applications, including 180Solutions, Zango, the Freepod Toolbar, MaxSearch, Media Gateway and SearchMiracle. 

    Before clicking any links, verify that the sender actually sent it!  The article.

    --top 

    The Internet Traffic Report monitors the flow of data around the world. It then displays a value between zero and 100. Higher values indicate faster and more reliable connections.

    Icon Wars

    Maybe a little too much time on their hands but this is absolutely great.  This is a SWF and while this type of file could be a security risk, we have found nothing to indicate a problem with this site.  Click here to see the animation. 

    Saving/Printing PDF Files

    If you want to save a PDF file while using Adobe Reader, be sure to use the Adobe toolbar save button rather than the Internet browser's button.   

    The browser may attempt to save the Internet page rather than the actual PDF.

    Printing from the browser's print button may result in unexpected output so again, use the Adobe toolbar button.

    EULA

    Do you read End User License Agreements?  You may want to reconsider after this!  Some of these actually include sentences like: "Do not criticize this product publicly," "When your computer dies, it's not our problem,"  "We'll make any changes to this agreement we like, and you've just agreed to them," and "Do not use this product with other vendor products."  

    Most of these are written in such a way you should probably visit an attorney before agreeing to them; for example, FasterXP EULA's consists of 11,321 words, 344 sentences and is well beyond a twelfth grade reading level.

    The FasterXP agreement also discreetly mentions agreements for other add-ins such as My Search and ABI (BetterInternet).

    Another example of something you probably would not agree to is Gain/Gator's EULA which plainly states:

    ...free of charge ("GAIN-Supported Software") in exchange for your agreement to also install GAIN AdServer software ("GAIN"), which will display Pop-Up, Pop-Under, and other types of ads on your computer based on the information we collect...

    and

    ...you hereby represent that your computer's time zone settings accurately reflect the physical location of your computer.

    So read before downloading!

    --top

    Virtual Memory

    First a review:

    Disk space (HDD) is the computer's capacity to store (save) applications and data. 

    E.g., a computer with a large hard (disk) drive may be able to store thousands of photos whereas a computer with a small drive may be able to store only a few hundred. 

    Memory (RAM) is the computer's capability to run/open applications and data.

    E.g., a computer with little memory may be able to open a few photos at one time whereas a computer with a lot of memory may be able to open dozens of photos at one time.

    		 The hard disk drive is a mechanical device with moving parts. 

    Ram is  electronic; there are no moving parts, hence ram is many times faster.

    Newer computers typically have an 80 GB hard drive and 512 MB of physical memory.  Computers just a few years old may have only a 20 GB drive and 128 (or less) MB physical memory.   How to check your machine.

    If you have an older, weaker machine; upon boot, the operating system, the antivirus application, every icon you see by the system clock and many other unseen applications load into memory.  If the computer initially had 128 MB of ram, much of it is consumed to this point in the boot process.  So (simplistically) if we consumed 75 MB of memory just booting the computer, we have 53 MB available. 

    If you then want to edit a photo, the photo editing application will consume much of the remaining memory and the photo itself will consume even more.  A computer with little memory would likely produce an "out of memory" error. 

    The operating system resolves this problem by moving application/data between the physical memory and the hard drive A.K.A. virtual memory.  Because virtual memory is actually a file on the hard drive, swapping data to/from is slow! 

    For (very) comprehensive information on virtual memory click here.

    Low on Virtual Memory?

    This problem could be as simple as a nearly full hard drive but there are many other reasons as well, including misbehaving applications and even hardware problems.  Here are a couple of Microsoft articles on "low virtual memory" errors: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315270  and http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316528

    -- top

    A few of our favorite error messages:
    Our apologies to dialup users...