Transcript
vol. 26 no. 8 / august 2008
award winning monthly newsletter for orcopug members
august program
basics of
installing
windows vista presented by Charlie Moore with introduction to Vista Tips and Tricks, Vista Annoyances, and Windows Vista For Starters: the missing manual
your favorite shot 2 feedback 3 new, best, worst 4 office/windows tips 7 word 2007 help 8 innovations 11 flexgrip review 13 members’ favs 14 keyword explained 15 computer hd/tv 16 windows 7 wish list 19 cricket review 20 be computer-wise 22 website visitors 23 member information 24 user group deals 25 orcopug information 26
SO YOU LIKE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
your favorite
shot
mileage Early Rolls Royce mascots (hood ornaments) were silver plated, individually carved, lost wax castings. When I first saw this one, I was taken aback by the juxtaposition of the flakes, inclusions, and travertine like pits in the classic beauty of this sculpture perched on an otherwise pristine car. The dappled lighting was perfect and I was fascinated by the tiny virtual image of acres of lawn and trees. I can only wonder, if this ‘Flying Lady’ could talk what stories she’d have to tell. Photo by Larry Klees, ORCOPUG
canadian lilies – 2008 Taken with a Nikon D60 and Nikon 105 mm VR macro lens—a great digital SLR camera. It’s compact and works really great. These images are right out of the camera with no work in Photoshop. The images at ISO 800 and ISO 1600 are clean and free of noise. I have two Nikon SB800 flashes and have tested the exposure capability of the D60 — result excellent exposures. I would say the D60 favours the shadows and midtones. The only drawback of this camera is that it does not support Commander mode flash (the popup flash lets you set the camera to Commander mode and fire remote Nikon SB600 and SB800 flashes). Also, the kit lens does not come with a lens hood. It’s extra. The D60 is selling in Canada for $729 with the kit lens. Photos by Neil Longmuir, WPCUSRGRP
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ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
feedback Frank Bollinger ORCOPUG
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ust thought I’d mention that I found the July meeting really interesting. One of the reasons I belong to user groups is to learn more about technology topics. We saw web sites on many subjects including railroads, genealogy, service manuals, photography, and many more. I hope we’ll do it again in the future.
Linda Gonse ORCOPUG
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hope one of you will be able to offer a solution to my problem in Outlook Express 6 which may have been caused by an upgrade to IE 7 on June 24. I am unable to save images in received emails. (There was another problem that started at the same time with Word 2003. It would open and then restart in Safe Mode, but I was able to find a solution to that and will write about it in a future issue.) I have Outlook Express 6 on XP Pro with SP2 and all upgrades/updates installed. When I right click on images embedded in emails and click on “Save Picture As…” a dialog box appears. There is a blue bar at top which says: ‘Windows Internet Explorer;’ under it is a big yellow exclamation mark, and below that the explanation, ‘The system cannot find the file specified.’ There are two buttons to choose from: ‘OK’ and ‘Help’ • If I press ‘OK’ the dialog box closes. • If I press ‘Help’another dialog box appears. The header has a blue bar at the top that says: ‘Windows Help.’ Underneath is a question mark and the explanation ‘Cannot find the C:\WINDOWS\ system32\mshtml.hlp file. Do you want to try to find it yourself?’ Two buttons below that are ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’
• If I press “Yes” I have the option of searching for the mshtml.hlp file manually. But, when I do, I discover that it doesn’t exist. • If I press “No” another dialog box opens and says: ‘Cannot find the C:\WINDOWS\system32\ mshtml.hlp file. Check to see that the file exists on your disk. If it doesn’t, you need to reinstall it.’ An ‘OK’ button is below that. It closes the dialog box. One solution at http://tinyurl.com/acbv4 I have already tried, but it failed to work, was reregistering OE DLL files that might be used by other applications. Three of the four: regsvr32shdocvw.dll, regsvr32 browseui.dll, and regsvr32 msjava.dll reregistered. The one that didn’t register —regsvr32 mshtml.dll —produced this error box:
I believe this problem began after an automatic Microsoft update on June 24! I used to be able to “Save Picture As…” from ANY and EVERY “picture” in ANY and EVERY email that I wanted… EVERY TIME I wanted to. Please let me know if you have a genuine solution to this problem which has been reported by muliple users in various Internet forums since 2004 (the year IE 7 was released — coincidence?).
Charlie Semple Los Angeles Computer Society
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his looks encouraging. Save the Internet is mentioned. http://www.crn.com/networking/208808687 Re: Internet Neutrality — A nice clear commentary. Interesting analogies. http://tinyurl.com/622l2p
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picasa web album
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n June I took a brief vacation with son Mike and cocker spaniel Bonnie, touring scenic central West Virginia. We visited the stark rock outcropping known as Seneca Rocks, admired the amazing 110-meter steerable radio telescope at the Green Bank National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and found carnivorous plants in their natural habitat in the Cranberry Glades Botanic Area. Together we took over 400 pictures along the way that we culled down to 60-some upon
our return. It is often said that the secret of great photographers is that they take hundreds of pictures but save only the one or two best ones. Nobody ever mentions how hard it is to pick out those few winners! I decided to try and upload the best pictures to one of the online free photo albums. I was already somewhat familiar with Flickr, but I decided to try the Google Web Album instead. Picasa is an excellent simple photo editor and it gives direct access to the online Web Album. But Turn to next page
the new, the best, and the worst by Pim Borman, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc.
Pim Borman and Bonnie on vacation in June
photos by Pim and Mike Borman
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Picasa is an excellent simple photo editor and it gives direct access to the online Web Album. you can upload pictures to it from anywhere on your computer without involvement from Picasa. The album allows 1GB of storage, enough for some 4,000 pictures, and you can get even more than that for a small fee. Since I already had a Google email account, setting up the web album was easy, using the same user name and password. On the web site you can set up separate albums (folders, really) to store pictures in separate categories. I created a new album for my vacation pictures and prepared to upload them. After some trial and error I found it easiest to first assemble the captioned pictures in a Picasa album on my PC and then to upload them all at once to the web album. Once the pictures are uploaded you can add more or delete mistakes, move them around into the desired order, and add or change captions. By default, the photos are automatically converted to the optimum size for display on a computer screen, but there are options for larger (up to 20MB) or smaller file sizes. Once the album has been installed it is ready to be shared with
the rest of the world. You may choose to make your photos public, available to anyone, or keep them private, only accessible to those you share the URL with. The View Album page shows large thumbnails of the photos. They can be viewed individually or as a slide show. The View Map button brings up Google Maps where you can indicate where you took your pictures. The Organize and Edit Captions buttons are self-explanatory.
A New Features link at the top of the page leads to the latest features added. It is now also possible to upload videos from Picasa to your Web Album. That might be preferable to using YouTube, unless you want the whole world to admire your movie. The Web Album displays the URL of your album site either as the address itself or as a short paragraph of HTML code that you can insert on your web site. Either way, it is best to copy and paste the information since the URL tends to be lengthy and confusing. My vacation pictures are located at http:// picasaweb.google.com/swipcug/WestV irginiaVacationJune2008?authkey=kov CoYRBoaY. To do your correspondents a favor you should convert the URL with snipurl (http://snipurl.com) or tinyurl (http://tinyurl.com) to a simpler Turn to next page
I took a brief vacation with son Mike (below) and cocker spaniel Bonnie, touring scenic central West Virginia. Together we took over 400 pictures.
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address, such as http://snipurl.com/pimspix. If you have never done that before, you’ll find it easy to do. Just go to http://snipurl.com (or the tinyurl site) and paste the URL of your album in the box. Specify an easy-to-remember nickname (such as “pimspix,” but only available in snipurl) and “Snip it!” The shortened URL (http://snipurl.com/ pimspix) will be shown and also copied to your clipboard, ready to be pasted in your message.
gathering clouds My experience with setting up a photo album “somewhere up there” is a typical example of the current trend towards “cloud” computing. Almost since the beginning of the World Wide Web we have been using online search engines that access indexed information stored “somewhere up there.” Many of us have changed from our PC-based email programs to online programs, such as Yahoo or Google mail, that store our email
West Virginia vista
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he Robert C. Byrd steerable Radio Telescope is nestled next to West Virginia mountains at the Green Bank National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The “110m Byrd Telescope” (inevitably known locally as Big Byrd) refers to the most important feature of any telescope, the size of the dish that collects the light, or radio waves in this case. The dish of the telescope is not round, as usual, but 330 x 360 feet in diameter and consists of 2,004 separate segments that are individually adjusted to concentrate the radio waves on the receiver at the top of the mast. Standing up straight, the telescope is 485 feet tall — taller than the Statue of Liberty and almost as tall as the Washington Monument. It is an unbelievable feat of engineering.
correspondence on computers “somewhere up there.” Somewhere up there in the clouds, as it were. The push is now to extend cloud computing to Office suites. Instead of using expensive MS Office we can choose to use Google Docs and conduct all our administrative activities online, with the option of sharing our work with colleagues far away if necessary. Microsoft, always ready to recognize good ideas after others first thought of them, is moving versions of its Turn to next page
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Office suite online under the “LIVE” banner. Others are jostling to join the crowd. If this trend continues and spreads to other computer activities, our operating systems, whether Windows, Mac, or Linux, will become less and less important. The functions of the operating system will be taken over by browsers. To those of us using multiple operating systems, such as Windows and Linux, we already find that it makes no difference if we use Firefox in Windows or Linux. Similarly, Picasa is Picasa and my new Web album is the same no matter how I access it. So far, that all sounds good. But gathering clouds threaten to bring rain. If everybody is going to use the Internet almost all the time, the current Internet infrastructure will not be able to keep up. There will be a need for millions of additional servers and drastically increased connection speeds. The computer industry is aware of that. According to The Economist (May 24, 2008) Microsoft is building a new $500 million data center near Chicago. It will require three electrical substations with a total capacity of almost 200 megawatts. Google is said to have three dozen data centers with an estimated million individual servers. More and more of these extensive data centers are being built in out-of-the-way places near sources of low-cost power, even in Iceland with cheap geothermal power. With all this power consumption computers are becoming a major source of global warming. To increase transmission speeds the industry is eyeing the airwave bands that will be freed up in February 2009 when analog TV will be phased out. There are so-called white spaces between the frequency bands assigned to TV broadcasts, and tech companies want to use those buffer zones for lightning-fast data transmissions. Initial tests show that it might wipe out nearby HDTV broadcasts, but they keep working at it. (Scientific American, June 2008) The computer revolution has just begun! Copyright ©2008 Willem F.H. Borman. Article may be reproduced in its entirety only, including this statement, by non-profit organizations in their member publications, with mention of the author’s name and the Southwestern Indiana PC Users Group, Inc.
fast and easy tips for office &windows minimize the office 2007 ribbon
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ree up screen space while working on a project in any of the Office 2007 programs. Simply click on the active tab on the ribbon. This will shrink the ribbon and allow you to view the name of the tabs without having to view all the tab’s functions.
ping for a reply
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o see if your Internet server is working, do this: Click on the Start button, and go to Run. Type in cmd and click OK . When a DOS window opens, without a space after > type ping Then, press the spacebar and type in an Internet address such as www.orcopug.org. Press Enter. Be patient and wait a few seconds. Three to four separate packets automatically will be sent to the server and you will get replies to each one in milliseconds. If no reply is received, then you know the server is down. (The analogy is to sonar. So, when you ping, you expect some kind of confirmation that the ping reached its destination.)
disable desktop cleanup
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o stop the wizard from automatically running every 60 days: 1. Right-click a blank spot on the desktop, and then click Properties to open the Display Properties dialog box. 2. Click the Desktop tab. 3. Click Customize desktop to open the Desktop Items dialog box. 4. Click to clear the Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days check box. 5. Click OK twice to close the dialog boxes. To run the Wizard manually, click Clean Desktop Now on the Desktop Items dialog box. You can perform a manual cleanup at any time, even if you have not disabled the wizard. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
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almost everyone needs a little help with
word 2007
by Linda Gonse
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ear with me while I quote John Dvorak from his August 2008 PC Magazine column, then I will tell you what my point is. Regarding Vista, he said: “Vista isn’t completely unusable; It’s simply hard to use. Menus have been reorganized for no apparent reason, features of XP appear to be missing or need to be turned on from some remote directory, and basic functions are now obfuscated. “In a nutshell, Vista manages to be more complicated than XP, performs more poorly than XP, and is more expensive than XP.” Now, substitute Word 2007 for Vista and Word 2003 for XP and my point is made. Compared with Word 2003, Word 2007 is an involuntary learning experience for anyone already proficient in Word and productive with one or more of the features. To name a couple I
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use often, are: Mail Merge, tables, labels, and fields. But, first users have to discover where basics like Help, Save As, Print and Close are. To say Word 2007 has a steep learning curve may not scare everyone. But, to say it has a steep learning curve for experienced Word users should scare everyone, as well as be a cause for serious concern. Unfortunately, I didn’t fully understand how an Office 2007 upgrade for Office 2003 functioned. If you haven’t taken the step, yet, let me caution you. The upgrade wipes out Office 2003 and you cannot downgrade. I believe this
step was automatically taken by the installation. Perhaps with a full version, you would be given a choice to install the newer version into another directory, leaving the older version intact. The first thing you notice when you open Word 2007 is the highly touted “ribbon.” Nine tabs take the place of menu items across the top of the window. The tabs do not have the same names as the old menu items. In fact, a couple of the tab categories—Home, References and Add-Ins—are enigmatic. And as they say on “Dancing With The Stars,” the tabs “are in no particular order.”
Tabs that open contextual “ribbons”
ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
HOW TO
The “Ribbon” options that correspond to the Home tab Clicking on a tab opens a segmented toolbar of options across the top of the window that relate to that tab’s category. Although you may want to add to or rearrange the commands on the Ribbon or change or remove a command or group on the Ribbon — as you might have done with the menu and toolbar of earlier Word versions — you cannot. And, you can forget about being able to revert to Word’s old style toolbars and menus. But, Microsoft helpfully advises that if you are fluent in XML programming code, you can add tabs to the Ribbon. In Photoshop, the ribbon concept is intuitive and natural, and actually speeds up productivity. In Word, it can be chaotic and time-wasting. Now, that you have this background in mind, you will better understand the images and steps that follow which is a short tutorial for simplifying Word 2007. My suggestion for anyone using the new Word version is to first set it up to make the features you need easy to locate. With that in mind, I’ll show you how to create a custom toolbar for the tasks that you need to perform most often. It will help to take the aggravation and time-wasting practice of hunting around and calling on Help to figure out where things are and how to use them. Incidently, speaking of Help, here’s a tip. When you need to turn to Help, don’t look for a tab or menu item. Just as in the old days of DOS, you must
Microsoft Office Button
Down arrow at right end of Quick Access Toolbar
press the F1 key to make it appear! In the upper left corner of the Word window is a round Windows logo, called the Microsoft Office Button. It will remind you of the Start button in Windows. Click on this button, it is a kind of command center temporarily until you get Word customized the way you want it. Or, it’s possible, you may prefer to use it, rather than the Quick Access Toolbar. (Nah.) The Quick Access Toolbar is just to the right of the Microsoft Office Button. It can be likened to the Quick Launch Toolbar in Windows. (Do you see a pattern here?) When you first open Word, the Quick Access Toolbar is empty. Click on the Turn to next page ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
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HOW TO
down arrow a slight distance away from the Microsoft Office Button. A dropdown list appears, similar to the ones you saw at the end of toolbars in Word 2003. It contains many of the general commands that you might use frequently. Click on the commands that you want to be on the Quick Launch, er… Quick Access Toolbar. The icons will be added to the bar and available to you with one click. It’s almost too easy isn’t it? Well, keep in mind that with this Word version, whatever effort you save in one area, you are going to earn by working harder somewhere else. You may want to fill in the basic commands on the Quick Access Toolbar with different commands not on the dropdown list. In that case, right click on the down arrow for the dropdown menu and go to More Commands… at the bottom. There are five categories, so click through them to see what they offer. You’ll be surprised. In each category, there are dozens of commands for just about any task and circumstance.
When you find a command you want to use, click to select it in the left window (see screenshot below) and click on the Add button with the arrows to move it to the right window.
Select commands here for the Quick Access Toolbar.
Alternatively, you can click on the Microsoft Office Button. At the bottom of the dialog box click on Word Options. Then, in the list that appears on the left, click on Customize. A familiar box with a double window will open. It is the same box that you can open from the down arrow next to the Quick Access Toolbar. My Quick Access Toolbar has several preset command buttons and one macro that I recorded (to add the pathname to the bottom of documents). Without intentionally doing so, I nearly recreated the Standard Toolbar offered in earlier versions of Word. The commands that I found useful to add were Open, Blank Page, Save, Undo, Redo, Page Setup, Print Preview, Print, Show/Hide, PathName (the macro), and Close.
Although a couple of the commands are available by clicking on the Microsoft Office Button, it is still faster and less distracting to have them at the top of the window and only one click away, rather two or more.
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TECHNOLOGY
i n n o v a t i o n s
35mm slide/negative film scanner
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can negative and slide archives to digital files quickly using a USB connection. The one-button scanner has a 4-element glass lens, 5 megapixel CMOS CCD, and scans and previews an image in 5 seconds. 48-bit, 3,600 dpi resolution. Includes 35mm film strip, slide mount holders, image editing software. Compatible with Windows XP.
hard drive dock
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wet noodle magnetic in-wall retrieval system
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he Wet Noodle cable retrieval system—a must have for retrofit installers. Composed of three components: 24” flexible insulated retriever with ultra strong earth magnet at end; 10 ft. lightweight ball chain with stop-ring; and 20” telescoping pocket hook retriever. System provides fast and easy solution for nonvisually connecting an inwall entry point to an exit point to pull wire.
he NexStar Hard Drive Dock makes it simple to connect a bare SATA drive to a computer! Drop a 2.5” or 3.5” drive into the dock—like bread in a toaster. Connect with USB 2.0 or eSATA. Transfer at up to 3.0Gbps. Includes USB cable, eSATA cable, external to internal SATA converter, AC adapter, and drivers. Works with drives up to 1TB. SATA HD not included. Requires USB 2.0 or SATA; Windows 98SE+ or Mac OS 8.6+. Incompatible with ATA/ATAPI (IDE) drives.
mini pop-up speaker
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imply give this puck-shaped portable speaker a twist and it pops open to dramatically increase its bass response. Use it with your iPod® or other MP3 player to play your favorite tunes out loud. The retractable cord connects to your MP3 player and is also used to recharge the speaker’s battery. Requires USB port for charging and audio device with 3.5mm output jack. Folded size: 1 1/2”H x 2”dia.
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TECHNOLOGY
hands free bluetooth rear view mirror
i n n o v a t i o n s
B
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luetooth cordless, hands-free speakerphone fits over rearview mirror. Includes builtin LED display showing incoming phone numbers. Pull mini headset from side of mirror and call switches automatically to continue talking after leaving car. Includes 12V auto charger. Requires Bluetooth-equipped phone. Rechargeable Li-Po battery, auto Bluetooth connection, firmware upgradeable, supports voice dialing.
loc8tor lite & mini homing tags
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he Loc8tor Lite can help you find missing items like keys, phones, kids, or pets by leading you straight to the homing beacons attached to them. The LEDs on the handheld main unit can lead you to as many as 4 registered homing tags. Beacon attachment chirps and flashes when activated. Includes 2 mini homing tags, 2 key ring loops and adhesive squares. Requires 1 CR2032 and 2 SR54 cell batteries, included.
usb gps travel logger
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he i-gotU Travel Logger adds GPS coordinates to photos, allowing you to create map-based travel blogs. Coordinatestamped image files to build navigable maps populated with your photos. Just turn the device on while shooting photos. Back home, connect data logger to computer and it inserts latitude and longitude into each image file. Includes USB charge/synch dock and software. Compatible with Google Maps, flickr & Picasa. Doubles as PC GPS receiver.
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REVIEW
I have always had great luck with other products that they make.
flexgrip for iphone by griffin technology
by Lorene Romero, president NCMUG
T
here are tons of iPhone cases on the market to choose from. Heck, I typed in “iPhone Case” in Google search and came up with 53,700,000 hits. So, clearly this is a hot item right now. I narrowed my choice down to Griffin Technology for several reasons. First of all, I have always had great luck with other products that they make. I couldn’t imagine that a 3G case would be any different. And secondly, they have been a HUGE supporter of NCMUG by donating items to our raffle table over the years. So, for me, both of these reasons are good enough for me to give support back to their company. The iPhone case that I picked was their FlexGrip (they have several options to choose from). This textured silicon case wraps around my phone and protects it on all sides. The nubbly texture on the back prevents it from sliding across my car dashboard and it comes with a thin cover for the front of the iPhone to prevent scratching. The case comes in red (the one I picked), white, pink (no way) and black. All buttons have easy access and it is very lightweight. The only thing I do not like about it is that I cannot use my 3G “dock.” With the case on the phone, it is just a little too big to fit properly into it. Price: $14.99 Rating: 4 out of 5 To look at this product, please go to the following site, www.griffintechnology.com/ products/flexgripiphone. This is a great product and I highly recommend it for anyone who owns an iPhone. Gayle loves hers too. ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
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JULY MEETING
site
seeing july’s dreaded audience participation night participants and their favorite sites Frank Bollinger Amazon - great service. How internet business should be run — www.amazon.com How stuff works - learn how everything works — www.howstuffworks. com/ ESPNU (subset of ESPN ) college sports — http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/espnu/index Pricegrabber - comparison shopping beyond compare — www.pricegrabber.com/ Google, a place to start when you don’t know where to look — www.google.com/ Ask.com, a more selective search when trying to narrow down large searches — www.ask.com/
to provide free genealogy websites — www.usgenweb.org/ Ancestry search site — www.ancestry.com/ U.S. Board of Geographic Names — geonames.usgs.gov/
Larry Klees UFO’s, science, conspiracy theories, and other unusual stories http://www.coasttocoastam.com/ Picture sharing site — www.flickr.com
Stan Leese Visual Periodic Table — www.rsc.org/chemsoc/visualelements/pages/pertable_fla.htm
Lloyd Boutwell
Mike Lyons
Thousands of product manuals available for free download — www.retrevo.com/samples/index.html Product service manuals — www.servicemanuals.net/ A gadget guide for geeks, by geeks — www.gearlog.com Science, physics, tech, nano, news — www.physorg.com/ PC World, news and reviews on tech products, software and downloads — www.pcworld.com/ PC Magazine, Computer, Software, hardware and electronics reviews — www.pcmag.com/
Tech tricks, tips and downloads for getting things done — lifehacker.com/ The free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Cool Websites, Software and Internet Tips — www.makeuseof. com/ Photography, Lightroom, Photoshop links — www.protopage.com/mblyons
Charles Burgwin Genealogy sites — www. iarelative.com/czech/ Library of Congress — www.loc.gov/index.html Volunteers working together
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Charlie Moore Notes and links from Leo Laporte’s KFI radio show — http://techguylabs.com/ The ultimate online Self Help, the home of computer support — www.answersthatwork.com/
Don Ogden The CA Federation of Mineralogical Societies — www.cfmsinc. org/
Ted Wirtz Narrow Gauge Railroads — www.narrowgauge.org and http://rgs.railfan.net
KEYWORD
july keyword explained
filehippo.com
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ileHippo.com contains freeware, demo and shareware programs to download in several categories. Also features latest updates and most popular downloads. They also have a free Update Checker that once installed, will scan your drives and present you a list (and the link) of software that has a newer version, whether it is commercial or shareware.
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watch hd or standard tv
on your computer
by Ira Wilsker
O
n a recent trip to Dallas, while in my hotel room, I had some time to kill while my wife and daughters went shopping. I had a new little tech-toy to play with, so I opened the package, installed the software included, and began to watch the local Dallas on-air (free) TV stations on my notebook (laptop) computer. What was fascinating to me was the ability to watch about a dozen crystal clear on-air HD and digital TV broadcasts at 1080i resolution, as well as the traditional NSTC format (analog) channels. When provided by the broadcaster, stereo sound is supported for both analog and digital TV. For those who want to receive stereo FM radio, this product also supports that as well. The product I was using was Pinnacle’s PCTV HD Pro Stick. Turn to next page
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The heart of the PCTV HD Pro Stick is a USB device similar in size to a common flash drive. On one end, under a protective cap, is a standard USB 2.0 plug which plugs directly into a USB 2.0 port on either a laptop or desktop computer. The other end of the USB device has a standard coax connector that can be connected either to an existing cable or satellite feed, or to the telescoping high gain antenna included in the package; it is this antenna that I used in my hotel room in Dallas. Also included in the package is a full featured but miniature remote control that is only about 3 ½ inches long, by about 1 inch wide, and runs on two AAA batteries (included). Additional cables are included that allow for input from other inputs, such as VCRs, DVD players, digital camcorders, and other devices. For those who want to relax and listen to FM Stereo radio or TV without disturbing others, there is also a 3.5mm headphone plug included on the adapter. While very small in size, and reasonably priced (in the $90 - $100 range), this device, along with its included software, offers a lot of features and capabilities. The software (included) allows for the recording of any standard or HD TV just like any other free-standing PVR (personal video recorder), as well as time shifting. With time shifting,
the user can pause, rewind, or replay the video. Automated digital recording can also be scheduled to record shows at selected times. One warning that I have is that TV shows, especially in HD, can take a lot of hard drive space; to save space and provide compatibility with other devices, the PCTV HD Pro Stick and its software supports
MPEG 1 and 2 compression, DivX, and MPEG-4 (compatible with iPod or PSP devices). Integrated with the software is a one-year subscription to an electronic programming guide, which incorporates programmed recording. This program guide is especially useful when traveling, as it enables the user to locate local analog and digital on-air TV stations. One minor issue needs to be noted, and it is not a fault of the device, but a technological issue with digital TV; while analog TV can be played in a vehicle while in motion, the on-air HD digital signal is generally poor
while in a moving vehicle. This is a known fact of the ATSC digital signal, and in no way a product deficiency. The PCTV HD Pro Stick will run on almost any computer of recent design and manufacture that supports USB 2.0. The Stick requires either Windows XP (with Service Pack 2 installed), or the 32 bit version of Vista. To receive standard TV, an Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz, Pentium M 1.3 GHz, or AMD Athlon 64 processor is required. To receive HDTV a slightly more powerful system is recommended, with a Pentium 4 2.8 GHz, Pentium M 1.7 GHz, or AMD 64 Athlon processor necessary to process the additional data required. Memory requirements are very reasonable with 256 MB required (512 MB recommended) for XP, and 512 MB (1 Gig recommended) for Vista. A sound card that supports DirectX 9 is required (most current sound cards meet this requirement). If it is desired to record TV shows, a minimum of 1 GB of available space will be necessary, but movies and sports events could easily consume 20 GB of hard drive space. A CD or DVD drive is required to install the software, and a writable CD or DVD is necessary if the TV show is to be saved to those formats. The PCTV HD Pro Stick and its software, in addition to saving Turn to next page
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PCTV HD Pro Stick is now about as necessary a peripheral as my mouse Pinnacle’s to two hours of TV which can then PCTV HD Pro be played back on any other PC. Stick is but one Ultimate can also write to a hard drive, in a series of or directly to a DVD just like the Pro products, all Stick, and includes the same software offering the same as the Pro Stick model. Mac users can basic features. use the TV for Mac HD Stick which The basic model is very similar in features to the PCTV is the $80 PCTV HD Pro Stick, but with Mac specific HD Stick, which software. does much of Whether used at home or in what the Pro a hotel, with a desktop or laptop Stick does, but computer, these PCTV HD Sticks can does not include provide a lot of free entertainment the remote or the opportunities often otherwise lacking. antenna, as well By using the computer to drive analog, as the enhanced digital, or high resolution HDTV, and programming incorporating the ability to program guide. Above and record just like the obsolescent the Pro Stick is VCR, these PCTV HD sticks can Whether used at home or in a hotel, with the PCTV HD provide a lot of entertainment a desktop or laptop computer, these Ultimate Stick capability. My Pinnacle PCTV HD PCTV HD Sticks can provide a lot of free model ($130), Pro Stick now has a permanent place which includes of honor in my notebook computer entertainment opportunities. everything the case, and is now about as necessary a Pro version peripheral as my mouse. Whenever has, but has I take my notebook with me, my Pro to the hard drive, can also save direct no installation required; everything Stick will be with me. to DVD. necessary to run is built into the The package is quite complete and USB device itself. Ultimate Stick includes some very useful software also incorporates in the unitary USB on CD. The Pinnacle TVCenter device enough additional integral Pro software is a full featured TV flash memory to directly record up viewing and PVR (personal video recording) software package for both XP and Vista (32 bit). Also included is Pinnacle’s very popular and easy to WEBSITE: use VideoSpin editing software, (www. http://www.pinnaclesys.com videospin.com) which enables the user to edit video, add special effects, and save the video in popular formats.
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ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
REVIEW
cricket–laptop stand by Terry Currier, vice president/editor, WINners, www.windowsusers.org
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f you have a laptop computer you know it can get pretty warm at times. I own a HP Ze4904 laptop computer. Do you remember the Sony battery recall in 2006 because of overheating? Well, true to Murphy’s Law my laptop has a Sony battery, but not one of the ones recalled. It can really get warm. The purpose of a laptop stand is not just to hold it, but to help keep it from getting too hot. I own two stands. The Targus, www.targus.com, has two small fans built-in to help blow cooler air onto the bottom of the laptop. I bought it on sale for about $20; it is about the same size of the laptop itself, and it works pretty well. The bad thing about it is, to make the fans work, it has to be plugged into an electrical outlet. It’s not heavy, but sometimes there is no place to plug it in. The LapWorks, www.laptopdesk. net, I bought two years ago. It is a foldable plastic tray-type unit with slots
in it to help get some air to the laptop. There is rubber on the tray to help it hold the laptop. It also raises it a slight amount when keeping it off my lap to keep the heat away. Sometimes when I actually have to use it on my lap the fold-out version is not enough. I end up folding it in half to put it under the laptop and keep the heat away. I see from their website the newer models have open ventilation slots for extra cooling. You can also elevate the screen by using a simple plastic tab in the unit. For an extra five dollars you can purchase a side tray for using a mouse. Cost is $29.95, and weighs in at 22 ounces. Now along comes the Cricket. You have to love the portability of the Cricket. It weighs only 9.7 ounces and folds up to fit into a bag that’s included and easily fitting into most laptop bags. The arm swings out and holds at certain angles with a solid
click. The legs extend and have little feet that fold-out to hold the laptop. The angles it holds the laptop and shape of the Cricket makes it perfect to help keep the computer cool. The other important part of a laptop stand is using it. The top of the Cricket folded out is shiny metal, I would have preferred it to be rubberized to hold the laptop more securely. While not wobbly, I did not feel it was really secure to put my $1,000 laptop on. I say that because I just know sooner or later I could bump the table or desk it’s on. Second, it is not ergonomic. The keyboard is supposed to be slightly below the elbow. It is not supposed to be raised, or you create a greater chance of injury to your wrist. The Cricket does exactly that. It is $39.95. Get it at www.lcdarms.com/products/ Laptop_Arms/Cricket.html
ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
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COLUMN
simple file management enhancements are at the top of a
wish list for windows 7 by Linda Gonse
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I want to be able to print a list of my files and file information.
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esides the obvious — a stable system that performs fast, without vulnerabilities — I have thought of a few things I’d like to see integrated into the Windows 7 OS which may be released in 2009/2010. When it comes right down to it, I don’t care if I can use 10 fingers to Paint with or other iPhone-like multitouch features, or if Internet Explorer can recall a previous browsing session. Simple file management enhancements are at the top of my wish list. I want to be able to print a list of my files and file information — a print directory feature. In the “old days” of DOS, you could do this. And now, you can use third party programs to accomplish this, but why isn’t this already builtinto Windows? In Windows 3.11, there was a simple undelete feature. In later versions, the Recycle Bin gives you a chance to recover files you delete in haste or ignorance. But, what about files you deleted from the Recycle Bin? If you
don’t have a third party program installed, the files are really history. Wouldn’t it be great to have autofiltering in Windows Explorer? Clicking on the top tab in a folder allows you to sort by Size, Date Modified, Type, etc. — but you still have to scroll through all the files in a directory to get to the specific file you are looking for. If you could set an autofilter, such as Excel has, you could choose which extensions would be viewable, click on one, and only those files would be visible. Windows 3.11 had the capability to only show certain types of files. This was closer to what I’d like, but it was a little involved to set it up and then be sure you reverted to the default file view afterward. And, what about being able to flag a file and see the flag in Windows Explorer? Or, jot a postit like note and attach it to a file? DOS also allowed you to rename extensions on an entire directory of files. That would be a handy tool now. What happened to the
ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
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Wouldn’t it be great to have autofiltering in Windows Explorer?
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“quick view” inside of a word processing file in a directory? I want it back again. A constant aggravation is the Open and Save As boxes in Windows and applications. Sometimes there is a miniscule box to view an entire directory in bitesizes. Why can’t all the boxes be large ones? And, why can’t they be modified permanently so you can always view them the way you like them, such as you do in Folders? Another drawback to these windows is that despite file names that are not very long, to the right of the file name I have to slide the first two columns — Size and Type — closer, scrunching them together, so I can see the Date Modified tab in the same window. Sometimes you can scroll to see the Date Modified tab, but that is still not handy. I have rearranged the headings to suit my need for selecting files by the most current. But, after closing and reopening an application, I have to modify the list again. Why can’t my modifications be permanent? Also, I’d like to see these types of windows open up larger or have a resizing option to drag a
corner border to make them larger. Why do directories sometimes get scrambled? They aren’t alphabetized or in any other order. Before I can open a file (not every time), I first have to click on the Name bar to alphabetize the directory. (Yes. There is
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abs in Save and Open directories should allow users to modify them permanently, and to view them without scrolling to the right.
a trick to closing a window to retain the order when it’s reopened. Hold the Shift button down as you click on the “X” in the corner. But, you shouldn’t have to do this.) I’d also like to be able to format file names and related information in a directory. Maybe make some bold and orange, or some a bit smaller. Or, add stars or a ranking notation to files. The logical next step would be to set-up a sort function to be able to look for all items in a certain color or in 8 point type, or the file ranking. Do you see the usefulness of these changes in sorting files? Modifying directory listings can be very helpful. It would allow users to see at a glance which items are important, or sers should have a way to note the used most often, etc. ranking of files in directories — with This is my short shapes, colors, or type sizes; and have list. Have I mentioned pop-up notes attached to files. anything on yours?
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ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
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COMPUTER HELP
by Pamela Tabak, Computer Tutor
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he grandchildren have left and the house seems empty so you go to your computer to write them a message. To your dismay the computer will not “boot-up” and if it does the whole appearance of your desktop has changed! “What could have happened?” you ask. The answer is obvious; your grandchildren have been having fun on your computer and have changed not only the appearance of your desktop but many of the settings in your programs. They may have even downloaded games and music which often come along with “spyware” which has slowed down the system. Be a computer-wise grandparent and protect your computer before problems occur. Here are a few simple steps that you can take: Create a “Guest Account” with limited access so that no important changes can be made and no programs can be installed or downloaded. (VISTA:
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be a computer-wise
grandparent
Protect your computer before problems occur Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Manager another account > Create a new account) (Windows XP: Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Create a new account) Place a “Password” on your account and do not give it to anyone. You may even decide to change the password from time to time to make doubly sure that no one has access to your files. (Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change your password) Make a “Restore Point” the day before your visitors are expected and return to that “Restore Point” after they leave. This really clears out a great deal of unwanted “matter” from your computer. (Start > All programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore > Create a restore point.) Place a password on your important “Office” program
ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
files i.e. EXCEL or WORD and make sure that they are not displayed in “Shared Folders.” (With your “Office” document open click on Tools > Options > Click on the Security Tab > Add a password.) Now your personal files cannot be accessed or changed. Making the above adjustments to your computer before your visitors arrive will ensure that you will be able to bring your computer back to “normal” after your visitors leave and none of your important files or folders will have been changed. A closing thought; since most people own a laptop it may be a good idea to ask them to bring it along with them. Nevertheless I would suggest making the security changes above in case they decide to use your computer instead. FREE Computer Q & A help: http://tinyurl. com/ask-pc-tutor
INTERNET
what do we know about our
july website visitors…
Visitors were from 1. United States 2. Canada 3. Ireland 4. India 5. Malaysia 6. Germany 7. United Kingdom 8. South Africa 9. Luxembourg 10. Sri Lanka 12. Turkey 13. Botswana 14. Pakistan 15. China 16. Ivory Coast
Connection speeds visitors used 1. Cable 79 2. Unknown 61 3. DSL 55 4. T1 27 5. Dialup 5
Search words apcug brian lewis carey holzman DVD ripping Earth google email provider fairuse google google godies google goodies
hijackthis ibm transnote stylus/pen internship JAR Joint Application Key Word keyword keywork Mac map location
member Orange County PC User’s Group Project/ Renew password photos rec. computer repair shop recycling repairs secret keyword shoebox sticky note Symantec TACOS ZAMORA IN OC CA Top 10 Ways to protect the computer wizard
ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
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MEMBERS’ PAGE
email addresses Bollinger, Frank
[email protected] Boutwell, Lloyd
[email protected] Covington III, Gary
[email protected] Gonse, Linda
[email protected] Gorham, Milton
[email protected] Jackson, Walter
[email protected] Kaump, LeRoy
[email protected] Klees, Larry
[email protected] Leese, Stan
[email protected] Loehr, Lothar
[email protected] Lyons, Mike
[email protected] Moore, Charlie
[email protected] Moore, Michael
[email protected]
New Member
july raffle winners
Musser, Dave
[email protected] Wann, Harold
[email protected] Westberg, Carl
[email protected] Wirtz, Ted
[email protected]
time for your membership renewal?
AUGUST 1– Stan Leese, Sid Liptz SEPTEMBER 1– Don Ogden, Leonard Prince, Bob Schmahl OCTOBER 1– Gary Covington III, Hank Dart, Larry Klees NOVEMBER 1– Ann Carnahan, Michael Moore submitted by Charlie Moore
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new secret keyword raffle prize is waiting for a lucky winner to take it home this month!
Verbatim DVD/CD Label Kit $39 Lothar Loehr Winner Aquarium 3-in-1 $29 Hank Dart Not Present Don Ogden Winner Otter Case $29 Larry Klees Winner Siber Systems GoodSynch Pro $49 Lloyd Boutwell Winner iolo System Mechanic $39 Hank Dart Not Present Charlie Moore Winner Siber Systems Roboform $49 Ron Schultz Not Present Ted Wirtz Winner Acoustica Spin It Again $39 Charles Burgwin Not Present Ann Carnahan Not Present Carl Westberg Not Present Sid Liptz Winner Norton Antivirus $39 Leroy Kaump Winner submitted by Charlie Moore
membership application
Renewal*
Expired members are not eligible to win raffle prizes or to access the Members’ Only web page. Last Name
First Name
Mailing Address
Nickname
City
Home Phone ( ) Work Phone ( ) Areas of Interest/Comments
State Zip
E-mail Address
Meetings are the second Tuesday of every month. See www.orcopug.org for more details.
What a bargain! For about $2 a month you can’t beat the benefits of belonging to our user group! Make checks payable to: ORCOPUG - Dues are $25 per year ORCOPUG, P.O. BOX 716, Brea, California 92822-0716
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ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
USER GROUP DEALS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
bring y0ur free items to the august meeting!
secret keyword raffle
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ring your unwanted, computer-related items to the meeting and leave them on our free item table for anyone who wants to take them. Items can be books, magazines, hardware, or software. Members must label their items so other members know whom to talk to about any item. Items not claimed by the time the original owner is ready to leave, must be taken home at the end of the evening. We are not allowed to dump our items in the library’s wastebaskets.
thanks to everyone for 2007
W
donations!
e sincerely thank the following companies for donating prizes to our 2007 fundraising raffle: 2nd Story Software, Acoustica Software, APCUG (Judy Taylour), Belkin, D-Link, Fuji Film, Hewlett-Packard, Iolo Technologies, Iomega, Lexmark, Marken Communications, Microsoft, MyKeyO, No Starch Press, Otter Box, Power Products, Prolific Publishing, Red Paw Systems, Siber Systems, Smart Computing, Solid Documents, Stardock Systems, Symantec, User Group Relations (Gene Barlow), and Webworking Services.
discounted magazines…
just for user group members
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hese prices are for new subscriptions and renewals. All orders must be accompanied by a check, cash or money order. Make payable to Herb Goodman, and mail to: Herb Goodman, 8295 Sunlake Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33496. Call or write: 561-488-4465,
[email protected]
Computer Games Computer Gaming World Computer Shopper Dr. Dobbs Journal Mac Addict Mac World Maximum PC Microsoft System Journal PC Gamer PC Magazine (22 issues/year) PC World Videomaker Wired
Y
E
A
3 R
newsletter contributors!
Charlie Moore, Charlie Semple, Frank Bollinger, Herb Goodman, Ira Wilsker, Larry Klees, Linda Gonse, Lorene Romero, Mike Lyons, Neil Longmuir, Pamela Tabak, Pim Borman, Tim O’Reilly Deadline for September
August 23
O
S
$12.95 — — $14.95 $28.95 $41.95 $16.97 $32.95 $47.95 $15.95 — — $10.97 $19.97 $28.97 $152.95 — — $ 9.95 $18.95 $27.95 $21.95 $39.95 — $12.95 $23.95 $33.95 $25.97 $48.95 $68.95 $16.95 — — $11.95 $21.95 — $ 6.00 $12.00 $17.00
thank you
members’ web page
*Revised June 2007
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J
uly’s keyword was named by Ted Wirtz who left the meeting with seven raffle prizes! He said, “I should have been in Vegas! My name popped up in the general raffle as well.” A new keyword raffle begins in August. The prize is “Print Perfect Deluxe” by Cosmi. The new keyword is hidden in this newsletter or on our website. Say what it is when your name is chosen and take home the prize!
Please allow 10 to 12 weeks for your magazines to start. You must supply an address label from your present subscription when renewing. I carry over 300 titles at excellent prices. Just email me for a price.
RCOPUG membership entitles you to access the Members’ Only page at www. orcopug.org for special discounts. User name is first initial+last name (lower case). Password is member letter+number.
fundraising help
P
lease bring your Hewlett Packard, Canon (BC-02, BC-05, BC-20 or BX-3), Lexmark, Dell, Compaq, Kodak, Samsung, or Sharp inkjet cartridges; or any laser cartridge to our next meeting for our ongoing fundraising project.
ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — AUGUST 2008
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GROUP INFORMATION
computer users helping computer users
member of the association of personal computer user groups
ORCOPUG Post Office Box 716 Brea, California 92822-0716 714-990-0580 • www.orcopug.org
President, Mike Lyons
[email protected] Treasurer/Membership, Charlie Moore
[email protected] Editor/Webmaster, Linda Gonse
[email protected] Reviews, Terry Schiele
[email protected] Programs, Lothar Loehr
[email protected] Membership, Carl Westberg
[email protected]
Nibbles & Bits is electronically published and distributed by Orange County IBM PC Users’ Group to its members and vendors. Opinions expressed herein are the writers and are not reflective of the Orange County IBM PC Users’ Group position, nor endorsed by inclusion in this newsletter. Submit newsletter items to:
[email protected]. Reprint Policy: PAGE LAYOUTS AND IMAGES MAY NOT BE USED. User groups MAY REPRINT UNALTERED, UNCOPYRIGHTED TEXT, WITH CREDIT TO THE AUTHOR AND NIBBLES & BITS.
our website’s got it all!
• Program of the month • pdf & site search • newsletters • top 10 viruses & hoaxes • weather map • personalized map • antivirus/antispyware links • help & tips • RSS feeds • contact information • membership application • Members’ Only! specials • free online spyware scan and virus scan • awards
www.orcopug.org
benefits of User Group Membership
• • • • • • •
Product & “How To”demos Free raffles and magazines Help from other members Newsletter and web site Special offers & discounts Monthly meetings Affiliation with worldwide group
User groups represent the spirit of the frontier, a community getting together to do things that no individual ought to have to do alone. The pioneers of the American west got together for barn raisings, cattle roundups, and the occasional party. The pioneers of new technology get together for installfests, new user training and support, and just plain fun. Being part of a user group is the best way to get more out of your computer, and lets you make friends while you’re at it. Tim O’Reilly President, O’Reilly & Associates
where are the meetings and when are they held?
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egular meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Placentia Library, 411 East Chapman Avenue. Placentia, California 92870, (714) 528-1906. Call (714) 990-0580, for information. Meetings are free and the public is welcome!
Planning meetings are held the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at Downey Savings & Loan, one block east of Harbor at Bastanchury in Fullerton. All members are welcome to attend planning meetings!
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ORANGE COUNTY IBM PC USERS’ GROUP — SEPTEMBER 2007
next meeting: tuesday, august 12, 6:30 p.m. placentia library, placentia
