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Contents
1 State of the Group - Rick Mattingly
2 About k-Byte
3 June/July Meeting Reports - Mike Meyer
4 Kids and Computers - Charlie Paschal
5 To Surge, Or Not To Surge - Bob Click
6 Cross Platform Office Suites - R. Glenn York
13 Lost & Found From Power Quest - Myron R. Moore
14 Calendar of Events
16 August/September Calendars
18 Membership Application
19 Handy, Hidden Windows 98 Utilities - Greg Lenihan
21 On The Web: Health and Medical Sites - R. Glenn York
22 Microsoft Quietly Yanks OS Backup CDs - Ed Foster
23 Re-Installing Windows 98 - Lowel Shatraw
25 Windows 98 Applets - Dan Jerome
27 Broadband Warnings - Rick Mattingly
28 Mice On Wheels - Rick Mattingly
31 FRPCUG Contacts
NOTICE
THERE WILL BE NO GENERAL FORUM MEETING IN AUGUST DUE TO MAINTENANCE SCHEDULED AT THE FORT COLLINS SENIOR CENTER. NEXT MEETING WILL BE TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5.
Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.
--Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
State of the Group
by Rick Mattingly
I hope everyone is having a great summer season!
As noted below, we will not meet in August due to annual maintenance scheduled at the Fort Collins Senior Center. Hey, all the better to further enjoy the great Colorado outdoors.
However, come September 5 we will be back hard at it with a presentation by Microsoft representative Theresa Jacobs on the new Windows operating system release, Windows Millennium . Also known as Windows ME, this operating system is the long-awaited replacement for Windows 98.
See you in September!
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About k-Byte
Published bi-monthly, k-Byte is the official newsletter of the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group (FRPCUG): our mailing address is PMB 152, 305 W. Magnolia, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521.
Opinions expressed in k-Byte are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the group or its members. Publication of information in k-Byte constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use of any information found in this publication is at the sole risk of the user. Neither k-Byte, nor its officers, nor k-Byte, nor its editors or contributors assume any liability for damages resulting from use of information in this publication.
Submissions
Articles, letters and short items of interest on computer-related topics are welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for publication are subject to editing. Send your contribution to the editor via e-mail attachment or submit on disk. If you have questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information.
Copyright
k-Byte is copyrighted © 2000 by the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group. Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit users groups may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in k-Byte without prior permission, provided that proper author and publication credits are given and that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to k-Byte at the above mailing address. User groups wishing to exchange newsletters with FRPCUG are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.
IBM PC, OS/2, Compaq, MS-DOS, UNIX, Windows and other trademarks occasionally mentioned in k-Byte are registered trademarks of International Business Machines, Inc., Compaq Corporation, Microsoft, Digital Research, AT&T or their owners respectively. Neither FRPCUG nor its newsletter k-Byte are connected in any way with any manufacturer or seller. We, however, gratefully acknowledge sponsorship of our group by Data Service Center, Jim Becker, owner.
Advertising
Classified advertising is free to members for non-business ads. See “Trading Post” for pricing for camera-ready display ads. Charges for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request. Deadline for camera-ready and classified ads is listed in the Calendar of Upcoming Events. Deadline for ad-makeup is the same as for articles.
About FRPCUG
FRPCUG is an independent nonprofit computer society, open to anyone interested in MS-DOS, OS/2, or UNIX microcomputers. Its purpose is to provide an educational and scientific forum of mutual benefit for members of the micro-computer community. FRPCUG holds a monthly meeting and conducts various special interest groups (SIGS) and seminars. Members have voting privileges, subscription to k-Byte newsletter, SIGs and selected seminars. Annual dues are $25 for individual/family membership and $50 for corporate/group membership.
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Scribe's Corner
June Meeting Report
by Mike Meyer
38 people attended this month's meeting. During the Announcements Period, President Rick Mattingly stated that the Annual Software Zoo would constitute the program for the July meeting, which will be held on July 11th, due to the July 4th holiday. He also mentioned there would be no meeting in August, because of the annual summer maintenance program at the Senior Center. The June Board meeting will be held on July 12th at the Perkins North restaurant at 7 p.m., due to another scheduling conflict with the Poudre Fire Authority meeting room. Glen York reminded the membership that the monthly Internet Safari Group meetings are now held at the Barnes & Noble Book Store on So. College Ave. on the first Monday of the month, beginning at 7 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for the 7th of August. He then mentioned that release of the "Star Office" program disks was delayed, but will still occur in the very near future. The release will be Version 5.2.
During the Open Forum Session, several user problems were addressed, These included a difficulty with the Home Page operation of Alta Vista, when interacting together with that of the Explorer 5.0; some additional issues with the "Zone Alarm" program; some further anti-virus issues with e-mail attachments; and some printer problems with Internet material, when using the "drop-down" menu boxes.
The Main Program was presented by Jeff Gilbert, Account Manager, of locally based Engineering Computer Consultants. Jeff is a Microsoft Certified Professional. His presentation included an insightful discussion of the series of new Microsoft Windows 2000 products, as well as a humorous history of the Windows products. Some pros and cons of each new product were covered, including how well they have interacted with some of the other products on the market (e.g., Corel, Intuit, Star Office). Jeff also provided some potentially helpful tips and hints, based upon his experience working with the Windows products (e.g., memory management issues). All in all, he did a really good job, especially when considering that his computer, which had been working earlier, failed to operate for our meeting. Thus, his presentation basically had to be "off-the-cuff".
July Meeting Report
By Rick Mattingly
The July meeting featured a “Hardware/Software Zoo” - a round-robin display of interesting hardware and software applications.
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Kids and Computers
by Charlie Paschal
If you're a parent with a child in school, you might want to consider seeing if the child has any talents in the PC area, because jobs in that field are booming.
According to the annual Cyberstates report, California remains the nation's main technology powerhouse, even though other states are reporting gains in tech jobs. The U.S. high-tech industry employed five million workers in 1999, more than twice the number of people employed in auto manufacturing services. And, this report says that average tech wages are now 82 percent higher than the average U.S. private-sector wage. Other states booming include Washington, Kansas, Colorado and Georgia.
Although this report doesn't break the jobs down, you can bet that many of those jobs include connections to the Internet. Since there's so many "free" deals out there for Web development, it's a field that's easy for any parent to get a child started. Example's include:
* Netscape comes with a free What You See Is What You Get (WYSWYG) editor.
* 1st Page 2000 is a free text-based editor.
* Notepad comes free with Windows.
Most likely you also have a connection to the Internet, meaning you have a wealth of information available about construction and designing Web pages at your finger tips. Of course, there are also many other tech careers available, such as working for ISP's (Internet Service Providers), configuring equipment for Web companies or writing software.
Early on, try to get your children well acquainted with PCs and how they process information. It might also help if you could build a PC from scratch so they will understand the mechanics of how they work. This might spur interest in the hardware side of the business. Make books and manuals available to them, such as programming manuals, books on DOS or books on Web design and HTML.
Just as we introduce sports, such as baseball and basketball to young children, introduce them to computers, too. Show them how they work and show them the ways they can be used to create things, such as spreadsheets and databases. Of course, not all children will want to dive into such stuff, but not all of them like baseball or football do they? I know several children who have their own Web pages, pages that they have built from scratch. They update and design these pages themselves. You can even make online sites available to them. For example, Xoom and Geocities allow free Web pages. Point this out to them and give them the tools needed to do their own pages!
I know one lady whose had her own page since six -- she's now 10. Will she ever enter the tech field? I don't know, but it could be like youth baseball: She will play with it until she gets older and decides she wants to do something else. That's no different than being involved with a sport as a young person and discarding it later.
All you can do is make the tools available to them and see what plays out. As a parent, you're opening the door of opportunity; it's up to them to walk through.
I want you to consider these three resumes from Business Week:
*Rishi Bhat, born 1984, currently a high school sophomore in Chicago. Child actor, starting in the Hollywood movie, The Indian in the Cupboard. Second career: Developed privacy software he sold for $40,000, 30 percent of the first-year profits, and the right to "performance shares." Preferred reading at age six: His mom's MS-DOS manual.
* Paul Dini, born 1980. High school dropout, later got high-school-equivalency degree. Career so far: configures routers and switches for Interland, an Atlanta (Ga) Web-hosting company. Prized possessions: Four cars, include a Jaguar and an '81 DeLorean.
* Michael Furdyk. Born 1982. Education: Completed 11th grade. Business: Sold his first Web site for more than $1 million, then started a Web comparison-shopping service. Also a Microsoft consultant. Whom he reports to: No one, except his dad, whom he brought in as CEO. Biggest problem with his age: Must take cabs on business trips because he's too young to rent a car.
* In addition, I know one University of South Carolina graduate who started an ISP company as soon as he graduated just a few short years ago. He's now retired -- at less than the age of 30!
This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization to which this user group belongs.
Charlie Paschal is a native of the Carolina's and has worked in Journalism for the last 33 years. He has had his articles published by Knight-Ridder newspapers and also works as a web designer for the University of South Carolina. Charlie is the editor of the Palmetto Personal Computer Club.
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To Surge, Or Not To Surge
by Bob Click, Greater Orlando Computer User Group[dealsguy@mindspring.com]
People purchasing new computers often ask what to do about power line and lightning protection. To emphasize the importance, it's better to understand household electricity, what it is and what affects it. Lets analyze all this, but in a visual manner.
Electricity in your home (in the USA) is rated at an "average" of 117 volts and is referred to as "AC" (Alternating Current). There are basically two different types of electrical power, AC and DC. Direct Current (DC) is so named because it maintains a near constant voltage of a certain value at all times, such as the 12-volt system in your automobile. DC is not normally used in the home any more except in unusual situations. Alternating Current (AC) is electrical power with the voltage constantly changing from one polarity to another (from positive to negative to positive, etc.).
For long distance transmission, DC decreases in voltage and is expensive to convert from one voltage to another. AC maintains its voltage better with the assistance of transformers that greatly increase the voltage for long distance transmission, then drop it back down for home use.
To illustrate AC electricity graphically, lets visualize or draw a large "S" laying on its side with a horizontal line running through the middle of it. Let's call the horizontal line "0" volts, and the bottom of our S will be - 117 volts. The top of the S going above the horizontal line will be + 117 volts. Note that the value of our electricity starts at 0 volts dropping to 117 negative volts, then rises back up to the "0" volts line, continuing on up to positive 117 volts, then back down to the 0 level as the electron flow continually reverses. In our electricity, this complete "sine wave" takes place 60 times each second, continuing one after another in our graphical representation of electricity in your home.
In a perfect world, the voltages I described would remain constant, but in reality many things affect them. Electric Companies try to regulate power at a proper level, but certain conditions can still affect those voltages. For example, in hot weather many people turn on devices using large amounts of electricity, such as air conditioners, greatly loading the power line. The Electric Company has to compensate, although the voltage "could" still decrease if power lines are overloaded. If loads suddenly get lighter, the voltage can rise (dangerous for your computer) in spite of the Electric Company's regulation.
Sometimes a factory or business in an area has equipment using high amounts of electricity causing sudden surges up or down quicker than Electric Company equipment can adjust for. Some surges described would be seen as "spikes" in the graph you just drew, not to mention a possible low-voltage situation.
Lets draw a very narrow V upside down on top of the + portion of the sine wave. That will be the spike and you can see that it would exceed the 117 volts your computer equipment is designed to operate at, possibly damaging components in its electronic circuitry.
In your own home, turning on a high-consumption device (such as a toaster, or especially an air conditioner) can cause voltage spikes in the home's electricity and also causes spikes when turned off. In my case, the computer room is in one end of the home and the electrical service box (entry point) is on the other end, making a long electrical run to the plugs in my computer room. Turning on the copier in that room, which initially draws heavy current, causes my computer's Uninteruptable Power Supply (UPS) to "beep" me that the supply voltage has gone below acceptable limits. That didn't happen when my copier and computer were on plugs closer to the power panel.
Lightning often strikes power lines and the resulting spikes can be carried down the line into your home's distribution system and into any unprotected electronic equipment. The Electric Company can only regulate so much, so lets examine protection for all this.
Surge protectors have unique electronics built-in that can smooth out those surges, dips and spikes in the electrical sine waves just illustrated and are designed to maintain the power's voltage at the correct level. The cheaper ones have a minimal amount of components and are actually not good protection. Many people prefer to turn on the computer, monitor and peripherals with one master switch (laser printers should not be included). That's fine if you have surge protection to handle such a surge, but you should check that capability when choosing your protection. If it doesn't list those ratings in the brochure, it's probably not that good, so look for better equipment. Mine specifically stated that in its paperwork.
Good surge protectors will probably run about $60.00. Many also carry up to $25,000 insurance protection for excessive surges and lightening strikes. However, read the brochure to see if it's good in the event of a direct lightning strike. Some aren't.
You might think that if one is good, two might be better. Not necessarily, I'll explain later. If you can afford it I recommend an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). Why? Many areas often have a very short interruption of the power that doesn't effect most clocks, VCR, etc., but the computer notices. All of a sudden, it is rebooting and you've lost everything since your last "Save," not to mention the improper shut down and possibility of file corruption. Everyone has had power go out at one time or another and that's when a UPS excels if you're using your computer.
UPS devices provide surge protection as well as a temporary electrical source if the power fails. They mostly come in two types. Some switch extremely fast to a backup battery, automatically keeping your computer going. Another type lets your computer actually run off the battery and keeps it fully charged to supplement what your computer needs. I have no preferences there. They are available in different capacities. For the home computer, I suggest a 400 volt/amp capacity. Should your power go out and fail to come back on, it offers temporary power for easily halting your task, saving your data and shutting the computer down properly, probably allowing a maximum of 20 minutes.
A cheaper one (with a 250 volt/amp capacity) allows about six-to-ten minutes. That's still OK if you're at your computer when that happens and work fast to shut down. These times are for the average home computer and monitor, not including a printer. A laser printer should not be on the same surge protection as your computer and monitor because of a laser's high power consumption. A UPS is not necessary for a printer or scanner, however, separate, but adequate, surge protection is advised.
While the UPS is also a surge protector, it is typically not as good in the role of a dedicated surge protector, but will still do the job well enough. So why not use both? Two surge protectors will combine their ratings. But if combining a surge protector and UPS, microsecond timing involved in surge protection could conflict with the timing in the UPS. Surge protection companies say you can use a surge protector in the line "before" a UPS, but not after if you really want to use both. In fact, in the event of a lightning strike, their $25,000 insurance may be void if they find you had both and connected them backwards.
A "Smart" UPS can also be upgraded to let your computer keep a continuous log of the power's voltage. Other software is available that will automatically save data, then shut down your computer if it is unattended when the power fails. Want another reason to buy a UPS --- while a good surge protector can smooth out the spikes and maintain a proper voltage for you, "low voltage" on overloaded lines can also damage your computer equipment or cause data errors. A surge protector cannot make voltage out of thin air to accommodate a low voltage condition, but a UPS has backup batteries to compensate for it.
It's a known fact that lightning strikes ride in more on your phone line than they do on the power line, so it's also a good policy to include surge protection for telephone lines. Here in Florida, we are in the "lightning capital of the world" so many Florida residents make it a policy to unplug the power and phone lines to the computer as an added security during lightning storms (in the event of a direct hit), even though they own surge protection.
Does that fully insure me? Not necessarily -- one of our club members did just that, dropping the power cord on the floor next to his receptacle. When he received a close lightning strike, it jumped from the wire inside the wall, through the wallboard, to the power cord attached to his computer. Considering the distance between the earth and clouds, that short jump was no problem for lightning. His case was certainly unique though.
In summary, my advice is to buy high quality surge protection. Better advice (in my opinion) is to buy a UPS for your computer and monitor and separate surge protection for a laser printer or scanner. It's also important to add telephone line protection, either incorporated in the power's surge protector (or UPS), or separate telephone line protection. The dual protection is better because of the built in ground to shunt away the surges. It always appalls me when I see a salesperson sell somebody a $1500 computer with a $12.95 surge protector, which is almost useless. Surge protection is sort of a "pay me now, or pay me later" situation.
Surge protectors and UPSs are rated in "joules" and I recommend a rating of 90. Lesser ratings will still protect your equipment, but will often destroy themselves when hit by a surge if their rating is exceeded, and will require replacement. Surge protectors are mainly for upward surges and spikes. UPS devices can handle both upward and downward voltages, but are not quite as good at surge protection. In spite of everything I have described above, "absolutely nothing" will protect you in the event of a direct lightning hit.
One other thing to keep in mind is that the "metal oxide" devices in most surge protectors do wear out and it's wise to replace a surge protector about every four years. If the many choices of surge protection confuse you, seek a "knowledgeable" person in your user group for advice. Don't depend on the store's salesperson.
* Special thanks to my friends Paul Witherage from "Sarnia Computer User Group" and Ron Klair of "Central Florida Computer Society" for critiquing this article and offering their suggestions to improve it.
Bob Click is a Nationally known writer and is featured in hundreds of user group newsletters. This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization to which this user group belongs.
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Cross Platform Office Suites
By R. Glenn York
Today almost everyone that uses a computer uses an Office Suite. These Office Suites provide a range of applications that are core to any office or home users daily activities. We use word processors to create all kinds of documents from letters to books. We use spreadsheets to plan budgets, track financial data or generate graphs. Presentation programs are used to create slides used for presentations in groups or face to face meetings. Databases are used to track information on our collections of music CD, Video tapes or business inventories. Contact manager programs are used to maintain our address books, phone lists and schedule appointments.
Over the years this market has shifted. In the mid 1980s Wordstar, dBase and Lotus 1-2-3 were the products most used in industry. In the late 1980s Wordstar faded and WordPerfect took the lead in the word processor field. Due to ownership changes with dBase and WordPerfect in the early 1990s Microsoft was able to take the lead in this field and the Microsoft Office suite has become the standard used in many corporations for the past several years. Microsoft office suite does meet the basic needs and has improved over the years, but Microsoft only released versions of their products to work on windows and Macintosh operating systems.
The market for Office Suites has started to change in the last few years. Linux has gained popularity and is starting to find it's way to desktops in corporate America. This has created a need for office applications to work on Linux. Corel has purchased WordPerfect and IBM has purchased Lotus providing new life to these older Office programs. Programs like Applixware and StarOffice that started out as alternatives to Microsoft Office for Linux system have developed into full Office suites. Sun Microsystems has recently bought StarOffice providing it corporate resources to improve the product and expand market share.
Today we have a choice of several office software suites that meet high performance standards, are capable of sharing document formats and operate on different operating systems. There is a wide range of features, prices and system requirements for these suites. In this article I will highlight some of the key features of the five biggest office suites on the market.
Microsoft Office 2000 is current leader in the Windows environment. This office suite is updated every 2-3 years. Each version changes file formats so users must upgrade together to be able to exchange files without extra steps. Microsoft charges $400 to $600 for a full package and upgrades are $150 to $400 depending on the version. This package offers the full range of applications in the “Premium” package. Other packages like “Small Office”, “Professional” and “Basic” include selected applications at lower prices. The applications in this suite all perform well, but some of the automatic functions can be difficult to configure to work exactly the way you want. The Microsoft products also seem to put a lot more control information in files that makes these files larger that necessary.
StarOffice was started in Germany as an alternative to Microsoft Office for Linux and other operating systems. It supports all PC operating systems now except Macintosh. Sun Microsystems recently purchased the rights to this office Suite and is currently offering it free. This is the office suite of choice for people on a limited budget. No only is the software free, but it will work on older systems and does not require the latest CPU with large hard drives and lots of memory. This suite offers a full range of applications and they all seem to work well. I have read some reviews indicating StarBase, the database program is not as capable as some of it's competitors. StarWriter is more efficient at storing files and can store the same document in less disk space than Microsoft. This is very important if you are creating Web pages as smaller files load quicker and improve the performance of web sites.
Corel WordPerfect Office is a top quality package. Corel has been known for years for their graphics programs. The purchased WordPerfect from Novell after they had nearly destroyed the product. It has taken a few years, but the latest version of WordPerfect Office have returned it to a viable choice. WordPerfect has always supported Unix versions and now it supports Linux as well as Windows based systems. The applications in this suite are some of the best in class. Paradox database has been known for many years as one of the best databases for professional developers. QuatroPro is one of the best Spreadsheet programs on the market. WordPerfect has all the power and features to accomplish any word processing tasks. This suite comes in several variations including some under $100. The full “professional” packages are about $200 if you are upgrading from any number of office applications.
Applixware Office is another cross platform suite that came from the Linux world. Applixware is built on open source software standards and their file storage formats are open standards so anyone can write additional applications to access Applixware files. Applixware supports one of the widest ranges of file format imports so it is able to access files created in nearly every other office application on the market. Applixware upgrades for registered owners is a very reasonable $39.95 and the full package price in under $100. In addition to operating on Windows, Linux and Macintosh (PowerPC) systems Applixware operates on several other operating systems including AIX, HP, SGI and DEC Alphas. Applixware also has a “thin client” version that will allow any computer with a Java compatible browser to access Applixware applications on a server.
Lotus SmartSuite is now owned by IBM. This office suite is built around the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet that was the standard in the early 1980s. The Freelance package is a very capable presentation graphics package. This suite was built with individual top quality programs built to standalone. Lotus SmartSuite is one of two Suites that support OS2 directly.
The following chart compares the features of these office suites and provides information on systems requirements as well as web sites to fine more information.
The Future: Applixware and Lotus SmartSuite are moving toward the “thin client” and Application Service Provider (ASP) models. In the near future Office suites will not be packages you buy and then upgrade every few years. In the next few years you will see opportunities to “rent” office automation software on a per use basis. This will ultimately save most of us money in that we can rent a spreadsheet or a database for two hours when we need. We will rent the current version of applications from an ASP paying a small amount for each hour of use instead of paying hundreds of dollars for software and only using it occasionally. This should save most of us money because the latest versions will always be available without us buying “professional” suites to get a database we only need a few hours each year or paying for upgrades every few years. The software companies like this also. It will nearly eliminate piracy because only ASPs will have copies of the programs and they will pay the manufacturers a royalty for each hour of use they sell. The ASP will provide access to the software along with some technical support and bill you for the hours you use.
|
Feature
|
MS Office
|
Star Office
|
WP Office
|
Applixware Office
|
Lotus SmartSuite
|
|
Version
|
Office 2000 Professional
|
5.1
|
WP Office 2000 for Linux
|
5
|
Millenium
|
|
Windows95
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Version 4.41
|
Yes
|
|
Windows98
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Version 4.41
|
Yes
|
|
WindowsNT
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Version 4.41
|
Yes
|
|
Windows2000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Mac
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
PowerPC
|
No
|
|
Linux
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes (Intel and Alpha)
|
Yes
|
|
OS2
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
Warp 4 Release 1.5
|
|
Solaris
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
Version 4.42
|
No
|
|
Cost
|
$399 - $600
|
Free
|
$149 - $200
|
$75 - $100
|
$159 - $474
|
|
Web Site
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Minimum CPU
|
Pentium 75 or better
|
386 or better
|
P100-P166
|
Pentium 166
|
Pentium 150MMX
|
|
Recommended CPU
|
|
Pentium 100
|
Pentium 166
|
Pentium 166
|
|
|
Minimum Memory
|
20MB
|
32MB
|
32MB
|
32MB
|
32MB/48MB w/NT
|
|
Recommended Memory
|
32MB
|
32MB
|
32MB
|
32MB
|
32MB/48MB w/NT
|
|
Minimum Disk space
|
391MB
|
280MB
|
133MB
|
133MB
|
110MB
|
|
Maximum Disk space
|
|
330MB
|
494MB
|
494MB
|
|
|
Wordprocessor
|
Word for Windows
|
StarWriter
|
Word Perfect
|
Words
|
WordPro
|
|
Database
|
Access
|
StarBase
|
Paradox
|
Data
|
Approach
|
|
Spreadsheet
|
Excel
|
StarCalc
|
Quatro Pro
|
Spreadsheets
|
1-2-3
|
|
Graphics
|
Powerpoint
|
StarImpress
|
CorelPresentations
|
Present
|
Freelance
|
|
Drawing
|
MS Draw
|
StarDraw
|
|
Graphics
|
|
|
Internet
|
IE/Outlook
|
StarMail
|
|
Mail
|
|
|
Contact Manager
|
Outlook
|
StarTasks
|
CorelCentral
|
|
Organizer
|
|
Save as HTML
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
R. Glenn York is a partner in JYM Information Systems LLC a local Internet Service Provider. He has been worked with computers and customer support for nearly 20 years. He can be reached by email at rgyork@jymis.com
Can you imagine working at the following company? It has a little over 500 employees with the following statistics:
- 20 have been accused of spousal abuse
- 7 have been arrested for fraud
- 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
- 117 have bankrupted at least two businesses
- 3 have been arrested for assault
- 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
- 14 have been arrested on drug related charges
- 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
- 21 are current defendants in lawsuits
- In 1998 alone, 84 were stopped for drunk driving
Can you guess which organization this is?
It's the 535 members of your United States Congress. The same group that cranks out hundreds upon hundreds of laws each year to control us!
Internet Chamber of Commerce - Northern Colorado Chapter
Contact Matt Tracer at 970.484.8102, mtracer@ncicc.org, or http://www.ulltra.com/icc
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Lost & Found From Power Quest
By Myron R. Moore, VCCUG
Sooner or later most PC users are going to face a problem: data will be lost. It's just human nature. You can be reminded over and over again how important it is to back up your files, but you don't always do it. When you're in a jam, PC software like PowerQuest's Last & Found can be worth its weight in gold. Rather than spend thousands of dollars to send your hard drive to a data recovery center, Lost & Found lets you recover and restore data after accidental (or even intentional) data loss, or from corrupted media caused by a disk crash or logical system failure.
When PowerQuest's new data recovery product "Lost & Found," was unveiled at COMDEX, there were skeptics, but the claims are true. Lost & Found has the power to recover deleted files, even if the drive has been reformatted. This saves time, money, and heartache for the user
How it works
Unlike other data recovery solutions, users do not need to install Lost & Found prior to the recovery of lost or corrupted files. Lost & Found only reads the disk; it does not write to it. The ability to read the disk and not write to it places Lost & Found in a league all its own. Other "data recovery" products recover data by first trying to fix the disk. If they do not successfully fix the disk, then the user is out of luck. PowerQuest does not like to risk further harming a drive by trying to write to it, so the software only reads the disk, copying files to another healthy disk.
The technology in Lost & Found has been tried and proven for the past two years by Highpoint Technologies of Austin, Texas, a recent PowerQuest acquisition. For the first time ever, Power Quest brings this trusted data recovery technology, used by data recovery centers and corporations, to the retail channel for you and I.
System Requirements
Intel x86 compatible processor
IDE, EIDE, or SCSI controllers
8Mb RAM
(Note: Memory requirements depend on disk capacity.)
Reprinted from the Valley Computer Club Newsletter, February !999.
Contributed by Dan Jerome.
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Calendar of Events
- IMPORTANT NOTICE -
FRPCUG meetings are held at the Fort Collins Senior Center. Check below for directions to the Senior Center.
August General Forum Meeting
Notice!
No General Forum Meeting in August due to building maintenance at the Fort Collins Senior Center!
September General Forum Meeting
We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, September 5 at 7:00 pm.
Meeting Agenda
7:00 - 7:15 Announcements
7:15 - 7:45 Open Forum
7:45 - 8:00 Break
8:00 - 9:30 Microsoft Millennium - Microsoft representative Theresa Jacobs will give a presentation on the latest release of the Windows personal operating system - Windows ME.
See you in September!
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August 2000
7 Internet Safari 7:00PM
9 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00PM
NRFNUG Meeting 5:00PM
14 HTML SIG Meeting 7:00PM
17 Telcomm SIG 7:00PM
23 RIBUG Meeting 7:00PM
24 LINUX SIG 7:00PM
September 2000
4 Internet Safari 7:00PM
5 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00PM
11 HTML SIG Meeting 7:00PM
13 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00PM
NRFNUG Meeting 5:00PM
21 Telcomm SIG 7:00PM
27 RIBUG Meeting 7:00PM
28 LINUX SIG 7:00PM
Directions
The Fort Collins Senior Center is located at 1200 Raintree Drive. This site is situated at the northwest corner of the Shields and West Drake intersection, on the north side of the Raintree Shopping Center. Check the marquee at the main entrance for directions to the specific meeting room.
Up-Coming SIG's, Seminars and Meetings
Board Meeting
FRPCUG's executive board meets on the Thursday immediately following the General Forum Meeting at 7:00 p.m. All members are welcome and are encouraged to attend. These meetings are held in the Poudre Fire Authority administrative meeting room which is located in the parking garage building, at the corner of Remington and Mountain in Fort Collins.
LINUX SIG
This SIG, supports LINUX and other non-Windows operating systems for PC compatible hardware. This includes all distributions of LINUX, the BE Operating system, and OS2. The meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the fourth Thursdays of each month in the Poudre Fire Authority meeting room at 102 Remington (In the parking garage on the corner of Remington and Mountain in Fort Collins). For more information contact Chuck McJilton at 493-2987 or email linuxsig@jymis.com.
Northern Front Range Netware Users Group
NFRNUG meets at 5:30 pm on the second Wednesday of each month at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife building, 2101 Oakridge Drive in Fort Collins. NFRNUG meetings are open to any users that are involved with Novell networking products and integration of other networking products into the Novell environment (Unix, NT, Mac, etc.). Contact Jim Stephens at 303-541-3376 or jcsteph@concentric.net or contact Chuck Kluko at 970-663-4770 or c.kluko@ix.netcom.com for further membership information. Yearly dues are $000.00 (yes, FREE) with pizza and pop served at 5:00 pm prior to meeting. Saturday labs and training sessions open to NRFNUG members only, space is limited.
Rocky Mountain Internet Users Group
Meets on the second Tuesday of 'odd' months at NCAR in Boulder. Meetings start at 7:00 pm, but members are encouraged to arrive at 6:30 pm for informal networking and refreshments. NCAR is located in Boulder at 1850 Table Mesa Drive. For more information see the RMIUG Web site at: http://www.rmiug.org/.
Telecommuncation SIG
The Telecommunications SIG covers topics related to computer communications hardware and software including modems, xDSL, networking, ISDN and the Internet. The meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the third Thursdays of each month in the Poudre Fire Authority meeting room at 102 Remington (In the parking garage on the corner of Remington and Mountain in Fort Collins). For more information contact Chuck McJilton at 493-2987 or email telecomsig@jymis.com.
Web Design SIG
If you're an HTML author/WEB page designer, or would like to learn, contact SIG coordinator Doug Boicourt at 495-6949 or e-mail db@jymis.com for the date and location of the next SIG meeting.
RIBUG Meeting
The Regional Internet Business Users Group (RIBUG) deals with issues of business utilization of the Internet. This group meets the last Wednesday of each month. Contact Will Horton in Fort Collins at 223-0330 or e-mail whorton@jymis.com for details.
Internet Safari
This free Internet discussion group meets the first Monday of each month at the Barnes and Noble book store, 4045 South College Avenue in Fort Collins. This group covers any topics and questions relating to using the Internet and is open to beginners and experienced Internet users. Meetings start at 7:00PM. For more information call JYM Information Systems at 416-9286 or email info@jymis.com.
Upcoming FRPCUG Meetings
Along with presentations of new hardware and software, we will certainly continue to present tips, hints, solutions, as well as what is new with Public Domain and Shareware offerings. If you have ideas for presentations which you would like to see at future General Forum meetings or seminars, please let us know. We would appreciate the input and opportunity to improve your meetings.
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Handy, Hidden Windows 98 Utilities
Compiled by Greg Lenihan,
Just before the new year, when W2K concerns were still being hyped, I decided to make the switch from Win95 to Win98 (2nd Edition). Windows 95 still did everything I needed, but I kept reading and hearing about new utilities that were built into the new operating system that looked like good troubleshooting aids. Each of these utilities can be accessed by typing the commands below into the Start -->Run box.
System Information
Command: msinfo32.exe
You can get there the long way by going to Start-->Programs-->Accessories-->System Tools-->System Information. What you get is information about the hardware and resources used, software components installed as part of Windows, and software currently loaded and running (called the Software Environment). To view any of these areas, click on a plus sign next to the heading shown in outline form. If you look under the Tools menu, you can launch other Win98 utilities, such as the System Configuration Utility, System File Checker, Registry Checker, and Dr. Watson. Want to know how long your system has been running since turned on? Look for the Uptime value in the right panel.
System Configuration Utility
Command: msconfig.exe
This is a handy utility used to modify many of the settings for Win98. Individual lines can be turned on or off in your config.sys, autoexec.bat, system.ini, or win.ini files. You can use it to turn off the annoying Scandisk function if you are forced to shut off your system, and can turn off any program starting at boot up. The command msconfig.exe is found in the c:\Windows\system directory where you can create an icon for it on your desktop. It's a very handy tool for troubleshooting startup problems.
System File Checker
Command: sfc.exe
The System File Checker verifies the integrity of your system files in Win98. Running this file will determine if any of your system files have been replaced or corrupted. It will then prompt you to replace them from your install CD. A nice feature of the utility is that by running it after installing new applications, you can find out what system files that application has installed or changed.
Version Conflict Manager
Command: vcmui.exe
This utility enables you to revert to newer versions of certain files that are replaced when you install or reinstall Win98. An install of Win98 will overwrite DLLs and other files even if they were newer than those installed by Windows. Launching the Version Conflict Manager will display a list of possibly troublesome files that you may then fix with the click of a button.
Dr. Watson
Command: drwatson.exe
This tool can provide clues to software-related problems. Typing drwatson into the Run command box won't launch to a main screen or dialog box like the other utilities. Instead an icon will appear in your system tray. Right-clicking on it will display the user interface. To be effective in troubleshooting, Dr. Watson should be running in the background when you are testing problems. That way you can look at log files generated and maybe get some meaningful error messages about what occurred to your system. This may mean loading it at startup so it can try to interpret why a problem or crash occurred.
Hardware Diagnostics Tool
Command: hwinfo.exe /ui
The Hardware Diagnostic Tool provides the same information as the Microsoft System Information Tool, except it is color coded to display problem areas and potential problems. Bright red displays problems and blue is for potential problems. Open the Run box in the start menu and type it in with the /ui switch. It will not run without the switch.
Automatic Skip Driver Agent
Command: asd.exe
When a software driver prevents the system from booting properly, this tool can help determine which driver is having problems, and how to fix it. Make sure two consecutive restarts were attempted whereby the same driver doesn't load. After typing in the command, a listing of all drivers not loaded should appear along with advice on what to do.
Link Check Wizard
Command: chklnks.exe
This wizard is found on the Windows98 install CD in the directory \Tools\Reskit\Desktop. It scans all of the shorcut files on your system, and checks to see if the link points to an existing application or document. If the associated application or document is not found, it lists that file as a dead link, giving you the option to remove it. Copy Chklinks.exe to your Windows directory and create an icon on your desktop to use it.
IP Configuration Tool
Command: winipcfg.exe
This tool provides the current information about your IP address assigned when you connect to your Internet Service Provider. It includes your subnet mask and the gateway your ISP is using. This information can be helpful in connecting your system to other computers on the Internet. IP Config is found in your c:\Windows directory.
Greg Lenihan is the newsletter editor for the Pikes Peak Computer Application Society in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization.
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On the Web: Health and Medical sites
By R. Glenn York
The following sites on the World Wide Web provide information about health and medical topics. Some of these sites include information from patents and may not be sound medically. The information on these sites should be used in conjunction with your doctor to help you better understand your condition and treatment options.
Additional medical and health related sites can be found by using any search engine and searching for health or medical sites. The following list is just some of the many sites available on this topic.
MSNBC Health site
http://www.msnbc.com/news/HEALTH_Front.asp
This site features that latest health and medical news articles along with links to many health related articles.
DRKoop.com
http://www.drkoop.com
Site developed by former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop. This site features health news and articles and resources on many health issues.
The Health network
http://www.webmd.com/
Covers a wide range of medical and health topics. This site also includes video segments on major medical procedures like joint surgery and child birth. During these segments a doctor explains what is happening.
NOTICE: The Health Network has merged with Web MD. Please update your bookmarks.
Web MD
http://www.webmd.com/
This site provides sections for consumers and medical professionals. The consumer site provides a searchable database of information for people that have just been diagnosed with a disease. Access to some of the professional resources is restricted.
American Medical Association
http://www.ama-assn.org/
This site provides information about the AMA and Links to articles from the Journal of the American Medical Association. This site also provides a Doctor finder that provides information about doctors including education, specialties, AMA membership status and office phone numbers.
Adam.com
http://www.adam.com/
This educational site provides information about the human body and it's systems. The site also calculators for desirable body weight, calories burned and other health measurements.
Healthanswers.com
http://www.healthanswers.com/
This site offers articles about various medical and health related topics and is searchable. There is also a drug database that provides information in plain English about prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs and vitamins.
Onhealth
http://www.onhealth.com/
This site provides articles on many health issues. It also provides links to live chat programs on health topics. There is an option to sign up for a free newsletter about health topics.
National Institutes of Health
http://www.nih.gov/
This government site provides information on NIH's ongoing research projects. It includes links to clinical trials and other medical resources at sites nationwide.
Personal MD
http://www.personalmd.com/
This site includes a variety of health related articles. It also allows you to sign up for pager reminders to take medication and on-line medical records storage.
Health Central
http://healthcentral.com/
This site contains links to information on thousands of diseases and conditions. It also has links to chat communities and drug information.
Health Library
http://health-library.com/
This site contains links to other sites sorted by topic. The links include links to directories of medical professionals, insurance companies, news sources, and consumer information.
Your Health
http://www.yourhealth.com/
This site is like a weekly magazine. It features an article each week on a health topic. It also includes links to pass articles, current medical news items, and reference information. This site also sponsors daily on-line “Ask the Doctor” sessions where each day a different doctor is on-line to answer questions. The doctors change daily and come from different specialties. Transcripts of past sessions are posted for reference.
John Hopkins
http://www.intelihealth.com/
This site is a joint venture of Aetna U.S. Healthcare® and Johns Hopkins University and Health System. It contains links to all kinds of medical information including free health emails, health assessments, drug information and health resources.
R. Glenn York is a partner in JYM Information Systems LLC a local Internet Service Provider. His has been working with the Internet and data communications for over 15 years. If you have a suggestion for this column please e-mail Glenn at rgyork@jymis.com
What's the difference between a pig and a hog? According to pork experts, swine that weigh in under 180 pounds are considered pigs. Those that exceed that weight are classified as hogs.
Wait a minute! How much do I weigh again?
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Microsoft Quietly Yanks OS Backup CDs
by Ed Foster, InfoWorld.com - May 3, 2000
Vendors must explain policy that offers limited backup in the name of anti-piracy.
Think Microsoft has been scared by the antitrust case? Apparently not scared enough to refrain from ramming a new "medialess" operating system policy down the throats of computer manufacturers and their customers.
As an anti-piracy measure, Microsoft has quietly implemented a policy through which hardware manufacturers who license Windows directly from Microsoft no longer ship a full backup CD of the OS with their systems. Instead, buyers receive two options for disaster recovery: a "recovery CD" locked into that type of system, or a hard-drive-based approach when a "recovery image" of the OS is loaded on a separate partition. Both approaches appear to have some serious shortcomings, not the least of which is that PC buyers might not realize what they're getting until it's too late.
Microsoft has made no formal announcement about this, and not surprisingly, the PC vendors are saying no more than they have to about it. Vendors are telling customers different things, and that's also not surprising. Disaster-recovery solutions can vary greatly among vendors, and getting clear answers about how they work isn't easy.
"How is having a 'recovery CD' going to help me when I'm asked to insert my Windows 2000 CD to copy those files?" asks one buyer. The PC vendor "could only tell me that my concerns were very real ones, but Microsoft just says they know we're not going to like this, but this is how it's going to be."
A reseller reports being told by a PC vendor that resellers could not be trusted with a Windows CD to help customers in case of disaster. "We have been told that this new policy is designed to reduce piracy," says the reseller. "But it seems to me to be better designed to increase Microsoft's profit; they still collect all of the fees but no longer have to bother with duplicating, packing, and shipping the software. This sounds like a bad deal for the consumer. Isn't this the kind of thing that got Microsoft in trouble with the law in the first place?"
Quiet Change in Policy
Microsoft representatives say that on April 1 the company changed its media policies for all versions of Windows except the Server Edition of Windows 2000, for which you still get a regular backup CD. For all other versions of Windows, PC manufacturers have their choice of the recovery CD or hard-drive-based recovery-image solutions, and some may offer customers different options (presumably at different prices). How recovery CDs are implemented is up to the PC vendor as long as it meets Microsoft's guidelines for assuring the media can only be used on the type of system with which it originally shipped. These policies are limited to those PC manufacturers that have direct license agreements with Microsoft, so generic OS backup CDs will still be in the distribution channel.
"Essentially, Microsoft is providing the flexibility for [vendors] to offer the recovery solution that will be best for their business and best for their customers," says a Microsoft representative. "This change is based on feedback from end-user customers and PC manufacturers, as well as to address piracy concerns."
Some vendors have used recovery CDs without major complaints for several years, Microsoft says. But it remains to be seen how well the different recovery implementations will work and what types of problems they might cause. How many people will have to choose between sending a system for OS repair or losing their data? How will companies with a variety of PCs track which systems require which CDs? And will whatever dent this makes in Windows piracy be worth the trouble?
It's likely many PC buyers will be caught by surprise. With Microsoft leaving explanations to the system vendors, many customers won't know what they're getting until they open the box. And inevitably, some won't realize they don't have a backup of their OS until disaster strikes.
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Re-Installing Windows 98
by Lowel Shatraw
OK, you did something wrong, or the computer did, and now you cannot run your computer properly until you re-install the OS -- Windows 98. Where do you start, or do you just run SETUP again?
To properly re-install Windows 98, or 98SE, you first need to rename IEMIGRAT.DLL in the \Windows\Systems folder. Then, disable any programs that normally run in the background -- like antivirus programs, any specialized programs like those watching what is being done on the system, and screen savers. Next, and not the least important, backup your DATA.
With Windows running, insert the Windows 98 CD disk, run the SETUP.EXE from START|RUN|BROWSE. Go to the CD drive and find the SETUP.EXE file and double-click it.
After the installation completes you may need to access the Microsoft website at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com, select PRODUCT UPDATES and download the updates.
One last tip. If you were running Outlook Express 5 and version 4 was placed on your system during the re-install, go to Microsoft.com and search for this article (Q186218) on how to remove and re-install Outlook in Windows 98.
From June, 2000 issue of CUGG Random Access newsletter.
Lowery's Law:
If it jams force it. If it breaks, it needed replacing anyway.
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Windows 98 Applets
by Dan Jerome
Windows 98 comes with a great variety of applets. Some of them install automatically others result from a cus-tom installation, and the rest come from \Tools\Reskit\Setup folder. The purpose of this article is to list and describe some of the most popular applets. More applets are available, but you must be the one who hunts for them.
Batch98:
Improves on the Batch.Exe that was included with Windows 95. It lets you set up files for automated installation for Windows 98 and its associated files.
Checklinks:
Looks for and deletes dead links and shortcuts.
Clip Tray
Stores blocks of text you use over and over for easy transfer into other ap-plications. Example: making multiple invi-tations, form letters, etc.
Disk Cleanup:
Monitors your hard disk space, tells you when storage space gets low, and automates the task of cleaning out your hard disk(s).
Disk Defragmenter:
Determines which files you use the most places them close together on your hard disk. This provides faster access.
Drive Converter:
Switches you over to the FAT32 file system.
Dr. Watson
A version improved vastly over the utility first provided in Windows 3.1. It needs to be configured to live in your system tray until something goes hay-wire. Then it pops up, takes a picture of your installation, and offers a diagnosis.
FAT32 Win:
Estimates the space you'll save by converting to FAT32 (Provided you were in FAT 16 prior to the time in question.
Infinst
Adds new hardware drivers to the Windows 98 setup.
LFNback:
Backs up and restores long filenames for use with DOS backups and utilities.
Maintenance Wizard:
Automatically schedules the utilities disk cleanup, disk defrag-menter and ScanDisk to begin their function.
Phone Dialer:
Lets your computer do the tele-phone dialing. Programs the eight phone numbers of your choice for speed dial-ing. Lets you keep the remainder of your telephone numbers in the telephone Log, where you can activate them with a left double click of your mouse.
Quick Tray:
Adds and removes icons to and from your system tray.
Registry Checker:
Automatically backs up your Regis-try daily, checks it for errors, and auto-matically tries to repair any problems it finds as it goes along.
System Configuration Utility:
Replaces the SysEdit with a more sensible tabbed dialog box for editing your configuration files.
System File Checker:
Tracks changes to critical files and fixes damaged files.
System Information:
Tracks an immense storehouse of information, which includes the Operating System version number to system resources and IRQ assignments to loaded drivers.
Task Scheduler:
Runs programs based on the configu-ration you set. This includes time, date, and whether the computer is idle.
Time This:
Tells you how long it took to per-form a given command.
TweakUl:
The useful and popular utility that is part of the Microsoft Power Toys is now built into the operating system
USBview:
Checks and reports data on your USB ports. Provides detailed information about the attached devices.
Where:
Locates files you can't find.
WinDuff:
Compares the contents of files and directories.
Widows Scripting Host:
Helps you to write scripts from the simple to the complex, using either J-Script or Visual Basic scripts.
Windows Update:
Automatically updates your system, getting the latest drivers, service packs, and other downloads.
November 1999 Digital Viking newsletter
FREE Internet Discussion Group
JYM Information Systems and the Barnes & Noble Book Store on South College Avenue in Fort Collins are sponsoring a monthly "Internet Safari" discussion group. This group meets at 7:00 PM in the Barnes & Noble Book Store the first Monday of each month.
This is an open discussion and we examine current issues involving the Internet, how to use the Internet and subjects raised by those present. This group is open to the public without cost or obligation. This is a good chance learn how others are using the Internet.
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Broadband Warnings
by Rick Mattingly
Fast broadband access to the Internet, including cable, DSL, etc., is becoming more and more available in our area. Broadband access is infinitely faster than normal modem access. Not only is Broadband faster, there is also no delay as we have come to expect with conventional modems when connecting and no frustrating busy signals to deal with. Broadband access is "on" all the time. Open your browser or email application and you're instantly online! After using broadband access for while you will want to throw rocks at your conventional modem.
However, there is also a downside to broadband in that security issues increase. Since broadband access is online constantly, the dangers of unauthorized access or hacking of your system from outside are increased dramatically. With conventional modem access to the Internet you are somewhat a "moving target" to wrongdoers. But, with broadband the hacker can simple "camp out" on the open channel and wait for the unsuspecting user to connect. Once your connection is detected the smart hacker can then enter your system (including a complete local area network!) and do what they will.
At this time the best protection from unauthorized access is to install a "firewall." A firewall is a software application which greatly minimizes the potential of unauthorized access from outside.
One good resource for more information regarding broadband security issues is the Winmag.com Online Security Resource Center: http://www.winmag.com/resourcecenters/online_security.htm.
At present, one of the most popular firewall applications for broadband is ZoneAlarm by ZoneLabs. ZoneAlarm is available free for individual use. Download ZoneAlarm at: http://www/zonelabs.com.
Make sure that back door is locked!
Thanks to FRPCUG member Dave Trump for bringing the ZoneAlarm application to our attention..
True Legal Briefs
A man charged with assault and battery insisted at his trial that he had just pushed his victim "a little bit." When he was pressured by the prosecutor to illustrate just how hard, the defendant approached the lawyer, slapped him in the face, gripped him firmly by the lapels and flung him over the table. He then faced the judge and jury and calmly declared "I would say it was about one-tenth that hard."
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Mice On Wheels
by Rick Mattingly
Although the title of this article conjures up some interesting visions, it is not about live mouse critters rolling around the house on wheels. Rather, we are talking here about the Microsoft Wheel Mouse pointing device product.
Many computer systems purchased recently are coming equipped with the Wheel Mouse. However, surprisingly few users actually know how to fully utilize the powerful wheel feature. Well, let's correct that right now and get you on your way to using that wheel feature to improve your computing.
The first thing to realize is that the term "wheel" is actually a misnomer as applied to the Microsoft Wheel Mouse. What appears, and does function, like a wheel is actually a "shuttle." A shuttle is a wheel-like device that also functions as a button which is depressed to activate particular functions. Many cell phone users out there are now familiar with the shuttle concept.
So, how does one use this fancy shuttle. First, let's start with the most obvious use as a maneuvering wheel. Within any recent Windows-aware software application, the wheel may be utilized to scroll the page up and down. This is handy as it does save a bit of time necessary to acquire the vertical scroll bar or scroll buttons to the side of the window frame. Most users of the Wheel Mouse are probably aware of this feature, if for no other reason than by "accident."
But, now on to the real power of the shuttle feature. Again, within any Windows-aware application, depressing the shuttle within a document whose image is larger than the window will result in a "target" icon appearing on the screen. Moving the mouse cursor away from the target icon in any direction will pan the document in that direction. The farther the mouse cursor from the target icon the faster the pan. This feature is particularly useful for viewing large graphic images. You will also note that placing the cursor above or below the target icon results in an automatic scroll of the document -- very handy for perusing long text documents. Again, to adjust the speed of the automatic scroll, move the cursor closer or further from the target icon until the desired scroll speed is achieved. To cancel the pan feature, place the cursor on or near the target icon and depress the shuttle again. By the way, a simple tip here for use with text documents would be to point to the right margin of the document prior to depressing the shuttle to activate the scroll feature. Now the target icon is not in your way as you scan the text.
Next are extended functions of the shuttle accessed by depressing the Control or Shift keys as the shuttle is rolled with the finger. As the Control key is depressed role the shuttle forward and back -- you will find that the screen font size is increased or decreased. When the desired font size is achieved, release the Control key. The chosen font size will remain until you manually change it again through the shuttle or menu functions. Closing and reopening the application will also reset the font size to chosen defaults. Depressing and holding the Shift key while moving the shuttle results in paging forward or back through a document. Note that the Control/Shift shuttle functions are particularly useful when used with Internet Explorer. Try it the next time you are cruising the Internet and see if it doesn't make life easier.
What about the case when your wheel mouse "doesn't seem to have wheels." The Microsoft Wheel Mouse driver installation includes the "InteliPoint" software interface within the Windows Control Panel. Choose My Computer> Control Panel>Mouse. The InteliPoint interface opens providing access to Mouse Properties. Choose the Wheel tab. Check to be sure that the "Turn on wheel" and "Turn on the wheel button" options are checked. Also, note that within this option window you can change the function of the shuttle wheel under "Button Assignment." The options available change the result of depressing (single-clicking) the shuttle. Options include: Double-Click, Help (F1), Switch to Shell or Start Menu.
The Windows Wheel Mouse affords the user a lot of functionality. Learn to use the power of the Wheel.
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