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Official Newsletter
SouthEastern Michigan
Computer Organization, Inc.
Volume 32 March 2007 Number 3
IN THIS ISSUE
Deals Column, by Bob (The Cheapskate) Click .................................. 3
iPhotoMEASURE Review, by Franz Breidenich ................................... 5
Spybot: Free Utilities & Spyware Protection, by Ira Wilsker .............. 6
The Big Red X, by Vinny La Bash ......................................................... 9
New Security Products Shown at APCUG Conf., by Ira Wilsker ..... 12
Moving to Vista–What Not to Do, by Sandy Berger ......................... 14
The New, the Best, and the Worst, by Pim Borman .......................... 16
Board Meeting Minutes, by Carol Sanzi ............................................. 18
Internet Speed, by Bill Agnew ............................................................. 18
SIGS: IBM, IBM Intermediate, Advanced, & Novice IBM Group ....... 19
Other Groups Calendar of Events....................................................... 20
No Meeting in April—Reminder ........................................................... 21
Computer Resource People ................................................................ 21
SEMCO Calendar ................................................................................. 22
Map & Directions to SEMCO Meeting at ArvinMeritor Building ...... 23
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This publication was created using Adobe InDesign CS2 from Adobe Systems, Inc.
SEMCO OFFICERSPresident Gary DeNise (248) 634-7514Vice-President Richard Jackson (248) 546-3694Secretary Carol Sanzi (586) 739-7256Treasurer Bette Gay (248) 641-7799Members at Large of the Board of Directors Bob Clyne (810) 387-3101 Chester Blechinger (248) 338-2653
NEWSLETTER STAFFActing Publications Committee Chair Bob Clyne (810) 387-3101Editor WarnerMach (734)3�6-0733Associate Editor Bob Clyne (810) 387-3101Proofreader Beth Fordyce (734) 453-0349
SIG (SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP) CHAIRPERSONSSIG-IBM: CoChairman Tom Callow (248) 642-5770 (9–5) CoChairman Warner Mach (734) 326-0733SIG-IBM INTERMEDIATE Carl Massie, Jr. (586) 482-0053NOVICE-IBM GROUP Rotating HostsSIG-ADVANCED Franz Breidenich (248) 398-3359
The SouthEastern Michigan Computer Organization, Inc. (SEMCO) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), group dedicated to providing information, education and a forum to computer users (professional and amateur) and other interested individuals. Membership in SEMCO is open to all individuals 18 years or older. Persons under 18 years may become members through the sponsorship of a parent or guardian. Dues of $30/year include monthly DATA BUS and free personal ads.
All SEMCO correspondence should be addressed toSEMCO - P.O. Box 707 - Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-0707
Web site: http://www.semco.orgE-mail: [email protected]
General information: (voice) answering device in Royal Oak (248) 398-7560
DATA BUS is published monthly by SouthEastern Michigan Computer Organization, Inc. (SEMCO) as its official newsletter. Mail DATA BUS newsletter copy to: Warner Mach, 1360 N. Hix Rd., Westland, MI 48185; or e-mail: [email protected]. The Editor is responsible for contents and control of the DATA BUS. Materials published herein may be used for non-commercial purposes only, without further permission of SEMCO or the authors, except as noted, providing credit is given to the author and source, i.e. DATA BUS, and issue date. Entire contents copyright © 2007 SouthEastern Michigan Computer Organization, Inc.
SEMCO does not condone in any way the illegal copying of copyrighted material and will not tolerate such practice at any SEMCO function.
Your mailing label and membership card list the month and year your membership expires. Newsletters will not be sent after the month of expiration. Back issues may not be available. Renew your membership as early as possible..
DEALS COLUMNfrom the DealsGuy
Greater Orlando Computer UGby Bob “The Cheapskate” Click
Interesting ItemsHerearetwoitemsIfoundinterestinginInformationWeek.ReadaboutinvisibleRFID ink for cattle that also won’tcontaminate anything: <http://www.informationweek.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=UKBMPSHVFDNIKQSNDLRCKH0CJUNN�JVN?articleID=�9680�844&queryText=K.C.+Jones>.Alsoarobotcalled“iRobotCreate”thatyoucansendtothekitchenif you are thirsty. I couldn’t find it on themagazine’sWebsitesohereistheproduct’s URL: <http://www.iRobot.com/>.Theyhaveotherrobotsthatyouhaveprobablyheardabout,suchastheRhumbarobotvacuumcleaner.RemindersThereminderaboutafreeversionofTaxAct<http://www.taxact.com>fordoingyour taxes is never very timely, butperhapsit’sbecauseofhowearlyImustwritethiscolumnandthefactthatI’mnotevendoingmytaxesyet.Youcaneven file your tax return electronically nowwiththefreeversion.
Ifyoudon’tfeelcomfortabledoingyour federal income tax on your owncomputer, and you make $39,000 orless, you can call for an appointmentwith an IRS volunteer who will meetface-to-facewithyou todo it.Call�-800-829-1040 to find the nearest IRS volunteer office.
Don’tforgetthefreeincometaxhelpfromthegreatfolksatAARP.CalltheAARP chapter near you to see wheretheyofferthishelp,andthetimestheyareavailable.
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Twoitemsbelowareannouncementsthat included auser groupdiscount. Ihaveedited them,but theyaremostlyin the vendor’s own words so checkfurtherontheirWebsitesforcompleteinformation.IhavenottriedanyoftheproductsmyselfalthoughIwasinvitedtodoso.Theybothsoundveryuseful.Manage Your Clipboard History. One Version Is FREE And A Nice Discount On The Other.LW-WORKS Software has releasedVersion4.0ofClipboardRecorder,anapplication that helps users managetheir Windows clipboard history andprovideseasywaysforuserstoaccesstheir saved clipboard data. Once it’srunning, Clipboard Recorder adds anicontoyoursystemtrayandmonitorsyour system clipboard. As you copyanydatafromotherapplicationstothesystem clipboard, Clipboard Recorderwillcaptureitandstoreittothelisteningclipboard record list in a compressedformat.
Clipboard Recorder provides fourways to select the records: PopupWindow, Floating Window, MenuWindow and Main Window. Most ofthetime,youdon’tneedtoleaveyourworking application to access yourclipboardhistory!Theselectedclipboardrecordscanbepastedtoyourworkingapplicationdirectlyjustasifyouhavepressed“Ctrl+V”.ClipboardRecorderalsofeaturestransferringclipboarddatabetween computers. Therefore, userscando“Ctrl+C”ononecomputerand“Ctrl+V”onanother.
Clipboard Recorder is availablein two versions, Professional andStandard(Freeware).Theprofessionalversion with complete online helpcosts$�9.95(usergroupmembersgeta30%discountusingthecouponcode
“Special”).ClipboardRecorder4.0runsunderWindows98/ME,Windows�000,orXPHomeandProfessional.VisittheLW-WORKS Software home page at<http://www.lw-works.com> to orderClipboard Recorder or to download afullyfunctionaltrialcopy.Here Is Help To Sort Your MP3 FilesThis handy utility will sort a musicalcollection of any size, quicklyreorganizing folders and renamingfiles on your hard drive. MP3 Sorter physically rearranges music on yourharddrivewhilesimilarprogramsjustcreate a list of files, but make no actual changes.AfteryouuseMP3Sorter,allchangeswillbeseeninExploreras ifyou arranged files manually. Prior to actually rearranging files, MP3 Sorter allows users to see the structure of files andfoldersafterrenaming/rearrangingtakes place. MP3 Sorter renames files according to theartist’snameand thetitle of the track and places them infolders like this; “Artists\Album +Year”. The utility has an adjustablerenamingsystem.
The utility has a preview windowshowing the newly arranged structureandcomeswithaDuplicateCheckerthatinsures against accidental overwrites.Youcanseethetransferresulttoavoidanytransfermistake,andifyouwanttoundothetransferoperation,itispossibleto return the original file and folder structurewiththehelpoftheRollBackManager. Also, you can make MP3Sorter delete source files, which will be done only if copying was successful.MP3 Sorter provides an advancededitorsoyoucanchangecustomtokenswhenever you like.After MP3 SorterneatlyreorganizesyourMP3collection,you will be able to find required music
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tracksonyourharddrivewiththespeedofaradioDJ.
MP3SorterrunsunderallversionsofMicrosoftWindowsandcosts$�4.95(USD)forasingle-userlicense,butusersgroupmembersgeta�0%discountbyusingthisURL:<https://secure.shareit.com/shareit/cart.html?PRODUCT%5B300080839%5D=�&COUPON�=MP3ST89�>. Licensed customers areentitledto thefullyfunctionalversionof the product, free technical supportandfreeupgrades.Furtherinformationon‘MP3Sorter,’aswellasafreetrialcopy is available free of charge from<http://www.prograce.com>.
Productpagelink:<http://prograce.com/index.php?page=mp3>
Download link: <http://prograce.com/download/MP3SorterInstall.exe>The Bundle Is Back!Colleen Toumayan from DiskeeperCorporation tells me the “Bundle”is back. It consists of one DiskeeperHome Edition, and one Undelete 5HomeEditionforjust$49.95.MostofyoualreadyknowthegoodqualitiesofDiskeeperproducts.Getithere:<http://purchase.diskeeper.com/checkout/addtocart.aspx?Item=��40> I’m gladColleen stayed (she had consideredleaving Diskeeper) with the companybecause she keeps me apprised ofspecialoffersandisagreatresource.Free Software That is InterestingIsawthisinMugMonitor,newsletterforMaconUsersGroup,<http://www.maconusersgroup.org>andwonderedifitwouldinterestanyofmyreaders.ItiscalledGoogleSketchup6.ItisaFREE3Dmodelingsoftwarethathelpsyouinremodelingorlandscaping.IthastodowithGoogleEarth.Ican’tfullyexplainit so check it out at <http://sketchup.google.com/>.Itisagreatdealbecause
ifyouwanttheirProversion,itwillcostyouacool$495.Idon’tknowwhatthatonehasthatthefreeonedoesnot,butyoucanreaduponit.
That’s it for this month. Meet me here again next month if your editor permits. I have some new product announcements on my Web site page. This column is written to make user group members aware of special offers or freebies I have found or arranged, and my comments should not be interpreted to encourage, or discourage, the purchase of any products, no matter how enthused I might sound. Bob (The Cheapskate) Click <[email protected]>. Visit my Web site at <http://www.dealsguy.com>
iPhotoMEASURE was developed forcontractors to take measurements ofbuildings or other objects in order toprepareanestimateofjobcostsandotherpurposes. Do-It-Yourself homeownersmay also find it useful when planning projects and buying materials. Theclient or the contractor takes digitalphotographsoftheareawheretheworkneedstobedone.Iftheclienttookthephotographs, theyare thensent to thecontractor.Thecontractorcanthenusethesephotographstogetmeasurementsof the work area and prepare theestimate.
I reviewed the downloadableStandardEditionversion�.�forthePCofiPhotoMEASURE.
IfusingthedownloadableversionofiPhotoMEASUREyoumustdownloadand print a PDF file of the DigiTarget
iPhotoMEASURE By Franz Breidenich
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either the7.5or�5 inchversion.Thebox version of iPhotoMEASUREcomes with a 7.5 inch DigiTarget.Tostart this process, you must place theDigiTarget in the center of the areato be photographed. The DigiTargetis the most important element of thephotograph, as it is the object thatgives the basis for the measurements.The DigiTarget must be horizontal inthe picture, and the camera must beperpendicular to the DigiTarget andthe surface being photographed. Theentiresurfacetobemeasuredmustbein the picture.The photos must be inJPGformat.
Once the photographs a rereceived, they are loaded into theiPhotoMEASURE software using theLoad Photo tool. Next, click on thephotograph’s DigiTarget using theDigiTarget tool. You must accuratelymeasure the DigiTarget, by draggingthe corners of the DigiTarget tool tothe outside edges of the photographicDigiTarget. The accuracy of yourmeasurements depends on howaccuratelyyoumeasuretheDigiTarget.Theprogramthenasksyouwhattargetsize is being used. Select the correctanswer.Youarenowreadytomakeyourmeasurementsonthephotograph.
Select the Measure tool to makeyour measurements. Start at the pointyou want to measure from and dragto the point you want to measure to.As you are dragging you will see thedistanceoftheline,infeetandinchesappearalongsidetheline.Toterminatethelineyoureleasethemousebutton.If you make an error, you can deletethemeasurementandthelinewiththeDelete tool.You can click on an endpointofthelineandmoveittochangethemeasurement.
Another tool on the screen is theSave tool, to save your PRJ files. You willloseyourworkifyoudonotsaveyour files before you use the Quit tool. The program does not prompt you tosave if you forget. The PRJ file is the file that stores the work you have done with iPhotoMEASURE on your JPGfile. When you Save, it creates and saves the PRJ file with the same name as the JPG file.
Navigation tools zoom in, zoomout, fit all, and pan the JPG photos. There is also a color palette of eightdotstoselectforthemeasurementlines.Finally,therearetheHelpandtheQuittools.The Help tool brings up a one-pagedocumentwithalltheinstructionsprovidedby theauthor.TheQuit toolclosestheprogramwithoutsavingyourwork.SoyoumustdoaSavebeforeyouquitoryouwillloseyourwork.
ThemostseriousfaultIfoundwiththis program was how measurementswereshownonthephoto.Theprogramsallow you to use a color palette forthe line selection but it puts all themeasurements in the same red color.If you have lines close together, youarenotsurewhatmeasurementgoestowhat line.Animprovementwouldbe,tohavethemeasurementofthelineusethesamecolorastheline.
At the bottom of the Help tooldocument, the vendor states thatadditional help is available at theirWebsiteat<http://www.iphotomeasure.com/support>, but the only additionalhelpIfoundtherewasalinktocontactCustomer Service, and the list ofFrequentlyAskQuestions.
This program iPhotoMEASUREseemstodothejobitwascreatedtodo.Itisoflimiteduseformanycomputerusers, but to a professional builder or
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contractor itmaybe a timeand laborsavingdevice.
To obtain this program, go to thecompany website at <http://www.iphotomeasure.com>. They haveversions for both PC and MAC. ThedownloadableversionforPCorMACis$99.99.TheyhaveaDeluxeBoxversionPC/MACfor$��9.99.IncludedinthedeluxeboxareaDigiTarget,restickableadhesive,anerasablemarker,andausermanual.
Spybot: Useful Free Utilities Plus Spyware
Protection By Ira Wilsker
On one of my recent radio shows(KLVI 560am �-3 pm Saturdays), Ihad three callers within a single half-hourperiodwhohadasimilarproblemwith their computers. They all hadcomputers that were sluggish as wellas had apparent software conflicts based on the symptoms presented over thephone. They all had a lot of icons inthe bottom right corner of the screenadjacenttotheclock,indicatingthattoomanyprogramswereprobably loadedwhenthecomputerbooted.Myon-airdiagnosis for all three was the same;theyneededtocleanuptheir“startup,”orlistofprogramsthatloadeverytimethecomputerwasturnedon.Iaskedthefirst caller if he had a utility installed on hiscomputer,theverypopularandfree“SpybotSearch&Destroy.”
Spybot Search & Destroy is anenormouslypopularutilitybestknownfor its excellent ability to detectand destroy spyware and adware oncomputers,aswellasprovidingfulltimeprotection from over �6,000 spywareprograms through its “Immunize”feature. Published reviews generally
rateSpybotverywell,andPCMagazinegaveSpybotitscoveted“Editors’ChoiceAward.”Accordingtosomepublishedsources, tens of millions of copies ofSpybot have been downloaded. Oncethe program, currently version �.4,is downloaded from <www.safer-networking.org> and installed, it willgo online to download updates, andthen offer to immunize the computerfromspyware.Normally, theprogramwill then do a complete scan ofthe computer for spyware, adware,maliciousandtrackingcookies,registryentriesinstalledbymalware,andothernefariousitems.Theuseristhengiventheoptiontoremoveallofthedetectedmalware(usuallyagoodidea),orselectwhat actions should be taken. Spybottypicallyoffersweeklyupdates,usuallyonWednesdays, tokeep itsprotectionandfeaturesup todate. Itwouldbeagood practice for the user to re-scanthecomputerfornewmalwareattackswitheachupdate,andtoimmunizethecomputer with any new immunitiesposted.
Spybot, while an excellent anti-malwareutility,alsohasalotofotherfeatureswhicharefrequentlyunknowntomostofitsusers.ManyusefulutilitiesarebuiltintoSpybotthatcanimprovecomputer performance, and promotesafe computing practices. The defaultinstall of Spybot has a simple menubar at the top of the page with onlyfour choices, File, Mode, Language,and Help. The File menu only offers“Check for Problems” and Exit as itschoices. Language allows the user toselect any of the five built in languages for the software, German, English,French, Spanish, or Italian. Help isself explanatory offering help topicsandatutorial,aswellasalinktomake
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voluntary online donations to supportthecontinuationoftheveryworthwhileSpybot service. The most mysteriousitemonthemenuis“Mode,”offeringonlyachoiceofDefaultorAdvancedsettings;Advancediswhereaworldofhelpfulutilitiesopensallowingtheusertotakebettercontrolofhiscomputer.
By clicking on Mode –Advancedanewcolumnopensontheleftoftheprogramofferingavarietyofoptions,Spybot (the main scan and immunizeprogram),Settings,Tools,and“Info&License.” Settings simply allows theusertocustomizetheSpybotexperience,butwith thedefaultsprovidingtotallyadequate service. “Info & License”shows the version number and mostrecentupdate,credits,anotherlinkfordonations, and historical statistics forSpybot’spreviousscans.
It is the“Tools”button thatopensapanoplyofusefulutilitiestoimprovecomputing performance and security.Overadozenutilitiesandfeaturesareshownwhichcanperformavarietyoftasks. One integral utility is “SecureShredder” to where unwanted files or data canbedraggedandthenautomaticallydeleted and overwritten with randomcharactersmakingthematerialvirtuallyunrecoverable. Internet Explorer andMicrosoft utilize a language called“ActiveX,” and the “ActiveX” toolsselectionwillopenawindowshowingalloftheActiveXsoftwareresidentonthe computer. Sadly, some miscreantscreatemalwareinMicrosoft’sActiveX,and these undesirable and potentiallydangerousprogramswillbelabeledinredbySpybotforinstantremoval,whilelegitimateandsafeActiveXutilitieswillbeindicatedassafebyagreenicon.
Many websites and software titlesinstalla typeofprogramintoInternet
Explorer called a “Browser HelperObject,” or more commonly, justBHOs. While many are legitimateand useful, many are known sourcesof spyware, advertising popups, webtrackingordiverting,orotherannoyingandpossiblyunsafefunctions.Usingatraditionalredforbad,greenforgoodsetoficons,theusercaneasilycontrolwhich BHOs are loaded into InternetExplorer.An“IETweak”utilityallowstheusertocustomizeInternetExplorerand provide additional protectionagainstbrowserhijackers.
Browsers use a “Hosts File” toconvert commonly used InternetURL names into more efficient IPaddresses(aseriesofnumberssuchas��3.45.678.9). Some hijackers invadethe hosts file and enter fraudulent data to redirectthebrowsertoscamorcriminalwebsitesusedforidentitytheftandothernegative purposes. The Spybot “HostFiles”utility allows theuser to easilymanage the hosts file, and determine if unwanted browser hijacks have takenplace. Spybot has a lengthy list ofhundredsofknownscamand identitytheft sites which can be added to thecomputer’s hosts file, mostly pointing to the Internet dead end address of��7.0.0.�.
When I asked my first caller with the slow and sluggish computer ifhe had Spybot installed, he told methat yes he did, and that it had beenrecently updated. I instructed him toopen Spybot, and click on MODE–ADVANCED–TOOLS.Ithenaskedhim to click on what may be amongthe most useful utilities to improveperformance, “System Startup.” Hefollowedmyprompting, anddutifullyinformed me that there were manychecked entries shown in his startup,
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andthat theyweremostlyhighlightedinred,yellow,orgreen.Heaskedwhatheshoulddo.
I explained that items in red wereoftenviruses,worms,Trojans,spyware,orothertypesofmalwareandshouldbeuncheckedataminimum,orpreferablydeleted. Green items were recognizedas safe, and should be left alone.Yellow items were personal choice,and could be left checked (loaded atstartup)oruncheckedatwill.ItemsnothighlightedmaybesystemutilitiesoritemsunknowntoSpybot.
The caller asked how he wouldknow what the cryptic descriptionsmeant, and I told him to click on thetwotriangulararrowsontherightedgeof thewindow,andaslidingpartitionwouldopen.Clickingonanentrywoulddisplay details of the startup item,includingadescriptionoftheitem,itssource,andfunction.
This is from the comprehensivestartuplistmaintainedbyPaulCollinsat<www.sysinfo.org>,whichcontainstens of thousands of searchable andcategorized entries commonly usedby people who utilize Microsoft’s“MSCONFIG”command tomanuallycontrolstartupfunctions.Thisdatabaseis integrated into Spybot, and isconcurrently updated periodically asSpybotisupdated.
Thecallerdeletedtheitemsinred,and decided to uncheck most of theyellowitemsafterdecidingthathedidnotneedthemloadedatboot.Heleftthegreenandwhiteitemsalone.Asdirectedhe rebooted his computer. Eureka!It booted much faster, and programsloadedfaster.Therewerefarfewericonsinthetaskbarbyhisclock.Hissoftwareconflicts ceased. He called back and told methatwhenhewenttoStart-TurnOff
Computerthatthecomputershutdownmuchfaster.TheSystemStartupfeaturebuiltintoSpybotsolvedhisproblems.
Minutes later another caller saidthat he had similar problems, and IrecommendedSpybottohim,aswellastothethirdcaller.Bothwereinstructedto download it, install it, update it,andrunit.I thentoldthemseparatelytoclickonMode–Advanced–Tools– System Startup and delete the reds,decide on the yellows, and leave thegreensalone.Itellmostcallerstocallmebackandletmeknowhowitworks;these two both had an epiphany andmarveledatthesimplesolutiontotheirvexing problems. Spybot, that wellknownanti-spywareprogram,providedthem with other less known but veryuseful utilities, all for free. All threecallers were very satisfied with what Spybotdidforthem.
I have used Spybot for years, andhave frequently promoted it on myshow.Whilethesoftwareistotallyfreetodownloadanduse,Ipersonallymakeperiodicvoluntaryonlinecontributionsto support Spybot, and encourageotherstodolikewise.IntheyearsthatI have used Spybot, I have only hadone minor problem with it, and thatwas a documented conflict between Spybot’s Immunize function and theanti-spywarefunctionbuilt intoTrendMicro’s Internet Security Suite �007.TurningoffImmunizeinstantlyresolvedtheprobleminthiscase.
I recommend that all PC usersdownload Spybot and scan theircomputers for spyware and othermalware, and then use the startupmanagerandotherutilitiestoimproveperformanceandsafety.Forthemoney(free), you will not find a better deal.
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WEBSITE REFERENCES:<http://www.safer-networking.org>—MainPage<http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html>—Information<http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download>—FreeDownload<http://www.sysinfo.org>—PaulCol-linsStartupList(amongothers)
Ira Wilsker is an APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; and a radio & TV show host. Contact him at <[email protected]>
The Big Red X By Vinny La Bash
E-mail, along with the spreadsheet,is one of the greatest computerapplications ever developed. Alongwith its usefulness are a few minor,but irritating inconveniences. Theonewe’lladdressinthisarticleisthefrustration with observing a red Xwhereanimageshouldappear
Thereareseveralpossiblecausesforpicturesfailingtomaterialize.Theyarenot particularly difficult to correct, but themethodisfarfromobvious.Startbyright-clickingtheredXandfromthepopupmenuselect“ShowPicture.”Ifthisworks,consideryourselfblessed.Morelikelyisthateitheryoure-mailsetupisnotallowingthepicturetobeviewedorthesender’soptionsarenotallowing thepicture tobe sent.Let’smakesurethatyoursetupisn’tcausingthe problem, and then we’ll figure out whattodowiththesender
Iftheproblemisatyourend,itcouldbecausedbyhavingInternetExplorer’se-mail settings too restrictive. Toreset the default settings for InternetExplorer 6.0 open Internet Explorer,
clickToolsfromthetopmenubar,andselectInternetOptions.(�) ClickontheGeneral tabtomakesureit’sactive.(�) ClickDeleteFiles.(3) Click Delete All Offline Content, andclickOK.(4) Click the Delete Cookies button,andclickOK.(5) ClicktheSettingsbutton.(6)Setcacheto�5MBorless,andselectEveryVisittoPage,thenclickOK.
Next,maketheSecuritytabactivebyclickingonit.Therearefourzoneslisted on the security tab: Internet,Local Intranet, Trusted Sites, andRestrictedSites.(�) ClickInternet.(�) ClicktheDefaultLevelbutton.(3) Repeat the steps for each of theremainingzones.
Third,clickonthePrivacytab,andclicktheDefaultbutton.IftheDefaultbuttonisgrayedout,ignorethisstep.NowclicktheConnectionstab.(�) ClicktheLANSettingsbutton.(�) Makesurenothingischecked,andclickOK.
Last,clickontheAdvancedtab.(�) ClickRestoreDefaults.(�) ClickApplyandOK.
Internet Explorer 7 is similar,but there are enough differences towarrant its own set of instructions.Open Internet Explorer, click Tools,andselectInternetOptions.
First,lookattheGeneraltab.(�) ClicktheDeletebutton.(�) The Delete Browsing Historydialog box appears. Click the DeleteFilesbutton.(3) Select Yes in the confirmationbox.(4) Repeat step � for the Deletecookies,andDeletehistorybuttons.
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(5) ClickClose.(6) Click the Settings button in theBrowsinghistorysection.(7) Select “Every time I visit thewebpage,”thensetthe“Diskspacetouse”valueto50Megabytesorless.(8) ClickOK.
Next,clicktheSecuritytab.Therearefourzoneslistedonthesecuritytab:Internet,LocalIntranet,TrustedSites,andRestrictedSites.(�) If the Set all zones to defaultlevel button is not grayed, out clickit and you’re done with this section.Otherwisecontinuewithstep�.(�) ClickInternet.(3) ClicktheDefaultlevelbutton(ifitisnotgrayedout).(4) Repeatthestepsfortheremainingzones.
ClickonthePrivacytab,andclickthe Default button unless it’s grayedout.ThenclicktheConnectionstab.(�) Click the LAN settings button toactivateanotherdialogbox.(�) Makesurenothingischecked,andclickOK.
Finally, click on the Advancedtab.(�) ClicktheRestoreadvancedsettingsbutton. Don’t, repeat don’t click theReset button as that will delete anyforms and passwords saved throughauto-complete.(�) ClickApplyandOK.
That takes care of your browser.If you’re using Outlook or OutlookExpress, you need to check severalmoreoptionsthatcontrolhowimagesarereceivedorsent.Therearetwowaysto send pictures in e-mails. You canimbedthepictureinthee-mailoryoucansendthepictureasanattachment.Whicheverwayyouchoose,youneedtosetyoure-mailclientsoitcanhandle
pictures, and you do that by settingyoure-mailtoworkinHTMLformat.We’llstartwithOutlookExpressandfinish up with Outlook.
We’llmakeabigassumption thatall of your recipients are set up toreceivetheire-mailinHTMLformat.YouneedtomakesurethatyouhaveOutlookExpresssetuptosende-mailin HTML. Service Pack � should beinstalled on your system. Because ofitsextrasecurityfeatures,youneedtoavoidblockingattachmentswhenyousendorreceivee-mail.(�) Open Outlook Express, go to theTools/menu,andclick“Options.”(�) Click the “Send” tab, and thenselect“HTML”astheformattosendmail.(3) ClicktheButtontotherightthat’snamed “HTML Settings,” and puta check in the box that says “SendPictureswithMessages.”Besurethat“Quoted Printable” is the selected inthe“Encodetextusing”box.(4) ClickOK.(5) ClicktheReadtab.(6) Confirm that the “Read all messages inplaintext”isnotchecked.
Your machine is now setup tocorrectly sendand receive images. Ifpeoplewhoarereceivingyoure-mailcomplainaboutredXs,sendthemtheseinstructions.Ifyouwanttocheckoutyoursystem,trysendingsomee-mailstoyourself.
If you’re using Outlook, performthefollowingcheck.(�) OpenOutlookandselectOptionsfromtheToolsmenu.(�) SelecttheMailFormattab.(3) In the “Message format” sectionselect HTML from the drop downmenu.(4) ClicktheInternetFormatbutton
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(5) In the HTML options section,confirm there is no checkmark in any oftheboxesinthedialogbox.(6) In theOutlookRichTextoptionssection, select “Convert to HTMLformat”fromthedropdownmenu.(7) ClickOKtosavethesettings.(8) ClickOKtoexit.
Other possibilities that couldprevent pictures being displayed inyour e-mail are your anti-virus andfirewall settings. You may need to relax thesecuritysettingsontheseprograms.We can’t provide instructions forthis because we don’t know whosesoftwareyou’reusing.Youmayneedtocontacttheproducerofthesoftwareforinformation.
If you create and send an e-mailwith a photo image or forward ane-mail with a photo in it and therecipient gets a red X instead of thepicture, you can be fairly confident that their e-mail, firewall or anti-virus setup is preventing the picture from beingseen.Sendtheseinstructionstothem.
Vinny La Bash is a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida and can be reached at <vlabash(at)comcast.net><http://www.spug.org>.
This article may be published only by APCUG member user groups. All other uses are prohibited. When used, APCUG must be acknowledged as the source and the author credited. The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article to you.
New Security Products Shown at APCUG Annual
Conference By Ira Wilsker
IrecentlyhadtheopportunitytoattendtheannualmeetingandconventionoftheAssociationofPersonalComputerUserGroups (APCUG) inLasVegas.Even though IhaveattendedAPCUGannual events since �99�, it alwaysamazes me how quickly technologychanges, and how those changes arerapidly introduced to we consumers.Every year participants are astoundedbywhatwesee,buteveryyearhasalsodemonstrated technologies dwarfing those shown the previous year. TheAPCUG events were all on topicsrelatedtopersonalcomputers,includingsecurity,applications,operatingsystems,hardware,CPU,andothertechnologicalservices and components. Three ofthe presenters were companies in thecomputersecuritysoftwaresector.
Grisoft <www.grisoft.com> is acomputer security software publisherheadquartered in the Czech Republic,andbestknownintheU.S.foritsverypopularfreeversionofAVGantivirussoftware. I was very surprised tolearn that the more sophisticated andcomprehensivecommercialversionsofAVGareamongthemostwidelyusedcomputersecurityutilitiesinEurope.
AVG has a professional staff ofengineersinEurope,butalsohassales,andmoreimportantlytechnicalsupportservices, located in theU.S. Ihave toadmitthatuntilIsawtheAVG-Grisoftpresentation, I was unaware of thedegree of sophistication and qualityfeatures built in and backing up theAVGproducts.
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MyopinionofAVGwaspositivelychanged,asIhadalwaysthoughtofitas anexcellent freeantivirusproduct;now I know it as a technologicalleaderprovidingenhancedfeaturesandfunctionalityinitsproducts.
While I will still recommend thefreeversionofAVGantivirussoftwaretothosewhomaynotbeabletoaffordcommercialsoftware,IwouldalsohopethatthosewhouseAVGfreeversionandare satisfied with it would eventually upgradetothemorecomprehensiveandfeaturerichcommercialproducts.
AVG offers a comprehensiveselection of security software rangingfrom antivirus software to completesecurity suites. AVG has been certified as among the most effective antivirusproductsbyseveralindependenttestingandratingservices.
P a n d a S o f t w a r e < w w w.pandasoftware.com> is a publisherof computer security softwareheadquartered in Spain, but witha strong American presence. I first becameacquaintedwithPandaseveralyearsagowhenIpurchasedacopyofPandaAntivirusatoneof thebig-boxoffice supply stores. I had read some amazing reviews of it in a computermagazine, so I decided to try it onmy Windows 98 computer to replacean expired competing big-namedAmericanproduct.My“98”computercontinuedtohavePandaprotect it fortheremainderofitslifetime,andPandaneverfailedme.
AtAPCUG,Pandaamazedmewithits degree of technical sophisticationin dealing with the changing threatsfacingthecomputingpublic.Accordingto Panda, over 90,000 new malwarethreats appeared in �006, with someindividual months in �006 having as
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many new threats as in all of �005.Pandaexplainedhowthethreatscenariofor computer users changed from theold-fashioned viruses intended todamage computer files with random acts ofvandalism,tothenewthreatsthatarealmostallcommerciallydriven.
Panda Software offers technologysecuritysolutionsrangingfromitsfreeonline“ActiveScan,”tofree-standingantivirus software, to comprehensivesecuritysuitescompletewithantivirus,firewall, anti-spyware, anti-spam,wi-fi protection, and other protective features.Pandahasitsownproprietary“TruPrevent Technologies” which isdesigned to protect computers fromattack by new and unknown virusesevenbeforethevirussignaturescanbeupdated.
Most Panda Software packagescanbeinstalledonmultiplecomputersunder a single license, and should beconsideredasaverystrongandcapablecompetitor to other better knownsecurityproductsonthemarket.
Trend Micro <www.trendmicro.com> explained the degree and typesof security threats facing computerusers.Identitytheftofvarioustypeswasdiscussedaswellasthemeanstodetect,protect, and neutralize a wide varietyofothercomputerthreats.Threatscancome via e-mail, malicious code onwebsites, from file sharing services, and countlessotherplaces.
In order to deal with and protectfrom a wide variety of threats, TrendMicro demonstrated its flagship product TrendMicroInternetSecurity�007withitsintegralTrendSecureonlineservices.Previously known under the monikerPC-Cillin,TrendMicroInternetSecurity�007providesprotectionfromviruses,spyware, spam, phishing, and other
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formsofattack.Featuresalsoincludea“frauddefense”toexplicitlyhelpprotectcreditcardandothersensitivepersonalinformation from being compromisedwhileonline.
The�007versionincludesasinglelicense that can be installed on threecomputers which make it both aqualitativeandeconomicalgoodchoicewhencomparedtotheothernamebrandsecuritysoftwaretitleswidelyavailableatretail.
I am a firm believer in goodcompetition and the free enterprisesystem.AswasclearlydemonstratedatAPCUGandCES,competitiondrivesinnovation which in turn providesvaluable and tangible benefits to the consumer. We all need antivirus andother flavors of security software on our computers and any of the feistycompetitorsabovecanprovideaqualityproductandserviceatverycompetitiveprices.
Ifmorecomputeruserscouldhaveseen what those of us at theAPCUGevent saw, the security “biggies”wouldhavealottofear,becausetheseaggressive “little guys” are providingexcellenceby innovationandsuperiorservice and support at a fair price.Those big guys on the block shouldbe looking over their shoulders, asthese little guys are growing strongerby capitalizing on the weaknessesof their larger competitors. Securitysoftwareshouldnot justbepurchasedbasedonthefamiliarityofthenameorbrand,butonthequalityoftheservicesand support offered.Any of the threeproductsmentionedabovewouldbeagoodchoiceforvirtuallyallPCusers.WEBSITES:<http://www.apcug.net><http://www.pandasoftware.com>
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<http://www.grisoft.com><http://www.trendmicro.com>
Ira Wilsker is an APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; and a radio & TV show host. Contact him at <[email protected]>
This article may be published only by APCUG member user groups. All other uses are prohibited. When used, APCUG must be acknowledged as the source and the author credited. The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article to you.
Moving to Vista–What Not to Do By Sandy Berger
Microsoft’s long-anticipated newoperating system, Windows Vista, isfinally here. After months of testing I cansaythatitisastableprogramandismoresecurethananypreviousversionof Windows. It also has a great newlookandsomewonderfulnewfeatures.Just remember that there are alwaysgotchaswithanewoperatingsystem.Here are a few of the “don’ts” whenmovingtoVista.
First, five different flavors of Vista areavailableintheUS:HomeBasic,Home Premium, Ultimate, Business,and Enterprise. Don’t bother withHomeBasic. It doesn’thave“Aero,”therichnewvisualinterface.Itdoesn’thavetheadvancedmulti-mediafeaturesfor photos,movies, and television. Itdoesn’tevenhavethecoolnewchessormahjonggames.Allofthisismissing,butMicrosoftisstillsellingtheHomeBasicupgradefor$99.ThefullversionofHomeBasic is$�99. Ifyoubuya
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new computer with Vista, make surethatyougetatleasttheHomePremiumversion.YoucangetacomparisonofthedifferentversionsofVistaandwhattheyofferattheMicrosoftwebsite.
Anotherdon’t…don’ttrytoupgradewithoutalargeharddriveandatleastonegigabyteofmemory.Youcanusethe Windows Vista UpgradeAdvisorto determine if your computer isreadyforVista.Mostoldercomputerswill come up lacking. So, you maynot want to upgrade at all.AlthoughVista’s better security is enticing, ifyouarehappywithyourWindowsXPmachineyoumaywanttokeepusingitabitlongerbecauseitmaybenotbeeconomically beneficial to upgrade. The Vista product upgrade can costseveralhundreddollars.Thatplusthecost of extra memory and/or otherhardwareupgradesmaymakeitwisertojustpurchaseanewcomputerwithVistapreinstalled.
Don’t expect every softwareprogramtoworkwithWindowsVista.Intuit, the makers of the popularQuickbooks program have notifiedtheir users that no older versions ofQuickbookswillrunonVista.Onlyanupgrade to Quickbooks �007 will letQuickbooksusersruntheprogramonaVistacomputer.
Because of the major securitychanges in Vista, most antivirusprogramswillalsoneedanupdate tobeabletorunonWindowsVista.Ifyoupurchaseanewcomputeritmaycomewith a trial subscription toSymantecor McAfee that will get you startedbut you will have to purchase a newversioninthefutureormovetoafreeantivirus program. Again upgradingan old computer may be problematicbecause the old antivirus software
will need to be removed before thenew version is installed. Experiencehas taught me that it is often difficult toremoveallthevariouspiecesofanexistingantivirusprogram.Thisisoneexperienceyoumaywanttoavoid.
Some programs will also havetroublewithWindowsVista’snewusercontrols which make it more difficult to makechangestoyourcomputer.Thisbolsters the operating system againsthackers,butcanconfusesomeexistingprograms. Simple changes or workarounds for these types of problemscan easily be found on the Web.For instance, I couldn’t run AdobePhotoshop CS� upon installation onmy Vista machine, but a few simplechanges which I found documentedontheWeb,solvedtheproblemquiteeasily.
Also any specially written orhigh-end software programs may notwork withVista.This will not affecttheaverageuser,but ifyouhaveanyunusualorspecialtyprogramsyouwillwanttocheckoutcompatibility.
Muchoftoday’scurrenthardwarewill work with Windows Vista. Ofcourse, you may want to check themanufacturer’s website to be surebeforeyoumakethatassumption.Youmayneedtoupdateahardwaredriveror two. If you have older hardware,some may not work with Vista. SocheckitoutbeforeyoumovetoVista.
Ofallthehardwareproblems,youcanexpectthemostproblemswithaudioequipment.WindowsVistahasanewaudiostackwhichmeansthatithandlestheaudiodatastructuredifferentlythanolderversionsofWindows.Also thisaudiochangewasmadequitelateintheVista development process, so audiomanufacturersmaynothavecaughtup
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yet.Whilethiswillprobablynotimpacttheaveragecomputeruser,ifyouhaveanyhigh-endaudioequipment,makesure you check compatibility beforeyoumigratetoVista.
Onelastdon’t…don’tworryaboutthe 64-bit version of Vista. If youhave a 64-bit processor on your newcomputerliketheIntelCore�DuoorAMD 64-bit processors you may bethinking about trying out the 64-bitversionofVista.Don’tdoitunlessyouwant tobeonthe“bleeding”edgeoftechnology. Most hardware does notcurrently have 64-bit drivers and the64-bitversionofVistadoesnotsupportthe widely used 3�-bit drivers. Alsothere is currently very little softwarethatactuallytakesadvantageofthe64-bitsystem.Soleavethe64-bitversionassomethingtodreamabout.Itwillbemoresecureandfaster,butitisnotyetreadyforprimetime.
Howeverthe3�-bitversionofVistais ready for immediate use.The bestwaytomovetoVistaistobuyanewcomputerwithVistapreloaded.Justbesureyoucheckoutthesegotchasbeforeyouputyourmoneyonthecounter.
Sandy Berger ’s web s i t e , CompuKISS can be accessed at <http://www.compukiss.com> or contact at <sandy(at)compukiss.com>.
This article may be published only by APCUG member user groups. All other uses are prohibited. When used, APCUG must be acknowledged as the source and the author credited. The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article to you.
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Computer GlobalizationUniversity and industrial researchlaboratoriesintheUnitedStatescanbeproudofhavingspawnedthecomputerrevolution almost single-handedly.AT&T’s Bell Laboratories inventedthe transistor and developed the UnixoperatingsystemthatinturnformedthebasisofDOSandLinux.TheCandC++programming languages originated atBell Labs also. The basic configuration of desktop computers originated withthe IBM PC which in turn was theseedforthecurrentIntelandMicrosoftdominanceindesktopcomputers.
The Internet grew out of acollaboration of mostly Americanresearchers, sponsored by universitiesandgovernmentlabs.Microsoft’snear-monopoly created de facto softwarestandards, including the Windowsoperating system, Web browser, Office programs, and related software. Notsurprisingly, even though computershavespreadoutallovertheworld,thestandardsgoverningtheirbehaviorarestillstronglyAmerican-dominated.
Increasingly, foreign governmentsareobjectingtosomeoftheUS-basedstandards. One bone of contentionis ICANN, the Internet Corporationfor Assigned Names and Numbers, aCalifornia non-profit corporation that manages the assignment of domainnamesandIPaddressesontheInternet.There is widespread feeling thatthis task should be taken over by aninternationalcommittee.Also,de facto standards imposed by the dominantMS Windows operating systems and
The New, the Best, and the Worst
By Pim Borman
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the proprietary nature of its Office software are being challenged with aworld-widemovetowardsOpenSourcesoftware,includingtheLinuxoperatingsystemandnotablesoftwaresuchastheOpenOffice suite of office programs.
The latest version of MicrosoftOffice, Office 2007, uses a different proprietaryformat,basedontheXMLhypertext markup language. It is notonly incompatible with earlier MSWordandExcelformats,butalsowiththeinternationallyestablishedstandardOpen Document Format, equallybased on XML. This is regrettablesince much documentation generatedsincecomputerscameinuseisalreadyinaccessibleinelectronicformbecauseofobsolescence.
General acceptance of the OpenDocumentFormatisanessentialsteptoavoidingfurtherlossofdocumentationdue to changing technology. There isa growing trend amongst private andgovernmentalorganizationstoabandonproprietarydocumentformatsinfavorof international standards. Microsoftmay be forced to accept the openDocument Format for use with its Office programssoonerorlater.
The computer revolution clearlyoriginated in the USA, and we canbe proud of that. But now that thetechnology has spread to the rest oftheworld,oppositionisgrowingtothecontinuing domination of Americancompaniesandstandards.Globalizationmayhavetoextendtotheacceptanceofinternationallygeneratedandapprovedstandards.Random SpamHaveyounoticedthatalotofspamlatelyappearstobetotallypointless?Insteadoftryingtosellpornography,get-rich-quickschemesorEDmedication(aka
Continued on page 21
Viagra), the subject lines and contentappeartoconsistofrandomwordsandsentences.Itsintentistoneutralizespamfilters that depend on keywords such as Viagra to identifyand interceptspam.SwampingtheWebwiththesedecoysmakes it harder to distinguish spamcarryingmessagesfromrandomnoise.SametrickasusedbyIntercontinentalBallisticMissiles.
Most of these decoys are sentout by zombie computers, personaland institutional computers lackingadequate firewalls and virus protection, that have been hijacked by spammersandaretransmittingspamunbeknownsttotheowners.Areyousureyoursisnotoneofthem?Free SoftwareAslongasithasbeenavailable,Ihavebeenusingtaxpreparationsoftwareforthe annual IRS ritual. Mostly, I havebeen using the plain version of TaxCut, because it has been the cheapestanddonethejob.SincemytaxreturnismuchthesamefromyeartoyearIusedtogetirkedbytheroundaboutwayTaxCutforcesyoutoprepareyourreturn.
LastyearTaxCutsentfreecopiesofitsprogramaroundtoprevioususersandasinsertsinPCMagazine,soIjustputupwithitagain.ButthisyearIhaven’tseenanyfreecopiesanddecidedtotrythe freeTaxAct. Ithas the reputationofbeingasolidprogram,butwithlesshandholding thanTaxCutandTurboTaxprovide—justwhatIwanted.
I downloaded the program from<www.taxact.com> and used it toprepareaprovisionalreturn.Itworkedjust as I wanted, straightforwardquestion-and-answer steps, or bydirectly filling in the forms as preferred. It told me about the tax credit forpreviously paid federal telephone
�
taxes and otherwise took care of thecalculationsandprinting the forms. Italso offered to file electronically without charge,butIamstillwaitingforsome�099 forms, and the government stillhasn’t finalized some of the supporting formsfor�006.
Theonlyminordownsidewasthatitdidn’timportmypersonaldatafromlastyear’sTaxCut-preparedreturn,butthatwastypedinquicklyenough.Ifyoureallyneedmorehelp(fromJ.K.Lasser)youcandownloadtheDeluxeversionfor9.95,orfor�5.95ifyoualsowantittodothestatereturn.
If you are interested in protectingyour computer with a firewall and anti-virus software you might look at theComodoGroup.Theyofferacompletelyfree firewall program, Comodo.firewall �.4thathasreceivedgoodreviewsforeffectivenessandease-of-use.Theyalsohave Comodo.antivirus that is still inbeta,butfreeforthedownloading.
Comodo Group is an organizationprovidingcommercialsecuritysoftwareworldwide, making it likely that theyknowwhattheyaredoing.Theyprovidethisfreesoftware,aswellassomeotherfreesecurityprograms,toimprovetheirnamerecognition.Morepowertothem!Findoutmoreat<http://www.comodo.com/news/>
Pim Borman is Webmaster, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. <http://swipcug.apcug.org/> <swipcug(at)sigecom.net>.
This article may be published only by APCUG member user groups. All other uses are prohibited. When used, APCUG must be acknowledged as the source and the author credited. The Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User
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BOARD MEETING 02/11/2007
Carol Sanzi
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENTPresident Gary DeNise, TreasurerBetteGay,SecretaryCarolSanzi,SIG-AdvancedChairmanFranzBreidenich,SIG-IBMIntermediateChairmanCarlMassie, Jr., SIG-IBM Co-ChairmanTomCallowandMembers-at-LargeBobClyneandChuckMoery.AlsopresentwasInternetCommitteeChairmanMikeBader.ArrivinglatewasVicePresidentRichard Jackson. The meeting wascalledtoorderat��:03p.m.OLD BUSINESSBetteGayreportedthatthebalanceinthe treasury as of February �0, �007equaled$7,803.30with$3,303.30inthebank account and $4,500.00 investedin three Certificates of Deposit. The membershipstandsat8�.ItistimeforKarlO.AndersonandJulieComptoistorenewtheirmemberships.TomCallowmoved to reimburse Gary DeNise$63.59forthepurchaseofanewcoffeepot. Franz Breidenich seconded themotionanditwascarried.CarolSanzimoved to reimburse Gary DeNise$��.48 for refreshment supplies. TomCallowsecondedthemotionanditwascarried.NEW BUSINESSMike Bader reported that the onlineSEMCO Yahoo Group’s membershipstandsat3�.Hestatedthattheactivityand interest are increasing with newmembersfromCanadaandFlorida.
Bob Clyne submitted the �007budget for review by the boardmembers. Bob Clyne moved for theadoption of the budget as presented.
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TomCallowsecondedthemotionanditwascarried.
Bob Clyne moved to appointBob Clyne, Richard Jackson, MortonStockler,andJerryComtoistotheauditcommittee,subjecttotheiragreementtoserve.TomCallowsecondedthemotionanditwascarried.
BobClynemovedtoadjourn.ChuckMoery seconded the motion and itwascarried.Themeetingadjournedat��:��p.m.
Letter From The Old Editor—Internet Speed
By Bill Agnew
TheNMComputerSociety.didasurveyofthespeedswhichmembersaregettingon the Internet. The data come frommemberswhotestedtheirspeedusingthe following free Web site: <http://speedtestsunrocket.com/speedtest.swf>.Therearealsoanumberofothersites which have such tests. Somesampleresultsfromtheclubare:Provider$/Mo. - Dload Kbps - Upload KbpComcastCable$49.95 6��� 357ComcastCable$49.95 3538 343ComcastCable$49.95 5�00 350Cable[Wash]$??.?? 963 �36QwestDSL/MSN$�6.99 �8� 408Qwest/MSN$??.?? �053 303Qwest/Flashnet$9.95 �4 49
Speeds vary with a number offactors, including when you test. Ithoughtyoumightbeinterested.
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April 2, 2007: (First Monday), 6:45p.m,attheOakParkLibrary.Thelibraryis located at �4�00 Oak Park Blvd.,OakPark,MI.Phone:(�48)69�-7480.Topic: Wide ranging discussion of computers and computing.
April 2007 DATA BUS DEADLINE (7th day after meeting) SEMCO Input and Members’ Ads — Deadline: Sun., March 18, 11:59 p.m.Members’personaladsarefree.Tomail,useEditoraddressonPage�;e-mailaddress:<[email protected]>.PLEASEsendtoarrivesoonerthandeadline.Business Ads - Deadline: Second Friday monthly. ContactEditor(addressPage�).
SIG-ADVANCEDFranz Breidenich
February 11: Help Q & A: Discussiondirectedbytheaudience.Noquestionistoosimple!
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIGS)
SIG-IBM Tom Callow
Warner Mach
SIG-IBM INTERMEDIATE Carl Massie, Jr.
March 11: Excel Revisited: MemberBill Landrum first joined SEMCO in February�980.Itwasabout that timethat he first started using spreadsheets (onCP/Moriginally).
He will talk briefly of his memories ofusingdifferentbrandsandversionsofspreadsheetsfromVisiCalcthroughExcel,butmostofthetimewillbespentindemoingExcelusingmanyofthelesswellknowncommandsandsystemsastime and audience patience permits.Built-in functions, pivot tables andsimpleVBAmacroswillbe included.BillwilluseExcelXPorExcel�003forthedemos,buteverythingshownshouldwork on Excel systems from Excel 4(�99�)throughExcel�007.
NOVICE-IBM GROUPRotating Volunteer Hosts
March 11: Adobe Reader 8: SIG-IBM Chairman, Carl Massie Jr., willdemonstrate Adobe Reader 8. Also,therewillbeadiscussionoftechniques,resources, and lessons learned whileaddressing issues surrounding a“GenericHostService”error.
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CALENDAR-OF-EVENTSOTHER GROUPS
Warner [email protected]
(to post monthly computer group info)
COMP (Computer Operators of Marysville & Port Huron) April 4, 7 p.m., (�st Wednesday); St. Clair County RESA, 499 Range Rd.,Marysv i l l e , Admin . Bu i ld ing . J ane Whea t ly 8�0 -98 � -��87<http://www.bwcomp.org>.
DCOM Computer Club March9,6:30–8:30p.m., (�ndFriday);HenryFordC.C.,PattersonTechBldg,FordRd/Evergreen,RmT�43,ParkingLotC.Info:DougPiazza3�3-58�-�60�.
MacGroup- Detroit March �8, �:�5 p.m.–5 p.m., (3rd Sunday): Birmingham Temple,�86��West��MileRd.,FarmingtonHills.Info:TerryWhite,<[email protected]>or3�3-57�-98�7.<http://www.macgroup.org>.
MacTechnics, (MAC User Group) March�7,��:00a.m., (3rdSaturday); (SIGsat9:30);AnnArborOpenSchool,9�0Miller Ave., Ann Arbor. <http://www.mactechnics.org>). Cassie at<[email protected]>or3�3-97�-8743.
MDLUG (Metro Detroit Linux User Group) March �0, ��:30–�:30 p.m., (�nd Saturday); MDLUG meetings will be atThe GaudiorAcademy located at �7�00AvondaleAvenue in Inkster. Web:<http://www.mdlug.org>.Info:RaymondMcLaughlin�48-960-�864.
Michigan Apple Computer User Group March8,7:30p.m.,(�ndThur.);Generalmeeting;FraternalOrderofEaglesHallinClawson,�74BowersSt.(oneblockNorthof�4-MileandoneblockEastofMain).AviDrissman�48-�3�-7865.Web:<http://www.themichiganapple.com>.
Oak Park Computer Club Every Fri., �0:�5 a.m. at Oak Park Recreation Bldg, Oak Park Blvd. west ofCoolidge.
SHCC (Sterling Heights Computer Club)April3,7:30p.m.,(�stTuesday);MacombCommunityCollegeSouthCampus,Bldg.K,�4500E.��MileRd.DonVanSyckel<[email protected]>,586-73�-9�3�;Web:<http:/www.SterlingHeightsComputerClub.org>.
Wayne State University Mac User Group March�0, �0:00 a.m.–Noon, (�ndSaturday); atMich.com,��04�Laurelwood,Farmington.Information:Lorn/JoAnnOlsen�48/478-4300orDennyMeLampy�48-477-0�90.
FebruaryREFRESHMENT
DONORSGary DeNise, Coordinator
Gary DeNise
No meeting in April RememberthattherewillnotbeameetinginAprilbecauseofEaster.
Continued from page 17
Groups (APCUG), an international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article to you.��
COMPUTER RESOURCE PEOPLEThisisalistofmemberswillingtoberesourcesforothermemberstocallwhentheyhavehardware
orsoftwarequestions.Areyouwillingtohelpmemberslearn?
Whichsoftwareprogramsareyoufamiliarenoughwith?Itisnotnecessarytobeanexpert,butjusthavesomefamiliaritywiththeprogramandbewillingtohelpsomeonestartingtolearnit.Pleasegivethissomethoughtandvolunteeratthenextgroupmeeting.
Almost Anything: Vander-Schrier MSOfficeforWindows:CallowAutoCAD: Comptois MS Word: Clyne Genealogy: Cook Networking: Callow IBM PC Hardware Issues: Clyne,Yuhasz Novell Netware: YuhaszOperating Systems: Callow,Clyne,Yuhasz Quicken: ClyneMAC Hardware and OS Issues: Yuhasz Geocaching: CookSecurity: Bader
Bader,Mike—586-573-7330,9am–8pm................... [email protected],Tom—�48-64�-57709am–5pm................... [email protected],Bob—8�0-387-3�0�,9am–�0pm.................. [email protected],Jerry—�48-65�-�504,anytimeCook,Stephen—3�3-�7�-7594,eves........................ scook48��[email protected],Jack—586-739-77�0,��–[email protected],Steve..............................................................Help@yuhasz.org
Kaye JohnsonBetty Mackenzie
Roland MakiCarol Sanzi
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SEMCO CALENDARArvinMeritor Building2135 West Maple Road
Troy, MichiganMarch 11–SUNDAY (Meet 2nd Sunday)
SEMCO BoardMeetingat12:00noon.ForOfficersandSIGChairpersons.Other members are invited to attend.
SEMCO General Meeting at 1:30 p.m.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
SIG-IBM 1:45 p.m. Program: Excel Revisited: Member Bill Landrum willdiscuss his experiences with spreadsheets, in general, and will demo many ofthefeaturesofExcel,inparticular;includingbuilt-infunctions,pivottables,andsimpleVBAmacros.
SOCIAL PERIOD 3:�5p.m.Refreshments! (Reminder:Wemust continue tomaintainaneatenvironment.)
NOVICE-IBM GROUP 3:45 p.m. Program: Help From An Expert With Discussion Directed By The Audience.
SIG-IBM Intermediate 3:45 p.m. Program: Adobe Reader 8: SIG-IBMChairmanCarlMassie,Jr.willdemonstrateAdobeReader8.Also,therewillbeadiscussionoftechniques,resources,andlessonslearnedindealingwitha“GenericHostService”error.
SIG-ADVANCED, April 2, 2007–MONDAY, 6:45 p.m.,(FirstMonday),OakParkPublicLibrary,�4�00OakParkBlvd.,OakPark,MI.Phone:(�48)69�-7480.Directions: Oak Park Blvd. is 9 �/� mile Road; library is west of Coolidge.Info:FranzBreidenich�48-398-3359.TOPIC: Wide-Ranging Discussion Of Computers & Computing.
April 8–No Meeting due to Easter Sunday
May 13–Next SEMCO Sunday meeting
http://www.semco.orgPUBLIC INVITED
(Please copy this and the next page to post on your bulletin board)
SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN COMPUTER ORGANIZATION, INC.
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SEMCO Meetings at ArvinMeritor 2135 West Maple Road, Troy, MI 48084
DIRECTIONSFromI-75,takeExit69towestboundBigBeaverRd.(�6Mile).Turnleft(South)onCrooksRd.Turnright(West)onMapleRd.(�5Mile).Turnleft(South)onMaplelawnDr.TurnrightintotheparkinglotattherearoftheArvinMeritorbuild-ing.ThebuildingisshapedlikeanX.EnterthebuildingthrutheSouthentranceatthecenteroftherearofthebuilding.FollowtheSEMCOsigns.
SEMCOthankstheArvinMeritorCorpora-tion for their hospitality in providing theirfacilityforourmeetings.
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