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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2004-07-29

A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware, 
Software, and Time Online

Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!

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"Dear Fred,  Just wanted to let you know why I (finally) subscribed to the Plus! edition. I have been a long time reader of the standard edition, and had really been intending to upgrade for ages. In the latest free edition, you made a comment about a hard drive needing around 15% free space to defrag. Now, just a few days earlier I had found this out the hard way... This is not the first time your comments have been topical however, just off the top of my head, a few months back you solved the mystery of the scrollbar issues that came up after a windows update. Of all the newsletters I subscribe too, and there are quite a few, yours is my favorite, something I always make time to really pore over.... With all the talk about hackers and virus writers and scammers, it's nice to know there are some good guys online!" --Craig Lee Asbury

Thanks, Craig!

The LangaList Plus! Edition is ad-free, spam-proof,
and carries even more content--- tips, tricks, advice, downloads---
than the Standard Edition you're now reading, and for just 14 cents an issue!

Once joined, you can renew your annual subscription for even less!

Get all the details:
http://langa.com/plus.htm

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1) Malware Boot Camp For All

You may find this useful to give to the less experienced who don't really understand viruses, worms, etc... http://www.cknow.com/vtutor/  ---Barry Thompson

Thanks, Barry. While I agree with you that the tutorial is a good introduction to the subject of malware, it's also a good refresher even for more-experienced users. Definitely worth the time to click through--- thanks for the tip!

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2) Laptop Dust, Redux

This is definitely one of the more unusual applications of ladies' hosiery...

Just a quick note on your article about dust with laptops. I've been using a piece of nylon pantyhose which I tape in place over the air intake for the fan. The hose is thin enough that it doesn't restrict airflow to an appreciable degree and it is easy to clean- just pull and snap the dust off (Provided you've taped it well enough that the tape will stay secured) ---Matt

I wonder how many spam filters are going nuts right now, trying to parse "pantyhose snapping" in the context of computer cooling fans? 8-)

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3) Saving Complete Web Pages

Hi Fred, I'd like to share a little trick I've been holding.  I hesitated writing about this because I figured everybody must already know it. It seems so obvious, yet I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

For various reasons, I like to save some web pages to my hard drive. I don't republish them or anything like that.  Some things are just good to keep handy.  However, some sites don't allow me to save their pages.  I am able to print the page, but I don't want to do that; I want it on my hard drive.

I used to highlight all of the text on a page I couldn't save. Then I'd copy it, and paste it into a text document.  It wasn't pretty, but it worked.  One day I realized that if I could print a page, I could "print" it with one of those cool, free, virtual PDF printer programs like pdf995 ( http://www.pdf995.com/ ) or CutePDF-Writer http://www.CutePDF.com (no watermark on this second one).  Now I can have a nice looking replica of a web page on my computer.

Also, there have been times I've saved a web page that was an online receipt and I haven't gotten all of the information because of a width restriction (I know they usually say to PRINT the receipt).  Using the "landscape" mode for the virtual pdf printer ensures I record everything.

Thanks for producing a terrific resource for the online community. When I've been asked where I have learned a particular computer fact or tip, many times, "The Langalist" is my answer.---Dan Cross

Thanks, Dan! We've also discussed several other PDF tools (eg: http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=pdf&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 , with more in the Plus! edition).

And for standard Windows installations, with IE and Outlook Express installed, there's a "save as type... *.mht" option in IE's "File/Save As" menu that also provides copies of web pages with everything (graphics, links, everything) all in one file. See http://langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-02-24.htm#2 for more info.

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4) A "Hijack" That Really Isn't

Dear Fred, I am a long time Plus subscriber, congrats on a fine publication. For more than 2 years my Emachine, 500id has served me free of trouble. Last week I got a CD program from DK,: History of the World. In the installation it said that it needed Quicktime to run and installed it. After installation I tried to look at Jpegs that I had saved to a floppy. Prior to the Quicktime installation the icons for these jpegs was an IE big "E" logo icon, after the installation all the icons were a big "Q" logo type as though Quicktime had hi-jacked my jpegs,  And I could still see the pictures in full screen. then something went wrong and trying once again to see my photos from the floppy I noticed that all the "Q" icons were now gone and in their place was the generic MS icon that appears at startup just prior to completed loading before they change to their respective logos. I now can't show my pictures in full screen, they will show in preview size only. I re-installed the DK program that had originally installed Quicktime but it did not cure the problem. I then went to Quicktime.com and tried to download Quicktime 6.0 but it said that it could not load the uninstaller because of an unknown machine error. How do i go back to when IE would show my jpegs in full screen in addition to previews? Any help, such as pointing me to some thing I can read, or whatever would be highly appreciated. thanks & regards: ted parrott

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5) Excellent Advice From A Reseller

Dear Fred, I enjoy your newsletter. The problem is I was born in the great depression and my 22 trillion brain synapses have been occupied. I wish I could remember everything you write.

On a more serious note. I have been a computer reseller for 14 years. I try to sell an APC voltage regulated battery backup to anyone who will listen. Here is some information on the battery problem. First it is not necessary to by a new battery backup when the battery fails. They are easy to replace. In fact, they can be replaced while the system is live which would be the case for servers.

Batteries can last 10 years with proper care. My last sailboat battery, a deep cycle Surrette, lasted 10 years. Overcharging kills batteries. The manufacturers save money by using a low cost charging system which does not turn off when the battery is fully charged. I advise everyone to practice safe charging. When you are finished computing for the day, turn off the monitor and CPU with their respective switches. Then turn off the APC. The next day when you want to begin computing, turn on the APC, and wait for the green light. This will prevent false battery alarms to ring when the battery gets weak because the APC has to supply power to the computer while it is powering up the charging circuit. Then turn on the monitor and CPU. This will extend the battery life by a couple of years depending on the ratio of on and off times.

Printers should not be plugged into a battery backup, but rather should connect to a surge protector which some higher end APC's have built into the battery backup or to a separate unit. The phone line should also pass through the protection device. I have replaced many modems fried by a lightning surge. Yours truly, Theophilos Kuliopulos

Good info, thanks! Also, some of the better UPSes and surge protectors offer protection for networks, too, with in and out sockets for standard network cables. Ideally, power, phone and LAN lines should *all* be protected so as not to leave an unguarded back door through which a spike could reach --- and fry--- your PC!

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6) Last Days To "Recommend And Win"

At the end of the month, July 31, I'll choose another monthly winner of one of three FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS to the LangaList Plus! edition given each month. (If your name is drawn and you're already a Plus! subscriber, your current subscription will be extended by a full year.)

To have a shot at winning, just use the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you just may win a FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION! (Full details also available via this link): http://langa.com/recommend.htm

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7) Another "Wrong Way LAN Default"

Fred, Re: Wrong-Way Default Settings For Small LANs ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-06-28.htm#4 ), to prevent adding items to the "My Network Places" section and causing a long delay during refresh:

Disable Recent Shares in Network Places (Windows 2000/XP) This restriction stops remote shared folders from being added to Network Places whenever you open a document in the shared folder.
http://www.winguides.com/registry/display.php?id=1045

Also, consider this option:
Start/Control Panel/Folder Options (or Start/Control Panel/Appearances and Themes/Folder Options)
View Tab
Files and Folders
uncheck "Automatically search for network folders and printers"

I saw one XP PC that had an FTP site listed in the "My Network Places" because they had visited that ftp site once.  Now every time Windows XP seemed to refresh the ftp logon.  SLOW....  In this case just delete the ftp pointer from My Network Places.

Keep up the great newsletter. John Freeman

Nice, John, Thanks! The "Automatically search for network folders and printers" hasn't been a problem here on my LAN, so I hadn't really thought about it. But yes, I can see how that could be a huge time-waster in different circumstances. Good tip!

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8) They Loaded The Code

Do you have a home page or website? (It doesn't matter what size.) Please click over to http://langa.com/code.htm , and maybe you can join the hundreds and hundreds of LangaList readers who have "Loaded the Code!" (If you've already "Loaded The Code" and are wondering if your site will appear here or on the Langa.Com web site, please see
http://langa.com/link.txt )

Speaking of which: Here's another eclectic sample of reader sites--- some professional, some very personal:

View A Randomly-Chosen Reader Site
http://langa.com/randomlink.htm

Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At
http://langa.com/readersites.htm

Tech Shop
http://www.the-techshop.com/

DietWords
http://dietwords.com/

HerbaLife
http://herbal-nutrition.net/healthierwayoflife

Fine Me (locate someone)
http://www.findme.karlsforums.com/

RocketMan's weblog
http://blog.gethookedup.com.au/

Churches of Junction City, Kansas
http://www.jcchurches.net/shared.html

Andrews Home Page
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.tunnicliff/index1/index1.html

AllTime Clock Service
http://www.alltimeclockservice.com/

One State Street Toastmasters (BC)
http://www.osst.us/home.htm

Chris-Donni
http://www.chris-donni.com/index.html

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--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) ---

Fred's Reference Shelf--- And Up To 20% Discounts!

Check out computer-related books
personally selected and recommended by Fred Langa
and available at Amazon.COM's deepest discounts!

http://langa.com/books.htm

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9) "Great Freeware"

Hi Fred, I wanted to let you and your readers know about great site I found at  http://downloads.csnnow.com/ It has the a ton of information on the site and on the page above it has the Top 5 free downloads for the month that he just started doing. I downloaded every one of them as they were all great freeware products. I am a long-time Langa reader and always will be and I thought this would be something of interest to your readers. Thanks, JJ Street

Thanks, JJ!

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10) Just For Grins

In space, maybe no one can hear you scream... but there's sure a lot of radio noise out there:

Hi, Fred. Here's http://www.spacesounds.com/  With your apparent interest in "things space," I think you will like this one...  Even the intro is worth a listen, and there are lots of soundbites thereafter (I only skimmed the surface). ---Len

Cook, Len, thanks!

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

• Treatment For Invisible IE Windows
     (get rid of those off-screen popups)
• More On Sound Emulation
     (help run old software--- even games--- in XP)
• "Remove Directory"
     (power-user tricks with this potent command)

DID YOU KNOW that Plus! subscribers have access to over 100,000 additional words in special features, extra content and private links, all on a private web site? All that, plus 30% more content in every issue, for just a dollar a month!

Full Plus! Edition info: http://langa.com/plus.htm 

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(Give a gift subscription to the LangaList Plus edition!
Click <a href= " http://langa.com/plus_gift.htm ">here</a>)

See you next issue, 2004-08-16!

Best,

Fred
( Editor@Langa.Com )

Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win a prize!)

An easier-to read formatted HTML version is available in the "Current Issue" section of http://langa.com.  (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [UT-5] of the issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available at the Langa.Com site.

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