A message from the President:
Check your mailing label. If it is highlighted in blue, either your dues are overdue or are due at the October 14 meeting. Please pay them either at the meeting or by mailing them to Richard Coop at 2645 Apperson Way North 46901. Make checks payable to THE KOKOMO IBM PC USERS GROUP. The dues are $10 per year per family. Our treasury is stable but our membership is dwindling.
On the subject of membership, there are two main reasons why members quit: they aren’t getting what they want from our meetings or they have learned all they need to know to effectively utilize their computers. A lot of computers are bought for specific purposes and when the user is familiar with the procedures they need, they don’t care about all the other wonderful things their computer can do. It’s like buying a car to drive back and forth to work, once you know the basics, you don’t need to learn to change the oil, read a map or check the timing. Just drive it and keep putting in gasoline. Never mind that it can take you all the way to Alaska or Mexico, that’s not why you bought it.
I offer my congratulations to those of you who have learned all you need to know about your computers and are not renewing your dues, but for those of you who want to learn more please pay your dues and let us know what subjects you’d like to see at future meetings.
We are very fortunate to have three current officers who are willing to continue to serve through the year 2000: Richard Coop as Treasurer, Jerry Henry as Editor of the Newsletter and Larry Thompson as President. We need someone to Publish and Distribute the Newsletter, a Vice-President to line up speakers for next year and someone to replace Rodney Malkoff as Member Services officer.
The office of Club Director will probably just be abandoned. As club officers, you will be expected to attend Officer’s Meetings 9 days prior to each regular meeting to discuss upcoming events and help guide the future of our group. We need volunteers for these offices. Remember, that’s how I became President.
We had 15 members and 5 guests for Debra Beheler’s presentation on Using Your PC As A Genealogical Research Tool. It was well presented and there was a lively question and answer session.
Let’s remember to patronize and recommend Staples Offices Supplies.
For our October Meeting, Dave Ramos will teach us interesting and surprising things about the Internet. I hope to see you there.
Larry L. Thompson-Group President
Directory Trees From Explorer
When you need a printout of a directory structure. TreePrint can get the job done.
Remember the old DOSprogramTREE. COM? It displayed the directory and file
structure, and you could pipe the output to a file or printer. TREE.COM was never
updated to support long filenames, and it disappeared with Microsoft Windows 95.
A new free utility, TreePrint, is a replacement for TREE.COM that you can access from within Windows Explorer. Right-click on a folder and use the TreePrint menu to print the directory tree or save it to a file, starting at the point where the mouse cursor is when you click. There are also options that let you control the number of levels shown, the amount of indentation for each level, whether to include the file-names, and whether the
tree is sorted alphabetically. TreePrint is especially useful for documentiong the contents of archive media such as CD-R disks.
TreePrint runs under Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT4. An article abouhow to use TreePrint and how it was written is available on-line at at www.pcmag.com/utilities. A link to download the utility and its VisualC++ source code can also be found there.
How to use the utility:
1. To access the TreePrint menu, right click on a folder in Windows Explorer. You
can then print the directory tree or save it to a file, starting at this point.
2. Select TreePrint! Options to bring up the Options dialog. From here you can
control the number of levels to be shown, the amount of identation for each level,
whether to include file-names, and whether the tree is to be sorted alphabetically.
If you don’t include file-names. TreePrint will list only sub-directories.
This utility is copyrighted by PC Magazine and use is subject to the terms and conditions of the license distributed with the program.
Ed Danley
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INSPIRE
Inspire is a comprehensive periodical database, which includes full text articles. Indiana residents using any PC equipped with an internet connection and a Web Browser such as Netscape or MS Internet Explorer can access this information free of charge.
Indiana residents who use AOL, Compuserve and other out-of-state service providers will be able to apply online for an Inspire Digital Certificate. See the inspire website for additional information.
http://www.inspire-indiana.net
Select EBSCOhost interface
Choose Version 3
Select one (or more) of the 15 different databases that appear by clicking in the box to the left of the title. After a database has been chosen, click on Enter at the top or bottom of the page
Several different ways of searching are available. They include Keyword Search, Natural Language, Browse Magazines and Browse Subjects. The most common way of searching is by keyword. Select method of search.
Searching can be limited to full text articles: click once in the "full-text only" box.
Type in search terms and click on "get results."
Jerry Henry
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NEW VIRUS DETECTED
The detection of a new virus last week on at least 500 computers in eight countries--
primarily in financial institutions--raised the specter once again of an end-of-millennium
deluge of virus activity.
Avert, the research arm of antiviruses vendor Network Associates Inc., which monitors security threats, gave the Thursday virus a high-risk rating because the infection doesn’t spread through E-mail. Instead it has managed to spread rapidly through several banks and financial institutions on infected documents passed between unprotected machines.
Network Associates say the Thursday virus turns off the virus-warning features in Word 97. On its "trigger date," December 13, when a Word document is opened, the virus will attempt to delete all files on a user’s hard drive.
Other antivirus vendors down-play the seriousness of the Thursday virus. "We don’t think this will spread like a Melissa," says Narendar Mangalem, antivirus product manager at Computer Associates, referring to a recent E-mail virus. Mangalam says Computer Associates has found that most antivirus programs that have heuristic-detection mechanisms will pick up on a non self-replicating virus automatically and can stop the virus from spreading.
Mangalam has been an increase in date-triggered viruses such as the Thursday virus and the recent discovered Christmas virus, whjich is programmed to activate on December 25. Mangalam also notes that rumors are circulating in underground chat rooms that a new set of year 2000 bugs could be in the works, causing systems to look as if year 2000 updates haven’t been made. This was taken from a report by Elleen Colkin.
R. W. Coop
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REALJUKEBOX
With RealJukebox, recording a CD on your PC is as easy as playing a CD on your CD
player. You can listen to CDs as you record them, then play them back from your PC
anytime.
To Record A CD:
1. Insert a CD into your CD-ROM drive. If you’re connected to the Internet, RealJukebox finds the CD information (artist, title, genre, and track names) for you.
2. If you choose automatic record during setup, your CD begins recording automatically. If not, click the Record button. All recorded tracks are saved in the Music Library.
3. If you have not selected automatic record, click the record button to begin recording the CD.
4. Use RealJukebox’s Check Boxes to select which tracks you want to play or record. Realjukebox skips unchecked tracks for both recording and playback. (Check boxes appear only in the Record/Play CD screen.
Note: To automatically play your CDs while recording, turn on "Start Playback with
Record" in the Options menu under Peferences...General. To record your CD without playing it, turn off "Start Playback With Record," or just click the Play button to disable playback. You can also select automatic playback and record under Preferences...General.
To Play A CD:
1. Insert a CD into the CD drive on your computer. If you’re connected to the Internet, RealJukebox finds the CD information (artist, title, genre, and track names) for you.
2. If you’ve chosen the automatic play option in Preferences under "General," your CD begins playing automatically. If not, click the Play button.
Jerry Henry
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TIP OF THE DAY
When you install Windows 9x, it asks for your name. From that point on, the computer recognizes the entered name as the
official registered owner. Here's how to change it: Launch the Registry Editor (regedit). Drill down to and click on
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version.
In the right pane, find the RegisteredOwner entry and double-click on it. In the Value Data box of the Edit String dialog that pops up, change the name to whatever you wish and click on the OK button. To change the company name, repeat the procedure for the RegisteredOrganization entry.
Norman Ogle
GRAPHIC DETAILS
The Web is loaded with sites and pages that have graphic images. Communicator displays JPEG and GIF images, two of the most commonly found, but many graphic file formats don't natively display on it.
You'll need an inline plug-in or helper app to display formats such as BMP, PBM, PGM, or TIFF. Some of the helpers you can use with Communicator include LView Pro, VuePrint, ViewDirector, or ACDSee.
One of the best sources for information about helper applications is the Stroud site. Follow the links to the Graphics Viewers page for the system you use. There's information about all kinds of graphics
viewers. Start here:
http://cws.internet.com/inx.html
Jerry Henry
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ABORT_RETRY_IGNORE
as read to Poe's The Raven....The author is unknown.
Once upon a midnight dreary, fingers cramped and vision bleary, System manuals piled high and wasted paper on the floor,
Longing for the warmth of bedsheets,
Still I sat there, doing spreadsheets: Having reached the bottom line, I took a floppy from the drawer. Typing with a steady hand, I then invoked the SAVE command
But got instead a reprimand: it read "Abort, Retry, Ignore."
Was this some occult illusion? Some maniacal intrusion? These were choices Solomon himself had never faced before.
Carefully, I weighed my options.
These three seemed to be the top ones.
Clearly, I must now adopt one: Choose Abort, Retry, Ignore.
With my fingers pale and trembling,
Slowly toward the keyboard bending,
Longing for a happy ending, hoping all would be restored, Praying for some guarantee Finally I pressed a key -
But on the screen what did I see?
Again: "Abort, Retry, Ignore."
I tried to catch the chips off-guard -
I pressed again, but twice as hard.
Luck was just not in the cards.
I saw what I had seen before.
Now I typed in desperation
Trying random combinations
Still there came the incantation:
Choose: Abort, Retry, Ignore.
There I sat, distraught, exhausted, by my own machine accosted
Getting up I turned away and paced across the office floor.
And then I saw an awful sight:
A bold and blinding flash of light -
A lightning bolt had cut the night and shook me to my very core.
I saw the screen collapse and die
"Oh no - my database," I cried.
I thought I heard a voice reply,
"You'll see your data Nevermore."
To this day I do not know
The place to which lost data goes.
I bet it goes to heaven where the angels have it stored.
But, as for productivity, well
I fear that it goes straight to hell.
And that's the tale I have to tell.
Your choice: Abort, Retry, Ignore.
TOP 10 REASON TO BUY WINDOWS
98
1.Windows 98 is newer, so it must be better!
2.It will prepare you for the upgrade to Windows 2000!
3.It will wipe that dirty little Netscape right off your system.
4.Good excuse to buy the RAM and that bigger hard drive you've been wanting.
5.Bill Gates promises to expose himself in front of Janet Reno.
6.It will be on all new computers and vendor contracts. You will have no choice.
7.Pesky Windows 95 error messages replaced by more pleasing-to-the-eye Windows 98 error messages.
8.Cheating is allowed in Windows 98 Solitaire.
9.Once you have Windows 98, you can buy all new Microsoft Office software to go with it!
10.Bill Gates could really use the money.
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Larry Thompson, 457-5622
Vice-President Ross Jordan 457-4894
Treasurer Richard Coop Sr., 459-8731
Member Services Rodney Malkoff, 453-1159
Director Paul Mays, 219-626-2689
Newsletter Editor Jerry Henry 453-4144
Newsletter Distribution Ed Danley, 453-7004
Group WWW site http://www.iquest.net/kokopc
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This Month’s User Bucks
Ed Danley $1
Jerry Henry $1
R. W. Coop $1
Norman Ogle $1
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Newsletter editor Jerry Henry
jhenry@netusa1.net 453-4144
Keep those articles coming in Word
Perfect, plain text, or Word. Notice this month I was really desperate near the end.
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