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Home networking--We'll
have a special edition in the next week or so about this topic.
This thing is long enough already.
GPS--next month.
The Happy 99 virus has been making the rounds again. It isn't really harmful, except that it attaches to e-mail you send to others and can infect their computers. It's not a good way to make friends. Removing it is pretty simple--you will only need to delete two files and rename two others. Go to Start/Find, click Files and Folders. Type in the Name blank *.ska. Make sure the computer is looking in the C: drive, click Find Now. If your computer has this virus two files should show up. Choose Edit/Select All, click the Delete button on your keyboard, and yes, you do want to delete them. Next close all open programs and click Start/Shut Down and click Restart in MS-DOS Mode, then Yes. Go to the Windows\System folder. (If the prompt says c:\windows, then type cd system and hit <enter>. This will change the directory, or folder, to windows\system.) At the c:\windows\system prompt, type dir wsock32.*, then hit <enter> Two files should be listed, wsock32.dll and wsock32.ska. Type rename wsock32.dll wsock32.dla (or whatever you want to name it, just so it's a unique name. Hit <enter>. Type rename wsock32.ska wsock32.dll <enter>. The Happy 99 virus renames your wsock32.dll file and replaces it with it's own version. We have just put the good one back. Type exit <enter> to get back into Windows.
Speaking of viruses, we have all gotten messages from well-meaning friends warning of a new virus that will do something disastrous to your computer. Many of the messages will say that the virus has no cure. Before forwarding that message and perpetuating a possible hoax, please check it out. One site that has good information on virus hoaxes is www.symantec.com/usability/0326hoax.html. Talk of a new virus is scary to most people, so any new one will be hyped on CNN or any network news program. By the time you hear about it in the news a cure will probably be posted by the top anti-virus manufacturers. See www.symantec.com for Norton and www.mcafee.com for McAfee anti-virus information. Back up your data regularly and use good virus protection measures and a nasty-sounding computer virus will probably have little effect on you.
What's happening with the Y2K problem? The news media are having a problem coming up with anything new to scare us with, so it isn't big news right now. One way to check your hardware for Y2K compliance is to stop in at Cyclone Computers for a free disk that contains a program that will check your computer hardware. It will tell you what steps you may need to take on January 1, 2000.
In the computers that we have checked, we have found very few that couldn't be set to the correct date; all of them were 486's or earlier, none were Pentiums. Even if you aren't able to set it to the correct date, if you aren't running date-sensitive software it may not matter what the date shows. It is extremely unlikely that your computer will become inoperable because of it. For more info see http://www.winmag.com/library/1999/0101/fea0061.htm
Remember that even though your computer hardware is OK, your operating system and software may not be. Check with your software manufacturer to be sure the date-sensitive software you are running is compliant. Microsoft is not supporting Windows 3.1 or 3.11 to be Y2K-OK. Windows 95 and 98 have some minor Y2K bugs, fixes for which can be found at Microsoft's website.
Following article written by Martin Sargent of ZDTV:
No matter what
search tool you use, you need to know how to refine your search
using tricks such as Boolean operators.
If I vainly want to search for my name and just go ahead and
write Martin Sargent in the Search box, the engine is going to
give me every website it can find that includes the words Martin
and Sargent somewhere within it. I might get pages about Martin
Lawrence, John Singer Sargent, or maybe even Dick Sargent from
Bewitched. If I type my name in quotes-- "Martin Sargent"--
most engines will only look for the exact phrase. Many search
engines offer an advanced search option that lets you search
on exact phrases by checking off a radio button.
Boolean operators add a little logic to your Web searches. They
consist of AND, OR, NOT, and other operators. The best way to
explain the Boolean brew is by example. So let's say I'm having
Leo Laporte over for dinner tonight and plan on cooking a quiche
(no jokes, please). Thing is, I need a new quiche recipe because
Leo hated my last one because of all the red onions in it. I
also want only one type of meat, because I'm getting fat.
So in the search box, I'd type:
recipe AND quiche AND (bacon OR ham) NOT "red onions"
What I'm looking for is a site that includes the words recipe
and quiche(signified by the AND) as well as either the words
bacon or ham (signified by the parenthetical OR statement) but
definitely not the words red onion (signified by the NOT in front
of the quote enclosed red onion [the quotes tell the engine to
not search for the words red and onion apart from each other]).
Get it? With many search engines, you can do the same thing with
+ and - signs.
So the search request would read:
+recipe +quiche +(bacon OR ham) - "red onions"
***************
Making it Easier
Some search engines take novel approaches to Web hunting. Ask
Jeeves, for example, is one of several sites that let you search
the Internet by writing questions the way you would ask someone
in a conversation. So if you spill catsup on your new white shirt
and want to find out how to remove it, you'd simply ask: "How
do I remove a catsup stain?"
Ask Jeeves has thousands of pre-written responses ready to go
that aren't available anywhere else on the Web. Though there's
no direct response for catsup stain removal, there is a description
of how to remove tomato stains as well as stains caused by 25
other substances.
Ask Jeeves isn't a total loss if there's no pre-written answer
to your question. The service also queries several external search
engines-- much like a metasearch engine does-- using the keywords
in your question.
Another fresh approach is Looksmart Live. If you're having trouble
finding something on the Web, you can ask the Looksmart editors
to help you. You give the editors a description of what you need
to find, submit your email address and they'll do their best
to find something for you within 24 hours.
Recently people have been talking about a search engine called
Google. In fact, some people, including Leo Laporte, swear by
it. Google uses a different search approach than other engines.
Using a complex mathematical algorithm, Google determines which
sites containing your search criteria are most relevant by calculating
how many people link to the sites. Therefore, the success of
the search depends on the tastes of the entire Internet community--
which can be a pretty good measure of a site's quality.
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As you probably already know the weather has not been very helpful lately...at least as far as computer equipment goes. We have had a large number of people who have gotten hit by lightening. It has been costly to many. Please invest in a good quality surge protector with modem protection. Look for one that offers a guarantee on its product and is willing to back it up. In order for the surge protector to have modem protection for computer it must have phone jack connections on it. Many times lightening or power surges can enter through the phone lines you use to connect to the internet. Another thing to look at is that NO surge protector will help you if the outlet you plug it in to is NOT a grounded outlet ! Some surge protectors will indicate if the outlet is grounded by lighting another indicator light on itself. So please make sure the outlet is grounded before plugging your computer into it and trusting it to make it through a storm.
FOR SALE UP FRONT !
APC Surge Protectors with modem protection $29.95 (Guaranteed by the manufacturer for $2,500)
Ink Cartridges for Hewlett Packard, Canon, Epson. We try to carry a wide selection. Stop in and see if we carry your cartridge. Prices are very competitive. Large quantities are no problem, but please call ahead and order them as we may be able to get you a price break for 6 or more of the same cartridge.
We also carry Disks & CD's:
| 100mb Zip Disks $11.95 | 10 pack of Zip disks $109.95 | |
| 10 of 3.5 Floppy Disks $6.50 | 10 of neon 3.5 Disks $7.99 | |
| Recordable CD's $2.59 each | ReWritable CD's $5.95 each |
Keyboards from $19.99 and Mice from $9.99 on up. They have become very reasonably priced lately, so don't put up with the sticky keys and buttons anymore!!
Classes for Windows 98 are in session. We are offering three skill levels to learn. They are: Active Desktop, Intermediate, & Advanced. Each class level takes about 2 1/2 hours to complete, with testing. This allows you to go at your own speed. If you would like to attend a class please call and schedule an appointment with me. (Cathy). The cost for all levels of classes will be $15.00 each. If you purchase a new computer, you will receive the Active Desktop class for free.
Classes for QuickBooks Pro 6.0 are also in session. There are three levels to QuickBooks too. They are: Beginning, Intermediate, & Advanced. These three take from 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours to complete. We are allowing 2 1/2 hour slots for you to learn at your own speed also. Classes are individually attended and you will need to schedule a time slot for a booth. The cost for all levels of these classes will be $15.00 each.
You can call for appointments at 712-852-2245, or email us at cyclone@ncn.net. We can confirm your time slot by return email if you would like. Or you can stop by and schedule a time. Our hours are from 11:00am to 5:30pm Monday through Friday. We will only be scheduling start times for classes until 3:30 p.m.
We have room for one person at our beginner's Internet class on June 21 at 7 p.m. If you are interested please call and reserve the spot. Each person will have his/her own computer terminal in the class. It will last approximately 2 1/2 hours and will cost $20.
See you soon,
Cathy
Thank You from Don, Cathy, and Lee
at
Cyclone Computers
1013 Broadway
Emmetsburg IA 50536
(712) 852-2245
email: cyclone@ncn.net
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Call Cathy at 852-2245 to schedule a time for training in Windows 98, the Internet, or Quickbooks. 1 seat available for Internet class Sept 21 @ 7 p.m. Call now. |
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Refurbished or used laptops are available. If you need to be mobile at a lower cost, this may be for you. We have used laptop carrying cases for only $20. |
Cyclone Computers is a dealer of high quality Jetta laptops. See them at www.jetta.com Stop in for a price quote. |
Cyclone Computers Website | Contact Cyclone Computers | Emmetsburg Website