SLO BYTES PC USER'S GROUP NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER, 1987 CLUB INFORMATION The SLO BYTES Newsletter is a monthly publication of SLO BYTES of the Central Coast of California (San Luis Obispo) an IBM/compatible personal computer user's group. Information found in this Newsletter is derived from magazine articles, manuals, books, other PC user group newsletters, and our own members. The purpose of this publication is to inform our members of meetings, their program content, and other information related to the use of IBM-PC's and compatible computers. Dues to SLO BYTES are $18 per year. As a member you will receive a membership card, an updated membership list, SLO BYTES monthly newsletter, and free use of our Public Domain Library. Contributors are asked to submit articles for the next issue by the 15th of each month either in writing or on disk (ASCII format preferred). Address all correspondence to SLO BYTES PC USER'S GROUP, % Bob Ward, 2100 Andre' Ave., Los Osos, Ca. 93402. Phone 8am-5pm 756-2164, after 5pm - (805)528-0121. Other user's groups have permission to publish any material found in this newsletter. Have a computer related item to sell? Tell the editor and we will put it in our newsletter. For further information call Bob Ward @ (805)528-0121 eves. ****************************************************** Meetings are held the 1st Thursday of every month, unless noted otherwise in the newsletter calendar, at 7:15 pm. New users SIG 6:15 to 7:15 pm. Meeting place: Cal Poly University Biology Department, Science North, Room 215. ****************************************************** DI$COUNT$-DI$COUNT$-DI$COUNT$-DI$COUNT$-DI$COUNT$ Discounts usually apply only to regularly priced merchandise. Ask a salesman to make sure. You must present your membership card to receive a discount. Paradise Computers 5% - all computers, peripherals, 441 Marsh St. and software. San Luis Obispo 10% - Ribbons, paper, disks & 544-7127 other expendable items. Star Computers 5% - any software in stock. 655 Morro Bay Blvd. Morro Bay 10% - paper, ribbons, cable & 772-7827 other supplies. Computer Logic 10% - off list - all computers, 973 Foothill Blvd. software, computer periphe- Store #4 rals and products. Contact San Luis Obispo Bruce, Paul, or Dave for 544-8347 your discount. WITCO Computers 10% - off already discounted 3563 Sueldo, application software. Building B Special prices on group San Luis Obispo purchases of peripherals. 549-0811 FISBOSA Systems 10% - off packaged systems, soft- 3121 S.Higuera, F ware &/or peripherals when San Luis Obispo purchased with system. Con- 549-9027 tact Lynne Boisen. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ CALENDAR ************* DUE TO SCHEDULING CONFLICTS OUR NEW USER'S MEETING WILL BE HELD IN SCI N 202 (6:15-7PM). OUR REGULAR MEETING WILL BE HELD IN 215 @ 7:15) ************* December 3rd Display your favorite public domain software. Members are asked to spend a few minutes demonstrating their favorite utility, game, etc. We ask that everyone participate. Give us your 5 minutes. We will also be having our Christmas Swap meet at this time. (see separate article) Election of officers for those brave volunteers. President, V.P #1 & #2, secretary and treasurer are up for grabs. If you would like to be nominated for one of these positions let us know by the next meeting. Computer Raffle + other software raffles from SLO BYTES Holiday party - refreshments. January 7th Were working on it.. a new year and all that! ====================================================== $$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$ Microsoft Multifunction Card. 256K (max'ed out).. $100 Game Port Adapter (half card) ................... $ 20 Call Rick Racouillat @ 544-7755 (eves) $$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$-4SALE-$$ POSTPONING THE INEVITABLE DATA LOSS By Rod Edgar Reprinted from UCLA PCUG (8/87) - Article from Phoenix PC UG DO FREQUENT BACKUPS The best way of preventing data loss on your hard disk is to copy the data prior to the loss of the hard disk. Suppress the "it can't happen to my hard disk" feeling. Diskettes are dirt cheap compared to the man-hour cost of replacing your hard disk data. Your hard disk cannot last forever. It will eventually lose data. Be prepared to restore the data. REWRITE THE DIST TO LESSEN DAMMAGE DOS writes files in clusters scattered around the disk. Gather these clusters into a tighter group by using Disk Optomizer or some similar program. While the idea of these programs is to increase your disk access speed, a side benefit is; this reduces the chances of more than one file being lost if a sector goes bad (and reduces the chaining vectors of the file allocation table). KEEP TRACK OF BAD TRACTS When you find a bad spot on your disk, don't ignore it; reserve it by giving it a file name you'll never use. This ensures your disk doesn't end up trying to use this spot. MAKE A BOOT DISKETTE Your hard disk may fail to work some early morning because one of the system files went bad. It is a good idea to create and keep a system diskette so you can boot up on the A: drive; it's quite possible most of the hard disk will still be usable, but you have to be able to boot up to find that out. RETRACT AND PARK THE DISK HEADS Retract and park the disk heads using the diagnostics to prepare your system for moving; if the heads are off the data area and your system is jostled, the data will not be disturbed. USE A SOLID BASE AND A STEADY TEMPER Put the hard disk on a solid table or desk; you want a supporting surface which minimizes vertical vibration and shock to your hard disk. Also, resist the temptation to beat your computer; retaliating by throwing heavy objects at a misbehaving computer does not help, and bumping the computer may cause the heads to touch the disk surface. CONTROL COMPUTER USE Finally, keep unauthorized persons from access to the computer; lock up your keyboard and lock up the room where your computer is located. This reduces the chances of some shadowy character mugging your PC. ====================================================== BEGINNERS' NOTES By Sally Shaw Reprinted from Boca Bits - August, 1987 Knowing a little about hardware and software can save you a bunch of money. Sooner or later your computer may need some common-sense maintenance. Maintenance falls into three categories: normal hardware care, software tips, and what to do it your computer quits or acts unusual. Hardware is the physical equipment: the monitor, keyboard, printer, processor, and modem (if you have one). Here are some maintenance tips. 1. On the latch-door-type disk drive, use your thumb to push the top to open and the bottom to close, If a holding pin jumps out, put the pin back in and gently lever the door back into its clips. 2. Keep food and drinks away from your computer. It is easy to spill stuff on your keyboard or diskettes and not as easy to clean. 3. Buy a surge protector to protect your computer against lightening strikes on the power lines. With all the winter storms, many a computer has bought the farm. Also, you can buy surge protectors for your telephone line if you have a modem. Telephone lines struck by lightening will fry a modem. 4. Do not move a computer with a hard drive without first parking the heads. You can lose your data. Reformatting is no fun. 5. Keep it clean. To clean the screen or keyboard, spray window cleaner on a rag, not on the computer. In a dusty environment cover your computer (an old sheet works great) when you're not using it. Dust can enter the vents to form a blanket of grime on the micro chips. The internal fan is there to help keep the chips cool. 6. When you are not using your computer, leave the disk drive open. This will keep the read-write heads from banging into each other. Shutting the door will not keep out significant amounts of dust. 7. Do not smoke around a computer. Smoke leaves a film on disks and electronic parts. This film must be physically scraped from electronic contacts. 8. There are inexpensive disk drive head cleaning kits. If you choose to use a kit, be aware that some kits have sightly abrasive cleaning materials. I clean drive heads about three times a year or when I have a hair caught in the drive. A cotton swab and a touch of alcohol works pretty well. Software is the programs kept on electronic media - your diskettes. Humbly and with experience, I offer this advice: 1. If you spill a soft drink on a diskette or take it for a walk in the rain, try blow drying it on CONT --------> (BEGINNERS) a cool setting to dry out the dust jacket on the inside. When it's dry, back it up and discard it if it's sticky. 2. Do not leave diskettes in a hot car. They really warp! 3. Back up your programs and hard disk often. A little extra effort saves many a heart rending loss by FPL (Frequent Power Loss). 4. Ask before you buy a program. What kind of computer will it run on? What operating system and version does it need? What kind of monitor does it require? What is the return policy if it does not work? Do you have a computer here so I can try it before I leave the store? (Bring a DOS disk and some blanks.) It is better to ask than to be sorry later. 5. Try to keep disks away from magnets and anything that has magnetic fields like the top of a monitor or a magnetized screwdriver. This is called degaussing (or erasing magnetically) a disk. What do you do if a computer acts goofy? Before you take it to be serviced, try some of the tricks that the service people use: 1. Make sure all cables and cords are plugged in. Wiggle the cable gently to check for a bad connection. 2. Turn on your monitor. You'd be surprised how many people forget to turn it on and, when they don't see anything, think the computer is not working. 3. Check to see if you need to reset your household or surge protector circuit breakers. 4. If you turn off the computer, wait 20 to 30 seconds before turning it on again. Do not be alarmed if it warms up slowly (especially if you have just added more memory). Some computers do a slowbooting, self-diagnostic check, too. 5. Is the display intermittent? Does it act better if you cool it off? A loose or bad chip may be your culprit. Turn off your computer. Unscrew the case-holding screws on the back and remove the cover. Press the chips down into their sockets with moderate pressure. The cracking sound you hear is the result of heat causing the pins to spread, sometimes walking their way out of the socket contacts. A hot chip sometimes means that it is burning out. If you find that this does not help, try a service center. One or more burned out chips can be easily replaced. Make sure all internal cables are connected before closing it up. (the stripe on the ribbon type goes up or towards the front of the computer.) 6. Does your monitor squeal? Maybe your kids have discovered the knobs. I have also been known to whop a noisy monitor with success. 7. If you have added memory or a color board, did you reset the internal switches? The switch settings are found in the Guide to Operations. 8. Try the diagnostic disk in your Operations manual. After all, that's one of the first (NEXT PAGE) (BEGINNERS) things your service center will do. Pinpointing service problems can save a lot of arguments, time, and money. 9. Unscrew the top holding screw to remove interface cards from the back slots. Use a clean eraser to gently clean corroded leads. (Remember, your computer should be off when you get inside it!) There is less danger of getting shocked then there is of a static charge crashing a chip. 10. Read your warranty about getting into your computer. Some warranties are void upon entry. On the other hand, some are out of date anyway. These guidelines will not cure all your service problems, but the more you know about your computer, the less intimidating it will become. (Remember how nervous you were when you first learned to drive a car?) You don't even have to be very mechanical to follow the ideas above. No one wants to feel foolish by hearing, "Ya' just had a loose cable, lady. That'll be fifteen dollars." Take care of your computer to protect your investment, your programs, and valuable data. ====================================================== ====================================================== || || || || || 5 1/4" FLOPPY DISKS 4-SALE || || || || @ || || || || THE MEETING || || || || DSDD UNFORMATTED GENERIC 360K || || with labels, tabs, and tyvek sleeves || || || || 1-9 ....... $.80 || || 10+ ....... $.75 || || || || HIGH DENSITY DISKS 1.2 MEG ...... $1.25 ea || || || || NEW LIBRARY DISKS ......... $.90 ea || || || || PRINTER RIBBONS FOR EPSON MX or FX SERIES || || || || NARROW CARRIAGE.. $3.00 WIDE CARRIAGE..$4.00 || || || ====================================================== BITS 'N BYTES *** Many thanks to Pat Farley, Carl Wallace, and others for the recent programs donated to the library. *** Because of the large number of new members, please copy no more than 10 disks at one sitting if someone is waiting in line. A message will be posted on each computer as a reminder. *** Have a modem and want access to a large number of PC programs --- free! Call SLO PC-FILE TRANSFER @ 549-1749 (1200-8-N-1) for downloading and uploading. This board was set up by Steve Flaherty for file transfer, not messages among computerholics. *** I spoke with ComputerLand in SLO and was informed that anyone buying an IBM PS/2 from them may take 5 1/4" disks into them, borrow their PS/2 model 30 and transfer programs onto a 3 1/2" format. You will have to do the transfers yourself and they do request you keep the number of transfers within reason (3-6 disks, maybe 8 with a smile). Contact Dave Knoch. If you didn't buy it from them you're still out of luck for now. *** Note that FISBOSA has moved to a new location where they can adequately display their computers, software, and peripherals. Drop by and say "HI" to Lynne or Mel at 3121 S. Higuera, suite F. ====================================================== ELECTION OF OFFICERS We will be voting on new officers at the December meeting. The following individuals have come forth or been persuaded into being placed in nomination for the vote. We will also take nominations from the floor at the meeting. Don't let them run unopposed, become involved in YOUR club! PRESIDENT: George Campbell VICE PRESIDENT: John Read TREASURER: John Rhode SECRETARY: Bob Ward Officers have the following duties either found in our by-laws or by tradition: PRESIDENT: Chair the meeting, sign any official documents of the club, including membership cards. VICE PRESIDENT: take the place of the president when absent. Help the treasurer collect money during the meeting. TREASURER: receive and deposit all monies in an account in the name of SLO BYTES. The treasurer is to maintain proper books and records which are open to the membership for inspection. The treasurer will sign club checks and pay for any debts incurred by SLO BYTES out of the club account. SECRETARY: Draft correspondence between SLO BYTES, other clubs, and computer businesses and/or individuals. Compose, write and mail the monthly newsletter to the membership. Each paid member of SLO BYTES will have one vote to cast for each office at the meeting. ====================================================== COMINGS AND GOINGS Our many thanks to Britt Morris for the interesting discussion and display of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Windows is an extension of the DOS operating system allowing the operator to integrate the different tasks performed on a computer, thus increasing efficiency. Windows has several desk top applications including a notepad, calculator, clock, and cardfile. This coming month is a potpourri of events, all relating to computers, of course! Want to sell something? Bring it to the next meeting and show us what you have to sell. Yes, you buyers, don't forget your check book. This is a good time for one man's trash to become another's treasure. This will also be the month to show the rest of the group what public domain software you like the most. Last year we did this and sparked much interest among the audience. "Wow, I didn't know we had that in our library", was a statement by many. Even if it is public domain but not in our library, bring it and show us anyway. Let's have more than the 2 or 3 individuals we had last year show off their favorite software! Don't forget the raffle! No I don't think we will run out of tickets for the computer. I counted 149 remaining at the publication of this newsletter. We will not go beyond the initial 500 tickets though should we run out. For those attending, we will have door prizes including floppy disks, a membership for a year, games, and the latest Norton Utilities. VOTE ! VOTE ! VOTE ! New officers are on the agenda. Because of their many other activities, neither Byron Smith, Dick Trueman, or Ray Miklas will not be seeking re-election as president, v.p. or treasurer this coming year. (I'd probably take a rest too, if someone would like to publish the newsletter next year!). Our many thanks and gratitude to both Byron and Ray for a job well done over the past two years and to Dick who has served this past year as 2nd v.p. (Dick will remain librarian of the PC-MAGAZINE disk which is updated monthly). And to keep you all happy, refreshments will be served at our December meeting. Now tell me, could you ask for more? And if you could, don't tell me, join the Apple user's group! ====================================================== AT Battery Replacement Ever have to replace the lithium battery in your IBM- AT? At a cost of $33.00 I wasn't sure I wanted to, even though my date and time was stuck on November 3rd, 11:36 am. Then I remembered the slick little battery case FISBOSA uses on their AT compatibles. No, not an expensive $33.00 state-of-the-art lithium battery; how about four AA alkaline batteries. For a fraction of the cost they will sell you the holder (4- AA batteries) and connector to your AT mother board. As an extra precaution I secured the battery case to the backside of my computer with hot glue rather than mounting it inside the computer. A leaky battery could be devastating to the computer's motherboard. It's imperative the polarity be correct when reinstalling the new battery. On my computer, the red wire was positive (+) and attached to the four prong connector on the motherboard farthest from the computer power supply. The voltages don't quite match up; a fresh lithium battery registering 6.8 volts while 4 AA's at 1.5 volts will only deliver 6 volts. The 0.8 volts must not be significant as "the computer takes a licking and keeps on ticking", to steal a phrase from a less expensive time piece. also the alkaline batteries will not last as long as the lithium battery, but so what, you have to run the AT setup program at least twice a year anyway to adjust for daylight and standard time. ====================================================== NEW MEMBERS WELCOME to the following new members: DAVID PIERCE 461-9669 SANDY RAKESTRAW 543-5202 SHIRLEY SMITH 466-4075 JEFF NADEL 541-6698 AVERIL CHATFIELD 239-0841 ANDY PROCTOR 544-8636 TIM SZYDLOWSKI 541-4661 T. BUCKLEY 466-0985 PHILIP AMBORN 544-0517 Make sure you received your membership card and new membership manual. If we forgot, lets us know at the meeting. Meanwhile, thanks for joining us and welcome aboard! ======================================================