Cloud Compuitng - the Future of Personal Computing?, Brian K. Lewis, PhD, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx, 1,499 words). You may not have heard of it, but "Cloud Computing" is the latest buzz-word in computing circles.

Concepts and Tools by Elizabeth B. Wright, Computer Club of OK City www.ccokc.org (approx. 1,059 words). One day in the near future, there will be no computer "beginners' at the adult level. The children born into the world as it is today are exposed to computers from conception. But while there are still older adults who want computer knowledge, someone has to be available to instruct them.

Face Time in the 21st Century by Lou Vitale, Macon County Users Group, North Carolina www.maconusersgroup.org (approx. 877 words. Person to person communication was pretty simple last century. Many important and amazing things happened without a single bit of digitized information. Lou tells us about a few ways that you can keep up-to-the-minute with your "friends" today.

Going Green by Jerry Grommes, Sandwich Computer Users Group, Illinois www.scug.org (approx. 451 words). During their June meeting, there was quite a discussion about whether to leave your computer on versus shutting it off when not in use. Jerry keeps his computer on 24/7 and shows how he dropped his power usage by changing a few settings. (Note from JT / The When to Turn Off Personal Computers info from the DOE goes along with this article).

IOGEAR Digital Scribe Review by Rebecca Feinstein, a technical writer and member of WINNERS (WINdows usERS), California www.windowsusers.org (approx. 796 words). Rebecca was thrilled when she found out there was a digital scribe product offered at a 35% discount after a recent WINNERS meeting. If you have wondered if this is a product for you, be sure to read her review.

iPhone for Boomers by Sandy Berger www.compukiss.com (approx. 848 words). According to the data from the International Communications Union, the world now has more than 2 billion cell phone or mobile phone subscribers. While the 20- and 30-somethings are flocking to the iPhone as the latest status symbol, the 40-, 50- and 60-somethings are acquiring iPhones because there are no tiny buttons and no complex menu systems.

Moving on to Vista - Part 9, Neil Stahfest, Tacoma Area PC User Group, WA www.tapcug.org (approx. 705 words). Another installment in Neil's Vista saga.

Prepare for Hard Drive Recovery, Bob Hudak, Greater South Bay User Group, CA www.gsbug.apcug.org (approx. 755 words). When you lose control of your computer due to a virus or some sort of malware, or your OS becomes corrupted for one reason or another be ready to fix the problem and Bob shows us some steps we can take to do this.

Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft by Marjie Tucker, Editor, Macon Computer User Group, Georgia www.mcug.org (approx. 838 words). Their group has had several programs and articles that mentioned ID theft, but she thought it might help to have one document with a checklist of symptoms and solutions for this horrific problem. Make certain that you are not a victim.

The New, the Best AND the Worst (July - August 2008), Pim Borman, SW Indiana PCUG http://swipcug.apcug.org (approx. 1,150 words). Pim takes a look at Picasa's web album and cloud computing.

Using CrossLoop to Troubleshoot and Control Remote Machines by Vinny LaBash, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 661 words). Third party Windows apps are rarely examined in his column, but CrossLoop is too good a utility to help you troubleshoot a computer for Vinny not write about it.

Elizabeth B. Wright - Wright599new(at)sbcglobal.net
Lou Vitale - Mug(at)maconusersgroup.org
Jerry Grommes - Ggrommes(at)indianvalley.com
Rebecca Feinstein - rebfein327(at)yahoo.com
Sandy Berger - sandy(at)compukiss.com
Neil Stahfest - ncstahfest(at)msn.com
Bob Hudak - uags(at)aol.com
Marjie Tucker - mcug(at)dnet.net
Dick Carricato - d_carricato(at)bellsouth.net
Bobx(at)hal-pc.org
Editor(at)orcopug.org
Iwilsker(at)apcug.net
Mike Moore - ml.moore(at)insightbb.com
Pim Borman - swipcug(at)gmail.com
Vlabash(at)Comcast.net
Helpbrcs(at)yahoo.com

Email Etiquette by John Roy, President, The PC Users Group of Connecticut, www.tpcug-ct.org (approx. 864 words).
Do you really know how to forward an e-mail? It is estimated that over 50% of email users do not know how to do it properly. We can't publish this info in our newsletters too many times - everyone needs to be educated on the importance of how to forward e-mails.

E-Mailing Photographs by Richard Kennon, Editor, Amador Computer Users Group, CA www.acug.net (approx. 1,198 words).
A good tutorial on how to make a photo e-mailable.

Firefox 3 - Hot New Browser by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; Radio and TV Show Host (approx. 1,290 words).
After a length wait, Mozilla has released the latest and greatest release of the very popular web browser, Firefox 3. This new release has many new features, making it a very strong competitor to Microsoft's ubiquitous browser, Internet Explorer.

For Anybody Who Has Thought About Trying Linux by Drew Kwashnak, Linux SIG Leader, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT www.dacs.org (approx. 993 words).
For anybody who has thought about trying Linux, it has become easier than ever before with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Hardy Heron. As with most Linux distributions, Ubuntu is available as a free download and is freely distributable.

From My Vista by Rob Limbaugh, President, Danbury Area Computer Society, CT www.dacs.org (approx. 963 words).
Just about every year, Rob makes some sort of 'major' effort to move forward with technology in some way and this year it was time to make the move to Vista. He tells us about the steps he following after formatting his HD: Check compatibility, Backup data, Install, Post-install issues, Reality check, Supporting apps, and where he stood at the end of the process.

I'm Asked…. by Bill Funk, a member of the Arizona Association for Computer Information, ins. (ASCII) www.asciigroup.org (approx. 721 words). Bill just bought a Digital SLR camera and the built-in flash isn't as powerful as he needs so he bought a new flash. It's the same brand as his camera, and is supposed to be all automatic, but the photos aren't right. Find out how he uses the flash to make the pictures better.

Moving on to Vista, Part 8 by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PCUG, WA www.tapcug.org (approx. 707 words).
Windows Vista is becoming more popular every day, but there are still several special features that few people are aware of. Find out what some of them are in this article.

The New, The Best, and The Worst - May 2008, collected by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PCUG swipcug.apcug.org (approx. 1,282 words).
No new and/or best o report on this month - only Trouble with a Capital "T": Spinrite 6, Acronis, and Unbuntu

Painter 4 Essentials, a First Impression by Dave Chalmers, Editor, Kern Independent PCUG, CA www.kipug.org (approx. 554 words).
Corel's demo of their product at the recent Southwest Computer Conference showed one new product that really interested Dave, Corel Painter 4 Essentials. Painter has a great feature that will auto paint or draw from a photo. In this mode you pick a style from many artistic techniques and stand back.

Skype 4.0 by Joe Nuvolini, Webmaster & APCUG Rep, Pikes Peak Computer Application Society, CO www.ppcompas.org (approx. 519 words).
Joe has been a Skype subscriber for several years and thinks that the latest version of Skype would be ideal for vendors to use to make presentations.

Uniblue Registry Booster 2 by Terry Currier, Vice President & Webmaster, WINdows users (WINNERS), CA www.windowsusers.org (approx. 522 words). Terry has tested a number of programs on his secondary test computer over the years and was finding that it was taking a while for it to boot up. He decided to give Uniblue's Registry Booster a try and found 459 problems/errors. He finds is very easy to use and at $29.95 is a good value.

Viewing the Bigger Picture by Bonnie L. Snyder, P*PCompAS, CO www.ppcompas.apcug.org (approx. 831 words).
At the risk of being the bearer of bad news, Bonnie says that none of us is getting any younger. User groups tend to be populated more by senior citizens than by any other age group and as we age, we find the need for more and more assistive aids, including those that will help us to use our computers more comfortable and efficiently.

Windows Vista Performance by Lynn Page, www.crug.com (approx. 2,189 words).
Lynn has noticed a slowdown at times when using her laptop. So she gives us some standard ideas to get the best possible performance from our Windows Vista computer.

Your Next Computer Will Be Green by Marjie Tucker, Editor, Mountain Computer User Group, GA www.mcug.org (approx. 1,053 words).
With Europe leading the way, the computer industry is decidedly becoming "green." The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (ROHS) directives went into effect earlier this year. These two directives state that certain electrical and electronic equipment must cut down on hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.

Drtrdguy(at)volcano.net
Johnroy1(at)Comcast.net
Iwilsker(at)apcug.net
Dacseditor(at)dacs.org
Relimbaugh(at)dacs.org
Editor(at)asciigroup.org
Ncstahfest(at)msn.com
Newsletter(at)kipug.org
Nuvo(at)nuvolini.com
Swipcug(at)gmail.com
tcurrier(at)aol.com
bonniels21(at)gmail.com
newsletter(at)crug.com
mcug(at)dnet.net

These articles have been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

Booksmarks Page by Hank Pearson, Treasurer and Webmaster, ASCIi (Arizona Association for Computer Information, inc.) www.asciigroup.org (approx. 1,032 words). Wouldn't it be nice if you could view a searchable webpage of bookmarks for your favorite websites? You can, but why? One reason to view your bookmarks as a webpage (as an alternate to looking in a menu) is to be able to find sites when you can't remember the first word in the name. It's easy enough to DIY (Do It Yourself). It's interesting, fun and educational.

Buying a Mouse - More Important Than You Might Think by Vinny La Bash, Member and Contributing Columnist, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (Approx. 717 words). The average computer user recognizes how important the mouse is to getting things done and selecting a mouse is much simpler than choosing an automobile, but there are things you should know before laying out money for a device that may cause you injury.

Computune-up by Berry F. Phillips, Member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (Approx. 862 words). Do you want your computer to run faster and increase your productivity? Of course - that's what we all want. Berry has several steps we can take to do just that.

Get Ready for XP and Vista Services Packs 925 by George Whitesell, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (Approx. 978 words) SP1 for Windows Vista and SP3 for XP have just been released. George recommends not being one of the first on your block to install either of the new service packs. Let others discover any problems with the installation of the final versions of the Service Packs!

Google Offers Free Medical Records Service by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio and TV Show Host (Approx. 1,325 words). Google recently opened for free public access the beta version of its "Google Health" service at www.google.com/health. This service offers users access to a comprehensive user-created database where the user can selectively store medical records.

Home Financial Records by Richard Kennon, Editor, Amador CUG, CA www.acug.org (Approx. 1,678 words). Richard takes us through the steps of using an Excel spreadsheet to do the job of tracking our home financial records.

iPod Replacement by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (Approx. 735 words). Too many technology stories are sad tales of aggravation and obsolescence. So Sandy tells us a story about her iPod with a happy ending.

Make Your Wireless Network Safe by Marjie Tucker, Editor, Mountain Computer User Group, www.mcug.org (Approx. 665 words). Wireless networks are becoming more and more poplar, but they do add some additional security risks. You need to spend a little extra time to ensure that your data and your identity are secure.

Moving on to Vista - Part 7, by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, Washington, www.tapcug.org (Approx. 679 words). Does your computer go to sleep? By default, Windows Vista was designed to go to sleep after an hour of inactivity. The feature is primarily designed to conserve laptop battery power. Find out how to control this energy/battery saving feature.

Hewie's Views and Reviews for May by Hewie Poplock, Vice President, Operations, Central Florida Computer Society www.cfcs.org (Approx. 1,129 words). Hewie tells us about his upgrade to Microsoft Vista SP1 and new additions to his Favorites.

Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite (v.10) Product Review by John Roy, President, The PC Users Group of Connecticut www.tpcug-ct.org (Approx. 1,284 words). John has used this produce since it was originally distributed by Adaptec several years ago. Reviewing this product allowed him to explore and appreciate the many applications within this suite.

A "Stress-Free" PC by Jim McKnight, Director, Los Angeles Computer Society, CA www.lacspc.org (Approx. 1,716 words). As you know, there is no such thing as a totally "Stress-Free" PC, but there are many things you can do to reduce the stress and worry of owning one.

The Art of Keeping Cool, Part 2: Non-fan Computer Cooling by Jerry Goldstein, Vice President and Newsletter Editor, The PC Users Group of Connecticut www.tpcug-ct.org (Approx. 756 words). Part 2 looks at alternative and leading edge ways to cool your computer. He also discusses how to keep your laptop from frying.

Why I like the Ubuntu Operating System by Phil Vogel, Director at Large, The Olympia Microcomputer User Group, Washington www.olymugorg (Approx. 831 words). Phil's interest in alternative operating systems started 20 years ago when he worked for the State of Maryland during a year of computer chaos. When he joined OMUG, he was delighted to find that there was a Linux SIG and has decided to use Ubuntu because a lot of people around the world contributed to its innovation, maintenance and security.

Hank.pearson(at)asciigroup.org
Vlabash(at)spcug.org
bfdata(at)1access.net
Pcug(at)Comcast.net
Editor(at)acug.net
Sandy(at)compukiss.com
Mcug(at)dnet.net
Ncstahfest(at)msn.com
Info(at)hewie.net
Johnroy1(at)Comcast.net
Jim.mckight(at)lacspc.org
Attygoldstein(at)tiac.net
Iwilsker(at)apcug.net

These articles have been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

Careful What You Ask For! (This article was divided between two monthly newsletters. You may edit it for one continuous article, if you wish) by Richard Kennon, Newsletter Editor, Amador Computer Users Group, California www.acug.net (approx. 1,318 words) Wow, Richard asked Santa for a 19" monitor and ended up with a 22" wide-screen. It was too bad that his old Dell didn't have a video card that supported the new monitor. If he was going to have to buy a new video card and motherboard, he might as well buy a new computer!

Internet Security: iFrame Attacks by Brian K. Lewis PhD, Member and Contributing Columnist, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 1,541 words). I'm sure that most of you reading the title of this article are asking "What is an iFrame?" Well, sit back, get comfortable and Brian will tell you about the latest method hackers are using to steal information from you.

Google Releases Updated Version of Google Earth by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, Texas; Radio &TV Show Host (approx. 1,136 words). Since Ira first (and last) discussed Google Earth in his column, Google has been busy updating and improving the product, adding new features, and improving the graphics. Tell your Program Chair that this article can be used for a meeting (I think I said the same thing 2 years ago with his first article).

Moving on to Vista - Part 6 by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, Washington www.tapcug.org (approx. 748 words). It's easy to lose track of time when you're playing computer games or cruising the Internet. As our computers have improved we tend to use higher screen resolutions to see more details, and unfortunately, that can cause eye strain. The solution is not to reduce screen resolution but to increase the size of the text. Windows Vista offers an easy way to do this.

Pinnacle PCTV HD Ultimate Stick Review by Bill James, APCUG Director; Editor & Webmaster, Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 1,304 words). Some computer products just have a 'wow' factor on first sight; the Pinnacle PCTV HD Stick is one of those devices and after you read Bill James' review, you'll want to buy one. power supply of the computer.

Power Supply Tips by Dan Hanson, the Great Lakes Geek, Computers Assisting People, Ohio www.capinc.org (approx. 662 words). We have all experienced the computer crashing seemingly for no reason. When it does, we blame Windows or a hardware problem or maybe a power surge or under voltage. All are possible culprits but one often overlooked possibility is the computer's power supply.

The World First Computer by Charlene Brown The mechanism has over 30 gears, the most amazing feature of which is the incorporation of a sophisticated system of differentials. Gearing of this complexity was not known to exist until 1575!"

Scotty, I Need More Power! By Alan Mildwurm, President, Diablo Valley PC Group, California www.dvpc.org (approx. 1,019 words). When my kids were young, I bought batteries by the bushel. All of their toys required some batteries. In those days, rechargeable batteries were garbage and most were nickel-cadmium and with a memory that made them useless after a few changes. I'm going through more batteries now with my toys than I ever did with the kids! Luckily, rechargeable battery technology has come a long way. The Art of Keeping Cool, Part 1: Computer Fans by Jerry Goldstein, Vice President & Newsletter Editor, The PC Users Group of Connecticut www.tpcug-ct.org (approx. 1,001 words). With the cold weather you may not be thinking of the need to cool down but no matter how cold it gets outside your personal computer still needs to be cooled. Inadequately cooled computers suffer crashes and freeze-ups as the parts overheat.

The Big DTV Transition by Sister Dorothy Robinson, OSB, OMUG Newsletter Editor, The Olympia Microcomputer User Group, Washington www.olymug.org (approx. 1,138 words). Computer users often speculate about how digital technology will affect us and our world. We are now entering the final stage of a rather large digital transition that of digital television signals. Didn't know this transition was going on? You're not alone.

Vista Service Pack 1 - What You Need to Know by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (approx. 774 words). Microsoft recently released SP1 for Windows Vista. A Service Pack is a rollup of updates, fixes and enhancements and many techie advisors like to wait to install a new OS until the first SP is released because it means that the OS has matured and gotten all the original bugs out. Sandy has several recommendations re Vista's SP1.

Wireless Router Setup by Bob Elgines, Editor, Colorado River Computer Club, Arizona www.crccaz.com (approx. 866 words). This article is about changing the setup or configuration of your Wireless Router and PC for both XP and Vista.

AutoMatting™ - Unique Digital Matts … Extraordinaire by Neil Longmuir, a member of the Winnipeg PC User Group, Inc., Canada www.wpcusrgrp.org (Approx. 663 words). AutoMatting is a digital mating software program that creates a unique matt for each image. The way images are shown to customers, friends or family tends to be a bit boring but with AutoMatting you can create a unique matt for each image in a folder and resize that image to the aspect ratio of any monitor or TV screen.

Converting CD-based Music to Compressed Audio Files by Mike Moore, editor, Bowling Green Area Microcomputer User Group, Kentucky www.bgamug.org (Approx. 1,205 words). Why would a guy spend the time to rip (compress) the tracks of a CD or other ancient audio product to MP3 files? There are a few good reasons to do this and Mike tells us all about it.

Hasta la Vista - Customize Your Vista Data Locations by Lee Reynolds, a member of the Broward Personal Computer Association, Florida www.bpca.com (Approx. 655 words). If you take a look at the new Vista Start Menu, one change from XP is that there is a link at the top of it which is your account name. If you click on that, you will open up a Windows Explorer window that shows all of your user folders. This is handy because in Details view, one column shows the Folder path for many folders. Lee also tells us how to move data locations to another partition.

How to Forward Email by Vinny La Bash, a member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Florida, www.spcug.org (Approx. 907 words). After opening your email you find a message that you simply must share with all your friends. You press the "Forward" button and one way or another get all their email addresses in the "To:" box. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Hula Offers Free TV and Movies Over the Net by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio and TV Show Host. In a recent search for streaming video, Ira came upon a recently released and legitimate way to view thousands of TV programs and movies over the Internet, for free, while using any of the common Internet browsers.

Moving on to Vista - Part 5 by Neil Stahfest, Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, Washington www.tapcug.org (Approx. 726 words). As most PC users know, after you've used your computer for a while the data on your hard drive starts to get fragmented. This affects your computer's performance and causes programs to run more slowly. Windows Vista automatically defrags your hard disk for you and in the background.

The New, The Best, and the Worst by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PC Users Group http://swipcug.apcug.org (Approx. 1,083 words). Intel's Penryn Core 2 Duo False Firefox fix and All-a-Twitter are in Pim's March NBW article.

Photodex ProShow Review by Tom Ekvall, Northeast Wisconsin PC Users Group newsletter editor www.newpcug.org (Approx. 1,647 words). Tom loves creating - and watching - photo slideshows, also known as photo montages or video montages. After trying out a number of slideshow products he has found one that, feature-for-feature, Photodex ProShow is the one he likes best and it's aimed at photo enthusiasts.

Shortcuts by Mike Moore, Editor, Bowling Green Area Microcomputer User Group, Kentucky www.bgamug.org (Approx. 516 words). Why do some icons on your desktop have a little white arrow embedded in the picture? These are shortcuts (sometimes called links). Why do we use shortcuts? Are shortcuts portable? All this and more is explained in Mike's article.

The Switch to Digital TV by Sandy Berger, Compukiss www.compukiss.com (Approx. 757 words). The switch to digital is on the way and Sandy's article explains everything.

Zune 8 Review,/z. by Ash Nallawalla, APCUG Director and member of the Melbourne PCUG, Australia www.melbpc.org.au (Approx. 761 words). From packing to setting up, software, controls and more. Ash's article makes you want to go out and buy a Microsoft Zune.

Spring Clean Your Computer by Joe Shipley, Treasurer, Phoenix PCUG, Arizona, www.phoenixpcug.org(Approx.1800 words) While you're cleaning everything else around your home and office at this time of year, don't forget to clean your computer. There is truth to the saying, "A clean computer is a happy computer.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - February 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Bot-Nets by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D. www.spcug.org (Approx. 1,548 words)
Keeping your computer safe while connected to the Internet is becoming more and more difficult. The "attackers" are becoming more sophisticated and are sharing more ways to get their software into your computer. It is estimated that 7% of the computers connected to the Internet have been infected with a Botnet program. So what is a "Botnet"? Bot-Nets

Check Alternative Travel Sites for Deals by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; Radio & TV show host (Approx. 1,343 words).
We have all seen the TV commercials with the gnome fretting over travel problems, and have seen the black clad inspectors prancing all over a hotel snooping in every nook and cranny. One thing the internet is not short of is travel websites that offer airline tickets, hotel rooms, cruises, rental cars, and package deals combining all of the above. One advantage to the direct sale proprietary travel sites is that they generally do not add a service fee for online bookings, unlike the fees charged by the independent commercial travel websites.

Evaluating Your Anti Spyware Program by Vinny La Bash, Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. www.spcug.org (Approx. 904 words).
For many years the most acute danger to your computer was some kind of destructive virus. Today the danger has shifted from software that is programmed to destroy files, corrupt programs, and disable systems to something more insidious, and perhaps even more treacherous. This threat comes in two broad categories known as Spyware and Trojan Horses.

Let's Clean Start-up by Bob Elgines, Editor, Colorado River Computer Club, AZRCC Editor www.crccaz.com/ (Approx. 458 words).
Does your computer boot-up or run slow? Maybe there are too many programs running in the back ground. Checking out Bob's check list might help.

Look ma no hands by Bruce Jacobs, Phoenix PCUG newsletter editor www.phoenixpcug.org (Approx. 803 words).
This article was not typed it was dictated using the speech recognition feature in Windows Vista Ultimate. Bruce has been using this feature on and off for certain applications for a while. It has its good points and its bad points.

Microsoft Office 2007 Review by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River User Group, Florida www.crug.org (Approx, 3,011 words).
Microsoft's Office 2007 is the perfect suite of applications and is suited to all types of users. Office will aid you in being more productive and allow your documents, spreadsheets and presentations to be professional and attractive. Different versions of Office 2007 include different applications, from the Basic version with Word, Excel, and Outlook, to an Enterprise version including everything. This variety of suites may seem overkill but it provides an Office suite in complexity and price range for anyone.

Microsoft patches still another patch by Bob de Violini, a member of the Channel Islands PCUG, CA www.cipcug.org (Approx. 1,030 words).
Microsoft patches still another patch From the once is not enough department, Microsoft has, again, patched a patch. This time, it involves patch number MS07-069, which is a cumulative security update for Internet Explorer 6 installed on Windows XP Service Pack 2 only. Apparently the initial patch released on December's patch Tuesday caused computers to experience an unexpected crash or hang upon launching Internet Explorer.

Microsoft Streets and Trips 2007 with GPS by Joseph Kluepfel, Director Broward Personal Computer Association, Inc. www.bpca.com (Approx. 535 words).
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2007 with GPS a review Install this on your laptop and you have the luxury of setting up your trip at home and then use it in the car. A laptop screen is four times bigger than a navigator installed in a car or fifteen to twenty times bigger than a portable GPS.

Moving on to Vista Part III by Neil Stahfest a member of the Tacoma Area PC User Group www.tapcug.org (Approx. 634 words).
Your PC's desktop is the largest, most user defined area on your PC's screen. It contains all your own shortcuts, folder icons and your personal desktop picture. The desktop is really just a personal file folder on drive C. That means that any work you do on the desktop is saved for you on Drive C and not lost when you turn the computer off. Of course any documents, pictures, etc. that are "saved" on your desktop can be moved or copied to other folders on your hard drive.

New Gadgets for 2008 by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS.com www.compukiss.com (About 828 words).
New Gadgets for 2008 Every year my husband and I attend the Consumer Electronic (CES) in Las Vegas to see the latest and greatest high tech gadgets. This year didn't disappoint.

Painter X Product Review by Tom Ekvall, newsletter editor and "Creative Imaging" Columnist, Northeast Wisconsin PCUG http://webpages.charter.net/newpcug/ (Approx. 1,919 words).
Painter X is everything a photo artist, like myself, could ever want in the way of a digital imaging program-or should I say a digital natural media painting program.

Recording Audio by Bart Koslow, Software Review Coordinator, Thousand Oaks Personal Computer Club, Thousand Oaks, CA http://topcc.org/ (Approx. 746 words).
Nowadays it is no problem to record video from a TV broadcast, VCR or other source using a Digital Video Recorder. When Bart began to look into recording music broadcasts off the air, he found that there were external Audio recorders, but they were expensive, beginning in the $250 range and up. This is twice as much as a similar Video Recorder. Since he wanted to create CDs from the broadcast music and had DVD/CD burners on his computer he decided that using his computer was a better and cheaper alternative.

So You Have a New Digital Camera by Robert M. Mayo, Cajun Clickers Computer Club, LA www.clickers.org (Approx. 476 words).
If you were lucky enough to get a new camera for Christmas, congratulations! However, along with this jewel, I'm sure you also got a complicated user's manual. I hate 'em! But cheer up; all the mystery will soon go out of that book.

2007 Chaos, What/Who Wins in 2008 by Andy Marken, Marken Communicaitons www.markencom.com (Approx. 1,397 words)
The fun of analyzing the past 12 months is…it's easy! But forecasting 2008 requires separating dreams from reality…early adopters from mass market.

The Cartridge Family by Grant Fuller, a member of Big Blue & Cousins, Canada www.bbc.org (Approx. 571 words).
We're beat. I hate to admit it. I come from more innocent times when fairness was something to strive for. Family values were not measured by the Sopranos but by families with more law-abiding objectives. "I hate to give up without a fight but I do not hold much hope for us. If you have a printer that functions well by refilling cartridges, keep it. Repair it when it becomes necessary and show it your unconditional love."

The New, Best Worst, January 2008 Collected by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. http://swipcug.apcug.org (Approx. 898 words).
Needles, Haystacks and Processing featuring SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) and Foxit Reader for PDF Files.

What computer to buy - Fairchild by Doug Fairchild, Director, Exton PC Council, PA www.extonpccouncil.org (Approx. 1,298 words).
As a person who is active with a computer user's group and who has had formal training in Windows 2000 and Windows XP, I'm often asked "what computer should I get?" This is an age old question in terms of computer technology time. Almost any professional that provides unbiased advise will tell you that it is not an easy answer. The first question that comes to mind is, what do you intend to do with it?

SLO Bytes Newsletter - January 2008 - PUSH Article Descriptions

10 Commandments for Online Shopping by Robert Spotswood, a Member of HAL-PC, Texas www.hal-pc.org (approx. 3,839 words). Most of us will probably have to use this article over several issues…. Navigating the online shopping minefield includes these 10 important commandments: Understand the risks, keep your computer clean, shop around, don't trust that lock, checkout the company, use credit cards not debit cards, zero liability sounds better than it is, protecting your credit card online, close the browser, and use common sense.

A Laptop for the Holidays? By Vinny La Bash, a regular columnist and member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL www.spcug.org (approx. 1,005 words). In June 2005, monthly laptop sales exceeded desktop sales for the first time. Since them, the popularity of laptops has continued to gain. Laptops are replacing desktops in homes and corporate offices and they are cheaper than ever, but that doesn't mean that the cheapest laptop is the one that's best for you. Examine the specifications, test drive it if you can, then make your choice.

Connected or Discombobulated? By Judy Lococo, Director, Kentucky-Indiana PCUG, www.kipcug.org (approx. 652 words). Everywhere you look today, someone is always talking about "connectivity" and how out new, improved world demands it. The more Judy sees of this phenomenon, the less she thinks we are connected.

Converting to a Portable Office by Brian K. Lewis PhD, a regular columnist and member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL www.spcug.org (approx. 1,401 words). Brian is in the process of changing to a completely mobile lifestyle and that means everything he needs has to fit in a very small space in a travel trailer where there is no room for a desktop and a CRT and he needs to add storage to the laptop so that all of his research files, genealogy files, etc. will be able to go along. That's what this article is all about - fitting everything into as small a space as possible.

FBI Asks "How Aware are you of the Dangers of the 'Net?" by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; Radio and TV Show Host (approx. 1,286 words). As regular readers may know, Ira frequently lectures on computer security topics, and has written numerous columns on security topics over the years. While many of us surf the net oblivious to the online threats that face us, many others are aware of the treats, and sadly, many have learned of the threats the hard way.

Free Help for Creating Greeting Cards by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS, www.compukiss.com (approx. 578 words). A recent trip to the greeting card store left Sandy in sticker shock. While the text with the price of the card was smaller (or is it just my aging eyes?), the price tag was definitely larger than the last time she looked. You can visit the sites in Sandy's article and create your cards with free clip art and pre-designed cards.

Moving on to Vista - Part 2 by Neil Stahfest, Shareware Librarian, Tacoma Area PC User Group, WA www.tapcug.org (approx. 731 words). Part 2 of Neil's saga with Vista.

Need a sticky note? Put it on your computer! By Linda Gonse, Editor & Webmaster, Orange County IBM PC Users' Group, CA www.orcopug.org (approx. 531 words). Sticky note programs for your pc, as you might imagine, are a utility that takes the place of paper Post-it notes that we all stick to our monitors! But the sticky note programs Linda research this year discouraged her from even trying them out. Then she found one she likes.

Old to New Computer Files Transfer: Careful! By Charles W. Evans, Reviews Editor, Hal-PC TX www.hal-pc.org (approx. 960 words). It's that time of year when many of us will buy a new computer. And one of the biggest chores of getting a new computer is moving all of our stuff from one to the other. This review and the one in January '08 should be helpful in transferring or moving your "stuff."

Saitek Optical Photo Mouse by Jan Fagerholm, Mouse Maven, PC Community, CA www.pcc.org (approx. 609 words). This mouse is for the person who has everything. It's a desktop optical USB mouse that you can insert your own photos into. The photo area is illuminated. The mouse features 3 buttons and a scroll wheel.

The New, The Best, and The Worst - November 2007 collected by Pim Borman, Webmasters, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. http://swipcug.apcug.org (approx. 1,039 words). This month, Pim tells us about disruptive Open Source programs and thermal color printing.

The Phenomenon of Facebook - Part III, Love and Dating in the 21st Century by Courtney Jewett, member of Alamo PC, TX and a Senior English major at Baylor University alamopc.org (approx. 508 words). Facebook is one of the most valuable tools in the dating world, and is today's version of the little black book. Users of the social network can display their relationship status on their profile, along with the name of their significant other. This information is visible to their 'Facebook friends,' and is simply a click away.

Tweak Your PC to Keep It Running Fast, Feeling Good and Looking Young! by Lou Torraca, President MOAA Computer User Group, HI www.the-tug.org (approx. 2,211 words). Lou was explaining to a friend that he is a quick launch toolbar aficionado {:-) What the heck is that he asked. Lou said he was just referring to the fact he uses it instead of the desktop to keep all his shortcuts, actually, lots of shortcuts, at least on his main PC. As they continued to talk about this Lou found myself explaining a lot of stuff he has done with his PCs and notebook in the past 6 or 8 years! The "things…tweaks" come from dozens and dozens of places including many newsletters, also some regular blogs, newspapers, radio shows, other PC users he talks with and of course, the real biggie, MICROSOFT! Yup, their knowledge base contains millions of tips, solutions and you guessed it…TWEAKS!

Weird Windows Behavior by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS, www.compukiss.com (approx. 868 words). Have you ever been completely dismayed by your computer? Does it seem to do unusual things that you can't trace back to any of your actions? Well, you are not alone. Do your Icons disappear? Have you lost your toolbars or the toolbar moves? Do you have a dramatic slowdown, no sound, or your mouse shutters? Sandy gives you tips on why this happens and how you can fix the problems.

Windows Live Hotmail by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River Users Group, FL www.crug.com (approx. 1,367 words). Lynn has had a Hotmail account for many years and uses it regularly. The latest Windows Live Hotmail is easier to use and includes many impressive features. With a 5 GB Inbox so you don't have to worry about it filling up while you are away and many safety features to alert you to suspicious email and spam.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - November 2007 - PUSH Article Descriptions

After Retirement, Who Are You? By Gabe Goldberg, Advisor, Region 2; columnist, CompuKISS.com (www.compukiss.com) Approx. 599 words. Retirement - even temporary job loss - can trigger discomfort with one's changed identity. Especially for those who have been strongly career oriented, the simple question, "What do you do?" can lead to fumbling for an answer. And when socializing or doing business or volunteering, it can be awkward not having the usual trappings of the grown-up world such as business cards. Enter VistaPrint.

Buying a New Vista Computer? Read This First! By Sandy Berger, Compukiss.com (www.compukiss.com) Approx. 925 words. Windows Vista is finally ready for prime time. Over the last several months, the drivers for many devices like printers and scanners have been updated to accommodate Vista. Most software has also been updated to be Vista compatible. If you are ready for a new computer you may be ready for Vista. However, you might want to do a little homework before you make your purchase.

DUFFERDOM - Tales from the Kingdom of the Ordinary User by David D. Uffer, a Member of the Chicago Computer Society (www.ccs.org) Approx. 1,281 words. Of Avery, CDs, Squaring the Circle, Selected Greek Classics and Tantalus - Plus a Resolution.

DVD Insider - DRM by Andy Marken, Marken Communications (www.markencom.com) Approx. 1,655 words. We need to note that creative people need to be paid for their work…writers, artists, animators, actors, makeup artists, best boys, post production folks, underwriters and yes even studio execs. No pay…no play! The problem is the world doesn't want content protection and consumers don't want content protection.

Fake Check Scams on the Internet Explode by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio & TV Show Host, Approx. 1,253 words. Have you recently received an e-mail where you are a supposed winner of a drawing scam? Spam-scam crackdown nets $2 billion in fake checks and 77 arrests were made in the Netherlands, Nigeria and Canada. Have you heard that the Postal Service has declared war on the Nigerian scam? All this and more in Ira's fascinating article.

Google Search Bar and Your Telephone Number by Sandy Berger (www.Compukiss.com), Approx 668 words. If you know someone's telephone number, how hard would it be to find that person? Well, with Internet resources, it couldn't be easier. Type any telephone number into the Google search bar and you will quickly be given the name and address that relates to that number, as well as a detailed map on where they live.

How to Find Podcasts by Mike Lyons, President, ORCOPUG, CA (www.orcopug.org) Approx. 504 words. Mike gives us good directions on how to find and download podcasts.

How to use Google Street Views to see…streets, places, routes and faces! By Linda Gonse, Editor and Webmaster, ORCOPUG, CA (www.orcopug.org) Approx. 447 words. Beyond the curiosity of the new panoramic on-the-road reality shots, Google's detailed Street Views give you a feel for really being where you want to go. Although only a handful of large cities are represented in these views, it's still likely you will want to look for destinations in them occasionally.

Make Vista Work Better by Vinny La Bash, member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL (www.spcug.org) Approx. 940 words. No matter how good an OS may be, someone will complain that it could have been better. Vista is a very good OS that some people find wanting. Some people are never satisfied, but that is not the issue here. Of course, Vista should have been better, but MS has only so much time and resources to develop a system, and Vista was late to market in addition to being less than perfect.

Moving on to Vista - Part 1 by Neil Stahfest, Shareware Librarian, Tacoma Area PCUG, WA (www.tapcug.org) Approx. 702 words. I tested a pre-release version of Windows Vista last year. I thought that the eye candy was nice but there really wasn't a lot about the program to make it worth upgrading my PC to use it. Since then I've heard stories about problems with Vista that made me even reluctant to upgrade to it. But, things happen. I "needed" a new laptop to demonstrate programs for the Flight Simulator SIG <wink><wink>. Many of you will be buying new computers in the next year or so, so I'll share some of my experiences and impressions with you.

The New, the Best, and the Worst - October 2007, collected by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PCUG (http://swipcug.apcug.org) Approx. 1,367 words. From Mobile Supercomputers to Super Jigsaws, Amazon, Burj Dubai Babel Baggle, and Google, Pim tells it like it is.

Online Consumer Help from the Federal Government by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX: Radio & TV show host (Approx. 1,161 words). President Bush has requested that all federal agencies make it easier for consumers (the general public) to locate the utilize information on federal websites. In some cases a variety of federal agencies have pooled their resources and information, and compiled the data in easy-to-use websites that represent several agencies in one place. Some of these integrated federal websites are consumer.gov, recalls.gov, and usa.gov. EDITORS - let your program chair know that the information in this article can be used for a program.

Backing Up Your Hard Drive by Gene Barlow, User Group Relations (www.ugr.com) Approx. 2,538 words. Yes, your hard drive will fail someday: Your hard drive is a mechanical device that spins constantly and is certain to wear out. The life of a hard drive is only 2-3 years. If you are lucky, your drive may last you 4 or 5 years, but it could go out in just 6 months. It is not a question of if your hard drive will fail, but it's a question of when it will fail. All you can do is to be ready when it does fail by having a copy of all of the files on your hard drive saved away from your computer. Then you can replace the failed drive with an empty new drive and put all of the files on the new hard drive. This lets you be back up and running in a mater of minutes instead of days or weeks rebuilding your drive. This process is called backing up and restoring your hard drive and is the topic of this article.

Additional Backup Approach Comparisons by Gene Barlow, User Group Relations (www.ugr.com) Approx. 1,860 words. In another article (above), Gene highlighted four of the most common backup approaches used today and compared them to show his readers why the Perfect Backup Approach is the best wayw to do backups. As soon as he sent that article out, he received messages from users asking why I had not included other backup approaches in his article. Two additional backup approaches are included in this article.

The Phenomenon of Facebook - Part II by Courtney Jewett, a member of HAL-PC, TX and a senior English major at Baylor University who is pursuing a career in Journalism (www.alamaopc.org) Approx. 569 words. Today's college student is as familiar with Facebook as they are to types of Starbucks coffee, episodes of Grey's Anatomy, and the rising cost of their university tuition. Courtney's article lets her readers have a clearer understanding of how students are utilizing the site.

The QWERTY Keyboard and Microsoft Office 2007 by Bob Schneider, Editor, The PC Keyboard, Spring Hill Teaching Computer Club, FL (www.shtcc.net) Approx. 625 words. Back in the mid-1800s, when the first practical typewriter was built, inventor C.L.Sholes arranged the keys in the QWERTY layout for a practical reason. He had to separate the most common letters to prevent the hammers from jamming. So many people knew that although it was no longer necessary, it was maintained with the advent of electric typewriters. Since Bob started using Windows 2.0 in 1989, Microsoft advertised the strength and beauty of following the Windows format. Using its standard GUI interface, all programs would have the same look and feel. Learn one program and you could quickly learn to navigate around in any similar software. Enter Office 2007.

ru Xperienced? By Lee Reynolds, a member of the Boca Raton Computer Society, FL (www.brcs.org) Approx. 594 words. Ownership and Restrictions. If you have ever had a corrupted user profile and then had to create a new account, when you tried to access the folder or files used by the old account in order to transfer them to the new one, you might have encountered a problem: Windows won't let you. Lee walks us through the steps on how to take ownership of a file or folder in Windows XP.

Using a Restore Point by Larry Bothe, an associate member of CAEUG and an honorary member of the Fox Valley PC Association, IL (www.caeug.net / www.fvpca.org) Approx. 908 words. Recently, while in a big hurry to get a lot of work done before leaving on vacation, Larry's computer started up with a blank screen. No mouse, no images, no text, no error message, no nothing. Oops, he decided he should have paid attention to the warning he received from his computer security software that some program was trying to make a change to something it thought was a danger. He was in a hurry and OK'd it without reading it thoroughly. Larry walks us through setting a Restore Point to when everything was working correctly.

Using Imaging Software for Backup by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL (www.spcug.org) Approx. 1,353 words. There are many HD backup programs on the market that tell you that they can make an "image" of your HD. This allows you to restore your programs and data in case of an HD crash. They will also transfer everything on your HD to a new drive. Brian takes a look at the generic methods they use for these situations.

Vista Backup and Shadow Copy by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal Riber Users Group, FL (www.crug.com) Approx. 954 words. Windows Vista helps easily back up computer settings, files and applications. The new Windows Backup feature provides more choices for storing backed up information. You can choose to back up to CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, an external hard disk, another internal hard disk, or to another computer or server connected to your network.

Windows XP Power Management by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River Users Group, FL (www.crug.com) Approx. 757 words. If you use a laptop you know the problem of running down the battery before you finish up. But configuring power management can also reduce electrical usage on your desktop computer.

SLO Bytes Newsletter - October 2007 - PUSH Article Descriptions

10 Steps to Safe Computing by Sandy Berger, www.compukuss.com (approx. 761 words). We must be proactive to protest ourselves from today's bad guys and Sandy gives us her down and dirty list for PC users. Sandy Berger - sberger(at)compukiss.com

Attack of the Cone by Mick Topping, ICON (Interactive Computer Owners Network), MO www.iconusersgroup.org (approx. 1,513 words). Mick has been dragging his feet on Vista. He really doesn't see much in it that he thinks he needs. However, it's time for a new laptop, the hard drive on his old one is getting a little crowded, a little busy, and slow on startup. When he really needed was a way to distract himself from how much he wanted a new LT, so it's off to the store to buy a new hard drive. Mick Topping - mickt(at)mtopping.us

Hasta la Vista - Gadgets and the Windows Sidebar by Lee Reynolds, member BPCS (Broward Personal Computer Association, Inc.), FL www.bpcs.com (approx. 642 words). Devotees of the Apple Mac have, for some time, had available, in their OS X Tiger operating system, something called Dashboard, which allowed them to have what are called Widgets (mini-applications that provide a very simple, tightly focused interface for common tasks) available for instant use. Enter something similar, Windows Vista Gadgets. Lee Reynolds - leetutor AT earthlink.net

Open Source Software - Mostly Free to Use and Modify by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; radio and TV show host (approx. 1,180 words). Open Source software has been around in its current context since 1998, and hundreds of titles are available for almost any computing need and it should be seriously considered as an alternative to commercial software. Ira Wilsker - iwilsker(at)apcug.net

More Ira Wilsker Articles
   Irfanview 4
   Online Weather Resources May Be Lifesavers
   Yahoo
   Advanced WindowsCare Personal Edition
   Free PC Security Software from Grisoft
   Free PC Security Suite from eEye

The Phenomenon of Facebook - Redefining Social Networking by Courtney Jewett, member of the Alamo PC Organization, TX www.alamopc.org (approx. 676 words). What do Hillary Clinton, Tony the Tiger, and millions of college students have in common? They all have profiles on the contemporary social network known as Facebook. As a college student, and avid Facebooker, Courtney intends to share her knowledge and experiences with the site in order to uncover the reasons behind Facebook's widespread success. Courtney Jewett - courtney_jewett(at)baylor.edu

Portable Data by Corinne Goeke, a member of the Computer Club of Green Valley, AZ http://gvcc.apcug.org (approx. 487 words). There are many names that refer to UFDs or "USB Flash Drives." USB, of course, refers to those little rectangular ports you can find (although there never seems to be enough of them) on the back and front of most computers. Corinne Goeke - cmgoege(at)yahoo.com

Read Before Opening! By Bruce Jacobs, Editor, Phoenix PCUG, AZ http://phoenixpcug.org (approx. 840 words). So you just bought a brand new computer. Before you get all settled in, there are a few steps you should take to help make your new computer safer and more fun. Bruce Jacobs - editor(at)phoenispcug.org

The New, the Best, and the Worst for September by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PCUG http://swipcug.apcug.org/ (approx. 1,103 words). E-mail reliability woes with security, changing email addresses, and more. Pim Borman - swipcug(at)gmail.com (NOTE Pim has a new address)

This and That by Elizabeth B. Wright, a member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 730 words). Have you accessed the Windows XP "Restore" option to reset your computer to an earlier time? We often need to do this when things go haywire after installing some new software. Elizabeth B. Wright - wright599new(at)sbcglobal.net

Understanding Your Computer's BIOS by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, a member of the Sarasota PCUG, FL www.spcug.org (approx. 1,780 words). The computer's basic input/output system (BIOS) is really a major key to its proper operation. The BIOS differs from one computer to another depending on the make of the motherboard and the make of the computer itself. Brian K. Lewis - bwsail(at)yahoo.com

Windows Calendar by Lynn Page, editor, Crystal River Users Group, FL www.crug.com (approx. 540 words). Windows Calendar, built into Windows Vista, helps you plan your activities and coordinate your plans with those of others. With WC you can set up multiple calendars and view a single or multiple calendars at a time. This makes it easy to compare the calendars and look for conflicts in scheduling. Lynn Page - newsletter(at)crug.com

Would You Sign This Contract? By Rob Rice, a computer specialist living in Anchorage and a member of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (Approx. 1,633 words). OK, here's the deal; I offer you a big, 56-inch, shiny new Filch Plasma Screen TV and I will sell it to you if you will agree to have a camera installed in your home so I may watch you watching the new TV. Sound fair? Would you sign that contract? Many of us, in a sense, have already agreed to something like the above scenario when we clicked on the End User License Agreement (EULA). Rob Rice - articles(at)isp.com

SLO Bytes Newsletter - August 2007 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Apple’s New Safari Browser for Windows by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director (approx. 1,206 words). Apple recently released a free version of its Safari 3 browser for Windows. While this is the first public release of an Apple-produced browser for Windows, many already have Apple software on their computers such as Quick Time. This browser might be one that you would like to check out since there is no conflict in having more than one browser on your computer.

A router can help protect your computer by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (approx. 904 words). A few years ago you had probably not heard the term ‘router’ unless you used one in your wood working class in high school. Today, you hear much more about the word ‘router’ when it is used in conjunction with computers and the Internet.

Backing up a computer – Cloning vs Imaging by Al Edmister, a member of the Napa Valley PCUG, California www.nvpcug.org (approx. 1,660 words). Backing up your computer has always been an important and sometimes confusing subject. As most people know by now, backing up on the same HD only helps when the main file gets corrupted which really doesn’t happen very often. It is of no help when an HD fails; Al has had two HDs fail! RAID, Zip drives and more is covered in this article.

Blurbs from Bass by Steve Bass, PC World Columnist and Author (approx 970 words). Steve accumulated several of his blurbs and asked me to send them to you. Wonderful: Microsoft’s free Virtual PC; Gotcha! Geek Squad Caught Stealing Porn and other short blurbs, plus links to time killing videos, useful tools, and free directory assistance.

Building a PC for Vista by Dan Hanson, the Great Lakes Geek (approx. 669 words). The Great Lakes Geek needed to build a new PC for the Computers Assisting People Resource Center. It will be used for CAP operations but also so that the volunteers and others can become familiar with Windows Vista and learn about it the CAP way – hands on. Dan steps us through the process of building that PC.

Configuring Outlook Express by Dick Maybach, Columnist, Brookdale Computer User Group, New Jersey www.bcug.org (approx. 1,104 words). You can greatly improve your e-mail experience by properly configuring Outlook Express, which is the default Windows e-mail client and Dick shows us just how to do this.

Dumb Things to Avoid While Using Your Computer by Vinny La Bash, a member and regular columnist of the Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 1,042 words). To paraphrase a recent TV commercial, we all do dumb things, but doing them with your computer doesn’t have to be one of them. Check out his Dumb Mistakes to make sure you aren’t doing some of them.

Exploring Windows Explorer – Part 2 by Jim Sanders, Vice President, North Orange County Computer Club, California www.noccc.org (approx. 1,224 words). The first part of this series was in the June PUSH. Jim further explains how to use the ‘real’ Windows Explorer.

Improve Computing Pleasure with Free Widgets for Windows and Mac by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont TX; radio and TV show host (approx. 1,106 words). Many of us are extremely busy and often lack the time to search the Internet for items of frequent interest. Many of us have dull and boring desktops displayed on our monitors, often using the default images of our computer or software maker. Fortunately for us, there is a free service offered by Yahoo!, called “widgets.”

The New, the Best, and the Worst by Pim Borman, Webmaster, SW Indiana PC Users Group, Inc. http://swipcug.apcug.org/ (approx. 1,441 words). This article contains many lessons re Digital Cameras. We’ll all be taking better digital pictures after reading this article.

The Nightmare by Barry F. Phillips, a member of ccOKC and a frequent contributor to the eMonitor, Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 602 words). Barry’s computer growled like some prehistoric monster rebelling at being awakened from a deep slumber and then checking my financial data online almost by habit. Terror pulsed through his veins as he no longer existed; all his personal data had been deleted! Another Fun, tongue-in-cheek article by Barry.

This and That by Elizabeth B. Wright, a member of ccOKC and a frequent contributor to the eMonitor, Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 782 words). How much time are you spending upgrading both hardware and software? Elizabeth has found that much time and money are invested in trying to keep up with the times. Are you in the same boat or are you happy using the operating system and programs that you currently have on your computer.

Reviews

DustKleen^TM by Neil Longmuir, Winnipeg PCUG, www.wpcusrgrp.org (approx. 1,304 words). DustKleen is an innovative stand-alone application from Image Trends Inc. It will automatically remove most dirt and dust from any scanned images regardless of the source. Neil’s rating is 5 Stars +

Freshly Squeezed Review: I Move Me by Frank Petrie (approx. 737 words). Remember when you were a kid and dinosaurs roamed the Earth. What was on TV? Mainly cartoons and claymation. And with the advent of YouTube, et al., they’re both making a comeback. I Can Animate lets you create stunning movies using a variety of animation techniques.

Network Warrior by David Boyes (approx. 1,373 words). This book is a collection of notes and process recipes to solve common problems found in commercial networks. Overall, the book provides a large number of useful bits and the last three chapters on how to work the system ought to be required reading for just about anyone in the IT world who actually has to deal directly with customers or other technicians (i.e., everyone).

Photoshop CS3 by Ton Ekvall, newsletter editor for Northeast Wisconsin PCUG www.webpages.charter.net/newpcug (approx. 1,391 words). Some things just keep getting better. And the latest release of Photoshop CS3 is no exception. The new release offers major enhancements that will appeal to present Photoshop users as well as to those interested in transitioning to Photoshop CS3 from Photoshop Elements or other similar products.

OpenOffice by Ronnie Ugulano, Fresno PCUG, California, newsletter editor http://fresnocomputerusers.org (approx. 836 words). I didn’t have time to monkey around, it had to work out of the box. Ronnie got an email from the FPCUG Board saying that they would like to be able to offer the newsletter in PDF for easy printing. The dilemma was what to use that would easily turn into a PDF. Ronnie remembered that OpenOffice, the available-free office suite program, has a PDF converted built into it’s word processing program, and there’s a Windows version and the rest was history.

WildForm WildPresenter Pro by Gregory West, Editor, SCUG Report, Sarnia CUG, Canada (approx. 648 words). Flash is one of the most widely utilized and viewed multimedia formats on the Internet today. There are a lot of video copying and video presentation programs boasting to be the best. However, the question one must ask is “Do they do what they claim to, and do they actually accomplish these processes with ease and professionalism?” The answer to t his I will leave alone for you to decide. However, I personally can speak for WildPresenter Pro, version 3.204: It accomplishes both with a relative ease and simplicity requiring little computer knowledge to create professional Flash media.

Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper’s Collection by Rhonda and James Winterhalter, ICON Computer Users Group, Missouri www.icon.org (approx. 1,728 words). This game could easily capture the interest of all age levels. Grandparents looking for a great item to have around for the grandchildren should be sure to read this review!

SLO Bytes Newsletter - July 2007 - PUSH Article Descriptions

Back-Ups Made Easy by Carey Holzman, Co-host: www.computeramerica.com / www.careyholzman.com (approx. 1,690 words). By now you are probably well aware of the importance of making copies of your valuable data (referred to as "backing-up). You've read numerous articles about ways to back-up your data and prevent disaster. The problem is, most advice offered on this subject is not truly complete and many of the 'solutions' offered are expensive and time consuming. How you back-up, what you back-up, when you back-up and where you store your back-up are just a few important variables that come into play on that miserable day that you require it and your back-up isn't there.

Can't Play Online Videos - Here's What to Do by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com (approx. 706 words). Generally, each video you find on the Web will play only using the software that it was formatted for. If you try to play a video and you don't have the proper software, you won't be able to view the video. Sandy walks readers through how to get many of the popular video viewing software.

Exploring Windows Explorer by Jim Sanders, North Orange County Computer Club, California www.noccc.org (approx. 1,309 words). Everyone using WinXP uses Windows Explorer all the time. Some use it in what Jim considers the true form. Some, of you use it as My Computer and all of us use it when we are using Internet Explorer, because Windows Explorer is an integral part of Internel Explorer. Jim continues to be surprised at how many people do not know that they can right click on the Start button and go directly to Windows Explorer. This tip and more will make is easy for your readers to start using Windows Explorer in its true form.

Checkmate by Berry T. Phillips, Computer Club of Oklahoma City www.ccokc.org (approx. 554 words). Man-vs-machine has been a theme that has intrigued the public for many years. Berry writes about some the chess machines from the early-1700s through early 2003.

Fix That Fan by Jim Sanders, North Orange County Computer Club, California www.noccc.org (approx. 599 words). Cheap (sleeve bearing) fans die young. Bet on it. The cheaper the system, power supply, cooler, etc., the cheaper the fan. When you hear that sleeve bearing fan (or a ball bearing fan, for that matter) rattle, notice a fan is barely turning, or not turning at all, fix it!

Free Online Mapping and Driving Directions by Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director (approx. 999 words). Many of us like to use maps when we travel. Maps can be used to display driving directions and points of interest. Fortunately, there are several excellent and free mapping utilities available on the Internet, such as those provided by Microsoft's "Live" service, Google, Yahoo! And AOL's Mapquest.

How I Find My 'Deleted' Emails by Tom Thiel, Lake-Sumter Computer Society www.lscs.us (approx. 826 words). Old emails are one of my most frequent retrievals from my back-up files. How does Tom retrieve an email after he's deleted it from his Inbox or Sent items? This article shows you the way.

Internet Services - E-mail and the Web by Hilton Kaufman, Chicago Computer Society www.ccs.org (approx. 1,109 words). The Internet is a network of networks used to transmit messages. Somehow things arrive at where they are supposed to go. It is the services that go over these networks that make the Internet useful! The two best known services today are e-mail and the World Wide Web.

The Inside Security Recovery Toolkit (INSERT) by Dick Maybach, Brookdale Computer User Group, New Jersey www.bcug.com (approx. 890 words). Most of us use an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) version of Windows supplied by the vendor who built our PC. Although we often receive a Windows CD-ROM, it is not the same as the disk included with the retail version of Windows. Sometimes without a good recent back-up or good recovery software, all of our data can be lost. A particularly powerful recovery tool is INSERT, a version of Linux designed to correct problems in Windows, Linux, and the latest Macintosh PCs. Dick sent me his tutorial on INSERT. It's far too large for a newsletter article, but if you would like a copy for your members, please let me know and I'll send it to you (Judy).

Windows Vista Power Management by Vinny LaBash, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 618 words). Those of us who drive laptops are usually more aware of power management than the desktop jockeys. In Vista, you can optimize settings to conserve energy, go for flat out performance or achieve some kind of sensible balance between the two.

What is PCI Express? by Brian K. Lewis, PhD, Sarasota PCUG, Florida www.spcug.org (approx. 1,560 words). PCIs (Peripheral Component Interconnect) are the slots in the motherboard of your computer used for connecting peripheral devices directly to the computer bus. The original PCI bus was released in 1992. Your knowledge will certainly be expanded re PCIs after you read this article.

REVIEWS

Actiontec MegaPlug by Terry Currier, WINNERS- WINdows usERS, California www. www.windowsusers.org/ (approx. 779 words). Terry likes the idea of networking through power lines especially if you can not run a cable to where you may want to connect, or you get no wireless signal. You might want to try this method after reading Terry's review.

Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In by Neil Longmuir, Winnipeg PCUG, Canada www.wpcusrgrp.org (approx. 703 words). The Fisheye-Hemi Photoshop plug-in from Image Trends corrects distortions present in fisheye lens images. This is a terrific plug-in filter that retains more of the original image resolutioin allowing the end user to display the original composition as seen through the viewfinder when the iamge was taken.

Professor Franklin's Instant Photo Artist 2.0 by Tom Ekvall, Northeast Wisconsin PCUG www.webpages.charter.net/newpcug (approx. 1,043 words). Can someone create a photo art masterpiece from a snapshot within a matter of minutes without going through a lot of training and reading manuals? Yes, if you use this program. Thanks again to Tom for getting us the discount.

The AntiSpyware Revolution Starts Here by Tou Torraca, The TUG, Hawaii www.the-tug.org (approx. 1,807 words). CounterSpy V2 was completely rebuilt with a revolutionary new design -- more powerful and effective than ever. Lou takes us through all the ins and outs of CounterSpy - your members might want to buy a copy when they read the review.

VOIP Made Easy with Skype by Sharon Walbran, Twin Cities PCUG, Minnesota www.tcpc.com (approx. 456 words). VOIP, Voice Over Internet Protocal, using your Internet connection to make phone calls, has become very popular. Skype (rhymes with "type"), is a free VOIP program that offers free computer-to-computer calls anywhere in the world if both computers have Skype installed. For calls from a computer with Skype to standard phones and cell phones in the U.S. and Canada, Skype offers unlimited free calling with an annual charge of $29.95 a year. Other VOIP vendors charge $30+ per month.

Zune - A Player for the Rest of Us by Ash Nallawalla, Melborne PCUG, Australia www.melbpc.org (approx. 1,014 words). Are your readers older than 50? Have they tried to use an MP3 or video player but found their thumbs and fingers were all mixed up? Was the text too hard to read? Then, Zune is for them.

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - June 2007

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - May 2007

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - April 2007

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - March 2007

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - February 2007

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - January 2007

There are no PUSH articles available for January 2007

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - December 2006

There are no PUSH articles available for December 2006

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - November 2006

Tech News - Sue Crane
The New, the Best, the Worst - Borman
he Part of Backup Nobody Mentions - La Bash
U3 Drives
Are You a Zombie - Lewtschuk
Comodo - Rice
Earth Probe - Phillips
Home Videos into the Computer - Edgell
Microsoft Vista Beta-First Look - Lewis
Surprising New Search Engine - Berger

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - October 2006

Windows XP and Speech Recognition - La Bash
Are You Concerned About Loss of Personal Data? - Barnes
Completely Automated Public Turing Test - Berger

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - September 2006

Shhhhh - Phillips.rtf
Tech Corner - Thomas.rtf
Windows XP and speech recognition - La Bash.rtf
XP or Vista - Drain.rtf
A Lot of Assembly Required - Rhodes.rtf
Are You Concerned About Loss of Personal Data - Barnes.rtf
Basic DVD Recording - Elgines.rtf
CAPTCHA - Berger.rtf
HD Class Action Settlement - Wilsker.rtf
Quality Freeware - Lewis.rtf

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - August 2006

Managing Device Drivers - La Bash
New Best Worst - Borman
Suddenly - Part 2 - Davis
Tweaking Windows' Taskbar - Golderg
What's in a File or Folder - Gonse
Windows Vista - A Preview - Lewis
Choose Your Own Homepage - Wilsker
Do Shield Laws Extend to Bloggers - John Brewer

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - July 2006

Web 2.0 and The Evolution of the Small Office Home Office - Abbott
Accessing Family Accounts - Goldberg
Backup Awareness Month - Wilsker
Computing Q and A Board - Hanst
Essential Processes, How You Can Tell - La Bash
New, Best Worst - Borman
PayPal fraud - Schneider
Pew - Phillips
Suddenly - Part 1 - Davis
Tech News - Crane

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - June 2006
Gerry Says - Gerry Gerstenberg
One-click Access to Programs, Files and Folders - Glenn Richards
Online Librarians Never Say Shhh - Goldberg
Printing Better Pictures - Spotswood
RSS Explained - Shapiro
Swissbit - Wilsker
Tech News - Crane
Traveling with a Video Camcorder - Asling
Web 2.0 and Portable Computing - Abbott
Why Do You Get So Much Spam - La Bash

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - May 2006

Organizing The Favorites Menu - Glenn Richards
Tech News - Crane
The Sentence - Phillips
Upgrading Your Monitor - La Bash
Viewing Space In The Internet Explorer Window - Glenn Richards
XP Housecleaning - Maybach
AMD's Visionary Gamble - Hinwood.
Back to the Future with System Restore - Tucker
Google Earth - Schmitt
New Best and Worst - Borman
New Hard Drives and XP Hard Drive Management Utility - Wilsker

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - April 2006
Being Online Brings Coincidences and Lasting Trails - Goldberg
Clear Reading With Cleartype - La Bash
Computer Cache - Lewis
Hard Disk Disasters - Maybach
Identity Theft Phishing Scams Abound - Wilsker
New Best Worst - Borman
"The Future of Broadband Access - Hewitt
Why settle - do it your way - Alexander

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - March 2006
An End to Computer Annoyances - Goldberg
Anti-Spam Programs - Do They Really Work - La Bash
How big is a 300 GB hard disk - Sanders
Is the Internet Insecure Because of You - Gerber
Legal Bytes Fair Use - Brewer
Multi-core Processors - Lewis
New Federal Website - Wilsker
The Mouse from Hell - Moore
The Shadow Knows - Morris

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - February 2006
A USB Primer - Lewis
Absence Makes the E-Mail Grow Fonder - Goldberg
Anti-spyware Basic - Gerber
Care and Feeding of CDs
No Mouse Allowed - Cushway
Online Family Health History - WIlsker
Sony BMG-Shame on You - Brewer
Tech News - Crane
What Your Computer Really Does When It - Labash

SLO Bytes Newsletter - January 2006

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - December 2005
Windows Recovery or Restore Disks - Laurie
Browsing WebRings - Communities of Web Sites - Goldberg
Legal Bytes What is CALEA and Will It Affect My Life - Brewer
Locked Out of Your Computer - LaBash
Phising Schemes - Gonse
Speedup Your Computer - Wilsker
Tech News - Crane
Tips For Locating Misplaced Files - Gerber
USB Flash Drives - Lewis
What Comes After You Have Your Pictures - Cummins

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - November 2005
Expect the Unexpected When Travelling Abroad
Indexing the Web - Lewis
Laptop Display Replacement - Mike Borman
Microsoft is Helping - Elgines
Mystery of File Extensions Explained - Gerber
Netiquette Equals Friendly Online Neighborhoods - Goldberg
Network Your Home or Office Internet - Wilsker
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month - Capital
Tech News - Crane
The Insiders' Guide to Craigslist - Johnson
The New, the Best, and the Worst - Borman
Trolling for WiFi - Brewer

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - October 2005
Chasing the Internet - Goldberg
Fantasy Football - Steen
Internet Explorer Tips and Tricks - Johnson
Lessons Learned Too Late - Another Attack of the Killer Worms
Moderating a Question and Answer Session - Bondietti
Open Letter - Gonse
Reading Product Manuals Online
Screen Shots - Garcia
Tech News - Crane
Tips for Adding Audio & Video to UG Website

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - September 2005
29 Useful Bookmarks - Favorites - Johnson
Add a New Dimension To Your Browsing - Goldberg
Beware of File Sharing - Wilsker
Figuring Out How Spammers Get E-Mail Addresses - Gerber
How to Thank the Leaders of Your Computer User Group - Shapiro
Maintaining Your Downloads - Garcia
Sharing Your World - LaBash
Why Can’t I Just Copy My Programs to My New Computer - Lewis
Wi-Fi Wireless Internet and Network Availability - Wilsker
Wireless Instant Messaging Makes Conversations Portable - Goldberg

SLO Bytes Newsletter PUSH Articles - July 2005
Adventures in Linux-land
Cassette Music to CD
Freecycle
Google
HandiApped Independence
Computer Hysteria
Another Silent Attack on Our Computers
Simple Passwords
Tech+ News

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