KawarthaNet User Group: September 2004

Attendance:
Paul MacCauley, Anne Panter, Larry Muter, Len Bailey, Jerry Crawford, Don Jardine,Bob Stokes, Mike Ricks, Bill VanKuik
Minutes of last meeting:
online
Financial Report:
(Not included in online minutes)
Old Business:
- Internet News:
  Thanks again to Don for delivering copies of the Internet News.Copies are available in the Lindsay Library.
- Henderson House meeting:
  Bob suggested tacking up a sheet rather than using the projector screen, as the screen was too small to be seen from the back. He will bring a sheet to the next meeting.
'Round the Table
- Mike had pictures of his (roofless) house in Port Charlotte, after Hurricane Charlie. Since then, Hurricane Francis has passed through Florida, and Hurricane Ivan appears to be headed that way. Weather updates (video) are available at www.weather.com
- Q: Mike was given a CD burner, and tried to install it on his PC, which is running Windows XP. It didn't work, and also disabled his D: drive (i. it doesn't appear in Windows Explorer or My Computer. How can he restore the old hardware and drivers?
  A: (Paul): The problem is with the driver: each operating system requires its own drivers. XP has drivers built-in, so you don't need to install them, and if you do, you risk wiping out the correct XP driver. So, the solution is to uninstall the CD burner, then re-attach it and let XP install its own drivers automatically.
- Bob Stokes: No questions, but a thank you to Larry Muter, for coming over to his house to assist him with some problems.
- Q: Don gets a pop-up window when he goes to the Yahoo web site, and can't get rid of it.
  A: (Paul):Look on the task bar (at the bottom of the screen) for that entry. Right-click on it, and choose "close" from the pop-up menu.
  There are programs available to block pop-ups, but they can prevent some web sites from working properly (eg. bank sites which pop-up security windows)
- Q: Jerry uses Corel Suite 8. He tried sending a word processor file to his son, who uses MS Word. When saved the file in Word format, it was 5MB and his son couldn't open it.
  A: (Anne): When exchanging word processor files with others, use Rich Text Format. (Save As / Rich Text Format). The file created will be .rtf. This is a universal format, compatable with all word processors.
  There are good, free word processors available. eg. 602Suite (www.software602.com) This is a complete office suite with a word processor, spreadsheet, graphics editor, and digital photo organizer.
  Another free word processor is AbiWord (www.abisource.com)This can open most Word documents.
- Jerry uses Sympatico dial-up, and has noticed the connection is getting slower. There was discussion of alternatives:
  - Nexicom dial-up, which will soon have "high-speed lite" available (this speeds up the connection by using compression software). Can't use the phone at the same time.
  - Cable (i-zoom from Cable Cable) Faster than dial-up, and always available. Paul noted that service seems to be more stable in Bobcaygeon than Fenelon Falls. Doesn't impact phone.
  - DSL - broadband (high-speed) like cable, and always on. Less down-time than cable (how often is your phone line down?) Again, you can use your phone at the same time as the internet connection.
  - Satellite (LinkSat, Galaxy): two-way communication, high-speed, but expensive: $800-900 for hardware, $500 for installation, and about $45 a month. Billing is by bandwidth.
  - There is a pilot project in the Sault St. Marie area using hydro lines to transmit cable and internet.
- Q: Len tried logging in to his account, but kept getting the password request window over and over.
  A: (Paul): The problem is with the ISP. They are probably being overwhelmed with spam, and can't handle the incoming traffic, so you can't get into the system. Just wait a while and try again.
- Anne: Google is going to offer email(gmail), similar to Hotmail and Yahoo but with more space. It is currently beta-testing with a limited number of users, by "invitation" only. There's a web site www.gmailswap.com where people with invitations will trade them for various things (eg. answers to Simpsons trivia questions!) or for nothing.
- Q: Don: Why do his "snowbird" friends keep changing their email?
  A: (Mike): Often people use their phone company for their email (eg. Bell Sympatico). Then, if they close down their phone account, they lose their email. Mike recommends using a separate ISP, and using an online service (eg. Webmail) so you can check your email from anywhere in the world.
- Q Offshore dialling:
  There was discussion of computer virus / spyware that dials long-distance from your computer withour your knowledge. Phone companies generally won't forgive the bill - they have to pay it regardless. Prevention:turn off your computer, or disconnect the phone line from it when you aren't using it.
- Q: Mike: Why does Webmail occasionally put unread messages in Trash?
  A: (Paul): Webmail automatically deletes mail from people on your "blocked sender" list. Check what email addresses you have blocked.
- Q How do you lock the task bar, so you can't accidentally drag it to the top, left or right side of the screen?
  A: Windows XP: Right click on the task bar and choose "lock task bar"
  Windows 98: Right click on the task bar, choose Properties, and uncheck the box "allow moving..."

Next Meeting

Thursday, October 14, 7:00 pm
Henderson House, Settlers' Village, Bobcaygeon