KawarthaNet User Group: January 2005

Attendance:
Bill VanKuik, Don Jardine, Bob Stevenson, Bob Stokes, Paul MacCauley, Anne Panter
Minutes of last meeting:
online
Financial report
(not inluded in online minutes)
Anne, Garth & Bill will meet to update the group's account signature card at the Bobcaygeon Bank of Montreal.
New Business:
1. Meeting dates
  Because of commitments with the Rotary Club, Paul MacCauley will not be available on Thursdays. The Fenelon meetings will be changed to the second Tuesday of each month at Compu-Dynamix.
2. Internet News:
  Thanks again to Don Jardine for providing copies of the Internet News. Don has made arrangements to have 50 copies sent to the Lindsay public library, and will bring them to the meetings. Anne will take remaining copies to Bobcaygeon & Fenelon Falls libraries.
  Note Don's letter-to-the-editor and the attached photo of the KIUG Christmas party in the December issue.
'Round the Table
1. Spyware
  Anne passed this on from Norm Bailey, who recently ran the latest version of Adaware on a friend's computer, and discovered 400+ spyware programmes! Get the latest version from www.lavasoft.nu, and run it regularly.
  If you notice that your computer is running slowly, suspect spyware. These programs run in the background to send information to web sites. As well as being a security and privacy threat, they are using up cpu cycles and memory on your computer, and bandwidth on your internet conection.
2. Viruses and Malicious Dialing
  Norm was also concerned that his computer was infected with a program trying to dial long-distance. He has set up his internet options to prompt before dialling, and physically disconnects the phone line when he is not at the computer.
  Paul added that the new version of AntiVir Personal Edition includes an anti-dialler program. AntiVir is free, reasonably small, and keeps up-to-date data files.
3. Spam
  Three suggestions to reduce spam:
  - Sign up for Spambuster, a free service available to Nexicom customers. This catches most of the spam before it reaches your in-box on the server.
  - Check your mail online with Webmail. Delete the remaining spam on the server, before downloading mail to your computer.
  - Preview mail with PopTray. This downloads just the headers, and allows you to delete messages from the server instead of downloading them.
  By using Webmail and PopTray you can also avoid downloading large messages.
4. Nexicom Accelerator
  Anne asked if anyone had tried the 30-day trial. Don said it had improved download speed. Paul said the program works by downloading common files, icons, etc. to the user's computer, thus saving online download time on web pages. However, it won't have any effect on uploads, or file downloads.
5. Microsoft: Malicious Software Removal Tool
  This will be available soon as an XP update.
6. Home Networks
      Paul explained some of the limitations of networking computers with different operating systems. Because of the different file systems, computers with earlier file systems may not be able to "see" files on newer systems. Eg. Early Windows95 systems uses FAT16 files, Windows 98 used FAT32, and Windows XP uses NTFS.
      Wireless networks require a router (approx. $100) and a card in each machine. Wireless signals may span 100ft, but the distance depends on several factors. Transmission is poor in concrete and in log buildings.
      Systems that use the house wiring, or phone wiring are slower, but workable (eg. print sharing).
7. Internet shortcut
  Bob Stokes lost his "E" hot-key shortcut to his internet connection. Paul showed him how to restore it (Internet Options: set default to "Connect to the Internet")
8. www.majorgeeks.com/ is a good source of software and information
9. Ping
  Paul demonstrated how to "ping" the server (to check the connection). Click Start / Run and type the command "ping xxxxxxx.xxx" (eg. ping nexicom.net)
  www.alchemy-lab.com has a GUI "ping" program
10. Audio problems
  Bill has been having problems with movie files that don't play sound. This can be caused by missing "codec" files, so run MS update to ensure everything is up-to-date. As Bill has done this already, Paul suggested there may be other software problems.
11. Search engines
  Don has been researching his family history, and Google found pictures of the SS Chella: ths ship his granparents sailed to Canada in 1866.
  Bill also recommended "Ask Jeeves" at www.ask.com
12. Don recommends www.redflagdeals.com for bargain-hunters.
13. Visit Don's web page at www.nexicom.net/~drjardine_825/ for information about the Jardine Clan, and links to other Scottish clans.
14. Webshots at www.webshots.com has free daily photos for your computer. Bill VanKuik uses webshots, and found that when he set his "wallpaper" to one of his own photos, it was replaced by the webshots one the next time he booted the computer. Paul explained that Webshots takes over the "wallpaper" properties and changes the picture.

Next Meeting