KawarthaNet User Group: February 2005

Attendance:
Alvin Wright, Bob Skelly, Bob Stokes, Bill VanKuik, Edna & Robert Jardine, Don Jardine, Beth Steinbeck, Anne Panter, Norm Bailey, Garth Scarborough
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
  Note that the meeting dates listed in this week's Promoter are incorrect. Anne will correct for the next issue.
2. Internet News:
  Thanks again to Don Jardine for providing copies of the Internet NewsAnne will take remaining copies to Bobcaygeon & Fenelon Falls libraries.
3. Nexicom projector & laptop
  Thanks to Nexicom for the use of this equipment, and to Beth for making the trip from Millbrook.
4. Meeting Venue
  Norm mentioned that the school boards are now making space available at no cost for community groups. After discussion of pros (no cost) and cons (eg. lack of phone connection) it was decided to continue meeting at Settlers' Village and Compu-Dynamix for the time being.
  Bob Stokes added that that people could support Settlers' Village by becoming a member ($20)
5. Future of the KIUG
  Discussion about continuing the group; Membership is declining. Is there still a need for the group? Are these needs being met by other institutions (eg. CAP sites, libraries, adult education centres),Are people getting anything out of the meetings? How to attract more members?
  
  Consensus was that the meetings are still useful, but we should advertise more. Currently Anne puts notices in the "community events" in 3 local newspapers (Promoter, "This Week", Lindsay Post) and the cable station. Other suggestions:notices in libraries and CAP sites, and in the CoKL handbook.
6. Topics for future meetings
  
  "Hands-on" demo of XP. Anne will ask Paul M. about this for the March meeting.
'Round the Table
1. Webmail
  
  There's a new interface for Webmail, with a lot of new folders. Beth explained that this is a 3rd party product which Nexicom offers to its customers, and this is the latest upgrade made by the vendor. It looks different but works the same as before. You can use the "preferences" option to rearrange the folders to your convenience.
2. Deleting Temporary Files
  
  Garth demonstrated several ways to delete temporary internet files and "cookies".
  - Disk Cleanup (Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Cleanup)
  - Internet Options (from Internet Explorer or from Control Panel)
  - Windows Explorer.
  If the Delete button in Internet Options doesn't clear them all, use Windows Explorer: find Windows/Temporary Internet Files highligh all (cntl-a) and delete (Delete key).
  
  There are also a lot of other temporary files on your hard drive, and many utilities available for housecleaning them (eg. Disk Cleanup, "Window Washer", or "Empty Temp Folders" at www.danish-shareware.dk/soft/emptemp/
  
  Also, see also the item in this month's issue of "Internetworking News" for help deleting the huge "uninstall" files left after installing Windows updates. But... see below (Windows' "Malware" Programme) for an instance where you may need these files later.)
3. Clipboard Viewer
  
  Where is Clipboad Viewer in XP?
  
  It should be under Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools (in "Classic View"). If not, go to Add/Remove Programs and install it (using your installation CD). There are also lots of 3rd party clipboard utilities, with added features (eg. multiple clipboards, "memory" of last 2 or 3 entries)
4. Copy / Paste via Keyboard
  
  Garth demonstrated how to copy/paste using the keyboard (cntl-C for copy, cntl-V for paste). This is useful when there is no mouse right-click menu available (eg. some web page forms).
5. Persistent Error Message
  
  How do you get rid of an email error message that stays on-screen?
  
  (Beth): Click "Hide".
6. Persistent Word Document
  
  After creating a temporary document in MS Word, it won't go away: it appears as the default document every time Word is loaded.
  
  Several possibilities:
  - Document was saved as "documentx.doc" so is the default. To get rid of it, click "Save As" and give it a name (then delete it later)
  - Document was saved as a draft. Same solution as above.
  - Document was saved as a template (eg. Normal.dot). To get rid of it, clear the onscreen document, and save the (blank) document as a template (Normal.dot)
7. Invalid email address
  
  Mail keeps bouncing back.
  
  Possibilities:
  - Server delay ("mail has not been delivered in xx hours"). If this is the case, just keep trying. The email address is OK.
  - Server is blocked: eg. some services (eg. AOL) will block an entire domain for 48 hours in response to spam.
  - Mis-typed email. Eg: typed blank or hyphen instead of underscore. To be safe, don't re-type email addresses. Use "reply to sender" and "add to address book" features.
  - Recipient has changed email address. Often people use "30-month for free" accounts, etc., particularly when travelling.
8. Email when travelling
  Sympatico no longer offers Webmail access. If you have Webmail access (eg. Nexicom account) you don't need any other email when travelling - you can access your account anywhere in the world.
  
  Beth also announced that Nexicom "National Dialler" allows you to use your account anywhere in Canada (via 1-866 Nexi Roam number) or North America (via 1-877 number).
9. DSL Availability
  
  Bell Canada is upgrading some lines between Bobcaygeon & Fenelon Falls, to enable DSL. Nexicom is offering DSL and "DSL Light" (128k), and including 120 minutes of free long distance service.
  
  VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology will increase the demand for DSL-capable phone lines.
10. XP Compatability
  
  Anne had several legacy (32-bit W95/98) programmes (applications) that would not install in XP: Error Message: "System file is not suitable..."
  Solution: Replace "autoexec.nt" from the XP installation CD. Assuming D: is your CD, and Windows is installed on your C: drive, from the command prompt, enter:
```
expand d:\i386\autoexec.nt_  c:\windows\system32\autoexec.nt
```
11. Windows on-line updates
  Q: What is the "shield" icon that appears on the task bar whenever I connect to the internet. Right-click menu says only "downloading updates", but does not identify the program, or allow for closing the program.
  A: (Garth) This is Windows Security, downloading the latest Windows updates. You can set preferences to run only on demand, then use Task Scheduler to run the update programme when convenient (eg. 2:00 am)
12. Windows "Malware" programme
  Included in the most recent Windows "critical updates". This is Microssoft's "malware" cleaner. It is persistent ie. runs "automatically" rather than on demand. This can be a problem on a dial-up line. If so - uninstall it. (Note the item below above "uninstall" files from Windows updates. This is an example of a situation where you need those "temporary" files!)
13. Nexicom Accelerator
  This is an add-on feature available with Nexicom accounts to increase the speed of dial-up accounts. It works by compressing files from web pages, so does not affect the speed of email or ftp. You can disable it if it adversely affects other activities, or set preferences to turn it on only for web browsing.
14. Spybot, Adaware
  The latest updates of these programs are worth downloading, as they have changed tremendously. Norm was concerned there might be a dialler running on his computer. Spybot will now find these.
15. Memory Sticks
     These are a very handy way to transfer files between computers, particularly now that many new computers don't have A: (diskette) drives. Price depends on capacity (32, 64, 128, 256, 512MB). Other alternatives are: memory cards, eg. from a digital camera, and a multi-card reader, and MP3 players.
     Q: Can you run a programme from a memory stick or card?
     A: Yes - if you have all the necessary files (eg. DLLs). Many smaller programmes require only the EXE. For example, you can put both music (MP3 files) and 1by1 (a tiny perfect MP3 player) on a memory stick, and run directly from it through the computer speakers.
     For this reason, it's a good idea to keep the original .zip file when you download programmes - to ensure that you have all the necessary files in one place.
16. Norton 2005
  Q: Where is the "scheduled update" option in the new (2005) version of Norton?
  A: Probably the only option is now "Live Update". If you have a dial-up account, you may prefere to put "Live Update" into your task manager (Same as Windows Update, above).
17. Windows "Saved" Passwords
     Q:Why will my computer not save online passwords (eg. for Hotmail)?
     A:Check security settings (Internet Options / Security). Passwords won't be save if scripting (javascripts, Active X) is blocked. This could have been set by Norton, Adaware or Spybot.
     Also - to get rid of saved passwords, go to Control Panel /Users and look for an unrecognizable user. That's where Windows has stored these passwords.
18. Weather Page
  ... has changed for the worse. The text-based page is much better ( current) (3-5 day)
19. Cogeco Speed Test speedtest.cogeco.net is a useful link to check your connection speed.
20. Audio not working
  Q:Computer sound has stopped working. All settings (Volume slide bars) look OK. How to identify the problem?
  A:Suggestions:
  - Check that the speakers are plugged into the right jacks.
  - Check the power source on the speakers.
  - Test with another (borrowed) set of speakers. If they work, the problem is your speakers. If not, it's hardware or software in your computer.
  - Do you also have a microphone connected? Garth has found that on his system he can't use both a mic and speakers at the same time.

Next Meeting