UCHUG Monthly DriveLight - Under the Computer Hood Users Group

May 2009
Volume 30, No 5
theElectronic
DRIVE
LIGHT a newsletter of the
Under the Computer Hood User Group, Inc
Meeting Reminder May 6 th, 2009
Topic: "Stretchable Circuits" plus
iPod Touch and PODCASTS. See
one, and learn what they are, how
you can get a podcast, and how
to produce your own.
Meeting Place : Wesley Palms
2404 Loring St.
San Diego, CA 92109 7:00 PM
Features in this issue:
Prez' Corner
Secretary's Reports
What's New
Bits and Pieces
Reinstalling Windows
I've Been Hacked
Computer Speed, RAM, VM
KindleII
Windows 7-Part 2
Renewal Reminders
(click map for google maps)
For More information about us go to our
website: www.uchug.org
2
5,6
8
10
12
14
18
20
21
23
The above links are ”Hot”. Click on any title
and jump to that page. Cick on the Drive
Light logo at the bottom of each page to
return to this index. Use the underlined links
in each article to quickly go to the web sites
referenced.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 1 of 25
May 2009
President's Corner
by Greg Skalka
The Saga of Yet Another Computer Upgrade - Part CXIX
Spring is here and summer is not far behind. If you have not performed
your computer spring cleaning, it is not too late. Check out my column
(with photos) in the March Drive Light for what happens if you don’t.
During the winter, our forced-air heating systems circulate dust around our
homes, which gets sucked into the fan inlets of our computers. That dust
can clog fans and coat components in the power supply with a layer of dust.
When our San Diego weather starts warming up, that dust can cause
computer overheating, resulting in erratic behavior and premature
component failure. Now is the time to get “under the hood” and clean out
that dust and grime. A can of compressed air, a vacuum and some dust rags
are all that is needed. Even your laptop, which cools mostly by conduction
and convection, has a small fan that can run at times. Blow some canned air
into the laptop’s grill on the bottom or side; you might be surprised at what
comes out (hopefully only dust, and not components).
While you are in the cleaning mode, all of the rest of your computer gear could use a quick inspection and
wipe-down. Routers, cable/DSL modems, switches and external drives are all running and generating heat
constantly, and probably have fans and/or air grills in their cases. A wipe with the rag on the case and a shot of
canned air into the grill is all it takes to help keep these links in our computing chains running through the
summer heat. Printers and scanners don’t generate much heat, but could probably benefit from a removal of
accumulated dust.
Chapter 209 - Nightmare on Router Street
We often take things for granted until we no longer have them. This can apply to a lot of things we find
essential to our everyday lives, like breathable air, clean water, affordable food and reliable Internet access. I
don’t mean to imply that Internet access is anywhere as important as food or water (though some gamers may
get so involved in online games that they skip meals). Most of us are becoming more dependent on access to
the Internet in our everyday lives, however. Something that was non-existent 30 years ago, a novelty 20 years
ago and useful but not essential 10 years ago has become pervasive and indispensable now.
Most people have connections to the web every day, through their home or work computers, through their
laptops, PDAs or mobile phones while on the go, and some even through their TVs. Almost every lodge and
hotel above the “fleabag” category provides their guests with Internet access in their rooms or on computers in
the lobby these days. My car dealer’s service department waiting lounge is equipped with a couple of
connected computers for the customers, as well as Wi-Fi for those that brought their laptops. Even my doctor’s
medical clinic now provides free Wi-Fi access for patients waiting in the building.
Most people can’t go the day without checking their email, checking the sports scores, traffic or weather online, or buying something through the web. Almost every financial institution (whether they accepted bail-outs
or not) provides online account access to their customers, and many of those customers do most of their
transactions and obtain their statements on their web sites. Even those few companies that don’t buy, sell or
otherwise transact business online probably at least have a web presence.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 2 of 25
May 2009
My family often has four or more computers going at the same time, all connected to the Internet. We have
broadband cable access, with a router and switches to distribute it both through wires and wirelessly throughout
our house. All of us use our computers daily. My wife uses her home computer extensively for her job. My
son does some of his college homework online. My daughter also uses the Internet for schoolwork. I monitor
our finances and pay almost all our bills online.
With something so important, it is a disaster if our Internet access is interrupted. Even an outage of a few hours
is inconvenient, but if it comes at a critical time, or is out for a day, the users in my house start to rebel. I
recently lost a day and a half of my time dealing with an outage, and it was not pleasant for anyone in the
house.
I got up one Saturday morning with my mind filled with plans for what I was going to accomplish. Little did I
know when my son told me his X-box gaming over the Internet was crawling along, that this would be the start
of a “lost weekend” for me. I tried to get on the Internet, but the connection was pathetically slow. I reset the
power on my Linksys BEFSX41 router, but that did not help. Thinking it was the cable company’s fault, I also
reset the cable modem by cycling its power, but there was no improvement. I checked that the televisions were
working, so it was not a catastrophic problem with the cable, the wiring to our house, or the signal amplifier I
have installed in the coax cable before it is split eight ways to the cable modem and all the TVs.
I noticed that the router WAN lights, showing the signal connection between the cable modem and the router,
would go off periodically, making me think that perhaps the cable modem was bad. It is many years old now,
and is owned by the cable company. I tried to connect my laptop directly to the cable modem (no router), but
was unsuccessful at first. After a few more attempts, I was able to connect my laptop to the Internet directly
through the cable modem.
I called Time Warner Cable to report the problem, and the representative was able to read information from my
cable modem. She was able to tell me that I had previously had a Linksys router connected to the modem, and
then my laptop. She also told me the modem was reporting a low input signal level, and to remedy it, a service
call would be necessary. They could have someone come out mid-day the next day, Easter Sunday, but since
we would be gone, I told them I would have to call back later to schedule it.
Resigned to solving this problem on my own, at least in the short term, I next tried my spare ZyXEL router.
This is the white one I used for the UCHUG networking demonstrations, but I couldn’t get it to work with the
cable modem either. Thinking I was going to have to deal with a cable technician eventually, I moved my
laptop, routers and cable modem downstairs to the garage, where the cable input comes into the house. I
hooked the raw cable input from the street up to the cable modem, and then to my Linksys router, but I was not
able to get the WAN lights on the router to light at all, though the cable modem lights were normal. I tried the
ZyXEL router instead, and was able to get a good Internet connection to my laptop. I tried the connection
speed test at www.speedtest.net, and it reported a downlink speed of nearly 10 Mb/s, a really good rate. I also
had another old Linksys router I’d picked up at the last UCHUG holiday auction, and it also connected, but the
speed test showed only a 5 Mb/s downlink. I tried my original Linksys router again, but once again its WAN
lights were dark. I finally concluded that my original router was broken, and the other Linksys router from the
auction also had some kind of problem.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 3 of 25
May 2009
There may still be a signal level problem
into my cable modem, but the ZyXEL
router seemed fine with things the way they
were, so I moved the modem and ZyXEL
router back upstairs and connected it to my
network. It worked there temporarily until
I could get a replacement. The same
Linksys model I had was no longer
available, so I purchased a Linksys
WRT52G2 router. It can be hung on a
wall, so I was able to gain some space back
on my shelf of network components. It is
also wireless, so I can use it for wireless
access when I want it. I’m still going
through the settings for the router, but most
of the users are happy again. I’ll still need
to look into this low signal level into the
router business sometime, but for now, the
nightmare is over.
Assault from Battery
I purchased two batteries with my Dell Vostro laptop, and I’ve been reading up on the best ways to make them
last. It is reported that the internal resistance of lithium ion batteries increases with time after manufacture,
even if not used, so it is best to buy the most recently manufactured batteries. They have a low self-discharge
rate, and should be stored charged, ideally at 40% to 60% of full charge. They should not be discharged and
recharged excessively, and also degrade with increased heat, so it is recommended that a laptop run primarily
from line power should have the battery removed, so that it is not heated by the electronics.
Since I always run my laptop from line power at home, I’ve started removing the battery to extend its life. This
can cause an unexpected loss of data, however. While writing this column, I was at times also scanning slides
with my laptop. Placing the power strip that supplied the laptop and slide scanner at the foot of my computer
desk was not too prudent, as I managed to hit the strip’s power switch with my foot while writing. This only
lost the data for the one slide I was in the process of scanning, but I also lost the time it took to boot the laptop
again. The laptop battery is an effective UPS, but since I want the batteries to last, I’ll just have to be more
careful with the power strip.
Greg
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 4 of 25
May 2009
Secretary's Reports
General Meeting, April 1, 2009
Ray Ferbrach, Secretary
The meeting was held in the Wesley Palms Retirement Community at 2404 Loring St San Diego, CA 92109
(http://www.wesleypalms.org/). The meeting was called to order by President Greg Skalka at 7:07 p.m. The
President welcomed approximately 27 members and guests. We had 1 new member and a guest resident of
Wesley Palms.
REPORTS:
President: The President discussed the Evenings Program with the assembled member's and guest. An
announcement was made for the upcoming 16th Annual Southwest Computer Conference will be held at the
Town and County Resort & Convention Center located in Mission Valley, San Diego, California on May 29, 30
and 31, 2009. If you register by May 1st, the fee is $60.00. After that it will cost more. Information can be
found at http://www.theswcc.org/.
The UCHUG has been extended an invite to attend the Seniors Computer Group meeting on the 3rd Saturday of
June at 9.30a.m. when Microsoft will be giving a program. http://home.roadrunner.com/~scg/ As more
information becomes available it will be put up on our WebSite.
Abbott Brownell gave a brief medical report on the Vice President. Al was in Jacob Health Case Center for a
brief stay. As of the Board Meeting on the 15th, he is home and in good spirits.
Webmaster: The Webmaster reviewed the new items on our website www.uchug.org. Note the new 3D
Backgamon Game. 2010 Backgammon [1.8 M] Win All Freeware - This backgammon game has realistic
OpenGL-compatible 3D graphics - you can view the board from any angle. You can play against the computer
or with your friends and there is an online system to play against thousands of players worldwide. It features
neural networks based AI with 6 skill levels.
http://www.softarea51.com/windows/Games_Entertainment/Board/Review-2007_Backgammon.html
Random Access was held while the program was being set up.
PROGRAM: Bob Woods walked the members through the current release of the Beta Windows 7. It has been
confirmed the next version will be called "Windows 7". It is expected to be out about 9 October of 2009. The
Microsoft news about it can be seen at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/. Bob was running it on
his laptop with a 1.4 Single Core CPU, 3 Khz and 1 Gig of memory. Boot times was 5 seconds slower than
Windows Vista on his 2 Core 2.7 Khz machine at home. The new Operating System is expected to have 7
versions. Pricing is unavailable at this time. The program has cleaned up a lot of the Vista problems quite a bit.
The ability to open other programs is very fast. The CNET site has several Videos HERE which show the
present configuration of Windows 7. Windows 7: Action Center Overview was discussed. It is a follow up to
the Windows Vista Security Center. The action center information can be found HERE.
A website for a listing of Outlook Express Keyboard Shortcuts was put up for review.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 5 of 25
May 2009
A visit was made to the researchers site at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They have made a fastcharge lithium-ion battery that could potentially be used to recharge an electric car in as little as five minutes,
the Boston Globe reported. A "crystallized coating" over the electrodes allows the lithium ions to move more
readily and lets the battery discharge about 100 times faster than current batteries, according to MIT studies.
Such a torrent could cause explosive acceleration similar to nitrous oxide, but with the added benefit of
"refilling" just as fast from an electrical outlet. While the technology is at least several years away, performance
automakers will likely make an early jump on it. See it HERE.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:03 p.m..
Board Meeting
March 18, 2009
Ray Ferbrach, Secretary
The meeting was called to order at the home of Greg Wauson at 7:21 p.m. by President Greg Skalka. In
attendance were Greg Skalka, Mark Ferbrache, Abbott Brownell, Art Gresham, Greg Wauson, Mike Trempe,
Bill Palmer, Sandy Shapiro, Ray Ferbrache and member guest Joel Owens.
REPORTS:
President - The President mentioned the upcoming 16th Annual Southwest Computer Conference on May
29th.
Vice President - The Vice President is home recuperating. Nothing to report.
Secretary - The Secretary had nothing to report.
Treasurer - The Group is solvent and operating below budget. Room reservations the San Diego County Office
of Education have been canceled. A letter will be sent thanking the County Administrative Office for their
support and letting the UCHUG use their facilities over the years. A motion was made, Seconded and passed to
accept the Treasurers report of expenses paid during the past year.
Membership - The membership chairman reported 52 active members with 47 members dues paid in full and
up to date.
Editor - Request inputs the weekend of the 26th of April.
Webmasters - New updates have been posted during the past few weeks. Nothing else to report.
PROGRAMS:
May - Greg Wauson will give a program on the iPod Touch. The iPod Touch has more capability for Games.
Apps. Music. Movies. TV Shows. The Web. iPod Touch puts everything you want to play, watch, or browse on
one sleek Multi-Touch device. http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/ Greg will also touch on the ability to use
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 6 of 25
May 2009
PodCasts for News. Art Gresham will give a discussion on PodCasts, what they are, and how to create one,
with a demonstration of a live podcast, and the PodCast Client for Windows called Juice from SourceForge.
June - It is time for our Summer Picnic on the Bay. Bring the Family and join us for drinks and Pizza. This year
we will celebrate 30 years of the UCHUG as a continuously active Computer Group in San Diego. We will
meet at Crown Point on the North/West shore of Mission Bay. A jacket is suggested as it can get chilly when
the sun goes down.
July - Google Features and Capabilities. Everyone is invited to jump in on this one.
August - To Be Determined.
OLD BUSINESS: A discussion was held on ideas to promote membership in the UCHUG. A motion was
made, Seconded and Passed to give a #3.00 off incentive for new members for the 1st year. A discussion was
held on the giving of a Coupon to Wesly Palms residents for membership. Business cards will be made which
identifies our new meeting site. We plan to have them available for members attending the Southwest computer
conference in May to hand out to prospective members.
A Specifications Sheet for a Projector Stand was passed around for information.
The Group is looking for a Secretary for next year. Help, I need a replacement as I will be on an RV Trip to
Alaska for most of the Summer of 2010.
The President has had an exchange with Marcia at the Wesley Palms to confirm our monthly meeting schedule
and putting our name on the reservations log.
NEW BUSINESS: It was suggested that it might be time for UCHUG to design and produce a new club tee
shirt. Greg will ask the membership if there is interest in this at the next meeting. He asked the board members
to look into any tee shirt printing connections they may have, for discussion at the next board meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 7 of 25
May 2009
By Jackie Woods
UCHUG Co-Webmaster
The summer is fast approaching and a new batch of gadgets is making its
appearance for the summer traveler and hobbyist. Cameras, mobile
phones and MP3 players are always on the top of the list for the most
used items during those summer months.
I tend to carry extra SD cards for my camera so I can load up those pictures, being able to take 1000’s of
pictures is a photographer’s dream. Sony’s new DSC-G3 Cyber-shot camera makes picture taking and easy
storage/unloading those pictures a ‘snap’. This camera has a Web
browser to log on to any Wi-Fi hotspot (you enter a password on the
touchscreen). The Easy Upload Home Page allows you to directly
upload your pictures and
videos on popular sharing
sites and send email
notifications. It’s even
possible to search Google in a
pinch. Like all Sony Cybershots this one takes quality pictures in all conditions. Sony’s Smile
Shutter technology captures a smile the moment it happens while Face
Detection detects up to
eight individual faces and controls various camera settings to
deliver natural skin tones with reduced red-eye. Another perk the touchscreen covers about ¾ of the camera back, making for
very easy viewing. Runs about $499 from Sony and Amazon,
lowest price was $495 and change at Myrtle Electronics on the
web. No bargains here. More from www.sonystyle.com
Panasonic’s SDR-S26 camcorder will film close-ups
from across the street with a 70x zoom, the biggest so
far in a camcorder. A sensitive image-stabilization
system ensures that small movements won’t spoil
magnified shots. It comes in various colors – red,
silver, black and blue.
Some of the specs listed:
•Records via SD Card (32GB)
•70x Optical Zoom with Advanced O.I.S.
Close-up shots w/ reduced hand shake.
•iA Mode w/ Face Detection
Captures faces in dim or backlit scenes.
•YouTube™ Uploader
Shoot video and upload to YouTube™
Priced at the Amazon and Panasonic sites for $299.95.
More info at www.panasonic.com
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 8 of 25
May 2009
One of the most difficult things to find for your MP3 player is good headphones. We want them to not only be
comfortable, but to do a good job of producing great sound over any ambient noise from
your surroundings (such as crying kids on that airplane). The Shure SE115
headphones are super small for comfort but produce high frequencies as well as larger
models do. The secret – an unusually flexible speaker diaphragm reproduces a wide
range of vibrations despite its minute size. The headphones come with a carrying case,
color choices of red, blue, pink and black and an excellent 2 year warranty.
$100 at www.shure.com $92 at Amazon!
How many kids do I see with portable game consoles (mainly
Nintendos – either Gameboys or the DS) on airplanes and in cars –
including my own four grandsons? The new Nintendo DSi is the
next portable game console for the avid game player. It has a doubly
powerful processor and four times the RAM of its predecessor the
DS, the DSi can manipulate images from its two cameras (one facing
in and one facing out). The new touchscreen can be manipulated by
an included stylus and you can treat both audio recordings and song
downloads like virtual Silly Putty. The DSi will also generate
animations set to the beat of music. It has two 3.25” LCD screens,
stereo speakers, game card and SD card slots and can connect to the
Internet through its built-in WiFi. AND most important to those
grandsons – it will load in nearly all of the existing 850 Nintendo DS
games, plus inexpensive downloads from a new online store. From Nintendo for $170, Best Buy & Target for
$169.99 in Blue or Black. www.nintendo.com
Just in time for the summer travel season comes the Amazon Kindle
2. Carry all your summer reading with you. The new Kindle is
slimmer than the first one, just over a third of an inch, but weighs in
pretty much the same – 10.2oz. The screen is also the same size – but
it now gives you 16 shades of grey instead of the four on the old
Kindle. The text is a little crisper with less inklike bleed-in to the
virtual page, but the main difference was evident in images, also the
screen no longer has a slight texture look to it, it’s completely smooth.
The page turning is about the same. A joystick has been added to
make page turning easier. The unit’s keyboard resembles the
QWERTY arrangement on a cell phone and now has closer spaced
circular keys. The device has a new text to speech capability, powered
by Nuance (Dragon Naturally Speaking), and offers two digital voices – Tom and Samantha. The voices are
clearly digital!
What’s missing? Amazon has dumped the SD Card slot, and instead you get 2GB of onboard storage. Also the
case is gone; the Kindle 2 has two holes on its right edge to allow the unit to snap into third-party cases. Sells
for $359 at Amazon. www.amazon.com
Don’t forget your MOMS this month. See you in June for the next
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 9 of 25
May 2009
BITS and pieces
A look at items of interest found on the web
File Synchronization for Free between your Computers,
PDA, Flash Drives and Smartphone's.
"Open-source and freeware applications."
See the article by by Michael J. Ross at Computer Edge OnLine
Now they want to make Vista against the law?
In general, I like the Texas legislature. But we have some loony lawmakers here, just like everywhere else.
Recently a state senator proposed an amendment to the budget that would ban state agencies from installing
Vista or buying computers with it preinstalled, unless they get special written approval. Since when is the
choice of operating system a matter that requires legislative action? My only consolation is that if this guy is
busy pursuing such silly legislation, maybe he won't have time to address more important issues where he could
do even more harm. One nice thing about our state is that they only meet every other year, so we only have to
put up with legislative nonsense on odd years. And sometimes it gets very odd, indeed. Read about it HERE
For the first time ever, Google
provided a look inside its data center
operations, showcasing the
company's use of shipping containers to store servers and storage.
Each of these 40-foot data center containers can house up to 1,160
servers: Youtube video HERE
On the Move with the Internet: Good article from Computer Edge.
Recommended reading for those interested in mobile computing while
traveling. See the article HERE "Web-browsing options when in a
moving vehicle." by Jack Dunning.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 10 of 25
May 2009
Dear Digital Dave, Computer Edge On-Line
My computer takes a while to completely boot up. I usually just wait until my taskbar
appears to be finished populating to determine when the bootup is complete. However, it's
not easy to tell when the taskbar icons are all there. If I start to use my computer before it is
fully booted up, things slow down to a crawl. Is there an easier way to tell when my
computer is fully booted up and ready to use
Waiting for the complete boot up is like waiting for the last kernel of popcorn to pop. Just
when you think it's done, there is another pop or two.
You have the right idea about waiting for taskbars to load. I would add that the hard drive
should stop chipmunking (flashing lights stop). However, this is also unreliable since there may be other
maintenance routines that the operation system has decided to launch.
If you have enough capacity in your
computer to avoid the swapping of
memory to disk, then launching a
program during startup will not actually
slow down your computer. It will only
appear that way because the program
will not fully load until the operating
system allows it to load. This makes it
seems like the computer is becoming
sluggish, when it is merely adding the
program launch time to the operating
system (and startup programs) load time.
I have a gadget on my Vista machine that
shows processor (CPU) activity. It is one
of the programs that loads on startup.
Initially, it shows 90 to 100 percent
usage, but drops to about 10 percent once
everything is loaded. You can do the
same thing with Windows Task
Manager. When you are first logging on
and see the desktop, load Windows Task
Manager with CTRL-SHIFT-ESC
(simultaneously) and select the
Performance tab (see Figure 1). When
the CPU usage level drops down to a low
level and tends to stay there (there may
be an occasional burst of activity), the
system is probably loaded.
Figure 1. Window Task Manager.
See attached File HERE
Or, you could just go get a cup of coffee, and the computer will be ready when you get back.
[or you could use the CPUMon the editor keeps running for this purpose his XP laptop]
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 11 of 25
May 2009
Reinstalling Windows
Written by Vinny La Bash, a member of the Sarasota Personal
Computer Users Group Inc., FL.
www.spcug.org
vlabash (at) comcast.net
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication
by APCUG member groups; all other uses require the permission of the author (see email address above).
No matter how diligent you are at computer housecleaning and tuning your system, at some point you will need
to reinstall Windows. One of the most infuriating things about the process occurs after the installation when you
realize you have forgotten something important like exporting your Favorites folder. Several weeks ago I
reinstalled Vista on my laptop and almost forgot to do something elementary. So perhaps it’s time to review the
basics.
There are many reasons to reinstall windows. Perhaps the registry has gotten corrupted or it could be an
accumulation of little things that are driving you nuts. Whatever is annoying you, a clean install is always the
best option. Before doing anything, careful planning will keep you out of trouble.
The detailed procedures outlined here apply specifically to Vista, but the general concepts apply to any version
of Windows and even other operating systems. There are three main areas to a reinstall. You need proper
preparation, the install itself, and the aftermath to clean up any mess you may have inadvertently created. That
means you don’t schedule a reinstall the night before any deadlines.
Start by documenting any critical login identifications and passwords. If you pay bills online, access financial
information, eBay, PayPal or anything else important to you., now is the time to write it all down. Some folks
use a password protected spreadsheet file. Others use some kind of encrypted application to store the data. I
prefer good old reliable pen and paper stored in a safe place, not taped to my monitor.
Do you have your Windows product key available? You need it to reinstall Vista. Are there any other
applications you will reinstall that require product keys, like Microsoft Office? Gather them all, including any
drivers you may need to reinstall hardware, like a printer or mobile smart phone.
A clean install requires that you backup your data files. This is especially important if you’re planning to
reformat your hard drive. Backup email contacts, calendar entries, and anything you consider important. Don’t
forget anything special you may have saved on your desktop. That’s an easy one to overlook.
Have you installed new hardware recently? Any new devices, except physical memory, require some kind of
driver software to work properly. You can get the most up-to-date drivers by visiting the manufacturer’s web
site and downloading them. Go to the Device Manager for a list of installed hardware or use Belarc Advisor for
a more detailed description.
Do some housecleaning. Search your drive for files that are obsolete or otherwise unnecessary. It’s amazing
how much digital detritus can accumulate over time. Perform a full deep virus scan so your new setup can get
off to a clean start. Use Disk Cleanup if you want to reduce the number of unnecessary files on your hard disk
to free up disk space and help your computer run faster. It removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin,
and deletes a variety of system files and other items that you no longer need.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 12 of 25
May 2009
Back up the My Documents folder and any sub-folders that may exist. Backup Links if you use Internet
Explorer; Bookmarks if you use Mozilla Firefox. If you’re not sure you’ve backed up everything you need,
back up the entire disk. If you’ve forgotten anything, your data can be recovered.
By now you should have:
Documented all logins and passwords
Backed up all important data including My Documents and any sub-folders
Have all product keys and activation codes handy
Backed up your email contact list, and calendar entries
Backed up Favorites, Links, Bookmarks, etc.
Collected Driver disks
Check everything at least twice to make sure you haven’t overlooked anything essential and you’re ready to go.
Insert your Windows disk and reinstall the operating system.
After the process is complete, there is still work to do. Use Windows Update to retrieve and install the latest
service packs, security updates, and any necessary patches. After bringing your operating system up-to-date,
turn your attention to applications and device drivers.
If you reinstalled Vista from the manufacturer’s installation or system restore disks, drivers for the original
software and hardware that came with the system are likely to be either no longer relevant or out-of-date. You
may need to visit several manufacturers’ web sites to download and install the most recent drivers. This is part
of proper preparation, but if you neglected this step it’s not a fatal mistake.
Restore any data you backed up earlier, reconfigure network settings if applicable, and tweak the system to suit
your personal preferences. Create a system restore point, and do an image backup of your entire system in case
you need to reinstall again.
Don’t fool yourself. Reinstalling the operating system, applications, drivers and such is never as simple or as
easy as it should be. If you plan carefully however, it doesn’t need to be stressful.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
Page 13 of 25
May 2009
My PayPal Account's Been Hacked
Written by Steve Bass
Steve Bass is a former Contributing Editor with PC World,
a 23 year veteran of PIBMUG, and
a founding member of APCUG.
He's also the author of PC Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Your Personal Computer, O’Reilly
Press. It's available on Amazon at dirt cheap prices.
http://snipurl.com/annoy2
This column originally appeared in Bass's TechBite newsletter. Subscribe to Bass's free weekly newsletter and read
Bass's blog at www.snurl.com/techbiteblog. Contents copyright 2009, TechBite, LLC.
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses
require the permission of the author (see web address above).
The e-mail from PayPal said I'd sent $400 to a gaming firm in Germany. It's a dopey phishing
expedition, I thought, and authentic-looking, for sure, but nothing to worry about.
The trouble was that when I logged on to PayPal, I really did have a $400 withdrawal. It was clear that someone
had my password.
Quick Password Tips
Here are the three essential things you need to know about password security:
-- Use a password generator, a program that will create a long, complicated password.
-- Don't ever use dictionary words, even if you stick in symbols, like bill$gate$. They're very easy to break
using simple hacker programs. (LOL -- Thanks, Rod.)
-- Use a different password for every important site. Using the same password on every site, especially critical
ones, such as banking, is risky. Imagine using your one password on an unsavory, and possibly unscrupulous
site. With that golden password, and a few guesses on your login name -- stevebass, steve_bass, sbass -- and
they're in like Flynn.
Who's Got My Password?
I contacted PayPal (888/221-1161), supplied the details, and they opened up a case. My account is frozen and I
don't doubt PayPal will credit me for the loss. (As I started editing this newsletter, PayPay reversed the
charges.) PayPal is investigating, but I don't think they'll ever find out how someone got into my account,
though it was clear the person had my password. The rep said I probably fell for a well-crafted e-mail spoof.
That's a blow to my ego. I see myself as suspicious -- verging on paranoid -- when it comes to phishing e-mails.
What better prize than bragging rights to hacking a PC World guy, right? So I'm as vigilant as my dog is when I
try to get her to take a pill wrapped in peanut butter. (Hey, you can't fool me, pal, she probably thinks...)
If an e-mail -- suspicious or not -- refers to any of my important accounts and provides a link to click, I ignore
the offer. It's safer to manually type the URL into my browser's address field. And yes, I'll cover phishing
hassles -- and ways to guard against it -- in a future newsletter.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
Password: z24x680uBS4!44
I'm also careful with my passwords and, at least until now, thought they were super stealthy. For example, on
PayPal I used four numbers, a symbol, and three letters. According to Microsoft's Password Checker, my
standard password pattern -- 1600%wtf -- is strong. But it could be better.
Microsoft says that the most effective passwords are 14 characters and have a combination of upper and lower
case letters, numbers, and a symbol or two. For example, z24x680uBS4!44 is strong enough for them to call it
"best."
Test your passwords on Microsoft's site and see how well they stand up. Then browse Microsoft's excellent
Strong passwords: How to create and use them. I promise you'll learn something. http://tinyurl.com/2e7tmw
Use Microsoft's Password checker to test
your password's strength. You might be surprised.
http://tinyurl.com/ypc3dc
Generating Strong Passwords
Creating a strong password is easy, provided you don't
try to think one up on your own. There are dozens of
Web sites that'll create passwords, but I don't use any of
them. The last thing I'll do is trust someone online
watching me create new passwords. Instead, download
Password Generator, a freebie, and crank out all sorts of
14-character passwords.
http://tinyurl.com/4j8e8
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
Keeping Track of Your Passwords
I just looked and counted roughly 220 sites I use that require a password.
Some site passwords, however, are immaterial. For instance, I use a simple-to-remember word for spots I rarely
visit, places such as newspapers that force you to register and log in just to read articles, or tech sites with
forum messages.
However, ever since the PayPal fiasco, I've changed every significant password on my system to a 14-digit
gorilla.
Remembering all those passwords is a PITA , so you ought to consider using a password management tool.
There are lots available. Many people like KeePass , a freebie; others swear by LargeSoft's $30 Password
Manager . I anticipate easily 100 e-mails -- no make that 200 -- kvetching that I haven't mentioned your
favorite. But as far as I'm concerned, RoboForm is the best one around, and I've used it since it was first
introduced.
RoboForm, The Master at Passwords
RoboForm is a $30 program with more features for password management, privacy, and password
identification than any other program I know. You provide RoboForm with all the vitals you might need to
complete a site's form--name, address, phone numbers, and even credit card numbers. When you click the Fill
Forms button, the program does just that. I've
created multiple identities, each with different info.
For instance, I have one with MasterCard info,
another with VISA accounts. I have another identify
I call "anonymous" that I use to fill in forms on sites
that I'll never visit again.
Enter data into RoboForm's Identity card and fill in
online forms.
Click a Web site from the RoboForm
Passcard screen, and RoboForm
transports your Web browser to the
site, logging you in if necessary.
Need an industrial-strength
password? RoboForm will generate
one for you. And don't worry about
security: RoboForm is itself
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
password-protected. The program will also safely send an encrypted password through e-mail to another
RoboForm user. (I was recently discussing with my wife the fact that neither of us can function without it.)
BTW, RoboForm foils keyloggers (programs that watch keystrokes) because instead of typing, RoboForm
inserts characters into form fields.
Here's a summary of RoboForm's features (http://www.roboform.com/features.html), a comprehensive FAQ
(http://www.roboform.com/faq.html) with answers to your most technical RoboForm questions and a way to
compare the free and Pro versions (http://www.roboform.com/why-pro.html).
If you need portability, RoboForm2Go gives you the same protection when you carry your passwords on a flash
drive and use it outside the office. Both the RoboForm program and your password files reside on a USB key,
so you can take them from one computer to another. The tool costs $40, but if you buy it at the same time you
get RoboForm, the price drops to $20. If you dig around, you'll occasionally find discounts. (Google RoboForm
discount.)
Siber Systems offers a 30-day trial of both products. They work in all versions of Windows and support IE and
Firefox, but not Google Chrome, Opera, or a few other browsers. Take a look at the compatibility list.
http://www.roboform.com/browsers.html
There's lots more to say about password management, but I'm almost out of space. So while you're hot on the
topic, read Bitmill's smart series of Password Security 101 articles. They're less basic than you might imagine.
http://www.thebitmill.com/articles/
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
Computer Speed, RAM and Virtual Memory
Written by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D., a Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., FL
www.spcug.org
bwsail (at) yahoo.com
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses
require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).
One of the more frequent questions raised is: "will adding more physical memory (RAM), speed up my
computer"? The answer is a qualified "maybe". The first thing you need to be aware of are the built-in
bottlenecks that can slow down your computer. Programs and data move through your computer at different
speeds in different locations. The central processor (CPU) is usually the fastest data handler in the system. The
hard drive is the slowest and everything else, including the RAM, is intermediate in data handling speed. The
speed of processing data in RAM is measured in billionths of a second, or nanoseconds, and the speed of
accessing data on the hard disk is measured in thousandths of a second, or milliseconds. So, ideally, you want
all the processing to go from RAM to the CPU and back to RAM. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible
even if your system has the maximum amount of RAM installed.
Every computer running Windows, from several generations back, uses "virtual memory" in addition to RAM.
The definition of "virtual memory" is based on redefining the address space to "trick" programs into thinking
they are using large blocks of contiguous memory. Virtual memory is a space on the hard drive, frequently
called a "swap file" or "page file". This is a block that is mapped for temporary storage of programs, data, and
operating system essentials. This technique gives an application program the impression that it has contiguous
working memory (address space), while in fact it may be physically fragmented.
Virtual memory was designed at a time when RAM was much more expensive than space on a hard drive. Even
though RAM is now much less expensive, the latest versions of Windows (XP & Vista) still depend on virtual
memory. In fact, much of the operating system kernel ends up in virtual memory. This kernel memory also
controls the allocation of data to virtual memory. Consequently, it is not really possible to eliminate virtual
memory when you are running Windows XP or Vista. If you do disable virtual memory, Windows becomes
unstable.
In a 32 bit computer running Windows, the maximum memory that can be accessed by the CPU is 4 gigabytes
(232). It can not access addresses beyond 4 gigabytes (GB). (A gigabyte is a billion bytes.) Not every computer
can accept 4 GB of RAM. Some older computers are limited to 512 megabytes (MB) and still run Windows XP
quite successfully. However, if you have a newer computer whose motherboard can accept 4 GB of RAM, you
may not be able to fully access all of that RAM. In some cases, RAM is shared with the graphics system. This is
usually referred to as an "integrated graphics card". In such a case, up to 1 GB of your RAM may be used by
the graphics leaving only 3 GB for the rest of the system. Then Windows takes 2 GB of space leaving only 1
GB for user space (programs and data). Even if some of this is placed in Virtual memory, the CPU still has only
4 GB of addresses. If you have a graphics card with its own memory, Windows will allocate 2 GB to kernel
memory and 2 GB to user memory. Since some of the kernel memory will be in virtual memory, your total
memory will be a combination of physical memory (RAM) and virtual memory (hard drive), but the total will
not exceed 4 GB in a 32 bit computer. Remember, the 4 GB limit applies to the number of addresses that can
accessed by the CPU. Those addresses can be on the graphics card, the hard drive or in physical memory
(RAM).
Windows sets up the memory system by dividing memory into pages. The most recently accessed pages are in
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
RAM. Any pages that have not been referenced in a while are written to the file on the hard drive. According to
Microsoft the paging file in a 32 bit system can be a maximum of 16 terabytes (one terabyte equals 1000
gigabytes). So the total virtual memory pagefile system can exceed the 4 GB limit by a considerable amount.
However, no more than the 4 GB can be actively handled at time. The inactive pages are stored on the hard
drive.
Virtual memory not only operates at the speed of the hard disk data access, it also requires special handling
before it can be used by the CPU or sent to the video screen. Pages on the hard disk have to be read into RAM
to be used. That also means that the space they will take in RAM must be vacated. If there was data there, it
must be written to the hard drive, before the new pages can be read into RAM. This paging process must also be
managed. Some memory is used just to keep track of which pages are in RAM and which are in virtual
memory. This is the role of the Virtual Memory Manager. All of these processes of reading and writing to and
from RAM require time. As a result, virtual memory use does slow the computer more than the amount that is
just due to the slower speed of disk access.
Before you decide that you need 4 GB of RAM to solve your speed problem, you need to determine how much
RAM your computer is designed to accept. Computers in today’s market are sold with anywhere from 1- 4 GB
of RAM. However, only a few years ago, computers were designed to accept a maximum of 1 GB of RAM or
less. So you need to check your owners manual to see what the maximum RAM is for your computer. Then, if
you don’t know how much is installed in your computer, bring up the the device manager window from the
control panel. The first page will tell you how much physical memory you have in your system. You can also
see the distribution of physical memory and virtual memory by bringing up the task manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del) and
clicking on the Performance tab.
There are several other possible solutions to this problem. One is to look at your hard drive. If you have an
older computer with an IDE drive, replacing it with a drive that has a SATA interface will speed up the data
handling in virtual memory. Another change would be to purchase a graphics card with 256 – 512 MB of RAM
and install it in place of the integrated video. That would release the RAM that was being shared with the video
card.
The best, and most expensive, alternative for speeding up your computer is to replace your 32 bit computer with
a 64 bit system. The 64 bit computers can access 16 exabytes of RAM (264). That is 16 million GB of RAM.
Most of the 64 bit computers in todays market do limit physical RAM to anywhere from 8 to 256 terabytes. Not
that we’re getting into any really large numbers here, but the amount of RAM in a 64 bit machine is more than
adequate to reduce virtual memory to a bare minimum. The catch is that 64 bit machines have other problems,
especially with the limited availability of 64 bit software and drivers for peripheral devices. So before you
decide to switch to 64 bit computing you need to check out whether or not drivers are available for your
peripherals.
Finally, if your hard drive is heavily fragmented, this will also slow down data reading and writing. Simply
defragmenting your drive will speed up the drive input and output. It may also improve the computer’s boot
time. As you can see, there are a number of things to consider if you need to speed up your computer.
*Dr. Lewis is a former university and medical school professor of physiology. He has been working with personal
computers for over thirty years, developing software and assembling systems
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
The Kindle2 May Make Newspapers Obsolete
Written by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS
www.compukiss.com
sandy(at)compukiss.com
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses
require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).
Every now and then a revolutionary new
product comes along at a time when it is
most needed. So it is with the just released
Kindle2 wireless reading device, fondly
called an e-book reader.
Up to now, electronic book readers have
been very slow in taking off. Sony has had a
book reading device for several years. Last
year Amazon came out with the first version
of the Kindle, which was impressive and fairly popular, but had a few drawbacks.
Now, however, the time for these devices may have finally come. At 8" x 5.3" the Kindle2 is about the size of a
paperback. At about 1/3" thick, it thin but strong. In this second iteration, Amazon has corrected the design
flaws of the original Kindle. It is now easy to use. The e-ink technology allows you to read the words on the
Kindle just as you would read a book, with no eye strain or glare. You can adjust the size of the text to your
liking. To turn the page you simply press a button. The reader even lets you read several books at once, always
returning you to just where you left off. You can look up any word with the built-in dictionary. You can
underline words and add your own notes to the pages. This Kindle will even read the text of most books to you.
So if you are engrossed in a book on the Kindle and need to pick up the kids, you can take the Kindle along and
have it read to you in the car.
The best part of the Kindle, however, is the reading material and how it is delivered. The Kindle2 can hold
more than 1,500 books. You can choose from over 240,000 books in the Kindle's Amazon store. Most of the
books are priced at $9.99. You can also subscribe to newspapers and magazines on the Kindle. The books,
newspapers, and magazines are downloaded directly to the device over a free cellular network. I drove down a
rural highway in North Carolina and downloaded a book and was reading it in less than five minutes. Better yet
would be sitting on a beach and downloading a romance novel. In any case, the Kindle is ultimately useable.
The biggest drawback for the Kindle right now is the price. At $359, the Kindle is pretty expensive.
But if you are you ready to watch the ebook market explode, stick around for awhile. The Kindle2 has appeared
on the horizon just as the economy is slumping. There are many hard-hit business sectors, but the newspaper
and magazine industry is already showing signs of cracking. CNN reports that many major newspapers are
struggling including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and
the Miami Herald. Certainly online versions of newspapers and magazines are an alternative, but up to this
point very few newspapers or magazines have been able to support themselves with online subscriptions and/or
advertising.
As the print industry is looking for ways to cut costs, ebook readers may be an answer. If there were no print
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
costs, perhaps large newspapers would be able to provide e-book readers to subscribers as part of the
subscription costs or at least at a highly reduced rate. If the electronic device were done well enough, it could
mimic the printed version and be filled with ads just like the print newspapers and magazines. Normally I
would expect that this type of transition would take a few years, but the economic woes may put a rush on this
type of move. The Hearst Corp., one of the largest publishers, is already planning to launch its own wireless ebook reader. Most are speculating that this would be a device with a larger screen that would more closely
imitate the newspaper and magazine reading experience. Hearst, who is a mega-publisher, would be in a great
position to create the liaisons needed to make this type of device and its content work. Fortune reports that the
Hearst device will be available sometime this year.
There is no doubt that we live in a world that is changing because of technology and this type of technology
may be in your hands sooner than you think.
[NOTE: Look “under the hood” at the Kindle disassembled – UCHUG Editor]
Exploring Microsoft Windows 7 Beta 1,
Part 2 - Lee continues an overview of what the new operating
system might look like, as well as what it is likely to have for features.
Written by Lee Reynolds, a member of the Boca Raton Computer Society, FL
www.brcs.org
leetutor (at) eartlink.net
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member
groups; all other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).thor (see e-mail address
above).
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
For those who are wondering, these are what Microsoft says are the system requirements for Windows 7:
• a 1 GHz or faster processor (for both the 32-bit and 64-bit version)
• at least 1 GB of main memory (RAM)
• at least 16 GB of available disk space to install the operating system
• a graphics adaptor that supports DX9 graphics with at least 128 MB of memory (in order for Aero to work)
• a DVD-R/W drive
MAIN IMPROVEMENTS
Windows 7 is essentially a much improved Windows Vista. It has these main improvements over Vista, among
many others:
• easier home networking through a new facility called HomeGroups
• a much more capable Windows Backup tool
• a redesigned and more functional Taskbar
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
• a new concept for organizing files and folders called Libraries
• the ability to use Windows Instant Search over other pcs in a network
• improved support for multimedia using Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center
• a much friendlier version of Vista's User Account Control
• some new capabilities of the Aero interface, notably "Aero Peek" and "Aero Shake" and "Aero Snap"
MAIN FEATURES
Let's start taking a look at the Windows 7 Beta in an organized travelog through all the main features, complete
with screen captures. First, we take a look at the Desktop.
THE DESKTOP
When you look at the Windows 7 Beta Desktop
(Figure 1), you will not see many differences
from Vista’s.
One difference you will see immediately, is that
there is a little message etched into the lower
right hand corner of the screen reading:
"Windows 7 For testing purposes only. Build
7000".
Also, there is a shortcut on the Windows 7
Desktop labeled "Send Feedback". This is your
mechanism for telling Microsoft about what you
like and dislike, what bugs you found, etc. It will
only send the report to Microsoft if you have a
Windows Live ID number. The facility for sending feedback is also present in every window you open, at the
top right near the Minimize, Maximize and Close buttons.
As in Windows Vista, the Start button of Windows XP and previous versions of Windows has been replaced by
a small round "orb", which only tells you it is related to "Start" if you hover the mouse over it for a second or
two, and then a tooltip pops up briefly.
Notice that Microsoft decided to eliminate the
famous Sidebar of Vista. You can still have
"gadgets" located on your Desktop, but more
about that later.
THE TASKBAR
Let's take a look at the new Windows 7
Taskbar. Note that the icons are a bit larger
and therefore the Taskbar is wider than what
you may be used to from previous versions
of Windows.
You can adjust these smaller by using Taskbar
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
Properties, but then you may lose some of the neat "Aero" effects. When you first install Windows 7, you see
icons for Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer and Windows Media Player.
This is similar to what was present on what was called the "Quick Launch Toolbar" in earlier Windows.
Note the line at the right end of this group of icons separating them from the Taskbar proper. Does this mean
the Quick Launch Toolbar is now gone in Windows 7? Yes, it does. The entire Taskbar in Windows 7 is now a
mixture of pseudo Quick Launch icons and the ordinary buttons present for running programs.
You can distinguish a button on the new Taskbar as being one for a running program by the fact that the button
appears to have a square surrounding the icon. (Thus, the rightmost icon in the screenshot (Figure 2), which is
for the built-in Snipping Tool, has a square around it because the program is running – that was what I used to
take the screenshot.)
Also, if the button is a pseudo Quick Launch
button, then you can right click it and select
Unpin from Taskbar on the context menu to
remove it. The screenshot on the left shows this
right click menu for the Windows Explorer
icon.
If you right click one of the pseudo Quick
Launch icons on the Taskbar, you get what is
called a "Jump Menu". The screenshot shows
a Jump Menu for Windows Media Player.
All of the icons are moveable on the Taskbar.
Just click and drag any icon left or right
anywhere you want.
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
The next screenshot shows the “Notification
Area” of the Windows 7 Taskbar. (This is
what was called the "System Tray" prior to
Windows XP.)
Notice that there are only a few icons present
in the Windows 7 Notification Area. One is
normally the "Action Center" icon, which will
notify you of important actions you need to
take, like downloading a Windows update or
turning on the Windows Firewall.
All of the Notification Area icons can be
individually adjusted to determine whether or not they appear there and whether or not notification messages
will be displayed. More about that later.
If there are hidden icons in the Notification Area, you will see a little upward pointing arrow on the left which
when clicked gives you a display of the ones not shown. Notice that now the Taskbar is wide enough to show
the date as well as the time at the right end in the Notification Area.
There are other properties of the new Taskbar, which will be described further in the Aero Effects section.
That is all for now, come back next month for Part 3, which will cover the New Aero Effects:
Aero Shake
Aero Peek
Aero Snap
UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009
A
2008 - UCHUG - 2009
EXECUTIVE BOARD
President . . . . Greg Skalka
R
VP . . . . . . . . . Al Brengle
E
Secretary . . . . Ray Ferbrache
M
Treasurer. . . . Mike Trempe
Renewal
I
WebMasters . Bob and Jackie Woods
Editor . . . . . . . Art Gresham
N
Membership. . Bill Palmer
D E R
O-a-L. . . . . . . Abbott Brownell
The following memberships are due for renewal:
O-a-L. . . . . . . Mark Ferbrache
Richard Baxter, Charles Hartjen
O-a-L. . . . . . . Greg Wauson
March
O-a-L. . . . .
April Jerry Dolan
Sandy Shapiro
May Kevin Roche
June Al Brengle, Dunham Reilly
THE DRIVE LIGHT is published by the Under The
Computer Hood User Group INC. primarily for UCHUG
members.
Copyrighted material may be reproduced with the
written permission of the copyright holder. Other
contents of DRIVE LIGHT may be reproduced for noncommercial purposes only if appropriate credit is given
to DRIVE LIGHT and the author and a copy of the
publication is supplied to the UCHUG care of the Editor.
Submissions of interest to computer buffs are welcome.
All authors and sources must be identified. Copyrighted
material can be accepted for reprint only if permission of
the copyright holder is included.
The Drive Light preferred method for article transfer is
by ASCII text or dot doc file to the editor at
1editor101@uchug.org. Deadline for submissions is the
weekend following the board meeting (third Wednesday
of the month.)
The Drive Light is produced with OpenOffice.org Writer,
and printed to PDF using its native pdf printer.
DROPPED, NOT RENEWED: February
Dan Eberhardt, David Marston, Robert Wills
Membership in the UCHUG is open to any
person interested in computers. The
Membership Chairperson is Bill Palmer
and he will happily accept your
application or renewal at any meeting.
Dues are $15 per year. Please make
checks payable to UCHUG.
Checks may be brought to the meeting, or mailed to:
Mike Trempe, UCHUG Treasurer
4027 S. Hempstead Circle
San Diego, CA 92116
If you have questions concerning your membership,
renewal date, address info or other questions, please
contact Bill Palmer uchug.membership@cox.net
Please be sure to inform us if you change your
E Mail address so we can continue to send your
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UCHUG is a member of the Association of P C Users
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UCHUG DRIVE LIGHT
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May 2009