KCNET NEWSLETTER 08/29/04 COMMENTS AND SCHEDULE PAGE
MIKE'S COMMENTARY THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE NEWS & NOTES BY SUE FOUST
MIKE'S COMMENTARY AND BITS OF WISDOM:
There are a ton of those "Do You Remember When" pieces flying about. None are quite as nice as the following. I know this will date some of us but I'm proud to say I remember all these words and what they signified. I kinda' miss 'em too.
GOINGS-ON IN THE AREA
KCNET CLASSES: Internet and Email 4 session course Topics include using the browser to find information on the Internet, web and email addresses, sending and receiving email, forwarding and replying to email, bookmarks, using the address book, and more. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
Beginner Windows 9x/XP 4 session course Topics include an introduction to all parts of the computer, learning about the desktop, mouse features and operation, and features and operation of the keyboard. Also creating shortcut icons, using recycle bin, wallpaper and screen savers, toolbars and taskbars, drag and drop, using window features (minimize, maximize, resize, etc), control panel, accessing the different drives, and more. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
Intermediate Windows 9x/XP 4 session course Topics include organization of windows programs, creating and organizing folders, file extensions, saving files from Internet, folder and file views, formatting floppy disks, installing programs, download programs from Internet, HTML email, uninstall vs delete, scandisk and defrag, email attachments, and more. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
Advanced Windows 9x/XP 4 session course Topics include a review of the management of folders and files, an introduction to photo manipulation, introduction to web page creation, using the sound recorder, attaching recordings to emails, introduction to eyeball cams and Internet transmission, and an introduction to burning your own CDs. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
KCnet Users Group: (formerly know as "Senior Net Learners" most recently called "Advanced Class"). I wanted to call this class "The Abusers Group", but Sue would not hear of that. Attendees are persistent in their search for computer knowledge. They ask great questions and present interesting challenges. The cost for this class is $0.00 for members of KCnet and $2.00 per session for non KCnet members. There is no set format for the sessions. Occasionally we will take a specific subject and do a detailed study over a period of successive weeks. Don't be afraid to ask questions. The folks that have been attending for awhile are always happy for a review and in most cases new or better ways to do things will surface. Questions stimulate in-depth exploration with the usual result being an understanding of how and why. We welcome new attendees from the Advanced sessions and our forever growing KCnet membership. This is an advanced group and we cover a lot of territory. We are kind of free flowing. You never know what will transpire. It is not necessary for attendees to have their own computers but it sure helps with the learning curve. KCnet Advanced Class computer knowledge and Advanced Class computer skills are necessary.
OTHER CLASSES: CLICK HERE FOR ORIENTATION - BEGINNERS - INTERMEDIATE - ADVANCED CLICK HERE FOR SCANNING - MAC- GENEALOGY - WEB PAGE - EXCEL - WORD - DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY - PHOTO MANIPULATION - OTHER SPECIALTIES
THIS WEEK'S CLASS SCHEDULE: Tom Stephens has been added to the KCnet staff and charged with the Education portfolio. He is working on a full schedule of classes. Ebay and Digital Camera courses are already scheduled, others will be announced soon. If you have any suggestions for classes, know an instructor or wish to volunteer teaching service please contact Tom at tstephen@kcnet.org Click to see particulars on classes starting soon.
KCnet Users Group: Every Wednesday The starting time is 9:00 AM on this Wednesday September 01. We meet in Computer Lab 1 (The Big Room). Leadership is Mike Foust and anyone that wants to jump into the fray. Wow!! What a session, this past Wednesday. From the Tourbus Newsletter. As promised, Microsoft started pushing Windows XP Service Pack 2 ["XP SP2"] to Windows XP Home users through Automatic Updates last Wednesday. XP Professional users can expect XP SP2 to be available through Automatic Updates sometime after this Wednesday, August 25th [weather and squirrels permitting.] Last week I mentioned that if you want to make sure that you get XP SP2 as soon as it is available for your computer, Microsoft recommends that you let them download and install it for you. First, make a System Restore point: http://tinyurl.com/253en Then, just enable Automatic Updates in Windows XP: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx That's it. XP SP2 will be pushed to your computer sometime in the next couple of weeks. I DO *NOT* RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO THIS, THOUGH! In fact, I *STRONGLY* recommend that you wait at least a couple weeks until you upgrade your computer to Windows XP SP2. Why? Well, there are bound to be problems with XP SP2 that no one expects--like, for example, 40 different programs that "seem" to stop working once you install XP SP2 [see http://tinyurl.com/4uvng]--and I would MUCH rather these problems happen to someone else's computer instead of yours. By waiting a few weeks [or even months], you give Microsoft and the other software vendors time to fix these unforeseen problems. You need XP SP2. Just not until later this Fall. And I'm not the only one who's recommending a wait and see approach to XP SP2. For Fred Langa's take on this, check out http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-08-16.htm#1 --------------------------------------- Delaying the Automatic Update of XP SP2 --------------------------------------- How can you temporarily delay Microsoft from automatically installing XP SP2 onto your home computer? Well, you have to options: 1. Download and install Microsoft's free XP SP2 Blocker Tools; or 2. Disable Automatic Updates in Windows XP. Choose one or the other, but PLEASE don't do both. ---------------------------------------------------------- Download and install Microsoft's free XP SP2 Blocker Tools ---------------------------------------------------------- To download and install Microsoft's free XP SP2 Blocker Tools, just hop on over to http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=33517 and download Microsoft's free "XP SP2 Blocker Tools." These free tools will temporarily keep Windows Update from installing XP SP2 onto your computer for 120 days. The XP SP2 Blocker Tools installation process seems a little intimidating at first, but it's really quite simple. If you have Windows XP and want to delay the automatic installation of XP SP2, 1. Click on the Download button on the right side of http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=33517 2. When asked if you would like to open or save [XPSP2BlockerTools.EXE] to your computer click on the Open button. 3. Click on the Yes button to agree to the [five page, two thousand word] end user license agreement. 4. When asked to type the location where you want to place the extracted files, click on the Browse button. 5. Scroll to the top of the list, choose your Desktop, and click on the OK button. 6. Click on the OK button again to extract the files. 7. Close your web browser and any other open program. 8. On your desktop you will see five new icons. Double-click on XPSP2Blocker. A window will open telling you that the Action [was] successfully completed, and the window will automatically close after 5 seconds. 9. Feel free to delete those five new icons from your desktop. You won't need them again. That's it. Windows Update won't try to install XP SP2 onto your computer until mid-November. ----------------------------------------------------- Temporarily disable XP's built-in auto-update feature ----------------------------------------------------- If you would rather not download and install Microsoft's free XP SP2 Blocker Tools, your other option is to temporarily disable XP's built-in auto-update feature until you are ready to upgrade: 1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. 2. Click Performance and Maintenance. [If the Performance and Maintenance category is not visible, click Switch to Category View.] 3. Click System. 4. Click Automatic Updates and uncheck Keep my computer up to date.
Mike ran a Power Point presentation prepared by Patrick Crispen, coeditor of the Tourbus Newsletter. It is an excellent demo of viruses, spys, firewalls, etc. Actually this covers the howtos for good computer safety maintenance. Check it out at: http://fdc.fullerton.edu/crispen/powerpoint/home_computer_security_and_privacy.zip This downloads as a zip file--unzip it and click on the file-- home_computer_privacy.ppt
We still had time to explore the program "Free Download Manager", a couple of us use it and really like it. It takes a bit of setup to get max value and use. Download the program at--http://downloads.csnnow.com/ (It is the third program in the list of downloads. Some other good programs are featured too.)
Other KCnet Classes Starting Soon:
EBAY Mondays & Wednesdays, 5:30--7:30 pm September 21, 23, 28 & October 5 Four Session Course Instructor: Kerry Clausen
Digital Photography Thursdays, 5:30--7:30 September 30, October 7, 14, & 21 Four Session Course Instructor: Kerry Clausen
Genealogy New Sessions will begin in September. Instructor: David Wallace
MAC User Group New Sessions will begin in September. Instructor: Clair Falls
For more class details and to register visit: http://www.kcnet.org/class/ Registration can be done online, simply click on the course you are interested in and enter the information requested. Registration can be done via phone 893-8111.
NEWS AND NOTES WITH SUE FOUST:
You need to be a lifelong learner. Schedule specific time for education, just like you would with any activity, and do it in bite-sized chunks. Create a comfortable learning space that suits your needs, ask questions and participate by becoming part of a learning community.
Learners should set aside the same hour every week, either early in the morning or late in the day, depending upon your more alert or available time of day. However, there are those people who work in small spurts throughout the day rather than one long sitting. This makes the work seem less stressful. I say, learn what works best for you and do it.
If you are going to participate in structured learning, find out as much as you can about the course. Make sure you complete any course pre-requisites, ensure you have the correct hardware and software. If this is an on-line course, schedule a specific time and date to complete the course. The single most defining element in learning, according to one expert, is the self discipline required to find the time and interest to self educate.
It helps if you join hands with some colleagues to take the same course – whether online or in a classroom. You can even create your own forum to discuss and share. The interest and retention will improve dramatically.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. You will learn a great deal by making mistakes – actually every mistake we make and every problem we encounter teaches us as much or more than our successes will ever do.
Desktop Resources Here’s a tip for all computer users, whether you’re taking on-line learning courses or just using your computer for everyday chores:
Create a folder on your desktop. Name it Resources. Open the folder and create a new file. Name the file Contacts. Keep adding to this file, every time you have an e-mail message, web addresses, and phone numbers you want to save. Make another new file. Name it Resources. Type in web addresses, names of books and references. Add to it often. These files are highly searchable and over time will become valuable resources.
Viruses are un-relenting According to Sophos, a leader in Anti-Virus Software development, during the week of August 12 to August 19, twenty-five (25) new/improved viruses which required Anti-Virus upgrades were released into cyberspace via email. This is the highest number of releases in many months. IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOU HAVE A VIRUS OR IF YOU HAVE NOT SUCCESSFULLY SCANNED YOUR DRIVES FOR VIRUSES LATELY, THIS NEXT TIP IS FOR YOU.
Free Virus scans Trend Micro, more commonly referred to as Housecall, offers free virus scans and in most cases can fix damage done by a virus or worm that your computer may have contacted. The first time one uses the free program, it is necessary to download a small program. Trend Micro walks you through the process. Then the virus scans are quite simple for each return. You should disable any anti-virus program that you have running. If you do not have an anti-virus program, use this program first and then download one of the free programs available or install any anti-virus program you have purchased. Go to http://housecall.antivirus.com/ Then choose the link, "Scan without registering." Follow the directions. Computer Associates, another reputable and reliable anti-virus developer introduced a new free program, which allows anyone to do a virus scan without downloading any software or registering for an anti-virus program. You must use Internet Explorer for access to Computer Associates and to perform the scan. This is a good one and very simple to operate. The address is: http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx Free anti-virus programs to download: http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php Another good free program to take a look at is: http://www.free-av.com/ (Be careful if you download an anti-virus program and you already have one installed on your computer. You need to at least disable the program already installed.) Have a good time and keep on learning!
Until next week…
KCnet Board Of Directors Officers: President Judy Yoho, Vice President Bill Raco, Secretary Donna Lannan, and Treasurer Don Miller. Other members of the board: Carsten Jon Ahrens, Fred Bierly, R. Keith Kelly, Paul Korn, Amy Lapriola, Tom Livingston, Ray McGill, Bob Rolley, and Rich Wykoff . Paddy O’Hara-Mays, Director Emeritus.
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