Page updated: Dec 14, 2009
LACS Computer Forum: Jan 13, 2009
Information on some items discussed:

1. Copy Webpage Picture - How do you copy a picture or an image from a webpage?  To copy such items with an extension such as: (.gif), (.jpg) (.png), right mouse click on the picture or image and select the following from the drop-down menu:

- Firefox: "Save image as"

- Internet Explorer: "Save picture as"

2. EML File - Someone asked about a file in a message he received with an .EML extension.

According to (Wikipedia), .EML is the default e-mail extension for Mozilla Thunderbird and Windows Mail. It is used by Microsoft Outlook Express.

According to (Filext), .EML files with "funny" names in multiple folders implies the Nimda worm. Outlook Express (OE) removes access to attachments using this file extension. However, using forward on the tool bar in OE the attachment shows as an envelope that if clicked opens the attachment (use caution if you do this, it could be a worm). Others have reported that importing the message into Outlook from OE works to make the attachment files visible. Note: This file type can become infected and should be carefully scanned if someone sends you a file with this extension.

3. Yahoo! Reply Problem - When replying to messages which include e-mail addresses and other such clutter from past forwarding, a Yahoo! webmail user finds it difficult to edit out these addresses reliably.  For some replying by creating a new message works better.  To do this you import the text to which you're replying using Clipboard Copy & Paste.

4. Netscape Browser - Support of the Netscape browser has been discontinued:

AOL support for Netscape browsers has been extended one month, to March 1st (2008). Mozilla, Flock and AOL are working together to provide tools to ease the migration of existing Netscape browser users to our recommended Flock and Firefox alternatives. Both Flock and Firefox are built on the same Mozilla Firefox codebase.  (Source)

5. Backing Up - Q: What's a good way to back up your system?

A: There are a great many possible ways.   As with many things there are several factors to consider, e.g. cost, speed, ease.  Following are some of the general ways which were discussed:

- CD, DVD, External Hard Drive - Copy critical to such media regularly and store safely.

- On Line Storage - One participant recommended (Carbonite).  One resource for finding an online storage backup service is (Online Backup Reviews).

- Disk Imaging - Software such as (Ghost) (True Image).  The latter has been discussed many times in this Forum and many members have used it for several years.  One source with low cost and good support is (UGR).

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LACS Computer Forum: Feb 10, 2009

Information on some items discussed:

1. Save vs Save As - A word processor user asked about the difference between the commands, Save and Save As

Save:
- New Document: the document will be saved in a folder, either the default one (usually My Documents) or the one you had selected earlier; the file name will be based upon the first few words text of the document - you will be given the opportunity to change the file name.

- Existing Document: the document will be saved in the folder where the document was found with no file name change.

Save As:
- New or Existing Document: the document will be saved in the folder and file name you choose.

2. AOL & Thunderbird - When AOL mail became free, several users changed over to Thunderbird, a free mail program, (click here), with builds for Windows, Mac OS X & Linux.  To setup AOL & Thunderbird LACS Jim McKnight has written a detailed tutorial, (click here);  for other Thunderbird tutorials, do a Google search on: thunderbird tutorial

3. Printer Driver - When re-installing a printer, a user encountered an error message to the effect that additional install files were needed.  Often times all required installation files can be obtained from the manufacturer from their website under Drivers.  Since getting there my requires a great many mouse clicks, usually that effort can be reduced markedly by doing a Google search of the form: driver manufacturer model  where manufacturer is their name, e.g. HP, and where model is the specific model number, e.g. P3005dn.

4. Personal Domain - Personal domains (a domain of your own) became popular when registration costs dropped from about $35.00/year to around $10.00/year which made it affordable for many more users to keep their primary e-mail address even if their ISP changed, e.g. ATTBI became Comcast, Comcast became Time Warner, Adelphia became Time Warner. 

One person mentioned that she had an e-mail address under such a domain which was getting a great deal of spam.  A wide variety of spam protection is available, ranging from none to very sophisticated filtering techniques.  In order to take an intelligent step, you'll need to know what type spam protection the mail account currently has.

Note: If you're currently getting a great deal of spam, one way to get rid of it is to change your e-mail address.  If you do this you'll have to notify your correspondents of your address change.  In addition you may have had to change mail list subscription addresses, business cards, stationery, etc.  This can be a daunting task.  To minimize the new address from getting spammed  is to limit its use to those you trust and utilize different addresses for all others. 

5. Program Slowdown - A user recently re-installed XP Pro on his machine. With 512 MB of RAM the boot and program operation was fast but the latter usually slowed down after a few hours of operating activities.  One common reason is (Memory Leak).  Besides following the guidelines there, often times such slow down can be reduced substantially by increasing the RAM to 1 GB.

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LACS Computer Forum: Mar 10, 2009


Information on some items discussed:

1. XP SP3 - Someone was concerned about installing SP3 on an XP Pro machine.  A good help file is "Service Pack 3 Install Guide XP" written by LACS member Jim McKnight; it can be downloaded from his (PC  Help & Support Website). 

2. Remote Access - Have you ever wanted to be able to remotely control another PC or Mac remotely as if you were sitting in front of it?  Free?  You can with (LogMeIn).

LogMein has developed technology that allows them to offer secure and easy remote access services without the high infrastructure costs of alternatives. As a result of this technology, they can offer you hosted remote access 100% free. They do not place any restrictions on commercial use of LogMeIn Free, so you can use it at home or at work.

LogMeIn also offers premium versions of their remote access products for both business and support professionals. When you sign up for your Free account, you’ll automatically receive a free trial of their premium service. There is zero obligation to purchase; you can switch to the free version at any time without having to reinstall the software. 

3. Hotmail - Windows Live has announced that POP3 technology is now available to Hotmail users in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, and will be rolling POP3 out to more parts of the world later this year, (more info).

4. Java - Java is a free program which allows you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D, just to name a few. It's also integral to the intranet applications and other e-business solutions that are the foundation of corporate computing. 

Since this program is a target for negative exploitation, it is important that you keep it updated.  The Java program includes an option to check for updates automatically at a frequency you choose and to install the update: Control Panel | Java | Update.  Also included is a provision to manually check if you have the current release.  For the do-it-yourselfers, you can download the current release (here). 

5. Adobe Flash & Shockwave Players - These tools permit to access to some of the best the Web has to offer - including dazzling 3D games and entertainment, interactive product demonstrations, and online learning applications. 

WARNING! When you go to some websites, you'll be told that you need an updated version of one of these programs and provide a button to get it.  This is a common way to get you to download & install malware.  To check if you have the latest version, (click here).  If you use more than one browser, check each.

If you run into an install or update problem, you may need to uninstall and start over.  For the necessary files, (click here).

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LACS Computer Forum: Apr 14, 2009


Information on some items discussed:

1. PDF-Xchange Viewer - A question was asked about the PDF-Xchange Viewer, a free PDF viewer which includes a typewriter mode; you can add text to an existing PDF file, enter data into a regular PDF fillable form, and save.  While the viewer works well, some users may not like the reduced viewing area resulting from several menu bars.

2. Default Browser - Why after selecting a default browser are you often asked to select again?  This often happens after a browser update is installed

3. Mouse Jumps - A user reported that after operating for a few hours, the cursor on her desktop computer suddenly jumps to the left hand side of the display screen.  If she reboots normal system operation returns for awhile.  The mouse is used with another desktop computer using an A-B switch; there's no mouse problem with the other computer.

The problem  machine is 4-5 years old and has never been cleaned of dust, hair, etc. (household has 2 dogs).  Many thought that the problem machine suffers from overheating because of reduced cooling and recommend a thorough cleaning.

4. Online File Storage - Someone asked about online file storage, e.g. (Carbonite).  It is strongly recommend that potential customers use the trial period to see if their Internet upload speed will support their needs. 

One resource for finding an online storage backup service is (Online Backup Reviews).

5. Boot Problem - A user reported that his XP Pro machine hung up during the boot process.  After trying a variety of fixes without success, the user installed a new hard drive, slaving the old one to it.  After installing the operating system on the new hard drive, he was able to access the data on the slave drive. 

The user asked if there was a way to copy files from the new hard drive to the old one such that the old one could be used as the only hard drive.  While this may be possible, many thought that the task would require a great deal of time and there would likely be latent problems.

Post forum suggestion: Reinstall the various applications on the new hard drive and move the data from the old one.  If you wish to use the old hard drive, one approach would be to run SpinRite to ensure that it was prudent to use and make an image of the new hard drive setup to clone the old one using Acronis' True Image.

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LACS Computer Forum: May 12, 2009


Information on some items discussed:

1. AOL Spam - An user who uses AOL mail with Outlook Express complained that spam is an increasing problem.  Two suggestions:

1. Review/update Spam Control settings, (click here).

2. Since development on Outlook Express ceased some time ago, move to a mail client with spam controls.  One such program is Thunderbird. Enable the adaptive junk controls.

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LACS Computer Forum: Jun 9, 2009


Information on some items discussed:

1. Thunderbird - How do you setup (Thunderbird), a free mail client?  On the website of LACS member Jim McKnight, (click here), are two documents for Thunderbird, Thunderbird Setup and Thunderbird tips,

2. Printing Labels - Is there a convenient way to print specialized labels from MS Word.  Avery has a free wizard to do this, (click here).  This software provides simple step-by-step instructions to format and print Avery labels, business cards, dividers, name badges and more. 

3. Yahoo! Mail, Deleting Messages - A user who normally gets 100+ messages/day has difficulty deleting blocks of messages without using a great many key strokes/mouse clicks.  The task is much easier if you switch from Mail Classic to the "all-new Yahoo! Mail"; details on switching, (click here).

4. MS Office 2007 - Someone asked about moving from Office 2000 to Office 2007 primarily to be able to read documents saved in DOCX (write or edit?).  A good place to get a better understanding of dealing with DOCX files is to do a Google search on "docx converter" (less the quote marks).  Other suggestions, try:  2) AbiWord (free), (click here); 2) OpenOffice (free), (click here); 3) a trial version of Office 2007, (click here).

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LACS Computer Forum: Jul 14, 2009


Information on some items discussed:

1. Printer Installation Problem - After installing a new printer on a Vista machine, the new printer did not appear as an option when trying to print a document.  Consensus: Start over.  Before doing a re-install, delete the entry for the new printer in the "Printer and Faxes" menu.  Use the latest installation file(s) from the printer website.

2. Uninstalling Norton Security - Before installing a new security suite, a user was advised to uninstall the current one first.  Excellent advice.  Older Norton (Symantec) Security products have a reputation for not being uninstalled completely when the process was initiated from "Add or Remove Programs".  Symantec has an uninstall tool which does the job completely, details on LACS member Jim McKnight's (website) in his "VIRUS ~ MALWARE TOOLS & TIPS" document, "REMOVING UNWANTED ANTI-VIRUS SUITES" section.

3. E-Mail Filter - A member has been getting unwanted messages from a particular person.  While he has been deleting them, he asked about other options.   One option is to set up a Mail Filter to send such messages to your Spam folder automatically.  Today all mail clients and web mail service provides have this function, e.g. how-to information for Yahoo! Mail, (click here).

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LACS Computer Forum: Aug 11, 2009


Information on some items discussed:

1. E-Mail Sending Problem - When trying to send a message, a member received a message regarding a problem with Port 25 SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server.  Being a "simple" protocol, spammers found a way to abuse it.  To thwart this many ISPs are migrating to using other ports with enhanced security.  Two such ports are: Port 465 with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer); 2) Port 587 with TLS (Transport Security Layer).  Check with your ISP for details.

2. UPS Replacement Batteries - Getting a replacement UPS battery locally can be cheaper than getting one via the Internet because you avoid the shipping cost which can be substantial.  One local source several members have used is Batteries Plus in Culver City, (location).

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LACS Computer Forum: Sep 8, 2009


Information on some items discussed:

1. Netbook Battery Life - A user reported experiencing short battery life.  While the battery may be faulty, it is recommended to first make sure that you are turning off your system fully.  If that does not result in an improvement, do a Google search on "battery life model" (less the quote marks and replacing model with the specific model of the netbook).

2. Bing Report - A member happily reported that Bing, the new Microsoft search provider, has made airline ticket shopping much easier.

3. Net Library - By getting a Net Library account (free) you can get access to a great variety of information resources.  More information in the report for the February 2008 General Meeting contained in the (March 2008 User Friendly).

4. Roxio Replacement - A member with an older  version of Roxio, cd burning and dvd burning software, asked about updating to a later version.  For many users a program such as CDBurnerXP, a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs, does what most users wish to do, (website).

5. Backing Up - There are many ways to back up your computer.  LACS member Jim McKnight talks about this important housekeeping task in detail in his A STRESS FREE PC
which you can get (here).  For backing up many use an external hard drive; one reference for these hard drives on-sale at local stores, (click here).

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LACS Computer Forum: Oct 13, 2009


Information on some items discussed:

1. Sneakernet - Q: How can you use a USB flash drive to copy files to another computer? 

A: One easy way is to open Windows Explorer, highlight the file to be copied, right click, select Send To to copy the file to the flash drive.  On the other computer, open two Windows Explorer windows, side by side.  On the first one, select the file on the flash drive and on the second one select the target location.  Drag & Drop. 

2. DSL Improving Speed - Often times you can improve your DSL speed by replacing  "pigtail" POTS-splitters which you installed with a POTS-splitter where the telephone line enters your home at the Network Interface Device (NID) and running dedicated wiring to your DSL modem.  POTS = Plain Old Telephone Service.

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LACS Computer Forum: Nov 10, 2009

Information on some items discussed:

1. Moving Data Files - This topic, which was presented in depth at the November 9, 2009 Beginners/Internet/Email SIG, was discussed briefly.  Simply stated: Use two Explorer-type windows, one for the source and the other for the target. 

2. Display Readability - Q: How do you improve laptop display readability?

A: A good reference is "Improve Display Readability  XP" by LACS member Jim McKnight, (click here).

3. Password Security - Q: How do you securely protect passwords? 

A: There are many ways.  Some easy ones were discussed at the February 11, 2008 Beginners/Internet/Email SIG, (click here).  A very secure one but not simple to setup is (True Crypt). 

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LACS Computer Forum: Dec 8, 2009


Because of the holiday party, there was no Computer Forum this month.

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