| Sam Young Newsletter |
Issue 18, January 2001
Hi guys,
Here's second newsletter for the start of the new millennium. What is it about a new year that makes you truly feel different? It is only another day, after all!
This is a pretty "bitty" newsletter, with all sorts of short informative pieces developed from stuff that I have gleaned from all over the place (read "net" there!). Check out Warning for Windows 98 Users and More Security For The Home PC below.
Don't forget, if you want to be taken off my mailing list, click here to send me a reply e-mail and I will remove your name.
| Warning for Windows 98 Users |
We Windows 98 users must be careful when running in the "Command Prompt Only" mode.
You get into this mode is invoked by either booting from a Windows 98 start-up disk, or by the PC going to black screen at startup and giving one of those 5 options (Normal, Safe Mode, Command Prompt etc); and you choose Command Prompt Only or Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the boot menu.
When you're running in this mode, Windows 98 (both original and Second Edition) does not create the short (8.3) filename alias for a long filenames correctly.
Normally, Windows 98 creates an 8.3 alias by eliminating illegal characters, truncating the filename portion to six characters, and appending a tilde and a digit for uniqueness. Aliases for the files "Financials for January.doc" and "Financials for February.doc" might be Financ~1.doc and Financ~2.doc, using the tilde (~) and a number to differentiate between the files. While you are working within the Windows shell, the files are shown them as full names, but DOS manages them via their short filenames.
In Command Prompt Only mode, Win 98 will simply truncate the filename at eight characters, and does not use the tilde and a number for the short file names. Both of the example filenames would be called Financia.doc, and the second file will overwrite the first.
This bug does not occur when you launch an MS-DOS window under Windows 98.
To avoid? Don't use long filenames in Windows 98's Command Prompt Only mode. If you have to create any files, use only short (8.3) names.
The same information is presented in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q243390, "Short (8.3) File Names Are Not Created Correctly at the Windows 98 Command Prompt."
| More Security For The Home PC |
Want some free security? Keep your system secure with PC Lockup. This free program can effectively block anyone from using your computer. Set it to lock after a period of time, a period of inactivity, or every time you start. It includes an audible alarm which is triggered whenever an unauthorized person tries to access your system. You can even disable function keys and review the access log to see what's been going down.
| Keeping in Touch in the 21st Century |
Whatever happened to...? How many times have you muttered that as you remembered the girl who muddied your best new shoes at primary school, or the guy who used to drive the mangy Morris at Varsity?!
If you have ever wondered whatever happened to that long lost school friend or work mate, Membership Managers might help you. If you become a registered user, you can search their database for other registered users from the same school, university or workplace as you attended.
You can also tick a box to be notified when other users sign up from your organisation, and get notified when your school/uni/poly is holding a reunion.
The site is governed by the Privacy Act 1993, and your information is passworded and protected.
Sign up because the more people who get on board, the better chance you have of finding that someone you are looking for. And yes, before you ask, I have already signed up!
Check it out at http://www.reunion.co.nz/
| Mouse-less in PC Land |
Whether you're concerned about repetitive strain injuries or if you just prefer using keyboard commands, this tool will free you of your mouse forever.
Like Windows Explorer or Norton Commander, it lets you manage your files. The difference is that you can do so entirely by text commands. You can use a broad range of commands, including view, edit, move, rename, create, and delete.
The program also has a clock and a simple screen saver. In the event that you do want to use your mouse, the program supports that too. Check it out at http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description.asp?fid=7543
| TLAs for SMEs |
Here are this newsletter's TLAs for you;
- ORBS, Open Relay Behavior-modification System. A database for listing and tracking SMTP servers that have been confirmed as permitting third-party relay; the SMTP servers are "open relay" mail servers allowing Spammers to send unsolicited commercial email (commonly known as Spam) through the SMTP system
- XML, eXtensible Markup Language. Developed by the W3C, XML is a programming language/specification, a pared-down version of SGML, designed especially for Web documents. It enables Web authors and designers to create their own customized tags to provide functionality not available with HTML. For example, XML supports links that point to multiple documents, as opposed to HTML links, which can reference just one destination each. XML provides a more powerful set of tools for developing a new generation of Web applications: including Database exchange, distribution of processing to clients, multiple views of data on the client, Intelligent agents and management of document collections
- W3C, The World Wide Web Consortium. Where the World Wide Web is the universe of network-accessible information, the World Wide Web Consortium exists to realize the full potential of the Web
Please feel free to email me with any TLAs that you want to get the bottom (meaning!) of.
| Short+Hot Keys... and now tips |
This time we have some toolbar tips for working all over the place.
Don't always want to have only one Internet Explorer window open at once? You can bring up a new window for links that you choose in Internet Explorer by holding down the shift key as you click the hyperlink.
To get to the end of a page in Internet Explorer, do exactly what you do in Word or Excel. Ctrl & End. The beginning? Ctrl & Home. Saves an awful lot of mouse clicks.
Don't forget that Ctrl & P will still bring up the print window, Ctrl & A will select everything on the page, Ctrl & C will copy, Alt & Tab will take you to another programme, and Ctrl & V will paste. All the tools for copying things from the internet to Word!
To copy just the images, right-click over the picture that you wish to copy. The menu that appears should have a "Save As" option. Select that option and do the normal save process. However, don't forget to double-check the folder that your file is being saved to!! Then go to Windows Explorer (or right click on the Start button and select Explore) and double-click on the file that you have saved. NB: in general files on the net are pretty low resolution, so don't expect big pix.
Use bookmarks. When you are on a page that you want to get back to again, go to the Favourites menu and click "Add to Favourites". You can trim the name down to a manageable size in the dialogue box that opens. You can also back-up all your favourites by making a copy of the contents of C:/Windows/Favourites (or on NT C:/Windows/Profiles/[User Name]/Favourites).
Use your Links toolbar, and customise that for sites that you visit regularly. I have Google, Yellow Pages, White Pages, my bank, Datafellows, an on-line dictionary, Metacrawler, Woody's, TV1 (so I know what's on!), MSA and a couple of others on my links toolbar. Very useful for a quick click....
| Hot Linx |
Want the best search engine on the internet? Go to http://www.Google.com
Want to be able to enter TLA and get the answer? Well now there's a site where you can do just that. Check out http://www.acronymfinder.com/
There is much more to BBQ's than just sausages. This site is jam packed full of great recipes to spice up your barbecue this summer at http://www.barbequerecipe.com/
Explore the fascinating world of ocean life at http://teachers.westport.k12.ct.us/resource/marine_life.htm
Project Crimson is a charitable trust that aims to protect New Zealand's Pohutukawa and Rata trees and is found at http://www.projectcrimson.org.nz/
Do you often find yourself trying to convert metrics to imperial and back again? Then try downloading the "Versaverter" freeware from http://www.pawprint.net/vv/
Broke after the "spend of the season"? The Xtra Money Channel has the top ten credit cards tips at http://xtra.co.nz/money/0,1733,467,00.html
"How to market your Website" has information on good marketing tactics both on- and offline at http://www.coyotecom.com/webdevo/webmrkt.html
Catch you again soon!! E-mail your suggestions to me here
