mommalina
01-25-2007, 08:49 PM
01/24/07 Wed Nite KH Computer Help Desk Chatroom Summary
A lot of activity in all the computer chatrooms last night--one had over 70
attendees. We competed for 6th and 7th place until we closed at 11:57 pm.
WHO WAS THERE
KH MEMBERS - Lina, Lawrence, Vivienne, Rich, John, Rob(kern),
N3, Elliot, Larry (Casey), Dan, Fred.
We missed you, Photolady (hope you had a nice visit with your daughter)
and Grandma June (babysitting--lucky kids!). Pete, Tony, Doug, Al, Pi,
Billy, and the rest of you, t'is never the same without ya, too! Hope
you were having fun and/or making lots of money .. :)
VISITORS WHO CHIMED IN - AlexWebs, OEM, Angel_Wings (she's
getting to be a regular), rockzilla_76, GSTRONGJR, brickpile3,
no_man, intel pentium4
COMPUTER DISCUSSIONS
WINPATROL
Lawrence, our Australian guru, never heard of WinPatrol. Quite a few of
our members could not live without it--at least we feel our computers
could not.
If you don't have WinPatrol, the free and paid versions can be downloaded
here: http://www.winpatrol.com/
Steve Bass, in PC World April 2006, p. 41, said:
"WinPatrol works in two ways. First, when you install a program and it tries
to add an icon to the tray at boot-up, you'll get a WinPatrol warning and
way to nip it in the bud (or kill and remove it afterward). That's important
for programs such as AOL, Apple's QuickTime, and RealPlayer, all
notorious for adding junk icons. WinPatrol also enables you to stop
programs such as Adobe Acrobat that insist on running useless, daily
version-update checks; and it prevents programs from changing file
extensions willy-nilly."
"Second, "...WinPatrol gives you an easy way to comb through existing
background-loading programs; its 'info' button provides basic details,
including the company name, version, and startup location--enough to help
you figure out which entries are removable. The free version is good, but I
strongly urge you to spend $ for the Pro(PLUS) version. Its
comprehensive database gives you more details and specific
recommendations for which programs to keep and which to remove. I
promise you'll get that money back by eliminating your system tray
headaches"
The paid version costs $29.95 (lifetime).
If you already have the free version and want to upgrade to the latest free
version or to the paid version, right-click on the WinPatrol icon in your
system tray, click on WinPatrol / PLUS, and then click on Check for new
WinPatrol version.
SAS (SUPERAntiSpyware)
Rich's advice for June: When you install SAS, it's preferable that you
uninstall Adaware Plus SE and Spybot (why have unnecessary programs on
your computer?). But if you prefer not to uninstall them, there's no reason
to take them out of startup--they're not there anyway! Spybot is old
technology. Adaware Plus SE is crap. You don't need them if you have
SAS.
But leave WinPatrol alone! There's no SAS / WinPatrol conflict!
MULTIPLE SPYWARE PROGRAMS
Rich: Spyware programs, except for Spybot's TeaTimer, do not run in the
background. Multiple programs are a waste of space.
RUNNING SPYWARE PROGRAMS IN SAFE MODE
Rich: No reason to do that unless you can't run them in Windows. If your
system runs ok, there is no reason at all to run them in safe mode.
Lawrence: Good to clean certain viruses in safe mode. System Restore is
a nuisance for storing viral stuff.
Rich: Turn off System Restore, clean, restore again.
SYSTEM RESTORE
Many of the guys get rid of System Restore or turn it off. They don't use it (have
backups), they think it often doesn't work and is a hog on the operating system.
STRESS ON CPU
Cooling should only be an issue if you are putting the pc under extreme
stress. Most stress by video editing, gaming, multi-tasking, etc.
DAZlSTUDIO
Visitor intel-pentium4 asked if anyone used DAZ lStudio, which he
described as 3d render program on posers. Nobody heard of it. You can
check it out here:
http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/studio/-/
DAZ l STUDIO - Unleash the Artist within
Available free, DAZlStudio is a fun, powerful rich 3D figure posing and
animation tool. With an easy to use interface, DAZlStudio bring the ability
to create stunning digital imagery to the masses. Now anyone can use
virtual people, animals, vehicles, buildings, props, plants, accessories, and
more to design creative digital art and animation. Whether you're just
getting started in 3D, or are an avid 3D artist and enthusiast, DAZlStudio
will allow you to express yourself in 3D like never before.
PHOTO-EDITING SOFTWARE
Visitor Angelic_wings was wondering if someone could tell her what the
best photo editing software is. Fred suggested Adobe Photo Elements;
Barnes & Nobles books, Easy Steps, $9.95. Long discussion. Here are
some web sites he suggested:
Link to Photoshop Elements:
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/tryout.html
Link to Picasa II :
http://picasa.google.com/download/index.html
17-INCH LCD ANALOG/DIGITAL MONITOR FOR $69 AFTER REBATE
Rich saw this, was impressed. I Googled and found it:
http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?Sku=7131919
17" HU-171D LCD Monitor - Black Analog Digital, Mfr Hanns-g
For comments about this monitor, go here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=649113
SHIPPING LCD MONITORS FOR REPAIR
Vivienne does not have the original box in which to return her LCD
monitor for repairs under warranty. They may or may not send her one.
Suggestions: Put the monitor in an old suitcase stuffed with bubble wrap
and ship it that way. And, insure it! If it arrives damaged, the insurance
should cover it.
I really don't have room to store my original box. Was thinking of covering
it and using it for an end table...but now I just may throw it out.
OTHER DISCUSSIONS
LINA'S TEETH OR DENTURES
Some years ago, the computer-challenged were referred to on another BBS
as "toothless" and "riding in a rusty red Chevvy." I'm still computer-
challenged, have never forgotten that denigrating remark, and took it
personally.
So when I mention something like "I'm putting in my dentures so that I can
understand" or "Respect me because I'm wearing my dentures," that does
not imply that I wear dentures! (Only my dentist and I know for sure how
many teeth I have.) It's an inside joke! .. ;)
MORTGAGES
Lawrence had some more details about how mortgage accelerators work in
Australia.
Join us next week. Maybe we will again discuss Linux vs Windows vs
Mac, games for Linux, Newegg, motherboards, and other subjects which
I'm now just too mentally exhausted to accurately decipher for this
summary .. :ranger: .. :yawn:
Ciao,
Lina
A lot of activity in all the computer chatrooms last night--one had over 70
attendees. We competed for 6th and 7th place until we closed at 11:57 pm.
WHO WAS THERE
KH MEMBERS - Lina, Lawrence, Vivienne, Rich, John, Rob(kern),
N3, Elliot, Larry (Casey), Dan, Fred.
We missed you, Photolady (hope you had a nice visit with your daughter)
and Grandma June (babysitting--lucky kids!). Pete, Tony, Doug, Al, Pi,
Billy, and the rest of you, t'is never the same without ya, too! Hope
you were having fun and/or making lots of money .. :)
VISITORS WHO CHIMED IN - AlexWebs, OEM, Angel_Wings (she's
getting to be a regular), rockzilla_76, GSTRONGJR, brickpile3,
no_man, intel pentium4
COMPUTER DISCUSSIONS
WINPATROL
Lawrence, our Australian guru, never heard of WinPatrol. Quite a few of
our members could not live without it--at least we feel our computers
could not.
If you don't have WinPatrol, the free and paid versions can be downloaded
here: http://www.winpatrol.com/
Steve Bass, in PC World April 2006, p. 41, said:
"WinPatrol works in two ways. First, when you install a program and it tries
to add an icon to the tray at boot-up, you'll get a WinPatrol warning and
way to nip it in the bud (or kill and remove it afterward). That's important
for programs such as AOL, Apple's QuickTime, and RealPlayer, all
notorious for adding junk icons. WinPatrol also enables you to stop
programs such as Adobe Acrobat that insist on running useless, daily
version-update checks; and it prevents programs from changing file
extensions willy-nilly."
"Second, "...WinPatrol gives you an easy way to comb through existing
background-loading programs; its 'info' button provides basic details,
including the company name, version, and startup location--enough to help
you figure out which entries are removable. The free version is good, but I
strongly urge you to spend $ for the Pro(PLUS) version. Its
comprehensive database gives you more details and specific
recommendations for which programs to keep and which to remove. I
promise you'll get that money back by eliminating your system tray
headaches"
The paid version costs $29.95 (lifetime).
If you already have the free version and want to upgrade to the latest free
version or to the paid version, right-click on the WinPatrol icon in your
system tray, click on WinPatrol / PLUS, and then click on Check for new
WinPatrol version.
SAS (SUPERAntiSpyware)
Rich's advice for June: When you install SAS, it's preferable that you
uninstall Adaware Plus SE and Spybot (why have unnecessary programs on
your computer?). But if you prefer not to uninstall them, there's no reason
to take them out of startup--they're not there anyway! Spybot is old
technology. Adaware Plus SE is crap. You don't need them if you have
SAS.
But leave WinPatrol alone! There's no SAS / WinPatrol conflict!
MULTIPLE SPYWARE PROGRAMS
Rich: Spyware programs, except for Spybot's TeaTimer, do not run in the
background. Multiple programs are a waste of space.
RUNNING SPYWARE PROGRAMS IN SAFE MODE
Rich: No reason to do that unless you can't run them in Windows. If your
system runs ok, there is no reason at all to run them in safe mode.
Lawrence: Good to clean certain viruses in safe mode. System Restore is
a nuisance for storing viral stuff.
Rich: Turn off System Restore, clean, restore again.
SYSTEM RESTORE
Many of the guys get rid of System Restore or turn it off. They don't use it (have
backups), they think it often doesn't work and is a hog on the operating system.
STRESS ON CPU
Cooling should only be an issue if you are putting the pc under extreme
stress. Most stress by video editing, gaming, multi-tasking, etc.
DAZlSTUDIO
Visitor intel-pentium4 asked if anyone used DAZ lStudio, which he
described as 3d render program on posers. Nobody heard of it. You can
check it out here:
http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/studio/-/
DAZ l STUDIO - Unleash the Artist within
Available free, DAZlStudio is a fun, powerful rich 3D figure posing and
animation tool. With an easy to use interface, DAZlStudio bring the ability
to create stunning digital imagery to the masses. Now anyone can use
virtual people, animals, vehicles, buildings, props, plants, accessories, and
more to design creative digital art and animation. Whether you're just
getting started in 3D, or are an avid 3D artist and enthusiast, DAZlStudio
will allow you to express yourself in 3D like never before.
PHOTO-EDITING SOFTWARE
Visitor Angelic_wings was wondering if someone could tell her what the
best photo editing software is. Fred suggested Adobe Photo Elements;
Barnes & Nobles books, Easy Steps, $9.95. Long discussion. Here are
some web sites he suggested:
Link to Photoshop Elements:
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/tryout.html
Link to Picasa II :
http://picasa.google.com/download/index.html
17-INCH LCD ANALOG/DIGITAL MONITOR FOR $69 AFTER REBATE
Rich saw this, was impressed. I Googled and found it:
http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?Sku=7131919
17" HU-171D LCD Monitor - Black Analog Digital, Mfr Hanns-g
For comments about this monitor, go here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=649113
SHIPPING LCD MONITORS FOR REPAIR
Vivienne does not have the original box in which to return her LCD
monitor for repairs under warranty. They may or may not send her one.
Suggestions: Put the monitor in an old suitcase stuffed with bubble wrap
and ship it that way. And, insure it! If it arrives damaged, the insurance
should cover it.
I really don't have room to store my original box. Was thinking of covering
it and using it for an end table...but now I just may throw it out.
OTHER DISCUSSIONS
LINA'S TEETH OR DENTURES
Some years ago, the computer-challenged were referred to on another BBS
as "toothless" and "riding in a rusty red Chevvy." I'm still computer-
challenged, have never forgotten that denigrating remark, and took it
personally.
So when I mention something like "I'm putting in my dentures so that I can
understand" or "Respect me because I'm wearing my dentures," that does
not imply that I wear dentures! (Only my dentist and I know for sure how
many teeth I have.) It's an inside joke! .. ;)
MORTGAGES
Lawrence had some more details about how mortgage accelerators work in
Australia.
Join us next week. Maybe we will again discuss Linux vs Windows vs
Mac, games for Linux, Newegg, motherboards, and other subjects which
I'm now just too mentally exhausted to accurately decipher for this
summary .. :ranger: .. :yawn:
Ciao,
Lina