Misc. beginner's computer tips

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      Newsgroups
      Try to not offend people by posting in upper and lower case. UPPER case seems like shouting. Pretend you're talking to a real person. Try to say something good that's on topic to that newsgroup.

      Modems
      If you feel like your modem is taking a lot of time, then it's probably far to slow. If your old modem is rated as less than "14400" then it should be replaced if you plan to use the Internet much at all. The number "14400" is the "baud rate" of the modem. That is a count of how much information the modem is sending or receiving each second. Old modems have even lower ratings than 14400 baud.

      You can buy an internal modem with a brand name like "Zoom" and a "baud" rate of 56000 for example. Once you have installed it, you can contact your Internet provider so that they can advise you on how to "tell" your Internet software to accept the higher speed. Alternatively, you can look in your Internet provider's software for a setting that lets you choose.

      Some modems are external, so they only need to be plugged into the computer. But, the computer plug must be able to handle the speed. First call the technical support people of your computer, and say, "I am going to buy an # baud (pronounced "bawd") external modem and hook it to my serial port. I want to know if my "UART" chip is fast enough to handle # baud". If your UART (plug) is too slow, then you must choose an internal modem. Internal modems do not have this "UART" problem.
      Also, you need to know how to hook up the modem (ie: which plug to use) from the the software store before you buy it to make sure it will be compatible with the computer.

      To completely silence the screech the modem makes when it dials, call the technical support people of your computer. They will probably have you change a config file to get rid of the noise.

      Internet privacy software is available for a free trail and is called Don't Panic.

      Phone bills can rack up, even at 7/10 of a penny per minute for example. The cost can easily be 7$ per month (or more) for only 4 hr./week.

      Settling for an Internet service that charges an hourly fee can be a big lose. Look for one that charges a flat rate fee and includes full access to Internet features (they do not have to be the ready made point and click features). Earthlink is a good provider, but ads for Internet Service Providers are everywhere in magazines.

      The computer has the powerful capability to search among its files, even if you do not know the complete name. Fpr example, you can find every file ending with a .txt by searching with "*.txt". The star symbol is used to indicate the unknown portion. This is why "*.*" will give you all files.

      1. Click the START button at the bottom left for your desktop.
      2. Goto Search and over the For Files and Folders.
      3. type-> *.txt
      4. Hit your Enter or Return button.
      5. The search results will then appear, and many text files should be listed.

      The Screen Saver is best in most cases. It saves your monitor from having Windows images permanently etched into it.

      1. Click Start, Settings, and then Control Panel
      2. Choose Display
      3. Choose your Screen Saver.

      To minimize the sound the computer makes: (there will always be a start up beep).
      1. Click Start, Settings, and then Control Panel
      2. choose Sounds and Multimedia
      3. Change you sounds volume and settings

      Free software and "sharware" web sites have basically every useful program ever made for any type of computer system. Also, people are always putting up good sharware programs to these sites so that others will download it and (they hope) pay for it. Most programs are nice for their own little niche, and programs run the spectrum of human interest. Here is a good software site CNET.com.
      And a few more good uls to bookmark:

      http://www.gamecenter.com/
      http://www.download.com/
      http://www.search.com/

      What is shareware? Well, it's like software at the store, but the idea is you take it home, test it, fall in love with it, and decide to buy it. It's only "shared" for a specific period, and after that you are suppose to pay.

      If you have ever tried the game Minesweeper you probably became addicted. Well, you can have fun confusing friends by always giving yourself the highest score! It's a fun trick to play with editing files, just like a hacker.

      1. Double click on File Manager and open the windows directory
      2. Double click on winmine.ini
      (Now, you can edit the file the the computer looks to for its data.)

      3. The bottom six lines are like this:
      (quotes added for clarity)

      Time1="any number"
      Time2="any number"
      Time3="any number"
      Name1="any name"
      Name2="any name"
      Name3="any name"

      4. Save the changes by choosing File on the top menu bar and then Save.

      5. Important note, use caution before editing any important file to be sure you are not making the computer inoperable.


      If a picture on the WWW is taking a long time to load try to click on "stop", or choose stop in your software. Most likely you will quickly see the page, but will not see the detailed picture. It will just say error where there would have been a picture.


      Privacy

      1. E-mail is open to be read by the system administer or employees (like a postcard). Don't expect privacy (there is no law against it).

      2. A number of police take shifts patrolling the Internet for anything illegal.
      They spend much time on "point and click" providers baiting in the "chat" rooms. Pedofiles are a big target. Once in a while you will see a really baiting article in news groups.

      3. There is much made of the anonymity of the "anonymous" remailers. In fact they are no doubt all monitored.

      4. Your E-mail address is a beacon to your real address.

      5. Be your own post office, that doesn't steal cash! Encrypt messages with the infamous PGP for semi-private e-mail.

      Find more info here:

      The basic PGP concept, from it's creator Phil Zimmermann.


      The "defrag" command can really increase the memory the computer considers available for use. The command helps the computer run faster. There is One caution if you use it. You cannot recover a file you recently deleted by mistake by using the "undelete" command (see owners manual).

      1. Go to the dos prompt and type defrag (enter)
      2. Choose the Full Optimization and click OK
      3. Click OK to begin optimization
      4. It will run for a few minutes 5. Click "OK" to exit DEFRAG.

      You see it put squares in order so that they appear in a run together with no spaces. These squares represent blocks of memory. Putting them all in a row increases the available memory and helps the computer run faster.

      You can hit the Esc key to interrupt Defrag at any time. Or, if you let it go it will notify you when it's done. Next time you use the computer, there may well be a marked increase in "available memory".

      Ever get frustrated with a "Read Only" file that refuses to be changed?
      Do this:
      1. Double click on File Manager and click on the file to highlight it.
      2. Click on File on the top menu bar and choose Properties.
      3. Then click on the "Read Only" box to "un X" it, and click on the "Archive" box to "X" it.
      4. Click OK to make the change.
      5. The file can then be changed like any write file.

      There is a Faxaway for E-mail to fax service. Even send a free fax (with a valid E-mail address).

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