RANDOM JOTTINGS                                            

  Ken Meadows


The editor of the Micro 80 newsletter bemoaned the fact that contributions were so low that he had to virtually write the newsletter himself. In these types of newsletters it is not the editor's task to write the articles, but for the members to contribute articles, usually concerning their experiences. My experiences you would probably not want to know about. However, his plea so moved me that I decided to help him out.
You will get some of my experiences, but mainly items that I have noticed which may be of interest. As my operating system is Windows XP, most items will probably relate to Win XP. My memory not being what I would like, the editor will do his job by seeing that my article makes sense and that it is technically correct. That puts you on the spot, Ed!
As I was writing this, the latest edition of Sixteen Bits, the product of the PCUG was published. It was so professional and euphuistic (go on, look it up – I did) that I cringed and regretted my decision to write articles. On reflection, though, I decided to carry on, as most of the readers would be at my level.

A CLEAN DESKTOP

I like a clean desktop. While most users have shortcuts for programs frequently used, these finish up on the desktop that will soon be full if, like me, you have shortcuts to most of your programs. To avoid this I have a folder labelled “Utilities” and my shortcuts have been cut and pasted to that folder. Further, like utilities such as printer utilities are cut and pasted to a printer folder within the utilities folder.

FASTER BROWSING

The March, 2004, issue of the English magazine PCPlus, had a short note that various programs seem to set communications switches to the worst possible performance. I checked my settings and found that they were set (worst setting) as described in the article. I followed the instructions in the article and it promised that the speed of future downloads would almost double. What I should have done would be to note the download speeds before and after I made the changes. I did not, so hoped an increase in speed would be obvious.
To check and reset if necessary, do the following. In Internet Explorer, pull down the Tools menu, choose Internet Options and select the Connections tab. Towards the bottom of the dialog, choose LAN Settings. This will bring up a dialog box. The first check box option is Automatically Detect Settings. If this is checked, uncheck it and click OK. If it had been checked, you may now find that the speed of future downloads almost double.
I am connected to Transact by cable and am happy with the download speeds, but any gain would still be appreciated. After using my computer for some months after making the changes, I do think the speed has increased. Why didn’t I check my speed before making the changes so I could document the change for you? Try it anyway, you have nothing to lose and all to gain. Do a System Restore first.

SEEN ON THE INTERNET

Going skiing this winter? Want to take your mobile with you but are worried about losing it? Motorola has the answer. The company plans to unveil a ski jacket with a mobile phone built in to it. The device will be very James Bond with controls on the sleeve for both the phone and the built in MP3 player that's also part of the device. The jacket will be made by Burton (note: upmarket English firm) but pricing has yet to be announced.

SYSTEM RESTORE

Those of you who use Windows XP will have seen something about System Restore. Some of you may not know what it does or how to use it. Believe me, it is one of the most useful items that XP gives us. It has saved my bacon many times.
System Restore takes your system back to an earlier time. Each day a Restore Point is set by the system. It is most useful when you install a new program. Before installing the program, set a Restore Point and, should something go wrong, or most likely should you dislike the new program and wish to remove it, you can use System Restore to delete it and have your system as it was before the program was installed.
To set a Restore Point, go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore. Click on System Restore and you have the choice of ‘Restore my computer to an earlier time’, ‘Create a restore point’ or ‘Undo my last restoration’.
If setting a Restore Point, you can insert the description, and the current date and time are automatically added. At this point you can ‘go back’, ‘create’ or ‘cancel’.

SEEN ONLINE

Just when you thought you'd heard it all; a Romanian couple who met online have named their baby Yahoo. The couple, who met face-to-face after having a 3-month 'online relationship', said that the Internet had been a major guiding element in their life.

WHAT IS DSO EXPLOIT?

If you use Spybot Search and Destroy or another spyware removal tool, it may find an item called DSO Exploit. This exploit is a bug in Internet Explorer that under certain circumstances would allow untrusted software to run on the computer. In other words, it’s a hole in Internet Explorer that hackers could use to gain access to your system. However, if you are running the latest version of Internet Explorer and have all your Windows Updates installed, the bug has been patched and is not a threat to your computer system. Even though Spybot may still show it as a threat.
If you have the latest Internet Explorer version and all your Windows Updates, you can safely ignore the DSO Exploit as a potential problem when Spybot Search and Destroy or other spyware removal tools discover it. However if you would rather fix the exploit so it does not show up again, it can be done in Windows registry. I shall not describe how, as if something goes wrong in fiddling with the registry, it can cause windows to fail to start.
And here is one for the books. At the time of writing, Spybot Search and Destroy issued a version intended to delete DSO Exploit which, instead of deleting DSO Exploit, puts in an incorrect registry value which still leaves it operative. An updated version is expected.

NOSE FOR TECHNOLOGY

From MS Windows XP magazine, December 2004.
Good news for idle hands – your nose can do their work instead. A Russian researcher at a university in Canada has developed a new webcam-powered interface that tracks the movement of the tip of your nose. You then use it to write text or move around the screen, while rapid blinking acts as left and right-click functions. The Nouse, as it’s been termed, was developed by Dmitry Gorodnichy as a hands free interface. Thankfully for your neck muscles, it isn’t intended to replace the traditional mouse altogether. He sees it as more of an extra remote control than a straight replacement.
Pinocchio would have been in his element.

FROM MAXPC NEWSLETTER

Students in South London thought it was an offer too good to be missed, so paid £200 for a powerful top-quality laptop. The only downside was that when they handed over the cash, the high-tech PC was swapped for a laptop bag full of potatoes. Police are a' peeling for anyone with information.

A Chinese man has been sued by his wife for bigamy, after he took part in a virtual internet marriage. After becoming suspicious of the increased amount of time spent online, she found that her husband had 'married' someone else, and even had a virtual child. The wife lost her case for emotional damage, but was granted a divorce.


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