Computer Info – September 29, 1999

Backup Selected Files in Windows 98

        Backup is found under PROGRAMS – ACCESSORIES – SYSTEM TOOLS – BACKUP. First you will be ask if you want to Create a New Backup – Open An Existing Backup – or Restore Backup Up Files. Since this will be your first time, you will choose CREATE A NEW BACKUP. Next you will be ask if you wish to backup My Computer (which is everything on your computer) or Backup Selected Files. You should choose BACKUP SELECTED FILES. On the next screen, you will be shown all of the drives on your computer (notice the plus sign to the left of each one). We are only interested in Drive C: - so click on the plus sign next to it and it will open up and show you your directories. Now you can determine which files that you wish to backup and place a checkmark in the box to the left of its name. By doubleclicking on a directory, it will open up and allow you to view the files that are in it.
        When you have finished selecting your files, on the next screen you will be ask if you wish to backup all the selected files or only the ones that have been added or modified since the last backup you had done. You probably wish to backup all the selected files. On the next screen, you will determine where you want to save the backup files. Let’s choose our floppy drive (A:). The file will be named MyBackUp.QIC. You will have to give this backup project a name. Then press the START button (the one on the backup screen – not the START button that is on the taskbar).
        To restore these files, place your first floppy in drive A: and then run the backup program. This time you will choose to RESTORE BACKUP UP FILES. You can restore everything that you had backup up before – or restore only one file if you wish.

Web Addresses

Have some fun and check your IQ. As long as you don't take yourself too seroiusly it can be a fun thing.
                  http://www.iqtest.com/welcometest.html
Free Internet Access – but you will have to put up with an advertisement window that you cannot close. They have a local number (in Deland).
                  http://go.freei.net/www/
FireTalk – Talk to friends on the internet via the microphone. Sounds interesting – but like all of these programs, your friends must be running the same one.
                  http://www.firetalk.com
The Center for Democracy and Technology
                  http://www.cdt.org

No Free PCs
By Stephanie AuWerter (Smart Computing Online)—July 28, 1999

        FREE COMPUTERS? Free Internet service? From the steady drum of press releases and marketing hype, you'd think that only fools are paying for computers these days. The list of retailers offering $400 rebates on computers in conjunction with an Internet service provider seems to be spreading faster than a computer virus. And on the flip side, just this week Dell announced that it would begin offering one year of free Internet service with its Dimension desktop PCs and Inspiron notebooks. The question, it seems, is no longer should you take advantage of one of these offers, but rather which one is the best?
        But wait just a minute. Truth is, while the offers might seem irresistible, these computers are about as free as the football phone you used to get with a subscription to Sports Illustrated. Most of the free-PC deals require you to sign a three-year contract with a specific ISP for $19.95 to $21.95 a month. Trouble is, in this market, three years might as well be three dog-years. Bottom line? These free computers come with a price.
        The Offers: So what exactly can you get for "free"? At best, you can get $400 knocked off the price of your computer. Some retailers like Best Buy will give you $400 off any computer in the store in conjunction with a three-year contract at $19.95 a month. Others offer the deal in conjunction with just one computer brand and ISP. In some cases, you can sign up for a shorter contract for a lesser rebate.
        "The ISP industry is like the cell-phone industry five years ago," explains Stephen Dukker, president and CEO of eMachines, which is offering a $400 rebate on its computers when you sign a three-year CompuServe 2000 contract. "The desire for access to the Internet is becoming universal. Everyone wants it if they can have it." Consequently, to increase penetration, ISPs are willing to subsidize the cost of your computer.
        The Costs: Well, lunch isn't the only thing that isn't free. While $400 is nothing to ignore, it's not going to get you a complete system -- even if you do go with eMachine's $399 tower. Once you add in a printer, some additional memory and, in most cases, a monitor, you probably will have shelled out at least a couple of hundred bucks. Of course, even $200 for a complete system is still a very good deal.
        If you really want free, there's always Free-PC.com. But you still pay a price. With this deal you agree to have a continuous banner of ads, which you download regularly, floating on your monitor. You're required to use the computer for at least 10 hours a month, including at least one hour of Internet usage. In turn, you receive a free computer (which, so far, has been a Compaq), monitor and ISP.
        Now, not all people would be willing to donate their eyes in the name of a free PC, but it clearly has some appeal. So far more than 1.2 million people have signed up for the deal. Unfortunately, only 10,000 computers have been sent out, although another shipment is expected to be announced in the next week, says Steve Chadima, vice president of marketing. That's because Free-PC is accommodating advertiser needs, not consumer demand. In other words, you have less than a 0.8% chance of actually getting your hands on your computer with Free-PC. But if free is what you're after, you could roll the dice.
        Of course, the biggest catch with the vast majority of the free-PC deals is not the price, it's the contract. "The ISP market is going to mature very quickly," predicts Mark Margevicius, senior research analyst at Gartner Group, a technology consulting firm. "Three years is a very long time to be locked in."
        Think about it. What were you using three years ago? For some of us it was still the ol' 28.8KB modem, which nowadays sounds just about as old-fashioned as an Atari game. As broadband technology (which includes cable modems and DSL) continues to develop, pricing most likely will change as your options increase. Faster connections will become available, and most likely the competition surrounding "value" dial-up service will heat up. As those opportunities arise, you might very well wish you hadn't signed on the dotted line.
        For the most part it's unclear whether these offers will come with upgrade possibilities. None of the companies we spoke with -- AOL (which owns CompuServe), Prodigy and FlashNet -- currently have an upgrade option in place. "This is a value offering," explains Wendy Goldberg, an AOL spokesperson. "Right now there are no plans to offer an upgrade."
        And what if you break the contract? With most of these plans, you'll pay a hefty fee or the prorated balance of the contract. That's no bargain.
        Who Should Use These Offers?…. Obviously, for some consumers these packages are really good deals. After all, it's hard to be too cynical when we're talking about a decent computer system for under $500 (plus the ISP fees), when all is said and done. These packages are marketed to people who are new to the Internet and to those who have been excluded from entry due to the cost (and complications) of a computer. So if you really are intent on saving $400 in upfront costs on a new computer, then by all means, take advantage. Likewise, if you're looking to get, say, Grandma, online so she can exchange email with the grandkids, then this setup could be ideal.
        But you should also consider some of the alternative offers out there. Take a look at the companies that are offering the opposite deal: free Internet service with the purchase of a computer. This way you can avoid the contract. Right now, Dell and Gateway have these types of offers in place. Dell's new offer includes 150 free hours of Internet access a month for one year after the purchase of a Dimension PC or Inspiron notebook. Prices for the Dimension PCs start at $959 or $29 a month (at 18.99% APR) and include a 400MHz Intel Celeron processor, a 15-inch monitor and a 56k modem. Gateway also offers 150 free Internet hours a month for a year with the purchase of select computers valued over $1,000.
        Finally, if you do decide to go with one of the offers that requires a contract, just be sure to read all the fine print so you know what you're getting into. And make sure that the ISP that you sign up with has good customer service. After all, you're going to be using them for a while.