Computer Info – November 17, 1999

This Week’s Program --- IrfanView – Email Pictures

        We hope to demonstrate the free program named IrfanView that we briefly mentioned last week. Hopefully we can also cover resizing pictures for attaching to emails – inserting a picture into Publisher – and answer various questions.

IrfanView

        This is the freeware program that we had mentioned last week. It seems to be a great little program for viewing pictures of many formats – saving pictures in a variety of formats – opening various music files (MID – WAV) – opening various video files (MOV – AVI - MPG) – it will play an audio CD. You can even access your scanner and scan directly into this program.
        The program has some photo editing features in it such as rotating – changing to grayscale – brightness – contrast – color balance. You can also resize the picture for sending via email. You can save your picture as wallpaper from this program – you can do a slideshow of the pictures within a directory.
         A feature that it lacks is the UNINSTALL.  If you wish to remove this program, you will have to delete the directory (C:\PROGRAM FILES\IRFANVIEW) and then delete the entries from your STRAT – PROGRAMS menu.
Here is the web address if you wish to download this program.
                          http://new.freeware32.com/file/moreinfo.php3?GProgramName=IrfanView+v3.05

Compatibility Problems When Upgrading

        We recently worked on an IBM Aptiva (about three years old). In the past, he had added a 56K modem in one of his PCI slots. An interesting one from Zoom Technologies. It is the first time that I have seen two additions to the SYSTEM properties. It added a PCI Zoom Controller and a 56K modem. The modem worked well. Recently he purchased a USB scanner (since his computer did have USB ports on the back of the computer). He was running the first version of Windows 95 which does not have support for USB – so we upgraded him to Windows 98 – the USB was disabled in the BIOS, so we enabled it. The USB drivers were then added and the scanner worked. Now the modem did not work. We found it hard to believe that enabling the USB in the BIOS would cause a problem with the modem --- but that was it. When we disable the USB in the BIOS, then the modem works (not the scanner). When we enable the USB in the BIOS, then the scanner works and not the modem.
        It is so hard to understand the correlation between hardware and software when these type of problems arise. Possibly an upgrade to the BIOS could solve the problem, but we don’t know.

Bubble Boy Virus

        Bubbleboy is a NEW type of worm: Unlike previous worms transmitted through email, this new type of worm does not come as an executable attachment. Instead, VBS/Bubbleboy infects PCs as soon as the transmitted email message is opened. This is a VERY significant innovation! In the past, it was not possible to contract a virus or worm merely by opening and reading an email message. This is no longer true, and VBS/Bubbleboy marks the beginning of a more dangerous computing environment.
        The main risk from the new Bubbleboy virus, isn’t the virus itself. It is any ill-intentioned attempts to emulate it and release it to the unprotected public. It's possible that any such public manifestation of this problem will not be as narrowly focused as BubbleBoy.
        Microsoft has a patch for this security problem which hopefully will stop all new viruses of this type from happening. It is called "Update for Security Vulnerabilities in 'Scriptlet.typlib' and 'Eyedog' ActiveX Controls".
        Norton has a web page to tell you about the BubbleBoy virus. Here is the address ---
                                  http://vil.nai.com/vil/vbs10418.asp

Resize Your Picture For Sending In Your E-mail

        The basic rules for sending a picture with your email are
                    Make the picture about 640 pixels or 6.4 inches (width) by 480 pixels or 4.8 inches (height)
                    Make the picture 100 dpi (dots per inch or resolution)
                    Make the picture a JPG
        What if you scanned it at a higher resolution and size – how do you change it? Most photo editing programs will allow you to do this.
        In PhotoDeluxe 3.0 – you will find it under SIZE – PHOTO SIZE. This will allow you to change the width, height and resolution.
        In Photostyler – you will find it under IMAGE – RESAMPLE. This will allow you to change the width, height and resolution.
        In Corel PhotoPaint – you will find it under IMAGE – RESAMPLE. This will allow you to change the width, height and resolution.
        In IrfanView – you will find it under IMAGE – RESAMPLE. This will allow you to change the width and the height.
In other programs, just look for some similar terminology and you should be able to perform this function.

Insert a Picture into Publisher – Word

        If you scan directly into a photo editing program (which is recommended – especially if you wish to do any cropping – brightening – add text, etc) – then how do you get the picture into your Newspaper article you are creating in Publisher – or your Christmas letter that you are writing in Word?
        Once you have scanned your picture into your photo editing program and completed your editing of it, you would save the picture to your hard drive (paying attention to where you are saving it). Next, open Publisher or Word or any other program that you might wish to insert a picture into.
        In both MS-Publisher and MS-Word, choose INSERT from the main menu – then PICTURE – then FROM FILE. Locate the picture that you wish to insert – highlight the file name and then click OK.

Web Address

        Access Magazine (this is the computer flyer from the Orlando Sentinel and various other papers)
                              http://www.accessmagazine.com