Computer Info – October 3, 2001

This Week’s Meeting

        How about looking at plugins for IrfanView. Did anyone try creating a web page – shall we look at it? We will color code messages in Outlook Express and use the F11 key in Internet Explorer and question and answer session.
Color Code Your Incoming Messages in Outlook Express
        While in Outlook Express, click on TOOLS, then MESSAGE RULES, then MAIL. Select NEW RULES tab and then click on NEW. This will enable you to create a new rule that has two essential parts – Conditions and Actions -- You can set the Conditions and then the Actions that apply – for example: -----
        Set the condition – Place a checkmark in front of WHERE THE FROM LINE CONTAINS PEOPLE. In the third box, click on the blue underlined words stating CONTAINS PEOPLE. This is where you add the people that you wish (perhaps all of your children) – you can type in their email address or click on the ADDRESS BOOK button.
        Set the action – Place a checkmark in front of HIGHLIGHT IT WITH COLOR. In the third box, click on the blue underlined words stating COLOR. This is where you choose your color.
        This is just another way that you can filter your email messages to meet your needs.
Plugins For IrfanView
        Open your IrfanView and look under HELP – INSTALLED PLUGINS. This will give the web page where you can download the plugins from and will also give you a list of what plugins you already have installed.
        Do you need these plugins and what are they for? Plugins add extra features to a program – in this case, it adds the ability to work with many more file formats.

Larger Screen in Internet Explorer

        Tired of scrolling to view an entire Web page – press the F11 key. This hides the menu bar and all of your active toolbars giving you a larger screen area to view the web page. Press the F11 key again to return to the standard view.
        This is quite a useful feature.
Building a Website at Tripod.Com
        One place that you can build your own free web page is at
                  http://www.tripod.com
        Just choose SIGN UP NOW FOR A FREE HOMEPAGE at the top of the page. You will then have to complete their registration form. Now you can start building your own web page. A few terms to learn are
UPLOAD – this is when you copy a file (or picture) that is on your computer and place it on the internet site.
PUBLISH – this is when your changes on your web page are finalized for everyone to see.
        They have many help screens, clip art for you to use, take a look at all their choices. You can add multiple pages to your web site (just choose Add a Page). When adding a page, you must remember to go back to your home page and ADD A LINK to the new page. After a link has been added, visitors to your web site can click on it to take them to view your new added page.
Info
        Here is the web site that was shown at last week’s meeting where you can get discounts on HP (and other) inkjet cartridges.
                  http://www.tonerbuys.com
Internet Explorer 6.0
(Info from Smart Computing – November, 2001)
        Managing Cookies – Cookies are nothing more than simple text files some Web sites store on your computer as you browse their site. They add useful functions, such as the ability to store your user ID or online shopping preferences. On the other hand, they can also spy on your browsing habits and provide the information to marketing companies.
        First-party cookies are those saved to your computer by the Web site that you visit. Third-party cookies are placed on your computer by the banner ads and other features on the pages you view. Internet Explorer 6 can tell the difference and respond according to the situation and your preferences. Internet Explorer 6 can also determine whether the site behind a cookie has a privacy policy regarding the use of your personal information.
        To set your cookie policy, click on Internet Explorer 6.0 TOOLS menu and select INTERNET OPTIONS. Click on PRIVACY tab and move the big SETTINGS slider button to see the different settings. Move the bar to the top, and you’ll block all cookies from your computer; although effective, this makes casual Web browsing very annoying. Setting the slider to MEDIUM will block third-party cookies that either do not specify what they do with personal information or indicate they use personal information without your consent. Changing from one setting to another will not effect cookies that have already been set.
Computer Killers
(Info from Smart Computing – November, 2001)
        Every computer owner knows that PCs are directly responsible for aggressive behavior. They crash all the time, Plug-and-Play components are anything but, and frustration mounts until bad things happen.
        Slapping a computer’s case can unseat cables and cards attached to the motherboard or cause a spinning CD-ROM to hop off the tray and shatter. If the hard drive experiences shock while in use, the read heads can grind into the platters holding all your data.
        Hitting the monitor when it acts up also is bound to lead to nothing but trouble. The electron guns inside can get knocked out of whack causing display errors. If you have a flat-panel TFT (thin film transistor) display where each pixel is controlled by its own transistor; pushing on the screen can break the transistors and permanently disable a pixel.
        Improperly inserting PCI cards, ISA cards, memory chips, etc is a recipe for disaster. Pushing too hard is a common mistake – the memory chip can get scratched and stop working – the motherboard can bend – the biggest mistake made when inserting video, audio, and other cards is rocking them back and forth to seat them instead of pressing straight down with strong, but measured and steady pressure.
        Handle the components carefully. Cards and memory chips have a row of contacts on the bottom. The contacts are made of copper, aluminum, gold or other materials with various corrosive properties, and touching the contacts with your bare fingers leaves oil on the metal that can cause corrosion. This can lead to system errors and eventually can cause the affected component to fail.
        If there is a piece of paper stuck in a printer, don’t pull it backwards: use the page feed button to eject it or open the printer to get it out. Any component designed to go in forward won’t stand up well if forced into reverse.
        Do not block the intake and exhaust vents on a computer. The fans are designed to whisk away a considerable amount of the heat generated by the processor, video card, transformer, and other power-hungry components inside your computer.
        If you spill something on your keyboard – disconnect the keyboard from the computer as soon as you can. Don’t worry about shutting down the computer, just pull out the cable. Tip the keyboard upside down over a trash can and let as much liquid drip out as possible, wiping up any excess that remains on the keys. It is possible that the keyboard will dry out and be usable again. We recommend buying a new one just to be on the safe side.