Newsletter

We have been waiting on the Users Group’s Nonprofit Status for the past couple years. We have been replying and replying to new IRS’s questions repeat-edly and finally satisfied them all. As of March 13, 1997, we are officially, according to the IRS, a Nonprofit Corporation.

What does this mean to EPCUG? It has different meanings to each of us. I think the first important meaning for the group is that the Post Office gives us better rates on our newsletter mailings. We have estimated that it will cut out postage in half. We look forward to seeing this expense cut as it is our second largest expense after the newsletter printing. A more accurate report on this will be given at the May meeting as the rate reduction will be in effect for the May newsletter mailing.

To the member, EPCUG being Nonprofit means that donations to the group are tax deductible. Contributions, whether in cash or items, can be deducted on Schedule A on your tax return. Even the dollar that you put into the “hat” at the door is considered a contribution. One requirement from the IRS is that if any contribution is over $250, the Group must supply a written verification. Of course, I think we could find a way to do that if any of you want to be that generous.

As far as reporting to the IRS at year end, the IRS requires us to file a form 990 if we normally have gross receipts over $25,000. We are not at that point yet so we do not meet the filing requirements. We are keeping the necessary records so that if/when we get there we will be ready and the filing should be no problem.

It seemed like an eternity, waiting to get this status but it will add several benefits that will have made it well worth the wait. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

April’s presentation was by Dick Kellerman from PowerQuest on PartitionMagic Version 3. This utility program allows you to repartition your hard drive without using FDISK and totally reformatting your hard drive just to do it. I really liked the speaker. He was a good presenter, and he put on a nice show. Dick started the presentation with an overview of the different file systems. And by showing the clusters work on a hard disk, he helped you understand why repartitioning can be helpful to you. He then gave a demonstration of the program.

PartitionMagic Version 3.0 comes with Boot Manager from IBM so that you can safely run multiple operating systems and start up in the one you want to. It also comes with Uninstaller from MicroHelp. This program lets you move applications from one partition to another and it makes all the necessary changes so that Windows knows where the application is. And it also has DriveMapper, which will go through and find everything that refers to your CD ROM Drive then it will change the reference to whatever the new letter is. In addition to DOS, Windows 3.x, and Windows95, the new Partition Magic supports the FAT 32 and the Windows NT File Systems. It also supports OS/2 high performance File System.

PartitionMagic can analyze your hard drive and suggest the best way to repartition your hard drive to get the most space. It will only repartition the free space on your hard drive, so it won’t damage the existing data. You then move your data into the repartitioned area, and repartition the newly freed space. We liked the program so much that when Dick made copies available to purchase right there, we did!

Those of you that made it to the April meeting heard a great explanation of how your File Allocation Table(FAT) works and how you can save quite a bit of wasted space. Dick Kellerman of PowerQuest showed off their product Partition Magic. They also have a new product, Drive Copy, that allows you to copy the boot sector, operating system, and everything else from one hard drive to another. This product is especially useful if you are moving to a new, larger hard drive. Doing this with DOS/Windows was not a big deal, just reload DOS and copy everything else over, but with Windows 95 the procedure is a lot more complicated.

I have accepted the resignation from Jeff Nelson, Director-at-Large. Jeff felt that at this time he did not have the time to properly serve the group. He commends the efforts of our current board as they continue to serve. A new Director-at-Large will be appointed at the next board meeting and announced here next month.

Our Board of Directors have approved the new position of WEB Master. Mark Meidel was appointed as the first person to fill this position. The only responsibility is to maintain our WEB page. Sounds easy, but have you looked at our WEB page that he is maintaining? Check it out, he is doing an outstanding job. The address is http://www.qtm.net/epcug/index.html. (Be sure to note that this is slightly different than the first address we had.)

I hope it is not premature to mention here, but we have begun to think about moving our meeting from Crown to a larger facility. Our numbers have increased in the last year, and I feel that to continue to grow we require more room. We are currently filling Crown’s meeting room and it gets very congested while people are moving about. I feel that people may not return to our meetings if we don’t have adequate room. At the last few meetings most seats have been filled. Most software companies have refused to send a representative to show their products unless we have 200+ people in attendance. Crown will not hold that many. We have talked about moving many times in the past, but have not felt we could afford such a move.

A couple of things have happened in the last six months that have made it possible to think of moving. First, our newsletter advertising has increased substantially. It is to the point that it is now paying for our printing and mailing costs completely. Second, we are now a nonprofit group which lowers mailing costs and makes donations to our group tax deductible.

One possible alternative would be the Quality Inn in downtown Elkhart. Their meeting room would allow us the space we need to grow and they would be able to guarantee us the fourth Thursday of the month as our meeting night. What we need now are your feelings on this matter. Contact any of the board members or myself. My e-mail and phone numbers are listed elsewhere in this edition as are the other officers. Let us hear from you.

See you at the next meeting...

Q. Here’s an interesting trick. Can anybody tell me if this works all the time or was it just a trick of Notepad’s. I opened a .txt file, cut half the contents, chose File/SaveAs, clicked on the actual original file in the window, changed the name (not in my save as line, but in the window listing of files) by single clicking on the filename for the original file and changing it, then clicked on Save, then closed the file I now had open ‘Its’ name is still the original one and it is missing half the material, but no “Do you want to save' box comes up and I now have the original file under a new name with the new file under the old name. If this works all the time it is a very handy feature for when you are making a new file out of the old one and want the new one to have the original name.

Q. How do I add a shortcut to the Start menu?

A. To add a shortcut to the Start menu: 1. Use the right mouse button to click the taskbar, and then click Properties on the menu that appears. 2. On the Start Menu Programs tab, click Add and follow the instructions.

Q. Sometimes when I right click on a file the 'open with...' choice is in the popup menu, sometimes it isn’t. Can I make this come up all the time for all files?

A. There is another way, but the fastest, easiest way is simply - Hold the shift key while you right click. It’s always there now!

Q. Can I restart Windows95 without restarting my whole computer like Ctrl/Alt/Delete does?

A. Yes, click on start... shutdown... click on restart computer. Now, hold down the shift key while you click on yes. This will only restart Windows 95, NOT the computer (warm boot). This is a lot faster than a normal reboot (warm or cold).

Q. I would like to make a backup copy of my Windows 95 diskettes, but they won’t fit on a regular disks.

A. There are utilities to help you do this. One (32-bit) 1.6 meg diskette utility is Copyqm. Be sure to set it for BIOS read sector, not hardware sector read. Another is copyq318.zip it will duplicate disks in one pass and reads the new DMF format. Also VGACOPY has a nice graphical interface and allows you to copy all kinds of formats, you can even diskcopy 1.2mb disks to 1.44mb - get these from any SimTel mirror in the /SimTel/msdos/diskutil directory (i.e. ftp.oak.oakland.edu).

Q. Is there a way to change the way Explorer opens? It always opens showing the C drive, then I have to close that folder and open the drive I really wanted.

A. You could create shortcuts to all your drives on your desktop. Create a new shortcut on the desktop, type the drive path in the command line window (i.e. E:\) and name it. Then you can double-click it to open a ‘My Computer’ window for the E drive, or right click on the icon, select Explorer from the popup, and the E drive will open.

Or the following is from the Windows Resource Kit available on the CD ROM refering to command line switches which you could add to your shortcut. You can use the command-line switches for Windows Explorer in shortcut links or batch files, for example, to run Windows Explorer with a specified file selected. Try adding this as the target for your Explorer shortcut(s) properties: C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /n,/e,/select,C:\

Or to make it open to a specific folder try this:

C:\WINDOWS\ EXPLORER.EXE /N, /E, C:\MYFOLDER (where C:\WINDOWS is your Windows directory and C:\MYFOLDER is the directory you want explorer to open to. Note: there is a space between .exe and /n

/n: Opens a new window in single-paned (My Computer) view for each item selected, even if the new window duplicates a window that is already open.

/e: Uses Windows Explorer view. Windows Explorer view is most similar to File Manager in Windows 3.x. Note that the default view is Open view.

/root,(object): Specifies the root level of the specified view. The default is to use the normal namespace root (the desktop). Whatever is specified is the root for the display.

/select,(subobject): Specifies the folder to receive the initial focus. If '/select' is used, the parent folder is opened and the specified object is selected.

To open a Windows Explorer view to explore only objects on \\(server name), use the following syntax:
explorer /e,/root,\\(server name)

To view the C:\WINDOWS folder and select CALC.EXE, use the following syntax:
explorer /select,c:\windows\calc.exe

Q. Why does the connection between my computer and the Elkhart library computer result in unintelligible characters when I use COMIT as my communications program? I’ve tried virtually all the 20-odd options the library offers for computer emulation and none will give me a readable response. However, using Windows Terminal works alright. My system includes a 28,800 modem, Windows 3.1, DOS 6.0, and a 486 co-processor.

A. Something to remember is that the software that comes with your modem is sometimes ‘modem specific’. This means that if down the road, you change your modem, but leave the software, it MAY not recognize that you have installed a new modem and try to use the old initialization string. (The Init string is the list of commands that make a modem work and they must be set specifically for each different brand and type of modem.) This may cause major problems with your modem, or may just cause it to act badly in certain situations, like connecting to specific systems or performing certain functions, and then work just fine otherwise. Sounds crazy, but true.

Q. In Win3.x there was a trick of shift/close Windows which saved my program manager settings just like I wanted them. Is there an equal trick in Win95? For example, I have a folder on my desktop containing my Internet related shortcuts (Netscape, Eudora, etc.) I want these icons to be large but sometimes when I open the folder they are and sometimes they are in ‘list’ format.

A. A supposed feature is to ctrl-close a window, and it will save the settings for sort by, tool bar, and view by, and will be used for any windows used after that.

But read on to see why this really doesn’t ‘last’. There are two solutions after the explanation:

Okay, this is going to take some explaining, so hold your breath... Windows 95 already contains the ability to 'save window settings'. This useful feature is *enabled* by default on all Windows 95 systems, and it can save all folder view settings such as size, position, icon layout, etc.

What TweakUI (a free program) does is to provide a way to turn this built-in feature *off*, preventing Windows 95 from saving any more settings. Now why the heck would you want to do this? Well, you see, Windows 95’s 'save window settings' feature has a serious (and very annoying) limitation: it can only window settings for the last 29 windows you have opened. Once you have 29 window settings saved, the minute you open another window, one of the old 29 settings is 'bumped off' to make room for the new window setting. With TweakUI, though, you can do a pretty cool trick. Here are step-by-step instructions.

1. Use TweakUI to turn ON 'save window settings'. 2. Open 29 of your favorite folder windows all at once. 3.Refresh' each open folder window using View -> Refresh or the F5 key. (This forces Windows 95 to save the setting for that folder immediately.) 4.Close all 29 folder windows. 5.Go back to TweakUI and turn OFF 'save window settings'.

From now on, the 29 folder settings you picked will be permanently saved, even if you open other folders later. Of course, any folders you open later will *not* have their settings saved! Of course, you see that once you have Deskey, it doesn’t matter either way. Deskey remembers *everything* you tell it to remember, and you don’t have to mess around with TweakUI’s 'save window settings' option anymore.

... There! That wasn’t too bad, now, was it? =) Author of this tip is J. Edward Sanchez of SoftArts author of 'Deskey'

Option 2 is to go into the Registry and make changes. NOTE: At no time is anyone recommending you make these changes. Especially if you are not well-knowledged in the workings of the Windows95 Registry. You absolutely should never make any changes to it without taking several precautions one of which is to backup the Registry and other essential files. To get an idea of what’s involved, check out the FAQ, ‘Saving Windows Settings’ at http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~orca/

The registry key is: Hkey_Current_User/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurretVersion/Policies/Explorer

In the right panel, there should be an entry: NoSaveSettings with a value of 00 00 00 00 Once you have your Windows set as described at the above web site, change the value of the above setting to 01 00 00 00 If you find it necessary to save an additional window later on, you will have to update the registry key to all zeros, save the setting and then reupdate the setting again. The normal cautions about Registry changes apply.

What this hack does is preclude any Window settings from saving and bumping off the settings from the list of 29 settings W95 can remember. This registry change is the same thing that Tweak UI, Explorer tab, Save Windows Settings does but with Tweak, it is much easier.

The May EPCUG meeting is going to be about digital photography. This was one of the more requested items of the suggestions made in the November newsletter. Gene’s Camera Store of South Bend and Goshen will be showing several digital cameras that they offer. They will include Minolta’s RD-175, Kodak’s DC50, and the Olympus D-300L cameras.

Using digital cameras means you do not use any film in the camera. You store the images in several resolutions and formats either in the camera or on PCMCIA memory cards. You then transfer the images into your computer where you can manipulate and change them. This is one of the best tools to do desktop publishing that includes photos.

The images are available faster than using a standard camera. Using a regular camera, you first take the picture and remove the roll of film. Then you take it to be developed. Even the fastest place will take one hour to be ready. You then bring the pictures to a color scanner. The scanner can cost from $250 for a lower resolution, up to $1,500 for a much higher resolution scanner. Next you scan the picture into the computer. Usually you will need to convert the image into an image format that your desktop publishing software can support. Even a high quality scanner at 600x600 resolution lowers the image quality greatly.

The digital camera can take an image and put it into the computer in just minutes. Some cameras will do 640x480 resolution at 16.7 million colors. Others can do 800x600 resolution at 32,000 colors for higher quality. You can print the images using advanced color printers that will give you near photo quality output.

Well, that’s great, but what about me? I don’t do desktop publishing, and I don’t take that many pictures. This is what several people told me when I asked them about digital cameras. I asked whether they had children or grandchildren? They all said yes. I asked if they had any pictures in the computer that they could send to other people they chat with on the Internet? All of them said no. I asked them why?

Everyone agreed that they don’t have a scanner, and it is a pain to have someone else do it for them. Two even said that they didn’t take pictures anymore because of the cost of development. Guess what, there isn’t any with a digital camera. You point, shoot, and download and it’s in your computer. You can then put them on your Personal Internet Home Page, send them in E-mail to your friends, or save them with your family history. In the future, persons doing genealogy information will thank you for the information and the images!

Using software you can store and catalog your photos. You can save them on your ZIP or JAZZ drive, or even have them saved on a CD-ROM. The images will be as clear in 10 years as the day you put them on the media. A ZIP drive can hold 100 MB on a cartridge or around 75 high quality images. A CD-ROM can hold more than 500 images. I figure that I personally have around 750 slides and around 600 photos in a box in the storage room. They are in several large boxes that I never open anymore because it is such a pain to get into and find anything.

This will be a working presentation showing several picture formats with different options. It should be a fun and entertaining time for everyone.

Look! In my computer (that’s ‘in the sky’, fella). It’s a virus (no, it’s a ‘bird’)! It’s a Trojan (pay attention, it’s a ‘plane’) No! It’s... It’s... Superman! (No, silly, it’s just a hoax.)

Again this month we are discussing viruses. Spurred by the AOL4Free scurries, my focus this month is on the difference between a virus, a trojan horse, and a hoax.

An email hoax, while not a virus, can cause damage. Follow the example. You get an email that says “Send this to everyone you can to warn them of....” If you only send it on to 20 friends and eachof them only send to 20 freinds, on the fourth pass (you were on atleast the first set of 20 sendings, unless you have a sick friend) you now have a minimum of 160,000 emails sent. The problem is that most people who believe these hoaxes send them on to more than 20 people and quite quickly, on the mere 7th sending you reach 1.28 billion emails! Think of the overloaded servers crashing and mailboxes clogging. Yes, even though you can not directly get a virus from simply opening and reading an email, a hoax can cause damage.

Let me repeat that - You cannot get a virus simply by opening and reading an email (you must execute an attachment to it).

You cannot get a virus from opening a web page (with Java and Active-X security breaches, your files can be messed with, looked at, or deleted, but not infected. Solution-Don’t use Internet Explorer until it’s FIXED, turn off Java (not Java-script) in Netscape.)

You cannot get a virus simply by downloading a file or an attachment. You have to do something with the file (i.e. open or run it).

Steps to avoid becoming infected: Install an anti-virus program! Run it regularly and have a clean boot disk that is write-protected! Virus scan ALL diskettes, downloads, and attachments. Never open/execute/run any file if you aren’t sure who/where it came from. Always prepare documents for sending/sharing to others in .ftf or .txt format to avoid macro viruses. Maintain regular and proper backup copies of your data. And remember, many viruses have been spread in shrink-wrapped commercial software, more than just shareware and downloads can cause you great grief!

Things to remember when you THINK you might have a virus: Most indications that people recieve turn out to be false alarms. Antivirus software can have bugs, or due to the very nature of the polymorphic viruses being so hard to detect, plain little things like lost clusters can set off an alarm to a dilegent anti-viral examination. Hardware and their ever changing drivers along with software changes make for a mix of conflicts that confuse even the best anti-virus package!

If you were at the April EPCUG meeting, you saw a slick presentation of the Partition Magic software. Well I may not be from Missouri, but you need to let me play with the software before I sing its praises. I had used a previous version of the software; it worked well but had a lot of limits.

I decided to try 3 different computers. The first drive was a new 2.1GB hard drive and it was nearly empty. The second drive was a 1GB hard drive that had 235MB of space free. The last was an 820MB hard drive that had 45MB of free space. The 2.1 GB hard drive was setup to run both DOS/ Windows and Windows 95 as a dual boot system.

The new system had a CD-ROM running Windows 95, so I loaded the Partition Magic software from the CD-ROM. I was able to resize the active partition to a 750MB partition. I then loaded the Boot Manager that took 1MB of Hard Drive Space. I then made a 650MB partition for DOS/ Windows. The rest I made into an extended drive and I made the whole thing a logical drive D: for data storage.

In all it took me less than 10 minutes to complete this changing partition operation that would have taken me one hour the “normal” way. I changed the active partition to the DOS/Windows partition. I booted the computer off of a floppy disk. I formatted the hard drive partition and loaded DOS on the partition. This took longer than changing the partitions! I then loaded the CD-ROM driver and rebooted the computer.

Here I had a small problem, I had forgotten to add the DOS/Windows to the Boot Manager and I changed the active partition to the DOS/Windows partition. The computer started OK but I was not asked what partition I wanted active. Oh well, I guess I should have read more of the manual. I went ahead and loaded Windows on the system with no problems. I was wondering how to solve the problem when I remembered that I was asked to make a DOS based copy of Partition Magic on a floppy disk.

I loaded the floppy and started Partition Magic. I was then able to add the DOS boot partition to the Boot Manager. I set the Boot Manager as the active partition. When the system was rebooted, I was asked what partition I wanted active, Windows 95 or DOS/Windows. I selected Windows 95 partition and that is the operating system started. I was impressed, it worked on the first try, even though I did not read the manual! I was then able to remove everything I just did and remove the software in 10 minutes.

Ok, the easy hard drive worked, but how about a harder hard drive to work on. This was the hard drive in my personal computer and I knew the shape it was in. It is always getting changed. I cleaned up the hard drive using ScanDisk and Defragmenter. I checked that my Windows 95 was working properly. I then backed up my system. I then renamed my CD-ROM to H: drive.

Next I loaded Partition Magic. Again I made the floppy disk copy of Partition Magic. Then using the included DriveMapper software, I changed the registry file so my other software looked to the correct place for the CD-ROM. I tested it to make sure that the CD-ROM was working before I went forward. So far so good.

I resized my partition to the 810MB or 10% larger than the data on the computer. I was then able to make a second extended partition and made a logical drive called D: drive. That went very well. Now, to move some software and data to the new logical drive.

I loaded the Uninstaller Mover software from the CD-ROM. I moved a total of five programs using the Uninstaller Mover. They all started properly. I then used Windows Explorer to drag and drop 3 data directories to the new D: drive. I had to change where several of my programs looked for the data files. This all took less than 15 minutes. I moved a total of 75 MB of data and programs to the new D: drive.

Then I changed my C: drive partition again to 800MB hard drive. This freed up 10 more Megabytes of space and I added to my D: drive. I noticed that my D: Drive was 230MB and my C: Drive was 800MB, this is a total of 1030 MB or 6MB more than the standard size. I then added up the total space I had used. I did not delete any data from my hard drive. I now had a total of 342MB of free space on my hard drive. This gave me 107MB of more hard drive space.

Well, it survived that test, but now came the last one. The 820MB hard drive which had only 45 MB of free space, had come from a customer. This system was running DOS/Windows as an operating system. I cleaned up the hard drive and deleted all the BAK files and all the TMP files. This gave me 52MB of free space. I did the same procedures as on the larger hard drive. It took me 4 passes to move the data and programs around so that I had two 410MB hard drives.

Again I did not delete any data from the 52MB I started with. When the job was completed, there was 155MB of free space left on the drive. I looked over the files and found that most of the files were from WordPerfect. The files were around 12KB in size.

I think I gave this software a good workout. The three systems I tested used most of the features of the Partition Magic software. Other than operator error I did not have any problems. In all, I spent less than 3 hours, including reading the manual, to do everything recounted in this article. This is less than you would expect to spend doing this the "normal" way.

I strongly recommend this software for anyone who has a hard drive that is larger than 820 MB in size. While you can use it on smaller drives, you get the most advantage when it is used on larger drives. Since many computers are sold with one hard drive that is pre-loaded with software, this is the best way to correct this problem.

The following items are now available for borrowing from the Elkhart PC Users Group’s Resource Center, thanks to the generous donation of ViaGrafix. You may borrow them at one meeting and must return them at the next meeting. Please try to do so at the beginning so that the next person can check it out before the meeting gets underway. When signing the card that you lists you as borrowing the item, please remember to print legibly and include your phone and address.

We hope to have additional items available soon from ViaGrafix. If you have something in particular you would like to request and are willing to write a review on it, you can be the first borrower. Stop by the Resource Center and check out the great listing that ViaGrafix has on CD- Rom and Video on a variety of subjects. Also note, that Users group members receive a 20% discount on any videos or CD’s. When ordering tell them you are from Elkhart PC Users Group and would like to use the special code: D-2401-6.

"CD-ROM Tutorial for Windows 95"

by Melba Hardesty, - Elkhart PC Users Group Member

As you may remember from my article last month, I am very new to computers. I just had the opportunity to enhance my computer learning by working with and reviewing a CD-ROM Tutorial for Windows sent to the Users Group. The title is "Learning Windows 95" Introduction, distributed by ViaGrafix. It was like a good movie that you enjoy and want to watch over and over until you have every detail implanted in your brain. I learned a lot from it. It was easy to understand, and it explained everything clearly and in detail. I wish I had one of my own.

I would recommend this CD to everyone who is trying to learn a computer, because it helped me understand what I was doing. The 20% discount makes the price excellent, and it is a very good thing to have around.

"Learning Windows 95" Video

Karen Hewitt, - Elkhart PC Users Group Member

This is a wonderful program. This was a very good program for a beginner, like myself. This program has helped me understand a lot more things, for example, the PaintBrush program that I did not even know about, this has opened several new things for me.

Since viewing this video I feel more at ease with my Computer. How can I say THANKS for this video, I am amazed at what I learned from it in the short time I have had it. It has been a very neat experience I will never forget.

"LEARNING THE WORLD WIDE WEB" Video

by John Charles, - Elkhart PC Users Group Member

The video program "LEARNING THE WORLD WIDE WEB" from ViaGrafix was handed to me to review a short time ago. The video is quite entertaining. It was interesting to follow along on my computer while the video was on the TV screen. . . . I did have a ‘time’ cranking my head between the TV screen and the computer monitor as in the room where my computer was . . . the TV screen is the same size!

The program starts ve-e-e-erry slowly and I found myself . . . 'urging them ON!' To be fair I realize that they must start at the beginning and walk you through from the ground floor. That way everything being covered is established with a good foundation. Once I began to follow along from their point of view, it was simple and straightforward. There are 'PAUSES' in the video where you are to grab your keyboard and mouse and . . . ‘START SURFING!’ It was interesting and ‘comfortable’ to work through the exercises on my computer that I had just seen on the TV screen. I found the combination of VIDEO and SOFTWARE that you use to mesh the program and the computer very effective.

If you are new to the WEB, or find yourself running into 'brick-walls' as you timidly progress, OR even if you are comfortable with the WEB . . . you can learn something from this video. It wasn’t that long ago that I, with great trepidation . . . began 'surfing.' I had many headaches, when the 'going-nowhere syndrome' took over and I began to question those so-called friends that said . . . "lets surf-the-web . . . It’s fun!" If I had used THIS VIDEO Program in the beginning, I would have been able to enjoy those first few hours and weeks, instead of gritting my teeth, and mumbling.

Well.... Jon did it again..!! Jon Slough with the help of a few elves, put on a fantastic demonstration...AGAIN !!

March’s program was a "BRING IT IN, AN WE’LL FIX IT... NIGHT". As usual Jon performed his magic show with all the bells and whistles that we are accustomed to, when he gets in front of a crowd. The whole evening was devoted to a lengthy Q & A period. The [usual] Q & A period was animated like never before. There was a relaxed atmosphere that settled over the crowd that evening, partly as we didn’t have to sit straight, nor be on our best behavior, as with a ‘GUEST’ from out-of-town. I have never seen the crowd so vigorous with questions leveled at the topic of the night. It was a delight to see the crowd be so interactive and lively, with the questions tossed out and the multiple answers tossed back. It was as if we were all ‘wired’. With the help of the video camera, we followed along as the hardware and software were melded into one smo-o-o-oth running transition.

Jon, along with our PREZ, and ably-assisted by our Newsletter editor, Eric, tackled the first ‘BRICK-WALL’, which was to roll Windows 3.1 [3.11 included], over with Windows 95. There were several ‘TRICKS OF THE TRADE’ that Jon presented so that we were not ‘painted-into-a- corner’. These tips came fast and furious, hardly having time to digest the rapid pace when another salvo of 'pearls' spewed forth from Jon’s mouth...! Other 'STUMP THE EXPERTS' hardware problems, were presented and swiftly delt with. The final ‘DILEMMA’ was a big headache as to how to roll over informaton from a small hard-drive to another one 5 times as big without losing any files from the Master drive onto the Slave and then revert the Slave to the Master, and the original hard-drive to the lowly positon of Slave....If this sounds a bit confusing and hard to follow...you shoulda been there...it was !! :)

Unfortunately, time flew and we all groaned when a bucket of cold water was thrown over everyone with the announcement came that we were, 'OUT-OF-TIME'.

There was a unanamously hardy vote, that the evening’s performance MUST be repeated... and soon..! Some little ‘bird’, told me that IF we are on our best behavior and support EPCUGs meetings throughout the summer, with more enthusiasm than in the past summer months when the attendance dwindles a bit due to the nice weather, and other excuses, we just might have a repeat of March’s program, sometime this fall..!!

For those of you that couldn’t make it, in March...’twas a meeting that will go down in the annals as ... 'one-of-the-best'.

St. Joseph County Public Library presents monthly programs introducing patrons to the basics of the Internet as well as highlighting specific useful techniques and applications. The programs are generally 90 minutes and include an introductory lecture and an online demonstration.

The Internet Connection Basic Introductory Class Second Monday every month 7:00 p.m.
May 12, 1997
June 9, 1997
July 14, 1997 - Family Fun on the Internet
September 8, 1997
October 13, 1997
November 10, 1997
December 8, 1997
Special Topics on the Internet Fourth Monday every month 7:00 p.m.
May 27, 1997 - Enhancing Your Summer Activities - Travel and Recreation Sites
June 23, 1997 - A Basic Introduction to HTML
August 25, 1997 - Back To School - Educational Resources on the WWW
September 22, 1997 - Internet Mailing Lists
October 27, 1997 - Advancing Along the Web

All dates, times and topics above are subject to change. For questions about the Internet classes, send e-mail to: m.stephens@gomail.sjcpl.lib.in.us

Main Library 304 South Main St. South Bend, IN Phone: 282-4625

*Broderbund support.* I said the Broderbund User Group special offer would run out the last of February but I had many readers either call or e-mail me telling me that they called in on the 800 number with no problem. They said the indication from the order taker was that the offer was still good. However, I know that most Vendors will still honor a special for a short time after the special expires. I’ve had no response from my message left to the Broderbund Users Group rep, I missed her call and can’t get her to call back. I’m glad you all had a good response when ordering. Some folks called in on their 800-548-1802, or 800-474-8696 numbers instead of using the form. If it worked for others, give it a try. Thay can only say no.

*Science for Kids offer still good.* $3 S&H for a regular program is such a good deal and is to expose you to their software and its features. I think May is the last month for this offer. Call them at 910-945-9000 and mention your Users Group to order one of the titles for just $3 S&H.

*Dr. Shueler’s* offer is good for a while so call them at 407-639-9985 to order.

*Book discounts.* Last month I featured the book "Crash Course in Windows 95" from Mike Murach & Associates at a great price. If you are a new user, you’ll like the book and the $5 price is certainly right. All Mike Murach books are always available to Users Group members at a 40% discount To order or for information, call them at 1-800-221-5528. You must be a User Group member so mention your User Group.

*Special offer on Lotus SmartSuite.* 'Lotus SmartSuite 97' is now available to User Group members for a limited time at $146.00. This offer expires May 31, 1997 and you must use the sku # 293186 to order. Call Lotus at 1-800-888-4830 to order. On the other hand, I received a catalogue from Tiger yesterday and saw SmartSuite for $129 after a $20 rebate. The Tiger number is 1-800-888-4437 to order.

*ForeFront* is offering four programs : WebSeeker 2.2, Windows 95/NT, $49.95; WebWhacker 2.0, Windows 95/NT/Mac, $49.95; WebPrinter 2.0, Windows 3.1/95, $24.95; and ClickBook2.0, Windows 95/Mac, $49.95. This software should be available at most major retailers. There is a problem; I have no way to distribute this rebate sheet to you so see if your User Group still has it in a mailing they received from 'User Group Connection' (where I got it) to copy. You might also visit their web site at http://www.ffg.com/usergroup/html for more info. You can also order the product online or fax/mail your order with the form. The rebate form gives a $10 rebate, except for Web-Printer with a $5 rebate. This offer expires April 30, 1997 so be fast. S&H is $7.50 for one product, less for more pieces. There is also a phone number, 1-800-475-5831. Use the code UGM. They take plastic.

*3d Choreographer* Get 50% (you read right, 50%) off the following retail prices. $149 MSRP for 3d Choreographer Full Version 2.7. $349 MSRP for 3d Choreographer 'Deluxe' version 2.7. 3d Dojo, $149 MSRP. Optional Dojo troupe, $49 MSRP. Add the Dojo actors to 3d Choreographer regular or deluxe versions. Again, just 50% of the MSRP prices + $10 S&H. Call them at 1-800-949-4559, mention me and he was very specific about mentioning your Users Group. Offer good for May and June.

*That should do it for May. I hope I found something you like. I like feedback so I can be contacted at 407-273-7499, my fax # is 407-382-2781. My E-mail is RobertC204@aol.com. Can’t remember that E-mail address, try dealsguy@aol.com.

*"Science for Kids" Due to your interest, I checked with Charlie Moyer about more titles that are available in the selection for a mere $3 S&H charge (you’re only allowed one $3 order). Doesn’t that price makes you feel like 'Jesse James' without a gun! Just another advantage of belonging to a UG.

Also available are: *Little Red Hen* (Ages 2-6) *Make my Music* (Ages 2-6) *My Neighborhood* (Ages 4-6) *Me* (Ages 3-5) *My Card Shop* (Ages 2-5) CELL"egration" (Grades K-3); Forces & Motion (Grades 3-5); Simple Machines (Grades 4-7); Adventures with OSLO Tools & Gadgets (Ages 5-14); Adventures with OSLO World of Water (Ages 4-12); and Playground PAK 1 (Ages 3-15); PAK II (Ages 5-14); and PAK III (Ages 2-6). All are IBM Compatible PC and 486 and multimedia. Mac platform also supported. Send $3 with your title request to Science for Kids, P.O. Box 519, Lewisville, NC, 27023. The offer is extended through April. If you want more information, call them at 1-910-945-9000, or e-mail them at Sci4Kids@AOL

*Dr. Shueler’s* On a member’s tip, I found they have a better offer now, here’s the deal; you pay $39.95 + $4 S&H. FL residents pay $39.95 + tax and get free shipping. The upgrade to Pro ver. 5.0 is $29.95. Another software, 'Corner Drug Store' is $29.95. Home Medical Advisor runs in Windows 3.1, 95 or NT. Their new phone is 1-407-639-9985.

*Mike Murach & Associates* have introduced "A Crash Course in Windows 95" to get you off the ground in your endeavors to become comfortable using Windows 95. Talk about a deal ... User Group members can buy it for just $5 (50% off the cover price) by calling 1-800-221-5528, or fax them at 1-209-275-9035 and be sure to mention your Users Group’s name.

*Buy one copy of Word Pro at $75 and get a $20 rebate. Not only that, you receive a coupon good for another Word Pro absolutely FREE. How about that - two copies of Lotus Word Pro for just $55 + $5 shipping. When I published this offer the last time, I suggested you give the second copy to your UG to raffle off. The rules now say no to that. Nor can you sell it. The second copy can only be used on a second computer or maybe another family member in the household, or given to a school with proper documentation. However, if you have a second computer, it’s a great deal. Call Lotus at 1-800-545-6116 to order. Right now, there is no expiration date.

*Internet & Intranet DESIGN SHOP* allows you to create your Web site with professionally designed templates. Call Boomerang Software at 1-617-489-3000 to order. Your price is just $39.95 including shipping. Available for Windows3.1, Windows 95/NT 4.0 Visit their Web site at http://www.mosaiccom.com
for more information.

*Aloha* Adds animation & sound to E-mail. Also to Invitations, Birthday cards, Holiday Greetings, Announcements, Logos, Customer Notes, Office Memos etc. that you E-mail to friends and business associates. Anyone can receive and playback your greetings, no Aloha required. Perfect addition to E-mail packages such as Netscape, Eudora, Microsoft Exchange and more. To create E-mail, you need Windows 95, but to receive your E-mail, recipients can have Windows 3x, Windows 95 or Windows NT. Sells for $49, but you can buy it for $35 + $7 S&H by calling Media Synergy at 1-416-369-1100 and tell them you want the User Group special price.

*Broderbund Software* - Print Shop Ensemble III, Win 95, Cd - $25; Family Tree Maker 3.0, Win, 3.5 disk - $25; Family Tree Maker Deluxe II, Win 95 & 3.1, CD - $40; Myst, Win 95 & 3.1, CD - $25; 3D Home Architect Edition 2, Win 95 & 3.1, CD or Win 3.5 disk - $25; Stellaluna by Living Books, Win 95 & 3.1, CD - $20; Free Enterprise by Tsunami Media, Win 95, CD only - $20; Where in the World is Carman Sandiego? Win 95 & 3.1, CD - $20; Green Eggs and Ham by Living Books, Win 95 & 3.1, CD - $20; Real Audio Player Plus by Progressive Networks, Win 95 & 3.1, CD - $20; Live Pix by Live Picture, Win 95, CD only - $25; Williams-Sonoma Guide to Good Cooking, Win 95, CD only - $20; Logical Journey of the Zoombinia, Win 95 & 3.1, CD - $20; and Darby the Dragon, Win 95 & 3.1, CD - $15. UPS ground shipping is $4.00. The Code is # 292 and I find no phone number to call and order. I have a form which I assume you don’t have, but perhaps you can order by faxing your order with your credit card number and expiration date to (fax) 1-415-382-4419.

*AP Professional -*Solving the Year 2000 Problem* gives a brief yet thorough explanation of what the year 2000 problem is, how it came about, and why you need to begin addressing the problem today. PC User Group members special price -$22.95 until July 31, 1997 - that’s $5.00 off the list price. When you order, quote "DM40108" to receive the special User Group price. To order: Call: 800-3131-APP Fax: 800-874-6418 e-mail: app@acad.com or: http://www.apnet.com/approfessional

*Microvision Development* - Get WebExpress - for Win 3.1 and Win 95/NT - for only $50 plus S&H! That’s a $20 savings off the regular price. To order call: 1-800-998-4555 or 1-760-438-7781 Web site: http://www.mvd.com/ugc Offer expires June 1, 1997

*VERTIGO* - Vertigo 3D Dizzy and and Vertigo 3D Words to members at a special of $49 each (srp $119, street $90). Or both for only $89. A 60% savings! http://www.vertigo3d.com

*BRODERBUND - *Deluxe Edition II* When purchased separately, you would pay $120.00 for these four CDs. But you get the complete Family Tree Maker Deluxe Edition II for only $89.99! To order call 800-387-2158 and mention offer code 599.

*CE SOFTWARE*- Get QuickMail Pro, for only $29.95, and WebArranger, for $19.95! To order, call 800-523-7638. For more product information you can visit their web site at http://www.cesoft.com. Offer expires June 31,1997. Phone: 800-523-7638.

*MASQUE PUBLISHING* - World Series of Poker Deluxe Casino Pak — Special Offer only $24.99! To order contact Masque Publishing at

800-765-4223 or e-mail to mikemerson@aol.com. You can also visit their web site at http://www.masque.com.

The Elkhart PC Users Group would like to extend their condolences to the family of Gordon Engstrom, member and former officer. In addition to the many facts stated below in the reprints from the Goshen News, the group would like to recognize the outstanding qualities Gordon demonstrated as both a member and an officer.

As many of you remember, Gordon was one of the Director-at-Large officers last year, he was very active on the board and its decision making processes. He has always seemed to be one to watch out for issues that affected PC users. In the past, Gordon has brought to light at our meetings issues such as watching out for possible telephone order fraud involving shareware subscriptions. Last month he gave us the phone number to call your representative to vote no on SB 426, a bill on charging your phone line as measured service.

You could always count on Gordon to help you find an answer. As you can tell from reading the reprints, no matter what aspect of his life you’re discussing, he was always there when needed and ready to help when asked.

SOMERSET, Ind. - Goshen resident and former city building commissioner Gordon Engstrom, 70, 1809 April Lane, was killed in a car accident at Ind. 13 and C.R. 950 South near Somerset at 2:07 p.m. Thursday.

According to Wabash County Sheriff’s Department officials, Engstrom was driving a Plymouth Sundance north on Ind. 13 when his car, for some unknown reason, swerved left of center.

The Sundance struck a Pontiac driven by Malcolm J. Macrae, 58, of Indianapolis, head on. The Pontiac was southbound on Ind. 13.

Engstrom was the only passenger in his car and was taken to Marion General Hospital for injuries he suffered in the crash.According to police, Engstrom died shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Engstrom was appointed by former Goshen Mayor Mike Puro and began serving in 1988. He was building commissioner until late 1993, when he resigned. Engstrom was replaced by Mike Leasor.

Services for Gordon Engstrom, 70, 1809 April Lane, who died Thursday as a result of an automobile accident near Somerset, will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Rieth-Rohrer-Ehret Funeral Home. The Rev. Christopher Looker of First Presbyterian Church of Goshen will officiate. Friends may call Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home.

Grant County Coroner Jack Bradey said Engstrom died from multiple blunt trauma. He said there was no sign of an illness that may have caused the accident.

Bradey also said Engstrom was pronounced dead at 4:20 p.m. Thursday in Marion Hospital.

Gordon was building commissioner for Goshen from 1988 to 1994. Former mayor Mike Puro, who appointed Engstrom, was shocked to learn of his death Friday afternoon.

"It is always a difficult job for any building commissioner because (he) is in the position of being a regulator," Puro said. "He took the job extremely seriously. It is a tremendous amount of work to learn the various codes."

Puro noted that Engstrom went from having to learn the codes and regulations to teaching others six years later.

"He felt his job was about safety, due to the problems that could arise from building construction," Puro continued.

Engstrom was born March 29, 1927, in Gary, to Thor and Gertrude (Maderia) Engstrom. A World War II Navy veteran, he was also a Purdue University graduate with a degree in industrial engineering. He was owner and operator of Engstrom Plumbing and Heating in Warsaw and Goshen and Midwest Home Analysis in Goshen.

A member of First Presbyterian Church in Goshen, he was on the Habitat for Humanity board for six years and was presently serving as an advisor for the organization. He had served as president for Goshen Chapter 2331 of American Association of Retired Persons, was a member of Elkhart PC Users Group and of Genealogy Group of Elkhart.

Surviving are two sons, Gregory of Valparaiso and Aldon of Elkhart, and two grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Thor.

Memorials may be directed to Habitat for Humanity.

Articles reprinted by Permission. Copy-right 1997, The Goshen News. All rights reserved. This material may not be pub-lished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Family of Gordon Engstrom Thanks you for your kind expression of sympathy.

Your flower arrangement was beautiful and deeply appreciated. How much Gordon looked forward to P.C. Users meetings and the challenges your group gave him to learn maore and more about computers. Your friendships meant so much to him.