Jon Slough has arranged to bring in Greg Crouch and Michael Stephens from First Internet of Mishawaka. They will be giving us a guided tour of the Internet and a comparison presentation of Microsoft Internet Explorer against the ever nebulous Netscape Communicator. Some may question that we did that last year, but if you use only one or the other of the browsers you may be very surprised at what the competition has slipped into their latest version that you don't have!

And a tour of the Internet? That changes so rapidly, I could use one every month, let alone hear about the updates and changes only once a year. This is definitely a topic I'm going to enjoy. See you there!

EPCUG and I wish to thank Jeff Nichols from Intelliquis for coming from Utah and giving us an excellent presentation about Year 2000 (Y2K) problems. Jeff went over many of the problems that Y2K causes computers. Intelliquis has been working with local, state, federal, and international leaders about how to prevent as many Y2K problems as possible. Jeff is working with Senator Bennett and his Y2K committee, and he gave us warnings about the power grid in the US in the millennium rollover. From this perspective Jeff was able to give us many real world examples.

Jeff shared the five levels that a computer system must meet in order to be Y2K compliant. The levels are 1st the hardware, 2nd the operating system, 3rd the applications, 4th custom programming, and 5th the data. The order is important because you need to build from the bottom to the top. If the data is compliant but the operating system is not, the system will still fail.

Jeff also shared that in the US we do not have any standards for Y2K for either hardware or software remediation. For that reason, Intelliquis is written to the British Y2K standard that is now accepted as the international standard. Intelliquis is one of only two companies in the world that have a hardware solution that is fully Y2K compliant to this British standard. All the other packages do some Y2K remediation, but to what level they do so is in question.

Intelliquis offers several types of solutions on the hardware side that Jeff reviewed. Using a single 3-1/2 floppy disk you are able to boot your computer and check your computer's BIOS and CMOS. If there is a problem, there is a BIOS fix software patch included with instructions on how to use it. The street price is around $50 for Fix 2000 Pro. This is the software solution: it is possible to be deleted or erased and this can cause the computer to fail in the future. This is not a good solution for many businesses, schools, and other places where many people use a single computer.

There is also an $80 hardware solution from Intelliquis. This is an ISA board that plugs into a slot in the computer. You boot from a single 3- 1/2 floppy disk that checks the computer system and then tells you how to set the jumpers on the board. You then install the card into the computer. The card "replaces" the BIOS in the system to one that is Y2K compliant. How well do they work? Well, the government of Nigeria just purchased 600,000 of them to repair their PC's. Colleges, schools, government offices, and large businesses are now using this hardware solution.

Intelliquis also scans and corrects many software problems for both the operating system and applications. The second half of Fix 2000 Pro, when installed on the computer's hard drive, scans the software installed on the computer. It will either put a marker to point to an undated patch to correct a problem, or suggest a way to fix the problem. An example is Windows 95. Fix 2000 Pro will tell you that you need to download from Microsoft the Y2K patches. After you install the patch and run Fix 2000 Pro again, it will see that you have fixed the software and not give you the same message again. You can run Fix 2000 Pro to check all your software as many times as you want, but you do need a copy per computer as listed in the license agreement.

Whenever you add new software to your computer, you run Fix 2000 Pro, just like you would an anti-virus program. This will check your software and see if you need any corrections or patches. Intelliquis does not alter any code; it puts a pointer to a new line to run a different instruction instead that is Y2K compliant. If you remove Fix 2000 Pro from the hard drive or use the Undo command, you remove the fixes and go back to the software as it was written by the manufacturer.

There are two points to clarify from the meeting. First is that Jeff suggested that you take a copy of the hardware checking software with you when you wish to purchase a new computer. Several people were concerned that if they test the computer on display, the computer from the box they receive may not be Y2K compliant when they get it home. This comes from Jeff's discussion about recycled BIOS chips. It is best to check the computer that you wish to purchase at the store before you buy. If the store will not allow you to test it there, then make sure that you have it in writing that you can return the computer if it does not pass the hardware tests at home. Explain to the manager that if the computer cannot be fixed with a BIOS FIX then you want to return it for a full refund, or a computer that will pass the test.

The second point is that the BIOS upgrade patch can only be installed once. You can use the software to check as many different computers as you want, but once you install the BIOS upgrade, you need another copy to reinstall it. There are people, like Cindy and Sherry, that reformat their hard drive every six months. Jeff is taking our concerns back to the home office. Jeff said that Intelliquis sends new disks, upon request, to any registered user. Intelliquis is reviewing how best to change this, and he will let me know so I can let you know as soon as possible how it is resolved.

The Internet address for the Intelliquis site is http://www.intelliquis.com

This is the last issue you will receive in this format. Next month, barring the creek rising and the dam breaking, you will be holding the newsletter in its new tabloid size format! We are very excited, and look forward to and dread the changes, both at the same time.

On the good side, we will be using a higher quality of printing which will allow us to explore newspaper-level photo and printing capabilities. We will have more room and therefore be able to give you more content while still allowing sufficient room for the community businesses to reach you with their specials and information. We will also, hopefully, stop losing money in the printing and postage costs of the newsletter since this method is better but less expensive because of several factors.

On the not so good side, we will need more articles and have already had very little support from the audience in this area. It's like, everybody enjoys reading it (some tell us from cover-to-cover even) but no one wants to help make sure there are good articles in it to read. It seems very few understand that a newsletter this size is more than just two people can handle. There should be several rotating authors involved, and several article scouts (they find quality stuff to reprint), and a specific person just for editing copy (making sure there are no typos, misspellings, etc.). If we had these Eric could concentrate strictly on the layout and making the newsletter look good and I would only have to fill in the gaps and holes each month.

But, we will see how things go. I'm hoping to get some extra volunteers soon, and any way you look at it, I just enjoy helping Eric publish this newsletter, so will probably just keep at it no matter what.

Please let us know what you think of the new format after next month, and let us know if you see things that need improved or changed. Most especially, be sure to get a hold of us if you have ideas to share or would just like to help in some way. If several people work on a large job, everybody only has to do some. If only a few people work on a large job, each must do a lot. Please find a way to help, if not with the newsletter, then with something else in EPCUG. Remember this is OUR own PC Users Group, if we don't do the work, other groups are NOT going to come over and do it for us. We will just cease to be!

Our annual elections will be held in October, with nominations which began in August. Try to be considering whether you would like to fill one of the positions on the Board of Directors, or whether you know of someone that would be a good person to nominate. Talk with your fellow members and see if anyone is interested in helping out. Everybody has experienced burn-out if they have ever been involved in a volunteer organization. Please don't let this happen to the officers you currently have. They are doing a great job, but some of them might like to take a year or two off. Consider being an assistant to any position which might be able to take advantage of one, even if you only helped them by being available to call on in a crunch. One of the reasons that many groups die out is because of the lack of participation by the people that want to benefit but not work. Don't let that happen to your Users Group! Volunteer to do what you can. Ask we will let you know if you don't know what is needed. Help Out!

The following position descriptions are excerpted straight from the Bylaws of the Elkhart PC Users Group. Read them through and give them some thought.

Section 2: President - The President shall preside at both the general meetings and the Board of Directors meetings. The President shall be a signing officer for official EPCUG documents, and shall have duties as specified in Robert's Rules of Order. The President shall also have responsibility for arranging meeting locations and schedules for the Board of Directors meetings.

Section 3: Vice-President - The Vice-President shall act on behalf of the President, in the event the President is unavailable, and shall replace the President, in the event the President is unable to complete the term of office. The Vice-President shall be responsible for arranging meeting locations and dates for the general membership meetings. The Vice-President shall also organize an election committee, to nominate a slate of new candidates for the following year and to run the election.

Section 4: Secretary - The Secretary shall maintain proper records and minutes of the Board of Directors meetings, as well as the records of EPCUG, in general. The Secretary shall have the authority to act as President in the event the President and the Vice-President are unavailable. He/she shall submit a summary of the proceedings of the Board to the Newsletter Editor, on a quarterly basis. All official EPCUG records shall be delivered to the new Secretary, immediately following any transition.

Section 5: Treasurer - The Board of Directors shall appoint a Treasurer, who shall receive and disburse all monies into an account in the name of EPCUG. The Treasurer will also be required to maintain standard accounting books and records, furnish quarterly and annually reports to the Board of Directors and prepare other reports and forms as needed. In the event the office of Treasurer changes persons, the Treasurer shall surrender all records for audit by the successor, together with any and all funds under the Treasurer's control. All disbursements made by the Treasurer, unless authorized by special resolution of the Board of Directors, shall be supported by vouchers and/or cancelled checks or receipts. All non-recurring expenditures shall require prior board approval. Signing privileges for checks shall be determined by the Board of Directors. In addition, the Treasurer shall serve as financial officer. The office of the Treasurer, even though an appointed position, is a voting officer on the Board of Directors.

Section 6: Program Director - The Program Director shall arrange and schedule appropriate programs for the general membership meetings, with input from the membership and the Board of Directors. Other responsibilities include follow-up with the speaker before the meeting, greeting the speaker and taking the speaker to dinner before the meeting if time is available. The Program Director shall submit a newsletter article each month, announcing the speaker and topic for the following general meeting.

Section 7: SIG Director - The Special Interest Group (SIG) Director shall provide a liaison between the SIG Leader(s) and the Board of Directors. As necessary, the SIG Director shall help arrange meeting locations, publicize meetings and topics and request appropriate funding. In some cases, he/she may help to organize a new SIG, recruit a SIG leader or help with topics.

Section 8: Membership Director - The Membership Director shall be responsible for maintaining a computerized and up-to-date list of all EPCUG members. One or more copies of this list shall be available at the sign-in table at the general meeting. The Membership Director shall be responsible for managing the sign-in table, along with counting the money collected and delivering it to the Treasurer with a signed receipt. In the event that he cannot attend a particular meeting, the Membership Director shall make arrangements with another member of the Board of Directors to work the sign-in table. Additional duties include printing mailing labels for the newsletter, organizing the preparation of the newsletter and taking it to the Post Office for distribution.

Section 9: Directors-at-Large - The Directors-at-Large shall attend meetings of the Board of Directors. They shall also attend the general membership meetings, gather feedback from the members, and work to represent the interests of the membership.

Section 10: Advertising and Public Relations - The Board of Directors shall annually appoint an Advertising and PR Director, who shall be responsible for selling advertising and promoting sponsorships, and for delivering pertinent ad copy and names to the Newsletter Editor. The Treasurer shall also be notified of amounts to be billed for advertising sold. The Advertising and PR Director shall also develop ideas for and help implement Public Relations ideas, such as special projects, advertising EPCUG meetings through BBS systems and flyers, etc. This position shall hold a non-voting seat on the Board of Directors.

Section 11: Head Librarian - The Board of Directors shall annually approve the appointment of a Head Librarian. The duties of the Head Librarian shall be related to the acquisition and distribution of public domain, shareware, and/or other software products in compliance with the copyright laws. Other materials, such as videotapes, books and literature may also be maintained in the EPCUG library. The Head Librarian shall make copies of library resources available to the general membership, and shall establish an efficient operating procedure. The Head Librarian shall be a non-voting member of the Board of Directors.

Section 12: Newsletter Editor - The Board of Directors shall annually approve the appointment of a Newsletter Editor, whose duties shall include publication of a monthly newsletter, to be circulated to all members in good standing. The Newsletter Editor may appoint one or more staff members to assist with the newsletter publication. The Editor shall be responsible for operating within the budget approved by the Board of Directors, and shall be a non-voting member of the Board.

Download.com
50 Fabulous Freebies! http://www.download.com/PC/EdFeature/CurrentFeature/0,15,0-1024-1,00.html?ad.linkexchange.0.fabfree

The Aviation Shopping Network
Aviation's High-Tech Superstore - Software, videos, art, lessons, books, etc. http://www.avshop.net/

Reviews of Astrology Software
If you are interested in astrology software, this person has done a fairly complex testing of a large number of these type programs that can be downloaded from the internet. Stop by and see what the rating criterias were and how your favorite astrology program faired. http://home2.swipnet.se/~w-29498/Astrologi/program/ENG_index.htm

Nascar
www.nascar.com Up-to-date point standings, daily news stories and events, connections to all the drivers statistics and the tracks they run on.

During races, find the link in the RACE CAST section for "NASCAR Timing and Scoring Presented By MCI" You will go to a page that lists all the drivers, and your screen auto refreshes every minute with the current standings that show:

A Business Guide to the Year 2000
http://www.support2000.com Business and gov't users should start here. Better than SBA's site.

MITRE/DOD Year 2000 Homepage http://www.mitre.org/research/y2k Excellent for tools, vendors, certification. Better than ITAA's site.

America's Job Bank-IT and Year 2000
http://it.jobsearch.org Federal gov't y2k job bank useful for employers and job seekers.

The Year 2000 Information Center
http://www.year2000.com Guru Peter de Jager's site. Daily press clippings, tools, conferences.

Dr. Ed Yourdon's Homepage (programmer)
http://www.yourdon.com Free y2k Powerpoint presentation, netbook, EXCELLENT links.

Westergaard Year 2000
http://www.y2ktimebomb.com Great columnists, government news and commentary.

President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion
http://www.y2k.gov See what federal agencies are doing/not doing. Links.

State y2k Info
http://www.y2k.gov/java/abouty2k6.html Nice USA map-click on your state to connect to your state's homepage.

Public Technology, Inc.
http://pti.nw.dc.us Check this site to see what cities/counties should do about y2k.

Y2K: Are We Ready?
http://www.freedom.gov/y2k GOP House y2k site. See what House and Senate committees are doing.

assandra Project (Paloma O'Riley's site)
http://millennia-bcs.com Site for y2k community preparation. Y2K user group links,articles.

Dr. Gary North's Y2K Links and Forums
http://www.remnant.org/y2k North (historian) has categorized news, pessimistic, good for research.

Dr. Ed Yardeni (economist)
http://www.yardeni.com/y2kreporter.html Y2K netbook, newsletter, economic slant.

In the last month Jocelyne and I have received a large number of messages that we are asked to send to all of our friends, send to ten people we love, send to fifteen people so we can all get rich. The messages are as follows:

Microsoft and Bill Gates will give away $1000 and a copy of Windows 98 to each person who gets this message and sends it to ten friends. Between work and home we only got this message 83 times. Did anyone notice the block of "random" letters at the bottom of the message? I did and decoded it using uudecode.

After five tries I found that it was a virus aimed at AOL. How do I know? Because when the message was decoded it said that this had a virus aimed at AOL because only AOL runs uudecode every time it opens a message. After anywhere from 3-10 times the message is opened, it gives the AOL software a virus that will prevent the browser from connecting. It was funny that three of the people who sent me this message who are using AOL, called me within a week to say that their AOL was not working and would I come help them fix it.

The second was a message about a free Budweiser Frogs screen saver that said if you download the screen saver it will destroy your computer's hard drive. I only got this message 34 times. I went out searching for the web site where the frogs were to be hanging out. Even though the web address was given in the message, you cannot connect because there is no such web site and no record of the ISP where it was to be hosted.

The last message was that Disneyland was giving out either1500 dollars, 3000 dollars, or 7000 dollars to the first group of 1500 names returned by Email. The dollar amounts varied in the messages. One of the 19 people who sent this message to me only sent it to 66 people by herself.

Ok, let's think about this in three ways. First, if a person who starts the message sent it to 300 people and if 33% of the people receiving the message sent it to only 10 people and so on, the math progression looks like this:

1st round 300 2nd round 990 3rd round 3,267 4th round 10,781 5th round 35,577 6th round 117,406 7th round 387,440 8th round 1,278,553 9th round 4,219,225 10th round 13,923,445 Total No. 19,976,984

Second, if Microsoft were really giving away $1000 and a copy of Windows 98 to 1000 people, the cost would only be $1,095,000 to "test" an Email tracking program. For Disney to give $1500 and a 3-day trip to Disneyland for four people with hotel and airfare to the first list of 1500 people, the cost is around $4,125,000 for this offer.

Third, all of the messages cited a well known newspaper, TV program, or magazine that said it was true. Well, I check all the references, I even called Disneyland, and not one of them was true. The Disney people got very rude when I called to ask about this offer. Microsoft asked me to send them a copy of the message so they could start tracking where it came from.

Spammers and other unscrupulous people are looking for valid Email addresses. The stories include the child in England dying of cancer who wanted to get into the Guinness Book of World Records, the lady looking for her lost son and she was told by her psychic that if she got 1,000,000 to look for the lost child, it would be returned. They also will try any other story that pulls at your heartstrings. When a spammer gets back a copy of the message they sent out, they get a list of active Email addresses.

This article is to let you know that email on the Internet is just like everything else. Believe about ¬ of what you read when it is from your friends. Believe less if you don't know where the message started. Remember that if an offer sounds like it is too good to be true, it is.

(Copy Editor's Note: My sincere apologies to Gloria and those who regularly read her articles. I manage to miss putting her's in last month. I ask for authors to write, and then forget to put them in! Geesh, well, that's my mistake for the year, now the remainder must be perfect, right? Again, my apologies. Sherry)

Mailing lists was the subject of our August 8th meeting. The difference between mailing lists and surname lists (our subject at July's meeting) is surname lists uses information as a one line entry and a mailing list is an entire paragraph of information. Both are easy to subscribe to and use.

Write your query first. We used the "6 Steps to Writing a Successful Genealogy Query" found at http://www.firstct.com/fv/query.html as a guide to writing our queries. Look it up and design one on your own. Once you have one written, your paragraph will guide you to the mailing lists you may want to post your new query to. What information are you missing and what information are you looking for? What city, county, State did his(her) marriage, death, birth occur at a specific time. Look for query sites that will help you gain more information about that ancestor.

Two very good places to check for mailing lists include
http://www.rootsweb.com/~maillist/
(rootsweb's listing of mailing lists and descriptions)

and Cyndi Howell's lists at
http://www.cyndislist.com/mailnews.htm.

Before you subscribe to a mailing list, you have to decide the mode you would like your responses to come back in. MAIL mode is where every post is sent as a separate e-mail, often listed as listname-M. DIGEST mode is where up to 20 posts is sent as one e-mail, often listed as listname-D. INDEX mode is where a list with only Subject and From lines are sent daily as one e-mail, often named listname-I. Depending on the mail list you subscribe to you may only have one of the above options to choose from but most will use a combination of all three, often named listname-L. Subscribe by clicking on the list name and type "subscribe" (without quotes) in both the subject line and body of the e-mail and send. You will get an e-mail back with information on how to unsubscribe and any rules that should be followed. Set up a new folder called subscriptions to keep all such information in. (If you subscribe to several mailing lists you will need to keep this information for each one to unsubscribe.)

Don't forget to keep a copy of the query in your e-mail directory (and resend it once a month in case a new subscriber hasn't seen your previously sent query - they may have your missing link and you don't want them to miss it). A quick tip -use your e-mail software to set up a new folder called genealogy and sub-folders under it with the different surnames you are researching. Put all queries and query responses under the various surname folders. Keep a sample descendant chart along with a brief description of what you are researching in this folder for quick responses to your queries. Just copy and paste this draft into an outgoing e-mail message and send it on its way. Quick and easy. If you get a response back you may have information to share, if not you didn't waste more than 2 minutes responding to that person and go on to the next query. This will help keep the volume of e-mail messages in the inbox to a minimum.

Now if all this sounds confusing, subscribe to a mailing list that looks promising and just observe it for about a week. If its not what you thought the mailing list would be like, unsubscribe (just like subscribe) and try another list. Remember, surname lists went to only one place. With mailing lists your query will go to EVERYONE who has subscribed to the mailing list. So keep it short, simple, direct, and wait to give more information when you receive a response to your query. Good Hunting.

We will not have a September meeting as the second Saturday falls within the holiday week. Our October meeting is scheduled for the 10th and we will be going to the Allen County Public Library. Elkhart folks meet at the courthouse parking lot across from the Elkhart Library at 7am. South Bend folks meet at the Meijer parking lot on US 331 South at 7am. We will car pool to Ft. Wayne. Bring money for food and the copy machines. If you didn't have a chance to go last time try to make it this time. We will get back about 9pm. Its exhausting but fun.

"I'll be going to Orlando Florida on the 4th of October," the reader wrote. "Who, and what are the cheapest airline fares possible?"

The above letter is real; only the spelling and punctuation have been changed to protect the writer.

My question to you, dear readers, is, Does this letter (and the many similar ones I regularly receive) warrant a detailed response?

My initial response to this is simple: no. Readers who write letters like this miss the entire point of reading what I have been writing for more than three years now. Simply, this column is all about finding cool stuff on the Internet.

While I enjoy getting e-mail from folks who are not spammers, I think that asking me to find something online misses the entire point. This column is a catalyst for you to find cool stuff on the Internet.

Columns about airlines and travel always generate the most mail. The folks who reply to those columns tend to fall into one of three different categories:

1. Those who want to provide me with information on changes to an airline's Web site or Web address,

2. Those who are upset that I didn't mention their favorite airline's Web site, and

3. Those who want me to look something up for them.

I'm thankful for the first category, amused by the second category and befuddled by the third category.

After all, if a reader wants someone to look up cheap airfares, why not call a travel agent and have it done by a professional, rather than by a fat, bald computer geek/columnist who may or may not know what he is doing?

Remember the old saying, "Those the can, do. Those that cannot, teach." I can only add, "Those who think they can, but cannot, write about it."

After all, if I undertook looking up cheap airfares to Orlando in October, I'd simply point my browser to www.travelocity.com (a link that I have provided several times in the past) and begin searching for airfares. Of course, since I don't know if the writer is departing from Phoenix or Portland, or even somewhere else, I'll have trouble finding the best deal, and since I don't know the departure and return dates, I won't know if I can find the best rate. On the other hand, the reader could log on to the same site and discover first-hand where the best deals are to be found.

Am I begin unreasonable?

Auction Blues
A number of people have suggested that I check out one of the online auction sites and share my views.

So I did. I visited one of the largest online auction sites and checked out the action. I even bid on something and was absolutely gleeful when, as I had hoped, I was outbid.

I won't tell you which site I visited - it isn't important and the Computer Bits attorney is on vacation and doesn't want to be disturbed.

I will tell you this: I won't be back.

Why, you ask?

Simple: In my opinion, the deck is stacked against the consumer. Let's take notebook computers as an example. You go to an auction site and see that bids are being accepted, in fifty-cent increments, for an all-new Acme Tool & Die Pendulum 6000 notebook. Loaded! The current bid is $11.00 and the bidding closes in 10 days.

You've been shopping for a Pendulum 6000 and know that it carries a list price of $2,499 but you can find one at a street price of around $2,100. Now, what in the world makes you think you can buy this for $11.00? You can't. The best deal you are going to get for a new notebook might be a few dollars below dealer price.

Think about it. If you had a retail store, wouldn't you be searching the auction sites for new merchandise at below wholesale prices - and wouldn't you be bidding 10% below wholesale on any merchandise that you stocked or wanted to stock?

This is called the grey market. It has been around forever. The chance of you buying a new Pendulum 6000 notebook computer for $216.31 is as remote as the possibility of you getting for $300 a brand-new bright red Corvette that was seized in a drug raid. It ain't gonna happen.

No thanks, I'll take my chances with the folks who run the local computer store.

Fly me!
Let me see if I understand this correctly. I can log onto a Web site wanting, say, two tickets to East Timbuktu, offer to pay $18.00 each, and then I should honestly expect some airline to be so desperate for my business that they will respond within one hour?

I'm not sure what universe some people are operating in, but in the universe where I live, that just doesn't happen. In my universe, an airline is likely to have two dozen or more published fares for flights between two cities.

Just for kicks, I checked the prices for a round trip between Phoenix and Portland. Published fares ranged from $196 to $3,274.

So, you want to go someplace next weekend. Are you familiar with the range of published fares? Or are you just going to come up with a number on your own?

Face it, airlines are not run by idiots. They have established guidelines on what fares they will accept. They are not going to accept lowball bids just to fill a seat.

Try this instead. First, call a couple travel agents and find out the best deal they can get. Next, go to a site such as Travelocity and see if you can find a better deal. Then, go to the individual airline's Web site and see if it has an Internet special. A number of airlines are doing this, offering special fares that even the travel agents or their toll-free numbers can't beat. These will be some of the best deals you can find.

Old Grouch
Am I being a grouch this month? You bet. It is about two hundred degrees outside when I write this, and I get real grumpy during the summer. More importantly, I get grumpy when I see that people are turning off their common sense before turning on their computers.

The great deals aren't always so great, and you need to be careful that the aura of the Internet doesn't make you take leave of your common sense.

In last month's article, I hope that I made you understand that everyone will be affected in some way by the Y2K problem. The next to last paragraph seems to have bothered some people. The response from a few people was that they believed that I was saying that everyone should run for the hills, take their gold and jewels, and take all the guns and ammunition they could carry. I do not in any way believe that that was what I said, but if that is what you believe that I wrote, it is not!!!!

A little preparation to protect yourself and your family is always in order. Storms like the ones that hit northern Indiana the week of August 23, 1998 do take down power for several days, and the phone may quit working. This can happen in spring, summer, fall, and winter. Can you and your family survive for a week without electricity for heat or air conditioning, light to read by, food and a way to prepare it, and water or something to drink? If you can not, then maybe you should be looking at your family's emergency preparedness. The government can not always bail everyone out in a time of emergency.

Ok, long before the year 2000 rolls around, you need to be checking your computer to make sure that you will not be hit by the millennium bug. You will be very upset on January 1st or the 2nd when your computer will not start, assuming you have power. The BIOS and CMOS in the computer must match or the computer will not start. Can you get around this problem? Well, yes you can. If you remember to do all of the following steps every day, then you do not have to worry as much about your computer:

1. Shut off your computer before midnight every night.
2. Do not start it until after 1:00 a.m. in the morning.
3. Reset the date and time every morning.
4. Do not run any time-sensitive programs.

Most people feel this is too much to remember unless they only run a word processor or use the Internet once or twice a week. They want to fix the problem one time and be done with it. To do this, they need to do testing of their computer. There are five levels that you need to test and review before you say that you are Y2K free. The levels are hardware, operating system, applications, custom programming, and data.

The first level is to make sure that the hardware is Y2K compliant. There are several software programs that check your hardware. Some of the programs are better than others in thoroughly checking the hardware. To be fair, all the programs I have tried do check something. What they tell you, varies. One program I tried says that every computer fails; one says every computer passes. The problem here is standards; here in the US we do not have any Y2K standards!

There are some free software programs available on the Internet, but I have found this type of stripped-down version of the full software to be less than exciting, and less than complete for all possible hardware combinations.

I have helped several companies do Y2K checking. It is the policy of the EPCUG not to endorse any products, so I will not do so in this article. I will mention three products that do a very good job of testing the hardware. They are as follows in alphabetical order:

Check 2000 PC by GMT, Express 2000 Suite by WRQ, Fix 2000 Pro by Intelliquis

All of these programs check your hardware and, for the most part, tell you the same thing. There are times when a manufacturer has been less than honest about what BIOS is in a given computer. In these few cases the programs do not agree about whether a BIOS fix will work, but they all find the BIOS to be bad. All of the programs also come with a BIOS fix program that is a software patch that loads in the config.sys file. This allows the computer to operate even with a bad BIOS-CMOS combination.

OK, now the BIOS and CMOS agree and everything is right with the world, right? Wrong!! Some of the BIOS fixes take a specific location in your computer's memory. They need to be at that specific place in memory so the computer knows where to get the corrections it needs. The problem is this is the same place in memory where some video cards and some network cards place their software drivers. When you load the BIOS fix, these cards will stop working.

The best fix for this is to contact the manufacturer of the card to get a new driver that does not use the memory location. Sometimes the manufacturer wants you to just add an exclude line in the config.sys file so that they do not use that memory location, but that can then prevent the BIOS fix from working. The next thing to try is a different BIOS fix. Each BIOS fix works differently and they take different memory locations.

There is also a hardware option to the BIOS fix. Intelliquis offers an ISA card that goes in a slot in your computer. You run some software to determine the jumper setting for the computer. You then set the card's jumpers and put it in the computer. This "replaces" the BIOS in the computer with one that is Y2K compliant.

There are people who have tested their hardware and found it not to be repairable. If you think this affects only 286-class computers, you are wrong. Many early Pentium computers have recycled BIOS chips that are not even close to Y2K compliant and can not be fixed with a BIOS fix.

So if you think by buying a new computer you are past the problem, you would be wrong yet again. There are many computers being sold today that are not Y2K compliant; some will even say that they are compliant when they are not. When you go shopping for a new computer, you should take your checking software with you. If the test says that you can not at least fix the BIOS, then do not buy the computer. If the computer store or reseller will not let you test before you buy, then walk away.

When you are looking for a new computer, a good choice is a motherboard with a Dallas Semiconductor CMOS chip with a real-time clock that is fully Y2K compliant. Some quality motherboard manufacturers also have Y2K statements either on the Internet or available upon request. Research is the key to making the right decision about whether a system is Y2K compliant. Just remember the phrase "Caveat Emptor," let the buyer beware.

Next month's article will be about the operating system. Once level one - the hardware - is tested, the operating system is the next level up. If the operating system is not compliant, then how can any application programs that use it be compliant? If you have any questions or comments about this series about Y2K, then please feel free to contact me at jonslough@tln.net or call me at 219-533-7632.

There were a few shocked faces when I showed up at the August meeting without boxes of diskettes. But, since we had not received any major negative feedback on our proposal to make the Shareware Library a "Request Only" combined with a "Newsletter Article," we went ahead with the plan. Again, we ask that you give us any feedback, ask any questions you have, or make any suggestions that you think would be helpful. If we see the need to reopen the table, or if there is a renewed interest in the shareware-on-disks, it is a subject that the board can redecide. Also, remember, if you DO NOT HAVE INTERNET CONNECTION, or have particular trouble downloading a program, please feel free to call me, or email me, with your specific requests. I will be happy to make your disk(s) and bring it to the meeting.

This month my focus will be making sure that Windows 3.1 users have not been forgotten and get a goodly dose of shareware. I will be listing those which have gotten excellent to 5 star type ratings and have a Windows 95 counterpart. I have used the common categories used by most shareware sites, and hope you find some new stuff.

DiskBase by Learsy
http://www.diskbase.com/ Purchase Information: Shareware: Free to try, $39 if you decide to keep it. Rating: 5 Star by ZDNet Version Number: 5.10 db32_510.zip System Requirements: Windows 95/NT Compressed Size: 617 kB db16_510.zip System Requirements: Windows 3.1x Compressed Size: 612 kB

Jigsaws Galore
by Gray Design Associates http://www.dgray.com/ "Jigsaws Galore is the most powerful Windows Jigsaw Player/Creator available with features never before seen. Playing jigsaws has never been so much fun! Choose how many pieces you want when opening a jigsaw. Change the size of pieces while playing to fit them on the screen. Sort pieces by similar shape and color. Arrange pieces around the edge of the board. Make your own jigsaws. A host of cool cheat modes. Sound and background music, too. Download our fully functional evaluation version with 10 jigsaws supplied. Full versions with extra jigsaws available including CD-ROM with 130 jigsaws and two bonus games." Purchase Information: Shareware: Free to try, if you decide to keep it then: Downloaded version: Standard Edition $25 - includes full version plus 10 new jigsaws Deluxe Edition $29 - includes full version plus 20 new jigsaws CD-ROM Gold Edition $39 + $2 S&H - includes full version plus 130 jigsaws and two bonus games. Note: In this case you download the deluxe version and the CD-ROM will follow by mail while still saving half the shipping cost. Rating: 5 Star by ZDNet Version Number: 2.2 jigalo.zip System Requirements: Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 Compressed Size: 1,117,636 bytes

AOLPress
by America Online, Inc. http://www.aolpress.com/ "AOLpress Web sites can be published to any server, but when used in conjunction with AOLserver, the combination offers the fastest way to a professional, high-performance Web site. The WYSIWYG editing capabilities of AOLpress remove the requirement for manual editing of HTML. AOLpress contains simple menu-, dialog-, and palette-based user interfaces for creating, formatting, and editing Web pages. The embedded authoring support includes simple interfaces for creating forms and image maps." Comes with templates, graphics, including coordinated sets and themes, backgrounds, and even forms! Purchase Information: Free Rating: 5 Star by ZDNet Version Number: 2.0 http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/mlt.html?x =1&Utext=aolpress aolp16.zip System Requirements: Windows 3.1x Compressed Size: 2,988,365 bytes aolprs.zip System Requirements: Windows 95 Compressed Size: 3,173,460 bytes

NetcGold
http://www.netcplus.com/netcgold.htm "A totally integrated mail and news package that is suitable for both business users accessing an intranet news server and also for serious home users or laptop users who carry their laptops home." Purchase Information: Shareware: Free to try, $64.50 if you decide to keep it. Rating: 5 Star by ZDNet and Shareware Junkies Version Number: 3.02 http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/mlt.html?x =1&Utext=netcgold netcgd.zip System Requirements: Win3.1, Win95, WinNT, O/S2 Warp Compressed Size: 3,687,638 bytes

Medlin Accounting Programs
by Medlin Accounting Shareware http://www.medlin.com

Medlin for Windows
Medlin for Windows Payroll, General Ledger, Budgeting, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable are based on our award winning DOS programs, plus additional features made possible by the Windows environment. Purchase Information: $38 per program Rating: 5 Star by ZDNet Version Number:

Medlin for DOS
Shareware Industry Award winners: PC-GL General Ledger, PC-PR Payroll Writing, PC-AR Accounts Receivable, PC-AP Acccounts Payable and PCINV Invoice Writing. Fast and easy to use accounting programs that still run on a 256K PC. Purchase Information: $35 per program Rating: 5 Star by ZDNet

MEDLIN32.ZIP
System Requirements: Windows 95 or 98, in a zip file. http://www.medlin.com/MEDLIN32.ZIP Compressed Size: (1392k)

MEDLIN16.ZIP
System Requirements: Windows 3.1, in a zip file. http://www.medlin.com/MEDLIN16.ZIP Compressed Size: (1335k)

MEDLIN5.ZIP
System Requirements: DOS, in a zip file. http://www.medlin.com/MEDLIN5.ZIP Compressed Size: (311k)

A suggestion was made at the last board meeting to propose an idea to the membership that I particularly like. All we need is perhaps a retired person that might have a few extra minutes to monitor something on the net and make sure it is working properly and we could have our very own membership mailing list.

This could be an excellent avenue for the person that has a problem with their computer and can't make it to the meeting to ask their question. Or how about when time gets cut short so that we can get to our presenter? You would possibly have a greater chance of someone answering your questions as this could be open to the entire membership, not just those that made it to the meeting that night.

Another thought is that, if like last month, we don't know who the presenter is going to be, we can send out a message on the mailing list to let you know!

A mailing list is not really difficult to maintain, and mostly needs monitored regularly to make sure there are no glitches in the strings. If you have any feedback on this idea, please let any of the officers know. AND if you feel you might be a person with the occasional time to monitor the list, be sure to talk to Cindy Oyer, either at the next meeting, or by calling or emailing her ahead of then.