When Julie Altstatt first began her presentation of JASC Software’s Paint Shop Pro 5, she queried the group on how many had used Paint Shop Pro, how many owned which versions, how many were very familiar with it, and whether there were any ‘experts’ in the room. I felt comfortable raising my hand along with a couple of others on the last question. Although, that is only with version 4, I’d only seen a short preview of 5, and was quite anxious to see this meeting.

I was not disappointed in the presentation, nor the product! Julie knew her program, and knew how to show it off. She showed the simpler side for those who had never used a graphics program before, and still got into the intense portions for those that were already familiar with them. I have used Adobe PhotoShop, JASC Paint Shop Pro, and Corel Draw for sometime now, so was really pleased to see the improvements in version 5.

Besides the presentation and door prizes, JASC sent sampler CDs of their products for everyone. There are plenty left if you were not able to be there. I will bring them to the next several meetings and have them at the sign up table.

Another product JASC carries, which Julie didn’t get to show us, is Quick View Plus 5. I will have a review on it in the next couple months. I have been using Quick View Plus for about two years now, and will be anxious to see the improvements that they have made since my 3.xx version. You will be particularly impressed with this product if you’ve never used anything similar to it. Windows 95 came with QuickView, but it was mild compared to the number of different types of documents that you can view with Quick View Plus.

It certainly saves a lot of time if you just want to see something in a file or grab a word out of one. You do not have to open the program associated with it, nor even open it in a compatible program. Just use Quick View Plus 5 on the file in Exploring or File Manager, and take the peek you need! Look for more about this program in a future issue.

As an added bonus, JASC Software has a couple specials going on for you right now. One, is the current user group special meeting price for purchasing Paint Shop Pro 5 (Win 95/98/NT4) for only $49.00 and Paint Shop Pro 3 (Win 3.x/NT) for only $32.00. These are each $10 less than the already low price regularly offered to user groups!!! I don’t see a number on the order form, but I’m sure you simply need to tell them you are from the Elkhart PC User Group, where Julie Altstatt presented in May, and they should have no trouble figuring out how to key your order in.

They also have a “while supplies last” special when ordering Paint Shop Pro AND Quick View Plus together to get “Creating Paint Shop Pro Web Graphics” a $39.95 value FREE! Remember that’s only while supplies last, and only when ordering both of them together.

To check out Paint Shop Pro 5, visit the JASC website today at http://www.jasc.com or call them at 1-800-622-2793

I don’t know how we are so lucky or blessed but Microsoft will again be providing a speaker for our fine group.

I know we have enjoyed Clark Miller often, and he seems to be like a member of our group. This time however he will not be gracing our stage. It seems that he will be occupied with another kind of delivery. He and his wife are expecting to welcome a new baby girl to the Miller family on that very night. We certainly wish them and the new baby well.

His stand-in for the night will be Vanessa McTigue from the Cincinnati office. Clark said to give his best to the group and said “You will LOVE Vanessa.” I have no doubt she will do a great job showing Office 2000 to us. Keep in mind that we will see this new program before most of the world sees it. Cool huh?

This is the third part of the series on protecting your family during the Y2K rollover. I again want to stress that my position on Y2K is it will not be the end of the world. Somehow, some people have the feeling that I am trying to scare people into a panic. Nothing is further from the truth. In fact, the opposite is my goal, to give people the information they need so they can take care of themselves. If everyone plans to take care of themselves and their immediate family, then the problems caused by Y2K will be no big deal.

In last month’s article, the discussion was about keeping your family warm. My wife Jocelyne made one of the heating candles discussed in that article using a purchased candle and a coffee can. Jocelyne lit the candle and left it burning for over 5 hours consuming about 3/8 of an inch of the candle. That works out to a candle burning 24 hours per day will burn, giving heat, for 5 to 6 days. Making three candles costing less than $25 will help keep your family warm for about two weeks.

This month’s article talks about both water and food at the Y2K rollover. People have openly laughed at my talks about a water shortage in Y2K. Yet, cities like Chicago openly admit that the water supply is their biggest worry. Senator Bennett, the head of the Senate Y2K committee, recently disclosed he plans to stockpile water in a 55-gallon drum at his home. You can check out the article at http://www.sangersreview.com/990601.htm. Now let’s look at this factually.

If you live in the country with a private well and the power is off, how do you get water? I have seen conversion kits that will allow you to change your water pump to 12 volt DC that you can run from a bank of car or marine batteries. You charge the batteries with a charger when power is on. Two problems are costs of the kits and costs of the batteries.

The manufacturer that I reviewed suggests that you have four to six batteries hooked up in parallel to run the pump. With four batteries, you can pump about 200 gallons of water before the batteries must be recharged. Costing from $300 to $900 for the kit and another $180 for the batteries, this looks like a poor option. Assuming a $480 cost, that is about $2.40 per gallon. So, let us look for other options to use for drinkable water.

For this option, we are changing from high tech to low tech for our drinking water. Jocelyne, my researcher, went looking for things to hold water that were cheap and reusable. The cheapest option she found was Rubbermaid garbage cans with a lid. They cost from $5-$10 for a 30 to 50 gallon can and we can put two cans in our bathtub, each holding water. Jocelyne and I strongly suggest that you scrub the new cans out with bleach and water as a precaution just before filling them with water.

I suggest the cans be placed in the bathtub for three reasons. First, if you spill water when getting water out, it falls into the tub. The second is that water that you spill into the tub, with the drain closed, can be kept for other uses, like flushing the toilet. Third is if you do not need the water, it is easy to get rid of, then you have a couple of new trash cans you can use. If your home has several levels, then you will want water on each floor.

Another option is to fill 5-gallon water containers used by campers. The containers are low in cost, about $5, and they are easier to carry with the included handle. The problem is that water in this type of sealed container can “go bad” quickly. For this reason, when you make your purchase, also buy a water kit with the water filter. When I was younger, my family went camping a lot. Often we had to get the water, then boil it to make it safe to drink. By using the filter that pulls the water out of the plastic container, it is safe to drink and oxygenated at the same time.

There is a point that needs to be made about storing water. You either must bottle the water, like how you can food, or stir it often. If water is left sitting, it quickly begins to taste “flat.” By adding oxygen to the water, it tastes better. Also, if you let water sit in a container for a “long time,” add a small amount of chlorine bleach. The Red Cross web page has the instructions about how to do this safely.

The last question about water is how much to have. Well, according to the Red Cross, FEMA, and many other sources, you need a gallon of drinkable water per day per inhabitant. Now this may sound funny, but in this calculation, count a pet as an inhabitant. That’s right, remember that your dog Rover and your cat Boots both need water also.

Now let’s turn towards what food you should have on hand to eat. It should be obvious that keeping fresh food in the refrigerator may not be a good choice. It will keep for several days, but after a week without power, it will not be much good to eat.

At the other extreme, purchasing prepackaged energy bars or Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) from army surplus may not be a better option. I was amused when I listened to a Kosovo refugee talk about the food bars they were given to eat for several days. The comment was that “the food bars give us the energy we need to survive, but it would be nice if there was some taste to them.” I have tried several kinds, but I have chewed better tasting leather.

So what are the options? Canned food is one answer. Dried food is another and frozen food is a third. Canned foods like soups can be warmed over the heating candles from last month, or with sterno cans used by campers. Canned vegetables and meats can be heated the same way. No matter which option you choose for heating your food, it would be wise to practice in advance. This summer would be a good time to have a few Y2K meals as practice.

Dried foods are convenient to store and easy to make. Just add water in the pot and then cook. The food tastes fairly good, but it can take up to one hour to cook, so you need to look at your cooking options. If you have a fireplace, a wood stove, or a kerosene heater that allows you to cook on top, then dried food is a good choice. You can also use a camping cookstove, like a Coleman stove. The fuel is inexpensive, and I have seen the stoves at garage sales in the last few weeks for as little as $15 for a single burner model. Walmart and many other stores have a two burner model for around $39. All fuel models of stoves, and anything that uses briquettes, need to be used in a well ventilated area with a carbon monoxide detector.

Frozen foods offer more selections, but they are harder to cook. Meats like hamburger and steak can be cooked on your gas or charcoal grill. You can also precook meats like turkey and ham that you can refreeze then heat when you need them. Cooked meat that is refrozen will not keep as long as “fresh” meat, but since you need only to reheat it, it takes less energy to get it ready to eat.

You can also make your own frozen food, like pre-cooked casseroles, and freeze them in metal cooking dishes. You can use your gas or charcoal grill to warm them up to eat. This gives you a more balanced meal that is easy to prepare.

What, you do not have a grill? Well, you can make several different cookers. I will give you several web sites where you can get tons of information on different ovens you can make from aluminum foil and cardboard boxes. By using charcoal briquettes in a hibachi or up on fire bricks in a metal pan, you can get your “oven” up to 325-350 degrees, enough to bake with ease. The web sites are www.macscouter.com/Cooking/index.html for a Boy Scouts cooking page. California University at Berkeley has some interesting information under their camping section at http://soar.berkeley.edu/recipes/camping/ and look around for the cardboard box oven and other recipes. A third site is from the Rocky Mountain Survival Group at http://www.artrans.com/rmsg/toc.htm for even more information.

I put these sites in with great trepidation because someone is going to take this as an end of the world scenario, and that is not my message. If the Boy Scouts and Cal. Berkeley are survivalists, then we are all in trouble.

How much food to have on hand is a touchy subject that nevertheless needs to be addressed. There are people storing up enough food for several years. There are also many people who plan to “just pick up a few things on December 30th.” Here is an example of “just a few things.”

During the snowstorm of last January 2, 1999, there was a rush on the grocery and convenience stores here in Elkhart County. Most stores ran out of bread, milk, and breakfast food very quickly. I went to the store for some canned soup, and ran into a friend of mine from church. He had six loaves of bread in his cart because his wife was concerned they would run out before the storm let up.

I asked him how much bread does his family of three eat. “Oh, we use about 3/4 of a loaf a week” he said, “and we only have two loaves at home in the freezer.” This is the best example of hoarding that I have ever seen myself. There was enough bread for eleven weeks at their normal consumption rate.

Assuming this will happen at the end of this year, does it make sense to all of us to start making small purchases of non-perishable foods now? Two or three extra cans of food and some extra dried foodstuffs are easy to purchase now before the rush begins. Plan to have enough food that you do not need to go to the store for as little as one week to as much as one month. Jocelyne and I are planning for two to three weeks.

Don’t get me wrong. I like computers. I like computer users. I like the people who make computers. I like software developers, although come to think of it, I wouldn’t want one in my family. It’s just that there are so many things that I simply don’t understand.

I don’t understand why people who sell computers at the big national chains feel compelled to lie to prospective buyers. Sure, sell us an open box system — but why tell the big lie that the computer maker will gladly replace for free all the hardware and software that they are missing? Sure, sell us a system with a modem, but don’t promise us a 56K connection. Why sell us an anti-virus software package when the system comes bundled with anti-virus software? Are they that desperate for a commission?

And good grief, when someone returns a system because they cannot get it to work, don’t lie to the next buyer and tell us that the system was an “excess corporate order” or some such nonsense. First time we call for help the technical support people are going to know that the system has been previously registered. Finally, when you sell an extended warranty, how about being honest and telling us that the warranty is not with your hardware vendor, that the service/support may not be available 24/7, and that the technicians do not have access to the vendor’s support database.

I don’t understand why AOL’s technical support people insist on telling callers that their computer has to have 90% free resources in order to run their software — as if this were the norm. Why not tell the truth that the software is poorly written, is a performance hog, and requires that users disable much of their system functionality in order to make it work properly? Why does AOL think it has to integrate its Instant Messenger with other vendors’ software and not give a clean, simple, foolproof way of removing that software?

I don’t understand why in the world someone would buy a computer from a store that also sells toilet paper. Are these the same people who think Velveeta(R) and Miracle Whip(R) belong in the gourmet food section of their supermarket? Why do people from the southeastern part of the U.S. think that you “maish” a key, rather than “press” it, and that the monitor is the real computer, and that the computer is actually the modem?

I don’t understand why so many WebTV users think that the rest of the worldwide Usenet community should make accommodations because the WebTV software apparently doesn’t allow users to cut and paste quoted material.

I don’t understand why the otherwise intelligent people at Microsoft insist on setting their browser default to send Usenet messages in HTML. WHY NOT ALSO REQUIRE THAT THE MESSAGES BE IN ALL CAPS AS WELL?

I don’t understand why people buy computers, call their hardware vendor for technical support, and then lie about what hardware and software they have added. Also, if your neighbor Fred — the so-called computer genius-is so smart, why are you having to call for technical support after he just got through “fixing” your system? Why do people call for technical support when their system is a year out of warranty and then curse out the technician who gets stuck explaining that this is a paid support call?

I don’t understand why more public libraries aren’t given the money necessary to have the very best computing equipment available. Am I wrong in thinking that community-owned, public-access computers should be reasonably state-of-the-art? Why do libraries have to rely on the largesse of corporate sponsors in order to have decent computer equipment?

I don’t understand the ethics involved when supposedly “religious” people violate the “terms of service” they agreed to, in order to spam the Internet with religious messages. What is wrong with this picture? Should I not have been surprised to find Bible study software posted to a Warez newsgroup?

I don’t understand why every Microsoft Internet application tries to pull a coup d’etat and take total control of all Internet application function.

I don’t understand the world-class hype surrounding Y2K. It is not a bug, despite the efforts of the daily press to label it as such. It is not going to cause massive, worldwide financial ruin — even though the late- night AM radio waves are filled with hucksters warning you to stock up on gold, dried food, drinking water, and ammunition. Maybe I’m just looking at this the wrong way. Instead of worrying that my money is going to disappear if I leave it in the bank, I’m hoping that since I don’t have any money, some of my debt will go away.

I don’t understand Active Desktop — and I hope I never do.

Something I have been remiss on, is welcoming new sponsors placed on the Sponsor Page. I’m hoping that the members are not being remiss about patronizing these businesses, as well as those that place regular advertisements in the newsletter. We appreciate them, and hope that their support of your PC Users Group encourages you to think of them whenever you need a product or service that they can provide.

I also hope you will notice that we have added a new section to the Sponsors Page. We have called these contributors ‘STEEL SPONSORS.’ Everyone knows that the foundation and main supports of any quality, long-standing building is re-enforced with steel. With this sponsorship spot being intended to provide those members who wish to, a place to show their support, what better metal to call it than steel? The foundation and reinforcement of any user group is it’s members, after all, what other purpose does it serve? Oh, sure, they do various community service projects (more on that in another article), but those are just icing on the cake. The actual base purpose is to help its users learn to use their computers. On that note, I would like to be the first member to use this category, and give my $15 to EPCUG and become a STEEL SUPPORT! I hope others will use it, too.

Leighton Center is in need of volunteer computer instructors. See page 3 of the April EPCUG newsletter. (We are located across from Memorial Hospital in South Bend)

We hope to satellite out—next step is to Battel Center in Mishawaka.—hopefully by this fall. Classes meet once a week, 8 weeks, for 2 hours. Classes are small, 10 students, with an instructor and 2-3 coaches. This is an effort to get seniors on the PC.

For June and July of this year we are short 2 instructors and about 10 coaches. Gordon Hostetler from your group has been coaching for the last year. Is there a chance that someone in your group can help us find some more volunteers? Or maybe one of you would be interested?

As some of you may know, this is my first Internet experience, other than Juno e-mail, and I thought I would pass on a few things I learned. First, I had a real time installing Netzero until I got the protocols in the network section set correctly. Then my password to access the Netzero program was giving me problems. I finally managed to stay online long enough to visit their webpage and download the full version upgrade and the password problem disappeared.

I had ordered the CD-Rom directly from Netzero and it only has a small fraction of the program as an introduction with a time limit. The upgrade carries the full program with no time limitations. They only support the Internet for now with other features planned at a later date. Connection speed is as close 56k as the FCC allows. Netzero uses Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer as browsers. The download times seemed slow to me. But, I’ve only used the Internet at the library a few times so I’m really not sure about the performance. Their advertisement box is a pain but pays for a free Internet connection, so it’s worth it.

On Saturday, June 19, as part of a community service project, Elkhart PC Users Group will again check PCs for Y2K compliance. This time we will be available at Holy Cross College in South Bend from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The group will be using “FIX 2000” by Intelliquis to diagnose the level of Y2K compliance of PCs. Those who wish to have the actual corrections made may purchase a copy of “Fix 2000” for the nominal cost of $55.00. There is no obligation to purchase however. Elkhart PC Users Group is merely following the motto of the group which is “USERS HELPING USERS”

Directions are “easy”. Holy Cross College is located on Michigan St. in South Bend across from WNDU studios and Notre Dame, and just south of St. Mary’s College. This road is now 933 North. From the south go across the river and past Angela (stoplight) and the next stoplight is the college. Turn left into the new entrance and proceed west to the first building on the left (500 yards) and go in the entrance with the double doors.

There should be ample parking quite near this area. We will setup in the classroom just next to this entrance.

From the north go south past the toll road entrance and St. Marys College to the stoplight at WNDU and Holy Cross. Turn right into the entrance and proceed as above.

NOT! NOT! NOT! Both Jon Slough and I have written several articles about the need for people to think before sending out a ton of emails that end with ‘send this to all your online friends!’ All these pieces do is clog up servers and create tons of junk mail and spread rumors that ‘ARE NOT TRUE.’

Microsoft does NOT have an email tracking program, nobody paid $250 for a Neiman Marcus cookie recipe (although the recipe looks good), none of the warnings about ‘do not open this email’ are true (you have to open the attachment, the email itself can’t do anything), and the FCC STILL IS NOT going to vote on charging for Internet access in two weeks!

Please! Please! Please! Go to the sites listed here and read some of the notices. It will give you a feel for what you should and should not pass on. If you do get something and you wonder if it should be passed on, consider asking the opinion of Jon Sough, myself, or any of the other officers what we think first. Some of these sites have addresses where you can write to ask also, but they get tons of email, so you may get a better response locally. I know I will be happy to help you decide if you should pass something on to all your friends or not. I warn you though, I will probably tell you NO.

Oh, and by the way, no I’m not upset with anybody recently sending these to me, I am just hoping to help stop them. If you are one of the persons who have recently sent such things to me, I’m simply using your misfortune to attempt to educate you and others. Please check out the following sites, I know they will help educate you.

This one is really similar to the AllAdvantage one, but this is one that is already being used, and has a track record. Individuals signing up instantly earn $2.00 for EPCUG and can earn money each day after that. I have already earned $3.10 myself alone for EPCUG, and am adding $0.10 every day.

iGive.com pays with money received from advertisers three ways:

1) An initial $2 for signing up
2) $.02 each time you visit an advertiser, up to 5 per day. (You can click on more, but they will only pay for 5)
3) From 2.5% to 12% commission on any order you place with a listed advertiser.

So, if you visit iGive only once a week, click thru to 5 advertisers, all year you will earn, for EPCUG $7.20 without ever making a purchase or spending a dime!

Now this one I can really get into. As a matter of fact, I’ve set it up to be my opening page on Netscape. There is a place in your preferences to set your ‘favorite page’ I listed my normally opening page there. Every day my first click is the stats page to see if anybody else is earning for EPCUG. Then I click 3 advertisers or places of interest, and for my 5th click I click ‘my favorite site’ link and I’m off to do my regular browsing.

Not a really difficult way to earn $0.10 each day. Since I log onto the Internet nearly every day, I figure at an average of 20 days per month, I can earn $2 every month. That’s $24 per year! And that’s without ever making a purchase!!! However, since they do have some computer and office supply companies listed, and the prices are comparable to others (I’ve already checked them out) I will probably be making some extra, as I will use those suppliers whenever their prices are competitive.

If we had at least 200 members sign up, and they each averaged just one day per week during the year, and didn’t even make any purchases, we could receive $1440.00 during the next year! (That’s $400 sign ups @ $2, plus $1040 for weekly click throughs @ $.02) Not a bad deal. We will be placing a page on our web site for you to use to sign up to make it easier.

We had some excellent questions in our last Computer Basics group that can be addressed here. One question dealt with temporary files, files with a .tmp extension.

These .tmp files can be safely deleted whenever you want, but you need to remember to not have any applications open at the time you wish to delete these files. Most applications run .tmp files in the background, and most also do not automatically “clean up after themselves.”

Windows 95 uses a default directory to store these .tmp files, the c:\windows\temp folder. To see .tmp files and maybe also folders in this folder, just find this temp folder, click once on it to highlight it, and then on the right side of your screen, you will see what’s inside.

If you have .tmp files, and everyone always does, you can select them and then delete them, which means in Windows 95 that these “deleted” files actually to into the Recycle Bin. Over time, as you install use your applications, you may also find other folders inside this c:\windows\temp folder. These folders can also be deleted. If an application needs a folder inside this temp folder, it will be created automatically.

You may also have .tmp files in other locations on your hard drive. To find these, open your Windows Explorer, and click once on your hard drive to highlight it. Then click on the Tools menu, and then Find, Files and Folders. This will open the Find: All Files dialog Box.

In the Named field, enter *.tmp, and in the Look In field, be sure you are looking in your hard drive, which should already be highlighted. Notice, in this Look In field, you can run this Find, Files and Folders procedure in any drive, including a floppy drive.

Now, click the Find Now button, and Windows will search your entire drive for these .tmp file types. You will get a list of .tmp files it finds, including .tmp files in the default c:\windows\temp folder, but also any other .tmp files that may be hiding on your hard drive.

You are safe to delete all these .tmp files. Note that Windows will not let you delete any .tmp file that may be in use by an open application.

I have found .tmp files in all sorts of folders and sub folders, and regularly run this Find, Files and Folders procedure to be sure I am not wasting space on my hard drive. In addition, you will find many of these .tmp files are 0kb in size, and these can also safely be deleted.

The idea in Windows is for these .tmp files to automatically be deleted when you close an application or shut down your system, but this does not always happen as planned. Over time, without manually finding and deleting these .tmp files, space on a hard drive can become ill used by these .tmp files.

So, the word to the wise is to regularly clean up those .tmp files.

This month I’m trying something a little different in Ken’s Korner: a tutorial aim at helping Web newbies acquire information from the Internet.

Following that, and to provide something of interest for more advanced surfers, I’ve included a mini-review of Hot Off The Web. This program makes it easy to capture, annotate and even create scrapbooks of material from the Web; you can then send to others as e-mail. It’s quite a handy program, as we’ll see later. Meanwhile, on to the...

Download Tutorial
If you want to save the information you find on a Web site, you can either print it and have a copy on paper, copy the file and paste it into WordPad or your processor, or you can download the file and save it on your hard drive or to a floppy.

To Print:
When you find a page you want to save, click on the FILE menu, then on Print. If you use Netscape Navigator you can get a preview of how the printed material will look. Click on FILE, then PRINT PREVIEW.

To Copy:
Use your cursor to highlight the text you want to save by clicking & holding down the left button at the beginning of the text; drag the cursor to the end of the text and release the mouse button. All text will now be highlighted. Click on the EDIT menu, then on COPY (or simply press the Ctrl & C keys simultaneously, a faster, easier shortcut). Minimize your browser window (click on the dash or minus sign in the upper right-hand corner) temporarily and open WordPad or your word processor. Click on EDIT menu, then PASTE (or use the Ctrl & V keys shortcut). Now you can save the file as you would any other you created.

To Download & Save A File:
Click on the FILE menu, then SAVE AS. A dialog box will appear that allows you to select the drive and folder where you want to save the file (at the top). At the bottom will be spaces for you to type in the same you want to give the file. Sometimes a filename is shown; you can either accept that or erase it and type in your own name. There will also be a line that says something like “Save as file type,” followed by a space (which might say “HTML”) and a down-pointing arrow. Click on the arrow and select “Plain Text,” unless you have a special reason to save it as an HTML file.

To Download & Save
A Photo Or Other Graphic:
Simply place your cursor on the graphic and click the RIGHT button on your mouse. When a pop-up menu appears, click on “Save Image As...” A dialog box that looks the same as the one mentioned in the paragraph above appearS NEXT. Do not try to change the file type, but you can change the file name and location where you want to save the image file.

For example, I have a “GIF&JPEG” folder in drive D on my system. So if I want to save a Web graphics file to that folder, I would select drive D in the dialog box, then clink on the GIF&JPEG folder (make sure it shows in the “Save At” box) and finally click on SAVE.

To Download Programs:
This is a bit more complicated, but usually the site contains detailed instructions. You simply click on the DOWNLOAD or CLICK TO DOWNLOAD words or button, and follow the instructions. Usually there will be a dialog box, like the one mentioned in the above two paragraphs, which allows you to select the location (drive & folder) where you want the file to be saved. Sometimes the files will be in compressed Zip form and you have to use a Zip program to unzip (uncompress) them. Usually, however, they are in what is called self-extracting files — which means you simply have to click on them and they will uncompress themselves. Such files have an .exe extension.

Note File Name & Location
It’s always a good idea to make a note of the file name and location as insurance against forgetting either (or both!) when you look for the file a week or two after downloading it. Another suggestion: create a DOWNLOAD folder on your hard drive and place all your download in it. You can always move them later.

Download Time
Some large files can take a long time to download. Depending on your modem speed, file size and the amount of Net traffic, it might take from a few minutes to almost an hour, or even more, to download very big files. Many download sites give you the file size, sometimes an estimated download time, to give you some idea of how long the process will take.

Hot Off The Press
I discovered this neat in April, 1998 find increasing uses for it. It’s great for capturing all or part of Web pages. You can use it to attach virtual “sticky notes,” highlight text or even add hand-written comments using the Graffiti Pen - in different colors, yet!

My favorite Hot Off The Web (HOTW) feature, however, is Scrapbook. I do a lot of research on the Web, collecting bits and pieces of information for many sites. I used to print copies of all this stuff and keep it in a manila folder. Now, if I’m accumulating data on hard drives, for instance, I create a Hard Drive scrapbook in HOTW and send material I find to that scrapbook. A time stamp and source URL is included with each item, which tells you when and where you got the information.

You can share scrapbooks, Web pages and individual items captured by HOTW (and annotated as you wish) with others via e-mail. The program attaches selected material to e-mail, which you prepare within the program in a message composition form, as self-extracting ZIP files. If the recipient does not have HOTW also, no problem. The message will be opened in the recipient’s default browser.

One caution note: HOTW is optimized to work with Microsoft Internet Explorer, so some images and text may appear differently in other browsers.

Space limits me to this bare-bones review, but I’ve included basic information below (remember these are minimums; HOTW works better with faster computers with more RAM). For more detailed information visit www.hotofftheweb.com.

If I owned a lot of shopping mall stock I’d be getting a little nervous right now. Commerce on the Web is taking off, and the afterburners will really be lit in the years ahead. A recent study by ActivMedia Research (first ever to quantitatively study Internet commerce, beginning in 1994) projects $95 billion in electronic commerce for 1999 and a total of more than $1.3 trillion in 2003!

The 6th Annual “Real Numbers behind Net Profits” study anticipates a revenue growth rate of 150% for 1999, more than double the original forecase of 72%, and a growth rate of 138% for 2000. ActivMedia reports Web revenues continue to flourish across all industry sectors as online buyers rely on the ‘Net for a wider range of goods and services.

Here is how the groth pattern has been and is projected (in billions of dollars), according to the “Real Numbers” study: 1996, $2.7; 1997, $22; 1998, $38; 1999, $95; 2000, $226; 2001, $459; 2002, $826; 2003, $1324.

ActivMedia’s VP of Market Research Harry Wolhandler offers some good reasons. “Expanding cross-language capabilities create increasingly permeable global boundaries. Speedy digital information flow facilitates free trade and business worldwide. Political improvements coupled with faster, more efficient cross-cultural communications are fueling global e-commerce.”

A quick look inside “Real Numbers” reveals many interesting bits of data.
* 72% of websites are still based in the US
* 92% of e-commerce is generated through US-based websites
* Exports are becoming increasingly critical to US e-commerce growth
* 9 in 10 revenue dollars are product and service sales, not ads

I took advantage of an opportunity to review Norton Utilities 4.0 and was very pleased with the results. There were a few problems cropping up from time to time that I am really not savvy enough to search out and fix by myself. I felt that I had nothing to lose by trying the features of Norton Utilities. The instructions were clear, and it loaded very easily, with no glitches.

The “System check” listed all of the areas being checked including the registry. After finding a few problems it asked if I wanted them fixed. I said yes of course and it went to work. The area being checked or fixed was highlighted so I could see the progress. The feature called “Norton Crash Guard” was put into action and later that same night it told me I was about to crash. Choosing the ‘fix’ option, I was back in business after only a moment or two. It later came on again but I chose to save and reboot. Usually I would not have had the choice.

The “Norton System Doctor” continually monitors your PC and helps keep it free of problems. There is also a feature where you can create a “System Rescue Disk” for use with a Zip or Jaz drive. I have neither so I can’t report on that. The Internet “Connection Doctor”helps to keep your Internet connection running smoothly. All in all, I would call it a very well done program, especially for those of us who can’t jump right in and FIX the problems that are inevitable.

Now for the great part: You can purchase Norton Utilities 4.0 at a special User Group price of $29.95 including all shipping, handling, and tax’s. Call 1-800-441-7234 between June 1st and August 15th. You MUST tell the operator you are referring to “promo code “U1216”.

This might be just what the doctor ordered . . .

Visit the web site for Norton Utilities at: http://www.symantec.com/nu/index_product.html

(Editor’s Note: When Doyle first brought up this column, I thought it was a very good idea, and would personally love it if we could do 3-4 each month! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have a real hard time keeping names with faces, I hear the name, and think, “I ought to know who that is.” Or, I see the face and think, “I wish I could remember their name!” Well, we don’t have the picture format down yet, but hopefully by next month, we can put faces with these names, and give us all a helping hand. For our introductory article, I asked Doyle to interview himself, which I’m sure must have been a little bit odd, writing about yourself in third person. But I think he did well, and that this will be a welcome addition to the newsletter. Give us some feedback, we’d love to hear from you. For that matter, we’d love to interview you! —Sherry

Go to the EPCUG home page and click on the e-mail list link, or go directly to the signup page at: www.epcug.org/signup.html

Fill out the form and then FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS on the ThankYou page which you will be sent to when you submit the form.

The EPCUG E-Mail List is set up to aid EPCUG members in helping each other, and for occasional messages from the Board of Directors. A place to ask questions, share news, and discuss other computer related topics.

If you have JUNO or the web page does not work for you (some older versions of AOL don’t). Send an email directly to the list manager at: owner-epcug@epcug.org

Using AltaVista with words and phrases like beginner AND “how to” AND “guide to windows” AND tutorial in the search line I came up with many educational web pages. I sifted thru a great deal of these sites to eliminate those that were merely reviews of books on these subjects, or pages with only a small amount of information or links. Below are primarily computer and Internet related sites, but within them you will also find educational resources for many other subjects such and Math and Science, Reading and Language, Social Studies and Sciences, and much, much more. I hope you will let me know if you find other online tutorials, lessons, and informational sites that deserve to be listed with these.

The -RAE- Website
http://tvland.maxinet.com/relling/
Excellent “How to” pages including: Backup System Files, Install Power Toys and Kernel Power Toys, Install and Run Regclean, Update Your Original Version of Win95, Use FIND to Locate File References in Other Files. In addition several good “Tips and Workarounds” such as “Restart Windows with a Shortcut.” Definitely a pausing point if you are new and wanting to learn.

PCLT Exit Ramp
http://www.cynetcity.com/cyberzone/106/index1.htm
Some excellent articles here on buying a computer, and what’s inside it. How to set up your system for dual boot. Upgrading your operating system. They take you from the basics to the advanced here, definitely worth the time spent.

ThirdAge School of Online Learning
http://www.thirdage.com/tech/
While designed with seniors in mind, others could stop by this site and pick up a few pointers and basics with their 5 minute “Brain Boosters.” You need to register though for the email/online courses. They have two courses so far, *Web Basics* and *HomePage Basics* The lessons are e-mailed to you weekly, and you click the links to have your browser take you to the assignments online. They also have forums and “Circles” for the classes to give you interaction with tutors, friends, and instructors.

Center for Technology and Learning, University of Indianapolis
http://ctl.uindy.edu/
A very excellent listing of educational links for teachers and others needing information on computers and the Internet. I have several of these in my list, but there are many here that will lead you to many more. Great starting point for online learning.

Blue Web’n
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn
Using the table on the first page proved to be very frustrating, as I continually clicked links that indicated there were items listed, but got there, and it showed ‘no listing.’ I spent several minutes doing this and then decided to try the search engine. While this certainly is not going to be the method which enables you to find *all* the listings (it limits you to 50 results) it certainly gave me some insight as to the amount of links that are available thru this site! A LOT! And good ones too! For example, searching for the word ‘tutorial’ showed me that there are 52 links with tutorial either in the description or the categorization key. While only 50 where shown, it gave me some really good choices, and enabled me to see other keywords which would be good to use. Like, technology, Internet, lessons, computer, basics. Computer got me 27 links, and basics got me 5. Since this is designed as a resource for educators, some of these were of no interest to me, such as chemistry, but I may look at them anyway, as I do have a daughter in high school! She might just appreciate some of them, or then again, maybe not.

webTeacher
http://www.webteacher.org/winnet/indextc.html
This site is laid out in two parts, Web Primer condensed version with introductory lessons for those just getting started, and the full Web Tutorial which has more in-depth information to will help you use the Internet more fully.

SK Learning Resource Center
www.skwc.com
Now these people really know how to put together teaching information. They compiled so much help they had to break them up into subsets to hold them all. Whether you are new to computers or an advanced user, you will really find this a great site. It starts on the absolute basics and, using the other subsets, runs all the way thru the advanced user information like C++ and Perl++. This is a gateway page for several excellent computer and Internet technology educational subsets within, including: Dave’s PC Guides (Dave’s Guide to Buying a Home Computer; Dave’s Guide to Buying a Used Computer; Dave’s Guide to Setup and Upgrade; Dave’s Guide to Better Trouble Shooting; and Question FAQ) George and Mike’s Guide to Window’s ’95 (Over 30 pages of new user information, with links to even more educational and information sites!) Windows 95: Beyond the Basics (The Windows 95 Book FAQ; Windows 95 Crash Prevention; Prepared for Disaster; Windows Text Editors; Essential Programmers Bookshelf) Notes From The Guru (C Programmer’s Notebook; Visual Perl++; C++ Compiler Shootout!; Java Development Shootout) Building a Web Site and Windows 95 FAQ

INFOMINE: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
http://infomine.ucop.edu/Main.html
Contains more than 14,000 links to “Internet/Web resources including databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards, listservs, online library card catalogs, articles and directories of researchers, among many other types of information.” One section alone would take days and weeks to cover: *Internet Enabling Tools (Help, HTML, Finding Tools...)* “Over 900 resources of help to beginning and advanced Internet users, site administrators and/or planners. Internet finding tools, info on HTML and XML, JAVA beginner guides, software and more” Other categories include *Electronic Journals* (an apparent unreal number of e-journals when just under A were over 40 links, and B appeared to have as many or more!), *Government Information* (over 3600 resources here), *Instructional Resources* (over 800 for K-12 and 200 on the University level) Somebody has definitely been doing their homework here. If you want to learn, here is an awesome place to start!

Database Central
http://baobabcomputing.com/databasecentral/index.shtml
Got a database? Want to do a database? Want to put your database on the Internet? Just want to know what to do with your database not that you have it? I’m sure these are all answered in this site which is designed to be the ultimate ‘one-stop shop’ for all you want to know about databases. Billed as the Internet’s “largest FREE collection of hand - picked database resources” features regularly updated links to tutorials, articles, reviews, books, products, and more. A cursory visit told me I would never lack for a place to seek help on databases again!

Patrick Crispen’s Internet Roadmap
http://www.mcs.brandonu.ca/~ennsnr/Resources/Roadmap/
This course on the Internet can be done online, or can be sent to you through email. It is excellently laid out and well written, and is followed up with a secondary tutorial called *The Internet Tourbus*. Be sure to check them both out if you want complete Internet training.

Electronic Courses
http://csep1.phy.ornl.gov/guidry/internet_resources/ebooks.html
Collection of various online tutorials. Some are outdated, and some are definitely for other countries such as the UK or Australia, but there are some goodies in there.

Internet 101
http://jrbnt.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/workshops/index.htm
The ALN Workshop on Internet Basics has short basic tutorials on "All About the Internet" "Internet Software Tutorials" "Search Engines", and "Building Web Sites" Good place to begin!

Windows 95
http://jmjcomputing.hypermart.net/95.htm
By far the best collection of help links I found! While I had of course hit many of the sites listed here, I had not found nearly half of them! Need some help? Check this site out. You are bound to find a site with help for you thru these links. I guarantee it. I went to most of the rest of the listings, and they are good. Not just skimpy not worth the bother sites, these are good cream of the crop. Now, no more questions from you newbies, until you’ve spent some time reading! These are not sites for techno-weenies or computer geeks (neither of which I claim to be) nor are they just for the experienced users (which I can claim to be :) but these are sites written in plain ordinary language, for the common everyday computer user like you (and in the beginning me!).

CALT Tutorials - Tips - FAQs
http://www.aacc.cc.md.us/calt/tutorials.htm
Boy, teach me to have an opinion! Just when I thought I’d seen the best list of links, here comes CALT topping off the previous. Now these people are out to make sure you know all you need to know. Not just computers, not just the Internet, your browser, searching, and web sites, and not just Windows 95! They go into links for Word, Office, PowerPoint, and other applications software, too.

COMPUTER TUTOR’s Windows 95 Introduction and Tips and Tricks
http://ctutor.com/tips.htm
Great site for those inexperienced Windows 95 users that are just starting out. While not in-depth on any topic, it touches on topics from the absolute beginning of how to START, to bits about the Taskbar and Shortcuts, clear up to using the MS Fax program and running MS-DOS programs in 95. Nice page to print and give to a friend who just brought home their computer today!

Installation Instructions WinZip and Programs in 95
http://www.skyenet.net/~nisly/winzip+.html
My own set of instructions for installing programs in Windows 95. They begin by installing Winzip.

Internet Tutorial: Getting Started on the Internet
http://www.ihorizons.net/tutorial/p1.htm
An absolute basic beginner’s tutorial. On the very first page it even tells you how to click on a hyperlink! Great place to send your newbie friends.

Baffled by the Internet
http://www.premier.co.uk/baffled.htm
Great place to learn about the Internet, the World Wide Web, E-mail, Newsgroups, even a bit about your modem! Just helps you understand the differences and ideas surrounding these terms. It even has a short glossary to give you a start on some of the terms.

Newbie-U: New User University
http://www.newbie-u.com/
They range from the basic ‘learn to navigate the Web’ tutorial, to using IRC. In between they have tutorials on e-mail, ftp, and usenets. And don’t forget to visit P.E.G. the Plain English Glossary!

Brock Wood’s Home Page
http://www.brockster.com/
I have sent many friends to Brock’s pages for instructions on unzipping and ftp instructions. He has other helpful information also, like adding sound to your web page. So be sure to visit if you are a beginner and need some help.

Alex Pukinskis’s tutorial on downloading files
http://users.neca.com/alex/dwnldng.htm
Alex is cool, he doesn’t just tell you how to download, he gives you some understanding of what you are doing and even helps you figure out what to do with the file once you get it!

Patrick Crispen’s Internet Roadmap workshop
http://rs.internic.net/roadmap96/
This is an excellent tutorial on everything related to the Internet. It may be a couple years old, but nothing in it has gone away. We still have telnet, ftp, e-mail, the World Wide Web, gophers, Usenets, Listservs, IRC/MUDs/MOOs, .... Oh, you don’t know what half of these are? Take the course, you’ll be glad you took the time. You can even have each lesson sent to your e-mail box rather than doing it online!

the Internet Public Library: Reference Center
http://www.ipl.org/ref/
Now that you know a little bit about how to get places and things to do once you get there. This site will help you get to lots of places. They even have connections to tutorials, if you are still not sure about surfing yet. Click on the computer on the receptionist’s desk to go to more places to learn about the Internet.

Learning Links
http://www.virtualcollege.org/classes/cis110/links.htm
Contains a great list of links to sites on topics such as: Intro to the Internet, Browser Tutorials, Email Tutorials, Telnet Software, FTP Tutorials, Operating System Tutorials, Search Engines, Evaluating Resources, and Word Processing.

Online Guides and Tutorials
http://www.monroe.k12.la.us/mcs/training/
http://www.monroe.k12.la.us/mcs/hot_list/index.html
Designed for those in education, others are also allowed to view and benefit from these tutorials and guides. These links are excellent and range from basic beginners to intermediates. Nice selection including links for Mac, Windows 3.x & 95 operating systems; Internet in general and specific areas such as email, search engines, browsers, and HTML; applications such as Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Lotus, PageMaker, Paint Shop Pro, PhotoShop, Power Point and PageMill.

Kern County Library
http://www.netxn.com/~kclib/intertutref.html
Most of these tutorials are for the Internet, but they do have a couple basic computer tutorials. A couple specific links of interest here are the glossary links. It doesn’t do much good to learn about things, if you don’t understand what they are in the first place. Good choice.

CyberCollege Online
http://www.dccc.edu/cyber/online.html
Produced by Delaware County Community College. While primarily set up for their online courses, and designed with teachers in mind, there are some great lists of places to educate the everyday new computer user here. Be sure to go to the 3 links on the right side: Windows 95, Instructional Resources, and Tutorials.

Houghton Mifflin Education Place
http://www.eduplace.com/index.html
K-8 resources for kids, teachers, and parents. The teacher’s section includes links for math, reading, and social studies. The kid’s section has brain teasers, fun stuff, and the reading room. Parents are given links for homework help, home schooling, and more.

Training: Computer Resources
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/4868/traincomp.html
While a few ‘pay’ links are included in this list, there are several excellent listings that have free full tutorials and manuals for the new computer and Internet users.

BUBL LINK / 5:15 Catalogue of Internet Resources
http://bubl.ac.uk/link/menus.html
Many of these links will lean to the UK, but there is so much here it is awesome. I have never seen links to this many subjects in one place. Not just computer and Internet, but all subjects: Accounting, Acquisitions, Advertising, Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautics, Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Anatomy ... French, Gaelic, Genealogy, Genetics, Geography ... Language, Latin, Law, Library and Information Science, Library Catalogues, Life Sciences ... Russian, Science, Social Sciences, Social Welfare, Social Work, Sociology, Spanish ... Weather, Welsh, Women, Feminism, Writing, Zoology.

CNET.COM: Beginner’s Guide to Computing
http://www.cnet.com/Content/Reports/Special/Beginner/index.html
Besides the usual collection of help pages for new computer users, C|Net has pages of links on such subjects as: * ICQ 99 * Internet Exporer 4 * Netscape Communicator 4 * Windows 98 * Word 97 * Outlook Express * Excel 97 * Eudora Pro 4 * Internet Explorer 5 * Quake II

Newbie dot Org
http://www.newbie.org
This page is so structured for the NEWBIE that at the top of the page, one entire hyperlinked sentence reads: "If you need HELP on how to navigate (i.e. click and move around) on these webpages, click anywhere on this sentence. Use your left mouse button to click on this sentence. If that doesn't work, click on this sentence using the other left mouse button." But this site does more than just start the newbie, there are helps for the Intermediate and Advanced users as well.

ZDNET Start Out Right Guide
http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/holiday/index.html
This guide is aimed at computer and Internet beginners with a new PC. In-depth pages to help you set up and maintain your PC, with topics like "Trouble-Free PC - Everything you need to know for PCs", "Ultimate PC Setup Guide - Essential setup guide, tips, tools", "Windows 98 Secrets - Improve Win98 with these custom tips". Also, "On the Net" pages like "Learn How to Chat Online", "The Best ISPs", "Online Privacy Guide" and more.