Subject: Neat Net Tricks Issue # 66
November 15, 1999
Sender: owner-neatnettricks@neatnettricks.com 

IN THIS ISSUE:

01.  WebTranslator
02.  ZIP and area code lookup
03.  Review finder
04.  Device Manager 
05.  Take it off line
06.  Lemons are for lemonade
07.  Readers Write
08.  Not at any price
09.  Get up to speed
10.  Focus:  The big freeze
11.  Eudora's newest
12.  File extensions
13.  Bare bones browsing
14.  Beware of System File Checker
15.  Plug the leak

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01.  WEBTRANSLATOR.  A quick download at 
http://www.dennisre.com/wt/index.html gives translation 
capabilities to and from English, French, German, Italian, 
Portuguese, and Spanish. This utility's claim to fame is its 
size, kept small because the translation programs themselves 
are stored on line.  WebTranslator is shareware for 30 days, 
$29 to keep. Well, I must say that the big limitation on any 
translator is its inability to deal with various idioms and 
idiosyncracies between languages, but I had fun with this as I 
translated one sentence from English to five different 
languages and then copied, pasted, and translated that sentence 
back to English. The sentence was simply "I want to subscribe 
to Neat Net Tricks."  Back came these variations: "I want to 
subscribe ordered Nets to the turns;" "I want for signing to 
the tidy network pray-reprimands;" and, "I wish to abbonarsi to 
makes up clean accurate" in French, German, and Italian, 
respectively.  The Portuguese version came closest with "I want 
to subscribe to the pure liquid tricks."  I have, after all, 
been accused of having some watered-down material at times. 
Finally, the Spanish version just gave up totally and didn't 
even attempt a translation back to English.

02.  ZIP AND AREA CODE LOOKUP.  If you need Zip codes, area 
codes, cities, states, time zones, and county information, it's 
all at http://nt.jcsm.com/General.asp .  My apologies to our 
readers outside the U.S. (thats about 7% of you), but some 
tips just arent, unfortunately, international in scope -- yet.

03.  REVIEW FINDER.  Before you head out to buy the latest in 
software and hardware, check out the Review Finder at 
http://www.reviewfinder.com .  You might find something there 
that may be cause you to question your plans or perhaps confirm 
your decision as a wise one.  Be an informed consumer.

04.  DEVICE MANAGER.  You can determine what you have installed 
on your system at the Device Manager (be sure to click on the + 
to expand folders).  If there's any warning flags showing 
there, it might explain why your system could be misbehaving 
and require installing new hardware or software.  Get to Device 
Manager by right clicking on My Computer|Properties and the 
Device Manager tab; or, use the Windows key + Pause to the 
Device Manager tab. This procedure is the same for Windows 95 
or Windows 98.

05.  TAKE IT OFF LINE.  You can set up your own private 
discussion board for you and your friends at 
http://www.takeitoffline.com/ .  Described as a "free instant 
private discussion space for your topic of the moment," you 
simply enter your name, email address, and the topic subject.  
Within seconds an email is returned to you providing a link to 
which you and your friends can go for a discussion.

06.  LEMONS ARE FOR LEMONADE, and so you should avoid buying a 
"lemon" in your next used car.  By entering the Vehicle 
Identification Number (VIN) at http://www.giggocar.com you can 
find out whether your next purchase passes the "lemon" test 
from a database of some 700 million vehicles; and, for a fee, 
this site will provide additional history such as the number of 
registrations, major collision damage, odometer tampering, 
etc.  While at the site, you can calculate payments, shop for 
a value in the next clunker, see how much you can afford to 
spend, evaluate your credit, compare models, and, in general, 
become a savvy buyer.

07.  READERS WRITE.  After reading item 06, Issue #64, Terrence 
Miller wrote to caution that the System File Checker may ask to 
replace older files that Outlook 98 uses, so that Outlook users 
might find a problem in inadvertent file deletion.  Terrence 
urges making a backup to restore if a problem occurs, certainly 
good advice in most situations.

08.  NOT AT ANY PRICE.  Interestingly, I was recently contacted 
by a marketing firm and asked if I would sell Neat Net Tricks, 
at a certain amount per subscriber.  I can only assume this 
would be for the purpose of harvesting a rich source of email 
addresses for who-knows-what purpose (as in, "can you say 
'spam'?")  My response was a resounding NO, and this gives me 
an opportune time to repeat to you my commitment that your 
email address in the Neat Net Tricks subscriber database will 
never be used for any purpose other than to get this little 
publication to you twice monthly. (Not for any price, now or 
later.)

09.  GET UP TO SPEED.  I can remember my first experience into 
cyberspace was with a 300 bps modem, and I had lots of time to 
refill the coffee cup between lines of text.  Most of us at 56k 
are looking for a still faster means of communication, and, 
unfortunately, the technology has not yet reached many areas.  
To find out if your area is ready for more speed via cable 
modem, DSL, satellite, and/or wireless, enter yourZIP code, 
address, and telephone prefix at http://www.getspeed.com .

10.  FOCUS: THE BIG FREEZE.  (Note: Neat Net Tricks has 
traditionally kept its tips in short bits.  But a number of 
readers have asked for some subjects to be dealt with in more 
detail.  A new topic, "Focus" appears in this issue, and your 
recommended topics for future "Focus" are welcome.)

If your screen freezes up frequently, causing you to reboot, 
the problem can be very perplexing.  Here's a few suggestions, 
going from the easiest to the most complex.  They are just 
suggestions and certainly not intended to be all-inclusive.  

Keep as few applications as necessary in your StartUp folder.  
These may be draining your resources.  You can monitor your 
resources with Resource Meter 
(Start|Programs|Accessories|System Tools|Resource Meter). But 
be warned, if you're having resource problems, even that little 
utility uses some resources as well.  Or, for a quick snapshot, 
just right click on My Computer, then go to Properties and the 
Performance tab.  While you're there, click on the Graphics 
button and set the slider for "Hardware Accelerator," which 
typically defaults to Full, back to the left one notch.  If 
this doesn't seem to help, you can always repeat the process 
later and move the slider back to Full.

Download and install updated drivers.  If you're not sure how 
to do that you might check out CNet's "Beginners Guide to 
Drivers" at 
http://www.download.com/pc/ed/review/0,357,0-578-1,00.html .

Consider whether the problem with the freezing system recently 
started after you installed new software.  If so, uninstall the 
software and see if that clears up the problem.

Going to Start|Run, type in without the quotes "sysedit" and 
click on the C:\Windows\system.ini window, scroll to the 
section headed [386Enh] and, at a blank line in that section, 
enter without the quotes "MinSPs=8" then Enter key, File|Save, 
close and reboot.

If none of these first-aid attempts have worked, it may be 
necessary to go into your tower.  If this causes you 
squeamishness, it might be best to check with your technical 
support folks (particularly if your system is still under 
warranty) or defer to someone with a bit more computer 
expertise.  

Check your memory modules, one at a time, by removing one and 
seeing if the problem clears up.  If so, replace the faulty 
module.  If the problem persists, disconnect your sound card to 
see if you have a faulty sound card or drivers.  Remember, it's 
easier (and cheaper) to update your drivers than your sound 
card.  Next, consider upgrading your video card. Finally, the 
problem may be in your hard drive, CPU, or motherboard; or, you 
may have to back up your data and reinstall your 
operating system.

A good rule of thumb is, the least treatment to your system the 
better, so take one logical step at a time and hope for the 
best!

11.  EUDORA'S NEWEST.  Chances are you're one of the 18 million 
who use Eudora for EMail, or you know someone who does.  I won't 
bore you with the details of this very efficient program, but 
rather what I consider the significant improvements in the 
newest version, Eudora Pro Email 4.2.  It completes addresses 
and spell-checks automatically, can speak (yes, speak!) the 
name and address of incoming messages, and nicely sets up 
personalities so that you can manage a number of mail accounts.
Search and find techniques are improved.  The user manual, a 
whopping 299 pages in Acrobat format, is conveniently on the CD 
along with the rest of Eudora. There are at least 15 
significant enhancements in this new version, but I've run out 
of space before I even got started!  See for yourself at 
http://www.qualcomm.com .

12.  FILE EXTENSIONS.  If you run across a file extension that 
you're not familiar with, scoot over to 
http://kresch.com/exts/ext.htm and enter the three-letter 
extension for information.  Last time I looked, there were 
1,420 file extensions in its database.

13.  BARE BONES BROWSING.  If you don't care about graphics, 
yearn for the days of DOS, want speed, and can forego bells and 
whistles, you owe it to yourself to give Lynx a try.  It's an 
easy download, just 670kb or so and there are several sites to 
get it (it's free).  If you're using Win95, Win98, or WinNT, 
try http://www.fdisk.com/doslynx/lynxport.htm . Click on the 
link "Win32 version." After you install it with a couple of 
clicks, make sure you're on-line, and when you execute the 
program, it appears to run inside a DOS box within Windows.  
The commands are a little tricky at first, but you'll get the 
hang of it.  It's doubtful you'll want to use Lynx for all your 
surfing but it's a pleasant variation if all you're looking for 
is fast-loading text.

14.  BEWARE OF SYSTEM FILE CHECKER.  In Neat Net Tricks Issue 
#64, we extolled the virtues of the System File Checker.  
Microsoft now graciously admits this application has bugs.  In 
an attempt to refrain from editorializing that this is NOT the 
first time something about Windows has had bugs, suffice it to 
say that if you have Windows 98, do NOT run System File 
Checker, because it may install incorrect files.  Go here for 
more information:  
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,1015278,00.html .

15.  PLUG THE LEAK.  Unless you lead a very sheltered life, 
you've probably heard all about security leaks that would allow 
your system to be hacked.  Microsoft reportedly recommended 
some weeks ago that, until a patch was developed,  Microsoft 
Internet Explorer 5.0 might allow the hackers to access your 
computer.  Reportedly, a temporary fix was to select (in MSIE) 
Tools|Internet Options|Security tab|Internet Zone|Custom Level, 
and scroll down to Scripting, disabling the entry for Active 
Scripting, then click OK.

Now if you've done that and choose to go no further in the 
interests of simplicity, be aware that all these security leak 
patches and fixes have been amassed in what Microsoft terms its 
"Windows 98 Year 2000 Update 2". So if you have the time 
(preferably during non-prime time on the Net), go back and 
enable the Active Scripting discussed in that previous 
paragraph.  Then click Start|Settings|Windows Update while 
on-line, and you'll be whisked off to the Microsoft Windows 
Update Page.  Click on "Product Updates" on the left of the 
screen and after a popup screen and some delay you will 
navigate to a "Select Software" page.  Click everything under 
the "Critical Updates" section and the "Download" arrow and 
just follow along with the ensuing instructions. This will 
likely take more than an hour with a 56K connection, since the 
package is 7,388 kb, and on my machine a couple of the updates 
didn't install the first time.  I had to make another sweep at 
it, and of course reboot each time along the way.  Now, doesn't 
that sound like almost more fun than is legal?

Part of this update package contains a Security Vulnerability 
Patch intended to take care of the latest virus (worm)- 
"Bubbleboy" - that's making the rounds.

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Copyright 1999 by Jack Teems.  All rights reserved.
