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Welcome to today's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, March 3, 2002
In this Issue:
A Reminder: Beware of Internet Hoaxes
Special Feature: Letterhead in Laser Printers
Featured Computer Term: NIC card
This Week's Topic: Uninstalling Programs
Question: Finding your Windows Version
Learning Series: Word Processing - Symbols
Featured Website: Hollywood!
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A Reminder: Beware of Internet Hoaxes
There are hundreds and hundreds of Internet hoaxes around. Many people fall for them, some even send money to con artists and scammers. Others forward email hoaxes to everyone they know. In any case, be aware of scams and hoaxes out there.
Here's are a couple of hints on how to spot an email hoax:
1. If the world is coming to an end, or some other earth shattering event (like Bill Gates giving away money!), that would tempt you to forward an email to everyone you’ve ever known, more than likely you would have heard about it on CNN first.
2. A sure way to spot a hoax is this: somewhere in the email, it says forward to everyone you know. Sure thing, the writer is looking for their 15 minutes of fame, even if that just means a million people are reading what they wrote.
Warning: there is a very popular hoax that has been going around for a long time telling the recipient about a virus that they may have caught.
According to this message, if you have a file called SULFNBK.EXE on your computer, you've caught the virus. THIS IS NOT A VIRUS! DON'T DELETE THIS FILE! Every computer has this file on it; it's needed for the computer to work.
In our Links section at the end of this newsletter, we've listed some websites that you can check to see if any weird email you receive is legitimate or just another Internet Hoax.
Think first before forwarding emails or taking any action that an email suggests.
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Special Feature: Letterhead in Laser Printers
The following question is from a newsletter subscriber:
I bought new letterhead and my laser printer ruins it. Have you ever heard of this before?
Answer: Before you spend a lot of money on fancy letterhead, make sure it will work in your laser printer.
Extras like embossing or metallic inks look great, but they may not work right with some laser printers. For instance, some laser printers will "flatten out" the embossing on letterhead, and dirty ink marks will show up on the high spots of the letterhead. In other printers, metallic inks and the high temperatures generated by a laser printer do not match. Due to the high heat in laser printers, some envelopes will come out glued closed.
It’s a good idea to talk to someone at the printing store and see if they can provide samples of similar letterhead and envelopes you can test before you spend the money to print your order.
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Today's Computer Term: NIC card
Thanks to newsletter subscriber Pat for the following question:
I've been looking into using Optimum Online to get on the Internet. My 56K modem seems to be failing.
My computer is three years old. I use windows 98. Everything has slowed to a snails pace. It takes 15 minutes to get the computer going and get hooked up to the net. I figure I have to do something before I get homicidal.
Seems I can buy the cable modem from the provider but I'm told I must also purchase either a network interface card or an Ethernet card. What's that mean in English?
Answer: Yes, you will need to purchase a Network Card and install it in your computer. Also called a NIC, Ethernet card, or Network Interface Card, this is a computer circuit board or card that is installed in a computer so that it can be connected to a network.
The main difference between your modem and a Network Interface Card is that the modem uses analog signals to transfer data, while the NIC used digital signals. Since your computer uses digital signals, the modem must convert the digital signals to analog and then back to digital, something the network card does not need to do.
Many newer computers come with the NIC card already in place. You can tell if your computer already has the card in it; on the back of the computer, look for something that looks like a connection for a very large phone plug -that’s the network card.
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Today's Topic: Uninstalling Programs
One of the quickest ways to free up storage space on your computer is to uninstall programs that you don’t use anymore.
There are five ways you can uninstall a program:
1) Delete the files from your hard drive. This is a BAD solution. There are literally hundreds of places that a program can keep files, registry entries, and bits and pieces of files and such. By simply deleting the program files from your computer, you won’t be able to remove all the extra files and pieces. All these junk files will be left on your computer.
2) Use the program's uninstall procedure. Many programs come with their own uninstall program that will quickly remove programs from your computer. The problem? Many of these programs simply don't do a complete job.
3) Reinstall the program! Sometimes the easiest way to uninstall a program is to reinstall it, then remove it using its own software (see number 2 and number 4)
4) Use the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel. This is a standard Windows removal tool that actually does a fairly decent job of removing programs from your hard drive.
5) Use a third-party removal tool. A third party tool (such as Norton Uninstall or Clean Sweep) will be extremely thorough in removing programs. Some software will detect 'orphans,' which are programs and files to which there is no connection.
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Question: Finding your Windows Version
The following is a question from a newsletter subscriber:
In your newsletter, you frequently mention different versions of Windows. How do I find out which version of Windows I have?
Answer:
That’s an easy one. Open the Start menu (Click on the Start button, lower left on your screen). Tilt your head to the left. Along the left side of the menu, you’ll see the version of Windows that you’re using. If there’s no version there, you’re using Windows XP.
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Progressive Learning Series: Word Processing - Symbols
The following question is from a newsletter subscriber:
I want to use symbols in my word processor like the little t for trademark, the c for copyright, etc. Is there a way to do this?
Answer: Yes, there is. If you want to use symbols in your documents. Here's how:
This will work in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, Corel WordPerfect, and most other word processing programs.
1. Click to place your cursor in the location you would like to insert the symbol.
2. Click Insert on the menu.
3. Click Symbol.
4. Find the symbol you wish to enter and click it.
5. Click Insert.
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Today's Featured Website: Hollywood!
Motion Picture and Television Photo Archive
Here's Hollywood, captured by the camera. The Motion Picture and Television (MPTV) photo archive is a wealth of photos, vintage and contemporary, of Hollywood at its most glamorous and intimate. The collection of stills (more than 1.5 million in all) also includes political and sports figures, socialites, musicians and artists, making it a great resource for those seeking such photos for commercial uses or just for private appreciation. Browsing the gallery is a real treat. http://www.mptv.net/
Real Celebrity Names
There are quite a few celebrities that have changed names! Actors, Politicians, Singers, Religious Leaders, Models and more have changed the name they were given, to something that stands out. Also, find out celebrities birthdays, place of birth and a little bio on them. Did you know that Cher's name is Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere? Or that Demi Moore's name is Demetrai Gene Guynes? Or how about that Kirk Douglas's name is really Issur Danielovitch? This is a site you can't miss out on... http://www.famousnamechanges.com/html/welcome.htm
The Three Stooges
Here's the official site for all fans of The Three Stooges. This site has bios of all of the Stooges, an all-new place to shop for Stooge items (Soitenly Stooges store), a filmography, photo gallery and much more. If you're a fan, you soitenly need to visit this site. http://www.threestooges.com/ |
