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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, July 26, 2009
In this Issue:
Special Feature: New Scam Warning: Discount Medical Cards
Tips & Tricks: Changing Folder Names
Featured Computer Term: LightScribe
This Week's Topic: Using CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs
Question: Moving the Taskbar; Locking the Taskbar
Websites of Interest: BookSeer; This Day in History; Golf on Long Island; Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online: 14. Read Free eBooks
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Special Feature: New Scam Warning: Discount Medical Cards
The following article is from scambusters.org
http://scambusters.org/
With the soaring cost of healthcare, every opportunity to save money may help, so it's no surprise that many people turn to medical discount cards as a way of cutting their bills.
And it's a great idea -- providing you save more than you pay out for the card.
Discount medical cards work by offering users significant savings on medical, dental, optical or pharmacy bills.
Legitimate firms that offer these cards first negotiate savings with providers, then sell the cards, usually for a monthly fee, to the general public.
Providers make their money through the increased level of business the cards drive to their pharmacies and clinics. The card providers profit from the sale of the cards. And the users save by cutting their costs.
So it should be a win-win-win situation. But not always.
Sadly, in some cases, the cards are just a scam -- as a couple dozen Montanans recently discovered when they found the cards they paid good money for were utterly worthless.
The company they bought them from did not have contracts for discounts with the healthcare providers they claimed to be working with.
In other cases, sellers -- usually operating via telemarketing -- deliberately mislead customers into thinking they are buying cheap health insurance, when they are not. Discount medical cards are distinctly different.
This is dangerous because, in some cases, victims, believing they have found a good cut-price deal, give up their existing health insurance.
Later, when they discover the con, it is either more expensive or even impossible to regain their previous coverage. Plus, they may be lumbered with medical bills they'd thought were covered.
If you're offered or are considering buying a discount medical card, here are the steps you should take to ensure you know what you're buying:
* Be skeptical of any firm that promises the same kind of healthcare coverage you can buy elsewhere but at a massively reduced cost.
* Seek written information on what is covered and what is not, and specifically on whether medical treatment is covered and, if so, what types of treatment are included or excluded. In other words, get it in writing!
* Ensure the service providers are named and that they are the ones you want or can use.
* Do your homework on whether the scale of any savings you will make -- on meds for instance -- will be offset by the fee you pay for the card.
* Check out the card provider online. If it is a scam, someone else will likely have reported it.
* Are there conditions in the fine print that will let the provider off the hook if things turn sour? Or are there additional fees you have to pay to get a particular product or service?
It is worth noting that a number of American states offer their own discount cards -- totally free. To see if yours does or to check out the credentials of someone you are thinking of working with, contact your state insurance department. Find them here.
http://www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm
Both of the potential scams we have outlined in this Snippets issue call for common sense and healthy skepticism about claims made for products or services. You owe it to yourself -- and your good health.
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Tips & Tricks: Changing Folder Names
Question: Can I change the name of a folder?
Answer:
Yes, you can. Find the folder and Right click on it. A menu will open; left click on Rename. Type in the new name and press the Enter key. The name will be changed and the new name will now appear.
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Featured Computer Term: LightScribe
Question: I am shopping for a new computer. Many have a feature called LightScribe. What is LightScribe?
Answer:
LightScribe is a technology that uses specially coated CDs or DVDs to produce labels that are laser etched right into the disk instead of stick on labels. Special discs and a disc writer are required.
The user can create a label with any text and design on it. After recording data to the write side of the disc, the user turns the disk over and puts it back into the drive with the label side down. The drive’s laser then etches the label right into the disk.
Is there a computer term or phrase that you'd like to see an explanation of? Email it to info@computerkindergarten.com and we'll put the term and its definition in an upcoming newsletter.
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Today's Topic: Using CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs
Over the past few weeks, we have gotten many questions on copying files from the computer to a CD and vice versa. The following articles, taken from our newsletter archives, address some of these questions.
Putting Files on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Disk
Computers that have CD or DVD writers generally come with writing software. Since writing programs vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, the following steps will be very general, but, hopefully, will help you get started.
The first step is finding your CD or DVD writing program. Open the Start menu and look under Programs. Look for CD or DVD writing, burning or something similar. Open the program.
If you get choice for writing manually or using a wizard, pick the wizard. If not, proceed to the next step.
You will have to choose what type of CD or DVD you want to create, music/audio or data. If you want to put files on the CD or DVD, choose Data.
The next step would be selecting the files you want to put on the CD or DVD. Most programs will show the Windows file structure, with the folders and files in one pane, where they can be selected and then added to the Write list. You may see an Add button, or be able to drag and drop the file into the pane to create your Write list.
Once you have added all the files you want, look for the option to write to the CD or DVD.
Some writing programs will give you the option to test the disk. You may want to test the disks the first few times you use the writer. If they always test ok, in the future you can skip this step.
While the CD or DVD is being written to, do not work with your computer, especially opening or closing programs. The writing process can be interrupted, causing what is called a buffer underrun error, and it could make your disk unusable.
The Writing program will usually let you know when the process is complete. You can then close the program and remove the disk from the drive.
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Copy to a CD or DVD with Windows XP CD or DVD Copier
Question: How do I put my files onto a CD or DVD? I use Microsoft Word and Windows XP.
Answer:
If you are using Windows XP, you do not need to buy expensive CD or DVD -recording software. If your computer has a CD-RW or DVD-RW drive, Windows XP comes with built in CD burning software that will do the job for you.
When you insert a blank disk in your ROM drive, Windows XP will ask you if you want to open a writable CD folder. Click OK.
This folder is where you will temporarily store files that you want to put on a CD. You can copy files to this folder by dragging and dropping them or open Windows Explorer, copy the file and paste into the temp folder.
When you have all the files you want to put on the CD, you are ready to write to the disk. Click on Write these files to CD, which you will see on the left side of the CD folder window. All the files that you put into the temporary folder will be copied to the CD.
Note: files can be copied to a CD-R disk only one time while a CD-RW disk can be used over and over. If you are using a CD-R disk, make sure that you put all the files you want to copy into the temporary folder. Once you have put these files on the CD-R, you will not be able to add any more.
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Copy Files from a CD or DVD to Your Computer
Question: How can I copy the contents of a CD to my hard drive?
Answer:
First, make a place on the hard drive to store files from the CD. For now, make a folder on the desktop. That will be easy to find later. And, in the future, if you want to move it to the My Documents folder, all you have to do is drag it in.
To make a folder, right click on a blank spot on your desktop. In the menu that you now see, point to New and then click Folder. A folder will appear on the desktop with the name New Folder highlighted in blue. Type a name for your folder, and it will replace the highlighted name.
Now you have a folder on the hard drive for the CD files. Double click on it to open it.
Put the CD in the drive and close it. A window should open automatically, listing all the files on the CD. If it does not open, double click on the My Computer icon, and then double click on the CD drive.
There are now two windows open on your desktop; one has the contents of the CD, and the other is the empty folder on the hard drive.
Arrange the windows so they are side by side, each taking up approximately half of the screen. To do this, right click on a blank spot on the taskbar (the bar across the bottom of the screen). From the resulting menu, click Tile Windows Vertically. The two windows will now line up next to each other.
In the window with the CD files, click Edit on the menu, and then click Select All. All the files will be highlighted. Point to any of the highlighted files, hold down the left mouse button, and drag into the other window (the empty folder on the hard drive). Give the files a few moments to copy.
The files from the CD will now be in the folder on the desktop. You can remove the CD from the drive.
To open any of the files you copied from the CD, double click on the folder icon, and then double click on the file you want to open. The file will open in the appropriate program.
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Windows Vista - Putting Files on a CD
Question: My computer has Windows Vista on it. How do I copy files to a CD?
Answer:
It’s much easier in Vista than it ever was before, in any previous Windows version.
Put the CD in the drive. The AutoPlay window will open; click on Burn files to disc using Windows. In the next window that displays, you can name your CD if you like. Click in the box next to Disc Title, erase whatever text is in there, and type the name of your CD. Click the Next button when you’re done.
A window will display with a list of drives and folders in the pane on the left and a large blank area on the right. Find the files you want to put on the CD and drag them into that blank area. When you are done, right click on the CD/DVD drive in the left pane (if you can’t see it, double click on Computer). A menu will open; left click on Eject. Windows will close the session and open the drive. Remove the disk and you’re done.
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CD and DVD Burners
Question: I would like to put some important files on a CD just in case something happens to my computer. How do I know if my CD drive can save files?
The following is from worldstart.com
Open up your CD/DVD ROM drive and look on the front of the tray. There should be some sort of logo written on the very front of the tray telling you if it's a burner or not. If it just says something like "CD Drive," there probably isn't a burner there. If it says CD/DVD R-RW, you do have a burner. That's the easiest way to tell.
The other thing you can do is look in the Device Manager. To get there, right click on the My Computer icon on your desktop. Choose Properties and then click on the Hardware tab. Once you're there, click on the Device Manager button and you will be taken to a list of all the hardware you have on your system. Double click on DVD/CD ROM Drive to expand it. If an extension comes up that says something like CD-RW or DVD-RW, you have a burner. If anything comes up at all, you more than likely already have a burner in your computer.
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Question: Moving the Taskbar; Locking the Taskbar
Somehow my Start toolbar, the one that normally runs across the bottom of the screen, is now on the right of my screen. Can I get it back where it was before?
Answer:
Yes, you can. The taskbar can be easy to move, if you click on something on it, and then forget to release the mouse button. Doing that will drag it elsewhere on the screen.
Point the mouse on a blank spot in the middle of the taskbar and hold down the left mouse button. Keep the mouse button pressed and drag the bar in down to the middle of the bottom of your screen. You may not see the bar down at the bottom, but you should see a horizontal line. When that line is across the bottom of the screen, release the mouse button and the taskbar should appear down at the bottom.
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Locking the Taskbar
If you find that you inadvertently move the taskbar from time to time, here is a tip to prevent that from ever happening again.
Right click on a blank spot on the taskbar. From the resulting menu, left click on Lock the Taskbar. Now, the taskbar will always stay at the bottom of the screen.
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Websites of Interest:
BookSeer
If are not sure what book to read next, try this website. Type in what you have just read and it will recommend a list of books to read.
http://bookseer.com/
This Day in History
What happened on the day you were born?
http://dmarie.com/timecap/
Golf on Long Island
If you like to golf and live on Long Island, visit this website for information on all the Nassau and Suffolk courses.
http://www.golfonlongisland.com/
Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online: 14. Read Free eBooks
From Wendy Boswell of about.com
No matter what your financial situation may be, it is always a good idea to learn new ways to save money. Find out how you can utilize the power of the Web to save money, find good deals, and improve your financial status.
14. Read Free eBooks
There are a ton of sites that offer free eBooks on the Web. Here are a few sites where you can find free downloadable eBooks.
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://worldlibrary.net/
http://www.readprint.com/
http://www.bartleby.com/
Tip: Some websites may require you to register to use their features. When you register at websites, you may be signing up for spam (junk mail) if the recipient sells email addresses to spammers. There is a way to avoid this and still be able to take advantage of the great things that site has to offer. Read our article, Minimizing Spam – Registering Online, at our newsletter archives, to learn how use websites without getting junk mail.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/111608.html
Next Edition: Free Spyware Remover
Please visit our newsletter archives for previous articles in our Fifteen Ways to Save Money Online series:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/savemoney.html
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