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#1- News, News, News

In This Issue...

#2 - Do you have a buck or two? - Contribute to Dave's computer fund.

#3 - CNET on anti-spyware - What one reader has to say.

#4 - Beware of Microsoft OneCare - Again proves you don't let the fox guard the henhouse.

#5 - Jazz up your PowerPoint presentations - Carol adds Pizzazz to PowerPoint.

#6 - My Recommended Software - Need software? Check here first!

#7 - Daves Computer Tips Contest - Win a copy of Diskeeper 2007 Professional!

#8 - The Lighter Side - Some humor to lighten your load!

#9 - Useful web sites - Website's I've visited lately that you may find useful.

In the next issue...

I always include my email address on my site and in my newsletters. If you have information, links, articles, or other such info you would like to see in my newsletter don't hesitate to send them along! I can't possibly respond to every email, but I try to get through them all and include relevant information in the newsletter.

Here is where I beg!

Please tell a friend, relative, coworker, or stranger about my site and newsletter. Use any means necessary to spread the word about Daves Computer Tips. A quick suggestion: Write www.davescomputertips.com. on all your neighbor's windows in shoe polish!

As always I appreciate your comments and suggestions about the site and newsletter. If you would like to share please contact me at dave @ davescomputertips.com.

Carol is our resident "Office Goddess". If you have Microsoft Office questions or suggestions for future Office articles shoot her an email at carol @ carolscorneroffice.com.

#2 - Do you have a buck or two?

I'm asking those that have an extra dollar or two and appreciate the work I do to donate a few of dollars in support of the newsletter. The money will be used to purchase a new computer running Microsoft Vista. The new computer will allow me to begin adding relevant Vista content to the newsletter! There is no pressure to contribute. The only purpose of this request is the purchase of a new computer to further the efforts of my site and newsletter.

Total amount presently in the new computer fund is 23% of the cost, so the purchase is on hold for a while longer. Be assured the money is tucked away and will be used for no other purposes, as I promised.

If you enjoy the Daves Computer Tips Newsletter and find it helpful please donate by clicking the PayPal button below. You may donate any amount you feel comfortable with. Every little bit helps and is appreciated!

#3 - CNET on anti-spyware

By David Hartsock

Reader John contacted me yesterday to tell me about CNET's anti-spyware test, which they released Thursday. Below is what John had to say:

Hello Dave,

My name is John from Las Vegas, NV.

Have you seen the "Anti-Spyware Top 10" review by CNET.com?:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3688_7-6721518-1.html

Unbelievable!

Where can I start?

First, take the products they decided to test. I mean, when you have a mix of paid and free applications, does Spybot S&D even belong on the list? What about Windows Defender? Of the paid applications, the ones they picked are certainly considered the top of the line in Anti-Spyware.

Second, even if you disagree with the choices they made to test, I am sure we can agree that the test itself is a sham. I mean, using only 8 nastys to test? And what about the ones they chose? None of them have rootkits, change their name randomly, or actively fight the installation of the Anti-Spyware.

They are just low level nastys.

It seems to me that this test was done just to promote ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware and the products and tests were fashioned to make sure that the ZA application would be the number one pick.

Now, I don't mean to sound like I have something against ZA or Zone Labs. I have been a ZA fan for years. As a matter of fact, I am a active beta tester for Zone Labs. I have ZA Pro firewall running on my box right now. But in testing, I know that ZA's Anti-Spyware does not measure up to other products, even many free applications.

If you follow the relationship of CNET and Zone Labs, you will know that CNET always touts ZA's products. Even when ZoneAlarm put out one of it's versions that was flawed and buggy, CNET still recommended it and didn't cover the problems Zone Labs was having.

I think CNET.com should be held to task for this. They should not be allowed to run such a poor test without people saying something about it.

I hope you consider checking out the review for yourself and possibly writing about it.

Thanks for your time,

John

I agree with John that CNET's testing leaves a lot to be desired. I just can't imagine using only 8 test samples when there are thousands and thousands of spyware and malware currently active. Let's not forget the new ones created everyday. The problem is thousands of people will see their review and many will blindly take actions based upon their results.

I've mentioned my general dislike for suites, or products that combine multiple functions. Usually these jack of all trades programs are masters of none. I prefer software, especially security related software, that focuses on one task. I may be proven wrong in the future, but until I am that is my stance. I also prefer programs that are well written and low on resource usage. I know that ZoneAlarm, Norton, and McAfee do not fall into this category.

I will note that virus, spyware, and malware are morphing into similar objects. The line between them is blurring. This may, in the future, mean that one program will handle both. I don't think this is the case today and won't be for some time to come. This makes me question their inclusion of Norton Anti-Virus and McAfee.

CNET's results have me a little confused. The results clearly show that Webroot SpySweeper, Windows Defender, and Ad-Aware blocked more instances than they detected. How can you block something you don't detect?

All in all I think the test results are skewed. Three products had higher prevention scores than ZoneAlarm. There were just too few samples used to get accurate results. Though my test did not include most of these programs I did include the seven most popular in my opinion. I think you'll agree that my test was much more thorough. Read it HERE

I still use and recommend Webroot SpySweeper!

How do you feel about CNET's test? Comment here!

#4 - Windows OneCare

By David S. Hartsock

In the February 1st, 2007 issue of my newsletter I stated the following in article #3:

"I see this as Microsoft builds a huge house with thousands of doors and windows. Many of the doors are unlocked and many of the windows are open. They have the front door locked, barred, bolted, and protected to the hilt. I come along and know that there are unlocked doors and open windows. I offer to help guard Microsoft's house, because I'm good at it, until they can find the openings and secure them. Microsoft says NO, they can handle it."

Obviously I don't believe Microsoft should have anything to do with anti-virus or anti-spyware. Microsoft's focus should be on securing the Windows operating system and reacting quickly to vulnerabilities when they are found. It seems someone at PC World agrees.

PC World's article refers to a recent test done by Av-Comparatives.org, an Australian organization who really knows how to perform testing. I urge you to visit their site and click on Comparatives in the left hand menu. Look for their November 2006 and February 2007 tests (their most recent) and view the results.

Microsoft's OneCare performs horribly. You will also notice that NOD32, which I use and recommend, is always in the top two of the results.

Microsoft touts OneCare as a comprehensive security solution for your computer. Many people trust Microsoft, not that I distrust Microsoft, but don't allow a fox to guard your hen house.

What are your feelings about Windows OneCare's results?

#5 - Jazz up PowerPoint presentations

by Carol A. Bratt

You can create a fairly impressive presentation in MS PowerPoint that plays like an old time slide show and you can even add sound and video to your presentation.

But if you really want to jazz it up and blend video clips, HTML, audio and PowerPoint slides into one single show that can play back on the Internet, then you need a little something extra.

That little something extra is a seldom heard of FREE (to licensed users) add on called Microsoft Producer 2003. Be aware that you will have to have a high speed Internet connection to download the program because its approximately 46MB.

Producer will allow you to do the following:

Capture narration and synchronize it with your slides using a simple wizard
Capture high-quality audio and video and add it directly to your presentation
Create presentations that play back properly on Macintosh computers and in non-Microsoft browsers
Embed presentations into HTML format, frames within a Website and allow viewers to save stopping points, speed up playback, and easily fast-forward or rewind through the show.
Create multiple versions of your show in different bit rates or using different versions of the Windows Media format.

Keep in mind, that Producer isn't for the casual PowerPoint user. But if you're looking to create a stunning, breath-taking show, then you need to investigate Microsoft Producer. You can find it at:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1B3C76D5-FC75-4F99-94BC-784919468E73&displaylang=en

This program is compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 and 2003.

To import a PowerPoint presentation into Producer and edit the slides follow the steps below:

To start Producer, click Start | All Programs | Microsoft Office.
Click Microsoft Producer for PowerPoint 2003.
In the Microsoft Producer dialog box, click Use the New Presentation Wizard.
Click OK to start the New Presentation Wizard.
On the Welcome to the New Presentation Wizard page, click Next.
On the Presentation Template page, select one of the many templates based on the digital media you plan to use. If you’re not sure which template to use, click Default.
On the Choose a Presentation Scheme page, complete the following steps to specify the color scheme and font attributes for your presentation. You may leave the defaults if you prefer.

In the Font list, choose a font for the table of contents text.
In the Font size list, choose a size for the table of contents text.
In the Font color box, choose the color for the table of contents text and table of contents entries.
In the Background box, choose the background color for the table of contents area in your presentation.
In the Slides area background box, choose the background color for the area in which your slides are shown in your presentation.

On the Presentation Information page, complete the following steps:

In the Title box, type the title for your presentation.
In the Presenter (optional) box, type the presenter's name.
In the Introduction page image (optional) box, type a path and file name for an image you want to display. If you do not know the path and file name, click Browse to locate an image file on your computer or on a network location, and then click Open to select the file.

In the Description (optional) box, type a short description of your presentation.

The information you enter on this page will appear on the introduction page of your published presentation

On the Import Slides and Still Images page, click Browse and locate the folder that contains the files you wish to import.
Click the PowerPoint file and then click Open to select the file. The selected file is added to the Files area automatically.
Click Finish. Producer 2003 imports the file and opens the project.
In Producer, click the Media tab.
On the timeline, right-click the first slide, and then click Edit Slide.
PowerPoint starts automatically and the first slide is selected.
In PowerPoint, make your edits
On the File menu, click Save, and then close PowerPoint.
The updated slides are automatically imported into Producer 2003 with your changes when you return to Producer.
To save the project, on the File menu, click Save Project. In the File name box, type the name of your file, and then click Save.

I think you agree, that after you've mastered Producer, you will be the star presenter in your company!

Carol Bratt is the Office Applications Editor at Daves Computer Tips. She has authored several informative Microsoft Office books and writes the monthly Word Bytes Newsletter with more tips and tricks in each issue. Visit Carol's website for more great Microsoft Office tips and tricks! Click here to see her latest books! You can read more about Carol here.

Did you find Carol's Article helpful?

#6- My Recommended Software

Anti-spyware and Anti-malware Software

Webroot SpySweeper - Daves Computer Tips Seal of Approval Winner! See the test results HERE. Spysweeper provides the best protection of the seven anti-spyware programs tested! Great detection and removal rates with a small real-time protection memory footprint. This is the one you want! SpySweeper includes the ASK toolbar. Be sure to uncheck this option during installation. Free 14 day trial.

CounterSpy - Runner-up in my Anti-Spyware test. Not only does CounterSpy scan and remove spyware, it also uses real time protection. Real-time protection prevents spyware infection. Free 15 day trial. Winner of Computer Shopper Magazine's Best Buy Award!

Antivirus and Firewall Software

ESET Smart Security - New from the maker's of NOD32. Antivirus, Antispyware, Antispam, and Firewall all wrapped into one effective, swift, and low resource package. It is what I use to protect each of my computers!

Kaspersky Antivirus - Kaspersky is my second choice for antivirus software. A good program that is very close in performance to NOD32. Free trial.

Online Armor Firewall - You shouldn't be on the internet without a software firewall that offers inbound and outbound protection. Online Armor is the Best of the Best. Online Armor uses an interface that is easier to navigate than most other firewalls and the protection level can't be beat! Online Armor is available in both a free and reasonably priced paid version, which offers even more protection!

Audio and Video Software

Acoustica Audio Converter Pro - This program converts audio formats and bitrates. Perfect for those with portable audio players or large music collections. 30 day trial.

Adobe Premier Elements 7 - Elements is the home version of Adobe Premiere, the best professional video editing suite today. Premier Elements costs 1/6th the price of the professional version, but is very capable of making videos that will impress everyone.

DVDFab is my favorite DVD software. I tried over 30 different programs before settling on DVDFab. It offers every function of the other programs and more! Copy, burn, shrink, convert for mobile devices, or convert for streaming. Almost all of the other programs I've tried did not function as advertised, were extremely slow, or did not have features that worked as advertised. DVDFab works, and works as advertised! It's easy to use, has a pleasant user interface, and it updated often.

Computer Hardware

Crucial Memory - Memory (RAM) is the upgrade that gives any computer the best bang for the buck. If you want to speed things up with more memory, why not purchase it from the leading source of quality RAM memory. Great selection, good prices, excellent support, and a lifetime warranty! A real winner!

CyberGuys - The place to get those hard to find cables and accessories for your computer!

HP Computers - My current pick for new laptops and desktops. In the current market I don't think you can beat HP's combination of price and performance. Their laptop line is very cost effective and the design is absolutely beautiful!

Newegg - Newegg.com is known for great service and awesome pricing on computers, upgrades, and electronics. If you're looking for computers, computer parts, or electronics you owe it to yourself to start here! Great Products. Great Prices. Great Customer Service!

Computer Maintenance Software

Diskeeper 2008 - My current favorite defrag program. As files are written and erased from the hard drive they begin to leave "spaces" behind. When the drive is written to again files are broken up to fill in these spaces. This causes the drive to go to several different locations to read an entire file, which slows performance greatly. Diskeeper has several advanced features such as; automatic defrag, scheduled defrag, and the ability to defrag the MFT (Master File Table) and paging file. 30 day trial.

Registry Mechanic - A very thorough and efficient registry cleaner and defragmenter. A definite must to maintain peak performance and stabile operation. 30 day trial.

Computer Utility Software

Acronis True Image 2010 - Do you value the data on your computer? Do you value your time? How much time will you spend recovering data and returning your computer to its original state after a hardware failure or software glitch? True Image is my #1 choice in backup tools. Whether you choose file or image based backups (you should use both!) True Image will perform better than any other application I've used. Disk images created with True Image are generally 10-20% smaller than those from comparable programs. If your time and files are as important to you as mine are to me this is a must have.

Acronis Disk Director - My favorite tool to partition, format, and resize hard drives.

Roboform - This program is the next best thing since sliced bread in my book! This program integrates into Internet Explorer and firefox. It generates very secure passwords at the click of a button. How do I remember these complex passwords? Roboform allows you to save passwords and personal data in an encrypted format. A master password (yes only one password to remember!) allows access. Roboform in IE and FireFox works like a super powered bookmark. You click the site you want to go to and Roboform opens the site, enters your username and password for the site (if required) and as if by magic clicks the submit button. If you shop online Roboform can enter your personal information and credit card information, which is also stored in a secure encrypted file, in one click. A real time saver with great security thrown in to boot! 30 day trial.

WinRar - What is commonly called a zip utility, similar to the more widely known WinZip. WinRar is faster and works with more formats for about 1/2 the price of WinZip. 30 day trial.

Desktop Utility Software

Bootskin Vista - Change the boot screen (the one with the moving bar) in Vista. It's free!

LogonStudio - Change the screen that appears when you log into Windows (where you enter your password). Hundreds of skins available online. It's free.

CursorFX Plus - Change the cursors on your computer, add interesting effects. Hundreds of cursor packs are available online for free.

IconPackager 4 - Icon Packager puts you in control to change every icon with the click of a button. Tired of the plain icons built into Windows? There are hundreds of Icon Packs available online for free, which will add a truly personal feel to your computer.

WindowBlinds 6 - WindowBlinds changes the look and feel of Windows. By changing the appearance of the task bar, start menu, and any other window or program you open. It adds transparency, shadows, alpha blending, and animations. Hundreds of themes are available online for free.

Internet and Email

1&1 hosting - If you want to start your own website, blog, photo gallery, or have a personalized email address then 1&1 is for you. 1&1 can not be beat for reliability, features, support, and price. 90 day guarantee.

Google Gmail - The best internet based email (webmail) available. Each mailbox has a 6.5GB limit. The interface is superb, and the spam filter is top notch. You will never need to delete an email again! It has a great search function and a feature called thread view, which makes finding emails easy. A webmail account offers several advantages including not being required to change your email address if you change service providers. Gmail requires an invitation from a current member. If you are interested shoot me an email and I'll send you an invite.

Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Outlook is the current email client of choice for corporate America. I get well over 200 emails a day. Outlook has a few features I really need such as a plug in for automatic backups, office sounds which offers me some audible feedback, and the ability to change headers. I've used Mozilla Thunderbird and liked it a lot. With the amount of mail I go through I really need the features of Outlook. If you aren't a heavy user, or don't need the features I do then Thunderbird is a great alternative.

Firefox 3 - An amazing, free, web browser. If you aren't using it you should be! Highly customizable through addins called extensions. There are thousands of extensions which can allow FireFox to do just about anything you can imagine. More importantly, Firefox is not subject to ActiveX, which is a large part of Internet Explorer, AOL, and MSN. No ActiveX means much less chance of getting spyware! Firefox also conforms to web standards more closely than Internet Explorer, which means you will see what the authors intended, not Microsoft.

Mozilla Thunderbird - A great free email client, from the same folks that brought us FireFox. Easy to use and highly customizable through extensions.

Photo and Picture Software

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 - Photoshop Elements is the home version of Adobe Photoshop. If you are serious about digital photos you will find Photoshop Elements a great program to have at your disposal. Elements provides all the functionality most will need at 1/6th the price of the full Photoshop version.

Picasa - A great (FREE) way to organize, edit, and share your digital photos.

Comment on Dave's recommended software!

#7- Win Diskeeper 2007 Professional

By David S. Hartsock

Welcome to Daves Computer Tips first contest! You may already be a winner! Actually the contest is to see who can get the most new subscribers to join my newsletter. It's that easy!

RULES

I am the judge. My rulings are final
The contest begins NOW.
The contest ends at 12:01AM on April 10th, 2007. This allows me to announce a winner in the next issue
You may use any means necessary to get friends, family, coworkers, or strangers to subscribe
Each person who subscribes as a result of your work counts as 1 toward the final score
Each person who subscribes MUST send a separate email to dave @ davescomputertips.com
The email MUST contain your email address in the subject line
This email address MUST be the email address that YOU use to receive my newsletter
All email addresses WILL be verified
Attempting to cheat will result in immediate disqualification

You can use any method you feel comfortable with to ask your friends, family, coworkers, and strangers to subscribe. They must send me an email from their subscribed email address with your subscribed email address in the subject line. Feel free to tell them it's a contest

The winner will receive a free copy of Diskeeper 2007 Professional, a $50 value! The Defrag program in Windows is a "Lite" version of Diskeeper from seven years ago. To read about the features of Diskeeper 2007 Click Here. Good Luck!

What do you think of Dave's Contest?

#8- The lighter side

After spending countless hours surfing the web in search of various funny or interesting things to share with you here are a few of my finds to lighten your day! I go through a lot to please my readers!

Looking for Cheap High Speed Internet Access? - Google's new FREE service is for you!

Interesting idea - We all know computers collect crap. Drives, modems, routers, etc and the wires associated.

What kids are learning in school these days - Amazing computer animation!

Tom & Jerry - Yes THAT Tom & Jerry. Neat little addictive game. Hint: The different colored balloons have different speeds.

What did you think of these?

#9- A few website's you may find useful

Giveaway of the Day! - This site offers different paid software for FREE. A different program and game every single day. You can't beat the price! - Thanks to Jerry!

Cha Cha - A new type of search. You really have to try this out. Cha Cha uses real humans to "guide" you if you can't find what you want. Type your search and click the Search button. When you get your results you can click the "Search with Guide" button and a real human will help you find the results you really want! - Thanks to Paul!

Did you find these sites useful?

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