** Issue #17 April 15th, 2007 **
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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. We're at 33%!
#3 - Things seem to look different - Is your eyesight playing tricks on you?
#4 - Contest Winner - Did you win the contest? You may be surprised!
#5 - My Places in Microsoft Office - What exactly are those buttons?
#6 - My Recommended Software - Need software? Check here first!
#7 - Eset Smart Security - The makers of NOD32 Antivirus try to change Dave's mind!
#8 - The Lighter Side - Some humor to lighten your load!
#9 - Useful web sites - Websites 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.
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.
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#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 33% 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 - Things seem to look different!
By David Hartsock
Have you had your eyesight tested lately? Should you? Probably not!
In the never ending battle to make Daves Computer Tips an easier read I've made some changes in the last week.
You may have noticed the *NEW* banner at the top of each page. It's a lot less "busy" than the old one, but hopefully still gets the point across. I've also changed the bright red issue date to a more esthetic blue to match the new logo.
I've added a neat little arrow to the headline for each article and changed the background color to match the shadow in the new logo. You may also notice the font size is a tad smaller. This will allow me to include some longer titles and have it still remain on one line for those with lower screen resolutions.
I've also added some new code to www.davescomputertips.com/links.html which will make it easy for anyone to add a link to Daves Computer Tips from their website, email signature, or blog! Let me (and everyone else) know what you think about the new changes by commenting below!
What do you think about the new Daves Computer Tips look? Comment here!
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#4 - Did you win the contest?
By David S. Hartsock
Out of over 1100 subscribers I received absolutely NO emails from any new subscriber that was referred by an existing subscriber. Not a single one! If you had gotten one person to subscribe you would have been the winner of a free copy of Diskeeper 2007 Professional.
Because no one entered the contest I don't have a winner, but I still intend to give the software away. I found a random number generator on the web. I clicked the "Generate" button a random number of times. The result was 208. Reader 208 is Jim, a Yahoo email user, from Australia. I've emailed Jim and if he responds before April 22nd a free copy of Diskeeper 2007 Pro is his! If he doesn't respond, or doesn't want the software, I'll choose another random subscriber and contact them.
What is your opinion about the contest?
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#5 - My Places in Microsoft Office
by Carol A. Bratt
I'm pretty sure that most folks who use Microsoft Office every day have no idea that there is a nifty little time saver called My Places. Well there is and I'm going to tell you all about it.
I am an MOS certified expert in Microsoft Word and I'm not ashamed to tell you that I didn't know about the My Places feature until just recently. It's a pretty cool feature too. I am always looking for ways to save time and keystrokes and so I highly recommend the My Places Bar. It's one of my favorite shortcuts now.
Once I discovered My Places, I decided to do a bit of research on it and I found out that it first appeared in Office 2000. You will find it on the left side of File Open and File Save As dialog boxes in Office suite applications. In Office 2003, you see it in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Front Page, OneNote, Publisher, Visio, and InfoPath.
Now in Office 2000 you were not able to customize My Places, and so most people, like myself, simply chose to ignore it. As a matter of fact, I always viewed it as an annoyance.
I'm pleased to inform you that in Office 2003 you can now customize the bar so that it is actually very useful to you. Among the ways you can customize the My Places bar are adding folders, making the icons smaller, moving the icons so that the ones you most frequently use are at the top and vice versa, and removing custom folders that you have once added to the bar. The only drawback is that you cannot easily remove the built-in locations.
To add the folders of your choice in order to save yourself some time and keystrokes, follow the steps below:
- Launch Microsoft Word if it is not already open.
- Choose Open or Save As from the File menu in any of the Office applications except Outlook.
- Navigate to the folder that you want to add to the My Places bar.
- Select the folder.
- Click on the Tools menu in the dialog's toolbar.
If you are unable to find the folder on the left side of My Places after you have added it, click the black arrow to reveal it's location.
After you have added a folder to the My Places bar, you can move it to the top or bottom of the list if you like. To move a folder:
- Right-click the folder and choose Move Up or Move Down.
You can do this more than once to keep moving the folder in either direction.
If, after you have added a folder you decide at a later date that you no longer want to have the folder on your My Places bar, it is very easy to remove it. Simply right-click on the folder and select Remove.
An extra added bonus is that you only have to add folders once because there is only one My Places Bar that is shared by all Office applications.
Pretty cool huh?
Carol writes the monthly Word Bytes Newsletter with more tips and tricks each issue. Visit Carol's website for more great Microsoft Office tips and tricks! Visit Carol's site at www.carolscorneroffice.com
Did you find Carol's Article helpful?
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#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 - Elements is the consumer version of Adobe Premiere. It costs 1/6th the price, 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 11 - 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
LogonStudio - Change the screen that appears when you boot Windows (the one with the moving bar graph). Hundreds of free skins available online. It's free.
Cursor XP Plus - Change the cursors on your computer. Hundreds of cursor packs are available online for free.
Icon Packager - Change the icons on your computer. 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 - This is the icing on the proverbial cake. 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.
- 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 - Photoshop Elements is a consumer 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.
Picasa - A great (FREE) way to organize, edit, and share your digital photos.
Comment on Dave's recommended software!
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#7- Eset Smart Security - Beta
By David S. Hartsock
I've long been a fan of Eset's NOD32 Antivirus program, and I've often said that here in the newsletter. I've also said I'm not a fan of software suites, especially when security is involved!
Security suites have suffered from many problems, usually of their own making:
- Sometimes combining products from different companies that often don't work well together
- Very large resource usage
- Poor performance
- Trying to do too many things and doing none well
I can't tell you how many times I've found a suite like Norton causing problems with an otherwise stable PC. If you've never had the pleasure of uninstalling Norton you are truly missing one of the most frustrating tasks performed by a computer owner. Removing Norton can be compared to putting out a forest fire with a squirt bottle. Hopeless.
While the current trend is for every software company to release a security suite I tend to shy away from these because of past experience. GM may build the best engines. Ford may build the best transmissions. Toyota may have the best bodies. Not often to you find a manufacturer who has the total package. It's just common sense.
I've been hearing rumors about Eset creating a security suite including Antivirus, Antispyware, a firewall, and spam filter. I would have paid no attention, but I am very impressed with their NOD32 Antivirus product. It's what I use and recommend to others. Eset is known for their very tight code, which translates into a faster and more efficient program. Eset's scanning engine is one of the best available, if not the best, available.
Based on my knowledge of Eset's products and history I chose to try their suite, called Eset Smart Security, when they released a Beta version last week. Beta refers to a version of a program released to the public for testing purposes. It allows a company to expose their product to a wide variety of users and system configurations to work the bugs out of the software. The beta process ensures the end user gets a stable and effective product when the software is finally released.
I downloaded the program, then disconnected from the internet. I then uninstalled my copies of NOD32, Webroot SpySweeper, and Sunbelt Kerio Firewall before installing Eset Smart Security. Once installation was complete I reconnected to the internet and immediately received the latest virus database update.
I have been incredibly impressed with Eset's Smart Security, especially for a first beta! Very stable. Very low resource usage. Very fast scans. A much improved user interface over NOD32, which is a complaint of some novice users.
I didn't think I would be impressed enough to keep the beta, so I did not take any measurements before I installed Eset Smart Security. I can tell you this... Total memory usage is about 33MB, which is about 65MB less than the total of the programs I had before! Startup time is also less, on the order of about 20 seconds.
Here are a few screenshots of Eset Smart Security:
Here is the icon in the task bar. The program has no shut down option, which is a good thing for a security program.
The Protection Status page is the first page you see when the program opens. This page gives the user a summary status of each component of Smart Security, as well as the virus definition number and date.
Computer Scan is the second option in the menu on the left. Here you can choose an automatic scan of your computer, with automatic cleaning of anything found. You can also setup custom scans with specific actions you choose taken if anything is found.
The third menu option is Update, which again shows the Virus database number and the date/time the last update was made. You can also manually update and specify specific update schedules from here.
The setup option is where settings can be changed, or features disabled. It's pretty straight forward.
An advanced menu is available for those who like to tweak settings.
The Tools Menu allows viewing of the different log files Smart Security keeps, files quarantined during a scan, and scheduling scans to happen automatically at specified times.
Overall I am very impressed. There are some firewall tests that Smart Security currently fails, but this is a beta and a brand new firewall. Eset chose to create their own firewall instead of incorporating someone else's into their product. I'm glad they've done this, to be honest. While it's not perfect at the moment I have faith that Eset will correct these issues very soon. For a first beta and a completely new firewall this suite Rocks! (I can't believe I just said that. Please don't tell anyone)
If you are the adventurous type, and have tried software that is in the Beta stage before, I encourage you to try this and let me know your experiences. You can download the Eset Smart Security Suite Here. I suggest highly you create a disk image or appropriate backup before testing beta software.
I'll keep you posted, as the Beta for this program progresses, about any issues I find. This looks promising!
What are your thoughts about Eset Smart Security?
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#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!
Amazing Driving - Don't judge those imports just yet! (I'm the one in the red car)
Kaye Effect - Not only do I entertain, I educate!
The future of computing? - Remember the movie "Minority Report"? Is the future of computing far off?
Paper Pilot - Create your virtual paper airplane... and see how far it will fly. Very addictive!
Cingular Jet commercial - Very cool commercial.
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#9- A few websites you may find useful
TabbyFile - TabbyFile is a Windows Explorer replacement. It's a very neat program. If you work with your files often you should give it a try. I've had a link on my utility downloads page for some time. Brad, the author of this fine program, this morning and told me he released version 2.0 today. Daves Computer Tips readers can be the first to try the new version!
Igot2know - an interesting concept aimed at teenagers. Using video to teach and enlighten teenagers. An interesting concept that your children may enjoy.
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