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Contents In This Issue...
#1 - Newbies Nook - Information for those who are new to computers and computing.
#2 - Problems in Paradise - Answers to reader problems and questions.
#3 - Odds and Ends - Computers in the news.
#4 - Getting Starting with Linux - David Kopp points the way.
#5 - Creating Tables - Carol tells us how to do it in Word and OpenOffice Writer.
#6 - My Recommended Software - Need software? Check this list first!
#7 - Useful Freeware - Useful programs that you may find useful. Did I mention they're free!
#8 - Useful web sites - Websites I've visited lately that you may find useful.
#9 - The Lighter Side - Some humor to lighten your load!
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Thank you for taking a few moments to read my newsletter,

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By David Hartsock
What would you like to see covered in Newbies Nook? Email me at
I received quite a few comments and emails about the Registry article in the last issue. Lots of interest! As a result let's spend so time looking through the registry together. We can call it a short guided tour (grin).
In the last issue you learned that the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive stores settings for the currently logged on user and the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive stores settings that apply to all users.

When you install software on your computer settings for that software are often times stored in the registry. This isn't the best solution because registry corruption can render programs useless. Another problem is that programs writing to the registry could possibly overwrite an important entry rendering the computer unbootable. Microsoft has tried to eliminate this in Vista by providing a specific directory (c:\program data) for software authors to store program settings and information.
Software is either installed for a specific user or for all users of the computer. It is a 50/50 change whether software will be installed for the current user, or all users, though some programs allow you to choose. Navigate by clicking the "+" or triangle beside each hive to HKEY_CURRENT_USER>SOFTWARE

Here you will see quite a few of the programs you have installed on your computer. Each of the entries in this tree is a software author. If you have more than one program installed from the same author you will find entries for each under the software author's folder. Settings in this tree will be user specific.
Scroll down to the Microsoft entry and expand (HKEY_CURRENT_USER>SOFTWARE>MICROSOFT). Very interesting to note that Microsoft lists most of the programs and features of the OS here. Windows itself is listed under the Microsoft folder. Feel free to have a look around.

Ok, Let's check out the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive. Click the "-" or tilted triangle next to all entries you have expanded to close them. Click the "+" or triangle next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to expand the tree and scroll down to software. You will notice there are many similar entries and quite a few that don't show in HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

Scroll down to Microsoft and expand the tree (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>MICROSOFT). Scroll down again to Windows (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>MICROSOFT>WINDOWS) and expand. CurrentVersion should be the first entry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>MICROSOFT>WINDOWS>CurrentVersion). Here is where you will find most settings that control Windows appearance and function.

Most entries are self explanatory. Control Panel contains settings for the Control Panel, Run contains settings that cause programs to run at startup, Uninstall will contain the uninstallation strings for most programs, etc. Have a look around. You will be surprised at what may look familiar. The next time you make a settings change you'll have a better idea of what is going on behind the scenes.
Please take a moment and share your thoughts on the Windows registry article in the box below!
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By David Hartsock
If you would like to see your question or problem answered here email me at
Homer asked:
Hi, Mr. Dave.....what is the secret to uninstalling the Symantec products...the Control Panel won't work...
Norton products are notorious for tentacles that reach deep into the operating system, which is one of the reasons I recommend you shy away from them. They are also notorious for being difficult to remove from a system. Often uninstallation leaves behind lots of items.
I directed Homer to a page on Semantic's website that contains special uninstallers for their programs. These uninstallers generally do a much better job than the uninstaller used by Windows Add/Remove Programs applet. You can find this page at http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039.
Mell asked:
When I try to open Firefox the Icons on my Desktop and my web pages lose color. When I right click on my desktop and go to my Display Properties-Settings, my color quality is Low(8bits). When I change it to Highest(32bit) everything returns to normal. Is there anyway to correct this?
Mell's problem turned out to be a problem with the shortcut that launched FireFox, though it could happen to any shortcut. Choose a shortcut on your desktop. Right click the shortcut and choose Properties. This will open the properties window for that shortcut. You will see several tabs at the top. Choose the Compatibility tab.
Mell's shortcut had checkmarks in the "Run in 256 colors" and "Run in 640x480 screen resolution" boxes. This caused the program to start, but also caused the resolution and color depth of his computer to change. The fix was to remove the checkmarks and click OK. If you run into this problem check this first.
In Problems in Paradise section of the last newsletter I covered how to block specific websites from being visited. Several readers & emailers wrote that this could be done with the HOSTS file. This is true, but I was trying to explain how to accomplish the task in a simple to understand manner (at least in my own mind). The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to cover.
In the September 15th issue I discussed URLs in depth. Part of that article also explained DNS (Domain Name System) server. The Windows OS has something similar to its' own DNS server built into the operating system. It's called a HOSTS file. Every time you type an address into the address bar of a browser Windows looks to the HOSTS file before it calls out to a DNS server on the internet. The HOSTS file actually takes precedence over anything found on a DNS server, which is its' best and worst trait.
With the HOSTS file you can prevent entire sites from loading, as well as redirect sites to entirely different sites. Using our example from last time of www.cnn.com we could prevent CNN's site from loading, or we could direct those requests to www.msnbc.com. This is also where spyware and malware have a field day (worst trait). Often spyware/malware tampers with the HOSTS file to prevent loading of helpful sites, redirect searches to sites that provide income for the spyware author, and redirect normal, innocent, traffic to porn or other non-desirable sites. Because of this possibility many anti-spyware programs monitor the HOSTS file and/or prevent changes. This is one of the reasons I didn't mention the HOSTS file in the original article. It would have taken a whole issue to cover the possible anti-spyware programs and how to disable their HOSTS file protection.
But I do think it is important to see the hosts file, it's contents, and how to edit it. This will allow you to block specific sites, and may help you trouble shoot a spyware infection in the future.
The HOSTS file is located in c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc. If you navigate to that folder you will find several files. Notice that there is no file extension oh the HOSTS file.

Right click on the file and choose open. You will recieve an "Open With" dialog window. Choose Notepad.

What you see here is a fresh HOSTS file that has not been modified. Notice the line which begin with a "#". The pound sign tells Windows that this is a comment and to skip the line. If you make changes it is a good way to leave a note for yourself.
Your computer has an IP address to the outside world. Windows also uses an IP address for itself, which is 127.0.0.1. By adding this internal IP address and a domain name we can block a website. The browser will look at the internal IP address, which has no internet connection. Let's use our www.cnn.com example.

Clicking File>Save will save the file. If you should happen to add a file extension, such as .txt, to the HOSTS file it will not work.
If you try to visit www.cnn.com with your browser you would receive the following error in your browser instead of the actual website.

There are also programs available on the internet that make changing the HOSTS file a little easier. Most include a graphic interface. Check out HostsXpert. Several places on the internet even include pre-built HOSTS files. I'm not a fan, but you can check out one of the more popular ones at MVPS.org (Thanks Stephen & Rohn).
There you have it. Probably more than you wanted to know, but important nonetheless.
Please take a moment and comment on this article in the box below! Did it work for you?
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By David Hartsock
Acronis contacted me this week with a special offer - 20% off through November 15th! I'm really excited to pass this one along. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - "you can never have enough backups". Even with my ever present reminders it seems it takes one major data loss before people look for a solution.
Acronis True Image is the solution I use and (highly) recommend. True Image creates disk images, which can return your computer to the exact state is was in when you created the image. True Image also allows files to be copied from the image, which allows for specific files to be recovered. Acronis True Image is the complete backup solution.
Click here for the Acronis True Image special - use Coupon Code ATIH20
Earlier this month the account details of 1200 eBay users were posted in an online forum dedicated to fraud prevention on the auction site. Ironic. It forced the closure of the forum for several hours while eBay cleaned up the carnage.
Account details included Usernames, email addresses, real addresses, phone numbers, and credit card info. Victims should have been contacted by eBay by now.
eBay seems to indicate the information was gleened from account takeovers and not a breach of eBay itself. We'll have to see how this turns out, but if I were a betting man I would lean toward a security breach. Three times this year a hacker, Vladuz, has accessed restricted servers at eBay and used this accesss to pose as an eBay official on the forums. This incident has some clues that point back to him.
Please take a moment and comment on this article in the box below!
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By David Kopp
Have you decided to try using Linux? Perhaps you're worried that you may mess up your settings. After all, Windows is working for you right now. But maybe you want a bit of a change, or are just curious to see what all this hubbub about this Linux thing is. But don't fret! Linux developers are miles ahead of you, and have come up with a thing called a "Live CD", which is an operating system on a CD (or a DVD) that you can boot up from, and it won't change anything on your hard drive unless you ask it to.
LiveCD's are great for many applications. There are system repair LiveCD's like the System Rescue CD, which will let you do disk and network tests, hardware inspections, as well as having full read and write support for NTFS, which is the Windows file system, so you can sometimes recover files from a computer that won't boot to Windows. I personally have recovered over 90% of the files on a drive that was unbootable and completely unreadable under Windows with it. It can be a lifesaver if you don't have a recent backup! You can also use a LiveCD as an "appliance", and browse without worrying about whether you'll get a virus or not, since there's no way to write to the CD. If things start going wrong, you just need to reboot. They're great for kid's computers, and computers that are used by lots of people for tasks that don't require saving any data to the hard drive. You can even use USB drives when running a LiveCD. There are downsides to LiveCD's though. They can be noisy because they're running the CD drive quite often, and they are quite a bit slower than running off the hard drive, especially when opening a new application. They are also limited by the amount of RAM in your computer because they have to load everything into RAM, there's no swap space, so you can't multitask as well on a machine if you don't have at least 512MB of memory.
I will be using the Kubuntu 7.10 RC LiveCD for the rest of the examples in this article. It is a version of Linux based on Ubuntu, but uses KDE instead of Gnome as the desktop. It's just a difference in the appearance of Linux. You can use either version, whichever one you prefer, but I am going to be using Kubuntu screenshots for illustration purposes. Ubuntu is very similar in most respects, especially through the install process, should you choose to use that instead. Go to Kubuntu.com, and find the download link under the Kubuntu 7.10RC heading. You will also need a drive that's able to burn a CD, and a blank CD in order to create a LiveCD, and about 700MB of free hard drive space to download the CD image to, as well as a broadband connection to download it. You can also order a CD for free from Ubuntu.com and have them ship it to you, though that will take more time to arrive. The official release date is October 18th, so if you wait until after then, you will be able to download the official release, which should be pretty much identical to the Release Candidate. The file you will download is a .iso, or an image of a CD in the form of a file. The next step is to burn this image to a CD. If you decided to order the CD, feel free to skip the rest of this section. Go here and click on the link that is closest to your geographical area. Then click on the "PC (Intel x86) desktop CD" link on that page, and save the file to a place you will be able to find it again. I'm going to send you to another guide I found that gives a very complete explanation of how to write an ISO to a CD. Use the ISO you just downloaded as the source file, burn it to a CD, and come back when you're done!
Done now? Good! Now, you need to keep the CD in your drive, and reboot. You may need to enter your BIOS and set it to boot off the CD ROM drive instead of the hard drive, but the default for most computers is to attempt to boot off the CD before the hard drive.
Now you've got a bunch of options, but what you should mostly do is spend time starting the different programs, and seeing what your different options are. The K menu is your primary interface to the system, just like the Start menu is the main interface to Windows. Experiment with the different applications available to you. There's a full office suite included by default that you may be familiar with, called OpenOffice.org. There is also a default IM application called Kopete, which you can connect to multiple services with, including AIM, MSN, Jabber(Google Talk), Yahoo! and many more. Kubuntu has an application to cover almost any need you have, just realize that it's going to be called something different. This list of software analogs may help you figure out what programs you'll need to use under Linux to accomplish the same tasks as under Windows. Be aware that they are often not the same applications, and especially if you consider yourself a Windows power user, remember that with Linux, you're a newbie again. Trying to do things the Windows way will not work, and will frustrate you. Search the page for your favorite Windows applications, and see what their counterparts are under Linux. Quite likely they are included in the LiveCD for you to experiment with.
In the system tray, there's a Network Manager icon... make sure that you can connect to either your wired network or your wireless network by right-clicking on the icon, and then selecting the appropriate connection. It will support WEP and WPA encryption for any Linux-compatible wireless cards, which you will mostly find with Intel or Atheros chips. Try playing some music with AmaroK, the iTunes-style media application of Linux. It will even sync up with your iPod, and allow you to transfer music on and off of the iPod. If the software you want isn't in the LiveCD, you can probably find it in the package listing for Ubuntu, which means that you'll be able to install it with just a few clicks of your mouse if you decide to install Linux permanently on your computer.
In my next article, I will talk about using the Kubuntu 7.10 LiveCD to install Kubuntu to your computer, allowing you to choose whether to boot into Linux or Windows when you turn your computer on, as well as being able to read and write to your Windows files from Linux.
Please take a moment and comment on the Intro to Linux article in the box below!
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by Carol A. Bratt
Howdy Folks,
There is a definite nip in the air tonight and there are lots of pumpkins and Indian corn showing up on porches in the area.
Thanks for your kind comments about my articles. I hope that you continue to learn from them and enjoy them.

When you create a new table in MS Word you have two choices: You can either have Word draw the table for you or you can draw it yourself.
When Word draws the table for you, you specify the number of columns (a maximum of 63 in 2003) and rows (up to 32, 767 in 2003). You also define how the table fits on your page, using one of three options:
The table can fill the page; or each column can have the same width; or each column can automatically expand to accommodate the contents of the widest cell.
Rows start out one line tall, but automatically get taller, if necessary, to contain text or graphics.
If you are ok with those restrictions, Word will make your table for you very quickly. If, however, you want more control over the initial table design, you can draw your table free hand.
To have MS Word create a table for you, follow the steps below:


You can also click on the Table icon on your toolbar to insert a table into your document. ![]()
If you find that you usually create tables of a certain size, shape and format, you can save those settings to be used at another time.
Once you have defined your preferred table settings in the Insert Table dialog box, including the AutoFormat option, click the Remember Dimensions for New Tables check box.
Now you can use the Insert Table button ont he STandard toolbar to add a table with those settings using just one click!
There is a lot more to be said about tables in MS Word and I will definitely say them in my next article. Stay tuned!
In OpenOffice Writer, as in MS Word, tables are highly customizable. Table commands are located in the main Table manu and on the Table toolbar shown below.
The Table tool bar may be displayed automatically when you create a table or select an existing table. You can also manually display the Table toolbar in the manner below:
The toolbar can float on top of the main Writer Window or it can be docked along any side of the window.
To insert a new table follow the steps below:

You can now specify the properties for your new table.
Writer will create a table as wide as the page margins, with all columns the same width and all rows the same height, but you can adjust the columns and rows to suit your own requirements.
As with MS Word, there is plenty more to say about tables in OpenOffice Writer and I will in my continuing articles.
I know the suspense is just killing you! Hang in there until next time!
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
Please take a moment and comment on Carol's article in the box below!
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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!
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!
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.
Ashampoo Burning Studio - My current pick for a low resource, easy to use CD/DVD burning application. Easier to use than Nero or Roxio, with a low memory footprint and much smaller installation requirement.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Please take a moment and comment on this software in the box below!
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If you find a program that hasn't been included in a previous newsletter tell me by emailing me at
Onscreen Ruler - This is a great program for anyone who needs to measure items on screen. I use it almost every day, and it's super easy. -2000/XP/Vista
Magic Folder - This sidebar gadget is great for those who download lots of files. The gadget lives in the Vista sidebar. Drag a file to Magic Folder and it automatically moves the folder based upon predefined rules, which you can edit. A real time saver. -Vista
Freecorder Sound Recorder - This program allows you to record any sound you can hear through your PC speakers. Songs, streamed music, videos, etc. -2000/XP/Vista
Please take a moment and comment on this software in the box below!
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If you find a website that hasn't been included in a previous newsletter tell me by emailing me at
BitTorrent Guide - This site has a pretty good guide to using BitTorrent, including firewall and router tips.
SlickDeals.net - If you haven't been to this site you should! Great deals and amazing finds all in one place.
Ultimate Boot CD - This site walks you through creating a boot CD for Windows. This is a great tool to have when your computer isn't working properly.
Screencast-o-Matic - This site allows you to make videos of your computer screen, including mouse movements and windows. Great for creating instructional material.
Please take a moment and comment on these websites in the box below!
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I spend millions of hours searching the internet to bring a little laughter to my readers!
Bloxorz - An entertaining, challenging, and addictive strategy game!
Click the Number - Place your cursor on each number in order. It gets pretty difficult! (Thanks to Larry)
Rock Climbing - You have got to see this guy!
Parallel Parking Made Easy? - That pretty much says it all :)
Please take a moment and add your comments about these in the box below!