September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 1 25th Anniversary Event issue The Outer E Whole No. 304 ISSN 1055-4399 September 2012 Vol. 26, No. 2 d g e
The Friendly Computer Club Helping Make Computers Friendly. On the Web at www.cipcug.org
COMMAND.COM Attendance at the By Jim Brown, President August general meeting: “Promoting the Harmony of Computer Education, and Camaraderie” 54 members and guests. We welcome two new members. am writing this column with much joy and anticipation as we ap- proach our September meeting date and our 25 (+1) Anniversary Cele- bration. Because of the dedication and hard work of a small group of To Contact CIPCUG individuals and families our computer group has evolved to the largest Icomputer group in this area and has received many awards and recognition The Outer Edge...... 805-485-7121 General Information………...805-289-3960 from computer associations — all due to the dedication, focus, and hard work Mailing Address...P.O. Box 51354, Oxnard, CA of our members. We will honor the early members who had the foresight and 93031-1354 dedication to succeed.
On the Web: cipcug.org Our September meeting is a time to remember and cele- On Facebook: Facebook.com/groups/cipcug brate our history and success. This is an event that you bring your family members and friends to for the entertainment and ambiance as we remember where the computer club has been and what its future may be. Brown Consider this event as a family event. TOE wins a top Here is what you should know. This is a celebration! This will not be our usual monthly meeting. This will be an event, a very special APCUG honor presentation with audio, film and humorous commentary from our own mas- The Outer Edge won the first-place award ter of the rant and our master of ceremonies, Rick Smith. for medium size groups in the Association of Rumor has it that there may be a mystery guest. There will be a short PC Users Groups (APCUG) newsletter contest photo opportunity with our mystery guest. We request a small donation. for 2012. Newsletters of 2011 were judged. The doors will open at 9 a.m., and the show will begin at 9:30 a.m. Twenty-one groups participated in the There will not be a member sign-in or badges. Ken Church will be available newsletter contest. APCUG also ran photo and for those members who need to renew their membership and for those who website contests. may wish to join our ranks. Second-place winner in our category was Craig Ladd will be at the raffle prize table where you can view the raffle the Monterey Bay User Group-Personal Com- prizes. You can still donate a raffle prize — please give your name and list puters, and third place went to the Brookdale the donation so Craig can keep this record. Our raffle prizes so far are com- Computer User Group. (Continued on page 12)
Page 2 The Outer Edge September 2012 Channel Islands Root Directory PC Users Group CIPCUG mailing address: CIPCUG NEWS P.O. Box 51354, Oxnard, CA Benefits ...... 19 93031-1354 Bits & Bytes ...... 12 CIPCUG is a member of APCUG, Board minutes ...... 11 Executive Committee The Association of PC Users Groups Coming CIPCUG events ...... 3 (Elected members of Board of Directors) Contributors to TOE...... 11 President……..………………...Jim Brown Command.com ...... 1 .………….…………[email protected] The Outer Edge Editor’s corner ...... 3 Vice President/Program Chairman Editor……………………..John Weigle Map, schedule ...... 20 ………………..………………..Craig Ladd P.O. Box 6536, Ventura CA 93006 Membership report ...... 13 ………………[email protected] 485-7121………[email protected] Program: Comodo, security ...... 8 Secretary……….………..Diane Mortensen The Outer Edge is published monthly by Channel Q&A session ...... 4 ……………………[email protected] Islands PC Users Group (CIPCUG), P.O. Box 51354, TOE wins top APCUG award ...... 1 Oxnard, Calif. 93031-1354. an independent, nonprofit Treasurer…………..….……....…Art Lewis corporation. Contents of The Outer Edge copyright Treasurer’s reports ...... 11 …………………...…[email protected] 2001 by Channel Islands PC Users Group. Immediate Past President Permission for reproduction in whole or in part is GENERAL …………………………...... …..Rick Curry granted to other computer user groups for internal ……...……………...... [email protected] nonprofit use provided credit is given to The Outer Early version of Windows 8 Edge and the authors of the reproduced material. All
creates problems ...... 16 other reproduction is prohibited without prior written
Penguin’s Lair: 25 years of consent of Channel Islands PC Users Group. (Appointed members Opinions expressed in this journal are solely those of computing ...... 17 of Board of Directors) the authors or contributors, and do not necessarily Rick’s rant: Life-changing Technical Adviser…………..Toby Scott represent those of Channel Islands PC Users Group, events ...... 12 its officers or membership as a whole. The Web Page Editor….………..Andy Toth Router’s ‘forced’ update a information provided is believed to be correct and ………………[email protected] disaster for some ...... 18 useful; however, no warranty, express or implied, is TOE editor.…….………….John Weigle made by Channel Islands PC Users Group, its officers, ……………………[email protected] editorial staff or contributors. This disclaimer extends ADVERTISEMENTS Membership Chairman.…...Ken Church to all losses, incidental or consequential, resulting from the use or application of the information provided. Creative Technology ...... 15 ………………[email protected] Channel Islands PC Users Group does not endorse or Members’ classified ads ...... 15 recommend any specific hardware or software products, O’Reilly ...... 15 Ex-officio members of Board of Directors dealers, distributors or manufacturers. All trademarked Ventura County Computers ...... 14 CIPCUG ISP Signups………..Art Lewis or registered trademarked names are acknowledged to be the property of their respective owners, and are used Sound Equipment Technicians for editorial purposes only. ………..David Minkin and Curt Davison Program Chairman………..…Craig Ladd Advertising in The Outer Edge Publicity Chairman...……...…Rick Curry Advertising is accepted for computer-related SIG coordinator…..……....Larry Hudson materials, businesses and services only. Rates are for Camera-Ready copy (clear, clean black and Past Presidents white masters). Typesetting and graphics are Walt Yates………………………1987-1989 available at an additional fee. Lois Evans de Violini…………...1989-1991 Terry Lee………………………..1991-1993 SIZE Cost/Issue Jerry McLoud…………………...1993-1995 FULL-PAGE (9½”H x 7¼”W)...... $50.00 Robert Provart…………………..1995-1997 HALF-PAGE (4½”H x 7¼”W) Toby Scott………………………1997-1999 or (9½”H x 3½”W )....…...... $30.00 George Lakes …………………...1999-2001 THIRD-PAGE (3”H x 7¼” W)………….$25.00 Andy Toth……………………….2001-2003 QUARTER-PAGE (4½”H x 3½W)...... $20.00 David Harris…………………….2003-2005 BUSINESS CARD ad...... $15.00 Lois Evans de Violini ...... 2005-2007 Discounts for multiple issues (3, 6, 9 and 12 Paul Westefer…………………….2007-2009 months) 2006 Southwest User Group Rick Curry………………….…….2009-2011 Ad copy deadline is the 5th of the month of Conference: second place in (With the exception of the immediate past publication. both the newsletter and Web site president, past presidents are not board members.) Make all checks payable to CIPCUG . Life members contests. Frank Segesman* Members’ classified ads are free but are limited to Toby Scott 105 characters, including spaces. 2011 APCUG first place in Lois Evans de Violini the newsletter contest (medium Art Lewis Helen Long groups). *Deceased
September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 3 CIPCUG news and events Work introduced Coming events 25th Anniversary Event me to computers scheduled Sept. 22 his is an issue to reminisce, so … My first experi- ence with computers was at The Star, when the Programs paper switched from typewriters to computers (a CIPCUG will celebrate its 25 th anniversary at the Sept. 22 mainframe with dumb terminals) at the old plant meeting with entertainment, a look back at our history, a computer Ton Santa Clara Street in Ventura. Most of us were a bit jit- archaeology display and lunch at the picnic area adjacent to the tery, a concern which wasn’t alleviated one Friday after- Boys & Girls Club. noon. We were working on the Saturday morning paper “You really don’t want to miss this one,” Toby Scott said at when all the computers unexpectedly shut the beginning of last month’s Q&A session as he discussed the Editor’s down. We all yelled “Stan!” (Stan Whisen- program. The entertainment is worth paying $50 to attend, he said, corner hunt, our managing editor and the man who but there is no admission charge. was heading the conversion for the editorial The meeting will be in the usual place, the Camarillo Boys & department). As he was heading to the com- Girls Club, 1500 Temple Ave. (Ponderosa Drive and Temple Ave- puter room to find out what had happened, he nue), Camarillo (see the map on the last page.) ran into a representative from the company The doors will open at 9 a.m. and the program will start at that was installing the system and asked what 9:30 a.m. There will be no pre-meeting SIGs, business meeting or was going on. As I remember, the story, the Weigle question-and-answer session. Rick Smith, a partner in Ventura answer was something like this: “I turned off County Computers and a long-time supporter of CIPCUG, will be the computer. It’s Friday afternoon. You the master of ceremonies, so be prepared for some irreverent re- weren’t doing anything were you?” marks along the way. I don’t remember Stan’s exact response as he related it The program will include still photos of past meetings by Jerry later, but I think it was to the effect, “Get out of here and (Continued on page 4) don’t come back.” I had earlier told Stan when he said that as a “Star Trek” and general science fiction fan I should love the idea of changing to computers that “I’m more like Dr. McCoy. I Door prizes don’t like the idea of my story being scrambled in space.” We have two types of raffle tickets: one for prizes offered by That was almost the phrase that “Bones” used when he was the presenter and one for club-provided prizes. The tickets for the about to enter the transporter to “beam down.” presenter’s prizes are free and limited to one per member. As time went on, we all got over our fears — or at least The tickets for the club-provided prizes are $1 each, $5 for six kept them better hidden, substituting anger and swear words tickets, $10 for 13 tickets, $15 for 20 tickets and $20 for 27 tickets when machines inexplicably failed or the lights dimmed just and are available to anyone. Those who can’t stay until the drawing may sign their tickets and give the person selling the before a power failure. I got more interested in using a com- tickets a list of the prizes they would like in the order they’d pick puter outside of work, started with a machine with two flop- them. Winners’ prizes will be held until the next meeting. py drives (no hard drive) and worked my way up over the years to a machine running Windows 7 with an external Consignment table hard drive, a laser printer and a scanner. A consignment table is set up at every meeting. Anyone can Thanks to co-workers, Rick, Toby, Michael and others, buy, but only members can sell. my skills have increased and I can solve some of own prob- The club gets 10 percent of the sales price. Sold items must lems now. I’m even a guru for a friend. be picked up at the end of the day’s meeting. Since sometime n the late 1990s, I’ve been combining Any items not picked up will become the property of CIPCUG my news writing and editing skills and my computer skills and will be subject to disposal at the club’s discretion. to first edit and now edit and design The Outer Edge and put CIPCUG is not responsible in any way for items bought or up a website (which badly needs updating) for my high sold at the table. Each item is sold as-is unless otherwise stated. school graduating class. I also preparie newsletters for my Meeting, SIG notices stamp club, Optimist club and the Federated Philatelic If you would like e-mail notices of regular meetings and SIGs, Clubs of Southern California. go to www.cipcug.org, where you’ll find a link on the home page And, yes, I still periodically turn the air blue when to sign up. The URL is cipcug.org/listserv.cfm. something unexpected happens when I’m in front of my You will need your membership number, which is on the computer. — John Weigle, editlor back cover of TOE, to complete the sign-up.
Page 4 The Outer Edge September 2012 CIPCUG news and events Q&A How to change Gmail to a POP3 account
Unless otherwise noted, Toby Scott already been downloaded). Configure delete them, they come back. answered the questions iln the SIG and your email client (instructions are on the A: For IMAP there’s a box to check the regular Q&A, assisted by Michael page for most email programs). Pick your on when to delete messages on the server. Shalkey, who also handled the computer choices on the remaining questions and “Do not shut down” messages duties for both sessions. click Save Changes. Q: I’m getting “do not shut down” Internet and networking SIG These instructions are for people who messages when I log off. For the past few prefer to download mail to their comput- Changing Gmail to POP3 account weeks the message has not been cleared. ers rather than reading it on the Web with Q: How do I change my Gmail ac- A: The message usually indicates that a browser. If you get only a few messages count to a POP3 account? a Windows update has failed. Go to Win- a day, reading them on a browser might A: Using the gear menu in the upper dows Update in the Start Menu and view be satisfactory for you. If you get more right corner of the Gmail account go to the update history. Look for the one that than 100 a day, downloading them is Settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP. says Failed and double click on it for de- much easier. Enable POP (picking from the selections tails. You will often be directed to a Mi- Q: I want to change the settings be- for all mail that has arrived since [select cause when I download the messages and (Continued on page 5) date], or for all mail (even mail that’s More on coming events ...
(Continued from page 3) rather than the normal $1. SIGs are at 8:45 a.m. at the Boys & Girls Crocker, memories of the group’s early Invitations are being sent to other Club. The after-meeting SIG is at loca- days by long-time members both in per- computer clubs in the area, so expect to tions to be announced on the meeting son and on video, and entertainment by see some new faces. day. actress Nicolette Holman, who has per- We are taking on unusual expenses The general schedule: formed at such venues as The Edison, for this event, so the board encourages all Fourth Tuesday: Linux. Carnegie Hall, Beverly Hills Hotel, Long members to attend, take part in the enter- Fourth Saturday (or the regular Beach Hilton, Universal Hilton, Arrow- tainment and raffle and join the lunch, the meeting day): Social Media SIG (Jessica head Pond Stadium, Jonathan Club, the cost of which will help defray expenses. Scott) or Internet and connectivity SIG Beverly Hilton, Trump National Golf Other meeting dates for this year: (Toby Scott), 8:45 a.m. The location of Club, Bel Air Hotel, and for more than Oct. 27: Windows 8 (Toby Scott and Michael Shalkey’s after-meeting SIG, on 100 corporate, private, and celebrity par- Michael Shalkey). days there is one, is announced at the ties. Nov. 17 ( third Saturday ) meeting. There will also be a display of com- Dec. 15 ( third Saturday ) The September and October sched- puter memorabilia from the old days. If SIGs ules: you have something you’d like to show, The Special Interest Groups (SIGs) September please bring it to the meeting with some are sponsored by CIPCUG and led by Saturday, Sept. 22: No SIGs at the information about it. volunteer club members. They are free to meeting this month. We’re hoping for additional publicity CIPCUG members. Tuesday, Sept. 25: Linux SIG. The for the event as a way to attract new Other than those presented during or topic is a bit up in the air. The group may members,. If you know any potential just after the regular meeting, the SIGs be reinstalling Ubuntu 12.04. members, please invite them. run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Ventura October We’ll have coffee and cake and after County Computers, 2175 Goodyear Ave., Tuesday, Oct. 23: Linux SIG. Topic the program will adjourn to the nearby Unit 117, Ventura; phone 289-3960. TBA. picnic area for lunch prepared by the From the 101 Freeway, exit at Telephone, Saturday, Oct. 27: Pre-meeting SIGs Pleasant Valley Lions Club. The meal — take Telephone south to McGrath, turn on Social Media and Internet and email at hamburger or hot dog, salad, chips and a left and go one block. Turn right on 8:45 a.m. drink — will be $7. Goodyear and right again into the second Be sure to check the calendar on A special drawing will feature donat- driveway. Unit 117 is the back, right cipcug.org for updates on event pro- ed items, not all of which will be comput- corner of the building. The pre-meeting grams, dates and times. er-related, and tickets will be $5 each
September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 5 CIPCUG news and events
Internet SIG Changing Gmail to POP3 ac- count "Do not shut down" messages Deleting files Checking system files Email attachments Deleting files with strange names Email problem Upgrade to Windows 7 Windows Update Printing passwords Advantages of Gmail Mac attacks
This month’s Q&A topics: Power options Deleting update files Windows 7 Home to Pro Temporary files Read-only files in Excel Inexpensive computers Raspberry Pi Facebook group Solid state drives
open the attachments. How do I get that list back? A: Michael Shalkey: Go to Start and click on your user name in the right hand pane of the Start menu. Depending on how your computer is set up you should This is part of the configuration page to convert Gmail to a POP3 account. find a Downloads folder in Documents or a Downloads folder under your name. (Continued from page 4) Toby Scott: You can also user Win- A: The System File Checker is the dows Explorer. Sometimes, downloads go crosoft fix-it tool on Microsoft.com that weapon of choice for this. Go to a DOS to My Documents or a Downloads folder usually solves the problem. prompt (Start and type command in the under your name. If that doesn’t work, look through the search box or use the Windows key + R You can add many fly-out menus to failed updates to see if they’re related to open the run command. Type in SFC / the Start menu by right-clicking on a (all .NET 3.5, for instance). Delete all the scannow (note the space after the C in folder and selecting Customize. Check last successful update in the series and SFC) and let the program run. This can the boxes of things you’d like to show as then use Windows Update to start over. take a couple of hours. It will search for fly-out menus. You can show, for in- That generally solves the problem. missing and corrupted files. stance, documents, videos, photos and Deleting files Michael Shalkey: If you’re doing this similar items. Q: How do I delete Internet files for in XP, you should have the Windows Deleting files with strange names updates when I’m sure I don’t need them? installation disk just in case. You should Q: I have a lot of old files with A: Run Disk Cleanup. Go to Start > not need it in Vista or Windows 7. strange file names. Can I delete them? Computer and right click on the C: drive. Email attachments A: It’s best not to mess with those Click on Properties and on the General Q: I have Windows 7 Home Premium. because if you delete the wrong ones you tab click on Disk Cleanup. When I open email and there’s an attach- can make your computer unbootable. If Checking system files ment, it asks if I want to view or down- the file name tells you enough to deter- Q: Is there a way to check for corrupt- load the attachment. It shows me a list of (Continued on page 6) ed system files in Windows 7? downloads, which disappears when I
Page 6 The Outer Edge September 2012 CIPCUG news and events
(Continued from page 5) that message has gone away. writers now. Since Java, Flash and Adobe mine what it’s for (a downloaded installa- A: Every once in a while an update Reader are on most devices, they are tion file for a certain program, for exam- will fail on some specific make or model where the viral effort is going. ple), you can figure out whether you need of computers. When Microsoft deter- Michael Shalkey: Yahoo has been the it or not. If you can’t tell what it is from mines that, it tracks down the problem email provider for AT&T and others no the name, you don’t want to click on it or and pushes out a revised update. If Win- matter what platform is being used. Links delete it without more information. dows says the update was successful you can take you to infected sites that will Email problem can usually wait it out and see what hap- download malware to your computer. Q: I couldn’t send email Sunday pens. Toby Scott: Let me warn you once morning, but I could receive it and see Printing passwords again: Don’t open links or attachments in Web pages. Was there a problem with the Q: How can I print out the saved pass- email unless it’s a specific message that CIPCUG server? words in Firebox? makes sense to you. These messages A: No, we didn’t have any server A: Go to Tools > Options > Security can’t be generic, like “this is funny” or problems. [Several members reported > Saved Passwords. If you can’t see the “you have to check this out.” They must they had no trouble sending mail Sunday passwords click on the show box. You be specific, such as “here are the photos morning.] Those of you with CIPCUG probably can’t print them because of se- of last week’s family reunion” (assuming addresses should change the SMTP curity concerns, but you can use the Snip- there was a family reunion last week and (Outgoing) setting from Port 25 to Port ping Tool in Windows 7 and Vista, you were there). 2525 to send email. Some ISPs might be IrfanView in any version of Windows or Audience: Be especially careful of blocking the port because of a spam prob- any other screen shot tool to make a downloads from your granddaughter. lem. If you can send on a server and JPEG of the passwords. To find the snip- Q: Shouldn’t your anti-virus program someone else can’t it’s not the server ping tool, go to Start > Search and start stop anything that’s a problem? that’s the problem. If no one can send, it’s typing snip. An audience member also A: The key words are “shouldn’t it.” the server. But that’s difficult for a lone suggested Snagit. In an ideal world, the answer is yes, but I had a server in 2001 that was fully user to determine Advantages of Gmail patched and up to date and I got the Code Upgrade to Windows 7 Q: A friend of mine uses Gmail. Is Red virus, which shut down the computer Q: I upgraded from XP to Windows 7 there any advantage to it? every 15 minutes. Microsoft and Syman- recently, and I’m having trouble with A: Michael Shalkey: I like Web mail, tec had never heard of it because I was Internet Explorer. When I click a link in Toby does not. I say there are advantages, one of the first to receive it. It took 14 Google I end up at a blank page. If I type including the ability to check email from hours on the phone with Microsoft techs in the URL, it goes to the page I’m seek- any computer at any location. and others who had been infected for the ing. Toby Scott: You can do that with oth- engineers to gather enough data to write Audience: The same thing happened er email accounts, too. code to fix the problem. After 14 hours to me recently when I went to Staples’ Michael Shalkey: Yahoo was recently on the phone I had a cauliflower ear. Anti site to see next week’s ad. hacked again. The hackers broke in to its -virus developers have to see malware A: Michael and Toby suggest using user name and password database. before they can protect against it, and F5 to force the browser to reload the Toby Scott: Gmail has also been someone is going to get hit before the page. hacked, as has AOL. Yahoo seems to solutions are distributed. Toby: If it’s a one-time event on Sta- have been hacked the most. Hackers are delivering new viruses ples, it’s not a major issue. You might Mac attacks daily and using stolen passwords and have tried to load the page as it was being Q: Do Macs get hacked and suffer logins to distribute the material. updated. If it cleared up soon, it’s not a from viruses? Michael Shalkey: Links are also a problem with your computer. There are A: Yes. The most common venues for problem. If you get a message asking if billions of Web pages that won’t display, hackers these days are Java, Flash and you want to download all the content on a but they’re not noticed because they’re PDFs because they’re used on PCs, Macs, Web page and say yes, you’re giving per- not visited often. smartphones and tablets. Macs are more mission to run all the scripts and software Have you run a Malwarebytes scan? vulnerable right now because most Mac on the site. Some of them might be mal- Michael Shalkey: Check on what ver- users have been brought up with the idea ware. sion of Internet Explorer you have. (It’s that they can’t be attacked and don’t need Toby Scott: There are Web pages you an earlier one.) You might want to down- protection. Most Windows users have don’t want to go to. Don’t just think that load IE 9 (Windows 7 comes with IE 7). some form of anti-virus, even if they your anti-virus will keep you safe. It Windows Update haven’t kept it up to date. Because keeps you safer, but you still have to use Q: Windows Update said last week a smartphones and tablets are used for common sense. recent update was installed, but I was still banking and most have no anti-virus pro- getting a message that it did not. Now grams, they are the major target for virus (Continued on page 7) September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 7 CIPCUG news and events
(Continued from page 6) Temp file, it’s safe to delete all those (The answer was daily. It would be used Regular Q&A session items. for word processing, surfing the Internet and email). Power options Windows 7 Home to Pro Inexpensive computers cheap out at Q: I updated to Windows 7 and tried Q: I have Windows 7 Home and am the hardware that doesn’t spec out — to set times for it to blank the screen and considering upgrading to Windows 7 power supplies, motherboards, video turn off the computer, but they didn’t Home Professional. Will I lose any useful cards and quality of RAM. A really cheap take. My wife’s computer has the same features if I do that? power supply won’t last a year of daily settings, and hers works. A: Toby and Michael agreed that the use, and when it goes it can take other A: Michael Shalkey: Let’s step upgrade should not remove any features, things with it. The sweet spot for comput- through this to see if it’s what you did. just add some. ers right now is about $500. Get one that Right click on the desktop and click on Temporary files doesn’t spec well: less RAM, a smaller Personalize in the menu that comes up. Q: Spybot tells me I have lots of tem- hard drive and so on, but if it’s a reasona- Go to Screen Saver > Change Power Set- porary files and asks if I want to delete ble brand-name product it should have a tings. In the left hand column (Windows them. Should I? better power supply. If this is a computer 7) click on “Choose when to turn off the A: Yes. It’s always safe to delete you’re going to use for several hours a display” and select the time period you Temp files and it will speed up the scan day, you should not buy one of the cheap- want. Save the changes. Then do the because Spybot won’t have to check them est ones. same thing with “Change when the com- for malware. Michael Shalkey: And it might be puter sleeps,” and save the changes. Q: What about archived files for error proprietary hardware that can’t be easily The time periods you pick are based reporting? replaced. on the time your computer is not being A: Deleting them is not a problem. Q: What about build-your-own kits? used, but you have to understand that Microsoft engineers will look at them if A: There are good and bad build-it- there are two meanings for that phrase. they’re trying to fix your machine, but yourself kits. The really expensive ones We think of the computer being in use few of you are ever going to have that will let you build a great computer. The when we’re sitting in front of it typing, occur, and the files are meaningless to cheap ones won’t. For the most part, the moving the mouse, browsing the Web, almost anyone else. These are also called computer business is so cutthroat that downloading something, etc. But things dump files. (For more information, see prices pretty much indicate the value can be going on in the background even http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315263.) you’re getting, although there are excep- though you’re not sitting in front of the Read-only files in Excel tions. If it’s not costing very much it’s computer that tell the computer it’s being Q: Excel is opening files in read only probably not worth very much. used. Look in the System Tray to see mode so I can’t edit them. Michael Shalkey: PCper.com tracks what’s running (lower right corner of the A: Chances are good that these are not hardware and regularly updates its recom- screen unless you’ve moved it). files that you created. They can come mendations for what combinations of Toby Scott: Possibilities include an from a CD or DVD or email. Right click parts to use to build various types of com- automatic backup, downloading of up- on the file in Windows Explorer and look puters. The site starts its low-end systems dates and automatic changes of your at Properties > General. At the bottom of at $550; mid-range system at $900; high theme. the page you’ll see “Attributes.” Uncheck end at $1,500; and dream machine at Deleting update files the “Read only” box. You can’t do this $2,558. Check the hardware leader board Q: I have lots of files in the Windows with a file on a CD. You must copy the for the details. folder related to updates. I think they’re file to your hard drive to change its attrib- Toby Scott: He’s telling you what you to uninstall updates if there’s a problem. utes. can build at the cheapest prices while still How can I remove them? Michael Shalkey: The message might using quality parts. A: You can click on them and delete say that the file is viewable but not edita- If this is a computer that you’re going them, but every once in a while you’ll ble. Sometimes doing a “Save as” will to put in the den for your grandchildren to delete something you need to run Win- change the attributes. use twice a month, you can probably get dows. Tread very carefully when doing Toby Scott: If this is an attachment to away with a cheap computer. If it’s going this. You can check the dates of the files, an email you will probably have to save it to be on every day for several hours, and generally it’s safe to delete files that to your hard drive before trying to change don’t buy a cheapie. You’re just asking are three years old or older and maybe the attributes. for trouble. those that are two years old, but I’d leave Inexpensive computers Raspberry Pi anything else alone. Unless you are des- Q: I need a secondary computer at Q: What about Raspberry Pi? perately short of space on your hard home. Would one of the really cheap ones Michael Shalkey: It’s an interesting drive, don’t get rid of any of them. ($300) be reasonable? idea (http://www.raspberrypi.org). It’s a Michael Shalkey: If you use the Win- A: How often do you plan to use it? dows key + R combination and open the (Continued on page 8)
Page 8 The Outer Edge September 2012 CIPCUG news and events Program: Comodo and security Anti-virus scanners obsolete, speaker says
By John Weigle David Perry, whose contract with Perry has more than 25 years in the [email protected] Comodo was not renewed a few days technical support and education field and he number of malware attacks before his presentation, discussed com- has worked for Toshiba, Trend Micro, is growing daily, and the old- puter security in general and Comodo Cybermedia, McAfee Associates and fashioned anti-virus scanners programs specifically, saying they’re Symantec. He has conducted hundreds of are obsolete, a computer securi- among the best anti-malware products print, radio and TV interviews and is the Tty expert said at our August meeting. available. (Continued on page 9)
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(Continued from page 7) go. it, and all the information on it is gone. $35 electronic board similar to the old Michael Shalkey: The mean time be- When spinning drives start to fail we can Heathkit products, but you’ll need a $40 tween failures is five years for spinning usually recover the information. This power supply. This is a base product, and drives. A spinning hard drive has the happened within a month of selling the you can do all kinds of things with it. It same wear and tear with both reading and drives. Lots of companies offer 90-day or has its own programming language. It’s writing because of its moving parts. A 1-year warranties on hard drives; Intel for hobbyists and runs on Linux and has solid state drive has no moving parts. offers three years. an ARM processor. Toby Scott: Generally, the solid state Toby Scott: If you’re going to buy a Toby Scott: “If you’re thinking about drive will last longer than the spinning solid state drive, buy Intel’s. It will cost using this for a production computer, drives, but we’ve had instances of both more, but the tech support is much easier you’re nuts. … You have yourself a tablet solid state and spinning drives failing to deal with. without a case.” There’s no display to soon after they were installed. Statistical- Q: I have a solid state drive. Can I take with you; you’ll be tethered to a ly, the solid state drives are more reliable buy an Intel solid state drive and connect desktop computer or a TV. (a member of the audience commented it as a USB drive? Michael Shalkey: People working in that statistics are meaningless if your A: Yes, but if you have an eSATA robotics expect good results with it. drive fails). Solid state drives are more connection the drive will perform much Facebook group expensive per gigabyte and so are gener- faster because it will run at the speed of Q: Jessica set me up with Facebook ally more size limited than spinning the drive rather than the much, much on my smartphone during her SIG be- drives. Solid state drives and flash drives slower USB connection speed, including cause I want access to the CIPCUG Face- use the same storage medium. USB 3.0. book page. How do I get it? Q: Didn’t you say you prefer Intel Q: I have an XP machine that boots in A: Sign in to Facebook and search for solid state drives? 4 seconds with a solid state drive rather CIPCUG in the Facebook search box. It A: Yes. I have an article on vccom- than the previous 4 minutes. It’s the same will take you to the page, and you’ll get a puters.com explaining why (http:// with shutting down. notice that it’s a closed group and offer a www.vccomputers.com/intel.cfm). Intel A: That’s an unusually high speed chance to seek admission. Follow the has great tech support and support for its increase, but it’s possible on an older directions, and the first administrator who sellers and quickly ships needed replace- computer. Typically, boot time is about sees the request will admit you. Doing ment parts. We had a case where we half that of a spinning drive. this on the phone might be a bit more called them at 5:30 p.m. for a new moth- Q: What’s the largest solid state drive difficult than doing it on your computer erboard, and it arrived by noon the next now? with a larger screen. day from Lexington, Ky. Intel has way, A: The 60 Gig drive costs about $75; way better support. 120 Gig is about $130; 180 Gig is about Solid state drives Michael Shalkey: We had a different $200; the 256 Gig is about $275; and a Q: Aren’t solid state drives doomed kind of experience with OCZ, which 480 Gig, the largest I’ve seen, is about from the start? makes RAM and solid state drives. In a $600. A: Solid state drives have a limited period of about four months, we bought Michael Shalkey: There is a 4 tera- number of times they can be written to, 10 solid state drives because of good re- byte solid state drive — a card that goes but the best estimates are that they will views. Of the 10, four died. When a solid in a PCI express slot — for servers that last at least 10 years for typical use. state drive dies, there’s no way to access costs about $20,000. That’s longer than a spinning drive will
September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 9
CIPCUG news and events
(Continued from page 8) coverage of FLAME,” which was found co-host of The Personal Computer Radio in Iran in September 2011 and which is Show on WBAI in New York. He has generally believed to have been a govern- been a speaker at many computer-related ment job. But it infected only 611 com- events, a college instructor (lab instructor puters worldwide. It was a targeted attack for electronic music), a cabinet maker, a and did not replicate itself. It could track typesetter and a magician and held a posi- keystrokes and turn on microphones and tion in the shipping department for an webcams, said Perry, who suggested put- Atari magazine, among other jobs. ting a sticky note over your webcam He worked with Peter Norton. “He’s when you’re not using it. my hero,” Perry said, explaining that In 1981, Professor Frank Cohen of Norton had nothing to do with writing the Leigh University defined a computer Norton Anti-Virus software and, in fact, virus as a program in the instruction set didn’t believe in viruses. But he sold his (of a mainframe computer) that makes company for $170 million in stock and 85 copies of itself and reinserts them later in cents for every use of his photo. That part the instruction set. The first computer of the deal brought in some $1.4 billion, Photo by Jerry Crocker virus was not in a computer or computer Perry said, because for years Norton’s David Perry, formerly with Comodo, publication but in the science fiction nov- picture appeared on the boxes for all the discusses computer security and the el “Shock Wave Rider” by John Brunner, software bearing his name. problems involved in detecting and he said. Perry described the several steps he blocking malware at the August The Michelangelo virus was the best- said are necessary for complete protec- meeting. known early virus, he said, and anti-virus tion: writers had ample time to examine the 1. Back up your system. is trying to illicitly talk to a connection on code and write protective software. But in 2. Reformat you hard drive and rein- the Internet, Perry said. Windows has a those early days, the updates were distrib- stall Windows. This is necessary, he said, default allow system, which assumes uted by faxes, and users had to carefully because every anti-virus program misses everything is OK, but once you’re infect- type them into their computers. In some some malware, and you must start with a ed you can scan for malware and try to cases, Perry had to read updates over the clean system for the protection to work. If remove it. “There’s something wrong phone to people who would type them in, you won’t do that, at least download Co- with this model,” Perry said. he said. Within a few months, companies modo Cleaning Essentials, which makes a “My generation has seen the rise of started sending updates out on floppy CD that boots in Linux to scan your ma- technology as a component of everyday disks. For a time, McAfee distributed chine and clean it if necessary. lives,” said Perry, who will be 58 this updates via bulletin boards, he said. 3. Use default deny protection, which year. “I still have a whole garage full of Those were the days when anti-virus assumes everything is bad unless shown vacuum tubes,” he added. companies received three to five new to be otherwise. The potential problem He’s working on his AA and BA at viruses per month or sometimes up to with this system, however, is that users Golden West College, where he was an 100. Now they receive about one-third of can be nagged so much that they resent instructor, even though he attended col- a million per day, and most disappear in the questioning and turn off the protec- lege earlier for several years. “I was a 24 hours because they’re constantly tion. That’s what happened in Windows good student, but I was a very bad gradu- changing themselves. Vista, which requires administrative ap- ate,” he said, because he selected classes The earliest viruses replicated them- proval to install every program. The solu- he wanted to take rather than those that selves, making copies to add to floppies tion, he said, is to have programs that led to a degree. and distribute in other ways. But most of have enough support to make the proper Early in his time on WBAI, he was them were not destructive and would decisions in the background and to run told that a job title including director was mainly post messages on computers to questionable programs in a sandbox — a important for public and media recogni- show how smart the developers were. protected area that does not allow the tion, so he talked to his boss and was Viruses still exist, but most of today’s program to write to your hard drive — given the title director of public educa- malware works in the background and is unless it’s cleared as safe. Such software tion. He called his wife, told her the news more oriented to crime — stealing pass- should also include an anti-virus scanner, and listened as she pointed out that the words and log-in information, copying a continually updated white list, a fire- acronym for the title is DOPE. His last keystrokes and only sometimes being wall and good tech support. Comodo’s title at Comodo was global director of destructive. And the malware tries to Internet Security offers all those features education. break anti-virus scanners so the malware and a host-based intrusion protection sys- As he discussed security and viruses, won’t be discovered. Programs are being tem (HIPS), which watches for code that he said there was “altogether too much (Continued on page 10)
Page 10 The Outer Edge September 2012 CIPCUG news and events
(Continued from page 9) Perry said, he has crashed his comput- computer while using Comodo Internet developed by the Russian mafia, Brazili- er a couple of times when he changed Security and was protected even at DEF an credit card theft gangs, the Chinese software from one anti-malware compa- CON. “I haven’t been able to infect it, not government, corporations and the U.S. ny’s to another or when he’s been testing even browsing porn,” he said. government, among others, he said. malware. “You want the perfect operating Perry said many companies, including “Spyware has almost gone away,” he system for making things secure? Paper Comodo, have outsourced tech support to added. “It’s been replaced by Facebook,” and ink,” Perry added. other countries, but said Comodo support where people voluntarily give up all kinds “Every part of the Internet is compro- techs are competent and support is by of information about themselves. mised,” he continued, because security typing (chat mode). Comodo’s Geekbud- Malware kits are developed by com- wasn’t a consideration as the Internet was dy program lets the techs work on your mercial companies and sold in many developed. “We will get to a secure Inter- computer as you watch — but only after countries, he said. The software changes a net in 30 years,” he predicted. you give permission. bit with every sale, which helps make the He also said that running more than It’s understandable if some tech sup- search for signatures obsolete, he said. one security program at a time can be port people get grumpy or frustrated with Anti-virus scanners don’t prevent in- disastrous. Two anti-virus products or callers because some 88 percent of the fections, he said. They find them after the two firewalls running at the same time calls are about the same issues. “If the fact. “Everybody is infected with at least can create major problems, he said. people you talk to sound frustrated, it’s three or four things,” he said. “Everybody ”Don’t ever install two security programs because you are the 9 millionth person — everybody, everywhere.” at the same time. … It isn’t one thing who has yet to find out that they shipped Users who change anti-virus programs that’s wrong with it. It’s thousands of a defective disc and you need to order a almost always find that the new software things,” he predicted. new one or that you are the 9 millionth finds something that the previous pro- He said Comodo requires XP or high- person to have forgotten your password.” gram missed, he said. Security experts er, and he recommended upgrading to Comodo is also a certificate authority, believe that only a small percentage — Windows 7. Windows 8 is likely to have he said. For more information on what possibly as small as 3 percent — of mal- some problems, he said. that means, see the lsat issue of TOE. ware is being detected. Anyone interested in computer securi- On the Net: Despite the malware threats, Perry ty should attend DEF CON (http:// Comodo: www.comodo.com said, they are not the cause of every com- www.defcon.org), an annual hacking con- Comodo CEO’s forum: http:// puter problem. “The virus has become the vention in Las Vegas, where security ex- forums.comodo.com/melihs-corner-ceo- all-purpose excuse for something going perts mix with hackers, sellers of lock talkdiscussionsblog-b36.0/ wrong with your computer,” he said. “I picks and viruses and recruiters for U.S. Woot (Perry recommended the sellout have news for you: Microsoft Windows intelligence agencies. section for computer deals; it sells re- crashes all by itself.” Perry said he has tried to infect his mainder products): www.woot.com .
wasting junk. ded. Comodo products Comodo Firewall: Award-winning Comodo Programs Manager: Com- protection that keeps your PC from all pletely remove unwanted software or Internet attacks. Windows features. Comodo's free programs (from the Comodo BackUp: Reliably stores Free Email Certificate: Allows you company's website; generally, phone sup- your files and keeps track of changes to to encrypt and digitally sign messages port is available only for paid versions, them. before sending. although the company has forums and Comodo Antivirus for Mac: Protect Secure Messaging: Protect and en- blogs for support): your Mac OS based computers from vi- crypt your instant messages with secure Comodo Internet Security: Free ruses, worms and Trojans. chat. security suite including antivirus and Comodo Cleaning Essentials: Iden- Comodo Dragon Browser: Chromi- firewall protection. The pro version in- tify and remove malware and unsafe pro- um based browser with best speed and cludes tech support and a $500 guarantee cesses from your computers. privacy enhancements. that you won’t be infected by a virus. The Comodo Antivirus for Linux: Com- Comodo Cloud Scanner: Cloud ser- company has never had to pay the re- prehensive antivirus protection for your vice that detects viruses, junk, errors and ward, Perry said. Linux OS based computer. hidden processes. Comodo Antivirus: Free antivirus, Comodo Rescue Disk: A powerful Comodo IceDragon Browser: Lght which detects and destroys unwanted PC virus, spyware, rootkit scanner and clean- and fast browser based on Mozilla Fire- invaders. er bootable disk image with Comodo Fox infused with Comodo's unparalleled Comodo System Utilities: Reach Cleaning Essentials for Windows embed- level of Security. deep into your PC and destroy all space-
September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 11
CIPCUG news and events Minutes of the August Treasurer’s report board of directors meeting for July 2012 By Art Lewis By Diane Mortensen [email protected] The CIPCUG Board of Directors held its monthly meeting 7-1-2012 through on Aug. 25, 2012. Members in attendance were Jim Brown, 7-31-2012 Lewis Craig Ladd, Rick Curry, John Weigle, Helen Long, Toby Category Description Scott, Ken Church, and Diane Mortensen. INFLOWS Invited guest, Veronica Niever. Members not Coffee income 0.00 in attendance were Art Lewis and Andy Toth. ISP income 60.00 The meeting was called to order by President Memberhip Income Jim Brown. Renewals 430.00 July board minutes: Acceptance by the TOTAL 430.00 board of July 2012 board minutes as printed in Raffle 134.00 TOE. Mortensen Treasurer’s report: Art Lewis was absent TOTAL INFLOWS 624.00 and copies of the treasurer’s report for July 2012 were handed out. A copy of the July 2012 treasurer’s OUTFLOWS report is located elsewhere in TOE. Raffle prizes 55.00 Guest feedback: Veronica Niever , a new CIPCUG mem- Rent Paid 150.00 ber, provided feedback to the board in the following areas: 1) TOE 200.00 provide classes, workshops at the Camarillo Library. At pre- sent, there are only one-hour, walk-in help sessions on TOTAL OUTFLOWS 530.00 Wednesday afternoons; 2) more public advertisement about CIPCUG’s meetings; 3) more done to gain club members. OVERALL TOTAL 94.00 Members of the board welcomed Veronica as a new CIP- CUG member and thanked her for the feedback she provided. Unrestricted Funds 4,897.96 Veronica was informed that all of the suggestions she made Restricted funds 0.00 have been reviewed and discussed by the board many times. Bank Balance 7-31-12 4,897.96 In response to Veronica’s suggestions, the board reported that: Year to Date Income 624.00 1) Attempts were made to move CIPCUG’s meetings to the Year to Date Expense 530.00 Camarillo City library, but there were too many conflicts, one Net Year to Date 94.00 being that the library could not guarantee that it could reserve the fourth Saturday of every month and complications as to security, time of the meeting vs. when the library opened. However, the head librarian was very interested in having representative from CIPCUG come and present various work- shops/classes. Such classes were held on Tuesday evenings for four weeks. Additional classes/workshops could be arranged in the future . 2012 contributors to The Outer Edge 2) Increased publicity about the club’s events has been a Your name can appear here, core topic with the board. Rick Curry is now publicity chair- too. Share your knowledge with Michael Shalkey man and will be in charge of putting CIPCUG’s meetings, other members by sending an article, Rick Smith events in monthly publication. letters or computer tips to Andy Toth [email protected]. Jim Thornton 3) More focus on increasing the club’s membership has Bill Wayson been one of board’s top priorities. CIPCUG MEMBERS John Weigle CIPCUG’s logo: Has the club ever had an official logo? Ken Church Some did not remember any and others said they thought it Rick Curry OTHERS Bob de Violini Nancy DeMarte (APCUG) was the arch rock similar to the one used on the front page of Craig Ladd Rick Eblaw (APCUG) the TOE. Helen and Andy will send what they have to John to Art Lewis Larry Mobbs (APCUG) be used whenever needed. Helen Long Leo Notenboom (APCUG) TOE: The board has previously reviewed the matter of how Diane Mortensen John Somers (APCUG) Toby Scott Judy Taylour (APCUG) (Continued on page 12)
Page 12 The Outer Edge September 2012 CIPCUG news and events It’s time to celebrate 25 years of computing
By Helen Long the club along with a the Boys & Girls Club. There will be Bits & Bytes ept. 22 will be the 25th Anniver- fantastic slideshow of hamburgers and hot dogs, salad, chips, sary Event of the Channel Is- photos taken over the and drinks for only $7 per person. Bring lands PC Users Group. If you years. Grand prizes will your family, friends and guests — every- miss this meeting, you will real- be raffled off, and spe- one is welcome. S cial entertainment will For further and updated information, ly be angry with yourself when everyone tells you what you missed. be provided by actress please go to www.cipcug.org. You will Everything will be happening at the Nicolette Holman with not want to miss this event. See you on Long Boys & Girls Club — no trekking down possible photo opportu- the 22nd of September. the road to a restaurant. The doors will nities. Rick Smith will open a bit later than usual at 9 a.m., and be the master of ceremonies. HAVE YOU RUN YOUR events will start at 9:30 a.m. The Pleasant Valley Lions Club will ANTI-SPYWARE PROGRAMS There will be historical stories about be serving lunch in the park adjacent to LATELY? More on Command.com ...
(Continued from page 1) items are significant. served, and enjoy a barbecue prepared by puter-related and among other prizes are There will be an intermission where the Pleasant Valley Lions Club. The donations from restaurants, gift baskets we can enjoy coffee and cake, and we can lunch will consist of a barbecue ham- and bottles of wine. We want to have use our meeting room. Let’s try to keep burger sandwich, salad, and a drink and plenty of variety. We want to have many the room clean. will cost $7. You and your guests can members walk away with a prize. Toby After this coffee break our show will enjoy the end of a special event in the Scott will conduct the raffle at the end of continue with more humor and special company of friends, and the warmth of the show. Each ticket drawn will be for a effects. the day. specific item. Raffle ticket prices are $5 After the raffle, we will move to the Looking forward to seeing all of each or five tickets for $20. The raffle adjacent picnic area, which we have re- you on Sept. 22.
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(Continued from page 11) will be presented; publicity, which has version of the brochure that John had costly the publication and mailing of been extensive, inviting the public to join prepared. All the information and clip art TOE has become. The pros and cons of in the festivities, is being handled by was well done; however, there was a switching from mailing TOE or putting Rick Curry; and a special guest singer problem with the margins. When folded the publication online were talked about. will be part of the entertainment; etc. in thirds the brochure’s first page over- Unless the club’s website was set up so Afterward, the Pleasant Valley Lions lapped. John noted the problem and said only members could bring up the TOE by Club will provide lunch for a $7 charge. he would work on the margins so all parts entering a user name and password, it The club has guaranteed that there will be will line up. would be available to anyone. The board 100 people and the Lions Club will bring October meeting: Craig announced will need to discuss this topic further. enough food for 150. Craig is organizing that Toby would be speaking on Win- CIPCUG’s 25 th Anniversary Event: the raffle with a lot of great prizes and a dows 8 at October’s meeting. The committee for the club’s 25 th Anni- grand prize. Tickets will be $5 each, There being no further business, the versary Event, gave a current report on New flash drives: Unfortunately, To- meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. what has transpired. Jim recognized the by will not have the 16 G Kingston flash board members who have volunteered drives ready in time for the 25 th Anniver- their time and participation in the event’s sary Event, but they might be ready in the Back up, back up, back success. Adjustments have been made to next two months. up … and test the back- the program format; the event will begin CIPCUG brochure: It was anticipated at 9:30 a,m,; Rick Smith has volunteered that CIPCUG’s brochure would be updat- up to be sure it to be the master of ceremonies; a ed and available for the 25 th Anniversary worked. slideshow of many past club activities Event. Diane showed the board the latest
September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 13
CIPCUG news and events
Membership report: August 2012 renewals payment due: First Is it time to renew? Mbr# Last Name Pd to Dt Name By Ken Church 0028 Fiedler Art 201208 email address: [email protected] 0806 Hurme Seppo 201208 T Welcome – CHURCH 0867 Pryor Dorothy 201208 New Members: Ernest Spencer and George Koerlin 0474 Pryor John 201208 1222 Quint Richard 201208 Attendance at the August 2012 general meeting: 1223 Reed Dan 201208 54 members and guests 1125 Robinson Bill 201208 0722 Smith Gary 201208 Total membership: 178
MEMBER RENEWAL INFORMATION September 2012 renewals payment due: First $30 for single membership, Mbr# Last Name Pd to Dt $35 for two or more family membership. Name 1240 Bowman Steve 201209 NEW MEMBER INFORMATION 0714 Bryan Bob 201209 $40 first year for single membership, $55 first year for two or more family member- 0006T Burnett Bob 201209 ship in same household. 1243 Fizzolio Jim 201209
0613 Green Gunnar 201209 Please send your payment to: 1161 Greene William 201209 CIPCUG MEMBERSHIP P.O. BOX 51354 0249 Greenway Frank 201209 OXNARD, CA 93031-1354 0373 Houle Robert 201209
Or bring your payment to the sign-in table for 1241 Jensen Elaine 201209 the Sept. 22, 2012, meting. 1093 Kincaid Carla 201209
July 2012 renewals payment due: 1037 Lerner Robert 201209 First 0372 Pizza Tony 201209 Mbr# Last Name Pd to Dt Name 1244 Rosenthal Mark 201209 1028 Burke Jim 201207 1206 Ohrt Juergen 201207 1242 Sandoval Judy 201209 1158 Woodruff Ayn 201207 1235 Shaw Wayne 201209
1036 Smith Howard 201209
1150 Thomas Ray 201209
1230A Tolian John 201209
1230B Tolian Mary 201209
1181T Toscano Matthew 201209
Page 14 The Outer Edge September 2012 General news, commentary Computers and church changed his life By Rick Smith the cigarettes a more "elegant" appear- time and go back and look at the past 25 [email protected] ance and ostensibly to reduce the amount years of personal computers through ou’ve come along way baby! of smoke they produce. Some believe this someone’s personal journey, namely Aaah, that brings back campaign was responsible for a rapid mine. memories. If I still smoked I increase in smoking among teenage girls. I started using computers way back in would probably take a long A report by the surgeon general of the the early ’80s. I was attending Cypress Ydrag as I said that. United States has interpreted these mar- College in Orange County and was taking That slogan goes way back to 1968, keting strategies as attempting to link computer science classes. The first PCs way before the Leading Edge Users smoking “to women's freedom, emanci- were coming out, and the ones I used Group formed, but I think pation, and empowerment.” This report were the Apple IIs that had two floppy Rick’s the slogan is appropriate. also tied the increase in smoking among drives. One was for your Disk Operating rant Phillip Morris introduced teenage girls to rises in sales of Virginia System or DOS, and the other was your the brand in 1968 and mar- Slims and other “niche” brands marketed programs. I was always getting the two keted it to young profes- directly to women. confused and kept taking out the wrong sional women using the Nowadays, I think more teenage girls disk. I was saving my money to buy one slogan “You've come a smoke marijuana than tobacco. Go figure. of the new Ataris that were being sold at long way, baby.” Virginia At least the tobacco was grown here and Sears, no less. I was always hanging Slims were much narrower not in some foreign country. Nowadays around the computer lab and got offered a you wouldn’t even know we had tobacco job as a tutor for the other students, and Smith than ordinary cigarettes (hence, “Slims”), and are growing in North America. We may have just as that happened I also got offered a also longer than normal made it socially unacceptable to light up good job in Santa Barbara. It was one of “king-sized” cigarettes, sold only in long- locally, but around the world sales are those life-changing course changes, and I er 100 mm and 120 mm lengths, to give brisk. Nonetheless, you’ve come along chose to go to Santa Barbara and chase way, computer users. Let’s take some (Continued on page 15)
(805) 289-3960 2175 Goodyear Ave. #117 Ventura 93003
Channel Islands Personal Computer Users Ventura County Computers Group Congratulates The C.I.P.C.U.G. Friendliest Computer For 25 years of Club Helping people use and In understand computers. Ventura County Keep up the good work!
September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 15
General news, commentary (Continued from page 14) Members’ Manual (.pdf) http:// pretty girls instead of building a career. pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/ Eventually I moved to Ventura County and became a bona classified ads FAXMACHINES/Sharp% fide born-again, Bible thumping, holy roller evangelical Chris- Classified ads are free to 20UX300%20Plain% tian. Since my new lifestyle required some adjustments, I gave members. Each ad is limited 20Paper%20Fax% 20Machine.pdf — David Min- up my 17-year addiction to smoking marijuana every day for to 105 characters, including spaces and to one ad per kin Bible study. I was healed instantly while being prayed over, but member per month. Copy has that’s another story. Anyway, now that I wasn’t getting high all to be to John Weigle, editor of I have the following For Sale the time, trying to get high, or thinking about getting high — let TOE ([email protected]), (contribution to CIPCUG): alone the time spent getting the stuff — I had a lot more free within the week after the 2 each Microsoft Mouse, $2 time on my hands and my mind also started to clear. So I had to regular meeting. Otherwise, each find something else to do with my time, hence my return to com- the ad is held to the following Internet Scrollin Mouse puters. My neighbor and church friend owned a company that month. (COMP USA), $2 used a lot of computers and gave me a 286 PC. I destroyed it in Video Selector Switch (5 in- Free puts/2 outputs), $5 — David less than two weeks so he gave an IBM 386. Wow! 10 MHz with Minkin a turbo speed switch to boot. This one had a 10 MB hard drive For sale with room for another. Well, it wasn’t long until I filled it up and Wanted got a second drive. Installing that was my first computer repair. I have the following Free/For Sale (contribution to CIP- And back in the day putting in an MFM drive wasn’t a plug and CUG): Other categories play as it is today. Come to think of it, Plug-N-Play hadn’t been One SHARP UX-300 FAX as needed invented yet, or at least not the phrase. Next I went from a green machine with Handset monochrome screen to an honest to goodness CGA color moni- tor. Wow, now I could play with ANSI.SYS and make colorful DOS prompts and play crude games. I next graduated to an EGA The Outer Edge is printed and prepared for mailing by: display and eventually VGA. I signed on to my first BBS and started becoming a downloading maniac. At 14.4 k it was slog, but, hey, free software, what a deal. Dialup was king in the day. My benefactor and inspiration, Bill Anderson, had me come down to his office to see his brand new 486 25 MHz PC. He was amazed at the blinding speed that it could crunch numbers, and text would fly by on the screen. We thought we couldn’t get much better than that. Then again my church played a pivotal role in pointing me in the right direction. My friend Scott Silver called me over to help him with his Tandy (Radio Shack) 386 PC. This unit didn’t have BIOS on the motherboard, and if you needed to change it you had to load it from a floppy disk. After working on it all day I got the POS, err, blessed PC working. As I was walking out the door, he handed me a $100 bill. He said he never could have afforded expensive PC repair and appreciated all the work I did. As I reached out to accept the “tip” a light bulb glowed over my head just like the cartoons of the day as the idea hit me. I COULD MAKE MONEY DOING SOMETHING I EN- JOY! What a concept! It had never occurred to me to do some- thing I really liked for pay. And so it began, from the roots of years of addiction bloomed a new life fixing computers. I first converted my large closet into a work-repair area. I eventually moved it into the garage as my skills and sales grew. With every PC I sold I was able to buy a little more stuff. My mentor, Bill Anderson, pioneered a company using a digital computer pro- gram to log the mud from oil well drilling. He needed a PC in every trailer at drill sites and was my best customer. I had com- puters offshore on Chevron’s oil rigs in the Santa Barbara Chan- nel. During this time I held a full-time job as a salesman for (Continued on page 16)
Page 16 The Outer Edge September 2012 General news, commentary Early version of Windows 8 creates problems
By Jim Thornton Start Menu. Whenever you click on the Windows 8. [email protected] Start Menu icon, what appears on your I uninstalled Windows 8 Customer ’m a longtime Windows user, start- desktop immediately are about 25 large Preview, but for some unknown reason ing when Microsoft first introduced squares, each listed with a general title of my Windows 7 was no longer working. Windows in 1983, and in the fol- the related programs, like Eudora, Apparently Windows 8 Customer Pre- lowing years, I upgraded to Win- IrfanView, Keyboard, Mouse, Microsoft view had overwritten several similar dowsI 95, 98, Me, XP, and 7. But during Office, Norton, RoboForm, ZTreeWin, Windows 7 programs. So next I tried to those years I didn’t bother with the less etc. I found this somewhat totally unnec- reinstall Windows 7, but again without popular Windows 2000 or Vista and cur- essary for I like the current Windows 7 any success. So what I had to do was to rently I’m using Windows 7 Professional. start menu display, and it’s much easier totally replace the existing C: drive with a And since I always want to use the most to use. new hard drive and then I successfully current version of all software that I use, I I also discovered that my Eudora installed Windows 7. And I had to install was interested in Microsoft’s introduction email program was completely replaced my other 21 non-Microsoft programs. of its Windows 8 titled Windows 8 Cus- with Microsoft’s Live Mail program, and And it took me a week or more to com- tomer Preview or Windows 8 Release I also lost all of my current and stored pletely restore my Eudora e-mail program Preview, so I downloaded the program email messages as well as my Eudora and to try to reassemble its address book from its website (http:// address book. with all of its nice features. windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows- In addition, I discovered that I had Microsoft is currently instructing po- 8/download) and installed it on my com- lost other programs, like Pretty Good tential users of its Windows 8 Customer puter. Solitaire, Printkey-Pro, Titan Chess Review program to first copy all of their My first opinion of Windows 8 is that games, etc., plus my HP LaserJet printer programs, including Windows 7 or any I didn’t like how it has changed the view- and Epson scanner. In other words, I lost earlier version onto either an external ing and selecting of programs from the similar programs that were included in (Continued on page 17) More on Rick’s rant ...
(Continued from page 15) This is where I first met Thomas William Toby, and a friendship was born. I even- Granny Goose Potato Chips. Eventually Scott. He was helping out with a startup tually made my way to sharing a couple Frito-Lay ran us out of business, and I company called Ventura County Online, of locations and had a failed attempt to found myself unemployed for the first and they were buying stuff at the shows. work with another individual when the time in my life. It was either go apply for He was part of a crew located on the 14 th opportunity presented itself for me to a job at Amgen in the IT department with floor in Oxnard with “your friend in the have to move again, and this time I was benefits, vacation, health insurance, re- diamond business.” Somehow I wormed ready to open up my own place. About tirement pension and a life being locked my way into George Thompson’s good this time Toby’s stock market skills were in a windowless room babysitting a graces, and he set me up in a vacant of- having a diminishing return as most users bunch of servers and occasionally being fice for giving him computer support. It switched to online trading, and he was let out to fix some idiot user’s problem. seems Mr. Scott bought a monitor at the looking for a career change. We got mar- Or I could strike out on my own with a show and it died. He unsuccessfully tried ried and have been together ever since. life of uncertainty, random income, 7-day to contact the company and even drove Through the ups and downs, good and workweeks with no benefits, insurance or down to the address in east L.A., and it bad, feast and famine we’ve stuck togeth- retirement. But I get to face new chal- was a locked door leading up to a second- er for 20 years. Toby’s connection with lenges every day and the personal satis- story stairway. He poked his head in my CIPCUG brought benefits to us and the faction of helping people make their lives door one day and shared his tale of woe club. Our affiliation with the club has, for better with a well-running PC. The and despair. I took pity on his plight and the most part, been to everyone’s benefit. choice was obvious; I had to go for it. offered to assist. I located the west coast We’ve made some good friends, and a Back in the day I was able to get distributer for SPECTRE monitors and couple of enemies, but through it all most of my supplies from the local com- arranged for an exchange, and within a we’ve all grown to see the world change puter shows. I found that even if I opened week I had a brand new functional moni- quite a bit. Who knows what the next 25 up accounts with the vendors they still tor back on his desk. I think that was years have in store, but you can bet on sold items at lower prices at the shows. probably the most impressed I ever made this: It will be exciting to live to se it.
September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 17 General news, commentary 25 years of computing: a retrospective By Bill By By Wayson Shack then Computer Village. A class at me. I did not know enough to get them to [email protected] UCSB introduced me to Xenix, a Unix run well, I was still unaware of the news- he CIPCUG is celebrating its clone sold by Microsoft long before Win- group-based support systems, and my PC 25th anniversary. Congratula- dows 3. Xenix and Unix were much more just lacked the power to run them well. tions to everyone involved, interesting that DOS, and, unlike DOS, Somewhere in the mid- to late-1990s, now and in earlier years, with they multitasked. I wanted to run Unix on at work I began to read mentions of Tkeeping the group alive and vibrant. I my own PC. By 1990, I had purchased a something called “Linux” in the multi- realize that 25 years also marks a person- new PC: a cranking 12 Intel Mhz 286- tude of trade rags that fell on me like rain. al anniversary: the beginning in the mid- based PC with two floppy drives (I had to (And, by this time, I had been promoted to late-1980s of my for- watch my pennies). I tore apart a discard- into my first system analyst job title.) Penguin’s mal pursuit of a career ed 10 MB hard drive on a card (it would Linux was described as a Unix-like oper- Lair in computing. I’ll take not fit in my PC’s case) and just let the ating system; open source (which I then the opportunity to look bare drive lay on my desk. And I got my understood to mean the source code was, back on my involvement first real full-time job in the computer and would always remain, freely availa- with computers and my field supporting 24 computer users in the ble and modifiable); and developed, growing interest in alter- Treasurer/Tax Collector Department of maintained, and enhanced by volunteers, native and open source Santa Barbara County, providing comput- I wanted to try it out. software. ers to the other 30 or so departmental I wouldn’t have even tried to down- During some career employees and helping to automate their load Linux using my then-slow modem counseling around 1986, cashiering, tax receipting, and debt col- even if I knew where to download it lection operations. It felt great to be part from. But numerous bookstores carried Wayson it became apparent to me that computer sys- of the PC revolution in government, and the Linux Developer’s Resource, a six tem analyst could be a good job for me, there was plenty to do. CD set from Infomagic that included sev- so I made it my goal to become one. This Unknown to me, on Aug. 25, 1991, a eral Linux distributions as well as gobs of was supported when I thought back to my young Finnish computer science student software. This introduced me to Red Hat introduction to computing: a field trip to posted a message on a newsgroup solicit- Linux, which I chose for its use of RPM a local IBM site as a Cub Scout and a ing feedback on “a (free) operating sys- as an advanced software management FORTRAN programming class I had tem (just a hobby, won’t be big and pro- tool. I played with it a while on a 486- taken in high school, complete with fessional like gnu) for 386(486) AT based Gateway sporting 64 MB of RAM punch cards and line-printer output. The clones.” With this, a project began that and two 320 MB hard drives. It was pain- IBM people showed off their cool com- would affect me personally and automa- fully slow but looked very interesting. puter game, and I liked the programming tion in general in profound and still grow- Shortly, I ordered the then-current distro class and did well in it. So, I began figur- ing ways. Meanwhile, I kept progressing, directly from Red Hat, carved out hard ing out my first PC, a hand-me-down adding a proper 40 MB hard drive and a drive space on an 866 Mhz Pentium III TRS-80 Model 1, and enrolled in various working 14.4K modem (I never was able based PC, installed it alongside OS/2 college computer science classes, all to get the 300 baud modem working on Warp, and pursued the goal of doing all while working selling PCs, first at Radio my old Model 1) to my PC. And I my personal computing under Linux. My searched for an affordable Unix to run. I goal required that I learn much about how
first tried Minix, a Unix clone developed Linux is configured and ran, how to get More on Windows 8 ... by the great computer scientist Andrew S. and give support through the various Tanenbaum. Later, I tried Coherent, an- online communities, that access to the (Continued from page 16) other inexpensive Unix clone from the Internet was critical, and that a local user hard drive or USB device. And due to Mark Williams Co. Unlike Minix, Coher- group could be helpful. I discovered the the major problems that I experienced, I, ent included XFree86, an open source Channel Islands Linux User Group, led too, strongly instruct that you make cop- (though I remained unaware of the impli- by the late Ralph Frisbie, which later ies of all of your programs onto separate cations of open source) implementation combined with CIPCUG to form its cur- storage devices. Plus Microsoft is now of the X Window System. I even tried rent Linux SIG. informing all potential users of its Win- IBM’s OS/2 (I had obtained a cheap user And, here we are today. We use PCs, dows 8 Customer Review program to license when I sold IBM PCs and subse- portables, heck, maybe smartphones that fully understand that you can’t easily quently kept upgrading as new versions would rival most mainframes of 1987. uninstall Windows 8 Customer Review were released), which I still run today for CIPCUG has an active SIG on software, and get back to your original programs a personal finance application. But at the now used by millions and powering to- time, none of these was really usable to (Continued on page 18) in their good working performance. Page 18 The Outer Edge September 2012 General news, commentary Router’s ‘forced’ update a disaster for some
By Bob de Violini service they didn’t even want to begin called tech support with a problem and [email protected] with. The second complaint was that, in provided a certain number given to them resh from the “Sneaks ‘R Us” the privacy policy for the new Cloud ser- when they initially registered for the Cis- department comes the story of a vice, the language plainly stated that Cis- co Connect Cloud Service. prominent router manufacturer co could keep track of how its Cloud On a similar note, you may have no- that decided to “force” its router Connect Service was used by collecting ticed I used the word “force” in quotation usersF to go through the cloud to run their certain information from the traffic that marks in the first paragraph. That’s be- router’s firmware. OK, but therein lies went through the router. According to cause there is a setting within the routers’ the rub … the router manufacturer also what was listed in the policy, that infor- firmware that helps enable automatic had the potential to see just where you’d mation included local network traffic and updates. That’s handy, because it makes surfed on the Net, and I mean every- Internet traffic as well. That information for one less thing you have to worry where. This upgrade was “forced” on the could then potentially be added to other about. However, in this case, it also opted users of the Linksys by Cisco router mod- users’ data and subsequently given to users in to the newer firmware that then el numbers EA3500 and EA4500. Ac- third parties for their own use(s). Basical- made them have to sign up for an online cording to the Linksys/Cisco home router ly, the info amounted to a list of every account they wanted no part of. By simp- Web site, the EA2700 router also has Web site you or anyone using your net- ly not putting a check mark in an auto- cloud management capability, but it was work (router) visited in a given slice of matic update box they would have avoid- not mentioned in this snafu. This little time. However, the information would ed this situation entirely. upgrade hasn’t gone over too well with not identify any single user in any way, If you have been affected by this firm- quite a few users who’ve complained according to the policy. Understandably, ware update and you have decided you rather vociferously, and Cisco has lis- folks were upset at such a loose-sounding don’t like it after trying it for a while, or tened. It has posted “downgrade” instruc- privacy policy that made for a potential if you never wanted it in the first place, tions to roll an affected router’s firmware lack of privacy. you’re in luck. There are instructions at back to the previous version that didn’t I used the past tense in the previous the following link on just how to get your have the cloud management ability. If paragraphs because after a mere five router back to the way it was before this you have a Linksys EA2700 router with days, the language had been removed. By upgrade. Please follow them to the letter, the Cisco Connect Cloud Service and you the time I went to go see things for my- or you could wind up with a useless rout- don’t care for it, you can downgrade your self, the language about data collection er. I have read them, and they are very router just like those who have an that had angered so many users had been straightforward. Here’s the link: http:// AE3500 or 4500. See the last paragraph replaced with milder language stating that tinyurl.com/8tv9vwd. Please read through for details. they may collect information about your them completely before attempting the This upgrade created two issues that network configuration or the traffic downgrade, and don’t forget the im- folks complained about on the Linksys through the router for the purpose of tech- portant note between steps 10 and 11. forums. The first complaint is being nical support or troubleshooting. The The instructions are good for the forced to set up a new account for a new only way the data can be linked to an AE2700, 3500 and 4500 routers from individual user would be when a user Cisco/Linksys.
More on Lair ...
(Continued from page 17) about having to use keyboards on com- to the September CIPCUG Linux SIG day’s most powerful supercomputers, puters that had only 8 GB of RAM, an- meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday the 25th at which began as a hobby. I’ve gone from cient hard drives that held only 2 TB, and Ventura County Computers in Ventura. tape storage and 8-bit processors to a ca- how long they had to wait for stuff com- The topic is a bit up in the air. We may be reer and resources that have been very ing over archaic wires at 100 Mb/sec. If reinstalling Ubuntu 12.04. As always, we good to me, and from punch cards to ac- the youngsters of 2037 even listen, they will entertain all questions and endeavor cess to information that was imaginable may appreciate how good things are then. to answer them. If there is something you to only a few in 1987. Or, they may just roll their eyes and go would like the Lair or Linux SIG to cov- Twenty-five years from now? Who back to doing ... what? er, drop me a line at bway- knows, but I feel confident that the old- If you have questions or would like to [email protected]. timers of the future will wax nostalgic learn more about Linux and FOSS, come Until next month, happy computing.
September 2012 The Outer Edge Page 19
Why join Channel Islands PC Users Group (CIPCUG)?
♦ A flash drive containing many Dues for new members Every month, members of the Channel useful freeware programs. Individual member, $40. Islands PC Users Group have access to: ♦ A chance to make friends with Family membership (same address), ♦ The Outer Edge newsletter, which people who have similar interests. $55. includes a list of members willing to help ♦ The ability to put your knowledge Renewals are $30 and $35 per year other members. to good use by helping other members. respectively. ♦ The general meeting, featuring a The whole concept of user groups is TOE subscription only (in the U.S.), question-and-answer session and program members helping members. $20. on new software or hardware. ♦ Special Interest Groups — special Please clip the coupon below and CIPCUG E-MAIL ADDRESS meetings held several times a month. send with payment to CIPCUG- Members who would like to have an ♦ Door prizes at the regular meeting. Membership, P.O. Box 51354, Oxnard, email address through CIPCUG in the Other benefits include: CA 93031-1354. form of [email protected] may ob- ♦ Special user group discounts on Please make checks payable to tain one for $20 per year. books and software. CIPCUG.
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September 2012 meeting Of the Channel Islands PC Users Group
The map shows Saturday morning, Sept. 22, at the Boys the easiest route & Girls Club, 1500 Temple Ave. to the Boys & (Ponderosa Drive and Temple Avenue), Girls Club, but if Camarillo. you prefer, you can take the Meeting Schedule (this month only): Carmen Drive 9:00 a.m. Doors open offramp to 9:30 Program begins. Drawings will be held during the program time. Ponderosa Drive, 12:00 Lunch at adjacent picnic area which leads to Temple Avenue.