Nibbles & Bits, Advances in Open Source Software & Linux, October ... [PDF]

vol. 28  no. 12 / december 2010

award winning monthly newsletter for orcopug members

December’s Program

Annual Christmas

Fundraising Raffle! don’t miss it! check out the list of prizes at www.orcopug.org/members/2010prizes.pdf

you can bring a can! Let’s help others in need this Christmas. Bring one or more cans of food to the meeting — donations will go to an Orange County food bank.

december program 2 favorite shot 3 blinded by “cool” 4 when to say uh-oh 5 laptop case review 6 word 2010 for dummmies 7 how fast is fast? 9 keyword explained  11 ask the experts 12 word tip 16 excel tip 17 ask computer tutor 18 online e-coupons save $ 20 raffle results  23 web inventor speaks out 24 user group deals 24 orcopug information  25

DECEMBER PROGRAM

See the list of prizes at www.orcopug.org/members/2010prizes.pdf or request the list from Charlie Moore, [email protected]

Rules of the Raffle by Mike Lyons, ORCOPUG President

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he Christmas raffle has always been the club’s biggest money maker. The Tuesday, December 14 meeting at the North Orange/County YMCA in Fullerton is the only meeting of the year where you have to be a member to participate. If you don’t see your name at the badge table, it means your dues have lapsed. Everyone needs to wear their name tags to place bids. All of the raffle items will be out on display as close to 6:30 p.m. as possible. Each item will have a yellow sticky note with a number on it (corresponding to the number on the raffle prizes list) and a dish in front of it. Once all of the items are displayed, we will name each vendor and give a brief description of each donated item. Ticket sales should start around 7:30 p.m. Tickets are one dollar each. There are two pieces to each ticket. Put one side of the ticket in the bowl and keep the stub. Please keep the ticket stubs you hold intact. It makes easier to check your numbers for winners. Members can put as many tickets as they choose into the bowls in front of each item. All tickets will be deposited into the bowls by 8 p.m.

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ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

At 8 p.m., we will check the bowls and add “ORCOPUG’ ticket(s) to any bowl with less than five tickets until the count hits five. Our club ticket will be a different color for easy identification. If a club ticket is drawn, the club wins the prize and it is set aside for use in the monthly raffles. This meeting is always a lot of fun and there will be light refreshments to get everyone in the Yule spirit. So, bring your smile and your wallet or purse and join us for a great meeting.

Help Everyone To Have A Merry Christmas Please bring one or more canned goods to the meeting. Donations in the club’s name will be given to a food bank in Orange County for distribution to families in need.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

These

are a sampling of the silk floral arrangements Linda Gonse made for the Fall and Christmas holidays last year and this year. Some of the arrangemetns sold at craft shows, a few were gifts to friends, and others are in boxes in the garage waiting for a home. You can see more of the arrangements on Flickr.com, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lgonse/ sets/72157622380030581/ Photos by Dan Gonse, ORCOPUG ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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COLUMN

blinded   me with her appliance she

by Jon Jones, NCMUG

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think I’ve always wanted to be a robot. As long as I can remember, I imagined that it would have been the totally coolest thing. No doubt an ambition that must have been shaped to some degree during my formative years by the likes of “Shields and Yarnell” or “The Six Million Dollar Man”. During elementary school, a girl upon whom I had a crush needed to wear a dental headgear appliance as part of her orthodontia. These were relatively common for kids in the 70s, and depending upon their complexity, could sometimes resemble a cross between a Tongan ceremonial headdress and a Boba Fett helmet. The aforementioned girl was rather self-conscious about her mechanically assisted visage, but I thought it was just about the coolest thing in the world. Perhaps, due to my native Appalachian

heritage, such an accoutrement was not a consideration for my own future. But regardless, it was indeed then that I realized that the closest I would likely ever come to at least feeling like a robot would be through accessorizing. This has been an ambition that has sustained through the years in some capacity, even surviving 1999’s “Bicentennial Man” — Robin Williams’ stupor- inducing portrayal of a servant robot through its 200-year life span, a ponderous film that felt as if it played out in real time. In a tightwire balancing act between my inner nerd and a desire for communal acceptance, I have restrained my evolution into full-on robot with the help of practical reality. But I also consider myself Turn to next page

Sometimes “cool” is just a state of blind.

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ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

COLUMN / FRAUD HELP

lucky to be living in our current age of technology in which at least some forms of technological body adornment are in vogue. It seems that almost everyone now carries with them a mobile phone or PDA device. While typically tucked away in a purse or pocket, and thereby not really considered an “androidish” bodily addendum, they can be considered a “gateway” device, as demonstrated by the rise of bluetooth ear pieces worn by those slowly coming to grips with their inner cyborg—such as yours truly. I frequently wear a bluetooth earpiece made by Blue Ant. It is a model that features voice prompts alerting me to connectivity status, spoken in such a polite tone that I habitually and graciously thank it as it updates me. When I wear the Blue Ant, I feel that it wants to be human as much as I want to be a robot. (Go figure.) I am sure that my android ambitions will be further tempered as life goes on, with the inevitability of quasi-bionics that are introduced through necessity rather than desire. Perhaps I will one day require a new titanium hip, a pacemaker or even a metal plate in my head, and through insurance premium rates that make me think that “The Six Million Dollar Man” got a pretty

what are the warning

signs of fraud? BlueAnt Model Z9i

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he following tips have been compiled by the United States Postal Service’s law enforcement and security arm, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Warning signs (when to say uh-oh) • • • • good deal, even in 1973 dollars. For now, I’ll have to make do with using my Blue Ant as as modest cost of entry to my future Borg self. Robot assimilation — one gadget at a time.

• • • •

J



on Jones is the talented newsletter editor, coordinator of the Video SIG, and board member of NCMUG. Jon operates a shortrun digital media production facility specializing in community and family-based multimedia. He can be reached at jon@ncmug. org.

Sounds too good to be true. Pressure to act “right away.” Guaranteed successs Promises of unusually high returns. Upfront investment required — even for a “free” prize. Buyers want to overpay for an item and you send them the difference. Doesn’t have the look of a real business. Something just doesn’t feel right.

Play it safe (don’t play the game) • Never click on a link inside an email. Type the address into your browser instead. • Check to see if the business is legitimate at the Better Business Bureau. • Report online fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc. gov/complaint. • Keep receipts, statements, and packing slips. Double-check them. • Shred documents instead of throwing them in the trash. Please visit the USPS fraud education and prevention website at deliveringtrust.com for even more information and to report scams.

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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REVIEW

review Product name: Sportfolio™ Deluxe for MacBook and MacBook Pro/ Aluminum Manufacturer: Marware URL: http://is.gd/f9DCt PRICE: $79.99 – $89.99

laptop carrying case

is a keeper

O

riginally I requested to review this product because it “looked” so cool. Then when I got my hands on it I fell in love with this Sportfolio Deluxe bag! For me, traveling a lot means schlepping my laptop all over creation. This bag is lightweight; has lots of pockets for accessories. One of the coolest features is that the inside pockets come with labels by Lorene Romero NCMUG president for cables, iPod, and other small items. Another cool feature is there is neoprene lip that separates the zipper from your laptop. What this means is that the zipper, at no time, touches your computer or scratches it. The Sportfolio can be used by professional or consumer users, and has features useful to anyone who uses a portable device. This is a keeper.

Headphone Access

Orca skin pocket; Plastic inserts on sides for edge protection; Easy-grip bottom for carrying as a folio; Zipper lining to protect against scratches Pocket for remote; Interior orca skin pocket stores any iPod, camera, or mouse; Pocket for power adapter; Plush lined interior

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ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

BOOK REVIEW

word 2010 for dummies by John Kamper, Tucson Computer Society, Arizona

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f you’re new to Word and computers to begin with, a total newbie, this book is for you. It doesn’t point out what’s new in 2010 compared to 2007 and previous versions, so it assumes you’re new to Word. Like most Dummies books, it starts from the very beginnings and walks you through the various steps to start the computer and the program and explains the various elements of the screen, etc. It includes fundamental information such as identifying the mouse pointer and how to start and quit the program and points out keyboard uses, such as what the Caps Lock key does. If you’ve used Word previously but only sparingly for simple memos or letters and want to learn more about how to use more of the program, this book is for you. It is an excellent help to advance your knowledge of word processing and Word 2010 in particular. If you have a basic knowledge of Word you should probably skim the first four chapters to see if there’s anything basic that you’ve missed, such as the Ruler, Status Bar, Zoom features and the soft return (Shift+Enter), etc. I was surprised that the author didn’t mention the use of the right mouse button/click, not to mention the right click button on the keyboard. (Didn’t know there was one? Look between the Window and Ctrl keys to the right of the space bar. The keys to the right of the space bar will be different dependent on the manufacturer. The important thing is that there is a right click button to begin with.) The book has 23 chapters in 390 pages, a good Table of Contents and a 20 page Index. The Introduction tells you

how to use the book. Page two suggests that you look for a topic in the Table of Contents that you want to learn more about or that you haven’t used before, find it in the Index and read about the topic. For example do you know what a table is, what its uses are and that Word can create one to begin with? Not including the Introduction, the book is split into six Parts: Part I, “Your Introduction to Word,” Chapters One and Two. These chapters cover fundamental information, such as starting the program and very basic things such as typing, only one space between sentences, the backup and erase keys, etc. Part II, “Your Basic Word,” Chapters Three through Nine. More basic information such as moving around the document, editing text, Turn to next page

Word 2010 for Dummies Dan Gookin, author Wiley Publishing, Inc. www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/ ISBN: 978-0-470-48772-3 $24.99, $16.49 @ Amazon ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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BOOK REVIEW

paragraphs, Undo/Redo, Search and Replace, blocks of text, Spell check, saving a document, printing, etc. Part III, “Formatting,” Chapters Ten through 17. How do you make text stand out? Want to know how to format characters, paragraph, pages, documents and columns? Do you know how to use tabs to align text/make columns? Other useful items such as Styles, Themes and Templates and Sundry Formatting are also explained. Ever wonder how to get those special characters such as “ñ” or “Ñ”? Part IV, “Spruce Up a Dull Document,” Chapters 18 through 23. It’s more than just changing the way text is formatted, you also want to About the author improve the entire document. These chapters cover Lines Dan Gookin created the original Dummies format and Colors, Tables, columns, lists – bulleted and numbered for DOS programs in 1991. He has authored more – graphics, image editing, non-breaking spaces and hyphens than 100 books and has over 11 million copies in print. and why you need them. Find more about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Ever wonder how to get those special characters such as Dan_Gookin. “ñ” or “Ñ”? See Chapter 23. Recommendations Part V, “Even More Word,” Chapters 24 through 29. As the title says, here’s where you learn even more useful stuff If you’re new to word processing and Word 2010, such as what use multiple documents provides, and how to get this book. See my recommendations at the very save documents in different formats. beginning of this article. Get this book if you are only The book doesn’t mention it specifically, but with a vaguely familiar with Word and word processing and little exploring I found that the Save As dialogue box, in the want to expand your use and learn topics you didn’t “Save as Type” box provides for saving in .pdf format. This know about before. saves me a couple of steps when distributing documents to If you’re very familiar with Word and the Ribbon, those who don’t have Word. the book will be useful, but I’d suggest getting a The section “Word for Writers” provides many tips for copy from the library and skim through it to refresh those of us who like to write. It covers essential tips for your memory or pick up hints you didn’t know writers such as outlines, master documents, etc. Additional about before. For example, I’ve used Mail Merge in items include the Quick Access Toolbar, how to customize previous versions before, but seldom. I could figure the Ribbon, making inserts and comments, how to highlight it out given enough time, but it would be useful and more. If you ever have to mail the same document to to review how you do it in Word 2010. However, many addressees, called a mail merge, this is the place to depending on your inclinations, it might be worth find out how to do it. it to get a copy just for reference. It’s available on Part VI, “The Part of Tens,” Chapters 30 through 39. As Amazon new — $16.49; used $13 .49. the author says, “This part of the book wraps things up with If you are a power user, this book isn’t for you. some Word Trivia, tips and suggestions.” These include the Invest in a Bible type reference book. author’s “Ten Commandments,” “Ten Cool Tricks,” “Ten Bizarre Things” and “Ten Avuncular Suggestions.”

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ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

INTERNET

web access

how fast is

fast enough? by Darry D Eggleston, http://DarryD.com

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o how proud are you of your web access? Feeling pretty smug, are you? Then, whatever you do, STOP reading right now. Ookla, creator of SpeedTest, has released its Household Download Index, which is free to view. Based on millions of recent test results from Speedtest.net, this index compares and ranks consumer download speeds around the globe. The value is the rolling average throughput in Mbps over the past 30 days where the mean Turn to next page

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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INTERNET

distance between the client and the server is less than 300 miles. These are the top ten countries by home-access-to-Web speed: 1. South Korea: 32.40 Mbps 2. Latvia: 23.37 Mbps 3. Lithuania: 21.42 Mbps 4. Japan: 19.50 Mbps 5. Romania: 19.37 Mbps 6. Sweden: 19.23 Mbps 7. Republic of Moldova: 19.15 Mbps 8. Netherlands: 18.60 Mbps 9. Bulgaria: 17.01 Mbps That’s right: you didn’t see the U.S. or Canada. The United States is ranked at 28th place (9.80 Mbps) and Canada is ranked at 33 (8.10 Mbps). Results were obtained by

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analyzing test data between May 31, 2010 and Jun 29, 2010. Tests from 32,267,923 unique IPs have been taken in this country and of 144,464,561 total tests, 6,429,319 are being used for the current Index. I’ll bet you’re wondering how your state’s access compares to other states. Here’s the top 10 home-access-toWeb states:   1. Delaware: 15.76 Mbps   2. Rhode Island: 14.83 Mbps   3. Massachusetts: 14.39 Mbps   4. Virginia: 13.59 Mbps   5. New Jersey: 13.21 Mbps   6. Maryland: 12.79 Mbps   7. Washington: 12.76 Mbps   8. New Hampshire: 12.58 Mbps   9. Colorado: 12.44 Mbps

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

10. NY: 12:15 Mbps Still looking for California? It’s 15th (10.92 Mbps) which beats my home state of Florida which is 18th (9.77 Mbps). You can check out where other states compare on the speedtest.net interactive states’ map. But it could be worse. Here’s the slowest, five home-access-to-Web states: 45. Mississippi: 6.14 Mbps 46. New Mexico: 5.84 Mbps 47. Wyoming: 5.79 Mbps 48. Montana: 4.98 Mbps 49. Idaho: 4.74 Mbps 50. Alaska: 2.76 Mbps Now, if you’re not interested in Net Neutrality, you might want to get interested.

KEYWORD EXPLAINED

november keyword explained

E

earth911.com

arth911.com is a privately owned, for-profit company that specializes in providing consumers with accessible and actionable recycling information across the country. Earth911.com’s Recycling Directory is the most accurate and comprehensive directory of its kind, updated daily, and contains information for recycling over 240 different products that are free for consumers to use on the website, toll-free and bilingual hotline (1-800 CLEANUP) and a free iPhone application (iRecycle). Earth911.com has over 127,000 locations and programs that people can search in the directory to find local recycling and disposal resources. Earth911.com has been featured on popular venues like the Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America and The New York Times.

computer recycling Computers are a primary contributor to electronic waste (e-waste), posing a major disposal issue because they are made up of various components that are toxic to the environment. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance estimates that 75 percent of obsolete electronics are currently stored, which will one day result in a massive disposal issue for the world. Search on Earth911.com for local recycling centers. If none are available, check the following list (also online at http://earth911.com/recycling/electronics/computers/computer-recycling-and-reuse/) Hewlett-Packard Computer Hardware Recycling Program Palo Alto, Calif. 94304, (888) 485-1849, (800) 580-7370 Computer donations, computer monitors, computer recycling HP’s computer hardware recycling service is a simple take-back program. Consumers can return any piece of computer hardware from any manufacturer. Great Lakes Electronics Corporation 12600 Greenfield Road, Detroit, Mich. 48227, (313) 838-7000 Computer monitors, computer recycling, electronics, televisions. Call for shipping information and drop-off fees. This site may pay for some items. Apple Computer Recycling Program Cupertino, Calif. 85022, (888) 638-2761 Computer monitors, computer recycling. Accepts any Apple computer (desktop or portable) in working condition as well as monitors and keyboards. Recycles your computer for a fee.

A-Z Computer Recycling & Liquidation 1661 South Brookhurst, Unit 1, Anaheim, Calif. 92804 (714) 563-1029 Computer monitors, computer recycling, electronics, office machines. No charge to bring in laptops, P4/P3/G4/G3 Windows. Mac desktop & towers, laptop parts, laptop accessories, all hard drives, CD-ROMs, loose PC boards/cards, all cables, all retail packaged/sealed software, all telephone equipment, all test equipment, all networking equipment (hubs, routers, switches, etc.). Computer Corps 6373 Highway 50 East, Carson City, Nev. 89701 (775) 883-2323 Compact discs, computer donation, computer monitors, computer recycling, electronics, office machines. Contact by e-mail at [email protected] or by fax at (775) 883-7676. Computer Corps accepts all electronic waste except televisions.

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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COMPUTER HELP

transferring music from cds

B

I do not know how the efficiency of the compression compares between FLAC and the less compressed MP3 files.

ask the experts compiled by Bob Goodman Cajun Clickers

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ill Blansfield: I have a collection of music CDs that I would like to transfer to a portable hard drive, is there an easy procedure for doing this? I would like to be able to view the files on the hard drive by artist, genre, album name, etc. Mickey Christensen: I just helped my wife copy some CD’s to drive so she could ‘manipulate’ what she put on her iPod for the car. We used a Roxio ‘burner’ pro­gram. I just copied a CD for a backup and used Nero Start Smart. Both seemed to let you list what you wanted on the CD so you can select which songs you want to play. Bill DePierri: I am not an expert on this issue. The way that I did it was to use a program that converts a music file on a CD to an MP3 file by playing the CD and ‘ripping’ it to the MP3 format. It takes a lot of time if you have a large collection of CD’s. When I played this conversion game, I used the minimum compression for the MP3 files. I would avoid using Window Media Player for the conversion as I understand there are digital rights issues with WMP that may limit the flexibility of you use. I used a program named “J. River Media Center,” but this was three or four years ago. I am sure that there are a lot of programs available now. Of course, if you use the FLAC program it is free. Things have advanced and now there are lossless music compression algorithms available. One of these is called FLAC. I have attached a link to a FLAC webpage for your info: http://flac.sourceforge.net. If you have excellent hearing you are probably better off using FLAC rather than MP3 as you will have all the info from the CD on your copy, rather than the loss of some portion of the info as with the MP3 copy. Another thing to consider is the amount of compression with MP3 files. This parameter can be selected by the user prior to ‘ripping’ the CD. Generally, the lower the compression, the bigger the file and the better the audio on the MP3 file. I do not know how the efficiency of the compression compares between FLAC and the less compressed MP3 files. That information is probably available Turn to next page

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

COMPUTER HELP

on the web. Or you might get lucky and get a response from someone the really knows something about this issue like Walter Scott, our fellow Clickers member. Good Luck! Walter Scott: I agree with what Bill says pretty much, except to point out that MP3s are ubiquitous, any and everything can play them. With FLAC, on the other hand, you need to make sure you can play the files. A very good free program to use for ripping CDs is Audiograbber: http://tinyurl.com/ y8tazvc. It will help you get the ID3 info into the files as well (artist, song name, etc.) In fact, this is what we used way back around the end of the century to rip our CDs! As Bill says, don’t overcompress; 128 Kbps is the minimum and 256 Kbps, or even 300, is not unreasonable especially with today’s fat hard drives. Good luck! Cajun12: I use Audiograbber, too, and have never had a problem with it.

Sprague Pugh: I use a free program called Rhap­sody. You can get it at www.rhapsody.com; it also has a paid version for downloading songs from their library.

burn downloaded mp3s to cd Ron Spruell: Walter, et al: I downloaded 4 MP3 files that I want to burn to a CD-R. I am using Nero. (Don’t get excited, they are not music!) Since they are audio files, I clicked on AudioCD. My 8.5 MB file now uses over half of the CD. I can only record one per CD. What gives? I clicked on ISO1, and the four files take up about 35MB or 5% of the CD space instead of over 50%. Will someone with HiFi hearing (not me) be able to tell the difference in these?

Bill LeBlanc: First, to answer your question — probably no one will be able to tell the difference. Why? MP3s typically compress the audio and loose some of the fidelity. When you convert the MP3s back into .wav (or equivalent), you don’t gain any fidelity -- can’t get what’s not there. The reason for the big difference in file size is that when you write an audio CD, the program converts the MP3 file into the regular audio format recognized by virtually all CD players. If the CD player you want to play the audio files in recognizes the MP3 format, you might use a data format like the ISO one. Walter Scott: The quality of an MP3 file vs the original uncompressed file depends on the Turn to next page

Will someone with HiFi hearing (not me) be able to tell the difference in MP3s?

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

13

COMPUTER HELP

Any router that is properly set up will improve your security. Note that several devices support Netflix streaming. You are not limited to a single brand. data rate used, as well as the encoding algorithm. I’ve had excellent results with LAME, encoding at 128 kbps or higher. You need to come to my ‘Music On Your PC Part II’ workshop. I will answer all of your questions.

streaming netflixb Jackie Upton: I learned at the monthly meeting that in order to stream Netflix I must have a router, and then a ROKU for each television set. Does it make a difference which router? Can I be sure that our private computer info will be safe? Walter Scott: Routers are standard devices, the brand doesn’t matter. Any router that is properly set up will improve your security. Note that several devices support Netflix streaming. You are not limited to a single brand. Phil Osborne: Also, many computers, both desktop and laptop, have video outputs that can be used for connection to your TV. Many newer TVs have VGA inputs that you can use in a second monitor configuration for streaming video. In either case, you do not need a Roku box at all.

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Admittedly, the Roku is simple and convenient, good reasons to use it. I use a laptop computer that already has a wireless connection to my home network for streaming Netflix movies. Since only about 10% of the Netflix library is available for streaming, I did not think, for me, it was worth the cost of the Roku box or any of the other supported devices, XBox, PS3, BluRay players, etc.

possible virus/malware wualclt.exe or wn32/nuqel.exe Don Frattini: My friend’s computer gets this pop up that keeps on coming back and telling him that his computer is infected and needs to be scanned. The files referenced are in the subject above. He has the McAfee Security suite and we ran a scan to no avail. I tried to load Stinger from a flash drive and it will not even come up. He can’t even access the internet to try some online spyware/antivirus removal tool. It appears to be a fake system alert and wants him to buy their software.

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

INFILTRATION ALERT Your computer is being attacked by an Internet Virus. It could be a password- stealing attack, a Trojan-dropper or similar. DETAILS. Attack from: 84.154.14.114, port 34940. Attacked port: 50507. Threat: Win32/Nuqel.E. Do you want to block this attack?” Does anyone have any ideas.? I have tried everything I know with no results. Thanks. Ron Spruell: Try booting in the safe mode with network. Then run something like Clamwin from a USB stick. Malwarebytes would be better if you can get it installed. Terry Stockdale: www. TerrysComputerTips.com Don, Try the free VIPRE Rescue program from Sunbelt Software: http://live. sunbeltsoftware.com/. From the web page: “The VIPRE Rescue Program is a command-line utility that will scan and clean an infected computer that is so infected that programs cannot be easily run. The VIPRE Rescue Program is packaged into a self-extracting Turn to next page

COMPUTER HELP

Every time I run AVG I find a cookie. How can I get rid of it?

executable file (.exe) that prompts the user for an ‘unpack’ or installation location, then starts the scanner and performs a deep scan. The user can start the program either by opening it via windows or from the command line. “Virus definitions are included, and the program is self-running once executed. The initial scan, and all subsequent scans, include Rootkit Detection. Four command line options are available, perform a deep scan, perform a quick scan, log the events, and disabling the rootkit. Detections are consistent with the full VIPRE, and the VIPRE Rescue Program will disinfect a system so infected that a user cannot install VIPRE.” The web page has the download link and detailed instructions for use.

vipre question Bill DePierri: How does one ‘Unblock’ an ad that the antivirus program Vipre has decided to block? Terry Stockdale: www. TerrysComputerTips.com Open Vipre; Click on the Firewall icon or the Edit Settings in the Firewall section of the window; or, open any of the other settings and click the Firewall tab; In the Web Filtering section, click the Web Filter Settings button; Uncheck “Block 3rd party advertisements”; Click Apply; Click OK.

cookie question EJ: Every time I run AVG I find the cookie: c:\. . .\user@ realmedia[2] .txt. How can I get rid of it?

Walter Scott: Clear the cookies in your browser, or get CCleaner http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner and use it to clean cookies. I doubt this is anything really dangerous, but it would be nice to get rid of it. EJ: Much thanks, Walter. I did as you suggested, scanned again, and it is gone. Penny Cano: If you want to KEEP it off…in the Control Panel \Internet Options\Privacy tab\Sites button, add the website realmedia. com in the top blank, and press the BLOCK button. J. Ellis: Uninstall Real Player. It is notorious for reporting your media selections so companies can target you for like sales. Johny.B: And, if you want an open source good alternative media player, use VLC player. Walter Scott: Yes! If VLC won’t play it, you don’t need to see it!

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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WORD TIP

word

inserting the template name in your document

E

very Word document has a template attached to it. Depending on your version of Word, this template defines things such as your menus, toolbars, macros, and styles (among other things). If you do not explicitly attach a template, then Word uses the Normal template. The name of the template file attached to your document can be inserted into your document and updated automatically. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Position the insertion point where you want the template file name to appear. 2. Display the Field dialog box. (In Word 2007 or Word 2010 display the Insert tab of the ribbon and then choose Quick Parts | Fields from the Text group. If you are using an older version of Word, choose Field from the Insert menu.) Field dialog box

3. 4. 5.

In the Categories list, choose Document Information. In the Field Names list choose Template. Click on OK to close the dialog box and insert your field.

Copyright © 2010 by Sharon Parq Associates, Inc. Reprinted by permission. Thousands of free Microsoft Word tips can be found online at http://word.tips.net.

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ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

excel

EXCEL TIP

using the concatenate worksheet function

E

xcel provides a function called CONCATENATE which can be used to combine the contents of several cells, or even to combine cell contents with other text. For instance, let’s say you wanted to add together the contents of cells A1 and B1, separate them by a space, and have the result appear in cell C1. All you need to do is put the following formula in cell C1: =CONCATENATE(A1, “ “ ,B1)

Primarily, the CONCATENATE function is used for compatibility with other spreadsheet programs. You can just as easily use the ampersand (&) operator to combine text values using a formula. For instance, the following is equivalent to the example of CONCATENATE shown above: =A1 & “ “ & B1

Copyright © 2010 by Sharon Parq Associates, Inc. Reprinted by permission. Thousands of free Microsoft Excel tips can be found online at http://excel.tips.net.

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

17

COMPUTER HELP

ask computer tutor by Pamela Tabak

Q

UESTION: I am using Microsoft Outlook 2007 and have an email stuck in my OUTBOX that is 35 MB in size. I cannot get it to send or delete from the OUTBOX. Now none of my emails can be sent; they all remain in the OUTBOX. What should I do?

ANSWER: In order for your email to continue as usual you will need to remove the files that are stuck in your “Outbox.” Follow the steps below to remove them: 1.  Open Microsoft Outlook. 2.  Go to the “File” menu and select “Work Offline.” With Outlook in offline mode, it will stop trying to send the message, allowing you to remove it more easily. 3.  Open the “Outbox” folder. 4.  Click on the first message that is stuck in this folder. (The message will be highlighted)   (a)  If you wish to save it to alter or send later “drag” it to the “Drafts” folder.   (b)  If you wish to remove the email without saving, click the “Delete” key on your keyboard, while it is still highlighted, or right click and choose “delete.” (If the file is very large, like 35MB, it may take a few minutes to delete.) Turn to next page

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ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

COMPUTER HELP

  (c)  Repeat the above steps for each email that remains in the Outbox. 5.  Close Microsoft Outlook. When you open it again the “Outbox” should be empty and you will be able to send out regular sized emails. To send larger than usual files by email I have used a program called “Pando” very successfully. If you wish to try it go to: www.pando.com. QUESTION:  Sometimes when I visit a webpage I know that I am not getting the most recent version of the page because the information is outdated. How can I correct this using IE8? ANSWER: There is a “Refresh” button right next to the “address bar” on your IE browser which you can click to “Refresh” the page. For a quicker way to “Refresh” just click the “F5” key on your keyboard while your browser is open. QUESTION: I am using Yahoo Webmail but when I go to the sign on page it keeps flashing on and off and I cannot stop it to access my email. Do I have a virus or is there something wrong with my computer?

this problem. I would make sure that you have AntiVirus software installed and updated. You should also scan your system regularly. If you have a virus it may not show up when your computer is scanned and if this is the case I would advise you to “Restore” your system to an earlier date when you were able to access your email normally. If you need more information on “System Restore” please contact me for a FREE tutorial. QUESTION: Is there a way of searching for a Word document in Word 7 if I have forgotten where I filed it? ANSWER: Yes, there are a couple of ways that you can search for your misplaced document with Office 7. With your Word program open the easiest way to find your document is to hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and click the “O” key (letter “O” not zero) and the “documents” file

will open. At the upper-right corner of the open box you will find a “search” box. Type a few words of text or the title of the file in the space provided and a list of documents will appear. The document you seek will be in that list if you have typed in the relevant information.

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amela Tabak receives numerous computer-related questions and selects those of common interest to most computer users for publication in this newsletter. Email computerbased questions to pamela@ computertutorinc.net Questions are often answered within 24 hours.

give a tutor in a book for Xmas!

C

omputer Tips for Seniors by Pamela Tabak, Computer Tutor. Spiral bound, laminated cover. www.computertutorinc. net/order.htm

ANSWER:  It is possible that you have a virus or “cookie” lurking in your computer system creating

The document you’re looking for will be in the “search” list if you have typed in the relevant information.

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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COLUMN

save money grocery shopping with

online e-coupons

by Ira Wilsker

J

ust like all other families, my family buys a lot of groceries. Between us humans, the dog, and the cats, we easily spend hundreds of dollars a month on groceries and related household needs. Considering the increase in commodity prices that have been driving up grocery prices, as well as tight budgets influenced by prevailing economic conditions, we seem to use more coupons at the supermarket than in the past. Traditionally, our primary sources of grocery coupons have been the coupon supplements in the Sunday paper, and the weekly coupons that arrive in the mail almost every Wednesday. While paper

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coupons are distributed nationally by the billions, we consumers must clip them, sort them, plan to use them

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

prior to their respective expiration dates, and try to remember to bring them to the store in the first place. Turn to next page

COLUMN

What I have found especially convenient and useful are some websites that can digitally load coupons to my store shoppers’ card, or even my cell phone, for use at the register without the need to cut and carry a bulging envelope of coupons to the store. Many, but not all, of the major supermarket chains now use some type of digital shoppers’ card which the shopper has scanned during the checkout process. Almost all of the stores that do utilize such a card now have a process in place where digital coupons can be added to the card and automatically credited at the checkout without the need to present a paper coupon, the value of the coupon being automatically credited at the register. Locally, the only supermarket offering this service is Kroger, but in this region other stores that utilize these digital “e-coupons” include Randall’s, Tom Thumb, Safeway, and a few others. Around the country, some of the other chains that participate in the e-coupon program

are Von’s, Ralph’s, Fred Mayer, Fry’s (the supermarket, not the electronics store), and many others. To have the e-coupons added to the store card is a very easy process to perform online. The first digital coupon service that I used was AOL’s ShortCuts.com (shortcuts.com). Registration was free and very easy, and I registered my shopper’s card at the website. As I type this, there are about 50 e-coupons listed that I have not previously selected, most of them in the 50 cent to $1 range, all for name-brand grocery items. To get any or all of those coupons added to a card, all one needs to do is click on the “+ ADD” button adjacent to the item, and the coupon is added to the card; this process being repeated until all desired coupons are added to the card. The expiration date of each e-coupon is clearly displayed, and as a reminder a shopping list containing the coupons can be printed. Upon checkout at the store, when the eligible item is scanned, the coupon value is applied. Depending upon the store, the coupon credits are either listed adjacent to the item when scanned, or displayed on a list at the bottom of the receipt. While these e-coupons are extremely convenient, they are usually only good on a single item (unless a quantity purchase is required for redemption), and they are typically not doubled in those stores that multiply low value coupons. ShortCuts.com also offers a selection of printable coupons that can be redeemed wherever coupons are accepted. The printable coupons can be printed individually or in sheets need to be clipped, just like the newspaper coupons. ShortCuts.com utilizes a Java utility to print the coupons, so Java must be installed and active on the computer in order to print the paper coupons. By choice, I elected to receive a weekly email from ShortCuts.com which displays the week’s new coupons, which can Turn to next page

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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COLUMN

be easily added to my card. Expired coupons are transparently deleted from the card, such that only valid and current e-coupons are available. There is another provider of e-coupons that I use regularly, and that is Cellfire at www.cellfire.com. Registration is very simple, but requires the use of a cell phone number as a user name, and the password is the year of birth. On Cellfire, e-coupons can be selected online and added to the registered store card, or can be accessed by cell phone, without the need for a computer. Apps are available for iPhones, Blackberry devices, Android phones, and devices using Windows Mobile. According to Cellfire, “Go to www.cellfire.com from your mobile phone and we’ll automatically detect your phone type and provide instructions on how to access our service.” With a compatible phone, coupons can be selected participating retailer is Sears Photo Studio, where a variety of and added to the card just as they are from the coupons can be displayed on the cell phone and scanned by the computer. E-coupons from Cellfire are redeemed cashier to get the listed discount. exactly the same as e-coupons from other services. Several of the supermarket chains now offer What is their own online e-coupons that can be added to the different about shopper’s card. In my neighborhood, Kroger offers Cellfire is the this service on its “Plus Card” from the Kroger.com WEBSITES: smart phone website, linking to a service called “Softcoin”. Kroger apps, as well http://shortcuts.com will allow up to 150 coupons to be active at any time as the ability on its Plus Card. To select an e-coupon, the user to create some http://www.cellfire.com simply checks the box adjacent to the coupon, and merchandise once all desired e-coupons are selected, the user clicks http://www.kroger.com and services on “Load Coupons to Card”. Clicking on the “My digital coupons Coupons” link will display all of the selected coupons, http://www.softcoin.com/Sites/ on almost any and this can be used to produce a “printer friendly” Kroger_ECoupons/Page/HomePage/ cell phone shopping list. While these coupons are not multiplied Retailer/Kroger that can when redeemed, they are extremely convenient to receive digital use, as there is no required user intervention other images as text than having the Plus Card scanned at checkout, and messages. the values are automatically credited. Unlike e-coupons on a grocery shoppers’ card, E-coupons in their several varieties are extremely easy to Cellfire can use any of the smart phone apps listed use, and are more efficient for both the shopper and the store, above, or users can access a mobile version of as there are no paper coupons to clip, carry, sort, and count. Cellfire from any internet capable cell phone. In One of the e-coupon services above shows that I have redeemed addition to the grocery coupons on the shopper’s over $70 in its e-coupons in the past year, many of which I may card, Cellfire can display digital coupons on the not have used if they were paper coupons. As more and more phone screen for use at retail stores and service businesses use some type of shoppers’ card, I would expect to businesses. Right now in my neighborhood, the only see a wider use of e-coupons.

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ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

MEMBERS’ PAGE

email

addresses

Bollinger, Frank   [email protected] Boutwell, Lloyd   [email protected] Covington III, Gary   [email protected] Gonse, Linda   [email protected] Jackson, Walter   [email protected] Kaump, LeRoy   [email protected] Klees, Larry   [email protected] Leese, Stan   [email protected] Loehr, Lothar   [email protected] Lyons, Mike   [email protected] Moore, Charlie   [email protected] Musser, Dave   [email protected] Westberg, Carl   [email protected] Wirtz, Ted   [email protected]

time  

november raffle winners

for renewal?

Mixcraft 4 Value $39 Tony Loechner Not Present Dan Gonse Not Present Ted Wirtz Winner iolo System Mechanic Value $49 Linda Gonse Not Present Bob Schmahl Not Present Carl Westberg Winner Airtek Cap Value $5 Linda Gonse Not Present Lloyd Boutwell Winner Norton Internet Security 2011 Value $59 Walter Jackson Winner Otter Case Value $20 Charlie Moore Winner Sunbelt Software Vipre Value $39 Ken Sineri Not Present Tony Loechner Not Present Linda Gonse Not Present Terry Terrazas Not Present Dean Johnston Not Present Don Ogden Not Present Larry Klees Expired Kevin Joe Winner

OCTOBER 1– Dorothy Dassen NOVEMBER 1– Saint Loren DECEMBER 1– Dan Gonse, E Dean Johnston, Bob McDonald, Ken Sineri, Terry Terrazas, Carl Westberg JANUARY 1– Joe Gionet, Linda Gonse, Leroy Kaump, Ted Wirtz FEBRUARY 1– Gary Covington III, Mike Lyons, Charlie Moore MARCH 1– Frank Bollinger, Kevin Joe, Tony Loechner APRIL 1– Lothar Loehr, David Musser MAY 1– Lloyd Boutwell submitted by Charlie Moore

submitted by Charlie Moore

Give Your Computer A Christmas Gift! JOIN

ORCOPUG!

For About $2 A Month You Can Belong to Our User Group! New Member

membership application



   Renewal*





Expired members are not eligible to win raffle prizes or to access the Members’ Only web page. Last Name

First Name

Mailing Address

Nickname

City

Home Phone (     )    Work Phone (     )    Areas of Interest/Comments

State    Zip

E-mail Address

Make checks payable to: ORCOPUG — Dues are $25 per year ORCOPUG, P.O. BOX 716, Brea, California 92822–0716 Meetings are the second Tuesday of every month. See www.orcopug.org for more information. ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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 USER GROUP DEALS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

web inventor supports net neutrality

T

he web’s inventor, Tim Berners-Lee, reiterated his support of net neutrality. He criticised Google and U.S. telecom company Verizon for its conceptual agreement forged in August that appeared to exempt mobile access to the internet from the net neutrality principles, which recommend that there should be no favouritism for connecting to certain sites. “Many people in rural areas from Utah to Uganda have access to the internet only via mobile phones; exempting wireless from net neutrality would leave these users open to discrimination of service,” Berners-Lee said. “It is also bizarre to imagine that my fundamental right to access the information source of my choice should apply when I am on my Wi-Fi connected computer at home but not when I use my cellphone.” In addition, some of the web’s “most successful inhabitants”, such as Facebook and large telecoms companies, have begun to “chip away” at its founding principles of a single, universal information space. Berners-Lee wrote in a Scientific American journal essay published today (November 22). Social networking sites that do not allow users to extract the information they put into them is a “problem” that could mean the web is “broken into fragmented islands”, he said. Source: http://bit.ly/dN7Hma

get your favorite magazines with discounts!

P

rices are for new subscriptions and renewals. All orders must be accompanied by check, cash or money order, payable to Herb Goodman. Mail to: Herb Goodman, 8295 Sunlake Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33496. Call or write: 561-488-4465, [email protected] Allow 10–12 weeks for magazines to start. You must supply an address label from your present subscription when renewing. Over 300 titles. Email me for a price. Y

Computer Games Computer Shopper Mac Life Maximum pc Microsoft System Journal National Geographic Travel pc Magazine (digital, 12 issues/year) pc World Readers’ Digest Saturday Evening Post Videomaker

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E

A

R

3

S

$15.95 — — $16.95 $32.95 $47.95 $10.97    —    — $  9.95 $18.95 $27.95 $21.95 $39.95    — $11.95    —    — $14.95 $24.95 $35.95 $16.95    —    — $16.95    —    — $11.95    —    — $11.95 $21.95   —

ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

T

hank you Acoustica Software, Aviar Inc, Hazmat Media, iolo Technologies LLC, Iomega an EMC Company, McGraw-Hill, OtterBox, Pearson Education, Smart Computing Magazine, Smith Micro Software, Stardock Systems Inc, Sunbelt Software, User Group Relations, and Wacom Technology Corporation for donating to our 2010 fundraising raffle!

 thank you

newsletter contributors! Bob Goodman, Charlie Moore, Darry D Eggleston, Herb Goodman, Ira Wilsker, Judy Taylour, John Kamper, Jon Jones, Linda Gonse, Lorene Romero, Mike Lyons, Pamela Tabak, Sharon Parq Associates, Tim O’Reilly

December Deadline

november 20

secret keyword raffle

not held in December

T

he secret keyword raffle will not be held in December, due to our Annual Christmas Fundraising Raffle. It begins again in January 2011.

please help our club! Revised October 2009

1 2

thank you 2010 raffle contributors!

B

ring your used inkjet printer cartridges: Hewlett Packard, Canon (BC-02, BC-05, BC-20 or BX-3), Lexmark, Dell, Compaq, Kodak, Samsung, Sharp; or any brand of laser printer cartridge, to our next meeting.

GROUP INFORMATION

computer users helping computer users

member of the association of personal computer user groups

benefits of

User Group Membership

ORCOPUG Post Office Box 716 Brea, California 92822-0716 714-983-2391 • www.orcopug.org

•  •  •  •  •  •  • 

President, Mike Lyons [email protected] Treas/Membership, Charlie Moore [email protected] Editor/Webmaster, Linda Gonse [email protected] Programs, Lothar Loehr [email protected] Reviews, Terry Schiele [email protected] Membership, Carl Westberg [email protected]

Nibbles & Bits is electronically published and distributed by Orange County PC Users Group to its members and vendors. Opinions expressed herein are the writers and are not reflective of the Orange County PC Users Group position, nor endorsed by inclusion in this newsletter. Submit newsletter items to: editor@ orcopug.org. Reprint Policy: PAGE LAYOUTS AND IMAGES MAY NOT BE USED. User groups MAY REPRINT UNALTERED, UNCOPYRIGHTED TEXT, WITH CREDIT TO THE AUTHOR AND NIBBLES & BITS.

our website has it all! • Program of the month • newsletters • computer site links • pdf & on-site search • location map • online review form • help & tips • tech news feeds • contact information • membership application • Members’ Only! page

www.orcopug.org

Product & “How To”demos Free raffles and magazines Help from other members Newsletter and web site Special offers & discounts Monthly meetings Affiliation with worldwide group

U

ser groups represent the spirit of the frontier, a community getting together to do things that no individual ought to have to do alone. The pioneers of the American west got together for barn raisings, cattle roundups, and the occasional party. The pioneers of new technology get together for installfests, new user training and support, and just plain fun. Being part of a user group is the best way to get more out of your computer, and lets you make friends while you’re at it. Tim O’Reilly, President O’Reilly & Associates

where are the meetings, when are they held?

R

    egular meetings are held the second Tuesday     of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the North Orange/ County YMCA, 2000 Youth Way, Fullerton, CA 92835. Call 714-879-9622, for information. Meetings are free and the public is welcome! Planning meetings are held the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at Downey Savings & Loan, one block east of Harbor at Bastanchury in Fullerton. All members are welcome to attend planning meetings!

See online map at http://bit.ly/orcopug

next meeting: tuesday, decmber 14, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. — north orange county ymca, fullerton ORANGE COUNTY PC USERS GROUP — DECEMBER 2010

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