KC News 2001

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Keyboard Shortcut Du Jour
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SHIFT+DELETE
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You probably know that anything you DELETE in Windows is automatically forwarded to the RECYCLE BIN. Then you have to go and delete the recycle bin when you want to remove the file permanently.

But if you hold down the SHIFT key and then press DELETE this will delete an item immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bin!

* MONEY-SAVING RANKINGS
    Best sites for comparison shopping and reviews.
* "SWEET SPOT" SHOPPING LISTS
    DESKTOPs and LAPTOPs. Best price-to-quality!
* GREEN PC Section
    Helps you save energy.

DECEMBER DEAL$:
SPEAKERS: MIDILAND 3-Piece System - Flat Panel, Subwoofer, 16 Watts/Ch ONLY: $30
PRINTER: EPSON Stylus Color 777 Inkjet (Refurb) 2880 x 720 dpi ONLY: $60
DIGICAM: HP 2.3 Mega-Pixel USB ONLY: $200

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HOUSEHOLD ITEM
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BACKUP!
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Proper backup hardware and software are absolutely essential for any computer user.

HARDWARE:
The most popular type of backup hardware today is the CD BURNER. A CD Burner to write CDs only costs about $100 today. If you have a laptop you can buy an external burner for under $200. An alternate way to backup is by using a second hard drive just for backups.

SOFTWARE:
There are several popular backup software products. We recommend TAKE TWO because it is very user friendly. Take Two often comes bundles with new CD burners. It will backup your entire hard drive in minutes with just a few mouse clicks.

Keep a CURRENT set of BACKUPS as your first line of defense against computer crashes and virus attacks. In fact you should only be using antivirus software as a second line of defense.

I recommend making BACKUPs a part of your routine, like checking the air in your car tires or changing the oil. Anytime you want to install new software make a backup of all your important files first! Anytime you want to upgrade your hardware make a backup of all your important files first!

At the very least back up all your PERSONAL DATA. Daily or weekly or at the very least monthly! Store back up disks in a safe place, and make redundant copies at least monthly. Store these at a different location (in case of fire).

Don't worry too much about backing up software programs. As long as you have the installation files on disk you can always reinstall them. Focus on backing up YOUR DATA.

Buy the extra hardware and software if you need to. Don't delay. Do this soon. Ask someone for help if you need to. You'll thank me someday.

TALK IS CHEAP
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KAHL CONSULTANTS recommends products that we personally use.
We found an incredible prepaid long distance service!

SAMPLE RATES from ANY phone in the USA:
* 5.5¢ per minute USA and Canada
* 6¢ per minute Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, UK
* 15¢ per minute Philippines
* 7¢ Connect fee per call
* Works worldwide (via web enabled CALLBACK)!
* No Monthly Fees! No Hidden Fees!

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WORD OF THE MONTH
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WINDOWS XP
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The new Windows XP operating system is here. We'll be covering it regularly. We'll start off with the SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.

* Processor speed of 1 GHz or more
* 256 to 512 Megabytes of memory
* A fast hard drive with 40 to 100 gigabytes capacity
* At least 6 gigabytes free on your main hard drive.

So, now you think you might want to upgrade your hardware to run XP on your PC? Keep this in mind:

* It is easy to install a larger hard drive in most machines
* RAM memory can be added for next to nothing these days
* Processor upgrades usually are NOT worth the cost and seldom deliver much of a boost

Bottom line: you'll probably need a computer that is less than a year old. Our advice is to ONLY install XP on NEW machines.

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SITES FOR SORE EYES
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POETRY & PROSE HITS 10
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The RadiKahl Poetry and Prose site (P&P) just hit ten! Ten authors that is.

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KC TIPS
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SIGNATURE FILE: FREE MARKETING
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Here's a quick and free MARKETING TIP: create a SIGNATURE FILE for your email.

A signature file is a TEXT FILE that is automatically attached to the bottom of every email you send out. It's great free marketing - and you can write anything you like in there.

1. Open a text editor (e.g. Windows Notepad). Type in text for your signature file. Save as text file (*.txt) in My Documents

2. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences. Select Identity from the Mail & Newsgroups Preferences category.

3. In the Identity Preferences panel, type your name, email, reply-to address, and organization.

4. To attach a "signature" to your messages, type the absolute path at Signature File. Click Browse to locate your signature file in My Documents.

Netiquette Tip: limit your signature file to 6 or 7 lines.
KC Tip: readers may recall that we featured a similar tip in our May 2001 issue.

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WinTips
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CLEANING UP AFTER YOURSELF PART 3
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You want to clean up after yourself?
Paranoid about others knowing what you did on your computer?
Running out of hard drive space?
Want to protect your privacy?
Want to improve your performance?

If you said YES to any of these questions, then follow these BASIC, INTERMEDIATE, AND ADVANCED steps:

I. BASIC STEPS
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Basic Steps were featured in the July 2001 KC NEWS.
Read them online:
http://www.kahl.net/news

II. INTERMEDIATE STEPS
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Intermediate Steps were featured in the August-November 2001 KC NEWS.
Read them online:
http://www.kahl.net/news

III. ADVANCED STEPS
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WARNING: these steps require you to (a) have detailed knowledge about your computer and/or (b) install additional software.

1.) Run a FILE WIPING UTILITY
When you delete a file it is in fact NOT deleted at all. The file's NAME is removed from the disk's index but the data still remains on the disk! Undelete programs can easily recover this data. What you need is a "shredder" program that overwrites the data with random junk so there is no way to recover it.

NORTON SYSTEMS WORKS is a powerful all-round tools program. It has all the tools and utilities that Microsoft should have included with windows. The NORTON WIPEINFO WIZARD can remove all traces of a file or folder from your hard drive. Many other smaller (and free) programs that do the same thing can be found online (e.g. Disk CleanUp 2000).

2.) FRESH START
If you can, get a FRESH START. First backup all your personal data and then format (erase) your entire hard drive and reload Windows. This will give your computer system maximum performance. It will entirely clean up everything and take your computer back to the way that it was on day 1. If you have never done this, you should have a professional do it.

I give my computer a fresh start about once a year. You should too. It's like giving your car an annual tune up or oil change! If you don't do this your performance will suffer and you will crash more often. Yes, I'm talking about the computer, not the car.

3.) WIPE YOUR SWAP FILE
A swap file is used to emulate RAM so a computer can run more programs than it can fit in the available memory. Anything in your computer's memory can be written to disk. If it doesn't get overwritten before your computer is turned off, then someone else can examine your swap file to get at this data.
In WINDOWS NT 4.0: a built-in feature can wipe the swap file when the system shuts down. This feature is enabled by changing a key in the registry.

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AOTM (Acronym of the Month)
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SMTP AND POP3
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POP3: Post Office Protocol 3
The most common internet email protocol used to RETRIEVE e-mail from a mail server.

Most e-mail software (often called e-mail clients) use POP3 protocol, although some can use the newer IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).

SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
The most common protocol for SENDING e-mail messages between mail servers. SMTP is generally used to send messages from a mail client to a mail server.

This is why you need to specify both the POP or IMAP server and the SMTP server when you configure your e-mail application.

KC Tip: always keep your SMTP and POP3 setting information handy. Someday you'll need it to reconfigure your email software!

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!!Hoax & Virus Alert!!
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US WARNS QUACK WEBSITES
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The US government warned dozens of Web sites to stop touting unproven treatments for anthrax, smallpox and other bioterrorism agents.

These sites are hawking dietary supplements such as oregano oil and zinc mineral water. The Federal Trade Commission said there is no scientific evidence for any of these alternative treatments.

The FTC sent e-mail warnings to site operators, giving them a week to reply. "Shut down... or face prosecution," said the FTC.

Site operators who don't comply could be fined, banned from operating or required to repay consumers.

The FTC has been working with the Food and Drug Administration and law enforcement officials in 30 states to scour the net for false products.

The products reviewed included gas masks and protective suits; mail sterilizers; biohazard test kits; homeopathic remedies; and dietary supplements such as colloidal silver, zinc mineral water, thyme and oregano oil.

The agencies found more than 200 Web sites marketing such products and many of them may also receive warning letters.

There is no proven treatment for smallpox, nor any FDA-approved home anthrax test.

The FDA has already shut down several foreign pharmacies illegally selling Cipro on the Internet.

Consumers should be particularly wary of e-mail advertisements promoting products for dealing with bioterrorism.

Editor's note: We get our share of e-mail advertisements selling such snake oil. We suggest that all these peddlers are given a taste of their own medicine.
[Source: AP]

Remember kids, play it safe on the net. Don't trust internet fairy tales. Scan for virii and verify your emails here:
http://www.kahl.net/hoax

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NetTips
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US DOJ IS MONITORING MODEMS
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The Department of Justice is using its new anti-terrorism powers to monitor cable modem users without obtaining a judge's permission first.

The controversial USA Patriot Act lets police obtain information in investigations that was previously unavailable.

Previously, federal law said that "a cable operator shall not disclose personally identifiable information concerning any subscriber." Section 211 of the USA Patriot Act changes the law to read: "A cable operator may disclose such information if the disclosure is ... to a government entity."

Other USA Patriot Act sections mean that police can obtain an Internet Protocol address, which identifies a cable modem subscriber, as readily as they can learn someone's telephone number.

The anti-terrorism law amended the Cable TV Privacy Act and Title 18, Section 2703 of the U.S. Code's title 18 to facilitate greater eavesdropping.

Alex
Kahl Consultants
http://www.kahl.net
Technology. Use it appropriately. Put it in our hands.

KAHL CONSULTANTS
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Technology. Use it appropriately. Put it in our hands.

THE PUNCH LINE
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Tech Support
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Actual conversations between tech support and customers.

Customer: "You've got to fix my computer. I urgently need to print a document, but the computer won't boot properly."
Tech Support: "What does it say?"
Customer: "Something about an error and non-system disk."
Tech Support: "Look at your machine. Is there a floppy inside?"
Customer: "No, but there's a sticker saying there's an Intel inside."

Tech Support: "Just call us back if there's a problem. We're open 24 hours."
Customer: "Is that Eastern time?"

Tech Support: "Ok, now click your left mouse button."
Customer: (silence) "But I only have one mouse."

Tech Support: "Do you have 3 1/2 inch diskettes?"
Customer: "No, I only have 3 of them."

Tech Support: "I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop."
Customer: "Ok."
Tech Support: "Did you get a pop-up menu?"
Customer: "No."
Tech Support: "Ok. Right click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?"
Customer: "No."
Tech Support: "Ok, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?"
Customer: "Sure, you told me to write 'click' and I wrote 'click'."

Customer: "Now what do I do?"
Tech Support: "What is the prompt on the screen?"
Customer: "It's asking for 'Enter Your Last Name.'"
Tech Support: "Ok, so type in your last name."
Customer: "How do you spell that?"

Customer: "I received the software update you sent, but I am still getting the same error message."
Tech Support: "Did you install the update?"
Customer: "No. Oh, am I supposed to install it to get it to work?"

Kahl Consultants
P.O.Box 4284
San Rafael, CA 94903-4284
USA
Tel: +1-415-499 0838
Fax: +1-415-499 0833
www.kahl.net
Contact us

The award-winning Kahl Consultants. Helping small business in San Francisco Bay, Marin, Sonoma and globally.
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Technology
Use it appropriately
Put it in our hands

KC News

KC News DEC 2001 | SOLSTICE SPECIAL | Vol.3, No.12