• Software Tip
  Instant Messaging
  
  
• Website of Interest
  Rip-off Report
  
  
• Computer Parts
  PCI Slots
  
  
• Tech Tip
  Cut, Copy, Paste
  
  
• eScams
  Obtain substantial income!
  
  
• Reader's Emails
  
  
• Update Notices
  
  
• A Personal Note from Ray

Software Tip - Instant Messaging

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        My wife introduced me to instant messaging when I was on one of my trips to Russia because she didn't want to put up with the slowness of sending emails back and forth. With Instant Messaging we could see when each other was on the internet and could communicate back and forth in real time. It was like talking on the telephone except that instead of talking we typed and instead of using telephones we used our computers connected to the internet. As talking on a telephone happens in real time, so Instant Messaging happens in real time. As soon as the person you are messaging with types a message and sends it, you see it and can respond to it by sending a message back which that person sees at that time. This is called instant messaging (IM).
        IM allows you to maintain a list of people with which you wish to interact. This list is often called a buddy list or contact list. You can send messages to any of the people in your list as long as that person is online (or most messengers allow you to leave a message for them if they are not online). Sending a message opens up a small window where you and your friend can type in messages that both of you can see.
        The big advantage of IM is that communicating (whether locally or across the world) is free. The disadvantage is that typing takes longer than talking and is devoid of expression.
        Instant messaging became popular in 1996 when Mirablis, a company founded by four Israeli programmers, introduced ICQ, a free instant messaging utility that anyone could use. Soon AOL entered IM with AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Later, Microsoft and Yahoo also produced their own Messengers. Most of these are free and can communicate with members from other messengers. Of the ones I have tried, I prefer Yahoo Messenger.
        You can use the links below to download and learn more about the more popular messengers.

• ICQ (http://www.icq.com)
• AIM (http://www.aim.com)
• MSN Messenger (http://messenger.msn.com)
• Yahoo! Messenger (http://messenger.yahoo.com)

        With instant messaging software being free and frequently updated with new features, the future of instant messaging is very bright. If you have not tried instant messaging, you are missing out on a whole new world of communcation.


Website of Interest - Rip-off Report

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        Do you ever wonder if a business or offer on TV is legit? Do you want to report a company or individual that has ripped you off? Do you have questions about an offer on the internet? Do you want to know what you can do about someone who has ripped you off? Do you just want some interesting reading? Rip-off Report at www.ripoffreport.com is the place to go.
        This site is packed with over one hundred thousand reports. A search box at the top of the front page allows you to search for a company or individual. Links along the left hand side lead to reports and advice, and the most recent and popular reports are listed on the right.
        The reports consist of posts written by someone who was ripped off and by anyone else who wants to respond. The top post explains the rip off. Below that are posts from others who have experienced similar problems or who have advice. The original complainer also can interact in the posts.
        Some of these complaints are just disgruntled employees or customers who want to vent, so don't take everything on this site as a valid complaint. You can usually figure this out by reading the responses. If a company has many complaints of the same type, it probably is a valid complaint. Many of the valid reports have actually resulted in the filing of a lawsuit.
        Rip-off Report can provide for interesting reading but it also may just save you from losing your shirt. Check out Rip-Off Report at www.ripoffreport.com.


Computer Parts - PCI Slots

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        PCI Slots connect graphics cards, ethernet cards, wireless cards, and a number of other components to your computer. If you look on the back of your desktop computer (laptop computers do not have them), you will see PCI cards or access opening for the PCI slots. There should be four or five of them running horizontally. The slots themselves are actually located on the motherboard perpendicular to the openings. New, unused slots have a metal punchout covering their opening.
        In the olden days (not that many years ago) just about everything was connected using PCI, but computers today are getting away from that. Some of the more common components are now directly wired into the motherboard. Graphics cards often have their own special slot. Other types of connections, like USB and Firewire, are also becoming more popular and standard. So it is possible that you will never have to install a PCI card, but just in case you do, here is some help.
        To insert a card, turn off the computer, open up the case of the computer, and locate the PCI slots on the motherboard. They consist of four or five slots running parallel toward the back of the computer and taking up much of the space on the motherboard. If you are not comfortable with doing this, please find a technician or a repair shop to do it.
        While the computer is open, avoid touching any parts of the motherboard unless you are grounded to the frame (in other words, make sure your other hand is touching the metal frame of the computer).
        Compare your card's contacts with the PCI slot and make sure that it matches up. Figure out how the card will be situated and which slot it will go in. If there is still a punchout covering up the access opening on the back, knock and pry it out with a screwdriver.
        Push the card into the slot on the motherboard. Make sure the card is fully inserted. Secure the card to the frame with a screw. Put the cover back on the computer and turn it on. Windows should detect the new card and install it. Be sure to follow the instructions that come with the card to complete the installation.
        If a card stops working, it is possible that the card has worked itself loose. This especially can happen after working on something else in the computer. To solve this, open the computer and press the cards into the slots checking that they are inserted all of the way and evenly.
        That is all there is to nstalling a PCI card. Once you do it, you will wonder why you ever paid the repair shop to do it.


Tech Tip - Cut, Copy, Paste

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        What do you do when you find something on the internet that you want to jot down? Do you get out a pencil and paper and start copying the information? If so, there is a much easier and faster way. If you know which keys to press, in a few seconds it could be saved to a file. This is just one of the hundreds of situations where you can use Cut, Copy, and Paste of Windows' clipboard to save you time and money.
        Windows' clipboard is a utility that saves data in a hidden location for later use. It works great for transfering data from one program to another. Almost all programs are compatible with Windows clipboard. This allows you to view text or a picture in one program, copy it into the clipboard and then later paste it from the clipboard to a different program, to an email message, or to just about anywhere you want it.
        Even though we will only discuss how to work with text in this article, most of these instructions can be used for copying and pasting many other items, like pictures and files, too.
        First, you must select what you want to put in the clipboard. The way you select text is by highlighting it. If you want to copy all of the text, you can use Select All in the Edit menu (or sometimes pressing the Ctrl and A keys at the same time will do this) to highlight all of the text. If you just want to highlight part of the text, you can click at a beginning or ending point and drag the cursor to the other end.
        To get the selected text into the clipboard you need to either cut or copy it. The difference between cut and copy is that cut removes the highlighted text and copy doesn't. Both put a copy in the clipboard.
        There are a couple of ways to cut and copy. One way is by using the menu items. These are usually located in the Edit menu and are called, Cut and Copy. An easier way and a way that most programs support (whether or not they have an Edit menu) is just to press the Ctrl and X keys to cut or to press the Ctrl and C keys to copy. This puts the highlighted text in Windows' clipboard.
        One thing I should mention is that the clipboard is invisible. When you copy data to it, nothing will happen visually. You may expect a clipboard to pop up and show you what is in it, but it doesn't. You just have to have faith and know that it is there.
        Another thing is that when Windows shuts down whatever is in the clipboard is emptied out of it, so when you start Windows, the clipboard is empty.
        Next, you need to go to where you want the text pasted. This could be another location in the same program or a different program altogether (Notepad is good for pasting text into and Paint is good for pasting pictures into). Put the cursor where you want the text to go (remember, even though you can't see it, the text is in the clipboard) and either click on the Paste item in the Edit menu or press the Ctrl and V keys at the same time (notice that these shortcut keys, X, C, V, are next to each other on the bottom row of your keyboard). Shazaam, the text appears where the cursor was.
        If you have never done this before, stop right now, open the browser and Notepad, and try this. It is something you need to learn here and now.
        These Cut, Copy, and Paste tips will work with just about any program that deals with data whether it be a text editor (like MS Notepad), word processor (like MS Word), graphic program (like MS Paint), web browser (like Internet Explorer), or Windows Explorer. If you want to move or copy data, Cut, Copy, and Paste can do it for you easily and quickly.


eScams - Obtain substantial income!

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        For this month's eScam I picked out one of the hundreds of spam emails that I get everyday. It's subject was "Obtain substantial income. With minimum training!". It started out by saying:

"Hi Lori,
6 months ago I was let go from my employment I held for 25 plus years.
I can't thank you enough for establishing me in this new enterprise. You have given me a new lease on life. Already realizing twice as much as I earned in my old job...."

        I want to point out things in this email which are suspicious and which should cause red flags to pop up in your mind. First of all, it starts out by saying, "Hi Lori". Of course, my name is not Lori. In addition to that the To address on this email is not my email address. The writers of this email are hoping that you think it was meant for someone else but mistakenly sent to you. But it wasn't, it was intentionally sent to you. If an email message does not have your email address in the To slot, that is a good indicator that it is spam. It is best just to delete it.
        But what would happen if you didn't delete it? Let's see. The only thing that the sender of this email wants you to do is click on the link in it. There is only one link. So I click on it. It takes me to a website that describes a training course on "How to Process Money Judgments".
        The website is suspicious in several ways. One is that there are unsubscribe links at the top and bottom of the page, but putting the cursor over the link does not reveal where the link goes to. I suspect that if I asked them to remove me from their list that I would actually be added to more lists. Another suspicious thing is that the company's name is never mentioned on the website. Since I do not know their name, I cannot look them up in Rip-off Report or anywhere else. The only form of contact on the website is a phone number, no email address or website. The website tells of a supposedly simple process for which they provide all of the resources to get money from delinquent accounts. But if it is so easy, why doesn't this company simple hire people at minumum wage to do it and keep the millions of dollars that you will supposedly make using their money making scheme?
        I am not going to call the phone number and join so that I can report to you what happens, but I suspect that if I did that I would have to pay thousands of dollars before they shared their system and only then would I find out that their system makes me no money or very little money at all.
        Don't get suckered into this or similar get rich schemes.


Reader's Emails

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Kent Albright - I'm using Windows XP Home and Outlook Express 6, but have had trouble with Address Book. Before, I would always export a .wab file to a memory stick as a backup. Recently when I did that, and had my computer formatted, I was alarmed to find that when I imported it I couldn't see any addresses! Later, when I reloaded it several times, it didn't have the groups I'd formed. Now, I have a current file that is well over a meg in size--but it only shows 2 addresses!
        What "address program" do you use? Should I use another free program, or for pay? My list is so important that I don't want to run the risk of losing them or having to recur to old files. What would you recommend?

Ray - Actually, I do not use the Address Book much. I have my wife and my son in it and that is all, so I guess that I am not the person to ask about that. You might try looking at http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/files/wab.htm for more information on that or you might try doing a search for "Windows Address Book WAB" on the internet.

Brad Amen - My question is, what is the best way to delete or clean out your cache (Temp) files and History Files? (Internet Explorer)
        I have several different software products that can scrub or wipe all of those areas, however I don't know that this is the best way to do it or if it is really that necessary. If I can scrub or wipe my unnecessary files I would like to do so. To not only insure permanent deletion of those type of files, but to also allow the computer to recognize the deleted, once written over space, as newly reclaimed and once more usable space on the hard drive.
        I also would like to know if deleteing my cache or temp files as well as my history files by using Internet Options under Temporary Internet Files: "Delete Cookies", "Delete Files", and then under "History": "Clear History" can and will accomplish the same thing as using a file wiping or file shredding software program to delete and or shred the same junk files, Cache, Cookies, history files.
        My 2nd question is if some of the software programs that are on the market that clear the computers ram or memory and then defrag the memory are necessary using Microsoft Windows XP SP2. There is a free software programs you may be aware of in which you can instruct me on if it can be usefull using it to clean and then defrag the computers memory. I actually don't think this one defrags the memory or not, but if I could find one that could, would you recommend it. The free one I know is called:
Free Ram XP Pro
        My last question is about using and defraging the computers registry. I haven't yet tried to run any program to defrag my registry however it is time my computer already needs it bad even though its only about a year old.
        I do have RegVac however I also have another software program.
        I only mention this if you may be aware of this other program and which you would recommend best for the job. I'm sure RegVac would be the choice, however in the interest of playing fair, I thought I'd mention the other program as well.

Ray - There is not necessarily a best way to delete a file. If you delete it, you delete it and the computer recognizes it as deleted and "newly reclaimed and once more usable space". Any type of deletion will do that. Deletion does not necessarily permanently delete a file, but that should not be a concern of yours unless someone is trying to spy on you and you want to make sure that they do not know where you have been on the internet or what files you have had on it. That is highly unlikely.
        File Wipers will make an attempt to permanently delete a file but there are many ways to recover a file and many file wipers are not that successful at permanently removing a file. File Wipers are more successful at permanently removing the contents but permanently removing the filename is harder to do (but I am not sure how important it is or how much information a spy would get from a filename alone).
        Using Internet Options in Internet Explorer will work to remove the named items, but cleaners, like our A1Click Ultra PC Cleaner, usually hunt and remove more temporary files than those named items.
        I think that programs which clear the computers' RAM are a scam. I am not so sure that clearing RAM accomplishes anything. The programs that I have tried didn't seem to do anything worthwhile.
        I have never heard of defragging RAM. RAM is just a place where your computer's thoughts are temporarily stored. I don't know how these would be defragged. Maybe you thought that the word optimize was the same thing as defrag. It is not. Optimize is a very general term which means to make something better. Usually when a program claims to optimize something, it is not doing much. It may just change one little thing and call it optimizing. Windows 98 used to optimize the registry and I never could figure out what it did but whatever it was it was next to nothing.
        Or maybe you meant defragging a drive which is not defragging memory. Windows has a tool to defrag a drive. It is as good as anything else at defragging a hard drive.
        Defragging the registry is the same thing no matter what program does it. One of the problems with defragging the registry though is that errors can crop up not directly related to the defragging which can cause major problems. Our programs have been defragging registries for almost ten years and we have experience in dealing with and avoiding or fixing these errors.
        I hope that answers your questions.

Roy Harrison - I am having problems concerning my DVD players. I have a DVD ROM, plus a DVD R/RW. I now find that I am unable to actually play video DVDs on either of them. even though they will operate normally in the write and copy mode. I think it must be a software problem, but am not sure where to start looking. I am running Windows ME, and also have Real player 10 installed. plus Quicktime player for my digital camera videos.
        Do you have any tips on where to look for the problem?

Ray - That is probably a Windows association problem. When you install DVD programs, they like to change the association so that it links to them even though that may not be what you want. When you uninstall that program, you may end up with an empty association which would cause the problem that you are experiencing. The easiest thing to do is to reinstall the program which you want to play the DVDs. Install it to the same place where it already is. That will reenter the association links in Windows and fix your problem.

Ray - Here are some responses that I received concerning last month's eScam article.

Gary Kallback - Go to L.A. Times Web site, (you may have to register) to see this Web site on your Nigerian subject today, they actually discussing the person and why he is doing it, the article titled "I Will Eat Your Dollars."

Michael DeYoung - I would think someone has to be borderline mentally retarded to even read beyond the first line or two of such messages.

Dave - I get about 20-30 email scam's daily

Brigitte David - To my opinion, deleting this email will not help stop it. For what I know, the police is still investigating on this subject and we (Canadians) are requested to send new versions of the letter to wafl@phonebusters.com . They are part of the Ontario Police Department investigating on west African and phones scams. (WestAfricanFraudLetter). Please take a look at http://www.phonebusters.com/english/index.html.


Update Notices

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        The following programs have been updated this month:

XP Recovery CD Maker - v.1.01.07 - 10/20/05

A1Click Ultra PC Cleaner - v.1.01.31 - 10/28/05

        Please use the Registered Users section on our website to get the password or key, to change your email address, to find out what name you used, and etc. There is no need to contact me.


A Personal Note from Ray

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        November is Subscribe Your Siblings month. Do you have brothers or sisters who would benefit from Ray's Computer Tips? If so, why not subscribe them in the subscription section of Ray's Computer Tips?
        If you do not want to be subscribed to this list, please use the unsubscribe link.


Thanks for reading,
Ray Geide