Tips for the average person
about his computer, software, and the internet.


Ray's Computer Tips
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Published by
Super Win Software, Inc.
March 2006 - Issue #9
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Software Tip - Not All Software is Good
        Just this week I received a letter in the mail from a person claiming that our software had infected his computer and he wanted it removed. The only problem is that it was not our software. The software was actually a virus that he got when he installed another company's software. It popped up at inopportune times (like when he was trying to find information on the internet about how to remove it). For some reason he thought it came from us.
        That is not the first time that we have been falsely accused.
        We also get letters, emails, and phone calls from people who think that we are another company. There are a few shady software companies with names similar to ours. These companies do not allow their customers to contact them once they have purchased their software. Since our name is similar to theirs, these people just assume that we are the same company. We are not.
        We also receive requests for refunds on registry cleaners that people have purchased from other companies. These people think that since RegVac Registry Cleaner has the words, Registry Cleaner, in its name and the program that they purchased also has those words in it, that they are the same program. That would be like going to the Ford dealership and wanting them to honor the warrantee on a Honda car simply because they are both cars. There are many different cars made by many different car companies, just as there are many registry cleaners made by many different software companies. Unfortunately, most registry cleaners do not perform as good and flawlessly as RegVac Registry Cleaner does.
        Why do people call us? That is a question that I ask these people as often as I can, but I usually do not get an answer. I think that it is because we are a reputable company and so we have our email address, postal address, and phone number on our website. The companies that these people are having problems with do not.
        Our name is Super Win Software, Inc. and has been for ten years. All of our software is listed on our website at www.superwin.com. We are a reputable company. If you write me an email, I will answer it within 24 hours. We have FAQ sections and discussion boards on our website where you can ask us questions. We have good, award-winning programs that I have spent hundreds of hours writing and refining.
        Next time that you download or purchase a program, please do so from a reputable company like Super Win Software, Inc. You will be glad later that you did. If you don't, please don't call me when that software messes up your computer.


Website of Interest - News Online
        When I lived in Russia, I could not just turn on the TV to get the news. So instead I checked out the internet daily. All of the major news networks have their own websites (ABC News at www.abcnews.com, CBS News at www.cbsnews.com, MSNBC News at www.msnbc.com, CNN News at www.cnn.com, FOX News at www.foxnews.com). I quickly found out that there are many advantages to online news and for these reasons even when I returned to the US, I preferred getting my news online instead of watching it on TV.
        One advantage to the internet over television is that you don't have to listen to or read it all. You can read the headlines to see what the news stories are and then just read the stories that interest you.
        Another advantage is that you can get local news anywhere in the world. While I was living in Russia, I could read the news from my home town of Wichita, Kansas. Most local news channels have their own websites with the current news stories. If you know the station's call letters, you should be able to find their website by doing a search for it. Local newspapers also have their own websites even though bigger newspapers may require you to sign up and pay to use their websites.
        Yet another advantage of news on the internet is that you are not stuck with the bias of the major networks. There are many alternatives, such as,
Disclaimer - we do not endorse or agree with all of the sites listed below.
        When you find a news website that you like, there are a few ways that you can make it easier to get to. One is to put it as the Home page in your browser so that whenever you open the browser it starts at that website. Another is to add it to your Favorites list. A third is to subscribe to that news agency's newsletter. Not all news services have a newsletter but those that do send out their current news stories by email on a regular basis (usually daily).
        Getting your news online is a quick way to stay informed. Try it. You just may like it.


Computer Parts - CD/DVD Drives - Part 1
        There is a drawer on the front of your computer. Though some people use it as a cup holder, that is not its purpose. It is a CD or CD/DVD drive.
        A CD drive (common on older computers) uses only CDs. It cannot do anything with a DVD even though a DVD will fit in the tray. A CD/DVD drive, on the other hand, can use both CDs and DVDs. It automatically detects which one is in the drive.
        Though they look alike, the main difference between a CD and a DVD is in the amount of data that they hold. A DVD holds about 7 times more data than a CD.
        Differences aside, they are similar in size and shape consisting of a round piece of clear plasic with a reflective back and a label of some type. The label is very thin and covers the reflective back. Many think that the reflective back is on the opposite side of the label but it is not. If you scratch or abuse the label of the CD/DVD, you can also scratch the reflective back and permanently ruin the disc. On the other hand, if you scratch the bottom side which is clear, you may be able to polish out the scratch and still use the CD/DVD. So be especially careful with the label side of the disc.
        The data is kept between the clear plastic and the reflective back. It is either in the form of microscopic pits in the plastic (these are made when the plastic disc is manufactured), or microscopic spots. The data is stored in a single spiral track circling from the inside of the disc to the outside. The fact that the spiral track starts at the center means that the CD can be smaller than 4.8 inches (the normal size of a CD). There are now plastic baseball cards and business cards that you can put in a CD player. The CD business cards hold about 2 MB of data before the size and shape of the card cuts off the spiral. When I was in Moscow once, I received one of these business cards which when I put it in my CD drive showed sites of Moscow.
        As a needle follows the groove in a phonograph record, the drive is calibrated to follow the spiral of data. A laser is shined on the spiral and is either reflected back to a light sensor or reflected somewhere else by the spiral's pits or spots. These produce a series of 1s and 0s which is the data.
        CDs have several formats. CD/DAs and CD/ROMs are CDs that are manufactured with the data permanently stamped on the CD in microscopic pits. The data on these CDs cannot be changed. CD/DAs are audio or music CDs and CD/ROMs are computer CDs (like those with software and games on them). CD/Rs and CD/RWs are CDs that can have data written to them by lasering microscopic dots on them. CD/Rs can only be written to once. You cannot erase the data once it is written to these CDs. CD/Rs are usually cheaper to purchase than CD/RWs. CD/RWs can be written to many times.
        DVDs have even more formats: DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-ROM. DVD burners often can only write to a certain format of DVD, so if you want to burn some DVDs, you should first check to make sure that you purchase DVDs that are compatible with your DVD burner.
        Next month we will discuss the actual drive.


Tech Tip - Using the Windows button
        Most keyboards have a key on either side of the space key between the Alt and Ctrl keys with a Windows logo on it. This is the Windows button. If you press it, the Start menu is displayed. Below is a list of other functions that the Windows button (called Windows Logo below) can do when it is pressed in combination (at the same time) with other keys.
  • Windows Logo alone: opens the Start menu
  • Windows Logo and R: opens the Run dialog box
  • Windows Logo and M: minimizes all of the windows.
  • Windows Logo, SHIFT, and M: undoes the "minimize all" that the previous combination did.
  • Windows Logo and F1: starts Windows' Help and Support Center.
  • Windows Logo and E: opens Windows Explorer
  • Windows Logo and F: opens Windows Explorer's Search to find files or folders.
  • Windows Logo and D: minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop.
  • Windows Logo, Ctrl, and F: opens Windows Explorer's Search to find computers on the network.
  • Windows Logo, Ctrl, and TAB: if the focus is on Start, Quick Launch, or the system tray, this moves the focus through these three menus (use RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW to move the focus within these menus). This is helpful if your mouse is not working and you need to navigate using the keyboard.
  • Windows Logo and TAB: cycle through taskbar items.
  • Windows Logo and Break: display the System Properties dialog box.


eScams - Protected Message from AOL.com user
        There is an email going around, titled "Protected Message from AOL.com user". It has the following brief message:

ID: 29151
Password: fbwdthbzd

Message is attached.

Sincerely,
Protected Mail Service,
AOL.com

        The message and the subject of this email may be different. It may mention AOL,com, Gmail.com, HotMail.com, Yahoo.com, or MSN.com. There are also many variations on this email.
        This is a scam. There is not a message attached. Instead attached is an encrypted login webpage in a zip file. The webpage will put the JS/Feebs@MM virus on your computer which will send out the virus to others.
        Unlike other viruses the To and From slots in the outgoing emails are not spoofed or changed. So the emails this virus sends out will have your email address in the From slot, just as the email that you received had the senders email address in the From slot. This is done to trick the recipient into thinking that the email is a valid email message sent from someone they know. It is not. DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHMENT. If you do not open and run the attachment, this email will do nothing and you will not be infected by this virus.
        One indicator that you have been infected by this virus is that when you open your Internet Explorer browser it goes to http://po[removed]free.t35.com. Another way to find out if you have this virus is to run an antivirus program.
        If you are infected with this virus, you can use an antivirus program to remove it.
        This virus is a reminder that you cannot believe everything that you read in an email and that you should not open attachments.


Featured Discussions

Hibernate Problem
Find this on our board at http://www.regvac.com/forum/m-1136675421/
  • junwin - My PC is configured to Hibernate when the main System Tower On/Off button is pressed. It used to work nicely but now, more often than not, it responds with the following message - "Windows - System Error - Insufficient system resources exist to complete the API" Occasionally, it responds by going onto "Stand By".
    I have 1 x GB of memory and Athlon 2800 CPU.
    I should be grateful if anyone could advise of corretive action.

  • Ray - Do you have adequate free space on your hard drive?

  • junwin - Yes, 51GB's

  • Ray - That is enough.

  • junwin - A kind sole has pointed me to: -
    http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=909095
    which has comprehensive information on this Hibernate problem.
    Thanks again for your help -


    icons
    Find this on our board at http://www.regvac.com/forum/m-1136840180/
  • kelley46 - hi!! how do i get rid of the little squares of shadows around the titles of my icons on the desktop???

  • Laverne - I use a small program called TransText on my Win2K OS -- available at http://www.realityrift.com/applications/transtext/


    Close All Programs during Software Installations
    Find this on our board at http://www.regvac.com/forum/m-1137850323/
  • rondoolittle - I have a question that I've been wondering about for some time now. During the installation of many software programs one of the first things a lot of them tell you to do is to close all running programs prior to installing or words to that effect. Does that mean a person needs to close all of the systen tray programs that are running in the background or what?

  • Jogor - I recommended that you just close any open Windows, of course with the installation of a lot of software you may need to stop your AV and Firewall as they can block installations, of course you need to go offline to do that so you don't leave yourself vulnerable. Rebooting after the installation will activate those again.

  • dlwolff0 - Basically, you need to close any programs that interact with other programs. Antivirus is the main one. Firewall will generally have a mode to deal with installations of programs. Any spyware or trojan detection programs should also be closed. Programs that you use to adjust things, like sound or video card or mouse should not have to be closed unless the installation will change those things.

  • Ray - That is just something that installers say because there is a remote possibility that another program could interfere with the installation process but it very rarely happens.
            I can see the possibility of an antivirus or other type of detection software interfering as dlwolff0 suggests, but other than that there is really nothing to worry about.
            I have never closed any programs when running installation programs and I have never had any problems.
            There have been the times that an installer knows which programs it is going to have a problem with, and in those cases it detects that it is running and asks you to close that specific program.

    unwanted pop ups
    Find this on our board at http://www.regvac.com/forum/m-1137187480/
  • MsDee - How do I get rid of unwanted pop ups when I am using Internet Explorer? I normally use Firefox but sometimes when I have to click on a link it opens in IE.
            Thanks in advance for your feedback

  • Ray - There are many companies that have free popup blockers which install as an addon to Internet Explorer and will show up as an extra line of buttons at the top of your browser. Some that I have used were from Google (http://www.google.com) and PayPal (http://www.paypal.com).
            You could probably do a search on the internet for "free popup blocker" and find a lot more.


    WinRescue XP - Automation
    Find this on our board at http://www.regvac.com/forum/m-1137352357/
  • GentleGiant - I set WinRescueXP to back up Configs 1 & 2 automatically daily. I leave my PC on all of the time, although not connected to the Internet as it is on a dial-up connection. These back-ups were taking place daily automatically, but have stopped during the past three days, even though the 'daily' setting is still in place from the dropdown menu. I can still carry out the back-ups manually, but should like to know please how to get the automatic daily back-ups working again.

  • Ray - When WinRescue is set up to run automatically, it puts a shortcut in the Startup folder of Start menu that runs WinRescue at startup. So if you keep your computer on all of the time, the shortcut in Startup will not be run and daily backups will not happen.
            WinRescue can also be run using a scheduler (the scheduler in WinXP has a bug in it which may not work especially if you do not log into Windows with a password). There are freeware schedulers available on the internet.
            For more information on how to set up WinRescue with a scheduler, please see the Command-line Arguments section under Miscellaneous in WinRescue Help.



    Questions on our Discussion Board
  • Writing to CD/DVD
  • How to remove startup item in Win2000
  • All emails have attachments in OE
  • FireFox Crashes Unexpectedly
  • My name disappeared from system properties
  • taskbar got larger
  • WinXP Freezing
  • XP hangs when closing
  • copernic taking up space of google
  • Why Embedded Attachments in OE6?
  • Automate e-mail address writing
  • How to stop Norton from scanning WinRescue Backups
  • Harddrive free space disappeared
  • Overclock error message at boot
  • "unable to allocate memory"
  • spyware removal
  • Monitor cuts out
  • laptop upgrade from Win98 to XP
  • RAM Depletion
  • USB ports not working
  • USB UPGRADE
  • problems running scandisk, defrag
  • I lost most of my sound
  • Opinion on RAM Tools
  • Ulead Upgrade
  • modem doesn't work
  • Norton detected by WinRescue
  • A1Click and multiple users
  • Installing MS Backup in WinXP Home
  • Opening Explorer at a different place
  • More Icons for Shortcuts
  • Memory Thrashing
  • Problem installing printer driver
  • Deleted Firefox tabs start
  • Change New list in Context Menu
  • internet connection cutting out
  • Long startup for Excel
  • Which first? RegVac or A1Click
  • Praise for WinRescue
  • How to change size of browser when opened
  • Problems upgrading Windows XP to SP2
  • CD drivers not loading at startup
  • winrescue xp bootdisk and cdrw
  • What to upgrade on my computer
  • Ram Upgrade
  • Where is Quick Launch?
  • frequent error in avast


    Reader's Tips
  • Printing PDF
  • Ray's time clock
  • Printing from internet page


    A Personal Note from Ray
            The response to our Discussion board has been great. If you have a question about your computer, please post it there. It is located at www.regvac.com/forum/ Thank you to those who have posted questions and to those who have answered them.
            If you do not want to be subscribed to this list, please use the unsubscribe link.


    Thanks for reading,
    Ray Geide


    • Super Win Software, Inc. Home Page - © Copyright 2006 by Ray Geide - All Rights Reserved
    Articles on this page may be copied if credit is given to Ray Geide and Super Win Software, Inc. and a link is given to www.superwin.com.