I'm not always correct

Q.

I just bought a new flat bed scanner and I love it, but there is a card inside the manual that tells me to register it. You can also go to a Web Page to register. From their Web Page I see that they want a lot of personal information like what my annual wages are. My question is, do I have to tell them all the things they want to know to make the warranty valid?

A.

I may be weird but I never send in the reg card or resister via the Internet. If you keep your sales slip as proof of purchase and date, that will be all you will need. Also it is a good idea to use your new scanner to make copies of both the sales slip and bar code.

By telling them all this stuff up to and sometimes including your hair color this is one way to get your inbox full of unwanted Spam. Read the privacy policy on their Web Page and you will see they can sell or share your email and other information with other companies.

Sometimes you need to collect a rebate on your purchase and you must fill the rebate card out completely to get your hard earned money returned, This is what I do, ‘I lie’. I tell them I am unemployed and have no income. My hobby is painting or anything but what it really is. Nothing says you have to tell the truth on these forms. Just make sure you keep a copy of whatever you send in. The best Idea is not to buy things that have a rebate.

I am not always correct on what I do, so do as you think is best for you.

The more you know

For the last few weeks I have been teaching a basic computer class and this has been a real trip. I didn’t realize just how much I took for granted until the questions started coming. Copy and Paste seem to be a real mystery to most. These questions have led me to do some research and good ol’ Google has lead me to some great answers.

I have learned a few things myself, for instance, ‘Clip Book’ this is a simple program to view the contents of the Clipboard. I guess It was coded for people with poor memories like myself. I can’t think of a time I would ever use this program, but now I know it is there hiding at C:\windows\system32\clipbrd.exe If you want to try it, copy something, then just click ‘Start’ then ‘Run’ enter the text ‘clipbrd’ without the quotes.

‘I just wanted you to know, that the more you know, the more you know, you don’t know'.

Search technology

NEW! Snowbird 2.0 (20 KB)
Snowbird is the latest in hard disk search technology - a lightning fast search program that can search for anything on your computer, including data inside files, and automatically categorize the results into Documents, Pictures, Audio, etc. It is intelligent enough to display exact and close matches before other matches, unlike Windows' built-in search that can sort only by name or date. And now, Snowbird 2.0 is here! Check out the new features:

"Back to Top" link after each result category :) Now says "1 result", not "1 results" Displays path beside results so that you can quickly open that folder Remembers previous search settings Now works with Mozilla Firefox Can limit search to specific types of files And yes, the program is still a tiny 20 KB ZIP

Best of all, its free....... http://www.geocities.com/casablanca2000in/msp/

I am Selling my old computer

Q.
I am selling my computer and would like information on removing my personal information. I have removed most of the programs which contained pictures and documents. Is this good enough, or do I need to do more ?

A.
Just uninstalling programs and deleting files from a hard drive doesn't mean they're really gone. They can be recovered pretty easily by anyone who's just semi-familiar with PCs.

If you're selling the PC to a friend, especially someone who is older with no kids around, and if the stuff you've removed is pretty innocuous like vacation pictures and what not you are probably OK as is but if there were ANY files that you wouldn't want others to see, you need to do something more drastic.

I'm talking files like tax and financial data, credit card numbers, personal email or letters etc. And if you're selling it to a stranger you want even the irrelevant stuff erased.

Here is a program that will shred the files and even the CIA won't be able to recover them. It is free to use for 30 days, that should give you enough time to get rid of the goods.
http://www.cypherix.com/shred_files.htm

Picasa 2 Just Out

Try Picasa 2 for the first time or upgrade now.
You're going to like it ! Get it here:

http://www.picasa.com/index.php?tid=Y2NpZD0zNTU2JmN2PTE%3D

Camera Tips

Jan writes:

I got a new digital camera and love it, but I seem to be taking more bad pictures than good. Can you give me some tips on turning that around?

Digital cameras provide a lot of convenience for documenting the wonderful moments in our lives, but there are many differences in digital and film cameras. The biggest mistake that most new users make is treating digital cameras like film cameras in the way that pictures are taken.

First of all, they don't respond the same as film cameras when you snap the image. Digital cameras typically have a slight delay between the press of the button and the actual capture of the image. This delay can easily translate into photos where the object is off center or blurry from movement, or result in a variety of lighting issues.

TIP #1: HOLD STILL for at least two seconds after you press the button.
Another common problem is the distance between the camera and the object being shot. Too far and the subjects are not very sharp, too close and the image is blurry. Learn what distances are best for your particular camera by playing around with it before those special moments.

TIP #2: KEEP SUBJECTS BETWEEN FOUR AND SIX FEET FROM CAMERA, especially when you are taking pictures of people.
Lighting is another big gotcha, because most users just let the camera decide when the flash is necessary. By now, we should all know that electronic devices that 'guess' on our behalf are oftentimes guessing wrong.

Don't be afraid to turn on your flash, even on outdoor pictures. The extra lighting can make a world of difference on the subject. (Why do you think Hollywood spends so much time and money on lighting?)

And sometimes turning off the flash when the camera thinks that it is needed is necessary. The nice thing about digital photography is that you can take two or three versions of the same shot without worrying about wasting film.

TIP #3: TURN YOUR FLASH ON, especially when the background is bright.
Aren't those LCD viewers on the back of the camera great? Well, yes and no. Yes because you get some general idea of how the image looks, but no, because the true detail of the image is not apparent.

Many times, what looks great on the little screen is out of focus or blurry when you view it on your computers screen. Don't believe what you see on the little screen and always take multiple shots of a very important picture.

TIP #4: CHECK THE IMAGE BY ZOOMING IN ON THE LCD VIEWER, especially for those important shots.
The zoom option for taking pictures can also be your worst enemy. There is an optical zoom and a digital zoom on most cameras. Optical is an actual lens based zoom, while digital is simply an electronic cropping of the image, which can cause a noticeable degradation in the image.

TIP #5: TURN OFF THE DIGITAL ZOOM so you don't accidentally use it.
The final tips that will be most helpful for all users is to visit the manufacturers website for camera specific tips and by all means RTM (Read The Manual)!

Taken from the
Lockergnome's Windows Fanatics Text Digest
http://channels.lockergnome.com/windows/