Only the Best, Not All the Rest”
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1. says are cool useful or fun Medical Manual For FREE Merck has published the Merck Manual for more than 100 years Doctors and pharmacists use It as a reference guide You can access the Merck Manual at this Web site It covers diseases and symptoms in great detail You can browse by section or search by term There s also an index that will help you find what you need There are photos videos and audio Remember it cannot replace treatment from your doctor Help With Retirement Planning For FREE The government has several helpful publications a their Web site To get the publications complete the form Electronically Speaking Understanding BIOS Continued from Page 3 to know the manufacturer and the motherboard model Just remember a mistake may make your computer unusable requiring a major repair such as replacing the motherboard Unless of course you made a backup of the original BIOS The CMOS portion of the BIOS is also very important to the proper function of your computer The settings in the CMOS are retained by use of a low voltage battery on the motherboard In some few modern motherboards you can no longer find the battery That s because it is integrated into another chip and is non replaceable Although the battery may have a long life span more than five years some computers are still going strong after ten years Some motherboards may use nonvolatile RAM that doesn t require a battery to keep the inform2. Free Edition 7 5 484 is now available AVG Anti Virus Free Edition 7 5 488 is now available 13 At the July Internet SIG told you that had to uninstall ZipGenius Standard Edition because it kept crashing my Vista computer ZipGenius Standard Edition 6 0 3 1140 is now available 14 At the August Internet SIG told you that I m told about Paint NET 3 08 Paint NET 3 10 is now available 15 At the September Internet SIG told you that I m told about PeaZip 1 9 PeaZip 1 9 1 is now available 16 At the September Internet SIG told you that if hada laptop I d download Devicescape 1 1 32 Devicescape 1 1 39 is now available Test For Malware For FREE Run a file you download through these web based file testing services that will check it for malware using multiple anti virus and spyware engines Jotti currently uses 20 different anti virus scanners while Virus Total uses 32 They can t guaran tee that a file is 100 free of malware but it s a lot safer than installing an unknown program on blind faith Identify Files For FREE This service allows you to upload a file and have it identified The Best 3 D Graphics and Modeling Programs For FREE Manage And Transform Your GMail Account Into A Network Folder For FREE Windows 95 98 Me NT 2000 XP 2003 Server Vista GMailGarner 0 99 1 treats the space of your GMail account as a network folder Features Support normal file folder operations Create Rename Delete Folder
3. In Paint click Edit and select Paste Now the entire window that you copied above is visible in the Paint window Continued on next page November 15 December 13 Fredericksburg PC Users Group Electronically Speaking is published monthly for the information and pleasure of the members of the Fredericksburg PC Users Group Any FPCUG member or visito is invited to submit articles for the newslet ter Officers George Bell President president fpcug org John Kruelle 1st Vice President vp1 fpcug org Werner Schultz 2nd Vice President vp2 fpcug org Bruce Baker Secretary secretary fpcug org Kay Pollock Treasurer treasurer fpcug org Board of Directors Jim Jordan Cliff Dalseide Josh Cockey Trustees Bill Williams Agent of Record Gene Brower Rick Neil Newsletter Editor Jim Jordan newsletter fpcug org Webmaster Josh Cockey webmaster fpcug org Cover montage 1 Shirley Hardisty Anne McGrath and Neil Howard are interested in the presentation 2 Morgan Applegate at work 3 Morgan make a point 4 George presents Morgan with his plaque Electronically Speaking Understanding Your Computer s BIOS by Brian K Lewis Ph D a Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group Inc Florida www spcug org bwsail at yahoo com Obtained from APCUG with the author s permission for publication by APCUG member groups The computer s basic input output system BIOS is really a major key to its proper op
4. Invisus PC Security Solution myinvisusdirect com usergroups See exciting new possibilities from these companies and learn how the digital revolution can enhance your life You will come away from this meeting entertained and informed Dave will provide time for questions and will bring valuable door prizes hand outs and infor PM mative N A veel utoProducer actual product for sale at significantly dis counted prices arranged exclusively for user groups If you d like to take advantage of these special prices at the meeting and take product home with you remember to bring cash check or a credit card See you then Don t miss this presentation LOOK aT WHaT S INSIDE Page 2 Tips and Hints Page 3 Computer BIOS Page 4 Marty s Internet SIG Page 5 BIOS continued Page 6 SIG Information Page 7 Calendar Membership Application Page 8 Calendar for 2008 Page 2 Electronically Speaking FPCUG Meetings in 2007 Tips and Hints by Dick Carricato SE gt r LE ae m F om T i Saving Pictures that show on your computer screen These days we are bombarded with beautiful pictures on our computers and when I see a great picture I m not happy until have it stored away in my own computer where I can use it when want to The usual technique used to extract and save pictures from the web from e mail or from any other source that places a pictu
5. by members who have learned through hands on experience All SIG leaders serve on a voluntary basis and frequently are participants in other SIGs lead by other members So whether you want to lead or learn we welcome you as a participant in FRCUG SIGs FRCUG members and their family can join in as many SIGs as they like at no cost Scheduled SIG Meetings SIGs marked with an will be available only if requested Email the SIG Leader if interested SG SIG Leader Mees Email Address About what 4th Thursday when requested beginner sig leader fpcug org New to computers this is for you Digital Photography Ed Alexander 3rd Thursday digitalphoto_sig_leader fpcug org Make your camera work better Anne McGrath 3rd Tuesday fpcug_graphics sig leader fpcug org Photo Editing amp Image creatia Neurofeedback Kay Pollock 4th Thursday neurofeedback_ sig leader fpcug org Brain a Technology J osh Cockey Ist Tuesday technology sig leader fpcug org Exploring what s available Windows 9x XP Vista James Hopkins 4th Tuesday windows sig_leader fpcug org Learn about operating systems Please note All SIG Leaders may be contacted at Name of SIG _sig_leader fpcug org Substitute the actual name of the SIG and remove the quotes NI What is FPCUG All About Where J we ne To communicate with us es Voice Mail Phone FPCUG at 540 373 7929 ue yh er USPS Mail at oa FPCUG P O Box 276 Fredericksburg VA 22404 Benefits o
6. KeyViewer Plus 1 6 is now available 2 At the August Internet SIG told you that downloaded and use doPDF free pdf converter 5 2 build 226 doPDF 5 3 build 231 is now available gt 3 At the August Internet SIG told you that downloaded and use RapidTyping 1 1 9 8 RapidTyping 1 2 0 3 is now available http pinokiosoft com RapidTyping downloads htm 4 At the August Internet SIG told you that CCleaner 1 41 544 is now available CCleaner 2 00 500 is now available 5 At the August Internet SIG told you that CaptureScreen 1 4 2 is now available CaptureScreen 1 5 2 is now available 6 At the September Internet SIG told you that FlashGet 1 9 2 is now available FlashGet 1 9 6 is now available 7 Atthe September Internet SIG told you that Advanced WindowsCare Personal 2 51 802 is now available Advanced WindowsCare Personal 2 55 is now available 8 At the September Internet SIG told you that Ad Aware 2007 7 0 2 1 is now available Ad Aware 2007 7 0 2 3 is now available 9 At the September Internet SIG told you that Avast Home Edition 4 7 1029 is now available Avast Home Edition 4 7 1043 is now available 10 At the September Internet SIG told you that IE7Pro 1 0 is now available IE7Pro 1 1 is now available 11 At the September Internet SIG told you that downloaded and use LinkScanner Lite 2 6 3 LinkScanner Lite 2 6 6 is now available 12 At the September Internet SIG I told you that AVG Anti Virus
7. The Newsletter of the Fredericksburg Personal Computer Users Group a E Volume20 Issue 11 November 2007 General Meeting November 15 7 00 PM Join Us and Enjoy Whittle s Picks for the Digital Home Only the Best Not All the Rest Are you enjoying the digital revolution that is transforming your home In the ideal digital home PCs and consumer electronic devices are not only protected against Internet security threats but work together to deliver digital media such as pictures and video and music to the parts of your home where you want It Enabled by innovation s rapid pace you can re invent your lifestyle waste less time and have more fun The possibilities for managing your own digital content and entertain ment are more engaging than ever before You can now take pictures and videos with digital cameras and camcorders add your choice of background music and moments later share them with family and friends via e mail or CD or even by DVD displayed on our television sets in home theaters On the THIRD THURSDAY of NOVEMBER we are hosting a presentation by David B Whittle author of Cyberspace The Human Dimension and named by Working Woman Magazine as one of America s most original technological thinkers Dave s been a leader in the PC revolution since 1979 and an opinion leader in the PC industry since his days as OS 2 Evangelist at IBM in the early 90s Most recently he s bee
8. Upload Download Rename Delete File Download whole folder Move files in folders by mouse No limit number of files No limit file ext You can store EXE and DIl No limit number of folder hierarchies and No limit file size GMailGarner will split big file to small parts automatically Also Compress before transformation GMailGarner will compress file before transforming it can reduce 40 transformation time Support Native Character in file folder name and No impact on normal emails y Vista Bootload For FREE Windows 98 Me NT 2000 XP 2003 Server Vista NET Framework EasyBCD 1 6 2 is a bootloader modification tool created to give users control over everything that happens while Windows Vista starts up It has the ability to set up multi and dual boot profiles for Windows Vista Linux BSD Mac OS X and many more operating systems With it users can get other operating systems up and running with Windows Vista Five 5 files from PC World can help you optimize your Vista operating system Thirty two 32 Most Popular Downloads For FREE Fifty 50 files from Cnet s Download com are well loved by their readers Thirty two 82 are free Eight 8 Programs Give Greater Efficiency For FREE Kim Komando s Web site gives eight 8 programs that she says can help you to use your computer more efficiently by adding features that are lacking in Windows Security Downloads For FREE Kim Komando s Web site gives security programs that she
9. ation safe In this case the battery if one is present is used only for the real time clock So when the battery fails the computer can still boot In order to change any of the CMOS settings you have to use a key stoke or series of key strokes during the early part of the boot up process The most common keystroke is that of the AMI BIOS that uses just the DEL key to access the setup program However some manufacturers use other specific keystrokes and may even vary the combination from one model to another So it is advisable that you check your owner s manual for specific instructions on how to access the setup program in your computer This setup may be called the BIOS setup the CMOS setup or some combination of these terms The setup program allows you to change some parameters related to the operation of your computer Generally you can set the system time and date in the CMOS As mentioned earlier you can change the boot sequence in the CMOS to select the order in which the BIOS will look for a bootable drive The CMOS setup allows you to specify how fast your computer reads from memory whether or not your CPU s cache is enabled or disabled and how fast your PCI bus communicates with its adapter cards In the advanced settings you can modify other parameters such as power management USB settings and enable or disable I O ports You may also be able to set the computer to turn on in response to an incoming call on a modem or a r
10. boot If you restart your computer from Windows using the restart selection or the three finger salute CTRL ALT Del or the reset button then Page 5 this is a warm boot Then most of the POST is omitted and the BIOS reloads interrupts device drivers checks the CMOS and loads the peripheral BIOSes Then the memory drives and Summary are displayed on the video screen As hope you now realize the BIOS and its associated CMOS are essential for the operation of your computer Always be cautious in making changes in the setup or in updating your BIOS That way you can ensure continued operation of your system There is another thing should mention Use of the BIOS originated with the IBM AT some twenty five years ago As computer technology has changed radically in this time span there is a move afoot to replace the BIOS with what is referred to as UEFI or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface The specifications for this interface were first published in October 2006 and revised in January 2007 The statement of purpose from the UEFI organization is as follows The Unified Exten sible Firmware Interface UEFI specification defines a new model for the interface between operating systems and platform firmware The interface consists of data tables that contain platform related information plus boot and runtime service calls that are available to the operating system and its loader Together the
11. c Further it loads the interrupt handlers initializes the registers and resets the power manage ment The BIOS also displays a text based summary screen This summary includes the CPU and its clock speed the drives that have been identified their size and type system memory size and configuration video com ports and parallel ports Finally the BIOS looks for a boot drive Most modern BlOSes can boot from a wide array of devices not just hard drives They can boot from CD DVD flash drives or external drives In every case the BIOS uses the boot sequence information that is stored in the CMOS ROM This is information that can be changed by the user The term CMOS stands for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Now you see why the name is abbreviated Once the BIOS identifies the boot drive it searches for the master boot record and starts the operating system boot process on the drive At that point control of the boot process is taken over by the operating system Many functions relating to device drivers and plug amp play devices handled by the BIOS are now handled directly by Windows All of the processes carried out by the BIOS are re quired to allow the hardware to interface with the operating system Since the basic hardware in a computer can vary widely depending on the make and model there must be a common interface for it to communicate with the operating system OS The OS cannot incorporate all the necessary low l
12. equest via a local network In some motherboards the CMOS settings allow you to overclock your system This means that you can set your CPU and or system memory to operate at a frequency higher than the standard manufacturers values Unless used with great care changing these values can destabilize the computer operation The settings in the CMOS will vary depending on the computer manufacturer and the make of the BIOS Some manufacturers make their own BIOS chips while others purchase them from companies such as AMI Phoenix or WinBond Reading your user manual or motherboard manual will give you a better idea of just what is included in your setup program The setup program uses a CMOS checksum as an error detecting code Each time you change the BIOS settings the checksum is generated by adding all the bytes in the CMOS memory and then storing the lowest byte of the sum Then each time the system is booted the system recomputes the checksum and compares it with the stored value If they are different then the system knows that the CMOS has been corrupted somehow and will warn you with an error typically something like CMOS Checksum Error Then you need to enter the setup program and check the settings Usually once you save the settings and exit setup the computer will boot normally Most of the preceding information applies when you first start the computer after it has been off for a time This is called a cold
13. eration The BIOS differs from one computer to another depending on the make of the motherboard and the make of the computer itself So let s look at what it does and why it is so important for the operation of your computer When you wake up your computer by turning on the power the first component to be activated is the computer processor The CPU is preprogramed to look for a location in the RAM memory usually near the end of system memory This location contains a jump instruction to the location in memory of the BIOS program On activation the BIOS starts executing a series of diagnostic instructions to verify that the computer is functioning properly One of the first tests is the power on self test POST If there are any fatal errors the computer will shut down and not proceed further Some computers have a series of beep codes that can help a technician in determining the cause of the failure On some computers one of the first indications that the boot process is proceeding normally is the graphics card display on the video screen This is because the BIOS has found and loaded the video BIOS Then you will see either a manufacturer s splash screen or the sequence of messages from the BIOS The BIOS also looks for any other connected devices such as SCSI or SATA drives that have a BIOS Read only Memory ROM and those instructions will be loaded Tips amp Hints Continued Pick up the selection tool from the group o
14. evel routines for all the possible combinations of computer hardware The BIOS provides this common interface The BIOS programming is usually contained in a chip on the motherboard referred to as an EEPROM chip This is a programmable chip that can be altered by using software from the motherboard manufacturer However anytime you try to change the programming in this chip you can change it in such a way as to prevent your computer from booting So great care should be taken anytime you need to upgrade your BIOS It is always advisable to make a copy of the original BIOS ona removable disk so you can restore it if necessary So when should you need to upgrade your BIOS In some cases manufacturers will make BIOS upgrades available which will allow you to upgrade your CPU with a newer version Or they make a change to allow the BIOS to recognize faster system memory or more memory You must always ensure that the BIOS upgrade you plan on installing is specific for your motherboard So you need Continued on Page 5 Page 4 Electronically Speaking Marty s October Internet SIG This month Marty answers some questions and adds some updates from last month As usual these sites were fine when Marty accessed them but things change on the internet and you do so at your own risk You will find URLs for these websites on our website Marty Gizzi 1 At the July Internet SIG told you that downloaded and use MSKeyViewer Plus 1 5 5 MS
15. f Membership in FPCUG Interesting monthly meetings Next General Meeting Attendance at Special Interest Groups for members December 13 7 00 PM Subscription to newsletter Electronically Speaking Christmas Party for family d Answers to computer problems Com e On Ou t m Support for charitable organizations Electronically Speaking Page 7 November 2007 Ort sacle oe Directors Meeting FirehallPM 3 ae ee a General T UUFF Team 4 i e L Deadline for submission for the next month Electronically Speaking eee r 2007 Special State Election Directors Meeting P ace to STATT PM Holiday Meeting Holiday Meeting FPCUG Team 1 z Members welcome to observe ETE daina Wopo sias WerTama Membership Application JNew LJRenewal Name Phone Address City State Zip 4 Email Address What Special Interest Groups SIGs are you interested in CJ Beginner J Technology LJcraphics LJ Windows XP Vista internet LIDigital Photography Neurofeedback Other Dues for 2007 Fiscal Year are 25 00 In accordance with the motion passed at the March Annual Meeting all persons who wish to be a member and receive the membership benefits are required to pay the membership fee Please mail a check for 25 00 and this notice to FPCUG P O Box 276 Fredericksburg VA 22404 The Newsletter of the Fredericksburg VA Personal Computer Users Group Inc 2504 Ruffin Drive Fredeicksburg VA 22408 Page 8 Electr
16. f the entire display to the Clipboard Pressing Alt Prt Scn copies an image of the Active window to the Clipboard Remember that the active window is the one with the bright title bar and it got that way by clicking the mouse anywhere within the window The Clipboard is just a section of memory that Windows uses for all Copy and Paste operations Information is copied from any Windows program to the Clipboard by using the Copy command Information is pasted to any Windows program from the Clipboard by using the Paste command The next time a nice picture shows up on your screen right click on it and attempt to save it by using the Save as command If that fails click once in the window where the picture is located maximize the window to make the picture as large as possible and then press Prt Scn In rare cases you might have to hold the Shift key while pressing Prt Scn This places the entire window including the picture that you want in the Clipboard The rest of the procedure requires a graphics processor and fortunately the Windows Paint program will do just fine It can be found by clicking Start all Programs Accessories Paint or mspaint To put a shortcut to Paint on your desktop right click and drag it to your desktop let go and select copy here So far all we have done is to discover a picture maximize the window that contains it and press Prt Scn Next open Paint by double clicking the Paint icon on the desktop
17. f tools along the left side of the Paint window To do this click on the dotted line rectangle Move the mouse pointer to the upper left corner of the Picture Then press the left mouse button and drag to the bottom right corner of the picture This selects the picture that you want to keep Copy this to the Clipboard by right clicking within the selection and left clicking on Copy Now you have what you want in the Clipboard and all that you don t want is visible in Paint Click File and New and answer the query to save the garbage with no Click Edit and Paste to get the picture alone into Paint Click File and Save as Be sure to select a file type of JPEG for your picture If you don t Paint will save the file as a bitmap BMP which is quite large ranging from 1 to 5 megabytes depending on the size of the picture The JPEG file will be only about 5 of the size of the bitmap file Next time we will show methods for copying and saving any music that you can hear on your computer 73 Dick Carricato 772 546 7790 d_carricato bellsouth net Page 3 into memory If the manufacturer s splash screen isn t hiding the start up info you will see the memory count the floppy hard drive and CD DVD drive identification lines appearing on the screen The BIOS carries out a system inventory that includes determining the memory timing information connection of the keyboard hard drive parameters plug amp play settings et
18. n writing for Smart Computing Now he s bringing to you his favorite discoveries from recent trade shows in order to show new products that open up new horizons of possibility or solve problems you might be facing Would you like a brief look at the latest gadgets goodies software and services available for the digital home Would you like to have software that takes your digital photos and video footage and almost magically transforms it into a movie on DVD or CD that is a surprising delight to watch Most importantly do you ever feel as if there is more to know about Internet security than you re being told Are you tired of being your own Internet security expert Would you be interested in a service that brings for a very reasonable monthly fee compre hensive Internet security to your PC and identity theft insurance and peace of mind to you If you answered yes to any of these questions then you won t want to miss Dave Whittle s presentation at our next monthly meeting Dave will introduce some of his favorite technologies products and services that solve real problems for real people and can help make life a little bit or a lot better for each D d INVISUS Direct Maximum PC Security Premium Support Peace of Mind of us Whittle s Picks are hidden gems from companies large and small old and new with outstanding innovative offerings including muvee Technologies www muvee com and the
19. onically Speaking Jaan 1 Mea Tee Day latches I Ena Cet 12 Coleman Day i Sni i Jan Hi Marthe Luthor B iiig Day bay 17 Mother s Day Oct 31 Hallewean l fee ELMS Meetings Fab 14 Valentine s Day May 26 omaia Day Hex Daylight Savings Ena Se important Gays Fol 18 Pisilin Day denne 14 Filag ay Hew TI Weterom s Day MFP CG Bi Bia F4awliqgha Saving Ba qin Jena 15 I others Day How 27 Thanksgiving i s n l rego Mar I7 Se Palcks Day July d lide pendence Day Chen H Clete aac Taam Humber Barth 21 Gord Friday sepi I Laber day E LIF Binge
20. re on the computer screen is simply to right click on the picture and select Save picture as This will often open the My Pictures folder where the user can select a folder in which to save the picture This is a very straight forward simple and easy to remember technique for those situations where it works and if it worked all the time this article would end right here However it often does not work Sometimes web authors make it difficult for you to copy their pictures and a right click on one of those pictures produces a grayed not available Save picture as selection Pictures in PDF documents in general cannot be copied and for that matter even highlighted text can t be copied from most PDF documents Very often when an e mail picture is right clicked the Save picture as selection is available but when that option is selected an error box appears saying The system cannot find the file specified The remainder of this article will be devoted to a single method that allows the user to copy and save any image that shows on his computer screen This method involves the use of the Windows Print Screen function Of course everyone remembers how to use Print Screen Prt Scn because we have discussed it in the past Just in case you have forgotten l Il review it here The Prt Scn key is located to the right of the function keys at the top of the keyboard When Prt Scn is pressed it copies a picture o
21. se provide a standard environment for booting an operating system and running pre boot applica tions Currently the companies involved are working on producing motherboards using the UEFI firmware in place of the BIOS However there is also some consideration that some users may need to have both a BIOS and the UEFI firmware Since this process is still in flux keep tuned for future developments Dr Lewis is a former university amp medical school professor He has been working with personal computers for more than thirty years He can be reached via e mail at bwsail yahoo com This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups All other uses require the permission of the author see e mail address above Brian Smelter of Flicko s is srtill offering a 10 discount on his service for any FRCUG member bringing in this addressed newslet ter ELICKOS Coming Attractions December 13 Page 6 Electronically Speaking MERT Se a Senior Navigator is available on our webpage Just scroll down to Senior Navigator at the left hand side of the page and click on Senior Navigator E aE Fa et i i m a o p E a TE a Pre This page has all kinds of good information for all of us CHECK THE WEBPAGE SIG News and tniformation Special Interest Groups SIGs meet at 7 00 PM at the Falmouth Fire House on Butler Road SIGs are lead
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