What You Need to Know about All Things PC
Volume 3 Number 03Click here to return to the back issues page.Click here to return to the main newsletter page.
The Naked PC - http://www.TheNakedPC.com What You Need to Know about All Things PC Publisher: Lee Hudspeth and T.J. Lee Editor in Chief: Dan Butler Contributing Editor: Al Gordon This issue is for Thursday, February 3, 2000 - Vol. 3 No. 03 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents ** 01. Letter from the Publisher ** 02. Beam It Up... to a Palm Pilot (by Al Gordon) ** 03. Credit Cards on the Net and a PayPal Follow-up (by Dan Butler) ** 04. Optimal Norton AntiVirus 2000 Settings (by Lee Hudspeth) ** 05. Featured Software Bargains ** 06. Featured Product - ZoneAlarm 2.0 ** 07. Featured Book - "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" by Scott Mueller ** 08. Featured FAQ - Create a Home Network with Windows 98SE ** 09. Featured Web Site - The Consumer Insurance Guide ** 10. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff ** 11. We Get Mail - Comments and Tips from TNPC Readers ** 01. Letter from the Publisher Issue 3.03, a hat trick's hat trick? We certainly have some tricks and tips in store for you this time around, starting with Al's insightful views on the future today. He'll show you how to beam money around from one Palm Pilot to another. While on the subject of beaming money, we received a plethora of mail on our last issue's coverage of PayPal. The most common question, "What happens if I beam money to someone and they don't retrieve it?" According to PayPal, after 180 days uncollected amounts are beamed back to the sender. Another frequently asked question was where to find PayPal's FAQs. Answer: on the main PayPal page click the "about" link and on the ensuing page look for the FAQ link (it's at the top of the framed "About" area). Thanks to all of you who subscribed to PayPal. You earned $10 for yourself AND a $10 referral fee for TNPC. This helps keep TNPC free, as does your continued support of TNPC by making Amazon purchases through the links we provide in our newsletter. Grazie. Also in this issue... Dan follows up on his Internet credit card safety piece. Lee raves about the importance of using an aggressive anti-virus program, and gives you a step by step on how to configure his favorite, Norton AntiVirus 2000. More bargains from Dan: Corel's hot PIM InfoCentral7, and our usual lineup of Featured Everythings. Enjoy! As always, reader support is what keeps TNPC free, so please pass a copy of TNPC on to co-workers and friends (no spam please!) and always say "I saw it in TNPC!" +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ Stop your computer from walking away Notebook computers are stolen every day! Do you secure your notebook? Try the award-winning Notebook Guardian 2000. It's a PVC-coated galvanized steel cable that locks into your notebook's existing security slot. Also check out our Desktop Security Kits. The regular online price is $59.95, but for Naked PC readers it's only $39.95 during this limited time offer --- save 33%! Get the Notebook Guardian or any Desktop Security Kit at http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?sponsor1 +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 02. Beam It Up... to a Palm Pilot (by Al Gordon) No sooner had my colleague Dan Butler written about the new PayPal service for exchanging funds by the Internet (TNPC #3.02), than a message arrives from the ever-aggressive Palm Computing tech support/promotion team plugging PayPal's Palm device "beaming" capabilities. Notwithstanding the blatant pandering to the Star Trek fan base, "beaming" is one of the genuinely cool features of a Palm. It's just your basic infrared data transmission port. As implemented in the Palm, it can be used to exchange information from one device to another. For example, if a friend or business associate and I are holding a meeting and we both have Palm devices, when we want to schedule a subsequent meeting, only one of us has to enter it in the Palm's calendar. I can then transmit the calendar entry to the other person's Palm (or vice versa). It's particularly helpful for exchanging phone numbers and addresses. You take an entry in one address book and beam it to another. There is also a provision for designating one of your address book entries (presumably your own addresses) as an electronic business card that you can transfer instantly from your Palm to someone else's. Now PayPal is applying the same technology to money transfer. Does this make sense? The point of beaming is that it saves steps: if the information is destined to be included in the Palm Pilot (and whatever PIM you might sync it with), this saves you the time of jotting down the information on paper, then entering it into your organizer. Presumably, if you are close enough to someone to establish a line-of-sight infrared transmission, you are close enough to be able to hand over some cash. So to that extent the Palm-PayPal link is something of a gimmick. But not completely. With very little effort, I can think of at least two circumstances where it would be useful. For example, you ask a friend to do you a favor and purchase something for you at the store. If you had bought it yourself, you would have put it on a credit card, but normally you write your friend a check, as he or she is not likely to be a certified Visa card merchant. But if you beam the money over, your friend gets credit quickly on the credit card that was used and you, in effect, do get to treat your friend as a credit card merchant. Similarly, in the all too familiar Dutch treat lunch scenario, instead of the traditional shuffling of cash, one person hands over a credit card to the restaurant, and gets reimbursed by the rest of the group via infrared. The point is that using PayPal and a Palm Pilot is nowhere nearly as far-fetched as it might seem initially. The concept strikes me something like that of the '80s Radio Shack TRS-80. For the youngsters out there, that was a very primitive battery-powered laptop that at the time seemed of value only to a limited audience, e.g., traveling newspaper reporters. Now, of course, your grandmother has a laptop. For that matter, Palm Pilots started out as a toy for tech heads, now no self-respecting executive leaves home without one. That's the fun thing about technology: sometimes it meets a need, but just as often you figure out why you need it after the technology is already there. For more info on Palm Pilots: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?palm To purchase a Plam Pilot V on Amazon US: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?amazon_palm You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:algordon@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ The Unofficial Guide to PCs "It's packed full of important knowledge and valuable tips that you can use to take full control of your computer." This is what readers have said about "The Unofficial Guide to PCs" from QUE. From hardware to software this book has all the critical information you need to optimally maintain your personal computer. "I am just writing to tell you that last week I bought your book and three days later I finished it. It is without a doubt the best book I have read on computers ever." -- Andrew H. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?amazon1-us http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?amazon1-uk +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 03. Credit Cards on the Net and a PayPal Follow-up (by Dan Butler) Lots of email came in regarding my "Credit Cards on the Net and You" article in TNPC #3.02. I think I replied to everyone but if you wrote and didn't receive a reply, my apologies. The other hot topic being PayPal, the service that lets you send money between two people using the Internet without any credit card information trading hands. The consensus of those of you who wrote in is that PayPal is a great idea and the free $10 didn't hurt either. Several emails asked if my opinion of the service has changed since last issue. In short, no. I've use PayPal to send and receive money and so far it works well. Here at TNPC we are preparing to offer PayPal as a method of payment for the various products and services we offer. So far I haven't had to use the credit card I supplied at signup. The only dollars in my account are what I received for signing up ($10), some referral bonuses, and a couple of payments I've received. The other frequent question was when PayPal or a similar service would be available outside the U.S. We aren't sure and PayPal isn't setting dates at this point. When we do hear something we'll mention it in TNPC. You can also email the folks at PayPal at the following address and they'll notify you when they start accepting international users. mailto:international@paypal.com Next issue I'll detail a couple of ways to increase your peace of mind when using your credit card on the net. For more info on PayPal: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?paypal You can reach Dan Butler at: mailto:danbutler@TheNakedPC.com ** 04. Optimal Norton AntiVirus 2000 Settings (by Lee Hudspeth) We've recommended Norton AntiVirus 2000 (NAV2000) to you before (TNPC #2.15). Numerous friends, clients, and family members have been after me to provide step by step instructions on configuring NAV2000. Here goes. (Note: I'm running NAV2000 version 6.00.03.) 1. Always follow NAV2000's instructions and make a set of Rescue Disks. Do a test boot with them. Periodically update them. 2. Turn on the Auto-Protect feature. It's on by default, so don't turn it off. This feature runs in the background to detect any viruses or virus-like activity, whether that activity be from new files arriving on your hard disk or suspicious virus-like behavior such as writes to hard disk boot records. 3. Turn on the email protection feature. It too is on by default; leave it that way. As with Auto-Protect, the protection is worth the slight overhead incurred by these benevolent, low-level watchdogs. 4. Always let NAV2000 do a system scan at startup. Again, this is the default setting. 5. Increase the size of the Activity.log file from its default to at least 200 KB. This gives you a longer time frame across which to review logs for any unusual activity. (Select Options, highlight "Activity Log" in the Options tree, increase the "Limit the size of the log file to..." control as desired, then click OK.) 6. Create a Scheduled Event to run NAV2000's LiveUpdate weekly. So you've heard it's safe to update monthly. Wrong! I update WEEKLY. It takes only a few minutes and it's well worth it to keep your virus definition files--and any updates to the NAV2000 application itself--that fresh. (Click the Scheduling button; click the "New Event" button, then follow the Norton AntiVirus Scheduling Wizard's instructions. Along the way choose the "Schedule LiveUpdate to update your virus protection" option. When you are in the Wizard panel where you assign a name to the event, if you don't want to see any prompts during LiveUpdate, be sure to CLEAR the check box "Notify me before LiveUpdate runs". Some folks like the former, fully- automated approach, others like the semi-automated approach whereby NAV2000 prompts you when starting the LiveUpdate so you can choose to continue now, reschedule, or cancel.) 7. Create a Scheduled Event for a full system scan every week. That's it! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you get NAV2000 right now, install it, configure it as above, and protect your PC assets from viruses and other malware. If you don't like NAV2000, fine, get a competing product, just make sure you're protected. The links below are for ordering NAV 2000 on Beyond. Beyond is currently offering NAV 2000 for $39.99 and has some rebate offers on this product. As always, read any rebate information carefully for requirements and availability. Norton AntiVirus 2000 6.0 for Win95/98/NT (on CD-ROM): http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?nav2000cdrom Norton AntiVirus 2000 V6.0 for Win95/98 (downloadable): http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?nav2000dl You can reach Lee Hudspeth at: mailto:leehudspeth@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ Own Your Own State-of-The-Art e-Commerce Computer Store TODAY!!!! Hand Technologies, an IBM Business Partner, NEEDS YOU! Have you been looking to make some extra CASH!! Sell the hottest products on and off line!!! Earn money doing something that you enjoy; helping people choose the right technology. More than half of American homes still don't own a computer. As a Independent Tech Consultant Hand gives you the tool set you need to profit from your own computer store! mailto:chesb@allnyte.com http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?sponsor2 +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 05. Featured Software Bargains Personal Information Managers (PIMs) are near and dear to us at TNPC, and we've tried them all: Ecco, Outlook, Time & Chaos, Above & Beyond, InfoSelect, Goldmine, The Brain, PackRat, etc. If you are looking for a new PIM, Corel may have the answer for you. For a limited time you can download the full version of Corel InfoCentral7 for FREE. It's not a demo and won't time out. This is the same product Corel includes in Corel Office Professional Suite. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?corel1 ** 06. Featured Product - ZoneAlarm 2.0 In past issues of TNPC we've written a great deal about personal firewall software and the need for same when you have a constant, always-on connection (cable modem or DSL connection). The way to test your own system is on the Shields Up! site run by Steve Gibson, a site dedicated to providing good advice on system security. Steve recommends a freeware software product called ZoneAlarm 2.0 and after looking it over, this may be the way to go both for security and for the incredible price... FREE! ZoneAlarm is published by Zone Labs. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?zonealarm Check out Shields Up! at: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?shieldsup ** 07. Featured Book - "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" by Scott Mueller A massive doorstop of a book, weighing in at over sixteen hundred pages, this is probably the most definitive work on PC repair that I've ever come across. It covers every aspect of PC hardware down to the pin-outs of the various internal cables connecting the cards and devices. This tome's intended audience is Information Technology and techie types who really need a full- blown hardware reference book. If you've ever wondered how the Intel Socket 370 compared to the Super 7 processors from AMD, or how much faster RDRAM is over SDRAM, this is the book for you. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?amazon3-us http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?amazon3-uk For prior book recommendations check out the TNPC Library page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?library ** 08. Featured FAQ - Create a Home Network with Windows 98SE A Microsoft whitepaper on using Windows 98SE to create a home peer-to-peer network. Step by step instructions for configuring Windows 98SE to network, sharing a printer and files, and how to share a single Internet connection. A bit lacking in depth perhaps, but a very good place to start if you're thinking of setting up a simple network. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?faq ** 09. Featured Web Site - The Consumer Insurance Guide Don't you just hate having to deal with insurance? Car, property, home, medical, all the different flavors, each one requiring a its own specialists, the costs, searching for companies, trying to find a good agent, trying to get your questions answered, it's enough to make you scream. Try visiting insure.com, the Consumer Insurance Guide. Plan on spending some time because you'll be amazed at the depth and breadth of the insurance topics covered on this site. Current news about insurance and the companies providing it. Find out which companies are insolvant, being fined by regulators, or involved in lawsuits. Find out what consumer complaints have been filed against which companies (and find out how to file a complaint yourself if the need arises). You'll find articles, FAQs, hosted forums (where you can ask questions and get answers), insurance company financial ratings and much, much, more. This is the best site we've come across for information on any type of insurance. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?insurance +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ WANT TO GET YOUR WORD OUT? Classified ads in The Naked PC can be yours for the ridiculously low price of $40 per issue. Get your message out to over 46,000 TNPC subscribers. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpcadvertising.html?v3i03 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ ** 10. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff *-* From the excellent WinInfo newsletter by Paul Thurrott comes the first straight scoop on Microsoft Office 2000 SR-1. This service release is due in mid-February, will be a free download for Office 2000 users. It includes a number of bug fixes and minor upgrades to various Office and system level components, including letting Office 2000 work better with the upcoming Windows 2000. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?news1 *-* -- Cringely has the best quote on Gates stepping down as Microsoft's CEO... "Bill Gates giving up his CEO job at Microsoft means exactly nothing." For the best analysis of the title shuffling in Redmond check out the Cringely analysis: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?news2 *-* While it's a good bet that there won't be a Microsoft Office for Linux anytime soon, it's interesting to note that Corel has released the first beta version of WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux to testing sites. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?news3 *-* Speaking of Linux, Dell announced it is pre-installing Red Hat Linux 6.1 on the Dell Inspiron 7500 and the Dell Latitude CPX. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?news4 *-* Considering that the official release of Windows 2000 is not until February 17th, it's a bit disconcerting that six banks and three major PC makers have already been affected by a bug that lets attackers view files stored on Microsoft Index Server, a built-in component of Windows 2000. There are actually two different security bugs in Microsoft Index Server and Microsoft has already issued a patch. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?news5 *-* And be sure to check the PRIME Update page regularly: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/update/ ** 11. We Get Mail - Comments and Tips from TNPC Readers Several TNPCers reminded us that our overseas readers appreciate it when offers on the Web make it clear that they are limited in their availability. These folks gently took us to task for waiting until the last paragraph of the #3.02 article on PayPal to mention that it is currently only available to US residents. I guess we need an overseas correspondent on the team to keep the USA-centric contributors (Jim, Lee, Dan, and Al) more global. TNPCer Mike W. of Espoo, Finland points out some interesting facts about the European VAT. Mike's letter can be found on our Letters to the Editor page on the TNPC site: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/letters/index.html **PLEASE SUPPORT TNPC BY VISITING OUR ADVERTISERS** +++----------------------- classifieds -----------------------+++ Trademark Domains - Protect Website - Free Bonus i-TMark.com will save webmaster money 6 ways while searching and submitting trademarks at USPTO Guaranteed or 100% Refund http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?class1 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ >> Overwhelmed by clutter on your desk and/or desktop? I can help you get organized and get results. A few hours can yield a clear visual field and a sense of accomplishment. Confidential, efficient, and fun! 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All you ever wanted in a shortcut bar and more. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/303/tr.cgi?class4 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ DISCLAIMER Personal computers are individual machines with performance that can vary with components, software, and operator ability. The Naked PC is not responsible for the manner in which the information presented is used or interpreted. Also, although we work hard to provide you with accurate Internet links in The Naked PC, we are not responsible for Internet links herein that represent sites owned and operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, performance, or availability of any such third-party sites. Warranty does not extend to drive train, transmission, or the tuna sandwich you left in the glovebox. REDISTRIBUTION POLICY We encourage you to forward this newsletter to your friends, associates, and colleagues for their review and enjoyment. 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If you've got a technical question about PC issues, or suggestions of your own, this is the place to hang out: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/annoyanceboard/ ADVERTISING To advertise in TNPC go to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpcadvertising.html Mail services provided by Blue Horizon Enterprises, one of the very few "Mom and Pop" operations left on the Web: http://www.bhorizon.com Copyright (c) 2000, PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. and Dan Butler. All Rights Reserved. The Naked PC is a trademark of PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. ISSN: 1522-4422 RMH: 554 TNPC Hot Tips:
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