What You Need to Know about All Things PC
Volume 5 Number 01Click 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, January 3, 2002 - Vol. 5 No. 01 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents ** 01. Letter from the Publisher ** 02. Belkin Makes SOHO Networking Simple (by Al Gordon) ** 03. We Will Control All That You See and Hear (by T.J. Lee) ** 04. PGP - Protecting Many Files at Once (by Dan Butler) ** 05. Evaluating Anti-virus Software for Ease of Use: Trend Micro PC-cillin 2000 (by Lee Hudspeth) ** 06. Featured Product - Driver Detective 2.0 (reviewed by Lee Hudspeth) ** 07. Featured Web Site - Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (reviewed by Lee Hudspeth) ** 08. Featured Tip - Using Norton File Compare to Compare Text Files (by Lee Hudspeth and T.J. Lee) ** 09. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff ** 01. Letter from the Publisher Everyone here at The Naked PC is looking forward to 2002. As PCs continue to become more powerful (and complex), software more feature rich (and bloated), the Internet extends everywhere (watch your six), wireless booms (IEEE 802.11b, say, who comes up with these monikers anyway?), PDAs and handhelds proliferate (welcome to synchronization hell)... all the more reason to stay focused on productivity. Your productivity. We're interested in how you personally can be more productive with whatever configuration of boxes, cables, and software you have on hand. This issue's coverage includes Al's look at networking your small office/home office. Jim examines what can happen when a product vendor's reach extends beyond activation to de-activation; bizarre but true. Dan continues his series on PGP by describing how to use a virtual encrypted disk. Lee's examination of anti- virus package ease of use carries on with his review of Trend Micro PC-cillin 2000. Reader support is what keeps The Naked PC free. To this end you can help us by passing a copy on to co-workers and friends (no spam please). We even make it easy to refer people to The Naked PC... check out our Refer page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/refer/ +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ MICRO-LIGHTS the Super POCKET FLASHLIGHT! Micro-Lights are the BRIGHTEST flashlights for their size in the WORLD. Reliable, incredibly bright light for any situation. A Micro-Light is small enough to clip to your key chain, carry it in your pocket or purse and you won't even know it's there. But you'll never, ever be caught in the dark! Instant light in emergencies, or just when you have to find something under your desk or the sofa. The Red, Orange, or Yellow lights run for 120 hours on a single lithium battery! Carry a Micro-Light for a week and you'll never go anywhere without one again. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?pocketflashlight +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 02. Belkin Makes SOHO Networking Simple (by Al Gordon) For small offices and home users, networking is very much a do- it-yourself project, so simplicity of setup is a key consideration. That's a strong point of Belkin Components' new networking product lineup. For more details, links, and pictures, please see my supplemental page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?al1 I covered key product features in the last issue: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?al2 Now let's look at setup. For the various network cards, the procedures pretty much are the same: turn off the PC, open the desktop box, put the card into an available PCI slot, and then restart your computer. With a notebook, simply snap the PC Card into place. Either way, you put the setup CD-ROM in your drive, Windows launches the familiar plug-and-play device setup wizard, and installs the requisite drivers. With a 802.11b "WiFi" wireless card, you also need to install a utility on the CD that lets you determine encryption settings and the like as well as monitor the wireless signal. In addition, for both Ethernet and WiFi cards, you install utilities from the CD that will configure your Windows settings to support the network. You can do this configuration if you must, but most users would prefer to accept Belkin's shortcut. And if you are running Windows XP, you skip this step because once the network cards are installed, XP launches its own setup wizard to do the configuration. With the network cards in place, you then proceed to connect them up to the network gateway of wireless access point that stitch together your network. The procedures are pretty much idiot- proof. Of course, when installing the gateway this particular idiot managed to mess up one step because Real Geeks Don't Read Manuals. So I missed a key point in the broadband gateway installation, leading to one of those embarrassing moments on the order of--Me: "I can't get your %$^# gateway to work!!!" Tech Support: "Did you follow the instructions?" Me: "Oops." The procedure in question is that you must--MUST--power down your PC and broadband modem. Then, while powered down, connect the modem to the gateway and the gateway to the PCs in the network. And then you must restart in this sequence: first power the modem back on and let it initialize, then power on the gateway, and only then turn on your PCs. This is nothing specific to Belkin or anyone else's networking components. You have to re-initialize a broadband modem whenever you fiddle with its connections. The only secret here is to remember to read the manual. Both the Ethernet and 802.11b gateways are configured by using your browser to address the gateway, where another wizard process sets the options for the unit. The gateways will support static (fixed) or dynamic (changes each time you connect) IP addresses (your computer's address on the Internet). Internet providers generally give their users dynamic addresses; static addresses tend to be used on corporate networks. There are some minor flaws in the Belkin products. As the leading source of Ethernet cables, Belkin should have included a short cable with the gateways to connect them to your broadband modem. The manuals, at least the versions I received, were written pre- XP and don't explain XP procedures. Belkin, which makes a ton of products for connecting printers to more than one computer, should have built printer sharing capabilities into the gateways. The power and Ethernet jacks at the back of the Wireless gateway are too close together, so they interfere with each other and the WiFi antennas. But overall the design and ease of use is excellent. I had a network of two desktops with Ethernet cards, plus a notebook with wireless, plus a Pocket PC handheld with an Ethernet adapter, all up and running in a little more than an hour. And most of that time was spent running the Ethernet cables and opening up the desktop boxes to install cards. That's my idea of how to network. You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com ** 03. We Will Control All That You See and Hear (by T.J. Lee) Remember the Outer Limits series? "We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical." Great stuff. A growing number of vendors in the computer industry are taking that old Control Voice monolog a bit too seriously to suit me. Let's start with a bit of historical perspective and then conclude with a chilling real-world example of something that recently happened at our shop that should give every user of computer technology cause to wonder, "Just who IS in charge here?" Vendors want to get paid for what they produce and sell and I certainly don't have any problem with this basic premise. But there are problems with the way overzealous manufacturers can go about ensuring that your money flows into their coffers. Let's stroll down memory lane for a moment... Back in the early computer industry Mesozoic era came the software-based copy protection based on encryption technologies that were implemented to prevent the copying of popular programs of the day like Lotus 1-2-3. Not only was this methodology a failure, but it spawned anti-copy protection products (like the ubiquitous Copy2PC utility) that made tons of money for their industrious inventors. Shortly thereafter the first hardware solution, the dongle, appeared. A dongle is a small doohickey that plugs into a computer's parallel port. The software that it is supposed to protect is written to query the dongle from time to time to see if it should keep working. Fortunately the dongle never caught on in a big way either. With encryption and hardware solutions a failure, the manufacturers focused on the end user license agreement (EULA) to give them the power they sought over the end user. It used to be, back when software media consisted of a bunch of floppy diskettes in a small paper envelope, that there was a little sticker on the package that said if you opened the envelope and took the disks out you were agreeing to be bound by the EULA. Sometimes the EULA was only to be found in electronic format on the disks inside the envelope creating a bizarre chicken and egg paradox; you agreed to be bound by something you couldn't have read prior to agreeing to be bound. The good news is that courts have had a tendency to throw out the EULA when software manufactures have tried to hide behind the fine print as a defense calling them "contracts of adhesion" meaning something that is not negotiated prior to the sale of the product. Fast forward to the present. The latest scheme to give all the power to the manufacturers of software and hardware is the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA). This is intended to be like the Uniform Commercial Code only dealing with "computer software, multimedia products, computer data and databases, online information, and other such products." UCITA is one of those put-together-by-committee deals; only in this case the committee is the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws, which is made up of 300 or so lawyers, judges and law professors. Pretty scary right there, no? The UCITA is designed to create a uniform commercial contract law for software and related products. Under UCITA a software company can do whatever it wants to you such as disabling your software if the manufacturer issues an update and you don't fall all over yourself to buy a copy. No kidding. UCITA has not been adopted by many states outside of Maryland and Virginia, in my opinion because everyone and their brother who is not a software manufacture is against it. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?jim1 But this doesn't seem to be deterring companies that want this level of control over you and your computer. Consider the hoo-ha over the product activation scheme that Microsoft has incorporated into Windows XP and Office XP. If you upgrade your computer after a newer version comes out, will Microsoft force you to buy a new copy by refusing to issue activations beyond the date the upgrade becomes available? We can only wait and see. Does all this sound too far-fetched? Consider the following true tale of horror before you decide. Company "A" purchases a firewall device for cash from reseller "B" who is a distributor of these devices for manufacturer "C." All is peachy until reseller "B" goes out of business. This happens in both the software and hardware biz all the time so it's of little note in the grand scheme of things except reseller "B" never paid manufacturer "C" for that last shipment of firewall boxes including the one sold to company "A." Unbeknownst to company "A" or any other end user of these firewalls that we know of, the manufacturer has cleverly programmed these devices to periodically phone home via the Internet connection and play a few rounds of Mother-may-I. As in "Mother may I keep working for the foolish jerks who think they actually own me or should I just shut myself down thereby taking their network firewall without warning?" One fine day the firewall in service at company "A" phones home and by setting a switch on their end the manufacturer turns off the firewall. Bang. The company I work for gets a panic call from company "A" that their firewall has gone belly up, the reseller is out of business and can we fix the thing? We take a look; it's an InstaGate EX2, a firewall device that also provides remote VPN services. But we can't figure out why it stopped working so my boss contacts the manufacturer, eSoft (www.esoft.com). He's told that you betcha that firewall won't work because they (eSoft) have pulled the plug on it. They were never paid by their reseller for it and by golly, no money no firewall, friend, period, end of report, and don't let the door hit you on the way out. Ah-ha! A misunderstanding of the ownership status of the device, we think. My boss explains to eSoft that their defunct reseller sold this device to our client, who paid cash for it. Surely, they just made a mistake and failed to consult their records to see that this particular device was indeed registered by our client. Just check the records and please restore the device to operation, right? Wrong. eSoft didn't give a fig for who owned their device, what channel they purchased it through or how much they paid for it, and we should stop calling them Shirley. eSoft wanted our client to pay them, in cash, and pay now before they'd consider turning the box back on. Needless to say we were taken aback by this heavy-handed handling of the matter. eSoft never produced any documentation that said they had the power to shut down the InstaGate product remotely, nor any warning to the users of this device that unless they paid the manufacturer directly they were subject to cancellation without notice. After much discussion, eSoft did finally (and reluctantly, in my boss's opinion) agree to reactivate the device in question. This long after our client purchased a firewall product from another manufacturer and who would rather heckle Godzilla than trust a critical network function to an eSoft product. Would you want a firewall that's really a firetrap, subject to the whims of company that could (and did) turn it off without warning? Talk about security threats! It's bad enough worrying about the guys in the black hats breaking into your network but now we have to worry about the guys that are selling the network protection devices too? Sheesh. "There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission..." You can reach T.J. Lee at: mailto:tj_lee@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ "The Book That Should Have Come with Your Computer" "This book should come with every PC - it has become MY BIBLE." "I find information in this book that I can't find anywhere else." These are just a few of the comments we've received on this book. This book-on-a-CD-ROM is fully searchable! Written by the same guys who bring you this newsletter, T.J. Lee, Lee Hudspeth, and Dan Butler, tell you what every computer user needs to know. As Chris Pirillo at Lockergnome says, "It's amazing how much stuff you'll find on the care and feeding of your system in this book." If you use computers you need this book! Check it out! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?tugpc2 +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 04. PGP - Protecting Many Files at Once (by Dan Butler) You've learned how to use PGP to encrypt sensitive email, sensitive data, and sensitive files. Now you'll learn how to encrypt entire directories of data and how to quickly access their contents when you need to. PGPdisk creates a "virtual" disk on your computer with all of the data encrypted. To access one of your PGPdisks you must "mount" it. PGPdisk will ask for the passphrase before mounting the disk then assign it a drive letter on your system. After your disk is mounted, all of the data inside your disk is available to any program you have running. When you are through using your data, unmount the disk and your data is safe from the prying eyes of anyone who doesn't know your passphrase. If PGPdisk would help you with your data security the first thing you'll need to do is install it. PGPdisk comes with the commercial version of PGP. If you didn't purchase a copy of this handy program you can download the PGP Disk program from the PGP International site: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?dan1 Note that PGPdisk is not available from the MIT download site. After installing PGPdisk you need to configure a virtual disk for your system. Click the PGP Lock icon in the system tray (lower right corner) of your screen. Choose PGPdisk / New Disk to start the PGPdisk Creation Wizard. Follow the steps to create your new private disk. ------ Tip ----- Put the letters PGP in the name you assign your PGPdisk. Then it's easy to tell which disks are encrypted and which aren't in file dialog boxes. ------ Tip ----- One option you'll want to consider is whether you want your PGPdisk to automatically be available when you boot your computer. By default PGPdisk pops up and asks for your passphrase every time your computer boots. If you would rather PGPdisk not do this choose the "Advanced Options" button on the second screen of the PGP Disk dialog. Uncheck the box "Mount it at startup". In my case I use more than one PGPdisk. The disk with my frequently used data loads at startup. I load the other disk as needed. With PGPdisk all the data you store on that volume will be encrypted. But don't think that makes your data totally safe. For starters programs may leave temporary files laying around with your data. Plus if you leave your PGPdisk mounted anyone using your computer has access to your encrypted data. Be sure to unmount the drive before you leave your computer unattended. Here is the biggest issue though. PGPdisk prevents others from viewing the information in your files but it doesn't prevent them from copying, renaming, or deleting your data. Since all the data you've put on your PGPdisk resides in a single file on your system simply deleting that file will delete all your data. Make sure you keep a backup copy of your PGPdisk in case of a problem. I personally keep a copy on a rewriteable CD-ROM. While you are at it put a copy of PGP and a copy of your public keyring on your backup disk as well. Should you need to get up to speed quickly you'll have your install files handy. Keep the backup of your private keyring separate. If you missed earlier segments of this series point your browser here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?dan2 You can reach Dan Butler at: mailto:danbutler@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ >> "How Many Ways Will You Use These Amazing Devices?" They're incredibly handy. When we first saw these amazing little devices we thought, "these will look cool hanging on my key ring." Then we started using them. WOW - every day we find more uses. How many will you find? http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?swisstech +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 05. Evaluating Anti-virus Software for Ease of Use: Trend Micro PC-cillin 2000 (by Lee Hudspeth) Since my previous ease-of-use review (Panda Antivirus 6.0 Platinum), I have added two new criteria: ICSA Labs certification status and the ability to scan Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2000 (and higher) documents before they are opened by the host Office application. On my supplemental page I have updated the table containing the comparison data to reflect these two new criteria, added footnotes, and added several new data values for each product (MSRP, one-year virus update subscription renewal fee, a purchase link, and version tested). The link to that supplemental page--which also points to my reviews of other anti-virus programs--appears at the end of this article. Here's how Trend Micro's PC-cillin 2000 fared against my test criteria. * Installation time? 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES. Criteria: This involves a full install plus these tasks: register; run an "update cycle" after install; create and test a rescue disk set; scan the entire system for viruses after install; schedule weekly scans; and schedule daily updates. * Easy to automatically register on-line during installation? (range: very easy, easy, average, difficult, very difficult) VERY EASY. * Easy to automatically connect for updates? EASY. However, there's no UI for displaying when your subscription expires and this is inconvenient. Here's how Trend handles upcoming expirations. According to Bob Hansmann, PC-cillin Product Marketing Manager, Trend sends out an email near the 90-days- remaining mark to bulk groups of customers, reminding them that their subscription will expire in approximately 90 days. Trend doesn't have a product that's solely a subscription upgrade, instead, the firm relies on its product's one-year revision cycle and a competitively priced product upgrade price ($14.95). Hansmann has an important message for PC-cillin customers (applies to anyone running an anti-virus program), "It's vital that customers register with us using a legitimate email address. Otherwise, we can't communicate with them about upcoming subscription expirations and other critical product or malware news." Good tip. * Easy to contact technical support about bugs? AVERAGE. The technical support phone number is a toll, not a toll-free, number; when I called it, a representative came on the line within eight minutes. (Nitpick: their on-hold Muzak is heavily distorted to the point of almost being unbearable. Don't you hate that?) * Easy to contact technical support about subscription problems? N/A. * Is the CD bootable into a set of recovery tools? NO. * Easy to configure overall? AVERAGE. * How easy is it to view the package's virus list? EASY (UI: click the "Virus Info" menu command, choose "Virus List"). Unfortunately, the program doesn't allow you to search for a specific virus and this is inconvenient. I also don't like the program's main dialog being a fixed size; when viewing logs and the quarantine list you can't easily see all the content for each column. There's a horizontal scroll bar but I'd prefer to simply be able to maximize the dialog. * How does it handle the EICAR standard anti-virus test file? PASSES ALL. * ICSA Labs certified? YES. * Scans Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2000 (and higher) documents before they are opened by the host Office application? NO. According to Hansmann, PC-cillin 2000 supports Microsoft's Exchange/Outlook virus scanner API, but not Office's API. Trend will release PC-cillin 2002 this month and it will support Microsoft Office's virus scanner API (for more technical details about this API, see my supplemental page). The key to your success with any anti-virus vendor's product is to use it, and use it aggressively. To see my evaluation of these anti-virus products--and more to come in future issues--in a table format, refer to my supplemental page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?lee1 Amazon.com currently offers Trend Micro PC-cillin 2000 on CD for $32.99: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?lee2 You can reach Lee Hudspeth at: mailto:LeeHudspeth@TheNakedPC.com ** 06. Featured Product - Driver Detective 2.0 (reviewed by Lee Hudspeth) This freeware tool was developed by the folks at PC Drivers Headquarters (their motto, "If you cannot find a driver, this is the place for you"). If you're looking for one specific driver, DLL, or VXD, then you can go straight to their home page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?fprod1 Search by perusing the navigation bar along the left margin (there is no Search text box on the home page), where you'll find a list of various driver categories from Audio to "VXD File". Or you can have their detective tool do the work for you. Once installed, when you run Driver Detective it quickly examines your system for drivers then displays a dialog box. You can choose to see either DRV, DLL, or VXD files. Once you select a file from the list box, you see right there in the tool's dialog the same information you'd see about that file if you were to select it in Windows Explorer, right-click, choose Properties, then click the Version tab: Description, Version, Product Name, etc. The tool has a feature that would be more helpful if it were implemented differently: the menu's "Update Driver" command. As it is, if you select a driver file--say, cabinet.dll--then click "Update Driver" you end up back at their Web site, looking at a page that requests that you support their current sponsor. There's no search text box, so you have to remember to go over to the navigation bar on the left (as described previously), then pick the appropriate category--in this case, "DLL Files"--then finish the search. Note: when you follow the "DLL Files" link don't type a search into the Search text box because this box is for VXDs only, instead click on the link just above labeled "Click here for dll files". To download the freeware Driver Detective 2.0, go here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?fprod2 ** 07. Featured Web Site - Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (reviewed by Lee Hudspeth) If you watch DVD-videos, play games, or play audio CDs on your PC and/or stereo system, or have gone out to the movies any time in the last decade or two, then you've certainly heard (no pun intended) the term "Dolby." The firm has been around since 1965, and has been involved in all major aspects of sound recording technologies: analog recording, digital audio coding, film sound, consumer surround sound, and so on. There's something for everyone at this site, from the audiophile to the home theater neophyte. The "Technical Information" link offers dozens of PDF format white papers on topics ranging from "What is the LFE channel?" (LFE = low-frequency effects, read "sub-woofer") to "Are Movies Too Loud?" The "Dolby Digital" link covers the Dolby Digital technology (six-channel digital surround sound). Many of the white papers can help you dramatically improve the sound of your stereo or multi-channel listening environment. The site's Consumer section includes links to Movies & Cinema (check out "Opening This Week," "Upcoming Dolby Digital & Dolby Digital Surround EX Films," "Heard Any Good Movies Lately," and search engines for Dolby Digital equipped movie theaters both in the U.S. and abroad), Home Theater, Multimedia, DVD, and Cassettes. The Dolby Knowledgebase includes other visitors' questions and answers, and you can post your own. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?fsite ** 08. Featured Tip - Using Norton File Compare to Compare Text Files (by Lee Hudspeth and T.J. Lee) Norton File Compare is one of many tools in the Norton Utilities toolkit. Basically, this tool compares two text files and highlights their differences; it can also reverse one or more changes. Remember that for a file to be considered a "text file" it doesn't have to end in a TXT extension. Norton File Compare can inspect batch, boot (for example, Autoexec.bat and Config.sys), INI, HTML, log, and many other text file types. The tool highlights differences in a user-selectable color in a side- by-side window pane format; to see only differences select View, "Show Differences Only". The tool offers numerous display and comparison settings. You can search by matching block, non- matching block, or regular text, and you can edit a file right from inside File Compare. Files with hierarchical structures-- like INI and REG (Registry export) files--are displayed in a tree-like fashion; you can activate this mode by selecting View, "INI Mode". Use this tool along with Norton Registry Tracker to compare "before and after snapshot" INI or REG files and quickly reverse unwanted changes. ** 09. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff *-* In fiscal 2001 Steve Jobs, Apple Computer's CEO, earned $1 in regular salary--yes, one dollar. He also received a Gulfstream V jet worth $43.5 million, Apple covered the $40.5 million in tax- related and other costs associated with the transaction, and he received 20 million stock options. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?news1 *-* New software is available, although somewhat unpolished, for cleansing adult material from DVDs. ClearPlay is available now, but only works on DVDs viewed via a DVD-ROM drive in a Windows PC; only about 200 popular "blockbuster" titles are cleansable at this time. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?news2 *-* 2001's 4th quarter online sales (excluding travel and auction sites) will be very close to the initial forecast: between $10 and $10.25 billion. This is a 15% increase over the same period in 2000. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?news3 Have you come across something newsworthy? Drop us a line: mailto:hottips@TheNakedPC.com **PLEASE SUPPORT THE NAKED PC BY VISITING OUR ADVERTISERS** +++----------------------- classifieds -----------------------+++ >> THE MORE DEBTS YOU HAVE, >> THE FASTER YOU CAN PAY THEM OFF! Paying highest-interest debt first is the SLOWEST way out. You can laugh at money worries - if you follow this simple plan. Discover secrets your friends don't know & banks won't tell you. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?financial +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ **NEED INK? SAVE 40-70% OVER RETAIL!** High Quality Inkjet Printer Cartridges, JetPaks, Refill Kits. Super Prices! Your Satisfaction IS Guaranteed. NEW! We now offer High Quality Remanufactured Toner Cartridges Save 30-40% * FREE Printer Utilities! * MaxPatch Ink Supplies http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?maxpatch +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ EXQUISITE Gourmet Food Gifts Harry and David has the highest quality fruits, vegetables, sweets, gourmet foods, and more... all carefully and superbly packaged for timely delivery. Ideal for a thoughtful and tasty gift to a family member, friend, or for business. Choose from dozens of basket, tower, and "fruit of the month club" offerings. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/h/tr.cgi?harrydavid +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ THE HOT TIP FOR PC USERS Computer Tips Compendium contains over 460 computer tips packaged as an electronic book-on-CD-ROM. Get the best tips, tricks, and techniques in a fully searchable format all on a single CD. Includes access to our Web site's customers-only online tips section. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?comptips +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ PROTECT Your PRIVACY with Anonymizer! Sign up and use our proxy server to stay 100% anonymous! Convenient and effective privacy protection -- no one can see where you surf. Blocks Cookies, Java, JavaScript, and other tracking methods. Cookie Encryption - lets you safely access and use Web sites that require cookies. URL Encryption - encrypts your page requests so your ISP can't log them. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/501/tr.cgi?anon +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ 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. So there. REDISTRIBUTION POLICY We encourage you to forward this newsletter to your friends, associates, and colleagues for their review and enjoyment. However, please do so only by sending it in full, thereby keeping the copyright and subscription information intact. We do request that, once they've reviewed an issue or two, they subscribe independently rather than continue to receive issues from you. This helps The Naked PC grow and prosper, thereby funding its continued publication. Also, if you wish to post this newsletter to a newsgroup or electronic discussion group, you may do so if you preserve the copyright and subscription information. Thanks. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe, surf on over to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/subscribe.html To make comments or suggestions, surf on over to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpfeedback.html or send email directly to: mailto:tnpc@TheNakedPC.com WEB BULLETIN BOARD Check out our 24x7 Web bulletin board. 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 The Naked PC 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) 2002, PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. and Dan Butler. All Rights Reserved. The Naked PC is a trademark of PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. ISSN: 1522-4422 TNPC Hot Tips:
|
