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              NEWBIES, NERDS & NITWITS

Your 'support' ezine if you're nervous about the Net

          October 2002    Vol.2 Issue 10

              Sheldene Chant, Editor
_____________________________________

  By subscription only. Welcome to the 27th
                         offering from

                   Newbies, Nerds & Nitwits

  You are receiving this newsletter because you
  requested it. Our subscriber list is confidential.
  List maintenance instructions appear at the
  end of this ezine
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                         IN THIS ISSUE

      o Time for a Break...

      o Sneaky, Underhanded Advertisers

      o What To Look For When Choosing A
            New Home Computer

      o How's Your E-Shorthand?

      o Yikes! What Crawled into My Computer?
             - or, Don't Try This at Home, Folks!

      o Hot Tip - when changing ISPs
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TIME FOR A BREAK...
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I HAVE a houseful of visitors so thanks to all the people
who have provided useful articles, on time. At one stage
I wondered whether the October Newbies, Nerds & Nitwits
would actually materialise - but we've made it.

Pam Allen writes about the incredible lengths some online
advertisers are going to - and how to counteract this - while
Jonathan Leger tips, in What to Look For When Choosing a Home
Computer, will save you money.

Its always exciting when one comes across a kindred spirit, and
when I read Dean F. Mapa's Yikes What Crawled into My Computer?
I felt quite nostalgic - as I too know all about PCs that hang and
everything else one has to put up with when learning by trial and
error.

Dean writes: 'One thing I truly appreciate about owning a computer
is that it has taken away my fear to learn new things...' which is
really what this ezine is all about.

So read the article - recognise the shared experiences - and take
heart!
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 FREE TUTORIALS BY AUTORESPONDER

If you are thinking about making your own web page, or
merely want to exercise your brain slightly, then send for
the web page tutorials by clicking webpage

Want to find files fast ?- then click find files

Organising your computer - click here
____________________________________

 POIGNANT PEARLS & POTBELLIED PIGS - a
 monthly ezine packed with original and amusing
 articles, which will remind you not to take yourself
 too seriously. To subscribe click here
 Or, if you're wary of pigs in pokes, surf to
 www.sheldenechant.com to find out
 more.
_______________________________________________

SNEAKY UNDERHANDED ADVERTISERS
Pam Allen reports
_______________________________________________

INTERNET advertising has reached a new high (or low, if you're
talking morals), and advertisers are desperate to make sure that
their ad is the one you notice. Pop ups and pop unders are becoming
a thing of the past, as advertisers have discovered that they pretty
much just annoy the crap out of people, who ignore them. Now
they've gotten sneaky.

The newest breed of advertising involves 'parasites'. These are
actual programs that are installed on your computer (usually without
your knowledge or approval), that physically do something at
certain times. For example, Gator is a really handy password
manager, that I used for ages. At one time, Gator utilized a little pop
up advertising window that would take note of what site you were
on, and list other sites that offered the same thing for sale. You
could disable it if it annoyed you immensely, so it wasn't that big a
deal. But Gator would also overwrite sections on webpages, and
replace them with its own advertising, or insert advertising into
pages where no advertising actually existed.

Another one, the most insidious, annoying one I've ever come
across, is by Lop. Lop is easy to get, and next to impossible to get
rid of. It begins easily enough, you visit a website and Lop
downloads and installs itself without notifying you. Suddenly,
Internet Explorer has a new toolbar at the top, your start page is
changed to the Lop Directory, and about 5000 new favorites have
been added to your favorites list. All Lop, of course. Uninstalling Lop
involves deleting folders, editing the registry, deleting files from your
Internet Explorer folder, and a few other steps. Missing just one Lop
file on your computer will lead to the whole thing automatically being
downloaded again. Not a pleasant experience.

Here are a few tips to avoid getting a parasite, and getting rid of
ones that may already be lurking. First, always carefully read any
boxes that pop up, stating that you need to download something to
view a site. Most of the time it's legitimate, the newest version of
Media Player, Flash, something like that. The window should tell you
what will be downloaded and where it will come from. If you don't
recognize it, don't approve it!

Now, go to 'start' 'settings' 'control panel' 'add/remove programs'
and look at the list of things on your computer. Make a note of any
that you don't recognize. Open Windows Explorer or My Computer
and carefully look at all the folders' names. If you see one you don't
recognize, look in the folder for a txt or doc file. Open the file and
see if it identifies the program. If not, write down the name of the
program and do a Google search for it, or see if there's a website of
the same name. i.e., if there's a folder called 'adscum', try going to
www.adscum.com or adscum.net. If it exists, you'll be able to see
what the program is. If there's no website by that name, a Google
search should let you know if adscum is a bad thing.

Go to 'start' 'programs' 'startUp' and see if something you don't
recognize is being run everytime you start your computer. You can
right click on any entry, pick 'properties' and see where it's located.
Also go to 'start' 'run' and type in 'msconfig' (without the quotation
marks') and then click OK. Click the startup tab to see everything
loads when your computer starts. Make note of the location of
programs you don't recognize, then go to those folders and look for
text or document files. Again, if you're still stumped, head to Google
and do a search.

Chances are good that if something turns out to be a parasite, one
of the Google results will deal with removing it from your computer.

A great site to bookmark is http://and.doxdesk.com/parasite
This site will check your computer for parasites, tell you if one is
found, and how to remove it. I've given the other instructions
because doxdesk can miss them sometimes. With a little common
sense and vigilance, you can keep parasites off your computer!

Cool Application of the Month

For up to the minute weather information at your fingertips, visit
www.weatherbug.com and download their little weatherbug
application. You enter your zip code, and it displays the current
temperature in your taskbar next to the clock. Double clicking it
opens a window with tons more weather information, including
windspeed and direction, extended forecasts, and other useful info.
You can also enable an alarm so that if any severe weather alerts
are broadcast for your area, you'll be notified immediately. Too cool!

The only downside is that you have to select an advertiser during
setup. But, on the bright side, all that does is put the main
Weatherbug console window in a frame with info about the
advertiser. No pop ups, no 'you HAVE to click this link to use
Weatherbug', nothing but a non-intrusive ad, much like that
perfume ad on a magazine page.

Neat Site of the Month

Wondering what the status is on that movie you heard they were
making? Want to know if any good horror movies are in production?
Visit www.corona.bc.ca/films/ and find out the scoop on
everything movie related. You can browse by genre, title, stage of
production, etc. Coming Attractions is the place to find out what's
going on in Hollywood!

(c)2002 Pam Allen

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Pam is co-webmistress at NewbiesAndNitwits.com
and has another site, www.quickdecor.com - featuring
speedy and inexpensive decorating ideas.
_________________________

Happy Snapping with Your Digital Camera

Written specifically for The Newbie Club,
Digicam Magic shows you how to take better
photographs, and a lot more. Click Here
and you'll soon be collecting 'pictures' you'll
be proud of.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION
For those who receive this ezine via TOPICA and
NOT from the NewbiesAndNitwits.com website,
please click on the Topica link which appears in the
footer at the end of each issue should you no
longer wish to receive it. (Of course I hope you
won't do that).
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RECOMMEND Newbies, Nerds & Nitwits to a friend!
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NN&N BACK ISSUES
To view the Newbies, Nerds & Nitwits archives
go to: Topica Lists

 - and don't forget to visit the Newbies, Nerds & Nitwits
website often - for stacks of information, to get help from
Pam Allen if you have computer problems, and to read
the most recent issues:-
NewbiesAndNitwits.com
________________________________________

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN CHOOSING A
NEW HOME COMPUTER
by Jonathan Leger
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ARE you thinking it's about time to buy a newer, faster
computer? If so, there are a number of things to consider
before running out and purchasing the latest, greatest PC
that money can buy.

First of all, ask yourself why you want a new computer. Be
honest. Is it really because your old computer isn't doing the
job? Or did you go to a friend's house and see a shiny new Dell
or Compaq sitting on their desk with all kinds of bells and
whistles that your computer doesn't have?

If your computer is too slow to run the software that you want
or need, that's a good reason to buy a new computer. If you
want a new computer just because your friend's is "so neat,"
then don't buy one. `What's wrong with owning the latest,
greatest PC that money can buy?' you ask. Nothing. But in
three months your new dream computer will no longer be the
best.

The simple truth is that you don't have to have the fastest
computer to run the vast majority of software today. The
hardware that comes with the more modest PCs is usually more
than sufficient to run most home user software. Of course the
TV commercials will have you believe otherwise, but that's only
because they're trying to sell computers.

So you decide that you really do need a new computer. What kind
should you get? What features should it have? Outlined below
are three common reasons consumers buy a new computer and
what features to look for in each case.

1. A new computer to keep your checkbook and appointments,
"surf" the internet, type your documents, etc.

When buying a computer for the basic tasks of writing documents,
keeping your checkbook, or surfing the internet, you do not need
a very powerful PC. Even the most budget-friendly computer will
be able to do all of these things very well. Just make sure
that it comes with the right software. A few software packages
to look for are Microsoft Works or Microsoft Office, Microsoft
Money or Quicken, and McAffee or Norton Anti-Virus software
(very important for protecting your computer from viruses when
surfing the internet).

As of October of 2002 the minimum muscle you can buy from
Dell and Gateway is around 1.8 Ghz processor speed, 128 MB
SDRAM and 20 GB hard drive. If you don't understand these
figures, don't worry--it's far more than you'll need.

2. A new computer for your child.

Let's face it ­ most of our children know more about computers
than we do. It's the simple truth. And since they know more
about computers, they will usually use them in ways the average
parent wouldn't anticipate such as loading lots of software,
games, and music files onto the hard drive. The next time you
turn on the PC, your desktop may look completely different than
it did the day before. When you connect to the internet, all
kinds of "pager" programs may pop up ­ Yahoo Messenger, AOL
Instant Messenger, ICQ or others.

Running all of this software will require a little more speed
and space on the computer's hard drive. In this case you will
want to step past the cheapest computers on display and look at
those in the middle price range. You are still not in need of
the latest and greatest! But you will want to look for the same
software packages from number one above to be sure that you can
do the work you need. That is, if your kids will ever get off
the computer!

The minimum hardware to look for in this case is the same as
in number one above, with one exception: go for a 40 GB or
larger hard drive. Those MP3s and games add up fast.

3. A new computer to play the latest games or for saving lots of
digital music.

The only people who need to invest in high-end, expensive
computers are those who are interested in keeping up with the
latest games and music software. Games are much more
resource-intensive than other kinds of home-user software, and
newer games that require more and more powerful computers are
coming out all the time. These are not the solitaire-style
games either! If you just want to play the basic card games you
can still buy a less expensive computer. A high-end machine may
only be needed for the full-screen, three-dimensional games with
thumping music and blasting sound that only a game lover could
tolerate.

You may also decide to get a high-end computer if you want to
download or store a lot of music files from the internet or from
your personal collection of CDs. Music files can take up a lot
of space on your computer's hard drive. Hard drives have gotten
as large as one hundred gigabytes (one hundred billion bytes) or
more these days. To put this into perspective, a typical music
file (called an MP3) is about three megabytes (three million
bytes) in size. You could put more than thirty thousand MP3s on
a hard drive that is one hundred gigabytes in size. That's
about three thousand albums! So if you're a music junkie, you
might want to buy a computer with a large hard drive and plenty
of memory to run all of your music software.

For the power user the minimum requirements would be 256 MB
SDRAM (preferably the new RDRAM for its performance gains),
a 60 GB or larger hard drive and perhaps a 19 or 21 inch monitor
so you can have multiple programs open and visible on the screen
at the same time.

No matter what computer you buy, avoid financing the purchase
for longer than a year or two. A computer that is more than two
years old has very little resale value. Laptops (portable
computers) are the only exception to this rule because they hold
their value longer. If you finance a computer over a long
period of time make sure you're happy with it, because you will
not get what you owe should you decide to sell it before its
paid off.

So if you're thinking about buying a new computer, first make
sure that you really need one. Then think about what you'll be
using the computer for. Planning ahead can save you hundreds of
dollars in unnecessary hardware and software.

(c)2002 Jonathan Leger
_______________
Jonathan and Natalie Leger are the publishers of
My PC Helpmate, a free weekly ezine 'for the computer
challenged.' Read back-issues and/or signup at:
MyPcHelpmate
Or get your free subscription now by sending a blank
email to Subscribe
__________________________

REGISTRY FOR NEWBIES
So you're not such a Newbie after all? Like to know what
makes Windows act the way it does? Then this ebook will
give you a quick, easy understanding of your PC's Brain. It's
called 'The Registry For Newbies' and you can read all about
it here...
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HOW'S YOUR E-SHORTHAND?
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M - male
MGB - may God bless
MYOB - mind your own business

N - in
N2M - not too much.
NETUA - nobody ever tells us anything
NM - never mind or not much
NMH - not much here
NOYB - none of your business
NP - no problem.
NRN - no reply necessary

(More email acronyms in the
next issue)
__________________________________

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Editor´s note: When you click to rate it, make sure you
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______________________________________

YIKES! WHAT CRAWLED INTO MY COMPUTER?
- or, Don't Try This at Home, Folks!
by Dean F. Mapa
______________________________________

'AAAHHHHHH!' That's the sound of a computer crash. No, it
didn't come from my computer. It came from me.

For the umpteenth time my computer hung. My screen just
turned into a still-life photo. Nothing happens when I press
any key on the keyboard. The mouse pointer doesn't even
move. It's like I'm frozen in time and I haven't even
entered cyberspace yet!

Sometimes the problem goes away when I reboot my machine.
At times it's a bug from a software I'm trying. Once it was a
virus which left my PC blank even after I rebooted it. Often
it's because I tinker too much with my computer.

I'm not a techie. Many would probably refer to me as a
luddite. I call myself a fiddler...because I fiddle a lot
with my computer. I like to know how bits, bytes and chips
all fall into place.

That is perhaps because I'm a writer. I struggle to make
thoughts, words and paper form themselves into something
readable.

Or maybe it's because of my first experience with a
computer, a worn-out, neglected Apple. The friend who gave
it to me didn't teach me how to use it. He instead taught me
how to open it and press a few chips into place if it didn't
boot. I was intrigued forever!

I have a more updated PC now but that doesn't stop me from
opening it and risking life with electrocution, or intelligence with
surrendering to my shop's techie. At the very least I was able to
install more RAM, a LAN card and a CD-RW (see, I can even talk
tech-speak).

It's not only the hardware, however, that I try to learn. I
also try to see how software tick. I've installed and
uninstalled so much freeware and shareware that twice I had
to format my hard drive to clear out the "garbage." Now I'm
trying to learn Perl, which is the scripting used in Website
maintenance. In case you haven't seen one, a particular
string of Perl script looks like it was a result of a two-
year old kid left alone on the keyboard.

So here I am, a writer used to weaving words together, now
trying to unscramble them. Good thing my Website host is
patient with me. So is my computer shop.

Better that I'm patient with myself. There are times when my
PC doesn't even turn on or my scripts do nothing. It isn't
easy to determine what went wrong and oftentimes I have to
start from the beginning. But when that happens I always
consider it as an adventure in education.

Because of this, my book shelves are no longer exclusive
enclaves of books on history and novels. Now found are a
sprinkling of computer books from learning to build a PC to
publishing on the World Wide Web. I'm comfortable with
reading Chris Pirillo's computer newsletter, 'Lockergnome,'
as well as Paul Meyer's business column, 'TalkBiz News,'
both of which are electronic publications.

One thing I truly appreciate about owning a computer is that
it has taken away my fear to learn new things, most
especially about myself. After all, what I do has to have a
direct correlation with who I am and what I still want to
be. Thus, I can share on the topic of self-improvement from
the standpoint of a student more than a teacher.

A computer crash? What crawled in? A bug, a virus, a worm, a
trojan? A bit or a byte that went haywire? Or was it just
me?

Whatever. Somehow, something or someone somewhere will
always turn out right.
____________________
Dean F. Mapa is a writer, motivational speaker and a half-
baked techie. Subscribe to his free weekly inspirational
newsletter, "Ezinspired," by clicking Here
______________________________________

 NEED A FRIENDLY, HELPING HAND?..
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 The Newbie Club will treat you with the respect you
 deserve and teach you all you need to know with their
 revolutionary free Learning System. Click over
 and change your PC and Net experience forever.
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 * -------------------HOT TIP------------------- *

THINKING twice about changing ISP's because
of losing your email address?

Re-route E-mail Forwarding Service (free) provides
change-of-address email forwarding - all you need
to do is fill in a Change-of-Address card and any
messages send to the old address will be forwarded
to the new one.

Visit www.re-route.com/

 * --------------------HOT TIP------------------- *

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     --------------------- Signature File----------------------

                  Editor/Publisher: Sheldene Chant
                   6 Strapp Lane, Amanzimtoti 4126,
                   KwaZuluNatal, South Africa.
                   eMail
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